"Don't just stand there if you're not buying—leave already!"
The irritable shop owner barked at him as Subaru walked away in a daze.
He looked at the intact plastic bag in his hands. The snacks that had clearly been eaten by the three thugs earlier were still there.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone.
"This is still here too… what's going on?"
He turned on the screen, watching it light up, then looked up at the sky. The sunlight shone straight down, forcing him to squint.
"The sun had already set just now, hadn't it…? No—never mind that. I need to get to the hideout first. I don't know how Emilia's doing!"
Lillian stood silently where he was, watching Subaru break into a run.
Time had rewound.
The fact that Lillian retained his memories was at least some consolation—it meant the Witch of Envy's authority couldn't interfere with him directly.
However, the causal state of his body had still been reversed. He lifted his clothes and checked his waist—the wound Elsa had cut into him was gone.
To be honest, he was a little irritated.
If time always rewound after Subaru's death, then it meant Lillian couldn't truly accomplish anything. He could be in the middle of doing something, only for Subaru to die for some unknown reason—and everything would reset again, just like now.
Just moments ago, he had already saved Felt and Rom.
After that, all he needed to do was "accidentally" let Reinhard see the Dragon Insignia glowing in Felt's hand. Reinhard would then take her away and make her one of the royal selection candidates.
In that case, the achievement of "saving a lost royal bloodline" might not mean much to other factions—but for Felt's faction, it would be invaluable.
That would earn him Reinhard's goodwill and a favor. Asking him to "arrange a magic instructor" later would surely be nothing more than a small gesture.
But now, with Subaru's death and return, everything had been wiped clean.
Should he do it all over again?
Lillian thought to himself. Subaru used death to gather information, and now Lillian was also using the reversal of time to reflect on his own actions.
On closer inspection, his earlier behavior had contained flaws.
The biggest flaw was his identity.
He had previously mentioned the royal selection in connection with the insignia. If Reinhard learned of this, he would inevitably question who Lillian really was.
A normal person wouldn't even know what that insignia was—let alone understand its function.
And if he wasn't a normal person, yet couldn't be traced by the Sword Saint family, then wasn't he essentially a man without a registry? Worse—he could even be suspected of being a spy from another country.
The risk was enormous.
So if he tried again and avoided mentioning the insignia's function—how would he explain wanting it in the first place?
If Felt asked him, "Why do you want to buy this insignia?"
What could he say?
Copy Subaru and claim, "I want to return it to its owner because she once helped me"?
But in reality, Emilia and Lillian were already at odds.
The current save point was set after Lillian had bought his sword and clothes. That meant the alley incident—where he beat up the thugs—had already happened. His conflict with Emilia had already formed.
Under those circumstances, what help had he received from her?
He'd be exposed the moment they met again.
Moreover, Subaru already knew the location of Rom's "stolen goods shop" from the first loop and was heading there now. Even if Lillian rushed at full speed and arrived first, it would be pointless—Felt wasn't back yet.
For Lillian, this save point had become a "bad save."
"Is this what they call the 'protagonist halo'?" he couldn't help but wonder.
"Does this entire event have to be resolved by Subaru?"
What determined the save point, anyway?
Was it set arbitrarily by the Witch of Envy, based on her mood?
Or was it updated after the completion of a specific event?
If nothing unexpected happened, after the insignia incident would come the "Rem incident" and the "curse incident" at Roswaal's mansion. The save point would likely update around then.
Without outside interference, Subaru would inevitably die several times before uncovering the truth.
Did that mean that during this entire period, Lillian was effectively unable to do anything?
Anything he did could be erased at any moment by another rewind.
By now, Subaru had already turned into the alley. After a brief moment of thought, Lillian followed him at a distance.
He saw the three thugs still lying on the ground, not yet recovered from the beating Lillian had given them earlier.
With experience from the previous loop, Subaru ignored them this time. With a running start, he leapt over the three and sprinted into the distance.
Lillian stopped and considered things for a moment.
Then he began moving swiftly through the streets, scanning his surroundings.
Fifteen minutes later, he found his target—and stepped forward decisively to block the man's path.
"S-Sword Saint!"
Lillian's expression instantly shifted into that of an "ordinary mercenary who had just encountered something terrifying."
"I… I have something to report to you!"
"Oh?" Reinhard asked gently. "What happened? Is there anything I can help with?"
He showed no surprise at being recognized. After all, wherever he went, the attention he drew was practically absolute—almost everyone in the capital knew him. That was precisely why Lillian had been able to find him so quickly.
"It's like this…" Lillian said.
"I just saw a woman dressed entirely in black, carrying a strange short blade. I overheard her talking to someone about killing someone… and about an insignia… something like that."
Reinhard's expression changed.
"Black clothes, a short blade, murder… where is this woman?"
