Jon Ureña's Blog, page 69

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 58)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry we learned that the hundreds of years old librarian Beatrice didn't want the protagonist to leave her behind, but then she realized that she didn't know him after all, so he might as well die. The lovely miss Granhiert interrupted their argument and made the protagonist leave permanently by crushing his throat.

First season

-I burned through the character limit for this one. Check out the links for the previous season in another part.

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
-Link for part 40
-Link for part 41
-Link for part 42
-Link for part 43
-Link for part 44
-Link for part 45
-Link for part 46
-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49
-Link for part 50
-Link for part 51
-Link for part 52
-Link for part 53
-Link for part 54
-Link for part 55
-Link for part 56
-Link for part 57

You would have never thought that waking up in a magically lighted tomb, where a hundreds of years old ghost psychologically tortures people with ultrarealistic simulations, would make you feel relieved, but after you bring saliva back to your dry mouth, you turn around on the floor and focus on breathing deeply while you stare at the blue-dyed stone roof, at the myriad of tiny cracks that have opened in them over the centuries.
You don't think you noticed Emilia's irregular breathing before. You crawl towards the half-elf, as she lies face down near the center of the antechamber. You turn her towards you, then hug her. You run your fingers through her hair while whatever witch-induced nightmare causes her facial muscles to twitch against your skin. You could do this over and over, you think. You could spend your eternity in this loop, waking up next to Emilia in these ruins and doing little else than have sex over and over with her in Ryuzu's house, only to kill yourself three or four days later.

After you exit the witches' tomb carrying Emilia's body, you barely bother to answer questions or react to the theatre play that the people you know are performing for your amusement. You could recite some of their lines as well. Once Emilia is loaded unconscious onto the back of the carriage, you sit next to Otto on the driver's seat.
For a couple of minutes, as your merchant pal drives you all back towards Ryuzu's house, you close your eyes and enjoy the calm of not having to face the worst contract killer in the world, nor escape from random monsters, nor face that your friends Ram and Frederica died for your sake. The world seems so peaceful. You suspect that if you focus on hearing the breeze for a while you will start crying from the relief of having nothing to fear.
"Mr. Natsuki, are you alright...?", Otto asks warily from your left.
You open your eyes, and it takes you a couple of seconds to register that Otto is looking at you and waiting for a reply.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
He raises an eyebrow as if trying to figure out if you are joking around.
"Because lady Emilia is half unconscious, half delirious, of course." He chuckles nervously. "I mean, had you ever seen the princess in such a state? I don't understand how you can be so calm."
You sigh, then scrape the tip of your shoe against the floor of the driver's seat.
"She'll be alright, old pal. She always is. She's stuck in her old ways, and we haven't found a way out of her childhood issues, but maybe we'll figure something."
"I don't think I know what you mean, Mr. Natsuki! We first need to make sure Emilia snaps out of her current state!"
"Yes, yes. I know that part quite well. Just focus on the road, will you? I'm aching to eat an unhealthy amount of those cinnamon cookies."
Otto blinks in confusion, but obeys you and stops bothering you with pointless questions.
You pat him on the shoulder. Otto's a good guy. Trustworthy and a hard worker. His humbleness is almost as annoying as his tendency to shout during regular conversations, apart from that whole delusion about being able to speak to animals. But seeing him, as well as the rest of the actors in this play, shortly after you start all over again makes you smile.

Once Emilia is resting in Ryuzu's guest bed, you sit down in your usual place at the living room table and let the others repeat their lines while you drink the tasty tea and eat the elf's cookies. Right now you don't care about anything else. And it's so nice to know that you don't have to care about anything for a while, you can just let the world breathe on its own.
Well, you would like to enjoy some time in peace, but you feel Ram's gaze burning your face. Your esteemed senior servant is sitting in front of you, hoping that you will finally speak up about whether you went through the trial or not. She's her usual pink-haired, red-eyed, fully alive old self.
You sigh and finish eating the rest of your cookie. You offer a smile to the guarded servant.
"How are you feeling on this beautiful night, Ram?", you ask pleasantly.
Ram narrows her eyes with suspicion.
"I am doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances, Barusu. And yourself?"
"Oh, I'm a little tired from carrying the world on my shoulders. Quite tired about it, actually..."
"Barusu. Please. I want to know if you went through with it. You know what I mean, don't you?"
"I have gone through many things, my dear Ram. Many trials of many types. I ended up liking you quite a bit, you know? That whole thing about running towards your impending death to give me and the trainee the chance to survive... I am so moved that I want to tear up while replaying that in my mind. But you don't remember any of it. I have to hold all those memories on my own."
She narrows her eyes even further, as if the act could threaten you.
"Answer me, Barusu. Did you go through with it?"
You stretch out your arms while smiling.
"I don't have anything to hide, Ram. I went through with it."
"Barusu..."
"But what about you, Ram? Did you go through with it?"
Ram hunches over, crossing her arms over the table, and glares at you as if you are annoying her intentionally.
"What the hell are you doing? What's wrong with you? Ever since you exited that tomb, you seem as if you are in a daze, Barusu."
Otto clears his throat to your right, next to Garfiel, who is slumped on his chair.
"Yes, I worried about that...", the merchant says. "You looked as if you didn't care that Emilia had fallen into such a troubling state."
You shrug, then gulp some more of your tea.
"Nothing much matters when you stop to think about it", you say with a tired voice, suddenly weary for having to talk. "It all keeps happening over and over, people's emotions come and go, people die and get reborn. What do you want me to say?"
"Yer own pals can tell yer bein' as weird as a ghanfal during matin' season, half-pint, fancy plumage an' all", Garfiel says as his blonde hairline glistens in the candlelight, and he reaches for another fried potato. "Can't believe a damn thing that comes outta yer mouth, it seems."
You tilt your head towards him and raise a corner of your mouth in a smile.
"That's rich coming from you, Garfiel. It seems like you don't care for anyone's emotions but your own."
He stares at you for a moment, then he tsks to the side.
"Might as well be true, evil eyes. At least I don't pretend ta care."
"I care. And that sister of yours, she looks so majestic when transformed into a horse-sized, fantasy world lioness. The female eyelashes are a bit incongruous, though, but man, her light blonde fur must feel so nice."
Garfiel snaps his head back, and then he straightens in the chair as if he needs to defend himself.
"Ol' furryburglar transformed in front of ya? She wouldn't do that if she didn't have to, or at least she didn't use to."
You lean back on your chair and look at the ceiling.
"She had to, yeah. Ah... I thought she had betrayed us, but in the end she was as cool as they come. I'm glad she's one of us."
Before you know it you end up having to wipe some tears. Everyone at the table is staring at you with different levels of bewilderment, but you couldn't care less.

You want to be honest with yourself: you want to go into Ryuzu's guest bedroom and get under the covers of that bed so you can bask in the warmth of what would be Emilia's first time in this new reality. However, you know that if you allow yourself a break, you will allow yourself a second. You will end up repeating the loop dozens, hundreds of times, and maybe the next time you won't find the strength to climb out of that hole. You might lose the will to do so.
This time you will try something different. At least returning to Roswaal's mansion wasn't a waste. The lioness had revealed that there was a secret to discover in Sanctuary, and the only two people you imagine will know what she hinted at are Garfiel and Ryuzu. So as soon as the informal meeting at Ryuzu's living room ends , you intend to figure out where Garfiel goes whenever he thinks none of you are looking.
You have already refused to meet the clown, which annoyed this current version of the senior servant. And you have let the punk go ahead as he prowls towards and then into the dense forest as if he's done it regularly for years. You stalk him with the little experience you have, not worrying if you end up failing. You are following a predator in his home turf. If he catches you and he freaks out to the extent that he kills you, you'll try all over again. Best case scenario, he'll notice you but allow you to believe you have the upper hand, which will get you closer to learning something new. And once you store in your brain a new fact of this strange world, nobody will be able to take it out no matter how many times they kill you.
The trees are very tall, and their thick branches are interlaced above you letting only scarce rays of moonlight to pass through and illuminate a portion of the ground. It's a good thing that you have a decent sense of smell, since even vision is barely capable of discerning shapes.
At one point you lose Garfiel, and you stop partially hidden by a tree trunk. You figure that the punk is coming, so you wait until he makes his entrance. There's no harm in making Garfiel believe it will surprise you.
Sure enough, Garfiel jumps down from one of the trees and you turn to face him, only for him, who seemed to believe you were going to punch him, to deftly jump out of the way.
"Yer slow!" He says with a laugh, "An' ya didn't even sense me! That's two flaws, slowin' down an' losin' yer awareness o' the environment!"
You stand there looking at him calmly as he leaps towards you and then catches you between his forearm and a tree trunk. He's pressing down hard between your clavicles. His heart must be pounding on his ribcage, but your nerves haven't worsened.
Garfiel snarls at you, displaying his triangular teeth, from so close that you can smell the fried potatoes in his breath.
"Damn weirdo, freakin' out yer own pals, an' now followin' me through the forest. Thinkin' ya could catch me unawares in my own home! Can't understand whaddya want, but with someone like ya, who can enter them witches' restin' place even though them traps shoulda have ripped ya apart, ya followin' me cannot be anythin' good."
"Depends on what you mean by good, Garfiel", you say imperturbably. "I'm just following your dear Frederica's guidelines."
You see a mixture of emotions flash through his eyes: guilt, anger, and fear.
"Whaddya mean? What's that betrayin' broad got ta do with anythin'?"
"She has a lot to do with this. As a matter of fact, it was her idea. She decided that I should pay you a visit because apparently you've been slacking off."
He snaps his head back with disbelief, then he leans forward to glare threateningly mere centimeters away from your face.
"Haah!? Slackin' off! Ain't nobody who works harder than me in this whole village, except fer the old hag! But she's a special case above all, havin' been guardin' this place since before Gosre Peahles extracted his flamin' sword from the fabled rock!" He returns to his original position and snarls at you. "Yer just sayin' stuff ta piss me off, an' it's workin', so how about ya stop talkin' an' make yer damn point before I make a point out of ya!"
You take a deep breath.
"I'm saying that your heart is restless, Garfiel. I don't think guarding is your calling."
"It has been fer years! Whaddya know anyway!? Apart from them legends 'bout the strongest man in the world who resides in this here place, legends known far and wide, all ya learned came from that betrayin' Frederica, who left us all ta rot!"
You barely blink as you hold Garfiel's gaze. His pupils are trembling, and he's breathing harder.
"Frederica told me something that caught my curiosity", you say. "She told me that I had yet to learn the secret of Sanctuary. I have always been interested in mysteries, and it's not as if tending to livestock, talking to the half-beast locals who have known nothing else than these dreary views, or drinking myself into oblivion with the watered down mead of this place could hold my attention for long. You know all there is to know about this here village, don't you, Garfiel? And sooner or later you will show it to me."
Garfiel looks as if in a trance. After a while he snarls differently than the happy-go-lucky one you're used to seeing. It's a powerful, animalistic one, directed at you. You know you he won't treat you any other way for as long as you remain in this reality.
"Threaten me an' mine any further an' you'll find out the true meanin' of pain!"
You laugh at the joke this punk made inadvertently, which confuses him. As he was about to shout at you again, you interrupt him.
"I didn't come to hurt any of you. In fact, I want nothing more than to free all of you so we can all go home, or somewhere better. Unfortunately we can't count on my lovely Emilia's self-punishing determination to lift that hundreds of years old barrier of yours, so I need to expose every single dirty secret of this village. You are either going to help me sooner or later, Garfiel. I have much more time and willpower than you can imagine."
For a moment he squeezes you tighter against the tree trunk, but you let him ponder your words. Eventually he groans and lets you go.
"I cannot understand ya, half-pint, and ya talk too much. Ya'll have ta meet someone who will know better how ta deal with yer sneaky cormuto ass."
You smile and nod, which annoys the punk.
"Great. I was getting tired of just dealing with just the two notorious locals. Who might that new person be?"
Garfiel turns around to lead you somewhere else, but he smirks at you over his shoulder.
"I'm gonna disappoint ya, half-pint, which makes me all happy."
"Oh, please, anything but disappointment."
Your witty personality annoys him even more. You keep bickering with him while he guides you further into the darkened forest, until he motions with his head towards a clearing. You crane your neck, but you are indeed disappointed. Sitting on a log waits Ryuzu, that small, sort of twelve year old elf, with that long, straight pale red hair that curves upwards at the ends, and who hides most of her body up to her chin in a bulky coat, as if she were perpetually cold. As soon as she notices that you are following Garfiel, she stands up and narrows her eyes at you in a way you hadn't seen Ryuzu do before. Then again, you hadn't intruded into their private world in such a way before.
"Oh, it's just Ryuzu!", you say.
Garfiel shakes his head.
"Just, huh?" He then walks up to Ryuzu's side, and he motions with his head towards you. "See who I brought ya, old hag? Guess ya'll be able to figure if it's true or not, won't ya?"
The elf takes a deep breath while she holds your gaze.
"I'm surprised you got here so fast, Ryuzu, but I guess I shouldn't", you say, as you had been thinking about it for a few seconds. "The first I saw of you was when I got teleported to that clearing close to the witches' tomb. You reminded me of a deer back then, and you ran really fast back into the forest. I guess acting like some decrepit old woman is one of those Sun Tzu things, huh? Feigning weakness where you are strongest. So you actually were a twelve year old with the energy to match, despite Garfiel calling you old hag repeatedly. That's on me, though. I should have stopped paying attention long ago to whatever Garfiel says. Most of it doesn't mean anything."
Garfiel snarls at you as he clenches his fists, but when Ryuzu shares a knowing look with the punk, he relaxes and smirks for a moment.
"So you followed Garfiel into the forest, Young Su?", Ryuzu asks with an uncharacteristic wariness.
"That's right", you answer without hesitation. "For two reasons: first of all one that I haven't mentioned to your punk grandson of sorts, and the other because I want to uncover the secrets of your dreary village, just like Frederica suggested I should do. And I'm firmly on that German's side from now on, I think."
"That first reason you haven't explained already seems less perilous, so please elaborate on it."
"Alright. I know you guys won't allow me to pass the trials for Emilia's sake. That whole political garbage. But I thought about Frederica, and something wasn't making much sense."
"What did you think about?"
"The lioness herself told me before my lovely Emilia ended up trapped here that her mother had come to the village for protection. She had half-beast children, meaning Garfiel and Frederica, although I don't know if she was the human half or the hopefully intelligent beast half of the equation. While Garfiel has ended up wanting to spend the rest of his punk days in this miserable place, Frederica left. But how the hell did Frederica leave if the other half-beasts can't? If she managed to pass the trials, then the barrier wouldn't be there anymore, would it? So there must be a loophole that will allow us to sneak at least Emilia through the border, and maybe your trapped villagers as well."
Ryuzu stares at you in silence for a few moments before speaking.
"If only such loophole existed, Young Su, I assure you we would have exploited it already."
"That's part of what had me confused, sure, but then-"
Garfiel snorts, which makes you focus on him. He shakes his head and puts a hand on his waist while looking as if he hates that he needs to talk about this, and that you brought it up.
"Ol' furryburglar's full name is Frederica Baumann. Did ya know that much?"
"Yes."
He points at his chest with his free thumb.
"This one here's a Tinsel, as in Garfiel Tinsel. Ya know what that means?"
"I'd have to think about it for a moment..."
Garfiel hardens his voice.
"It's easy, half-pint. It means my momma is a whore."
You snap your head back. Ryuzu lifts her gaze towards the punk, and a sudden sadness clouds her face. She looks down to the insides of her bulky coat, hiding her features up to her lower eyelids.
You want to lighten the mood, make some sarcastic comment, but Garfiel keeps staring at you with pure disdain and disgust. Not toward you. Not solely toward his mother even, but the entire world. You end up lowering your head as well.
"... Jeez."
"It's true, ain't it. Both 'Rica and I are half-breed bastards left behind. What else would ya call a momma that comes inta this secret village that allowed other families of freaks ta grow up safe, only for that momma of ours to leave us so she could prance back to that wide world out there? What do ya call a full human, which she is, that screwed two different beast shapeshifters and when she was round with me, she shat me out and then abandoned us? Damn whore threw us here to rot like some garbage. That's what goes on in yer place of birth, ain't it, half-pint? Is that the kinda stuff ya fancy noble-like people do?"
"I'm not a noble, as you already know, but-"
"I can see it. I can see it in yer eyes. The way ya look down on me, like I'm some kinda rat in the gutter. Same way that Ram looks at me. Fuckin'... All of ya should just burn up in hell."
You're speechless for a moment. You don't want this guy to get too angry, not even because he will likely kill you, but for his own sake.
"Young Su", Ryuzu attracts your attention firmly as if wanting to stop Garfiel from talking.
"Yes, Ryuzu...", you say with a thin voice.
"I can see you're a smart individual from the way you act in front of me, and the words you say."
"Well, that's much kinder than how most other people have described me."
"However, you failed to consider, or discover, a vital detail about Frederica that allowed her to leave our Sanctuary without passing the trials. She simply walked out of here, the same way you would be able to."
"Oh?"
"Frederica ain't a half-breed", Garfiel says while crossing his arms and looking down at the grass. "She's more human than beast. That old Echidna witch was only interested in half-breeds, I reckon. That's why she trapped them here even if they just wandered inta the place. Like diggin' a pit and waitin' for them jotirambos ta fall in, I'm guessin', then makin' a nice casserole out of them. So 'Rica didn't fully belong here, and she must've sensed that. Maybe part of why she turned her back on us."
You scratch your head.
"Shit... So that whole thing of calling Frederica part beast instead of half wasn't pointless. I guess I knew it all along! Which means that no loophole exists. Another dead end..."
Ryuzu holds your gaze without blinking nor showing any expression in her young, elfin face.
"Was that all about your first purpose for following Garfiel into the forest?"
"I'm afraid so, yeah."
"In that case we would move to revealing secrets about our ancient town. For that I will need Young Garf's help."
When you were turning your head towards the punk, he lunges at you and you suddenly find yourself gasping for air while your throat burns and the weight of your body pulls on your head. Garfiel has grabbed you by the throat and lifted you into the air so your feet don't touch the ground. He's squeezing with the purpose of cutting the supply of blood to your brain, but he's also preventing you from filling your lungs or letting the air escape. Even though you have gone through plenty of troubling bullshit already, your body goes into a panic, and you grasp at the punk's wrist and his fingers digging into your throat in an attempt to loosen his grip, but the bastard truly is strong.
"Ya know, ya've been givin' me such creeps, I was achin' to do this to ya. If ya know what's good for ya, quit strugglin'. I'll tear this fucker clean off."
"Ggg...", is all you manage to get out of your throat as your vision starts to gray at the edges.
Ryuzu approaches you slowly, then looks up at you as if trying to attract your attention. She's frowning, but with more worry than hate.
"I can let you in on one of our secrets, Young Su. I'm not Ryuzu Bilma, that dutiful slave."
Your brain is getting starved of oxygen, darkening the forest even further. You feel as if you will faint at any moment, and the pain in your throat prevents you from focusing on anything or even think.
"We'll have time for more after cleaning up... this", Ryuzu says as she wanders away from you.
Your body goes limp, and your vision fades.

