"Impressive." Subaru Natsuki held onto a pillar to avoid being blown away, amazed at how strong the girl following Ren was.
"Of course, my sister is the strongest." Rem quickly agreed when she heard someone praising her sister.
No matter how Elsa accelerated, Ram detected her and destroyed her with highly destructive magic—a display of extreme violence.
"I haven't heard your name yet." Elsa asked, holding one arm.
"Ram."
"Elsa Granhiert."
Elsa attacked again, her speed now straining her body, and her previously broken arm had been reattached.
Ram's strength, which could be called godlike, along with her insight and magic, was beyond Elsa's reach.
She sensed Elsa's position and launched several wide-area wind spells, leaving no room for escape.
"Truly powerful." Elsa lost another life and looked at everyone. "Prepare yourselves. I will come for you someday."
Elsa left, and the people at the scene let out a long breath. Rem looked at Ram with admiration, while Subaru stared as if he had seen a ghost—he never expected the maid to be this strong.
"Here, take it back." Felt, at this moment, didn't want to argue over the item anymore.
"Finally over." Subaru collapsed to the ground, his tension easing.
"Though, you didn't do anything, really." The burly man patted Subaru on the shoulder.
"Well, thank you." Emilia was clear about her gratitude—Ren had helped her, so she thanked him.
"No need. Looks like you listened to my advice." Ren said with a smile.
Emilia blushed. She hadn't joined Ren in the royal selection, yet he said that—it made her a little embarrassed.
"Um, may I say something?" Subaru stood up and spoke.
"Hm?" Everyone turned to look at the young man who had come along.
Subaru Natsuki then made an exaggerated self-introduction, letting everyone know him, though in the manner of a clown.
The burly man patted Subaru on the shoulder. If it weren't for Subaru's warning, his stomach would have been sliced open, so he was somewhat grateful.
"This isn't the kind of Isekai I wanted," Subaru muttered, unable to hide his complaint. His self-introduction had fallen flat, and the only response came from the burly man.
"By the way, I'm curious about something. Young man, why were you so afraid when you first met that woman? You even instinctively covered your stomach, as if you had already experienced it before," Ren said, looking at Subaru, trying to phrase the other's ability differently.
Hearing this, the others turned to Subaru. But Subaru didn't dare speak; he didn't want to feel that heart-crushing fear again.
"I…"
"Let me put it another way. How many times have you come here?" Ren pressed.
"The third time," Subaru replied after a moment of hesitation. This didn't trigger his Return by Death penalty.
"Is that so?" Ren stroked his chin, unaware of the full truth. He realized he would need to keep something in reserve for Subaru.
This ability was too buggy—if it repeated endlessly, flaws would eventually appear, just like in the soul-based games of his past life, where saves could always bypass bosses.
The others fell silent. Even the less perceptive among them understood the gravity of Subaru's words.
This truly was a terrifying ability. Though they didn't know the conditions for his returns, it didn't stop them from feeling shocked.
Ram and Rem remained quiet. Ren was a Sin Archbishop, his ability unknown.
But when they went to the Frozen Forest, the Great Spirit couldn't kill him.
And now, there was someone who could keep coming back? This made them wary of the Witch's Cult.
"Um… thank you," Subaru exhaled deeply. At that moment, he felt a weight lift from his heart.
There was no need to reveal his Return by Death. If others noticed, he could simply answer and still mention having come back a few times.
"Sorry, I think I mistakenly called you Satella."
Emilia suddenly realises what had happened before. Why had he called her Satella when he clearly didn't know the meaning of the name?
There was only one explanation: she had intentionally told him, to create distance.
"It's fine. But now you can tell me your real name," Subaru said, completely unbothered.
"Emilia. My name is Emilia."
"Such a beautiful name." Subaru Natsuki gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you," Emilia replied with gratitude.
"It's getting late, we should take our leave," Ren said, waving to the group, then left with Ram and Rem.
The remaining people looked at each other. Emilia was the first to excuse herself. Subaru, having been unable to help, couldn't find a reason to follow her.
"Well, since we've found everything, I'll be leaving now," Emilia said and left first.
"Hey, little brother, aren't you leaving?" the burly man asked Subaru, looking a bit puzzled.
At that moment, Subaru realized he had nowhere to go and no direction. He had come here just to be with the girl who had given him such happy memories.
Thinking of this, she became his anchor. He wanted Emilia to be happy and safe.
But seeing Ren and the others' strength, he couldn't help but feel jealous.
How many times had he come back? How many times had he watched others save the day while he could do nothing?
At that moment, he wanted to be strong more than anything. Only if he became strong could he help Emilia. Otherwise, he would be powerless, forced to just watch.
At that moment, he didn't even realize that his heart was beginning to twist.
He left, lost and troubled, but at least he had a goal—to help Emilia, whether she truly needed his help or not.
After Subaru left, some time later, a red-haired knight arrived at the scene. Seeing the destruction, he began asking Felt and the burly man about what had happened.
Upon learning that Ren had a maid named Ram with considerable strength, he frowned. This Sin Archbishop had caused him quite a problem; he could not defeat him.
Ren had no idea that, because of him, Subaru had entered the Pride IF line. With his pre-death memories, Subaru was undoubtedly a powerful opponent.
In his eyes, Subaru had overcome everything that came before, and this incident would soon be over. His sources of information—or the amount of intelligence he had—made him seem almost prophetic.
After learning about the protagonist, Ren returned home with the twins.
At this time, Anastasia had already struck a deal—not in the royal selection, but in business. She was doing everything she could to leverage her status.
"Lord Ren made the right decision by not choosing Emilia," Ram said, approvingly.
"Ram, you're my maid, yet you're worried about my decisions." Rol's face darkened.
"Ram just doesn't want to overwork herself." Ram snorted lightly.
"Have you been working at all? Rem just spoils you too much." Ren rolled his eyes. He knew Ram perfectly—if she wasn't being lazy, she was trying to mess with his alcohol.
"Lord Ren, I'm doing this willingly." Rem said very seriously.
"Hopeless." Ren rubbed his forehead. He didn't even want to argue. Looking at Ram's proud expression, he was completely at a loss for words.
**********
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