"She said she was heading to the slums. I thought the situation was urgent, and I happened to run into you, so I reported it immediately."
"You did well. That woman is very likely a dangerous assassin," Reinhard said, taking the matter seriously.
"I'll head there at once. Thank you for the information."
"Please be careful, Sword Saint!"
Lillian watched as Reinhard departed at high speed. His expression settled into calm.
Silently, from far behind, he followed after him.
---
The Slums
Inside Rom's shop, Subaru was discussing the purchase of the insignia with the other two. He wanted to complete the transaction ahead of time, but Felt refused, insisting on waiting for the client to arrive first. At that moment, the owner of the insignia—Emilia—arrived, having followed clues provided by the fruit stall owner.
Without any need for explanation, Emilia instantly found herself in opposition to Felt and Rom. Subaru was caught in the middle, trying to mediate, but he had no footing whatsoever—after the rewind, Emilia no longer knew him.
Just as the tension reached a breaking point and a fight was about to erupt, the Bowel Hunter, Elsa, suddenly appeared. Subaru shouted a warning in time, allowing Puck to materialize and block the blow aimed at Emilia.
"It's begun."
On the rooftop of a building some distance away, directly opposite Rom's shop, Lillian sat watching. Seeing walls and windows pierced through by ice crystals, he knew the battle had broken out inside.
At the same time, he spotted Reinhard rapidly approaching from another street. He seemed to have sensed the disturbance caused by the fight—his speed far surpassed even Felt's, who possessed the Blessing of Wind. Lillian thought to himself that even if he raced Reinhard at full speed, he wouldn't stand a chance if Reinhard got serious.
After all, Reinhard was someone who could acquire Divine Blessings after birth. As a child, when he once cooked porridge for his hungover father and wanted to make sure he didn't mix up salt and sugar, he gained the Blessing of Salt. That was the reason he was nicknamed Reinhard the Almighty—a man who obtained whatever blessing he needed. Under those circumstances, having a Blessing of Sprinting wouldn't be surprising at all.
Thus, in the middle stage of the battle—just as Emilia's side was about to lose—the hero Reinhard made his entrance. With a single sword strike, he sliced away half of the building. The overwhelming pressure was so intense that even Lillian, over a hundred meters away, could clearly feel it.
The battle ended effortlessly.
"…What should we do now?" Emilia asked after everything settled, looking at the wreckage scattered across the ground.
Reinhard responded calmly and methodically. "The surrounding area should be temporarily sealed off. A wanted notice for the Bowel Hunter must also be issued. Although she escaped while heavily wounded, she still poses a severe threat to civilians."
"Then what about the little girl and the old man?" Emilia asked.
"…Strictly speaking, I shouldn't let them go," Reinhard replied, "but unfortunately, I happen to be on vacation today."
"What an irresponsible knight," Emilia said with a smile.
She walked over to the two. Felt looked up at her, realizing that Emilia had saved her. In a low voice, she said, "Even people from the slums know how to repay kindness." As she spoke, she took out the stolen Dragon Insignia. "I'm sorry. Here—take it back."
The insignia lay open in her palm. In that instant, a faint red glow flashed from the gem set within it. Neither girl noticed—but the light did not escape Reinhard's eyes.
In the next moment, Reinhard suddenly grabbed the hand holding the insignia. His expression changed completely, becoming intensely serious—something none of them had ever seen before.
"Reinhard?" Emilia looked at him in surprise. Felt cried out, "Hey, that hurts—let go!" but Reinhard's grip was like iron, impossible to escape.
"Wait, Reinhard—she doesn't know the value of that insignia, and I—"
"No, Lady Emilia. That isn't the point,"
Reinhard interrupted firmly. It was the first time Emilia had heard such a forceful tone from him, and she was taken aback. Reinhard himself seemed entirely unconcerned about his slightly rude manner.
He simply stared intently into Felt's crimson eyes and spoke in a low voice tinged with relief.
"Thanks to that mercenary's information… otherwise, things would have been very bad."
"…Huh?"
---
Elsewhere
Drip… drip… drip…
Blood fell relentlessly from Elsa's shoulder, so frequently that it formed a crooked trail behind her. Struggling to stay upright, she slipped into a dark alley in the slums. She tore off the black stocking from her left leg and tightly bound it around her bleeding shoulder.
The wound was temporarily sealed. Sliding down the wall, she collapsed into a seated position, breathing rapidly and shallowly like a wounded beast.
After a moment, she finally managed to steady herself—
but in the very next second, she sucked in a sharp breath and twisted her head toward the alley entrance!
There, silhouetted against the glow of the setting sun, stood a black-haired, black-clad swordsman dressed like a mercenary. At some point unknown to her, he had appeared, gazing down at her from above. His dark eyes held an unreadable meaning.