Everything is black. How did you die? Ah, Garfiel strangled you. No, you can't be dead. Not only you aren't enveloped by that looped witch's unearned love, but you feel your body. Your throat hurts and you have trouble breathing right, as if something is covering your head. You are also lying on your side on a cold, hard floor that feels like the one at the witches' tomb. You try to move your hands, which feel cold and unresponsive, but you can't, and it takes you a couple of seconds to realize that they are bound behind your back. Garfiel and Ryuzu have kidnapped you and restrained you in some building. That's new.
Not knowing what else to do, you force yourself into a sitting position. It takes a while, and you can feel a shooting pain in your head as you do it. You let out as a sigh of relief as your head rests against the wall behind you. You try to take off whatever is masking your vision by dragging your head along the wall back and forth, and although some fabric slides along your nose whenever you tug, the sack-like thing must be fastened around your neck.
As you get up, a creaky, metallic door opens grating along the floor, and brisk footsteps come toward you.
"Is that you, Garfiel?", you ask with a dry voice.
"Yeah, an' I've brought you the one thing ya'll need."
"Being freed from imprisonment?"
Garfiel chuckles.
"Yer a silly weirdo even after gettin' choked and thrown inta a dungeon. I just gotta admire that at least. Too bad 'boutta rest." You hear something wooden being set on the floor carelessly, maybe of the size of a chair. "Nah, I meant a bucket ta shit an' piss in. I even hafta bother meself throwin' out yer shit. Guess that if that hot Ram, so strong an' proud an' all, will do it fer her lord, I can lower meself as well."
"So I am the lord in this relationship. Good to know. Too bad about having my hands bound and my head covered by a bag of some kind. These restraints go beyond caution and into sadism. My wrists are numb already."
"Yer lucky I'm nice, and that the old hag is interested in yer case. With such a bold intruder, I'd just punch ya so hard that yer face would've exploded. Then I'd have fed yer re-"
"Fed my remains to the pigs, yeah. I noticed their size, you must keep them pretty happy."
"I keep meself busy with all this guardin', I already told ya, half-pint. Lotsa crap ta do. Plenty of it ugly."
You take a deep breath, but whatever is covering your head smells bad, like it came from a barn.
"Now let's get serious, Garfiel. Did you throw me into a dungeon just because I followed you into the forest? Or is it because I told you I wanted to reveal your secrets?"
"Nah, I'd just told ya to eat a dick and go away. It's just that the old hag had wanted from the beginning to get a good sniff at ya, and now she's sure."
"Is this a fetish thing? Have I become that twelve year old granny's personal plaything, locked away forever in her sex dungeon?"
You don't hear anything for a few seconds, then a punch in your guts makes you fall to your knees and then double over while coughing. Your intestines burn, and you are surprised that your shit didn't get squeezed out. You figure you will have to endure for a while this electric pain coursing through the lower tract of your digestive system.
"Didn't yer mom teach ya ta never talk 'bout ladies that way, ya dumbass? I'll give yer three warnings, then I'm goin' in all at once."
You cough.
"Maybe I should keep suggesting dirty stuff about your beloved sister, so you will kill me and we'll get this over with."
Garfiel groans, annoyed.
"An' maybe I'll tighten the cord on yer neck so much that yer tongue will fall out. I got now how ya operate, evil eyes. Ya say weird things ta people so they get confused and they forget 'bout the important stuff they shoulda brought up with ya. As in ya stinkin' like the witch!"
You take a deep breath of the foul smelling sack over your head or whatever it is, and you roll your eyes even though Garfiel can't see it.
"So that's what throwing me into a dungeon is all about. A fucking misunderstanding. I'm not a witch cultist, damn it. I fight and kill cultists. I already went over this."
"Yeah, an' ya also claim that ya fight monsters and such, but after checkin' with the adventurers' guild, they said ya haven't been on any of their sanctioned hunts."
"Hey, don't fly off into your delusions! I'm telling you, I know I smell like that Satella broad, but that doesn't mean I'm a witch cultist. Other people have brought up my foul body odor, which is embarrassing, let me tell you, but eventually they got the point that they were mistaken and that I'm simply a weird guy who goes around smelling like a witch. I even led an operation against the Witch's Cult, killed one of their Archbishops and everything!"
You hear a taptaptap and you realize that Garfiel is hitting his chest with his fists.
"Alright, alright, settle down. I believe ya."
"I should hope so."
"Nah, just kiddin'. Old hag told me that some random people do smell like the witch fer no good reason, a mystery, but she said that none stunk like ya. It's like ya got that old witch all over ya. An' ya ain't a normal dude walkin' 'round. Ya entered them witches' tomb without triggerin' Echidna's traps, and ya followed me inta the forest even though I'm the strongest man alive, more powerful than Beninges Effidon in his glorious days. Ya should be afraid of annoyin' me fer a single second!"
You sigh.
"I just know you are a soft guy inside, someone who just wants to return to his sister's side and bask in the warmth of her big, warm, possibly furry bosom."
You can feel Garfiel glaring through the sack on your head.
"Yer still useful, so I won't kill ya, but I'm gettin' real bored of ya."
"Then let's get to interesting stuff. Who is that Ryuzu, and in what way is she different from the Ryuzu that bakes us cookies?"
"Them's her siblings, in a sense."
"At least I know there's more than one. That Ryuzu I met in the beginning, the deer Ryuzu, must be the dumbest of the bunch, huh?"
"Hah, that's rude. Anyway, none of ya. As in none of ya business, cultist fuck."
"I'm not with the Witch's Cult, I'm telling you."
"Oh, shut it. Unless ya got anythin' real ta say, I'm gonna shut ya up."
"Permanently if you don't mind. Go ahead and kill me, Garfiel. You must have wanted it for a good while."
Garfiel growls, then looses something around your neck and takes off the sack. The light of the couple of torches makes you wince due to the sudden contrast with the blackness. You are indeed in the closest thing to a fantasy world dungeon that you can imagine. Garfiel, standing in front of you, hasn't changed a bit: same old messy-haired hick wearing a vest that barely covers his athletic chest, and the same beastly expression on his face, showing his pointy teeth, that he intends to be menacing. You smile at him despite the pain in your bowels, and the punk narrows his eyes nervously.
"Punch me so hard that my head explodes", you ask. "That sounds fun."
"Whatever. Ya say any more weird shit like that, an' I'll beat ya ta death."
"That works for me too, as long as I end up dead."
He tilts his head and stares at you perplexed, trying hard to figure out what you are doing.
"I'm so tired of yer mind games, and I can't understand the why of this one. Ya'll end up gettin' killed fer real!"
"Whatever happens, happens."
"Quit sayin' shit like that, creep!" He stares at you murderously for a while, then pokes you with his finger in the chest. "I ain't gonna kill ya, freak, if only 'cause the old hag didn't want me to. The village will be a mess with people lookin' for ya. I'll have ta lie to that fiery Ram an' all, and I hate it already. That's all yer fault. I guess ya deceived yer pals, that clown bastard even, to infiltrate their home."
"I am not their enemy, nor yours", you say, "I am your friend, Garfiel. I'm here to free you all from that witch Echidna's barrier. My main goal is to help my dear Emilia return back to the warm, womb-like safety of our huge fantasy world mansion, where we will test the springs of every single bed. And that's a whole load of beds, let me tell you."
Garfiel wrinkles his nose in disgust.
"Bullshit! Yer a creep, an' ya talk too damn much. If ya were anythin' other than a damn liar, ya wouldn't be sittin' there right now."
You sigh, then lift your gaze to hold the punk's nervous one.
"So you intend to keep me alive. What's your endgame here then? Because I need to be somewhere else as soon as possible."
"The shy princess will realize that ya ain't comin' back. Maybe she'll believe that ya just went an' abandoned them. She'll go back to attemptin' ta pass them trials, because someone that fancy and royalty-like won't wanna stay in this nowhere place. If she ends up liftin' that barrier, then maybe old hag will release ya. We'll give ya up to the clown so he can figure out what ta do with a cultist that sneaked into their camp."
"I'm not a damn cultist. Did you even hear a word I said?"
"Sure ya are."
Your heart has realized before you have that you are in a perilous position. If they manage to prevent you from dying, they won't have much trouble keeping you in this dungeon for days, weeks, months. You already know that Emilia will never pass those trials. You have to figure out a way for this punk to murder you. Or maybe just wait until he leaves, and then you'll bite off your tongue. After all, you already know how that feels, and you can lie on your back, let your mouth fill with blood and choke on it. Your mood improves already.
"Just to try make you see reason, we know that at least two contract killers have been hired to assault Roswaal's mansion. It will happen in around four days from now at the latest. They intend to murder everyone at the clown's place, which means that Frederica is going to die. Do you want that to happen?"
The thought of his sister dying contorts Garfiel's face with worry for a moment.
"That's..."
"Really fucking bad. The killers are a nasty bunch as well. One a sexual freak with the hottest tits I've ever seen, and the other a child who has mutated monsters for pets. And they will kill everyone at the mansion, I'm telling you. They will get eviscerated, their remains devoured by monsters. That's what you are risking by keeping me here."
Garfiel is silent for a while. His brow furrows and he bites his lips. Then he shakes his head and frowns at you.
"Nah, that's too convenient, ain't it? Just as ya were stalkin' me through the forest, some assassins are preparin' to kill me sister? There's no way!"
"So you want to risk it being true, then? Because it is. Your dear Frederica, that awesome lioness, will get murdered, and it will be on you. How will you be able to live with that?"
Garfiel's voice trembles with fear and rage.
"You're yankin' my chain. I can't believe ya..."
"I'm telling you the truth. Why would I lie about something like that? Would I lie to you about your dear sister, whom you obviously love so much?"
He clenches his fists as if holding back his urge to bash your head in.
"Let me go, Garfiel", you say seriously. "I'm not your enemy."
He rubs his fingers on the nasty scar on his forehead while grimacing in pain.
"Yer sure actin' like one. Crap... Why do ya have ta mess with me head like this!"
You keep staring at him intensely.
"Let me go, Garfiel, and we'll pretend none of this happened. I was about to leave for Roswaal's mansion to stop the contract killers. You believing that I'm a witch cultist is a misunderstanding after all, and I hate cultists as well, so I understand your actions. We'll return back to normal."
He grits his predatory teeth even harder.
"Shut up!"
He swings his fist into the iron bars, bending them. He then wraps both hands around his head and slams it against the stone wall. When he pulls it back, his scar is covered in blood which is running down towards the bridge of his nose.
You are more than a bit disturbed. No wonder this guy is such a moron. His frontal lobe must have been mush for a long time.
"Garfiel, that's fully unnecessary, not to mention horrifying", you say with worry. "Calm down, let's talk about this."
He turns and points at you with a shaky hand.
"Shut up! Ya stay away from me sister! Stay away from the mansion! Ya hear me?! I don't know what kinda lies ya told me, but I don't trust ya one bit!"
After he calms down, he leans his head against the bars. A single tear drops to the dirty stone floor.
"Why do ya hafta mess with my head? Damn people always messin' with me. And all ya had to do is help the shy princess, make sure nothin' happened to 'er. That's all people asked of ya, ain't it? Maybe the stench woulda been nothin' then. But ya didn't, ya came in here to destroy our home, the only place we can live in. I can't forgive anyone fer that."
You try thinking about how to convince him, but you can tell it won't make a difference. He intends to keep you locked away until Emilia exits the witches' tomb triumphantly, which will never happen, so you will never leave this ancient dungeon. You need to figure out a way to die as soon as possible. Maybe you just have to wait for the punk to leave, and when the coast is clear, steel yourself, lie on your back and bite down hard. Elsa showed you how hard you have to do it, and your mind survived intact after losing half of your tongue.
A moment later you realize that Garfiel is standing a meter away from you. As you look up at him, he crouches as if to read your thoughts through staring at you with his fiery eyes. The rolling beads of blood have reached his upper lip.
"I sure wish yer eyes weren't like that, and it would be better for ya if they weren't. Anyone can read yer evil intent with a single look."
"I'm not evil", you say, but you know it's futile.
"Yeah, yeah, I should've known that ya'd lie. No matter, whatever ya are, ya won't be in the way of things soon. Shy princess will pass the trials soon enough."
You sigh deeply, shrug and resign yourself to wait until he gets bored and leaves.
"What's with that face, half-pint?", Garfiel asks with worry. "Ya ain't gonna to mess with me head anymore? Ya ain't gonna beg in ya way for me to release ya back to the pals ya deceived?"
"I can tell you are going to have it however you like. You won't let me out no matter how much I complain, so I better save my breath."
"Heh, ya got that right. But there's somethin' more, ain't it? That whole thing 'bout askin' me ta kill ya... It's like ya truly wanted it."
Your heart skips a beat.
"No, I want to live as much as the next guy, I assure you. I was just messing with your head because I knew you wouldn't kill me. I just wanted to confuse you, which is as easy as it gets because you are as dumb as they come, Garfiel. Just a hick from a forgotten village who keeps making up nonsense because his life is pointless and hopeless."
Even though his face twitches with anger, he smirks nervously.
"Hah! There it is! That's what I wanna see. The guy who doesn't give a damn 'bout nothin' and mocks everyone. Sayin' something so nasty to the strongest man in the world, who has ya locked up in a dungeon no less... That's a death wish if I ever heard one."
"I will not die here. I will live a very long life and pass away in my bed, surrounded by dozens of children and grandchildren, some of them part elf and others part demon."
"Yeah, if ya say so. But knowin' ya, I'd bet ya that ya'd come back from the dead just ta mock me again."
"I would never think of doing such a thing."
"That's what ya say now, but the dead be comin' back all the time. That's why we put them six feet under or feed them ta pigs."
"What, you have zombies in your fantasy world!?"
"Never heard of those, but that damn necromancer Flinterion the Undying keeps searchin' fer our humble village. One day he'll show up and I'll fight him meself! I'll have ta claw through a whole army of animated dead first!"
You close your eyes and contain a sigh.
"That would be a very interesting fight to watch. A completely fantastical one as well."
"I dunno, I'm sure it'd be scary as hell even fer the strongest man in the world. Every time we hear rumbling from underground, me and the other kids used ta hide under our beds. Probably just the wind, but ya never know."
You open your eyes again and stare at a hesitant Garfiel. He must have recovered his confidence, because he bares his predatory teeth menacingly.
"But I ain't afraid no more. Becomin' the strongest man in the world means losin' all ya fear. Ya don't even feel it anymore."
You slowly lean back until you lie on your back, squeezing your tied hands between the floor and your body. The stone floor feels cold through your clothes. A headache is coming, and you want to be left alone to die in peace.
"Knowing your worldview, that makes perfect sense", you mutter. "Please, let me be for a while, Garfiel, so I can get properly terrified about how much time I'm going to waste locked up in here."
"Sure, will do. Ya know, it's funny. I be the strongest man in the world, an' I'm still afraid of so many things. Of losin' people I care about, of losin' a fight... even though it's rare that anyone is actually strong enough ta challenge me. But yer not afraid of nothin'."
"I couldn't care less about the contradictions coming out of your mouth right now. Fuck off."
"That's basically what I'm talkin' 'bout. Yer too full o' hate to be afraid of anythin'. Ya've been eaten by the darkness. That's a cultist fer ya."
After a couple of seconds you hear Garfiel's footsteps as he walks out of the cell. You wiggle your hands from under your body, and take a deep breath. The headache is coming now. However, Garfiel's footsteps return, and he appears in your field of view. He stares down at you while smirking as if he has you figured out.
"What?", you ask.
"Nothin'."
"Don't say 'nothing', you have something to say. Spit it out."
"I dunno if ya did this intentionally or not, but I think yer startin' ta get scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Whatever it is that's not gonna happen."
He crouches towards you. Suddenly he's forcing your mouth open with one hand, while with the other he shoves a dirty, nasty-tasting balled up rag, filling your mouth with it. He wraps rope around it to secure it in place. Moving surprisingly quick for someone his size, he steps away from you and out of your view. You try to yell at him, but the gag muffles your voice, and all that comes out is a pathetic whimpering.
"Sorry I can't hear ya", he shouts proudly. "Hopefully when they let ya outta there, we can talk properly and find out what ya cultist freaks want with our village."
You hear the sound of metal clanging together as the door closes and is locked shut.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 57)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry we learned that at least one German can shapeshift, the protagonist damaged his magic gate to throw a spell that barely worked, the lioness transformed into a fantasy world lioness, Ram was inspired into commiting suicide by contract killer, a bunch of random monsters pursued the protagonist and the servant trainee, the protagonist discovered that he doesn't want to see the trainee getting torn apart and eaten by monsters, we learned that a second contract killer is attacking the mansion, and Beatrice decided to save the protagonist at the worst possible moment.

First season

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-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

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-Link for part 56

The sight of the blonde haired, festively dressed, hundreds of years old child librarian of Roswaal's mansion should have brightened your day, made you think that you were lucky to have located her magical library, given that other members of this household had either never found it or merely once or twice. However, Beatrice just foiled your only chance to make your impending death matter. You step forward and glare at the librarian while clenching your fists.
"Send me back to that hallway, Beatrice. You saved me deliberately, didn't you? You screwed everything up."
Beatrice's deadpan face doesn't change. She knew exactly what you had intended by bursting into that room, and yet she had brought you here.
"Your reason to open that particular door has been extinguished, I suppose."
A cold shiver runs through your body, and your legs fail you. You attempt to support yourself on the closest bookshelf, but you end up falling to your knees and hitting some books with your shoulder.
"Rem is dead...", you say with a thin, teary voice. "She ended up comatose because I wasn't strong enough, and then, even though she would love me forever, I betrayed her... Now I just let her die."
You feel like you're going to collapse from exhaustion. Your head feels heavy, and your stabbed shoulder as well as the torn flesh in your left arm hurt like hell. All you want to do is lie down somewhere where nobody will see you cry.
Beatrice approaches you, but you can't bring yourself to look at her.
"Don't cry anymore, I suppose", she says softly. "It will take a moment."
Her palm lights up as she holds it over your stabbed shoulder. When you feel the balm-like warmth of a healing spell, you flinch in fear, then you leap forward to avoid getting affected by the spell. You turn so you lie on your back and you retreat further from Beatrice by pushing yourself with your heels.
"What are you doing!? Don't heal me! Did I ask you to heal me!?"
Beatrice is standing there open mouthed, the spell still glowing against her hand. She frowns slightly, then shuts off the spell.
"That was quite rude, I must say", she answers, then her eyes narrow as if replaying your words. "Why would you object to me healing your wounds, I wonder? They must be healed while it's still possible, I suppose."
"No, stay away from me!"
Beatrice's frown deepens as she crouches to touch the torn flesh in your left arm with her healing light. You feel an uncomfortable chill on your arm, but the pain subsides immediately.
"Stop doing that!", you shout, then attempt to crawl away again. Your head is spinning.
"I'm looking for the answer to your words in my heart, but I don't understand... Why would you rather stay hurt than have your wound healed, I wonder? Is it because you are a foolish human being with no regard for your body?"
You tear up again.
"No! It's because... because..."
Beatrice reluctantly lets go of your arm and lets you crawl away. You sit with your back against the bookshelf.
"I already told you to stop crying, I suppose", Beatrice says, annoyed and confused. "You haven't lost that much blood."
"That looped witch already took the opportunity to move the return point forward, so I could never return again to a moment when I could speak to Rem, see her beautiful smile... Satella took away my girl forever. And now she has the opportunity to make it so I can never return to a point where Rem is even alive!"
"Is this about the blessing Satella gave you, I wonder...?"
"That's right, you know about it! I called it a curse, and you considered that dying horribly dozens, hundreds of times was a blessing instead! The people I like have already been killed, so I'm going to leave as well!"
"You finally admit it, I suppose. You're running away, I was wondering when you would finally confess it to yourself."
"I'm not running away! I'm going to a better place!"
Beatrice shakes her head.
"A power that allows someone to go back in time whenever he dies is too much to take on faith, I suppose."
Even Beatrice, who had certified with her magic tricks that you were the host of not one Witch Factor, but two, still didn't believe you. These fantasy people were all morons.
"Yes, you're right", you say, tired and bitter. "You're always right. I guess I'll have to see it with my own eyes to believe it as well!"
"Are you making any sense, I wonder...? You should know already whether you have such an ability, I suppose, if you claim to have died before!"
After you squeeze your eyes shut for a moment, you struggle to stand up. Your stomach is churning and cold sweat is beading on your face. You feel sick.
"As much of a dummy weirdo you can be at times, Beatrice, you are powerful. You have gained experience as a great spirit for hundreds of years. You have survived through an Apocalypse that consumed half of the world. And yet when two evil people assault the mansion to kill all of us, including yourself, you don't move a fucking finger."
Facing your disdainful stare, Beatrice steps back, lowers her gaze for a moment, and when she forces herself to look back at you, her frown trembles.
"I have my reasons, I suppose."
"Reasons, huh...? Nevermind then, you have your reasons to allow your friends, family even, to die when you could do something about it. Let's just spend our time shooting the shit with each other, alright? I'll try to forget that Ram and Frederica have sacrificed themselves to allow the weakest of us to keep living, as well as to rescue my comatose girlfriend and a shut-in spirit who could have defended us but refused to do so!"
You turn your back to Beatrice, and you hear her utter a single cry of anguish.
"W-Why would I have to do anything for them, I wonder...!?", she asks nervously. "I have nothing to do with them! They just live here, I suppose! People come and go from this place! Haven't they done so for a long time, I wonder...!?"
You turn back around to see that the great spirit of the library has covered her mouth with both hands as if to prevent herself from talking further, then she, upset, raises one of her child hands to wipe her eye, even though she's not crying.
"I have nothing to do with them, so why would I try to help...?", she says in a much softer tone than before.
You close the distance with Beatrice and glare at her intensely while the back of your eyes burns and the world spins.
"Then why save me then? Why go out of your way to save one miserable, bumbling moron like me? Tell me that, great spirit."
"I... don't know, I suppose...", she answers with a tiny voice.
Your mouth is filling with hot saliva. You feel like passing out, but more importantly you want to die. You need to disappear from this reality as soon as possible.
"Yeah, you don't know, Beatrice. You have managed to live for hundreds of years, and occupy a library of all places, and yet you haven't learned anything truly important, I guess. Or should I say 'I suppose'? You can't even get rid of those verbal tics."
Beatrice wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. You snort and force yourself to stop thinking about hurting her. Nothing matters except figuring out how to kill yourself right now. You look around, but there are only bookshelves filled with books, and you doubt that you could cause yourself enough paper cuts to make a difference. Everything is going blurry, your stomach wants to escape through your mouth. What if you just lie face up and vomit? Will your body allow you to choke to death on the bile if you are still conscious? It's too bad you don't have heroin at hand.
When you look back at the child librarian, you can't fully focus her blurry face.
"Kneel before me, Beatrice...!", you say with a trembling, hoarse voice. "I want you to swear that you will help the people of this village and save them from the onslaught of those demonic, mutant beasts."
She sniffs.
"If I swear it, will you quit this nonsense about dying, I wonder...? It would get too lonesome, I suppose..."
You stagger away from the librarian, and then you spot it. Her chair waits between two bookshelves. The little throne of the queen of this lost domain. As you are about to run towards it, a surge of nausea overcomes you. You hunch over, your back convulses, and you spit out a pink stream of bile onto the carpet. It burns your mouth with the taste of stomach acid.
Beatrice gasps behind you.
"Who is going to clean all that, I wonder...!?"
You spit what remains of vomit in your mouth, then take a deep breath and straighten your back.
"This time I ain't going to clean shit, Beako, because in a couple of minutes I'll be dead. Sucks to be you."
You hobble up to Beatrice's chair, more similar to one in a classroom than a regular dining room chair. You lift it by its top rail and you use most of your remaining strength to batter it against the floor until it breaks, while ignoring Beatrice's complaints. You notice that a heavy book hidden in a compartment under the seat falls to the floor, but you only care about the sharp-looking, broken pieces of wood strewn around.
"No! My Gospel!", Beatrice shouts.
The librarian runs up to the book, she kneels in front of it and picks it up. She makes sure that none of the pages have been torn out, and then she hugs the book against her chest as if cradling her baby.
Beatrice glares at you with tears in her eyes.
"This book, this book! It's everything to me, I suppose... And you almost destroyed it! You destroyed my beautiful chair too!"
You were already holding the jagged, broken end of one of the chair's legs against your throat, but as your brain connects the facts of what you've witnessed, you become paralyzed.
"A Gospel, you called it...", you murmur. "And you were sad about Petelgeuse dying. It can't be, Beatrice, can it...?"
"What are you rambling about, I wonder...?"
A shiver runs through you, and even though you don't drop the broken chair leg you are grasping, you let that arm hang at your side.
"The witch cultists, led by that Petelgeuse you were sad about, tried to kill us all. But they never killed you in that reality where you led me to freeze to death. You have a fucking Gospel. Beatrice, you better deny it, explain it to me."
You aren't sure if Beatrice has even heard you, because she's flipping through the pages of her Gospel as if looking for something.
"Beatrice!", you shout. "Answer me! Are you a witch cultist or not!?"
The librarian looks up at you, and then her gaze falls on the broken chair leg you are holding in your hand. She's frowning with resentment.
"What business would that be of you, I wonder? I shall have you know that my only allegiance is to Mother! I only do things for Mother! I don't owe anything to you!"
"It's my entire business, given that I had to break my back to save the people I care about from dying at the hands of the very organization you may belong to! Are you our enemy, Beatrice!?"
A hurt look flashes across her face, and then she turns away from you.
"You really think I would divulge such information to you, I wonder? Asking such an idiotic thing only proves that your mental capacity is laughable. Begone from this place, you are not wanted!"
A pang pierces your heart. Your legs fail you, and you fall to your knees. Your vision is blurrying even more.
"And I liked you so much, too... Fuck this."
You turn the jagged end of the chair leg against your carotid, and you push until the sharp wood breaks through your skin. Blood pours on your shirt and your lap.
Beatrice gasps.
"No!"
She grabs your arm, but she has the strength of a child. You wiggle your arm free and slam the wood deeper. Warm blood pours down your throat. You feel yourself going numb before Beatrice pulls the weapon from your hand. Your body triggers its survival responses, freaking out about your impending death, but you focus on ignoring it.
Beatrice extends her lighted hand towards your neck.
"I can't let you do this, I suppose", she says with a shaky voice.
As the balm-like warmth of the librarian's healing spell spreads through your throat, the blood flow stops. You swat her hand away with your injured forearm.
"What are you doing!? I told you I need to die!"
Beatrice backs away as if you're going to hit her, and she stares at you with her big, round eyes. She doesn't speak. You grab the chair leg and slam the jagged edge against your throat once more. Beatrice jumps onto you to wrestle it away from your hands. The blood splashes her hands as tears spill from her eyes.
"I don't want you to leave me, I suppose!"
You groan, which makes you gargle blood.
"I am not doing any of that shit again! If I need to die, all of you fuck off elsewhere and let me die in peace!"
You push the librarian away from you with your feet, and her small body rolls on the carpet. When she sits up she shoots you a look of dismay as tears stream down her face. She grabs her Gospel and then runs away as if she were trying to disappear from your sight, but she ends up breaking into sobs. She staggers and huddles against a bookshelf, arms wrapped around her Gospel. She's crying like a lost child.
Even though blood is pumping from your open carotid and this world will cease to exist, even though the librarian might be a cultist after all, you don't want to see Beatrice suffering like this. She has spent hundreds of years trapped in this mansion, barely leaving her library, because of some contract she needs to fulfill. As kooky as she is, you doubt you would have remained sane to any degree in her situation. And although her saving you might have ruined your life by making you lose Rem forever, this Beatrice who doesn't seem to care about anyone else wanted for you to continue to exist, to continue visiting her. Before you know it, you are crying too.
"Beatrice, don't cry, please", you manage to push through your throat, even though it comes out hoarse. "After my heart stops beating, I will return to the past for real. I won't be gone."
Beatrice turns her head sharply towards you. She glares disdainfully, even though her tears keep dripping from her chin.
"As if I care that you will die, I suppose. You've got it wrong! I'm upset because you made a mess of everything! You are nothing, you are insignificant!"
As you wheeze, you struggle to stand up even though you are getting colder and dizzier. You shamble towards Beatrice. As you get closer, the librarian curls up tighter, holding on to her Gospel as if to a life buoy, and squeezes her eyes shut.
"Go away!", she yells. "I don't even know you, I suppose! You are nothing but a lowly, worthless human! You don't matter to me!"
You want to pick her up and soothe her, tell her that everything is going to be okay. You can barely tell what's going on around you any more, but you crouch next to Beatrice and reach towards her. However, she gasps, twists around and clobbers you in the face with her Gospel. You fall on your back. The next time you try to breathe, you break into a coughing fit, splashing blood over your face. Your throat burns although the rest of your body feels so cold you can barely move it anymore.
You hear the library's door opening.
"I'm interrupting a tender moment", Elsa Granhiert says with an amiable tone. "Sorry, I only plan to bother you two for a bit."
Beatrice looks up with disquiet towards the door, somewhere behind you. She leaves her Gospel aside, stands up and wipes the tears from her eyes.
"So, are you the person who is going to free me from my contract?", the librarian asks with a teary voice.
"I'm just going to find out how the insides of a spirit look like, darling. It will be a new experience. What happened to the boy, though? You two had a fight?"
You wheeze, feeling your throat closing up. You cough and more blood spurts out of your mouth. Your body is shutting down on itself, reality itself is closing in on you like the surface of a black hole. You can't allow Elsa Granhiert to reach Beatrice, not while you are still kicking.
You turn around and attempt to push yourself up, but your arms are too cold and shake too much. You look up at the contract killer, who is standing a meter and a half away from you, her beautiful face framed by her big, impossibly firm, barely covered breasts, which are splashed with mostly dried blood. She stares at you with curiosity.
"Did you prefer to die by your own hand instead of allowing us to spend some time learning about each other properly? That's so disappointing, darling."
You wheeze, trying to form a sentence.
"Fuck... yourself..."
Elsa tightens her lips. As if she considers you devoid of importance, she is about to step over you when you grab both of her ankles with your shaky hands. She stops in place, even though she wouldn't have any trouble freeing herself. She looks down at you with confusion.
"What are you even trying to do, boy?"
She kicks one of your hands away and stomps on your throat with the tip of her boot. You can feel the bones crackle and pop as what remains of life is slowly being strangled out. Even though your brain is rapidly losing oxygen, it is still functioning, and you can see the wrinkle in her brow that shows her confused and frustrated that you would try something so pointless. Even though Elsa presses down harder into your throat with her boot, you squeeze some words out.
"These people... are... my own..."
You wheeze as your eyes start to slowly slide shut. You feel your throat collapsing within itself, your windpipe being crushed into oblivion. Still, you continue to grasp for her ankles, not allowing her to slip away from you.

The black bath of unearned love envelops you, trying to soothe all your pains. And once freed from the myriad of electrical signals that cry out from different parts of your body, which you no longer have, cease, and the disdain and fear and impotence that had overwhelmed you during the last minutes of your life are washed away, your current calmness maybe resembles what a new spirit must feel like. However, the objective facts about the life you left behind remain, and you know that you will return back to a point in which you will need to shoulder the burden of figuring out how to save most of the people you've come to care about.
The Witch of Envy looks at you as if from distance, with those hazy, glowing purple eyes. She fell in love with you maybe the same way someone desperate, waiting to die at the bottom of a darkened pit, would grasp at the first smiling face that showed up in the circle of light above, out of reach. She wants to keep you alive by sending you back to the past, but to a moment she will choose according to her maybe irrational, animal-like logic. In your objective despair, you want to place all your trust in the ghost and her whimsical offer. But even though you are dead, something within you, a remnant of what made you human, rebels against this choice. If this four hundred years old ghost, who loves because she needs to love, sees an opportunity to sever your connections to everyone else you love and who love you back, there's a good chance that she will take it, and even if you spend an eternity arguing, pleading for her to change her mind, she never will.
For the umpteenth time, the Witch of Envy floats away from you back into the fathomless blackness, so you can push your rock uphill all over again.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 56)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry, Garfiel tried to gain points with the unhinged senior servant, the protagonist offered himself to the Oni senior servant as food, the protagonist taught the skimpily dressed servant trainee about the FBI, the senior servant used blood magic on her forgotten, comatose sister, the protagonist confronted a deceitful German, the senior servant insulted the German's tea, and we found out that contract killer Elsa Granhiert has chosen to begin her murderous assault. Kind of a packed episode.

First season

-Link for part 1
-Link for part 2
-Link for part 3
-Link for part 4
-Link for part 5
-Link for part 6
-Link for part 7
-Link for part 8
-Link for part 9
-Link for part 10
-Link for part 11
-Link for part 12
-Link for part 13
-Link for part 14
-Link for part 15
-Link for part 16
-Link for part 17
-Link for part 18
-Link for part 19
-Link for part 20
-Link for part 21
-Link for part 22
-Link for part 23
-Link for part 24
-Link for part 25
-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
-Link for part 40
-Link for part 41
-Link for part 42
-Link for part 43
-Link for part 44
-Link for part 45
-Link for part 46
-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49
-Link for part 50
-Link for part 51
-Link for part 52
-Link for part 53
-Link for part 54
-Link for part 55

Despite both grown servants having jumped to their feet, and having gotten in a stance to fight against the sudden intruder that is holding a gutting knife to the tween trainee, Elsa's purple eyes are staring straight at you. You get to see again that luscious soot-colored hair, the beautiful, mature face, and that pleasing, satisfied smile, as if this serial killer lives every moment of her life basking in the after-climax glow. She looks like the only real woman in the room, the only person in control of the situation.
"Whoever you are, intruder, free our trainee immediately or face your death!", Ram shouts while distorting space in a swirl above her palm.
Frederica tries to maneuver towards Elsa's flank, even though the contract killer keeps following you all with her gaze. You motion for the lioness to stop.
"Stay away from that woman, she's a sexual deviant! And a serial killer!"
Elsa darts her eyes towards you, and frowns slightly as if you just insulted her.
"Sexual deviant you say, darling? Now how would you know such a thing? I assure you, anyone who would get to know about my intimate interests wouldn't see the light of a new day."
"That's likely true!", you shout nervously. "I wouldn't be entirely opposed to letting you do those things to me again, in the right time and place, but more importantly, why the hell are you here so soon!?"
Although you hold Elsa's confident, intense gaze, you sense the servants positioning themselves for an attack.
"Two servants, one of them a young trainee, a shut-in spirit... and you, darling. Preferably whenever you came. And I must tell you, you are lovelier than I had imagined."
Her hungry, seductive voice makes you shiver.
"None of that again, Elsa!"
You hear a nasty creaking of bones coming from Frederica, who is hunched over while facing the contract killer. The German's arms from her forearms down grow light blonde fur, and her hands distend into paws with long, sharp claws. You are shocked, but Elsa widens her smile as if Frederica was putting on a show for her sake.
"A shapeshifter. How lovely..." Elsa says, unworried. "Will you do me a favor, darling? After I rip open your abdomen and get to enjoy the color of your bestial insides, please turn back into a human so I can compare the change in your guts."
Petra, shaking and leaking fluids from her eyes and nostrils, stops biting her lower lip to blubber.
"P-Please save y-yourselves! R-Run away!"
Frederica steps closer while clenching her teeth and glaring murderously at the contract killer.
"You will let my trainee go, fiend, or I will have no mercy on you. I'll have you know, I'm German."
"What does that mean?", Elsa asks with a curious tone. "I don't believe I've ever heard that word."
Frederica growls.
"It means I'm about to end your whole existence!"
The lioness lunges from an angle at the contract killer, who separates the blade of her gutting knife from the trainee's throat so she can face her attacker. In a split second, Frederica pushes Petra out of the way with one arm and swipes towards the contract killer's torso with the extended claws of her other arm. Elsa parries the blow with one of the gutting knives, which produces a clank and a burst of sparks. With a predatory look in her eyes, the contract killer advances on Frederica. She parries another claw strike and stabs at the lioness' face with the other gutting knife, but Frederica deflects the strike with her furry forearms in a splash of blood.
Ram walks briskly towards Elsa's flank while extending her arm. In a sudden gust that ruffles your hair, a few thin distorsions slash the space heading for their target, but at the last moment Elsa turns and catches them with her arm. You hear the wind spell digging into the bare flesh of her upper arm, as well as the splashes of blood on the floor. Elsa stands there looking down at the bloody gashes.
"Ouch. You got me good."
She smears a couple of fingers of the opposite hand with the blood running down her arm, and brings them to her smiling mouth. Her red tongue licks the fingers clean, and she looks satisfied.
While Frederica launches herself at the contract killer with her claws drawn, you look around frantically until you locate Petra, who is crouched near one of the windows while staring at the fight, frozen in fear. Are you as useless as this tween? Can't you do anything? You don't have any superpower that doesn't involve dying, certainly nothing that can damage an infamous contract killer. But is that right? Beatrice had gone through a hell of her own to teach you a little bit of her arts. She had warned you, forbidden you actually, from using them until your magic gate recovered, but this is as huge of an emergency as you can imagine.
Even though your heart is beating way too loud, the area of your arm where Frederica punched you hurts, and the chaos of the fight to the death in front of you should require all your attention, you try to focus on drawing a solid ring in your mind theater. You bring forth your liquid-like magic essence as if coming from your navel, and this time you only amass a small part of it until you form in your mind a congealed mass the size of a bouncing ball. Then, as Frederica swings her arm towards the Bowel Hunter's head a few meters in front of you, you push slowly, as if threading a needle, that ball of magical essence through the gate.
"Shamac!", you shout.
An ink-like cloud bursts around you, and you get a still shot of the three combatants stopping their attacks in a sudden confusion. To your surprise you can see the faint outlines of the other people caught in the spell, you guess for magic-related reasons. The voluptuous, big breasted outline of Elsa Granhiert looks around as if trying to get her bearings.
"Hell yeah!", you say. "Shadow all the way down, baby!"
As soon as you blurt those words out triumphantly even though you haven't won anything, your body goes cold and you feel as if something has gotten torn inside of your chest. Before you could react to the worrying twinge, someone grabs you from the back of your shirt. You find yourself flying back towards the window. You fall to a stretch of the carpet out of the ink cloud that floats further into the room. In a split second you realize that Ram has run up to you, and you are about to speak when something plunges into the back of your shoulder and lodges itself in the bone. The sudden pain makes you wince, but you have no time to question anything. Closer to the window, Frederica has grabbed the tween trainee and is sprinting to jump out of the window. Ram and you imitate the lioness. You hope that she'll manage to break through, or else you will all slam into each other.
After you feel more than hear the loud crash of broken glass, you jump through the window frame. As if time had slowed down, you see Frederica falling in an arc as she carries Petra under her arm. In the blink of an eye, four or five throwing knives get stuck into Frederica's back up to the hilt, and the lioness' face contorts with surprise and pain. Her jump goes briefly horizontal as the dagger that's embedded into her spine causes her to arch.
You hit the ground with a roll, and pain shoots throughout your back. You spot Ram's legs as the senior servant sprints alongside the outside wall of the mansion, and you half crawl half stumble behind her. When Ram finally stops to look back, you fall on your ass right next to her. Frederica and Petra are approaching you, but the lioness is hunched over and staggering as if her legs barely work. There's blood dripping from her mouth. Her legs seem to give out, and she falls forward onto her furry forearms.
Petra runs to Frederica's side and tries to support her weight.
"Miss Frederica! Please tell me you are okay!"
"Not in my current form, no...", she says with a shaky voice, even though she forces a smile for the trainee.
Ram, looking worried, is observing the window you all broke through.
"That woman is way too strong. She came out of nowhere, too..."
"She's Elsa Granhiert, a contract killer", you say.
Ram turns her head sharply towards you, and judging by the dread in her face, you might as well have told her that Death had come for her in person.
"I doubt we could win against the Bowel Hunter even if Frederica wasn't so injured", Ram says with a low voice. "We need to flee."
"What!?", you shout with disbelief. "The moment we leave, that freak will find Beatrice and Rem and kill them both! That's your own sister you are suggesting we abandon!"
"We don't have time, Barusu. I hate having to do this, but that Rem, being my sister, would understand my position. She would agree that we need to save ourselves instead of risking all of us dying."
You clench both your teeth and fists.
"You have no clue! Rem would have jumped right into the fray to save the people she cared about, even if it meant sacrificing herself! That's who she was. Everyone in this mansion is part of our family. We can't leave them behind!"
Ram is taken aback by the sudden anger you direct at her, but she glares in turn.
"This is no time to be a hero, Barusu."
"This is one of the only times when it would make sense to be one!"
"I-I also think we should save the others...", Petra says shily, tears streaming down her face.
Ram scowls at the trainee as if she hates that the tween is wasting time.
"Shut up. You are a child."
"Now she's a child!?", you complain.
Frederica pushes herself off the ground so she can support herself on her shaky legs. She looks as if she might collapse at any moment. She spits blood to the side, and while more blood drips out of the corner of her mouth, she addresses the rest of you.
"We can't abandon our people to their deaths. I will transform. Ram, come with me and we'll handle that Bowel Hunter. Mr. Natsuki, lead Petra out of danger and figure out a way to rescue both our comatose friend as well as our reluctant librarian."
You don't want to say it out loud, but there's no way that Frederica and Ram, as strong as they might prove themselves to be when pushed to their limits, would be enough against someone so clearly monstrous as Elsa Granhiert. Frederica is trying to buy you time to rescue the others, hoping that there's a chance the both of them will end up escaping the contract killer. You feel terrible for having accused her angrily before. Despite her deceit, she's a top-notch gal.
Frederica, wheezing from the blood that must be pooling in her lungs, still holds a faint smile as she looks over her shoulder to the knives sticking out of the bloodied back of her servant outfit.
"I won't be able to be of any help unless I heal these wounds... Please, Petra, don't be afraid."
The lioness grabs the front of her outfit with her light blonde, furry paws, which look as if she only dressed with part of a Halloween costume, and she rips her clothes apart, ending up naked except for her panties.
You close your mouth, and force yourself to avoid staring at her big, shapely breasts that she makes no effort to hide. As Frederica clenches her teeth, she falls to her knees. Her head, torso and limbs groan and creak while they bulge, elongate or twist, and grow soft, light blonde fur. The knives stuck to her human form pop out and fall to the ground, pushed out by her bestial transformation. At the end you find yourself staring at a horse-sized fantasy world lioness that has lost the regular Frederica's voluminous hair, although she has gained a long, fluffy tail. Her head lacks all human features, but she looks back towards you all and stretches her big mouth full of pointy teeth into a smile.
"Phew! That felt good! Petra, you should try it some time!"
The beast's mouth didn't form those words. Frederica must be projecting her speech through magic.
"I wish!", Petra says with a smile, even though she's still crying. "You look wonderful, miss Frederica."
"Thank you, dear." The beast form of Frederica lifts her big head towards you. "Mr. Natsuki, I would have expected you to be scared or even appalled, but what's with that face?"
"Well... I mean, you look majestic and graceful, the kind of legendary beast that would appear on the flag of a fantasy nation. But we need a monstrous feline that would cause our enemies to piss themselves, you know? Your bestial form even has female eyelashes."
Frederica looks down, suddenly disappointed. In her current form she looks like a gigantic cat who has been denied food.
"Frederica! We absolutely do not have time for this nonsense", Ram says with a resolute tone. "If you want us to commit suicide confronting the Bowel Hunter, let's do so while it means anything." As she starts walking towards the busted window, she looks at you over her shoulder. "You better not waste this opportunity, Barusu."
Your chest tightens. You open your mouth to answer, but you can't form any words. Ram ends up closing her eyes. She faces forwards and both her and the graceful, horse-sized beast that Frederica has become hurry to their likely deaths.
You turn to run in the opposite direction, towards the front doors of the mansion. When you are about to pass by Petra, whose tween face is a mess of tears and snot, she alternates between worrying for the servants and looking expectantly at you. You grab her hand and force her to follow you. However, you feel blood running down your skin from the knife stuck in the back of your shoulder, and your heart hurts because you already miss this version of Ram who had looked at you as something closer to a human than to an insect for a brief moment, when she sat on the living room's sofa after she understood that you had fought to make her understand the unbelievable truth about her lost sister. This reality is already a bust. You have learned the horrible information that Elsa Granhiert will time her attacks to either the moment you arrive at the mansion, or if you take your sweet time returning, to whether enough days have passed. You don't think there's a way you will avoid losing people when that contract killer is already trying to kill you all.
"Petra, you have a better chance of surviving if you just run as fast as you can to the village", you say to the tween, who is trying to dry her eyes while running. "If I were you I would take this chance to save yourself."
"No, I want to stay with you, Mr. Natsuki!" She says, clinging to your arm with surprising strength. "I am not leaving you by yourself in this place. Besides, I know you, and you wouldn't run away! You aren't doing so right now, and you didn't do that back at the battle against those horrible cultists! I remember very well how you charged with your ground dragon so you could kill that man who was trying to stab me!"
"That's because I've found out that under the right circumstances dying horribly can feel surprisingly good. You are still a child, Petra. You have a whole boring, unfulfilling life ahead of you. You barely know anything about this world yet."
"I know you, Mr. Natsuki! You are a hero! I will not leave your side!"
You sigh, disappointed that she won't listen to reason. It's obvious she wants to prove her affection for you by staying by your side. Joke's on her, because she barely registers in your consciousness.
"It will very likely become your funeral, but then again I believe in personal choice. Ever since you started working here I've done nothing but berate you and you still won't get away from me. Some people don't learn."
The two of you enter the mansion through the front doors. You can already hear the fight coming from the side of the mansion opposite to where Rem's room is. You want to pay attention to the muffled crashing, the shouting, the clanking, the magic sound effects, but you would only distract yourself from what you need to do.
As you rest against a marble pillar, you point with your thumb towards your injured shoulder.
"Petra, can you see what the hell is sticking out of there?"
You interrupted the tween as she was biting her nails.
"A knife, like the ones that hurt miss Frederica."
"Then take it out. Quick."
"I-I don't think it's a good idea. It might be preventing blood fr-"
"I don't care. I don't want to live with a knife stuck in me. Take it out, damn it."
Petra nods. You crouch, then she pushes with one hand your flesh next to the wound while with the other she pulls the knife out. You clench your teeth, but you feel tears forming in your eyes. Petra leaves the bloody knife on a chair.
"It seems that the wound won't bleed too much...", she says cautiously.
"Whatever. Let's go."
You quicken your pace through the hallway towards your comatose demon servant's room.
"I would need some time to find whatever door Beatrice put her Passage spell on", you say without turning your head to the trainee you are dragging around. "And I'd also rather rescue my completely defenseless Rem first."
After slinking around a couple of corners, you start to hear noises similar to shrieks coming from further down this side of the mansion. You stop for a moment, and when Petra attempts to question why you stopped, you press your hand against her mouth. No, you still hear the intense fight in the distance, but these strange, animal-like shrieks come from the opposite direction. The closer you get to Rem's room, the more audible they become.
Something alive turns the next corner into the hallway you are walking through. It's a black, furry creature the size of a small pig. It has an unfriendly face and a horn coming out of its forehead. When he spots Petra and you, it snarls.
"What the hell is that!?", you shout. "Why is there a random monster walking around in this mansion!?"
The beast makes a raspy, barking sound before sprinting straight for you. Startled, you attempt to slam it with a punch, but it dodges the attack and sinks its teeth into your left arm. The creature shakes its head from side to side, tearing off layers of flesh with its fangs. Petra screams and punches the creature in the back of the head. It whines and opens its mouth, releasing you. When it falls to the floor, you punt it further down the hall.
You wonder if you just hallucinated. Why would there be a monster-like creature wandering around in here? You are about to shout insults to the furry monster when you realize that something close to a swarm of demonic-looking monsters of different sizes is running towards you both while baring their teeth.
"Get back!", you scream at the young servant girl.
Both of you run in the direction you came from. The bites in your left arm burn and bleed, and you can't move your hand right. Behind you both you hear loud noises, screams and roars. You are surprised that these monsters haven't caught up to you yet.
"What... What are those things?", Petra asks while panting.
"I don't know! This is your world! Take some responsibility for having failed to make something decent of this place!"
"Ugh! I was just born here! We need to hide somewhere or else those things are going to bite us to death!"
You turn towards the first room to the side of the hallway, and you try the handle. It's open. You pull the door towards you, then push the trainee inside. You wish you hadn't looked back at what's coming for you: there aren't only cat or pig sized demonic-looking monsters rushing towards you both, but also some the size of Dobermanns, and a couple of the monsters, which look like bats from the glance you got, are flying over the running ones.
Your body acts for you. This is survival of the fittest at its most primal. Before you know it you've jumped into the room, closed the door behind you and leaned with your back against it to prevent the monsters from pushing it open. Still, that doesn't mean you are safe from some horrific abominations jumping at you both from the other side of the glass windows, in case they are roaming the yard.
"Mr. Natsuki, the bolt! Lock the door!", shouts Petra in a panic, while hunched over, crying and holding her head in her hands.
What sounds like a dozen monsters are growling and shrieking right outside of the door you are holding. They are pushing against it, making the wood tremble through your bones. You have broken in sweat and you can't even begin to process what the fuck is happening.
"Why don't you do it, Petra!? I'm quite busy already!"
You shout at her, angry that she is standing around doing nothing.
"I-I'm scared!", she whimpers pathetically.
"Well, get over it! Do something for yourself for a change!"
As you shout at her, the door is pushed open and you fall over. A claw reaches from behind the door and tries to grab you, but you are already rolling away. Standing up immediately you feel a bit dizzy, probably because of the adrenaline rush. You grab Petra's arm and run towards the window in order to jump through it. You have no clue if your strength and your speed are going to be enough, but you charge with your injured forearm in front of you, while also lowering your head and squeezing your eyes shut.
After the loud crash and the piercing pain of glass cutting your flesh, you fall to the yard while also pulling Petra out with you. You briefly look back and see that part of the horde is now inside the room. You notice the tween staggering around, and you push her to keep running alongside the wall of the mansion.
"Keep going!", you shout, almost breathless. "We'll need to enter through another window, or the first door we see!"
Your eyes start to scan the surroundings for another possible entry point. Fortunately, a door is only several feet away from you both, but as you pass by some windows you notice dark, beast-like figures trying to get out through them. You must have drawn further monsters in with the sound of shattering glass, but there's no time to think.
You hear muffled noises coming from inside the mansion, and a couple of windows are shaking violently.
You reach the door, and press your back against the wall next to it. Petra, who can't stop crying and whimpering, hides behind you from the source of the noises. After catching your breath for a brief moment, you slowly open the door. The dimly lit hallway in front of you is deserted, but it won't be for long. You don't recall ever having entered the mansion through this side door, and you would need some time to find your bearings regarding how to locate Rem's room again. What if those random monsters sensed her presence inside and have already broken in? As your heart beats hard against your ribcage, you try to clear your mind of anything but the path in front of you.
You both start walking along the hallway, staying close to the wall so that any potential pursuers would have a harder time spotting you. Although Petra is trying to stay quiet, her tremors pass from her hand to yours. As the oppressive silence continues, the beastly noises from before grow louder. Your heart sinks. Petra can't help but sob. You can't get anywhere with those beasts walking around, and you can't fight them.
Your stabbed shoulder hurts and burns, your bitten arm keeps bleeding and dripping onto the floor, and you have gotten so dizzy that you feel as if you are running through a nightmare. You won't be able to push yourself for much longer. You head for the first door you see, you open it, you push Petra inside and then close the door behind you. You motion for Petra to crouch against the door and keep quiet.
The room is small, one of the smallest bedrooms you've seen on this mansion. For now it's the safest place around. You take a deep breath and try to calm down your racing heart. As you wait in silence, you wonder whether or not you should open the window to check if the coast is clear outside.
You aren't sure how much time you have spent sitting on the floor while leaning against the door. Petra is clutching to your shirt while trembling in terror. Her tears and snot keep dripping on your clothes.
Your mind keeps trying to wander off into insanity, maybe as a defense mechanism. Nothing that has happened ever since you parted ways with the only two people who can fight has made any sense. Truly there can't be a bunch of demonic-looking monsters that came out of nowhere pursuing you. Not even someone who was born in this insane world understands why that would happen.
You feel Petra touching and tugging something on your wrist, a piece of cloth.
"Y-You are still wearing it, Mr. Natsuki", she whispers as quietly as possible, sounding half-crazed. "I-I'm so glad I could help keeping you s-safe."
You don't understand what she means until you look where she's touching. It's a handkerchief which for some reason is tied around your wrist. Why would you be wearing a handkerchief as an accessory? Ah, the tween tied it around your wrist before you left, because of superstition. You had forgotten it was there.
You also speak as quietly as humanly possible.
"That you bring up me or any of us remaining safe when there are a bunch of monsters roaming around outside of this room, hoping to tear us apart and possibly eat us alive, and if they don't we will probably still get killed by the most dangerous serial killer in this world, must be one of those delusions that dumb people cling to when they are about to die. It's okay, though. You are only twelve, you have the right to be irrational."
Petra doesn't answer, and instead keeps trembling and crying almost uncontrollably. You fear that she's going to end up pissing herself. The smell would likely attract quite a few monsters.
With both of your hands you hold Petra's mess of a face, with tears and snot running down, to force her to hold your gaze.
"Petra, we can't just stay here without doing anything. Waiting won't help us. Truly, if the monsters don't get us, the serial killer will, because she seemed likely to win against our friends."
"Th-Then..."
"I will leave through this door and I will try to drive the monsters away from this room. Once you hear them leave, try to climb down to the yard through the window, and run away. Keep running until you reach your village, in fact. You might even spot Patrasche in the yard. My ground dragon is a good girl, she will probably help you even though she must be worried sick about what's going on."
"But I... I'll leave you behind!"
You would be lying if the fact that she is so loyal doesn't make you feel at least a little good.
"That's the whole point. I'm ordering you to do so. That's your chosen profession, isn't it, obeying the unreasonable requests of noble-like people? Then be a good servant. Shut your damn mouth and do as I say."
Your harsh words cause her crying eyes to glisten with determination for a moment. She nods. You move her away from the door so you can stand up and open it. You pull the door slowly towards you and make sure there aren't any monsters in the immediate vicinity. You then exit to the hallway, look at Petra's face for the last time in this life and close the door behind you.
You walk slowly down the hallway while keeping an eye and an ear out for monsters or their growls and shrieks. You need to find your bearings so you can figure out how to reach Rem's room from here. And you aren't even sure what you will do if you do get to your comatose girlfriend's side. Will you give her a piggyback ride with your injured body, and will you escape the mansion while weighted down and being hunted by both those random monsters and Elsa Granhiert? You are acting out of delusional defiance, but you still feel it's better than to give up and die.
You get past a stairway to the second floor, and it serves as a landmark for your panicked mind. If you turn around a couple of corners you should be able to sprint down a hallway and reach your Rem. However, as you turn the first one, a lone monster you have never seen before, a pig-sized, insectoid-like creature with vicious teeth, seems to have lost the pack and is skittering across the carpet. You have no choice but to go that way, so you start running towards it. You kick at it, but it dodges. These horrid things seem to have had far more experience at surviving in this world than you, and have been far more successful at it. You run past the monster, but a glance tells you that the insectoid-like creature is getting ready to pursue you. You reach the corner and turn, hoping to reach the hallway that leads to Rem. After making it halfway down the next corridor, you hear a hideous shriek behind you, the high-pitched scream is of a creature spotting its prey. Even though you'd prefer not to, you glance over your shoulder and see that a couple of the black, furry creatures with a horn coming out of their forehead, one of which had made a mess out of your left arm, are exiting a room, followed by some other monsters. One of the creatures looks like a black, hairless monkey with an oversized head and blood-stained mouth, which is currently emitting an otherworldly screech.
That sight gives you the burst of adrenaline you need to reach the end of the corridor. You finally spot Rem's door, maybe around ten doors away. Perhaps you can still save her. You start running towards it at full speed.
"Come on, come on!", you whisper to yourself, your eyes trained on the door.
Your body stops by itself in the middle of your path, and staggers for a moment until your burning legs can support your weight. Someone is waiting further down the hall, a woman who is facing your way. It's Elsa Granhiert, who despite having an arm covered in blood, as well as blood having splashed the bare skin of the impossibly risky cleavage that runs down until slightly above her crotch, she's standing still as if unharmed, and she's offering you a welcoming, self-composed smile. At the end of her arms that she keeps at her sides she's holding on to her blood-dyed gutting knives.
As if the Bowel Hunter wasn't enough, you can't help but look behind you to see a dozen monsters barrelling down the hallway towards you while growling, shrieking and pushing each other out of the way as if hoping to tear you apart and eat you first. Your legs wobble.
"Meili, that's enough!", the Bowel Hunter shouts, the first time you have ever heard this serial killer's voice rise above a conversational level.
A couple of seconds later, the monsters stop on their tracks like dogs ordered to do so by the trainer who disciplined them well. They eye you as if they'd rather disobey, but the bunch of nasty, demonic-looking creatures turns around and move away. You suddenly spot a small arm peeking out from an open room, and she waves towards you, or maybe towards the Bowel Hunter. Then her whole upper torso appears. Your dizziness doesn't allow you to focus enough on the figure, but you can tell it's either child-sized human being or an actual child, a female with dark blue hair braided in pigtails, who wears a black cape over an also black uniform. The monsters stop near the girl, although they continue growling and shrieking as if disappointed.
"I was so close, Elsa", the new person speaks with a mischievous, child-like voice. "It would have been fun! But if you'd rather have him, I can't say no to you..."
"That's right, darling", Elsa answers. "Now be a good girl and make yourself scarce. I want some time alone with our lovely target."
"Alright then", the child says, disappointed.
She jumps out of the room and runs away from you while hunched over, as if she doesn't want to be recognized or seen clearly at least. The monsters follow her like pets that don't want to stay away from their master.
Once you understand that you won't have to deal with horrible, mutated, demonic-looking fantasy world monsters anymore, you turn slowly towards the other monster, Elsa Granhiert, who clearly wants you to entertain her the same way you did the first time you met this contract killer. Then, Elsa wounded you mortally before you could realize what has happening. Now you have to deal with the anticipation. Besides, you keep seeing Frederica and Ram in your mind, and your throat has tightened as if someone was squeezing it.
"Did you kill my friends, Elsa...?", you ask with a hollow voice.
The Bowel Hunter smiles as if you've reminded her of people she's fond of.
"They were so lovely. They struggled to their last ounce of strength. They wished so much to keep living. And their insides looked really beautiful."
This reality is done, you knew it already. You aren't sure to what hope you were holding on to. Nothing in this whole universe matters anymore, but you can't relay that to your feelings, because you have to swallow a sudden nausea, and the next time you blink, the tears that built up in your burning eyes roll down your cheeks. You lower your head and glare murderously at the contract killer.
"Although destroying that body of yours through killing you will be to a certain extent like burning down the library of Alexandria, one day I will see you die, and I will enjoy it."
Elsa spins the knives in her hands then strikes a pose, wielding her weapons as if preparing to strike you. However, you can tell that she's mocking you, that she doesn't expect you to attack.
"Then please do come for me, I'm looking forward to it. That shapeshifter as well as the magic user had wisdom to share, but I won't be able to glean even that from you. You are as weak as they come, aren't you, boy? Only you and that shut-in spirit remain. I can even afford to take my time checking out the color of your guts before I begin the tiresome task of opening every door of this mansion."
A wave of unspeakable weariness hits. You stagger and grab the wall to your right, squeezing your head in an attempt to stop the room from spinning. You must have lost plenty of blood already.
"Well, Elsa, this time I'm going to struggle for a bit longer even though everything is ruined."
You take a deep breath and sprint as if you are charging against the contract killer. Elsa smiles welcomingly. As you are about to pass by Rem's room, you reach for the handle and open the door wide open. You lunge towards the doorway as Elsa throws one of her knives at you, and you hear it strike the door behind your head. You hear her begin to complain, but when you close the door behind you, her voice disappears. You lean against the wood trying to catch your breath. As you snap out of it you realize that you aren't in Rem's room. You see row after row of bookshelves, and smell the musty odor of old books. Beatrice is facing you a few meters away as if receiving you, even though every other time you entered her domain she had been sitting on her chair, barely bothering to lift her gaze from her book. The hundreds of years old child librarian stares at you intensely.
Elsa must have followed you into the room she saw you enter, but the Passage spell jumped to a different door the moment you closed this one. You just led the contract killer to meet Rem.

This entry was the toughest to get through of all fifty six. I couldn't get it to flow right. It must have been partially due to the fact that during these last few days I've felt completely out of it, in a daze, barely able to focus at work, and experiencing a delay when thinking about or reacting to everything. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 55)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry, the protagonist decides to treat the unhinged senior servant with respect from now on. They'll leave for Roswaal's mansion the following morning. The protagonist also promises a lifelong love affair to Emilia, even though his girlfriend is in a coma.

First season

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-Link for part 23
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-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
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-Link for part 54

You are walking through what passes for streets in the dreary village of Sanctuary, heading towards the stables where you should meet with the senior servant Ram. Although it is technically the break of dawn, the tall forest that encloses the village prevents the light from reaching the ground. Your main problem with waking up this early is that you have barely managed to rest, worried partially about the nightmare you will face at Roswaal's mansion. You will spend the long hours ahead of you wishing you could take a nap.
As soon as what passes for stables in this isolated, miserable village comes into view, you spot Ram's slender body standing next to your beloved ground dragon Patrasche, already ready to be mounted. However, you hadn't expected to see Garfiel also standing around, clearly waiting for you to come. As you approach them you keep eyeing the punk, trying to discern why he would have appeared here right as you and Ram were about to leave.
"Yer late, half-pint!", Garfiel tells you, more teasing than menacing. "Makin' Ram wait like that. Ya don't do that to a lady!"
You stop in front of the two of them. Ram's look suggests that she has been tolerating Garfiel's presence for a while.
"It's a bit too early in the morning to use me as an excuse to score points with our dear senior servant, Garfiel", you say.
The punk shares a look with Ram, then he recoils at the senior servant's obvious lack of interest. This poor bastard has no clue the kind of woman he's trying to court.
"I just said yer late and she agreed, dat's all", Garfiel replies in a slightly hurt tone.
"More importantly, Garfiel, did you appear here so early in the morning to bid us farewell? If it had been Ryuzu, it wouldn't have surprised me, but I wouldn't take you for such a gracious host."
He smirks mockingly.
"Aight, I ain't here ta make a fuss. I'm here ta make sure yer safe! Yer gonna confront ol' furryburglar ain't ya, 'bout her givin' the princess that magic crystal an' all."
You raise your eyebrows at Garfiel, and then you address Ram while pointing at the punk.
"Did you share our problems with the locals to such a degree?"
"Not that I'm aware of, Barusu", Ram answers, annoyed.
Garfiel puts a hand on his waist and looks proud of having shown some degree of cunning.
"Ya take us fer yokels, and maybe we are fer ya fancy noble-born lookalikes from ta outside, but we've been guardin' our Sanctuary fer a long time."
"You mean Ryuzu has, right?", you ask.
"Sure, old hag has been around fer a long, long time. Anyways, we got eyes every damn where! So don't ya worry 'bout us knowin' stuff. Matter is, ya intend ta get violent with 'Rica?"
"I assure you I don't want to hurt Frederica in any way. I quite like that lioness sister of yours. We just want to clarify what she intended with the whole magic crystal thing, and doing it in an underhanded way. I don't even care that I could have gotten killed due to the tomb's magic traps, to be honest. Besides, I just have to get to Roswaal's mansion for reasons."
Garfiel grimaces.
"As if ya would hurt that nasty bitch! Damn old Frederica would wipe the floor with yer half-pint ass. Do ya doubt it or anythin'? I haven't seen old 'Rica in a good while, but if she got any stronger, ya better make sure ya don't try anythin' with the gal."
"I wouldn't be able to hurt probably even your fantasy world flies. But I bring Ram along with me as security, and she's as tough as they come."
"Ya, yer real lucky, half-pint, gettin' ta travel with Ram. But better not to fight 'Rica anyway, as nice as it sounds to see both gals dukin' it out."
"Is this why you are delaying us, Garfiel?", you ask, increasingly annoyed. "To tell us not to hurt your beloved sister that you miss so much it makes you lose sleep?"
Garfiel snarls, and shifts his weight as uncomfortable as he tends to get when you suggest that he cares for his sibling.
"Ya fightin' each other don't help nobody. So I wanna make sure that damn 'Rica won't get feisty an' cause some trouble."
He takes out something from his vest, and he shows it to you both. It's an identical pendant to the one Frederica gave to Emilia, to the extent that you check your pocket to make sure it's still there. Apparently two of them exist.
"Show it ta Frederica", Garfiel adds. "Ol' furryburglar will know what's up."
You reach for the crystal, but the punk retracts his hand.
"As if!", Garfiel says. "I ain't want ya ta have it! I do this for Ram."
The senior servant sighs and takes the crystal. She puts it in the pocket of her servant outfit.
"Despite the disrespect, that's awfully nice of you, Garfiel," you say, "even though you are one of the least nice people I've ever met."
"An' what tha hell does that mean?"
"It means you are really rude to just about everyone. Even I, someone who annoys people for a living, have fewer issues with assholianess."
"Justa damn small-timers who annoy ta hell outta me."
"See what I mean?"
"Whatever. I'm still keepin' an eye on ya."
Ram bows slightly towards Garfiel, clearly wanting to thank him as impersonally as possible.
"I appreciate that you intend to prevent our confrontation from becoming bloody, and yet I hope you didn't do this as an attempt to court me, Garfiel."
The punk looks down for a moment. He has trouble holding Rem's gaze.
"Every damn thing's 'bout courtin' for red-blooded men, Ram, and my blood is as red as they come."
"And I'm sure that your blood is very pure, but I am not interested in you. I don't change my mind."
Garfiel hangs his head down and seems to be sulking.
"Ah... Thank you for your help, Garfiel", you say. "We'll return relatively soon, and your sister will likely remain in Roswaal's mansion fully alive. She needs to take care of the place, after all."
"Yeah, not sure why she does tha'. Can't we just let that place collapse? No loss, really."
"It's still her home."
"So is our Sanctuary and y'know how much she cares 'bout this place."
"Barusu, we better get going", Ram says.
"Yeah, sure", you say.
As usual, you have some trouble climbing to Patrasche's saddle, but Ram jumps gracefully and effortlessly to sit behind you. She puts her hands on your waist, which makes Garfiel frown with obvious envy.
"See you later, you damn punk", you say to Garfiel.
"Sure. This place's gonna be quiet fer a while then."
As you start riding Patrasche and she leaves Garfiel behind while heading towards the barrier, you realize that she's been trotting faster than usual.
"Why is your ground dragon going so fast?", Ram asks.
"My beloved girl is eager to go back home, as I am. I sure wish we could get this whole barrier business sorted..."

You don't want to bother Ram with small talk or your usual nonsense, so you stay quiet. The senior servant seems to appreciate it, because the couple of times you looked over your shoulder at her she looked as laid back as it must be possible for someone as fucked up as Ram. At times, particularly when Patrasche accelerates despite the curviness of the path, Ram grasps your waist suggesting such strength that if the senior servant scooted closer on the saddle, you wouldn't be surprised if a dick poked your butt.
The silence ends up bothering you too much, used as you are to spewing nonsense that annoys everybody. You are already speaking before you can stop yourself.
"You didn't bring any snacks, Ram?"
"I'm sure you have brought your own, Barusu."
"I'm curious about your Oni nature. I have rarely seen you eat anything. Is it because of the whole feeding on people's blood thing? Does a bit of it keep you going for a long time?"
Ram gasps almost inaudibly, and after she hasn't answered for a couple of seconds, you look over your shoulder. She's eyeing you as if she suspects you have read her diary.
"What's wrong, Ram?"
"I would interrogate you to figure out who blabbered about it, but I do not wish to get angry at the moment."
"Wait, was it supposed to be a secret?"
You try to remember when you learned about it. You faintly recall walking downhill towards Roswaal's village. Rem, your beloved Rem, spoke at length about her Oni nature without any restraint. You aren't sure if Ram commented on it. You guess that with Rem gone from her memory, Ram would have kept those details to herself.
"It's not something commonly known," Ram says, "which makes it all the more puzzling that someone like you, who often displays his ignorance as if boasting, would know it."
"I found out through someone that I'll need to speak to you about in a while, when I find the strength... Anyway, what I meant to say is that if you want to feed on my blood, go ahead. I'd be honored."
She snorts.
"What a degenerate. Do you expect me to take your offer as a kind gesture? You are seeking something else from it."
"Not at all. I'm just happy to help."
"You must be underestimating my self-restraint. I can easily go without blood for a few days, unlike the lies some fools spread."
"It must be perfectly natural for your kind. I don't see any problem with it, and besides, it probably feels pretty good for the people you feed on as well."
"You say that as if you know from experience."
"Yeah, I do, Ram, and you have no clue how much I miss it. Honestly, those were some of the best moments of my life. One of them in particular still tops everything else that ever happened to me. So I'd say I'm quite knowledgeable on your kind."
"Is that right? I highly doubt it, given that your blood must be as dirty as they come."
"Dirty!? I have been told that I taste delicious. Your loss, I guess! Here you have a healthy, grown male who doesn't do drugs, except for some occasional excessive alcohol intake, whom you can feed on whenever you want, but still you refuse."
"Because I'm not a whore that gives it out for free!"
"Is that how it goes for your kind? Feeding on people is like having sex with them or something? I can't imagine what a mess human society would be if we needed to treat our food like that."
"It's not the same thing!"
"Your comment makes little sense, then. You shouldn't be so prideful. Not to mention it's pretty counterintuitive to your survival. You must be able to secure some source of blood from time to time, after all."
"I don't need a lecture on how to live, not from you. It's still a mystery how you have managed to survive so far."
"I just do what's necessary, Ram, no matter the pain. That's my motto. Hell, that's likely to become my dynasty's motto. 'We do what's necessary, no matter the pain'. We'll write it on the coat of arms."
"You're being obnoxious. I don't understand why you keep pushing me, and I don't think I can give you a straight answer as to why I keep talking to you."
You attempt to give her a mollifying look over your shoulder, but when you see her frowning, you feel guilty.
"Sorry, Ram. I guess I'm blabbing as usual. I didn't mean to bother you, it's just that not saying nonsense is for me as hard as for a spider not to weave its web, you know? It's in my blood."
She shakes her head.
"Spiders don't have blood."
"They don't...? Well, you know what I mean. In any case, this whole thing with me hoping you would bite me and drink my blood segues into the topic I dread bringing up, but now that you are going to the mansion with me, you simply need to know. Although I'm terrified of how you will react when I tell you."
"Whatever it is, just spit it out, will you?"
"Okay. Ram... In the mansion you will get to meet again the most important person in the world for you."
"I have no clue what you mean, Barusu", Ram says, irritated. "The only person in the world who matters any longer is lord Roswaal."
Her answer surprises you. Obviously Roswaal allows her to live at his enormous mansion, and Ram will be able to work as a servant for the rest of her life if she wants to, but you can't imagine the private details of the long relationship between the two. You don't want to get sidetracked, as you already fear Ram cutting the conversation short.
"No, there was another", you say firmly. "You will see her at the mansion."
"I can't begin to guess what you mean, but I can tell you aren't joking."
"That's right, I'm not mindlessly annoying people for once. This person I'm talking about fought the cultists on our side, but she left with Crusch's caravan back towards the capital so she could tend to the wounded. It was Crusch's condition to leave Ferris behind, because they needed a competent healer on the caravan. However, the person I'm referring to got seriously injured during the ambush. Seriously injured is even an euphemism in her case."
"Why are you telling me this?", Ram demands to know. "How close do you believe me to be to members of Crusch Karsten's household, nevermind to the extent that I would consider them the most important person in the world? You are getting on my nerves, Barusu."
You take a deep breath.
"No, the person who left not only belongs to our own household, but she's your sister. Her name is Rem. During the ambush she was attacked by some superpowered person with a similar ability to that of the White Whale itself. The memories of your sister got stolen from everybody else's mind, although her body remains in the world. She's in a really bad coma, though..."
You let the words sink in for a moment. Ram tightens her grip on your waist.
"Even though your tone doesn't suggest it, Barusu, you better deny you are messing around."
"I'm not. Listen to me, Ram: you have a sister who loves you very much, and every memory of her was taken away from you. This person, Rem, is resting in a coma back at Roswaal's mansion. You will meet her there, you will realize I'm telling the truth."
Ram falls into a deep silence that makes you break into sweat. You can't imagine what's going through her mind. Ram speaks slowly, and with a firm voice.
"What you just told me is so blatantly false and ridiculous that I'm inclined to believe that someone has infiltrated our household and deceived you into believing such a lie. You are dumb enough to fall for it."
You shake your head.
"Well, you could have taken it much worse. You will see the resemblance as soon as you look at our lovely Rem. She looks pretty much like you but with light blue hair."
"I cannot doubt it more. I have the means to figure out if that person is deceiving you, and in that likely case she will pay for it. A person trying to pass herself as a family member of mine... I can hardly think of something so loathsome. I'm an only child."
"You aren't, though, but it won't change anything just telling you. Of course you believe yourself to be an only child, your memories of Rem got stolen."
"You made your point, Barusu. I don't want to speak until we get to the mansion."
"Alright. If it turns out that I'm so deranged that my mind has made Rem up, please, feel free to murder me ag-... I mean, murder me for the first time. I wouldn't want to keep going if that was the case."
"It would be like squashing a bug, Barusu. It's beneath me."
You shrug, take a deep breath and steel yourself for the rest of what will become a very long trip.

When you finally reach the village at the base of the uphill road that leads to Roswaal's impossibly huge mansion, you would have thought it would have made you feel relieved because the trip ended, because you had returned home. However, that horrifying contract killer must be around, or if she isn't, because the last time you met her four or five days later, she will be here again. As you ride Patrasche as fast as possible through the streets, you expect to recognize the woman's face behind every window, and in the people you walk around the village and who are very curious about their very well known senior servant having returned. Some even call out to her, but she replies that you are both quite busy.
Once you cross the gate into the mansion's grounds you spot the small figure of a servant trimming a hedge taller than her. Given how vast the yard is, the person looks like a lost child, with emphasis on the child part. Ram herself cranes her neck towards the servant as Patrasche approaches her. Petra hasn't even turned around, even though the sound of a ground dragon walking towards her should have startled her.
You jump off the saddle. Your heartbeat is calming down. Petra is alive, which means that Frederica, Rem and Beatrice are alive. You can save them all if you figure out how to stop that serial killer.
"Hey, Petra", you say to the girl. "You need to work on your sixth sense!"
Petra turns around after hearing her name, and then she jumps in surprise.
"Mr. Natsuki! When did you, I mean...", she says before you interrupt.
"Nevermind all that. You'll have plenty of time to catch up on things later, but for now you need to walk around the mansion, ignoring the people inside and counting how many times you step on the ground or on carpets."
"Huh? What for?"
Ram steps forward.
"Don't listen to him. You are one of the villagers, aren't you? Did Frederica take you in as a trainee?"
Petra smiles adoringly at Ram, who hasn't changed her deadpan expression. The tween curtsies elegantly, holding the hem of her skirt.
"That's right, miss Ram. I have seen you many times from when you came down to our village. I always admired your grace. I look forward to working for you! I'm still learning, but I believe you will be satisfied with my abilities."
Ram nods.
"Very polite manners. I see that Frederica has chosen right."
You are dismayed that Ram of all people has approved of this tween working in the mansion.
"Ram, don't you think that this Petra is way too young, and that her outfit, which is the same for all of you, is way too skimpy?"
"Her age isn't an issue. I was younger than her when I started working for lord Roswaal", Ram answers calmly.
"Younger!? That damned Roswaal, what the hell is he doing!? I guess when you live in a huge fantasy world mansion, you don't need to worry about the FBI stopping your fun!"
"The FBI?", Petra asks cautiously.
"Yes, Petra, a famous organization that would have a problem with you parading that young body of yours in such a revealing outfit, and also because you work even though you should be in school!"
Petra gasps.
"I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding! I don't want to cause lord Roswaal any trouble!"
"Misunderstanding? You wear a skimpy outfit while talking provocatively to the male members of this household!"
"Talking provocatively!? I just speak normally, even to the men... And I'm just dressing the way I'm required to! The people at the village told me I looked like a proper lady."
You groan loudly, but Ram frowns at you.
"Barusu, stop teasing the trainee. She's under our care, and clearly she isn't experienced enough in how she should handle you."
Under Ram's gaze, which you are well aware that it can end up turning beyond murderous, you lower your head a bit.
"Yes, yes... But still, the point remains. She skirts the edges of legality and common sense."
"So does this entire household", Ram says. "Petra, is miss Frederica around?"
"Yes, last time I saw her she was dusting around the living room."
"We better notify her that we have returned."
You both leave Petra behind and walk up to the big front doors. Ram grabs the handle, but she turns to you with a serious expression.
"Barusu, we should take care of the impostor first."
Startled, you motion with your hands for her to calm down.
"There's no impostoring going on, Ram, I'm telling you! That Rem is truly your dear sister, who is in a coma! And don't even think about attacking someone who is unconscious!"
"I am not concerned about her condition. If the same blood doesn't run through our veins, then this girl has infiltrated our household, and her affiliations are with the enemy."
You shake your head.
"Thankfully for everyone, the properties of her blood should satisfy you. I hope it doesn't involve exsanguinating my beloved Rem to death!"
"Your beloved? I'm telling you, Barusu, if it turns out that you have allowed an impostor in our household, don't believe for a second that you will come out of it unscathed."
"Hell, Ram, I no longer believe that I will come out of any interaction with you unscathed."
She stares at you for a bit, before shrugging it off.
"Let's just get in."
She opens the big, heavy door as effortlessly as a the one in a bathroom stall. You walk in, and the vision of the luxurious foyer with all of its antique furniture should have made you feel at home, and yet you have the feeling of having wandered into a predator's den. One of these incoming days, that Bowel Hunter woman is going to murder everyone here, and you don't even know when she arrives.
"Stop looking around like an idiot and guide me to this Rem's room, Barusu", Ram says, annoyed.
You both sneak towards the room that Emilia had chosen for your comatose first girlfriend. You are wary of every little noise and movement you sense from somewhere else in the mansion, while Ram glares at you like you are wasting her time. Once you reach the room, your heart is beating fast, and not only because you have no clue how Ram is going to react, but because the burn of guilt that you getting used to is enveloping and squeezing your heart. You haven't seen Rem ever since you betrayed her. You never saw her corpse, you just had the words of that terrifying contract killer to go by.
"What are you waiting for, Barusu?", Ram asks quietly. "Why be careful? Didn't you say she's comatose? Or do you suspect now that she was faking?"
"No... No, she's in a coma", you mutter quietly, "But still, she's Rem."
You slowly open the door, and there she is. Or her body is, at least. Covered from the neck down by a blanket, she lays in bed with her eyes closed. Your mind half-expected her, wished her, to open her blue eyes when you both entered the room. The light of the sun, filtered by the curtains, illuminates Rem's expressionless face, and you observe for a while how her chest rises and falls.
As an uncomfortable warmth fills your chest, you suddenly remember that you had come to introduce your beloved Rem to her sister. You turn towards the senior servant. She's staring at her sister with a intense expression between a scowl and bewilderment.
"Almost like looking in a mirror, isn't it?", you say cautiously.
The senior servant's eyes dart towards you. She stares a moment as if she is looking at the wall behind you, but then her eyes focus.
"Barusu, leave the room."
You tense up.
"H-Hey, don't do anything bad to her. She's completely innocent, as well as your sister, for real."
"Get out of here, Barusu. I won't say it twice."
"Thrice, I guess you mean. Yeah, I'm leaving. Don't murder Rem, though."
The senior servant stands a few steps from Rem, staring down at her while completely immobile. You can't imagine what truly goes in Ram's terrifying mind, and this is a situation she has never had to face. When you close the door behind you, you hold your breath and try to discern any sound above your loud heartbeats. You catch a couple of footsteps, but then nothing.
You had expected Ram to come out in a couple of minutes, or at least invite you to come in to talk about it, but you don't hear anything. You feel bad, as if she must have realized that Rem is truly her sister, and by standing right next to the door you are robbing her of the appropriate release, as if you were waiting outside of a bathroom stall while someone was trying to take a shit inside. You wander off towards the living room.
You are worrying about Ram, what that unhinged senior servant might be doing to your precious Rem even though she's sleeping forever, when you spot a figure arranging a bouquet of flowers in a vase as tall as the tween trainee. That voluminous, wild light blonde hair, closer to a beast's than a person's, as well as that lean figure in which the muscles stand out without appearing bulky, brightens your mood. You recall Frederica's big smile full of pointy teeth, how she managed to make everything seem fun and straightforward.
"Yo, Frederica!", you say cheerfully.
The lioness turns around, and when she realizes it's you, she straightens her back and raises her eyebrows. Then she smiles welcomingly, with the smallest hint of hesitancy. She turns towards you and holds her hands in front of her waist.
"Mr. Natsuki, you have returned quickly."
"Yeah, I'm back. So, how's it going? What are you up to?"
She relaxes her pose, and smiles a bit sadly.
"I am arranging these pretty flowers that the duchess of Karsten gave us, in this very ancient vase, apparently a family legacy from a few hundred years ago."
"Really now? They're quite beautiful. Ah, Crusch... I miss that woman. Leaving her house was like becoming emancipated, but I know that from time to time I will want to return to her warm, safe womb..." You gasp, then point at Frederica, who was staring at you puzzled. "Wait a second, I shouldn't be happy to see you! You deceived us!"
Frederica lowers her thick, blonde eyebrows slightly, but still tries to smile.
"Is lady Emilia doing well?"
You rub your eyes. What the hell are you doing? You left Ram dealing with the sister she didn't know she had, and now you are confronting your target. You are supposed to stop the most accomplished contract killer?
"Well, let me think about it... Emilia is a bit distraught with the whole thing about getting trapped in a dreary village full of yokels, particularly one who can't stop inventing words, and she almost had a mental breakdown because she couldn't deal with whatever the spirit of that Echidna witch made our lovely Emilia face during the trial. So I'd say Emilia isn't doing too well. I mean, she's still gorgeous, sweet, kind, passionate, and tastes like heaven, let me tell you, but she kind of developed a grudge on you due to your shady actions."
Frederica looks down at the floor and breathes deeply as if contemplating her decisions, or the consequences.
"I thought that of all people she would have passed those trials...", she says softly.
"Are you kidding me? You never noticed that our Emilia is unstable, and that she mostly keeps going because she can avoid dealing with her likely horrible childhood? What the hell made you think that a trial designed to make her face her past, at least the first one of the three, would be something Emilia would be suited to? You damn deceitful German! If you weren't so beautiful and attractive in general, and fun to be around, I would be really mad at you."
Frederica puts a hand to her chest. Her contrite expression doesn't match those predatory teeth that peek out whenever she speaks.
"You do have a right to be mad, Mr. Natsuki. I accept the blame. But consider this, if we do succeed in breaking the barrier, not only lady Emilia will be free, but also everyone else."
"Yeah, that's the thing. If. Emilia won't break that damn witch-created barrier unless she changes significantly, and I am not allowed to pass them because of political garbage!" You shake your head while glaring at the German. "I can't believe you let us go to Sanctuary without explaining the situation. What happened to you, Frederica? You used to be cool."
Frederica avoids your gaze, focusing on a nearby painting of some ancestor of the clown instead. She swallows.
"After so many years, Mr. Natsuki, I was desperate. You had gone as far as defeating an entire branch of the Witch's Cult for Emilia, and I have always believed that she's far stronger than even herself believes. I still think she will realize it in the end. Only people as resourceful as other esteemed members of this household can solve the quandary of my hometown. I've lived for many years hoping that the only one inside who could pass those trials would finally find the strength to do it, but... he never has. I don't think he wants to leave anymore."
"Yeah, it's funny how screwing with people gets glossed over because someone was desperate. Now I'm the one desperate about my situation. Who the fuck do I ask for help?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry, Mr. Natsuki." She holds your gaze, even though her green irises are trembling, and she steps towards you. "How is Garfiel doing? Would you tell me?"
"Your punk of a little brother is one of the most obnoxious, unstable, randomly violent hicks I have ever met. Cool scar, though, as in he would likely win one of the main prizes in some contest for the most nasty, disturbing and distracting scars. He also keeps making up words for some reason. He must have a lot to compensate for, I suppose. You probably have a bigger dick than him."
"Mr. Natsuki! Don't say such things!" She slaps your shoulder as in trying to lighten the mood, but you keep glaring at her. "Shut up! Hah..." Frederica hugs your arm, hiding her face. "I haven't seen him in far too long. And now he hates me, doesn't he?"
"Yeah. He, the rest of the villagers and everyone else in that dead-end village hate you. I'm not sure if you ever cared for anyone there besides your brother, but you probably should never come back, or they'll make an spectacle of spanking you in public."
"That's awful. I'm sorry, again."
"Yeah, well, we all have our place in society. To be honest, I don't know, nor care, what everyone else at that dreary village thinks about you, but I suddenly remembered that your brother had asked me to relay a message to you."
"What's that?", she asks cautiously.
"I believe his exact words were 'eat a dick'."
Frederica's eyes widen, and a tear falls from her eyes as she punches your arm. You are startled by how much it hurt, and you start rubbing it. No doubt it's going to leave a bruise.
"How could he say that to me?", Frederica says. "Is he really that angry? The last time we spoke to each other he promised that he would pass the trials and join me in the outside world. Why did he end up hating me?"
"The past is the past. He's just... Look, forget about Garfiel, he's an idiot, and he'll continue to be."
"He's my little brother, and I love him! I don't want him to waste his life in that horrible village without a future. Would you want such a fate for anyone you cared about? But he can't leave unless the barrier is lifted."
"It seems that your love for that punk of a brother of yours, whom you haven't seen in apparently many years, is enough for you to risk the lives of other household members of yours", you say seriously.
Frederica is shocked. She fails to answer. You step forward and grab her shoulders, which feel firm under your fingers.
"Frederica, what was your intention with that whole magic crystal thing? Did you want Emilia to get teleported to the clearing close to the witches' tomb, so she would wander into it and trigger her trials? Did you hope that Emilia would pass them immediately?"
She stares at you disconcerted.
"Mr. Natsuki, what do you mean with 'teleported'? Why would my magic crystal be related to teleportation?"
Damn, she's good at feigning ignorance.
"Don't pretend. That magic crystal had some sort of enchantment that reacted with the barrier, teleporting to that clearing whoever it was touching. You know, I grabbed the damn thing because I thought it was going to explode, and I got teleported instead. If the witches' tomb's traps worked on me like they were supposed to, my digested remains would have been shat by the village's pigs already. Did you consider for a moment that by giving us that fucking magic crystal you could be condemning one of us to become pig food?"
"No! I would never wish that on anyone!"
You snort.
"Bullshit. You know, Frederica, I thought you were so great. You always made me feel good when you were around, and you are sexy as hell with that blonde hair and thicc body, as well as those threats of pinning me down under your strong self. But now I don't know what I think about you. I will still masturbate to you, for sure, but I won't be so enthusiastic."
"Mr. Natsuki, please don't! I'm sorry for whatever I did, but I swear to the gods I didn't know that the magic crystal would do that!"
"Then what is that damn crystal for? Was that some new age shit? Did you want to improve our vibrations? You should use those vibrations in your own private parts!"
Frederica closes her eyes as if deep in thought. When she opens her eyes again, her previously apologetic expression turns determined.
"Mr. Natsuki, if you still haven't discovered the truth about Sanctuary, then I won't speak about it. But you need to hold on to that crystal."
"You fucking serious, lioness? After all this bullshit, having to listen to your little brother struggle through dozens of sentences, you still withhold information?"
Frederica was about to speak when her gets stunned, then she cranes her head towards the main door of the living room. You hear someone clear her throat. Ram.
"It seems you want to die, Barusu", Ram says calmly.
You turn towards her. The senior servant is standing with her arms crossed in front of the doorway, narrowing her eyes at both Frederica and you.
"Why do you want to kill me now, Ram? What the hell have I done?"
Ram closes her eyes and sighs deeply. She then uncrosses her arms, walks to the sofas in the center of the room, which face a coffee table, and sits down calmly.
"You complete idiot, I meant that we came to confront Frederica for her deceitful behavior, and Roswaal sent me along so you wouldn't get killed, and yet you run up ahead to face a competent fighter like Ms. Baumann. Do you understand now what I meant, Barusu?"
You scratch your head.
"Yes, Ram. I'll remember that next time."
"No, you won't. Frederica, please, serve us some tea, will you? Let's chat like civilized people."
Frederica snaps out of her surprise, and then bows.
"Sure thing, senior servant."
While Frederica heads to the kitchen to get some tea, you take a deep breath, shaken after your confrontation, and sit next to Ram. She looks at you with an uncharacteristically relaxed expression.
You lean towards her to speak quietly.
"Ram, how did it go with your sister?"
"Oh, it was horrible, Barusu. I used blood magic to check for consanguinity, and to my utmost surprise I discovered that I have a sister I don't remember."
"I'm simultaneously relieved and saddened to hear you say that. That's great news, isn't it?"
"No. It isn't." Ram looks at the big windows, which allow the midday light to bathe the room. "Everyone I knew from my childhood is dead, and I have always been alone. That's who I am. That's an indelible part of my identity as far as my brain is concerned. And yet it must be true that this sister of mine, who remains alive despite her comatose state, was stolen from me by a different enemy. I must have seen her, interacted with her, for the last time during the cultist attack, is that right? A lifetime of memories that someone has erased in me. I am infuriated, Barusu."
"Yeah...", you murmur. "You are always angry, it seems, but this time I'm with you a hundred percent."
"I feel a rage so powerful that it makes me want to destroy everything around me."
"Please don't murder me. I haven't figured out enough new stuff in this reality."
"I won't."
"Okay..."
"Because I am not angry at you. You couldn't have known that this would happen. It's those accursed cultists that did this, the damned shadows. That superpowered person who took my sister away from me must belong to the cult. A higher-up."
"Ram, anything I can do to help you catch the son of a bitch who did this, I'm at your service."
The senior servant holds your gaze with a deadpan expression, then nods.
"I accept your sentiment. It's a shame that you are completely useless in that regard."
"At least I have improved in your eyes, given that you felt the need to add 'in that regard'. And I only had to take down an entire branch of the worst terrorist group for it."
Frederica returns with a tray holding three tea cups and a steaming teapot. The lioness seems intimidated by the original senior servant, and as soon as she places the tray, she takes a step back and holds her hands in front of her waist. Ram serves herself some red tea that smells like herbs. She holds her teacup with her pinky out, and takes a sip.
"Not strong enough, but I can't be bothered to prepare a fresh brew."
Frederica tilts her head and grimaces at the senior servant, displaying her triangular teeth.
"Preparing tea was always my specialty. What an unlovable girl you are."
"On the contrary", Ram answers calmly. "If I were more lovable, the world would be at risk."
You clear your throat.
"Please, take a seat, Frederica."
The lioness looks hurt, maybe due to your confrontation as well as to Ram's dismissive attitude. She sits down heavily on the opposite sofa, and crosses her powerful legs. She serves herself some of her tea, then holds her teacup with both hands and places it on her knee.
"To be honest, Ram, I already figured out everything", you say with some pride. "The deceitful, yet lovable lioness here wanted Emilia to lift the barrier because she, meaning Frederica, wants to free her yokel brother from a dreary lifetime at that horrid village full of freaks. However, it seems that the teleport thing that triggered when the magic crystal reacted to the barrier has nothing to do with her. So we have a mystery in our hands, I guess. Not sure that I care. I have more important things to worry about right now!"
Frederica holds her teacup in one hand and combs her hair with the other.
"Like what?"
"Like Emilia and her attempts to pass the trials at the witches' tomb. That's a thing I can tell you, at least."
Ram drinks a mouthful of her tea, she dries her lips, then stands up and turns her palm to face upwards. A sudden breeze coming from the senior servant startles you, and you see space itself getting distorted above her palm as in a mini tornado.
"I didn't just come to make you talk, Frederica. You will return with us to Sanctuary so you can face lord Roswaal for your deception. I will fight you if necessary."
Frederica lowers her head, closes her eyes and smiles softly.
"Hm. And how do you intend to do that, exactly? I am not an opponent you can beat easily. You might stand a chance if you had your abilities back."
"I will pour this whole cup of hot tea in your lap, then."
Frederica chuckles, and you realize how much you miss the easy-going attitude you used to know her for.
"It's alright, Ram", Frederica says calmly. "If you want me to accompany you to Sanctuary so I can face Roswaal, I will do so. No violence is necessary. When I tangled both Emilia and Mr. Natsuki in my hope that Sanctuary would finally open up, I was ready to accept the consequences."
With a hint of reluctance, Ram stops distorting space, and the wind stops blowing. She sits back down and the three of you drink your tea in awkward silence for a while. You realize that the twin magic crystal that Garfiel had given Ram must remain in her pocket, and yet you never thought of using it at all. Talking with the punk this morning was a complete waste of time.
You would have loved to eat a meal with these two girls and then travel back to Sanctuary. But the three of you hear Petra whimpering from one of the side doors of the living room. She is standing there, trembling and crying as she looks pleadingly towards the three of you. Behind the tween stands Elsa Granhiert, who is holding one of her gutting knives to the tween's neck. The blade has cut enough already so that a few drops of blood are sliding down towards the handle. The contract killer offers you three a welcoming smile.

Credit where credit is due, that small interaction between Frederica and Ram in which Ram disses the lioness' tea, only for Frederica to get so annoyed that she grimaces and calls her unlovable, is one that came straight from both the original and the anime adaptation. I thought it was a nice character moment.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 54)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

The previous entry was about pushing every one of Ram's buttons until she loses her fucking mind. Also we got a further example that nobody cares about Otto's pain.

First season

-Link for part 1
-Link for part 2
-Link for part 3
-Link for part 4
-Link for part 5
-Link for part 6
-Link for part 7
-Link for part 8
-Link for part 9
-Link for part 10
-Link for part 11
-Link for part 12
-Link for part 13
-Link for part 14
-Link for part 15
-Link for part 16
-Link for part 17
-Link for part 18
-Link for part 19
-Link for part 20
-Link for part 21
-Link for part 22
-Link for part 23
-Link for part 24
-Link for part 25
-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
-Link for part 40
-Link for part 41
-Link for part 42
-Link for part 43
-Link for part 44
-Link for part 45
-Link for part 46
-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49
-Link for part 50
-Link for part 51
-Link for part 52
-Link for part 53

After the boring Witch of Envy spits you out into reality, the rush of sensations, every minute pain that courses through a human body, floods your brain. You are lying on the flat stones of the antechamber deep into the witches' tomb. This time you know that as you slept you breathed dust through your mouth, so while you support yourself on your forearms, you spit on the floor for a bit and then swallow enough times to force your mouth to produce saliva. You are so confused, dazed as if everything you've lived recently was nothing more than a wild dream, and the blue glow that illuminates this room only contributes to that sensation of unreality.
You sit up and focus your gaze on a point of the cold stone walls in front of you, which are covered with tiny cracks. You feel more than see Emilia's sleeping body out of the corner of your eyes. As soon as you remember the feeling of holding the half-elf in your arms, the wetness and sweetness of her mouth, the oven-like hotness of her insides, the guilt makes you double over. I abandoned you, you think. I abandoned you both. I let Rem die, and even after I betrayed her, I also abandoned Emilia, who might have been pregnant already, because you couldn't find the strength to keep going. You saw a chance to die and start over with the hope that maybe the next time you could think clearly, and you wouldn't have to regret your actions as well as the nonsense you keep spewing out of your mouth. Because Satella loves you, your wish was granted. The least you can do is not waste it.
Set your priorities. Your main goal should be to figure out how to stop everyone at Roswaal's mansion from getting murdered. That comes above having sex with Emilia, so you'll need to avoid the half-elf as much as possible. In this reality she still hasn't felt your tongue licking her clit dry, so she shouldn't behave too needily.
You pump your fists and clench your teeth to give yourself strength. You can do it, Subaru. There's no way you will survive meeting that Elsa Granhiert contract killer the second time you come across her, but at least you should be able to glean some more vital information that eventually will allow you to save everyone you like, as well as Petra. You already defeated an entire branch of the Witch's Cult. You can do anything. Someone who knows what's going to happen cannot lose.
You walk up to your sweet Emilia's side, sit on the floor and hold her in your arms, cradling her against your chest. Her facial muscles twitch as she relives childhood traumas that she can't remember during her waking life. After you kiss her forehead, you pat her cheek repeatedly.
"C'mon, wake up, my sweet Emilia. Open your pretty eyes and return to your man's side."
She stirs, then wakes up. She looks at you with a blank expression, and you stare back with a loving smile. Then her expression twists into a grimace of terror and she shrieks so loud that it pierces your eardrums.

After you exit the enormous entrance of the witches' tomb while carrying the delirious Emilia in your arms, your pals, one of whom, a servant with pink hair, murdered you not long ago, run up to help you. In between questions and answers that you barely pay attention to, you all load Emilia on the back of Otto's carriage, parked deeper into the clearing. As you all would have gotten on the vehicle so you could reach Ryuzu's home as soon as possible, you walk up to Ram and motion with your head for her to step away from the group for a moment.
"What is it, Barusu?", the senior servant asks. "What has happened in there?"
Your body expects this meeting to feel as awkward as can be. This is a woman whom you had joked around with every time she participated in a conversation, and you had taken her dismissive, standoffish attitude as that of a very introverted, serious person. But Ram revealed to you that she has shed from her life everything that wasn't involved with this revenge she didn't elaborate on, and the trauma likely related to Rem as well, that she never got to explain to you when your beloved was conscious, must have traumatized the senior servant to the extent that she doesn't recognize her own emotions. No, worse: she hates whenever someone sparks emotions in her, because she can't deal with them. She can't afford to deal with the buried feelings if she's to move forward until she gets her revenge. Even though the senior servant squashed your eyeballs against the back of your eye sockets, you want to hug her slender frame and tell her that everything is going to be okay. Can't do that, though, because she would kill you.
"Barusu, what's with that look?", she insists while frowning a bit. "What do you intend to say?"
"Ram... The trial activated for me, and I passed it."
Ram opens her eyes wide, and she snaps her head back a bit.
"That's good news. We are a step closer to freeing Sanctuary and going home."
You look back towards the carriage. Otto is looking over his shoulder from the driver's seat to figure out why the hell are you making them all wait, and he motions with his hands for you both to come over.
"It doesn't change much, no", you say with a tired voice. You have felt exhausted and wanted to go to sleep every time you returned to this night. "Ryuzu and Garfiel won't allow me to pass the trials instead of Emilia. More importantly, Ram, I need you to make me a favor."
Ram eyes you with suspicion.
"I fear what's going to come out of your mouth, Barusu."
You sigh, then hold her gaze with sympathy.
"None of that this time, Ram. From now on I'm going to treat you with the respect and care that you deserve. Please, I need to meet the clown as soon as possible, even as soon as we leave Emilia in Ryuzu's guest room."
She blinks, confused by your sudden change in tone.
"Emilia is delirious. We should first make sure that this state isn't permanent, that the witch's trial hasn't broken her brain."
"It hasn't, the effects will clear out around an hour after she lies on that guest bed. Trust me. Please, Ram, arrange an audience as soon as possible, as I asked."
She narrows her eyes at you, before nodding.
"Fine. Somehow, that serious expression in your face disturbs me more than your usual tomfoolery."
As she starts walking towards the carriage, you stop her by placing a hand on her shoulder, making her tense up.
"You are the best of us all, Ram. You are strong, you can keep us safe. We are counting on you."
She looks at your hand, then at you, while pursing her lips. Without another word she climbs onto the carriage, and you follow.

After you accompany Ryuzu to place Emilia on the guest bed in which you made sweet love to the half-elf, and where you both declared that you belonged to each other forever, you ask them all to make sure Emilia is okay, and reveal that you will return in a short while after you speak with your lord. Ram accompanies you silently towards the discreet house where Roswaal rests, but a couple of minutes before you reach it, the senior servant breaks the silence.
"I can't imagine how bad it must be that you haven't blurted out any of your nonsense, Barusu."
You glance at the senior servant, but it only makes you remember the still frame of her hunched over and standing over you, her face twisted in demonic anger as if she had lost her mind to a seething rage, and those red eyes almost glowing. Even though Ram killed you, you feel guilt because you drove her to that breaking point.
"The situation is bad for sure, but regarding me not bothering you with uncomfortable comments... I have realized how difficult I have made things for you. I know you are a person who doesn't want others prodding into your life. Still, I felt a deep pain in you, and I wanted to help you. That's a complex of mine, believing I can save anyone if I push hard enough. But you never asked for anyone's help. I should have respected that."
She slows down and holds your gaze as if she figured she must have been speaking to someone else. She then nods and quickens her pace.
"It is an odd habit of yours, Barusu, and I thank you for respecting my privacy."
When you reach the house, Ram informs you that you should wait outside until she calls you in. The senior servant steps ahead to open the door. Before entering you give one last look at her and nod. She nods back.
A few minutes later you find yourself sitting on the expected chair by Roswaal's side as the clown lays on the bed. His bandages look ghastly, and you recall that even though you spent around four or five days longer in Sanctuary in a previous run, Roswaal never seemed to improve significantly, or at least enough to leave the bed.
After you both explain Emilia's failure at passing the trial on her first attempt, you show Roswaal the emerald-colored, generic-looking magic crystal that Frederica gave Emilia, and that teletransported you close enough to the witches' tomb. You try to remember how you conducted yourself on this conversation during your previous attempt, but you succeeded at it, so you figure that you can just wing it.
"You are the big man here, Roswaal, so I came to ask you for your permission to jump on my loyal ground dragon, travel to your mansion and confront Frederica regarding why she acted so shady with us. I figure I can leave tomorrow at the break of dawn, come back maybe that same night. Otherwise, the following day."
You feel a bit like spouting nonsense, but you figure that you've said something sensible, so you just shut up and wait for his answer. Roswaal stares carefully at you again. You must not have properly noticed it the first time, but it seems as if behind the clown's smile he's wondering what you know, or going through notes of what he could tell. It disturbs you.
"It is worrisome that someone as outwardly honest as Frederica Baumann would have risked your life with this underhanded decision", Roswaal says with his lilting voice. "Have in mind, however, that you are suggesting meeting her in private to interrogate her about a possibly malicious act. You must have the wrong impression about her ability to defend herself, or to attack if she wishes to do so."
You try to contain a yawn, but your body is acting by itself, and you cover your mouth for a couple of seconds as tears form in your eyes.
"Excuse me. Regarding Frederica, no, obviously she would pulverize me in a fight. However, I interacted with her plenty during my stay at the mansion, before we came to this dreary village to figure out what happened to you. I don't see her as someone who would try to kill me even if I confronted her for something bad. However, we need to act quick. There are elements involved in Sanctuary that we aren't fully aware of, and with Emilia having failed to pass the trial for now, we can't take any risk."
"But maybe haste makes waste, Subaru. Have in mind that your purpose in Sanctuary is to remain by Emilia's side to support her like you have been doing, so she knows that someone will fight tirelessly, against monstrous enemies if necessary, so she survives to achieve her goals. And you have been making such efforts when you weren't sure that you would eventually be accepted back into our camp! Truly, a hero for the ages. That's why I intend to make it official. You have earned the ti-"
"You want to make me a knight. We'll have the rite of passage as soon as we return to the mansion, right?"
Roswaal doesn't close his mouth for a couple of seconds, an eternity for someone with his sense of theatrics. He narrows his eyes and widens his smile as if you are sharing some obscure private joke.
"Oh, that's right, Subaru", he says with a lowered voice. "Have I told you before, by chance?"
"Told me what? About knighting me?"
"Indeed. It's no small gesture. It's the lowest rank of nobility, but it separates you from the commoners, and a bright young man like yourself could keep ascending. Still, you are as unsurprised as could be. So were you expecting to be knighted?"
You want to shift your weight on the chair. You are a terrible actor, honest to a fault. You have no clue what's truly going through the clown's mind, and it's not as if his makeup reveals much about his true expression.
"Not really", you answer. "But I knew the chances were there. I mean, I was the only person helping Emilia."
"Oh, that's not true at all. We have our own camp, we aren't nearly as helpless as you seem to believe. Ram herself fought valiantly against the cultist assault, right by the two armies you brought."
You clear your throat. You stand up, turn towards a startled Ram, who takes a step back, and then you bow towards her.
"Of course, I didn't want to disparage you, Ram. I know how hard you fought to protect the village, as well as all of us. I praise your strength."
"You are just trying to get on my good side", Ram says, annoyed by your fake flattery, not realizing it's genuine.
You sigh, then sit back down.
"Nobody present was attempting to disrespect anybody else, I'm sure", Roswaal says calmly. "Well, the matter is settled in that regard. I will indeed knight you. In relation to the point I was going to make, you would be Emilia's first knight, so your task is to serve her every need, if she so requests, as well as keeping her safe, giving up your life and that of others if necessary."
You already know that Roswaal will push for you to remain in Sanctuary and not run back to the mansion. However, if you sound firm enough you probably can get him to give up again.
"That's indeed my duty, and confronting Frederica is part of that. The part beast servant had given this previously unknown magic crystal to Emilia. Even though I snatched it when it seemed as if it was about to explode, the magic crystal would have likely teleported Emilia to the same point of the clearing. She would have wandered into the tomb, and her trial would have started. Presumably she would have failed and we would have found ourselves in pretty much the same situation, but it's still too suspicious for Frederica to use these crystals when not even you, lord Roswaal, were aware of its existence or purpose. I don't want to leave matters hanging. We don't know if a betrayal on Frederica's part means that further related trouble might pop up in Sanctuary. I like to cover my bases."
"Hmmm... Yes, a good plan indeed. So be it. Go ahead and confront Frederica about what she did, and make sure she never dares to try such a stunt again."
You find yourself smiling. The lord is quite reasonable for a shady clown. You relax a bit, but he keeps staring at you.
"You have grown so much, haven't you, Subaru?", Roswaal adds, sounding more proud than is comfortable for you.
"Um... well, I try to be a useful servant. Emilia picked me up from the streets. I had nothing to my name, no place to fall dead. She gave me a life, and it belongs to her."
"And it will always stay that way, yes? You will never leave her."
"Of course!"
"That's what I like about you, Subaru. You're not like those idiots who want to gain everything in this world, not caring about anyone else if they have to trample over them to get there. You care about other people, while also striving for something for yourself. That's the perfect combination of a good heart and being pragmatic about it."
"I wouldn't say perfect."
"It is a perfect balance. That's why you're here, and not outside. The world needs more people like you, that's for sure."
The lord has an odd look in his eyes when he says this, and it confuses you a bit. You're unsure how to respond to his words, so you just let them sit there. In a few seconds, Roswaal closes his eyes, holds his hands and seems about to speak, when you open your mouth and allow a question to come out.
"Roswaal, what would you think if I were to fall in love with Emilia?"
His eyes widen, as he seemed not to expect that question, but he lowers his head slightly and shares a complicit smile.
"Weeeell... After the Witch's Cult almost ruined our camp, I'd say the three of us have been together through thick and thin, so while I don't encourage you developing feelings for our royal candidate, I would not stop it either. Emilia is a big girl and she can make her own decisions. I would hope though, that you would not hurt her."
"Of course. I would never want to harm her or Rem... or anyone here for that matter. You are all my new family as far as I'm concerned."
"Good to hear, Subaru! We will celebrate our triumphant return to the mansion as soon as we leave this ugly business with the barrier behind. So, what brought this on, asking about whether you could love our beautiful half-elf? Did you and Emilia have a fight or something?"
You scratch the back of your head, suddenly embarrassed.
"Would it be so weird? Emilia is one of the loveliest, sweetest, kindest, most passionate girls you could ever meet, isn't she? Truly a dream come true. Despite being out of most people's leagues, it's not rare that such a dream would pop up in the mind of any man who spends enough time near her."
"Aha! So you do have feelings for her!"
"No! I mean, yeah, but I didn't want to... You're twisting my words around! And why are you smiling like that?"
Roswaal chuckles softly, but out of the corner of your left eye you notice Ram shifting her weight.
"I'm just glad you're here, Natsuki Subaru", Roswaal says warmly. "That's why. You have saved us all, and I'm sure you will keep saving lady Emilia again and again. Such will be your official duty from now on."
"Even if I never became a knight, I would have done so. It's a matter of loyalty."
As soon as the word escapes your mouth, Rem's lovely face appears front and center in your mind, her light blue hair you loved caressing, that beaming smile, the way she used to make you feel as if you were the only two people in the world... You suddenly want to cry so hard that you swallow twice the rush of warmth that was heading for your eyes. You lower your head, and when you hold the lord's gaze again, his expression reflects that your change in mood must have been obvious.
"Forgive me, I was too careless. I..." You start to tear up a bit, but hold your head high. Your eyes shut for a moment as you struggle to find your voice. "I'll become a knight. I won't lose anyone ever again."
Roswaal nods. His smile doesn't falter, and at least the clown has the decency not to comment on your sudden display of weakness.
"I'm sure you will fight your hardest, Subaru. And to make sure that such a bright future isn't cut short, I will not allow you to confront Frederica alone."
You dry your eyes, then stand up.
"Ah, of course."
You turn to Ram before Roswaal says anything, and the senior servant, taken aback, alternates between looking at you and at the lord.
"... Indeed, I was going to order Ram to accompany you and make sure that you aren't taken away from us", Roswaal says.
The senior servant uncrosses her arms and stares at you as if wondering whether to object.
You bow towards her.
"I'm sure the prospect of accompanying me annoys you, Ram, but I'll avoid causing you trouble. I'm in your hands. Tell me what to do and I'll do it."
Ram sighs, then shrugs.
"You're right, I would prefer not to go. But his lordship orders it."
Roswaal claps once.
"Then it's settled. I pray for your safe return, Barusu. After we figure out what Frederica intended, we will be able to focus on Emilia's attempts to open up Sanctuary."
"That's right", you say, then turn to Ram. "Meet me at the break of dawn at the stables where my ground dragon is lazing around. We'll ride quickly back home."

In front of Ryuzu's home you lean against a wooden post and look around the dreary town in the moonlight. A few villagers are still walking around, and some of Roswaal's are chatting amicably with some rough-looking half-wolf and half-cat people. You want to go into Ryuzu's guest room, where Emilia is waiting for you to show up. And you do want to get in the bed, hug her tight, kiss her, make love to her. But even for Emilia, the passionate sex was a way of forgetting her troubles, her half-broken psyche, the childhood trauma, the fact that she must feel incapable of passing the trials and yet is still bound to try over and over. You want to give her that relief. But if you let yourself succumb to those pleasures, you will lose yourself in them. You already did for more than two hundred periods of two days back at Crusch's place, what feels like so long ago, with the members of that camp that now seem so far away. You have a disaster to stop, and you are the only one who can do it. That's your curse. You suffer so nobody else has to.
After you brush your teeth and say goodbye to your pals, as well as the couple of blackmailers, hanging out in Ryuzu's living room or the kitchen, you find the strength to enter the guest room. You live through a flashback: you open the door to see Emilia lying there with her face towards the door, as if waiting to greet you as soon as you appeared, and as you close the door she opens her eyes. Your heart hurts already.
"That's you, isn't it, Subaru?", she asks softly.
"Yeah, Emilia. It's me."
You shuffle to the chair next to Emilia, then sit down heavily. You would be able to stroke the half-elf's beautiful face by extending your arm a bit. She takes out her slender arm under the covers, and before she moves her hand towards you, you reach to hold it. Her eyes go wide for a moment, but then she smiles sweetly.
"Emilia, tomorrow morning I'm leaving for Roswaal's mansion", you say with a thinner voice that you had intended.
Her face falls immediately.
"What's the matter, are you not feeling well? No, can't be that... Subaru, I want you to be here with me."
You want to say everything you wouldn't have any trouble verbalizing if you intended to live a long life: that you are going to return tomorrow, that as soon as you get here you won't leave her side again until she passes the trials, and that you'll support her with everything she needs, but that's not true. You already know that you won't survive going to the mansion again. It might take five, ten, fifteen runs to get through this new nightmare, if you don't lose your mind along the way. When will you become impervious to the current version of Emilia fearing that you will suffer harm, or even die? Is this not the same Emilia whom you made love to, with whom you wanted to spend your time isolated and naked, wishing that the rest of the world faded away? If you offered her to sleep next to her in the bed, you have no doubt that you would have sex shortly after, and this time you wouldn't hesitate. But an Emilia tied to you by that level of physical love will only be a hindrance now to what you need to do.
"I have to go there, Emilia. I'll return as soon as I can, but you should probably expect it to take a while."
You want to say that you don't mean to hurt her, but your mouth has run dry and you can't articulate any further words. Emilia scans your face as if trying to find out what more you have to say, but when she sees that nothing is forthcoming she lowers her gaze sadly.
"Subaru, I truly need you by my side. Now that I have failed so disastrously to pass the trial... I can't truly rely on anyone else. You make me feel strong, and as if I'm worth all the efforts you have made for me."
You stroke with your thumb her hand you are holding. You must be looking at her so lovingly that she blushes and has trouble holding your gaze.
"Emilia, I need to tell you some things, none of which are easy for me to say particularly now."
"What is it, Subaru...?"
"I love you. Truly, I do."
She swallows, then bites her lips as if to prevent herself from crying. She nods slowly as if she's been expecting to hear these words from you, but also knows that there's a 'but' coming. There isn't one.
"Emilia, I love you", you repeat. "I couldn't possibly put into words how much you mean to me or how important you are to me. If anything happened to you, I wouldn't continue."
Emilia's lips tremble, and she ends up supporting herself on the other arm, because she needs to dry her tears.
"But you're leaving tomorrow... If I wanted you to never leave my side before, imagine now!"
You lower your head and close your eyes. Although you don't want to say out loud what you are about to, because you fear you'll make it real, you need to face reality as it is. You hold Emilia's gaze again.
"Rem won't wake up. I will never give up trying to find a way to save her from her perennial sleep, but as far as everyone knows, it can't happen. I will never abandon her, we will carry her with us wherever we go, and make sure she remains safe."
Emilia scoots closer to you while still lying on the bed, and she offers you a glowing smile.
"Of course we will, Subaru."
"So what I want to promise to you now is that if you want me, I am yours. I want to be there with you every step of the way until you satisfy your ambitions, support you whenever you need, hold your hand, kiss you, make love to you, and in the future have our own family and live together forever."
Emilia sobs while chuckling. The tears fall through the fingers she's trying to dry her eyes with.
"That's what I want to say...!"
You kneel on the ground and then you hold Emilia's hands so she doesn't hide her face anymore. Despite her tears, she's smiling as innocently as a child. You cup the back of her head and kiss her soft lips, and as both of you seek the other's tongue, you get to forget every trouble in the world.

Every entry creates its own mood, so it depends on the events you need to cover as well as the flow of writing them if they become utterly deranged, as it had been the case during the protagonist's previous run. But by this time the protagonist truly regrets how he had dealt with Ram up to this point, not only because she crushed his eyes, and he also has serious issues dealing with every version of the people he likes/loves, because he knows he will abandon them to return to the past.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 53)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry, Otto and the protagonist had a ridiculous conversation about witch-created simulations, the protagonist surrendered to Emilia's charms, and the couple of people who matter in Sanctuary refused to allow the protagonist to steal Emilia's thunder.

First season

-Link for part 1
-Link for part 2
-Link for part 3
-Link for part 4
-Link for part 5
-Link for part 6
-Link for part 7
-Link for part 8
-Link for part 9
-Link for part 10
-Link for part 11
-Link for part 12
-Link for part 13
-Link for part 14
-Link for part 15
-Link for part 16
-Link for part 17
-Link for part 18
-Link for part 19
-Link for part 20
-Link for part 21
-Link for part 22
-Link for part 23
-Link for part 24
-Link for part 25
-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
-Link for part 40
-Link for part 41
-Link for part 42
-Link for part 43
-Link for part 44
-Link for part 45
-Link for part 46
-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49
-Link for part 50
-Link for part 51
-Link for part 52

Right after you failed to convince Ryuzu and Garfiel to let you pass the trials instead of Emilia, you went straight to find Ram so you could focus on making sure you can save Rem and everybody else at the mansion. You start searching near the modest house where the clown is resting. You locate the spartan senior servant as she dumps the contents of a bucket into a marshy terrain close to the treeline behind the house. Due to the stink of the marsh as well as the fact that the bucket has a hinged lid that Ram is quick to close after she straightens her back, you get to feel proud that you realize what she was doing.
"Dutiful servant as you are, you literally get to take care of our wounded clown's shit", you say as you approach the pink-haired girl.
What you didn't expect is the death stare she impales your face with, so full of disdain that you freeze in your spot. You feel like a deer in front of an incoming truck, paralyzed by your impending death. You take a step back as Ram walks up to you, still holding on to the shit bucket.
"Did you merely intend to anger me, Barusu," Ram asks with a hardened voice, "or was your comment the preliminary to an important point?"
You swallow. Your heart is having a hard time calming down, as you suddenly feel that joking around with this demon servant at any moment has been a horrible mistake.
"I apologize for my characteristic rudeness. I didn't mean anything by it, I was just being myself. Yes, I was looking for you because I want an audience with Roswaal. I need to bring up Frederica's betrayal. I intend to travel to the mansion and confront her."
Ram stands there silently staring at you. The disdain hasn't entirely cleared out from her red eyes, but eventually she takes a deep breath.
"It seems like an important matter. And yet you need to clarify something to me first: how did you know I was going to be here?"
"Well, you weren't present during our meeting with Ryuzu, so I figured that you must have been busy tending to your lord."
"An uncharacteristic display of reasoning on your part, but you have avoided my point. How do you know that Roswaal rests in this part of the village?"
You want to facepalm. Of course, you only knew where Roswaal was hidden because his senior servant had guided you to that dingy villager house. You weren't supposed to know.
"Ah... Well, my dear Ram, how was I able to defeat an ancient ghost with the power of my mind? Maybe I'm not as small and insignificant as you constantly suggest."
She narrows her eyes at you, but then she takes a deep breath and walks past you.
"It seems I need to be more careful. That's on me. Follow me, Barusu, and when I enter a house through the back door, you wait near the front one until I ask you to come in."
"Sure thing, sis."
A few minutes later you find yourself sitting on the same chair as you did during your first meeting with your wounded lord Roswaal, and he's wearing the same horrifying makeup, white foundation, triangles over his eyes, lipstick and everything. It creeps you the fuck out.
You take out the pendant with the emerald-colored, generic-looking crystal that Frederica had given to Emilia, while stating that under no circumstances the half-elf should have taken the pendant off. But because you snatched the pendant from your current girlfriend Emilia, you were the one who got teletransported to the clearing in front of the witches' tomb instead, where you should have been ripped apart by the magic traps. Roswaal had been informed of most of this, but you go ahead and make your point.
"My request is this, Roswaal: allow me to leave alone on my dear ground dragon to your mansion, so I can confront Frederica and figure out what the fuck was the deal with this underhanded crap. In and out thing, I'll be back tomorrow."
Roswaal keeps staring at you while smiling as if he can't quite tell who you are. Again you wonder whether your lord is all there, but then he speaks with his lilting voice.
"Underhanded? Is this the same Frederica that's been working in my mansion for years, despite her recent leave of absence? The same girl that I've never seen be anything less than respectful and polite with me from the beginning? Indeed, that she would resort to these strange behaviors concerns me. Do you believe you can confront someone as strong as our Frederica, even though she might reveal some malicious intent?"
As hard as it is for you to imagine that easy-going, lively lioness trying to kill you, you clearly wouldn't be able to defend yourself. If you ever agree to wrestle with her, you wouldn't be surprised if she killed you accidentally. You imagine yourself struggling as her German body pins you down. Back in reality, you end up coughing against your fist to clear your mind.
"Well, I'm not confident, but the longer we stay here, the more our advantage of surprise disappears..." A loud yawn interrupts your sentence. "Sorry about that. I had a lot to think about in bed last night. Anyway, as I was saying, it's be better if I leave now instead of waiting for something bad to happen."
"Oh, but I want you to stay, Subaru", the clown says, pretending to implore. "You are Emilia's knight after all. Like the bright young man that you are, Ram told me that you had figured out that I intended to make you an official knight as soon as we return home."
"And I'm grateful for that, lord Roswaal. However, we don't know in what other ways Frederica's betrayal means further trouble in Sanctuary. We need to be careful, particularly after Emilia failed to pass the first segment of the trial."
"Hmmmm... It is true. Still, I am worried for Emilia if something were to happen to you while you are away. You keep Emilia company in her most trying times after all."
You keep tapping on your knee nervously. If Roswaal agrees to allow you to leave Sanctuary for this task, you risk running into that terrifyingly sexy freak, that Elsa Granhiert, again. You have no doubt that she would murder you again, and you would possibly end up helping her to reach her climax. You aren't in the mood for such games when the lives of your friends, that Petra trainee, as well as your beloved Rem are on the line.
You raise your gaze towards Roswaal, who was waiting patiently for you to continue.
"Lord Roswaal, you look like a man of culture, with all that clown makeup. Does the nickname Bowel Hunter ring any bells?"
Roswaal narrows his eyes, and he observes your expression as if looking for some revelatory detail. You grow seriously uncomfortable under the gaze of his disturbing clown face.
"Why of course it does! Everyone who holds any power in this kingdom needs to know about miss Elsa Granhiert, their very lives could depend on it. The question is, why is she relevant to our predicament? Surely you understand that your question seems disconnected from the rest of our conversation."
You open and close your mouth, trying to come up with a proper response. You cannot tell him that Elsa Granhiert has been contracted to murder everyone at his mansion. You can't come up with a source of that information other than revealing that you can travel back to the past whenever you die, and that's something you can't imagine yourself telling to this clown. You sigh.
"I heard scary stories about this woman and how she works from the shadows, and given that Frederica was acting shady, both people connected in my mind."
"I see, I see", Roswaal says, scratching his chin. "Now that you mention it, miss Granhiert is an excellent shadow. Scary that a woman like her exists in this world. However, you shouldn't need to worry about her at the moment. Are you aware of her trade, then?"
"Uh… She's a professional assassin?"
"Assassin doesn't quite cover all of her, but yes, it's correct to an extent. She's a hunter, but she uses a very wide definition of the word 'prey.' Anything alive that can feel pain is her preferred prey, even animals, but she prefers humans above all. Doesn't matter who they are or what they've done. And she's so good at it that it has turned into a very lucrative profession for her. Many important people hire her preemptively only to make sure she focuses on other targets."
You fail to contain your spine from trembling. You swallow the knot in your throat.
"Holy fuck. How would one stop such a monster, Roswaal...?"
"Unfortunately, if she's hired to kill you, you can't. In such an unfortunate case, Death itself is coming for you. However, you needn't worry about it! Nobody would want to pay to kill you, Subaru, even if you ruffled some feathers with your very public display of defiance at the royal summons."
You tighten your lips. None of you expected the ambush that ruined your Rem, as well as stole Crusch's memories. You have no clue what's actually going on in this world.
"Yeah... I suppose so."
"If I were you, I'd be more concerned about our dear Emilia's attempts at passing the trials, but also about Frederica's strange behavior. Forget about the Bowel Hunter. She is a monster in the closet."
Roswaal winks at you. You shift uncomfortably on the wooden chair. You are the monster in the closet, Roswaal, you think.
"Ah... Getting back on track, will you allow me then to jump onto my ground dragon and travel back to your mansion to speak with Frederica? It will be a quick sort of deal."
Roswaal closes his eyes and sighs.
"You are one stubborn man. I can tell you won't change your mind, so sure. Please do confront our Frederica and figure out what she intended with her underhanded behavior."
You nod, happy that you succeeded for once.
"Well, great."
"However, I will be concerned for your safety if you go by yourself. Despite your numerous strengths, fighting ability is not one of them."
"Pfft, I'll have you know I was a warrior of legends in my past life."
Roswaal's smile widens.
"If you say so, Subaru. But I want to be extra sure in any case." He turns to Ram, who was standing to your left like a bouncer that can't wait to throw you out as violently as possible. "Dear Ram, please do accompany Subaru to the mansion and make sure that no dark fate befalls him."
Disturbed, Ram uncrosses her arms. She eyes her lord pleadingly.
"I do not wish to do that, lord."
You feel sad. What did I do to you that was so bad, Ram?, you think. You are my sister-in-law and everything!
"Is it because of the sex in a barn thing, Ram?", you ask with a thin voice.
Roswaal chuckles.
"Oh, please do tell what you refer to. Ram, have you been involved in such a way with our soon to be knight?"
You wince as Ram's cheeks redden. Her eyes avert from her lord's and she mumbles something incomprehensible.
"What was that, Ram?", Roswaal asks with his lilting tone. "I couldn't hear you properly, my dear servant."
"I said no!", she answers in a louder tone. "I have not, I did not. Barusu has an improper imagination that he keeps tangling innocent people in."
"Yeah, sorry for threatening you with a good time, Ram", you say, feeling hollow all of a sudden.
Ram seethes with anger.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it would hurt you like that", you say in a low voice. "I keep blurting out stuff because it just pops into my mouth, and I can't stop myself. I guess that I was feeling so despondent that when I stared at someone as stoic and strong and pink-haired and whose long, slender legs look so good in those stockings, I wanted you to share some of your essence. I didn't mean anything bad."
Ram squeezes her eyes shut, clenches her fists and turns her face away.
"Stop! Stop now, Barusu! Apologies aren't enough for the things you say!"
"I don't know what else to do! I'm trying, really!"
You touch your chest and then reach out with your left hand towards her. Seeing this, Ram holds her head with both hands.
"I've heard enough! I will not remain here and be insulted by you any longer! I won't!"
"I'm not insulting you at all! I'm praising your qualities, if anything! Ram, you are the best Spartan I have ever met, and I'm proud that you became my sister-in-law. I want nothing more than to take care of you as your dear sort of brother for the rest of my life!"
She gives you a scornful look, and then turns away.
"I need to be away from you right now... I don't think I can trust myself to not kill you."
"It's that bad!?"
Roswaal raises his hand in a motion to stop your confrontation. His smile has faded, and he's even frowning. Ram must be serious then.
"Ram, please calm yourself. You must understand that our Subaru is young and still developing. Don't allow some careless words of his to get to you. And surely you understand he doesn't mean any harm."
Ram has barely turned her face towards her lord when you open your mouth again.
"Ram... If it will satisfy you, just kill me. It's alright. It would be a honor to be murdered by your hands."
You bow slightly on the chair as a sign of respect, but your humility and kindness does nothing to change her expression. Ram presses her hands against the sides of her head and seems to be muttering something in between clenched teeth.
"Do it...", you plead. "You mustn't suffer the wicked. Kill me, Ram."
Roswaal raises his hands and makes a clapping motion, which breaks the tension.
"Enough! The pair of you!"
With that, Ram hastily turns towards the door and leaves the house, leaving you and Roswaal alone. She doesn't look back even once before closing the door.
"I'll... admit, I was not expecting such a reaction from her", you say sheepishly, barely able to hold the clown's gaze. "I suppose I've offended her several times in the past, but never to this degree."
"Hm, I suppose she is quite proud of her heritage."
"Even so, I don't think that pride could turn into this sort of passion."
"Clearly it has. I suggest you tread carefully around her. Not only is she is our senior servant, but if she wished she could easily kill you and only few would be able to stop her. However, this confrontation only served to emphasize for me that you both need to work together better. Return to Ryuzu's home, Barusu, and I will convince our dear Ram to accompany you back home."
"That's not necessary, I-"
"I will send Ram with you, so this matter is settled. Speak with whomever you need, as well as prepare yourself properly, so you can leave for the mansion as soon as possible. You have done a good job of surviving this far, Subaru."

You have pulled Emilia into Ryuzu's guest room so you can speak to her about your departure.
"You are leaving!?", Emilia asks with confused dismay. "But you told me you would be there for me tonight, after I attempt to pass the trial again!"
"I'm sorry, I really wanted to be there for you, but we've got to figure out why Frederica betrayed us like that. Besides, that scary Ram is going to accompany me as my personal demon bodyguard, so I have nothing to worry about. I don't even have to get terrified about extremely proficient contract killers!"
Emilia lowers her face slightly, and her lips turn down with sadness.
"I need you here, Subaru...", she says with a voice that pierces your heart. "And I miss your touch already."
You put your hand on her waist to sit her next to each other on the bed.
"I know, but this came up. Look, I'll be back tomorrow at the latest, and I'm sure you'll be fine without me there to cheer you on."
"But... I feel like for once things are getting better for me..."
You pat her on the head and give her a warm smile.
"They will continue to get better. You just have to trust in that."
Emilia smiles back, though it's obvious she is forcing herself to do so.
"Be careful, okay?"
"Of course I will."
You stroke her beautiful face, then taste her rosy lips. She opens her mouth and plays with your tongue while she grabs the back of your shirt. You are getting the tingles all over.
"I love you, Emilia, and we belong to each other", you murmur.
"Yes... Yes, we do..."
She keeps kissing you and rubbing your back. You really don't want to leave this room right now. As Emilia lets out little noises of pleasure, you gasp and pull away from the half-elf. Her face is flushed, and her eyes glisten. She's holding the tip of her tongue between her lips, as if beckoning for you to kiss her again.
"Emilia, I completely forgot!", you say, suddenly breathless. "Last night I filled you with cum! You might be pregnant already!"
"I know... but that's what I want."
"Eh?"
"I want to have your child, Subaru. Whether later in life or now, I'll take it as it comes. If it turns out that our child has begun to grow in my womb, I will be so happy."
"Emilia, you really..."
"No, Subaru, it's not just the lust talking. I've thought about this long and hard. You... You don't have any special powers, but you have so much love to give. I want a baby... your baby inside of me. I want to carry on your legacy. I want to become large and round with your child."
You feel as warm as if dunked in a steaming bath. Those purple eyes are staring at you as if you are the only person in the world who matters. Before you know it your heart beats so hard, and your dick is so hard, that you can think of little else than taking off Emilia's dress and making sweet love to her sexy self.
"Um... Emilia", you begin with a shivering voice. "You understand that if you get pregnant you might not be able to complete your trials, right? And furthermore, what about the race for the throne? I suppose that the medallion's enchantment won't disqualify you because you are pregnant, but showing up in front of that council of decrepit bastards again while pregnant with your knight's child doesn't precisely award you points towards eventually sitting on that throne, would it? You need to think strategically as well, or else you will ruin your ambitions!"
You try to put on a caring, concerned face, but it's hard when your body is bursting with the need to shoot another load into her, even thought it would undermine your side of the argument.
Emilia, with a sad look, moves closer to your face and speaks down to you, her voice almost a whisper.
"I didn't choose the public life I'm currently living because I wanted to be queen, you know that. I mainly want it for something personal. If we get blessed with a child, then I'll build everything up around our new family. Just the thought of putting our child to sleep and then going to bed, getting naked and you kissing me, caressing me, licking me down there... Ah, I'm breathing so hard already..."
Emilia rubs your chest with her palm as she bites her lips. You swallow while you feel sweat beading on your forehead. You might come in your pants. Didn't you need to leave for some place, prevent something from happening...?
"Well, if you think that having our baby as soon as possible will make you happy, then I suppose I'll try to do it. I mean, its not like I have anything better planned."
"Yes! Oh thank you, Subaru! Now, kiss me! Show my body that you love it!"
You fill each other's mouths with each other's tongues while you fondle her ass cheeks.
"Mm... Nng... Let's go... Take everything off..." Emilia says with a sexy voice while she rubs your chest with her hands.
You undress, and so does Emilia, who is now completely naked. You throw your clothes all over the floor. After you lay the half-elf on the bed, you move next to her and lick one of her pink nipples while you slide the middle finger of your other hand between her drenched pussy lips.
"Ah! That's right... Rub there... Lick me..."
You lick her other nipple which you hold with your hand, while you hum as you enjoy pleasuring her. She puts both of her hands on the back of your head, rubbing and scratching it, while she pushes your head into her bosom. Her legs tremble a bit, and she lets out a long sigh while whispering 'fuck'.
"Are you loving it, you sexy girl?", you ask with a hungry voice.
"Yes...!"
"You are both out of your minds", Ram's voice says from the door.
Emilia and you turn your heads sharply toward the voice. The senior servant is standing with her arms crossed in front of the closed door, her face pale, and glaring at you both with her eyes wide. Her mouth is twisted in a grimace.
"Shit, Ram's here!", you say while sitting up. "Fuck, hide! Quick!"
"But she's already staring at us!", Emilia says, confused, and covers her moist breasts with her hands.
You clear your throat. Due to the angle you are sitting at, your erect penis is pointed at the senior servant.
"Hm, is something wrong, Ram?"
"Wrong? I should think so", she says with a hoarse voice. "What are you both doing naked, rubbing and licking each other...?"
"It's called sex, Ram. You wouldn't know about it, I guess... But it's some stuff we do. It's perfectly innocent, I assure you."
"Not with her, you don't!"
"What, you don't think Emilia is good enough for me? You better apologize, Ram, or else I'll get real angry even though you could kill me in an instant."
You give a harsh glance at Ram, who stands there squinting her eyes as she tries to hold in her anger. She breathes out slowly, holds her hands into fists and takes a few steps in your direction, before stopping again.
"You are going to ruin everything, Barusu, by tangling our princess in your disgusting games. You will prevent her from sitting on that throne."
Emilia, although she has blushed hard, covers both of her breasts with a forearm while she extends her free hand towards Ram.
"Ram, it's uncomfortable that you got to see us like this, but there's nothing wrong. We love each other and we are very passionate. So much so what we forgot to close the door properly..."
"Lady Emilia, please shut up", she says firmly without looking at her. "Barusu, I thought that despite your looks, your words and your actions, there was a modicum of worth in you. I made such a mistake that I should commit ritual suicide."
You stand up from the bed, naked as the day you were born. Ram glances down at your wobbling, mostly erect penis.
"Look Ram... I'm still me!", you plead to her. "You might hate what you're seeing right now, but that's just how it is. Emilia and I love each other! You can't be that mad about two people in love. I wish you would know love yourself, Ram, so you would understand. I would have loved to show you love at some points ever since I first met you, but you wouldn't open up your heart!"
Ram narrows her eyes as her fists tremble.
"Do not presume to know my heart, Barusu. I am a servant of the highest caliber! I've dedicated my very existence to serving lord Roswaal until the fateful day my life comes to an end! You know nothing about me!"
"But I want to know more! Ram, you're one of my best friends! If you would just open up-"
The tremors in her fists move up to her head. Overwhelmed, she turns away from your naked selves.
"Away from me, away from me, your foul stench offends me."
Ram slams the bedroom door. You stand there stunned, staring at the closed door while your ears ring. You swallow and turn towards Emilia. She's no longer covering her pretty breasts, but instead looks up at you sheepishly with those beautiful purple eyes.
"Did... we make a mistake?", you ask.
"No. We just need to be patient", Emilia says sweetly.
You nod. You walk up to the bed and kneel down in front of Emilia, who is turning to sit on the edge of the bed. The sight of her gorgeous, wet pussy is making you drool.
"Emilia, please tell me you want me to eat you out as a farewell", you murmur.
"I do, Subaru."
You don't need any more encouragement.

As you walk away from Ryuzu's home in the direction of the stables where your beloved Patrasche must be lazing around, you spot Otto as he prattles to some confused half-wolf local villagers. When the merchant spots you and he turns to face you, the villagers excuse themselves and walk away. When you get closer to your pal you realize that he's drunk. His eyes are glazed, and he sways in place. He offers you a wide smile and pats your shoulder.
"Mr. Natsuki! The luckiest, most blessed man in this world! How are you doing, sir?"
"I'm fine, but you seem pretty drunk for so early in the day, Otto. What's going on?"
Otto laughs a bit too loudly.
"Drunk? Moi? No, sir! I have taken merely two cups of cider! I am more hydrated than ever!"
As you wonder why you heard a French word in there, the merchant pats his chest to assure you. You nod and sigh.
"Alright then, Otto. I'm glad you feel better. This morning during our meeting it looked as if you had come down with some stomach bug or something. Really soured our meeting a bit."
"I apologiiiize, sir. It shan't happen again. Let's talk about the future!"
"I'm kind of short on time at the moment, but sure. What future are you referring to?"
Otto grins as he stares. You begin to feel uneasy. He points a skinny finger at you.
"The future of course! Your future! Our future! Our beautiful future together! You have the brightest future under the sun and the stars, being able to love and be loved by the most wonderful woman who ever lived. Luckiest man there is..."
You frown as you begin to realize how intoxicated the merchant is.
"Otto, I have to..."
"Do you believe in destiny?"
You pause and look at him. You've never really given the concept much thought, but you still understand the general idea of it.
"Yeah, I guess so, or maybe not. What does that have to do with anything now, though?"
"Everything! Everything, I tell you!"
Otto raises his voice louder and louder. Some of the half-beast villagers who walk around are staring at the pair of you, then some glance at each other with concern, but nobody intervenes.
"Do you believe that you and our lovely, pure princess were destined to meet?", Otto continues. "Was it a love written in the stars, the stuff that songs are written about?"
"I don't know, man. I love her enormously, but I also love my girlfriend, my other girlfriend I guess, my beloved Rem, enormously as well. I'm confused at the moment. All I know is that it feels so good to hold Emilia's hand, kiss her sweet mouth, play with her small tits, eat out her hot pussy, and feel her tight insides wrapped around my dick, that I can't help but get obsessed with her at the moment, you know?"
You take a quick breath. It is at that moment when you realize you've been speaking your mind for a while. You didn't even notice the villagers gawking at you for a few moments, nor did you hear the quiet sobs and sniffles of the man in front of you.
Otto's shoulders begin to shake as he bursts into tears.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Natsuki, I'm sorry. I can't..."
You pat his shoulder.
"It's alright, you are drunk out of your mind and people can get emotional for no reason during such periods. Your breath reeks of alcohol, too."
"I'm sorry. But your breath also smells different, Mr. Natsuki..."
You open your mouth wide and blow on your palm. When you take a good whiff, you nod.
"You are right, my breath smells like Emilia's insides. I finished eating her out a couple of minutes ago. Although we were pressed on time, I think she came even harder now... What a sweet girl she is."
Otto's eyes widen. He sniffs and turns away from you.
"I don't want to hear anymore... You two are getting married soon anyway... I'm happy for you..." He wipes his tears and takes a deep breath. "No, I need to stop being sad. This is a joyous day! Rejoice!"
You laugh.
"Old pal, you get weirder every day! I think you need to get some rest, and in general take better care of yourself."
Otto sighs loudly.
"I'll try, Mr. Natsuki."
You wave goodbye, but he was already wandering away.
You continue to the stables. Your good girl Patrasche is waiting outside, near the path. When you get close enough, she looks up at you and whinnies, clearly happy to see you. Your smile fades immediately, though, because the senior servant is standing right next to your ground dragon. Ram has crossed her arms and is trying to murder you with her stare.
"You made me wait as well..." Ram says with a dry voice. "Made me wait..."
You pat Patrasche on the head and begin rubbing her chin.
"Ram, you can't be so angry all the time. It's no way to live. I keep trying to cheer you up, but you don't want any of it. I'm doing my best here."
"I was doing reasonably good... until you came along."
Even though Patrasche is nuzzling you with her snout, you get annoyed.
"Damn it, Ram. We need to live in peace with each other, and I personally like you a lot even though you hate me! What can I do so you can be happy?"
Her right eye twitches, and a side of her mouth raises in disgust before she calms herself.
"Barusu, you knew I had been tasked to accompany you to confront Frederica at the mansion. Why did you make me wait this much after I caught both of you lunatics during your foul act?"
You wag your index finger to correct her.
"First of all, there was nothing foul about the act we were performing. Having sex with the person you love, one of them anyway, is the most natural and blessed act in this world or any other. I don't like ass stuff, because it can get real nasty and you have a hole that lubricates naturally right next, so I never quite understood that, but I swear, if you would just let me, or someone else I mean, eat you out, you would feel more relaxed. You wouldn't be on edge all the time. Sex solves everything in this world. If people didn't attempt to kill other people and instead had sex with them, things wouldn't get so grim."
Her nostrils widen, and she parts her lips to show her clenched teeth. She's breathing hard.
"I do not believe there are words in any language to properly express how much I despise you."
"What the hell..."
"You call what you do sex? I'll have you know that even an amateur prostitute isn't as 'lax' as you seem to think these things are. You wouldn't last a minute in bed with a real woman! I've seen whores toss men out of their rooms for doing the same thing you do!"
"Well, I guess it just goes to show that whores are idiots and don't know good sex when they experience it. You only saw me licking Emilia's pretty tits and rubbing her wet pussy. It's not as if we showed you our whole performance. Besides, when did you, a complete prude, become the judge of how other people should have sex? You probably don't even touch yourself."
"Of course I don't!"
"Don't what?"
"Don't touch myself, you despicable fool!"
You feel sad. You are about to pat her shoulder when you realize that she might torture you to death.
"You are so lonely, Ram, it wrings my heart. If I could press a button that had you orgasming every thirty seconds, I would push it so much it would become muscle memory. You are beautiful, your pink hair is cool, you have a great body, you are super strong and can kill people with wind magic. You should be happier in this world or any other."
Her eyes water. Ram quickly rushes at you, grabbing you by the collar of your shirt and lifting you into the air. Patrasche gets nervous and shifts her weight while looking at the both of you.
"I'll never be happy, not in a hundred lifetimes", Ram says with a hollow voice.
She throws you against a nearby tree. You fall to the ground and your bones hit it painfully, your hand feeling as if it's broken.
"I have nothing to live for, not anymore at least", Ram says. "I'll only continue to exist until my purpose has been fulfilled, just like a puppet with its strings cut."
Ram walks up to you then stares you down while tears stream down her cheeks.
"I can't be your friend, I can't even be your fucking enemy. I don't know how to feel or what to think. All I know is that I need to get revenge. You say I'm lonely? I haven't even felt loneliness yet."
You have no answer for her, so you just sit there and let her tears hit your face. Both your back and your hands hurt bad. Patrasche growls at Ram from behind, but the ground dragon seems confused, as if she doesn't understand why Ram would attack you.
"Get your revenge on me if you want, Ram", you say with a pained, nearly breathless voice. "It will make you feel better."
Ram kicks you in the side of the face, knocking out two of your teeth and sending fresh waves of pain throughout your body. You can't even scream, the kick knocked the wind out of you.
"You don't understand anything!", Ram shouts.
She kneels down and grabs your throat, strangling it. You can't react in any way, you just let her kill you. Her grip tightens, your eyes start to bug out, and then she stops.
"I'm… I'm sorry", Ram says.
You manage to cough, even though Ram's grasp has barely loosened around your throat.
"No, don't stop, Ram. It was just getting good. You are feeling that anger, aren't you? That sense of release. Go ahead, girl. I'm here for you."
Her grip loosens even more, and you feel the life going back into your body. You wish she would just kill you.
"I… I am…", Ram says with a shaky voice.
An angry, pained cry from Patrasche breaks the moment. Ram's eyes widen as she looks behind her. You jump up and slam your fist into the side of Ram's head. Although the punch made her body lean in the direction of the hit, she slowly straightens her back and looks at you surprised and confused.
"I told you not to stop, Ram!", you shout with a hoarse voice. "What the fuck are you doing!?"
Patrasche takes the opportunity and bites down on Ram's arm. The senior servant cries out in pain and falls backwards. You take advantage of the situation and get on top of her, slamming both your fists into her face repeatedly. Blood splashes your face.
"Why couldn't you just fucking kill me?! I wanted to die! You were supposed to kill me!"
You feel your body losing strength, and you slow down. Ram grabs your shoulders and tosses you off of her. You roll on the ground and watch as Ram gets up and readies her stance. Her nose is broken and bleeding heavily, her right eye is bruised and half shut, and in her open mouth, through which she's breathing heavily, her teeth are dyed red. A couple of teeth are missing. The bite in the senior servant's arm looks real bad, the bone might be broken. Ram is looking at you with dead eyes.
"Come here, Ram, and finish the job", you taunt her. "I have done little else than make life harder for you from the beginning, haven't I? And you don't even have a sister that would care for you. Come and end my life. I have fucked up enough in this run."
The wind begins to pick up. Ram is hunched over, and her chest rises and falls deeply as the senior servant's red eyes stare right through you.
"It was my de... destiny to lead the village one day... You took that away... Now the only thing left... is to pay you back for what you did..."
"Go on, Ram, and fulfill your duty. The world needs to be rid of me. There is nothing good in me that can make a difference, so just end my life."
Ram leaps at you again, and you get a boot to your face. Although the senior servant tumbles over, she quickly catches herself with one hand. Patrasche appears suddenly in your field of vision, but Ram twists her body and throws such an uppercut against the ground dragon's chin that it knocks the beast out. Ram turns towards you and drives the other fist into your nose, breaking it and causing blood to squirt out of it. Her own face is soaked in blood. You shake your head in pain, and when you spit blood at the grass to your side, you notice that a few teeth glisten.
"That's good, Ram", you say with a hoarse voice. "But you need to be harsher. This isn't remotely enough pain yet."
The wind picks up, and a branch falls down next to you. Some critter cries out and scurries into a hole in the ground. You can barely focus your vision as Ram throws another punch, breaking your other cheekbone. Your body is burning up, and you feel your muscles tear.
You can no longer recognize the face you see before you as being that of Ram. Her red eyes almost glow. With the blood oozing out of your mouth, it's hard to speak or pronounce anything clearly.
"Crush my fucking brains in, Ram."
Her hands clench into balls, and then she starts pounding your head with all her might. Her thumbs push deep into your eyes, blinding you in a shock of pain that courses through your whole body like an electrical explosion. Your chest heaves and your heart beats against your ribs. Then Ram snaps your neck with one clean twist.
Your body convulses on the ground, and blood leaks out of every orifice. The noises you make turn indiscernible. Ram stops hitting you as your body falls back, but she doesn't let go of your arm for a few moments as if to ensure you're dead.

This entry was a lot of fun until it wasn't any longer. I guess it's another failure to chalk up to the protagonist's inability to deal with horrible news. The fact that the entry starts with Ram murdering the protagonist with her eyes only to end up murdering his eyes and then his entire self is somewhat poetic.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 52)

This entry covers part of the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry the protagonist got seriously annoyed with the people in his life, because they don't hold memories of realities they haven't lived through. Then the protagonist discarded his comatose girlfriend in favor of some delicious half-elf pussy.

First season

-Link for part 1
-Link for part 2
-Link for part 3
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-Link for part 8
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-Link for part 11
-Link for part 12
-Link for part 13
-Link for part 14
-Link for part 15
-Link for part 16
-Link for part 17
-Link for part 18
-Link for part 19
-Link for part 20
-Link for part 21
-Link for part 22
-Link for part 23
-Link for part 24
-Link for part 25
-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
-Link for part 40
-Link for part 41
-Link for part 42
-Link for part 43
-Link for part 44
-Link for part 45
-Link for part 46
-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49
-Link for part 50
-Link for part 51

It must be around seven in a chilly morning, and the sun rays are crashing against the canopy of the enveloping forest without warming the village properly. You are leaning on a wooden fence and staring down at the pond you saw Garfiel throwing bread into. You concentrate on observing those fish-like creatures swimming under the fern-colored surface of the water. Anything, really, that will take you away from the burning guilt in your chest that makes it harder for you to breathe. You feel as if there was something important you were holding onto but that you have lost, and even if you die and return to the past a million times, you won't ever recover it.
"Ah, so you are here, Mr. Natsuki", Otto's lively voice sounds from the path behind you. "Enjoying an early morning walk? I guess there's no real trouble with it, given that these people won't attack us even though they restrain us in their village. Still, I'm sure it's better to know where every one of us is!"
Your mood worsens, even though you know that Otto doesn't have ill intentions towards you. You barely turn your head towards the side from where he's approaching you.
"Did you come across me casually, Otto? Did you want to enjoy a morning walk as well?"
Otto puts his hands on the wooden fence a meter and a half away from you. Despite the merchant's congenial voice, even before he got to look at your face he must have realized that something was wrong, although not in the way a physical attack on the people he likes is wrong.
"No, I usually avoid getting up early in the morning!", Otto says with a smile and closing his eyes. "Often because I don't want to handle the usual hangover. I'm feeling it a bit from last night... However, I'm not that comfortable in Sanctuary, so I suspect I'll end up becoming a light sleeper if this continues."
Noticing that you choose not to answer, and that your skin color probably looks as if you are a couple of minutes away from puking, he puts on a serious face and holds your gaze.
"Mr. Natsuki, you seem troubled. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I'll just leave you alone. But if you feel like opening your heart, please allow me to hear it. Everyone has something they can't bear with themselves".
"That's awfully nice for a merchant. Did someone put you up to this, finding me I mean?"
Otto chuckles dryly.
"I'm afraid so. Our lovely lady Emilia was asking for you. She seemed worried in a way that suggests unfinished business instead of fearing you would be found lying dead in a ditch, and because she has already blessed me with her trust, she asked me to please find you and make sure you aren't acting wildly. Such a request coming from our princess herself, I could never refuse!"
You hang your head low. You don't feel as if you deserve to hold even Otto's gaze.
"Otto, I have fucked up real bad", you say with a low voice.
"We all could tell you were troubled by something last night. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I'm the lowest of the low, Otto. Truly, I'm the worst scum in this dimension, as well of any dimension I'm aware of. I hurt the most important person in my life, someone who can't even defend herself, someone who relies on me to even remember she exists, and I betrayed her like this."
"Can... can you tell me what happened?"
You turn towards Otto. You aren't sure what face you are making, but he looks concerned. You swallow, then put your hands on the merchant's shoulders.
"I did something to Emilia that I should have never done. A bunch of things, in fact. None of which should have happened."
"It's okay. Just take a deep breath and tell me."
"No, it isn't fucking okay, Otto...", you say with a serious voice. "Emilia and I snuggled in bed, we kissed, I ate out her delicious pussy, and then I creamed inside of her."
Otto's eyes widen in shock. Then he forces a smile out of a corner of his mouth as if you are making a weird, tasteless joke.
"Surely you must be jesting! Lady Emilia is such a pure, proper princess, and the future ruler of this kingdom no doubt! Please, tell me what really happened!"
You squeeze Otto's shoulders and shake him a bit. He goes paler.
"I wish I could, Otto. I would love to break into laughter and announce that I just made one of my many tasteless comments, but I can't. I still feel the welcoming warmth of her pussy, that overwhelming, surprisingly sweet smell, and that warm nectar in my mouth that I would gladly drink instead of every other liquid for the rest of my life. I woke up this morning with the feeling of her pussy lips against the sides of my chin, and I almost took care of myself right then only to remember that it wasn't another wet dream! I was lying in the dark next to the very Emilia whose delicious pussy I ate hours before. I didn't even brush my teeth, so I can still taste her in my mouth! I drank so much of it, too..."
"Stop! Stop! You are scaring me, Mr. Natsuki!"
You let go of his shoulders and hunch over to look at the grass.
"Sorry, I got carried away. But I got even more carried away last night is what I meant. I truly ravaged Emilia's clit with my tongue, and she was overjoyed about it. After she came in my mouth, I broke through her hymen with my erect penis and then pumped into her until I filled her with my cum. She might be already pregnant for all I know."
"Whaaaaa!? You can't be serious!"
"But I am. She was a virgin. I was shocked too when she told me. A half-elf that hot. She was also very happy that she gave her virginity to me."
Otto shakes his head. He's breaking in sweat.
"No, Mr. Natsuki! It's a misunderstanding!"
You frown.
"A misunderstanding? Then you're saying that I didn't ravish our princess in Ryuzu's guest bed last night? When I licked Emilia's little button as the warmth of her pussy drenched my mouth and chin, was I eating some random fruit that had been lying around? When Emilia wrapped her arms and her legs around me, preventing me from escaping even as I was about to shoot a huge load of semen inside of her welcoming uterus, was I balls-deep into a barn animal instead? I assure you, there was no misunderstanding: I utterly fucked our half-elf last night, and her body might be already working on figuring out how it can build something resembling a human being from my rotten DNA!"
The merchant covers his face and takes a deep breath, terrified by your brutal and vivid words. He then speaks to you in a firm but calm tone.
"No... None of that happened."
You lean forward and look at him.
"What? The fuck are you talking about, Otto?"
"I'm talking about the fact that you didn't desecrate lady Emilia last night."
You slowly lean back, as you attempt to process what he just said.
"What are you talking about then? I was there! I didn't see it, because it was pitch black, but I felt every moment of it!"
"Well, you only felt what they wanted you to feel."
You shake your head as you try to find the words. You couldn't think straight already when you woke up, and now you fear you will start going along with whatever Otto means.
"Who is this 'they', Otto!? Who creates completely realistic simulations of me eating out Emilia's pussy and then fucking her until I inseminate her!?"
Otto, wide-eyed, waves his hands in front of his face as if attempting to grasp something invisible.
"I don't know. It's magic, Echidna's magic. Something to do with the barrier that surrounds the village."
"What, there's magic involved? So that Witch of Greed decided to mess with me and create this... this very realistic dream?"
"Ah... Well, Mr. Natsuki, the dream only encompassed those horrible acts you spoke to me about and that involved the pure lady Emilia! Everything else has been real."
You smack your face with your palm.
"Of course it fucking was! Fuck, man. I have been so confused recently. Of course I didn't lick Emilia's delicious pussy until she filled my mouth with her warm juices, and later on I shoved my nasty penis inside her god-tier, tight pussy! That couldn't have happened even in this fantasy world!" You fall to your knees, then lean forward slowly until you support yourself on the grass with your hands. "I never betrayed Rem, my lovely Rem, the love of my life, my blessed demon servant! I wouldn't abandon you like that, my love. This all was a witch-created nightmare. I'm sorry for being such a horny scumbag."
Otto pats you on the back.
"I'm not sure apologies will erase the images you pushed into my mind, Mr. Natsuki. And quite frankly... I don't think any of us are worthy of lady Emilia's love, even though I know I will forever dream of holding her smooth, delicate hand and walking with the princess through flower fields under the sun."
You stand back up, and start walking towards the path. You are getting way too dizzy. Even if you don't feel nauseous, you want to be, to throw up everything that hurts inside.
"Where are you going?", Otto asks cautiously. "Shouldn't we return to Ryuzu's home? Lady Emilia wanted to know if you are okay!"
"I really need to piss right now. And I can't hold it."
"Well, just go behind a tree or something. Is there any other sort of public bathroom in that area of the village?"
"I tried pissing behind a tree. I really had to go, so I squatted down and my dick fell off. It's still back there, behind that tree."
Otto stares at you in confusion for a moment. You try to laugh, but you start crying. You fall to your knees again and sob to your heart's content.
"My dick just goes away! It keeps leaving me. I didn't deserve to have you, and now you have realized it as well. I wasn't worth it."
Otto awkwardly pats you on the back.
"I can't imagine how much you must be hurting because your beloved is sleeping for... a long time. You should be thankful you had her. I think you should find someone new, like a pretty girl in this village. I believe anyone could get over the half-beast part quick. If there's someone out there that loves you, even with all your problems, well, then that's something worth being happy about."
The tears are running down your wrists of the hands you are hiding your face with. You speak in between sobs.
"Back when my Rem was conscious, I should have cut my dick off and hidden it inside of her. That way my brain wouldn't imagine me betraying her with almost every other female I come across! I wish I wasn't a person, Otto. If I had been born a tree, life would have been so easy."
"Do you really hate yourself that much? Even though I don't know you that well, I don't think you're that sort of person. You seem like a realist to me. You just described to me the life of an average man in this world. Not everyone is blessed with gifts and abilities, and even if you have them, it doesn't mean they'll help you in the long run. I myself can speak to animals, and even insects! I was born with that blessing, or curse. But I can't stop myself from hearing them! It made my childhood so hard! I ended up running away from home for issues related to such a condition."
You stop crying and look up at him to figure out if he's pulling your leg, but he holds your gaze with sympathy.
"You can't hear animals, Otto. That's pure nonsense. It's a simulation that the Witch of Greed created to confuse you."
"No, I swear I can hear bees buzzing right now! Maybe they're trying to warn us about something..."
"Maybe you are just insane. Take a deep breath and relax."
He breathes deeply in and out.
"I'm not insane."
You nod slowly.
"Yes, I'm sure you are... Okay then, let's go back to Emilia, so she knows she has no reason to worry."

As you open the door to Ryuzu's living room, Emilia alone is standing there with her hand resting on the back of a chair. She's wearing her gorgeous, expensive-looking white dress lined with purple. She looks worried for a split second, but when she sees it's you, she welcomes you with a glowing smile and walks up to you.
"Sorry to get worried, but... Well, let's speak in private."
As Otto, who was looking at Emilia with his usual smile that reveals his infatuation, opens his mouth to speak, Emilia strokes your cheek lovingly and then stands on her tiptoes to press her warm lips against yours. A noise of dismay escapes through Otto's open mouth, but then she pushes a hand against it to shut himself up. He's gone white and looks appalled, as if someone had stabbed him in the heart and he had wandered through the empty streets leaving a trail of blood, and now he sat against a wall waiting to die. He lowers his head and turns around.
"I-I'll make myself scarce, lady Emilia."
"Thank you for your understanding, Otto." Emilia holds your hand. "Let's go to the guest room."
You nod and follow her. When the door is closed behind you, she sits on the bed and pats on it, expecting you to sit next to her. You do so, and with a hand she moves your face towards her to kiss you deeply. As her tongue plays with yours, the barriers that had protected you against the onslaught that the guilt was subjecting your sanity to break down, so the guilt comes flooding in like water through an emergency exit. Holy shit, you actually had sex with Emilia last night, and you truly drank the nectar pouring from the half-elf's heavenly pussy. So you did spit on Rem's comatose face. Even if she ends up waking up, you will never be able to take this back.
You are a horrible person. You are an evil, rotten piece of shit that deserves nothing but damnation, and that's exactly what you'll get for your sins.
Emilia has pulled away and is staring at your crying face. She's dismayed. She hugs you tighly and strokes your head. Her warmth soothes you, and her remaining saliva in your mouth tastes so good you would have taken shots of it without even knowing her.
"I'm aware, Subaru. I can't properly understand how bad you must feel about your relationship with Rem now, but it's okay to feel guilty. You are so loyal and you love so deeply, that you would have ruined your entire life being the partner of someone who can't even think about you anymore. Don't worry, we will keep taking care of her. We'll bring her along with us wherever we go, make sure she remains safe."
You sniffle. You embrace Emilia again, pressing your cheek against hers, and you wait to speak until you are sure your voice won't break.
"I loved so much eating you out, Emilia. Your pussy tasted so good, I thought I was in heaven. I wanted nothing more than to keep licking you for the rest of my life. And having you hugging me tightly like that, not wanting to push me away as I was about to fill you with cum... I fear falling so hard in love with you that I will forget about everyone else I've ever met."
She caresses your head, and you feel her mouth smile against your cheek.
"Good."
You pull back, surprised by her response.
"What do you mean 'good'?"
She smiles more, now showing all her teeth.
"Because I feel the same way."
You look down at her beautiful mouth, those moist, rosy lips. You hold her head with both hands and shove your tongue into her mouth. You both lick eath other's tongues slowly as your hands caress her graceful neck and her silky hair. The blood rushes to your head as you begin to breathe heavily. You push Emilia down and get on top of her, careful to not crush her with your weight. Emilia wraps her legs around you, and you can feel your bulge rubbing against her warm crotch through the fabric.
"I want so bad to be inside you right now", you say with a dry voice.
Her gorgeous, flushed face looks a bit disappointed.
"We can't now, Ryuzu was coming over to speak about the trials. I want it bad as well, but don't worry, regardless of how I do at the trial tonight, us making love again will erase every pain."
You take a deep breath, and wonder how you will get through that meeting while blue balled.
"Alright, but you better get that pussy ready, Emilia, because tonight I'm going to lick you dry."
"I bet you will, Subaru."
You get off of her and sit on the bed. She sighs pleasantly, then stands up and walks towards the door to leave the room first. You stare at her ass as it moves left and right with each step.

Despite the whole blackmailing thing, you can't find fault in how this Ryuzu elf is taking care of your needs. After all of you gather in her living room, she prepares some delicious tea and cinnamon cookies. You get now why Garfiel refers to her as gran. You would end up calling grandma any person who treated you like Ryuzu, regardless of her age or gender. Otto is present, but he looks as if she wishes he could disappear. He's hunched over while holding his teacup with both hands, and his unfocused gaze looks through the table. At some points you could swear he was about to drool.
Emilia, who is holding your hand on her thigh, explains that despite her failure at passing the first trial, she's determined to try over and over until she succeeds. Ryuzu looks concerned, having heard Emilia's cries and having witnessed her delusional state.
You clear your throat.
"Emilia, everyone, I'd like to suggest an alternative. I will pass the trials so Emilia doesn't suffer."
The half-elf turns her head towards you sharply. You are surprised by the dismay in her face, as if she hadn't expected those words coming from you.
"What do you mean, Subaru? Don't you risk yourself for me, not anymore!"
"As if I will stop doing that. Are you kidding me? Now more than ever!"
"How are you so sure you would be able to pass them anyway?"
Garfiel tsks, then takes a sip of his tea like a gentleman.
"Evil eyes passed the first trial when he ran inta that tomb to rescue ya, princess. Half-pint got ta visit his parents an all! Nice, smooth ride, ain't it? So ya, he thinks the rest of them trials will turn out to be that easy."
Emilia looks at both of you, confused.
"It's true, lady Emilia", Ryuzu says calmly. "Your knight rushed into the tomb caring nothing about his own safety, and he carried you out so we could return back home and place you on the guest bed. Of course, at the moment he entered the antechamber, because the magic traps didn't kill him for some unknown reason, his trial began. He already surmised that maybe our lady of Sanctuary wouldn't accept his efforts if she considers him too boring, though. I have my doubts that she would reject him."
"Forget 'bout that. Ya ain't gonna pass the trials, half-pint", Garfiel says, annoyed.
"What do you mean?", you ask.
Emilia shakes her head and intercedes. Her voice sounds troubled.
"No, I'll do it. I promised I would do this!"
You turn your torso on the chair to stare into her eyes properly, and you hold her hand with both of yours.
"I love you, Emilia. I don't want you to suffer any longer. That trial will force you to face your past, and in other circumstances it would be valuable to work slowly through everything that went wrong in your cute life. But for now the past is the past, and we need to cherish the present and future."
You realize that both Ryuzu and Garfiel are looking at you confounded.
"Ya love the shy princess, huh?", the punk asks, between embarrassed and amused. "Poor bastard, that escaped yer mouth! Can't take that back now!"
Emilia blushes, but she clears her throat and smiles at the blackmailers.
"He said it freely because there's no need to hide it. I love him as well. We are a couple."
The room falls silent. Hearing someone as great as Emilia, so elegant and beautiful, royalty no less, declare her love for you... This must truly be one of Echidna's simulations.
Garfiel snaps his head back, wide-eyed, and his hand drops into his tea the cookie he was holding. Ryuzu chuckles and claps once.
"That's great", Ryuzu says with a smile. "I hope that true love helps you get through the trials, lady Emilia. I figure it must improve your chances quite a bit."
"But I said I wanted to pass them in her place, though", you remind them, then turn to Emilia. "My dear Emilia, you don't remember any of the contents of the trial you went through, right?"
She's surprised, and observes your expression with her trembling purple pupils as if she had missed something along the way. Then she gets sad.
"That's true... I can't remember any of it."
"Then you will face the trial over and over without learning anything about the previous attempt! That's a recipe for utter disaster, Emilia! I can't have my lovely woman going through that nightmare."
Emilia frowns slightly, looking like a rebellious child, but as she opens her mouth to speak, Garfiel speaks loudly and seriously, startling you both.
"Nah, ya ain't gonna attempt to pass them trials again, half-pint."
"Garfiel, you don't tell her what to do", you say while washing down your cookie with a gulp of tea, "Apologize to the princess."
He grimaces in annoyed confusion, then shakes his head and flashes his sharp, triangular teeth.
"Haah!? Ain't gonna confuse me! Yer the half-pint, evil eyes! I'll repeat meself again, 'cause now I ain't even sure if I said it right! Hot princess will try to pass them trials, not ya!"
"Hey, she's my hot princess. Have some respect."
Garfiel narrows his eyes and tilts his head.
"I'll say whatever I damn want, half-pint! Ya ain't even addressin' whut I just said! Don't tryna pretend ya didn't hear me!"
Emilia had lowered her head and closed her eyes, but she straightens her back again to speak up.
"Please, don't fight anymore." She turns towards you and raises her hand to her chest. "Subaru, I understand and appreciate how worried you are about me, but I don't want you to coddle me. I can't give up just because the trial will be hard, just because it will hurt me. So many trials await me in the future, on the path to sitting on that throne... You can't keep saving me from struggling by myself."
Although she had said it sweetly, with an understanding voice, your heart hurts because she took your concern that way.
"Emilia... What if you never pass the trials?"
"Then I'll try again. And again. And again. And again, until I do."
"That's not the point..."
You sigh, and scratch your head. As you look up at her beautiful purple eyes again, for a split second you recognize a look in her eyes, a strength you could say, that she must have gotten from her adoptive father Puck. A determination to get over the past and become stronger, to achieve greater things than she ever has before. Unfortunately regarding her attempts at passing the trials, she also inherited Puck's uselessness.

The meeting finishes shortly after. Garfiel and Ryuzu leave the house and walk further into the dreary village with a destination only the both of them know. You excuse yourself from Emilia and Otto, although the merchant hasn't opened his mouth nor reacted to anything, and you run up to the couple of blackmailers as they turn a corner on the path and disappear past a farmhouse. When both of them hear your quickened footsteps, Ryuzu turns calmly, but Garfiel gets startled and glares at you as if you are about to stab him.
"Haah!? Ya followin' us now, half-pint?"
"Young Garf, please don't be rude", Ryuzu says calmly, looking up at the punk. "I'm sure he just wants to bring up the topic again, but without the lovely lady Emilia having to hear it."
"That's right, Ryuzu. I want to know why you find it unreasonable. Listen, you know I passed my trial without any significant damage to my psyche, but Emilia got traumatized from her attempt, and due to not being able to remember the details, she can't learn anything! So why would you be against me taking her place?"
Ryuzu looks down inside of her coat to consider your words, and the neck of her coat hides even her nose. She then holds your gaze again with an incongruously intelligent expression for a twelve year old looking girl.
"How powerful do you believe me to be, Young Su?"
"I dunno, but I'm sure you're more powerful than you look, which is very little. Not to disparage you or anything. Garfiel did say that you have been around for a long time, and I suppose that magical abilities could be hidden easily. That staff you hold most of the time also looks wizardly, but real wizardly, not like our retarded village chief. Still, I'm not sure where you are getting at."
"It's a simple answer. I am powerful in Sanctuary, but our little village is contained within a much larger domain that belongs to someone far more powerful than myself."
"Then that someone is so powerful he can easily crush you whenever he wants, correct?"
"Well, yes, but we are not fearing that kind of retribution at the moment, nor should we for the forseeable future. My point is, Young Su, that Emilia has been chosen to pass the trials because Roswaal needs her to prove herself. It will add clout to her ambition to sit on the throne of a larger domain that contains others of the size of Roswaal's. So although I believe you are acting out of love and I was personally moved by it, we cannot let you take this chance from her."
"And yer doin' this behind that clown bastard's back", Garfiel says while pointing at you. "We let ya, them consequences will splash us. We got enough crap ta deal with! Too much of a mess."
You want to say that Roswaal himself proposed that you passed the trials and credit Emilia, but what if these two blackmailers learn of the lord's plot and they end up revealing it to third parties? The whole attempt to credit Emilia would turn against her. Or maybe any of these two are informants of some kind. You hide your face with your hands for a moment. You want nothing of this political crap.
"Whenever Sanctuary ceases to be a cage, Young Su," Ryuzu says, "it will be reabsorbed entirely into our lord's domain. We need to remain in the best of terms with lord Roswaal. It's just in everybody's best interests. Please, trust a bit more in your beloved's strengths."

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 51)

This entry begins covering the eleventh volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry we met the lovely Elsa Granhiert, eminent local hitwoman and all around charming lady.

First season

-Link for part 1
-Link for part 2
-Link for part 3
-Link for part 4
-Link for part 5
-Link for part 6
-Link for part 7
-Link for part 8
-Link for part 9
-Link for part 10
-Link for part 11
-Link for part 12
-Link for part 13
-Link for part 14
-Link for part 15
-Link for part 16
-Link for part 17
-Link for part 18
-Link for part 19
-Link for part 20
-Link for part 21
-Link for part 22
-Link for part 23
-Link for part 24
-Link for part 25
-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
-Link for part 40
-Link for part 41
-Link for part 42
-Link for part 43
-Link for part 44
-Link for part 45
-Link for part 46
-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49
-Link for part 50

As the rush of sensations floods your brain from the body that you didn't have a moment ago, you take a deep breath, but the dust that gets into your lungs makes you break into a coughing fit. Even before you stop coughing, the texture of the floor under your forearms tells you that you were lying on the flat stones of the chamber of trials at the witches' tomb. The blue glow that illuminates the room further confirms that notion. It means that the Witch of Envy has moved your return point again, and now you can't go back to a moment in your life in which Emilia wasn't trapped in Sanctuary.
As you swallow to force your dry mouth to produce more saliva, you sit up and confirm that the half-elf is indeed lying face down near the center of the antechamber. Whenever you decide to wake Emilia up, she will shriek in terror and she won't come out of a delirious state until around an hour after you put her on the guest bed at Ryuzu's home.
You recall having felt dazed the first time you lived through this, but you are further out of it because you just came back from dying horribly. You have returned to Sanctuary, but everybody at the mansion is going to die. Rem is going to get murdered. Even though trying to figure out how to help Emilia pass the trials by herself had been your previous concern, none of that matters now when you risk losing not only your beloved, but also more people you like, as well as Petra. What can you do, what can you do, what can you do?
First order of things, getting Emilia out of here. You crouch next to the half-elf, sit her up and hold her in your arms. Her facial muscles twitch, immersed as she is in some sort of witch-induced nightmare. You pat her cheeks with one hand while repeating her name. She finally wakes up, but her initially blank expression turns into a grimace, and Emilia shrieks so loud that it feels as if your eardrums are going to burst. You hold Emilia tighter, resting her face on your neck. The raised hairs in your arms slowly go down again. You knew that shriek was coming and yet you had failed to prepare yourself against it. You need to stop that Bowel Hunter woman, even though you are yourself.

You go through the motions, trying to interact with people the same way you half-remember from your first run through this series of events, until you and that Ryuzu elf tend to an incoherent Emilia, who is lying on Ryuzu's guest bed. She ends up coming out of her delirium.
"Subaru...", she says as tears run down her temples. "Where am I? What happened?"
You stroke her cheek while you hold her gaze calmly.
"You attempted to pass the trial, but it was too much for you. You fell into a sort of hallucinatory state and we had to carry you to the mayor's place. You are now lying on her guest bed. It's alright, Emilia."
"I... I remember..." You see the pain in her eyes. "I remember why I tried to pass this trial..."
"Yeah, you are trapped in this dreary village for the moment. We'll figure something out, don't worry." You turn to Ryuzu, who is so small that she barely needs to look down from her standing position at the lying Emilia. "Do you have some sort of pyjama that would fit her? It will be uncomfortable to sleep with that fancy dress of hers. And she's been lying on that dirty floor as well."
"Sure, Young Su", Ryuzu answers. "None of my clothes would fit this big lady, but I'll figure something out."
After the elf leaves the room, Emilia is looking at you as if trying to measure how disappointed you are. Her lips are trembling.
"I'm sorry, I keep making things so difficult for everybody", she says with a thin voice.
When she looks away, you take her hand and kiss it.
"It's alright. It isn't your fault, Emilia. You just focus on resting for tonight. I'll have a chat with our friends, as well as with the couple of blackmailers, so we can try to understand what's going on. Afterwards I'll return to your side so we can sleep in the same room."
She turns her face towards you. She looks eager and hopeful, which erases most of the sadness she was displaying before.
"Will you really?"
"Of course. I belong by your side, after all."
Emilia nods at your reassuring eyes, and pokes her cheek against the palm of your hand, while you caress her gently.
"Thank you, Subaru."
"You can thank me by getting well soon."
After Ryuzu comes back with a woolly, crude-looking pyjama that she must have gotten from another villager, you both leave Emilia to change her clothes. You go to the living room, where you sit at the table on the same chair from your first run of this nightmare. Ryuzu goes through the motions of preparing snacks and drinks, but you don't feel like doing much but wring your hands over the table and look down at it.
"You look troubled, Young Su", the elf says with a soothing voice.
"You don't know the half of it, Ryuzu."
Your body feels as hungry as it did during your first time living through this night, as well as exhausted. You want to go to bed. You figure that you might as well eat the same cookies, and while you chew on them and try to enjoy their taste, you recall all those many, many iterations of you ransacking your dear Crusch's wine cellar to steal some more extremely expensive wine bottles. Ah, Crusch, Ferris, Wilhelm, what are you guys doing in this sombre night? Your throat is closing up, and you are trying your best to blink as little as possible just in case your eyes start watering.
Ram is staring at you, studying your movements. You know that she intends for you to reveal that you passed the trial, but you want to tell her to leave you the fuck alone, allow you suffer in peace. While Otto, hoping to get as drunk as possible, laments the pains that Emilia has gone through, you look up to hold Ram's spartan gaze.
"I know we gotta go meet Roswaal in a while", you say without emotion. "I'm not doing any of that shit this time."
Ram sighs.
"Barusu, I have already told him that you requested a meeting. Because he decided that it would happen after Emilia's attempt, he has stayed up. Do you mean for me to return and tell him that you have changed your mind?"
Your nostrils widen. Ah, you hate it so much. The worst part for you of returning to the past was always having to struggle through making the people around you understand what you desperately need them to know, which you feel they should know already even though you understand that's not how reality works. It's such a bother. You need to be left alone.
"I don't care what you tell the clown, Ram. Truly, I couldn't give less of a shit. Emilia hasn't passed the trial, and I know that Roswaal intends to make me a knight as a thank you for doing his fucking job. And I also know that you won't have sex in a barn, so it's all pointless."
Garfiel, sitting to your right, chuckles.
"The hell is that about sex in a barn, half-pint? That a private joke with Ram? How did that come to be?"
"Nothing, Garfiel. Shut up."
The punk frowns, although he finishes swallowing a fried potato before he snarls at you.
"I ain't shuttin' up, not in my damn place anyway. The frickin' gall of it! If it's about Ram and sex, I wanna know."
You shoot him a glance.
"She wanted to have sex with me in a barn."
Garfiel narrows one eye, then points at Ram and you with his index finger.
"Haah? Ram wanted to screw with you?"
"Yeah."
"Wait, ya said she didn't!"
Ram is grabbing her face with one hand as if she wishes she could tear it out and for the pain to rescue her from this conversation. She then takes a deep breath and glares at you intensely.
"Do not involve me in your delusions, Barusu, especially if they are of the sexual kind. There's nothing going on with me and sex, I assure you."
You snort. You narrow your eyes at the pink-haired servant as if she's about to regret having stated that she isn't getting any, but she looks as if not being involved with sex is a matter of dignity for her. You point at Ram accusingly.
"Oh yeah? Then what was with that proposal?"
You almost expect her to stand up forcefully and storm off, possibly after throwing a plate full of snacks at you. To your surprise, she hunches over and plays along.
"I thought you meant that we should just get it over with. I'm not like you, Barusu, I would never have sex outside of a bed, unless there was a very good reason for doing so. But having sex in a barn, with all the hay and the smell? It's something only the most debased would do. Only those who are shameless freaks without any dignity or worth would do such a thing. I'm not like you."
You take a deep breath and slump on your chair.
"You are right, I'm as debased as they come", you say with a low, serious voice. "I could have someone kneading my intestines and still I would get so hard that I wouldn't even have to touch myself to come. That's who I am, and now every single one of you fuckers knows. That's who you chose to associate yourselves with."
Ryuzu coughs nervously.
"You are an idiot", Ram says with a sigh and a shake of her head.
She grabs something squishy from the table and throws it at you. You catch it, and find yourself looking down at a slice of bread. You guess that she's suggesting you stuff your mouth to keep yourself from saying more things you would regret, or that she simply doesn't want to hear, so you do so. You try to calm yourself.
"Now now, we are all worried and confused about our current predicament", Otto says, then shivers. "I'm so unsettled myself that I wish I could pass the trials for lady Emilia. I don't see how anyone would force herself to try again after the way it made her scream..."
You swallow the bread. Your body forces you to let out a long yawn. And you have to look forward to sleeping in that uncomfortable chair. You'll be lucky if you don't get bedsores by the time you wake up.
"No, Emilia will keep trying to pass the trials, even though she won't improve. She promised to those villagers, and she believes that she needs to succeed at this task to feel like she can face her future as the ruler of this kingdom. It doesn't matter how much the trials traumatize her."
Garfiel, whose eyes are unfocused, shakes his head.
"Shy princess should give up. Would be better for her. People's minds are like the great br-"
"Great bridge of Ehurradan, I know. Too much weight and the whole thing collapses. That was too easy of an analogy, Garfiel."
Garfiel snaps his head back, freaked out and with his mouth hanging open.
"What, you thought nobody else would know about that great bridge?", you ask with a deadpan face, "There are other men of culture out there, you know."
He turns his head and looks to a random spot on the wall, embarrassed. Then, seemingly having regained his confidence, he smirks at you and scratches his head.
"Crap, but didya know that the bridge was built by orders of warrior queen Tingrifa Essa, who wanted ta cross with an army to kill them migratory mejasoupes, that were burnin' the whole damn place with their fiery breath?"
You want to roll your eyes. It seems you've found an even bigger idiot than yourself. And that's a feat in itself.
"... No, Garfiel. I wasn't aware of that much. You win this one."
The punk beams at you, and puffs out his chest.
"Hah! I knew it! Most impressive thing 'round here!"
You take a deep breath and look down. You want to disappear into your chair, but Ram's gaze is burning your face. She hasn't given up on figuring out if you have passed the trial. You look up at her red eyes so you can get this over with.
"You keep trying to get my attention, Ram. Can't stop thinking about me, can you."
Ram snorts, then glares at you as if she hates that you insist on sparking emotions of any kind in her.
"My only concern relates to how you have avoided bringing up what happened at the witches' tomb. You know what I'm referring to, don't you?"
You squeeze your eyes closed as you hold your breath. You stand up and support yourself on the table with your hands.
"Yes, I went through the first trial, and I passed it. I never got any confirmation, but I felt sure that I had passed it as if I had been told. The trial showed my parents, whom I will never see again, which allowed me to deal with some unfinished business. No, Garfiel, my past wasn't as traumatic as yours, and yes, Ryuzu, I'm aware that the devious, god-like witch behind these trials might not accept me passing the trials because she wouldn't want to lift the barrier after a boring person breezed through different stages of his life. Any fucking questions?"
You slam your hands on the table and look out to everyone in the room. Otto is gaping at you with his eyes wide, Ram has her eyes narrowed, Garfiel is grimacing with his mouth open, and Ryuzu is blinking with confusion.
"Now, if you will excuse me," you add with a tired, annoyed voice, "I'm going to take a shit and then straight to sleep. See you, fuckers."

You open the door to Ryuzu's guest room slowly. The light from the hallway illuminates Emilia's face, as she seemingly sleeps, peeking out from under the covers. While you close the door behind you and return the darkness to the room, Emilia opens her eyes.
"That's you, isn't it, Subaru?", she asks softly.
"Yeah, Emilia. It's me."
You shuffle towards the window, the only source of light, and moonlight at that, because the shutters are open at the other side of the glass pane. You rest your forehead on the cold glass.
"Have you finished for the day, then...?", Emilia asks. "Will you spend the rest of the night here with me?"
"Yeah, it's late anyway, and I'm tired. Do you mind, though, if I close the shutters? I want as much darkness as possible."
"Of course not", Emilia answers as if trembling with excitation.
You hear the sheets rustling as Emilia sits up. You open the window and reach out to close the shutters, blotting out the moonlight. Now you're in total darkness. You can't see your own hand in front of your face.
You hear the sheets rustle again as Emilia lays back down.
"Difficult to get used to, isn't it? Living without light."
You don't say anything. You have turned around and must be facing the bed, even though you can't see a thing. On the other side of the room waits Emilia, the same Emilia who offered you a fairy tale romance. She wanted to make you happy and show you that you deserved to be loved by someone who would never hurt you. But is this Emilia that other one, truly? You wouldn't be able to reproduce the same conversation, not only because you don't remember it exactly, but because what you end up revealing to the other person sometimes depends on sudden decisions, sometimes even pushed out by your subconscious. Some lifelong paths wouldn't have happened if you hadn't blurted out a few words.
That other Emilia is gone, you abandoned her in a reality you no longer belong to. She had pushed herself to the brink to pass a trial she isn't built to succeed at, and in her weakened, depressive state, she needed you by her side. But you had left on a caravan and died on your lord's mansion. You hope with all your heart that the realities you disappear from don't continue. Otherwise Emilia would receive the news that the person she came to love, the only one who would fight for her to the end, had left her forever, which means she would remain trapped in this village. What face did you make when you found out?, you think. What words escaped from your mouth?
A burning pain tightens your chest, and you feel the tears rushing to your eyes. Not only that version of Emilia is gone, but Rem dies as well. It's so heavy on your heart that you can barely face it. If you don't prevent it somehow, that terrifying contract killer will murder them all. For all you know they are already dead, and that woman is enjoying the luxuries of Roswaal's place as she waits for you to wander into her nest.
You hide your face in your hands even though nobody will see you cry. You clench your teeth to avoid sobbing, but your lips tremble. Although you need to whimper and blubber, to let your body produce the noises it needs to push out of itself, you don't want Emilia to address any of it.
Emilia must have been paying attention with her heightened hearing to every tiny noise you made.
"Subaru...? Are you okay?"
You close your eyes tight and dry your face as slowly and noiselessly as possible. You hope that your voice hides your gloom.
"Emilia, do you want me to sleep next to you?"
She lets out a noise of delight.
"Yes. Come here with me."
You take off your shoes and socks. You walk slowly in the blackness towards the bed, with your arm stretched. As soon as you touch her flesh, Emilia pulls you by the hand to lie beside her under the covers. You do so, and she embraces and snuggles with your chest and stomach. Her smell fills your nostrils. The sudden warmth that envelops you makes you want to cry again, but you force yourself to close your throat. You cross your arms behind her back. Emilia's body slackens from head to toe against you as if she had been tense every other second of her life, and she exhales deeply and warmly on your neck. Her eyelashes brush against your skin, making you tingle. In fact, everything is tingling, particularly towards your crotch.
You swallow the burning sensation in your throat.
"How does it feel to snuggle with the person you love?", you murmur.
"It feels like I've always wanted to be with you, Subaru, even before I met you. Now that you're here, I feel whole. I don't ever want to let you go."
Your insides are melting. You hug Emilia tighter.
"I'm glad I can make you happy, Emilia. You've made me happy too."
Emilia stretches her legs, wriggling them against yours while your erection strains against your underwear. If Emilia hugs you closer, your dick will get squeezed against her crotch, possibly right between her folds, like nature intended.
She reaches her arms up and holds your head against hers, rubbing her cheek against yours. You close your eyes and focus on the sounds of her breathing, the feel of her lips touching your skin, and the warmth emanating from her body.
"I love you, I love you, I do", she says softly.
You want to let go of every thought, every memory. You want nothing else but to be enveloped by this warmth for the rest of your life. Both of your hearts are beating so loud that when neither of you speak, those heartbeats along with your heavy breathing are the only things you hear.
Emilia whispers right in your ear.
"Let's get married, let's take care of each other, and let's be happy, forever, together."
She wraps her slender legs around your own. Her thighs tighten against yours and she pulls your pelvis forward so that you can feel the heat of her pussy through the fluffy fabric of her pyjama.
"I need you so bad, Subaru...", she whispers.
Your heart is beating irregularly. Your palms are sweating profusely. Emilia has nestled the length of your erection along her pussy, and she begins to rub herself with it slowly while she hugs you tight.
You are terrified and excited out of your mind. You don't want anything else but what she's making you feel.
"I... I want you too... I want you too...", you murmur.
Trembling and nervous, your fingers of one hand clutching the bedsheets, you start to push yourself against Emilia's pussy while she rubs herself with your erection. That movement had started as a small, almost imperceptible motion, but now she's masturbating. She's smearing her hot saliva on your cheek as her wet lips slide. She moans softly.
She's moving her hips more violently and in a more rapid way now, and that pace is what you have begun to follow. You're stuck to her like a pair of magnetized dolls. The sweat falling from your face stains her brow. Your nose rubs against hers, and as your gasps for air find their way into her mouth, she kisses you so warmly and greedily as if she wants nothing more than to twist her tongue against yours and share the hot wetness of each others' mouths forever.
Your ears are almost deafened by the sound of your hearts thumping. The bed is shaking. Your spine is tingling, and you know that if you both continue, you will end up coming. That's good, you feel. You want for both of you to come together.
You take a deep breath, stealing Emilia's air straight from her nostrils. You pull yourself away from her tongue, from her mouth, from her embrace, from the hotness of her pussy through her pants. You throw the covers off the both of you, then roll Emilia so she lies on her back under you.
"Fuck it...", you murmur with a raspy voice. "Fuck everything."
Emilia lets out a noise of dismay.
"S-Subaru, what's wrong...? Don't leave...!"
In pitch darkness, you slide your hands down Emilia's chest towards her waist, then under the band of her pyjama pants. You slowly stroke her pubic hair. She gasps and her whole body arches slightly. You crawl down the bed, hook your fingers onto her pants and pull it down with one quick motion. The warmth and wet smell of her insides make you salivate. You lower your face and lick her pussy from bottom to top, savouring her taste, before you plant your lips at the top of her mound. You suck on her little button.
Emilia squeals, and her whole body convulses. She grabs your head and holds you in place as if she fears you will pull away. Her legs tremble, her waist and chest start heaving. The smell of her sex fills your nostrils, the taste of it fills your mouth. You tongue her button while your hands grope her thighs and sides. Your member throbs so hard it might rip through your underwear. You are losing your sense of time, and you wish you were stuck in a loop in which you do nothing else but eat out this delicious pussy forever.
Emilia no longer grabs your head, and instead she runs her fingers of one hand through your hair slowly and lovingly. Some time later you don't feel her hand on your hair any longer. Her body twists, her hips gyrate in circular motions. She begins to pant as she reaches her peak. Her muscles convulse around your tongue.
After Emilia lets out a cry, you feel a warm liquid flow out. Her whole pussy tightens, then relaxes, then tightens again, three, four times. Her knees curl up near her chest. She releases a huge sigh, long and slow. You lap up the overflowing juices that stream out of her, and when no more come out, you rest your face on her groin. The warmth and smell emanating from her hot insides make you feel at home. Her taste makes you never want to move.
She runs her fingers through your hair.
"That was... intense", she murmurs, almost breathless.
"Yeah", you say while raising yourself up.
Some of her juice still remains in your mouth, and you swallow it. As you move on top of her, she reaches with her hands to pull you down to her, hugs you tightly wrapping her arms and legs around you, and she shoves her tongue into your mouth. Your dick is hard, almost painfully so, and it strains against your underwear as you rub it along her slit.
Emilia pulls down your pants and underwear laboriously with her heels, not wishing to loosen her embrace, and you help her with the arm you aren't supporting yourself on. As soon as you rest against Emilia again, the length of your dick gets drenched with the hot wetness of her hole. Emilia flinches a bit, then lets out a pleasured noise against your ear.
"It's so warm. Make me yours, Subaru", she murmurs.
"Of course. Anything you want, my princess", you say, truly meaning it.
You push the head against her slick opening. She winces as she feels it parting her lips, then she grunts as you slowly push yourself inside of her. Once you are past the crown, you stop to let her stretch around you. She shudders as she breathes through her nostrils. Slowly, you pull out a bit and then push back in, doing it again and again until your hips are soon rocking against her.
She licks your earlobe as her nails dig into your back.
"I'm yours and you are mine", she whispers. "Nothing will change that."
"Nothing."
You thrust into her harder, and she lets out a gasp as you hit her deepest places. Soon, you're pounding into her as she shakes and spasms under you. She moans and grunts, but soon she goes silent, only to end up letting out a hum of contentment. She strokes your back and neck, digging her fingernails in.
You feel like your heart is going to explode as the pleasure hits a peak.
"I'm… I'm…"
"Come inside. I want all of you", she pants.
You release yourself into her as she clenches her legs and arms around you, keeping herself from bucking forward. Once you finish, you are just barely able to keep yourself from collapsing on her. You pull out and roll over without realizing that you should have rolled in the opposite direction, because you fall face up onto the floor.
You lie there for a moment, trying to get your strength back. You feel Emilia's warm hand on your chest.
"Are you okay...?", she asks softly, but amused.
Your heart beats in your neck. You breathe deeply through your mouth as you stare straight into the pitch darkness.

At around part eighteen of this strange, AI-fueled retelling, I was on team Rem for life, and I didn't think back then that the protagonist would give Emilia the time of the day. However, this is how things turned out to be by themselves. Honestly, with his girlfriend in a coma possibly forever, and someone like Emilia aching to have you for herself, who would have resisted? I wouldn't. Then again, both the protagonist and myself are scumbags. Also, I mostly listened to NIN's "Mr. Self Destruct" as I wrote that last scene.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 50)

This entry finishes the tenth volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry we learned that Emilia is horny and wants romance with the least appropriate man in the world, that she can't remember anything about her attempts at passing the trial, that Garfiel loves wasting people's time, that blackmailers can be reasonable, and that Frederica should eat a dick.

This is one of the shortest entries in a long while, but also one of the thiccest. And we reached part fifty. I've done fifty entries of this shit. I must be bored out of my mind.

First season

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-Link for part 9
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-Link for part 13
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-Link for part 18
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-Link for part 20
-Link for part 21
-Link for part 22
-Link for part 23
-Link for part 24
-Link for part 25
-Link for part 26
-Link for part 27
-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
-Link for part 32
-Link for part 33
-Link for part 34
-Link for part 35
-Link for part 36
-Link for part 37
-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
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-Link for part 45
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-Link for part 47
-Link for part 48
-Link for part 49

Your caravan goes through the gate at Roswaal's mansion grounds shortly before sunset. The slanting rays of the setting sun are tinting the mansion in bronze, as well as elongating the shadows of the many statues and streetlights that line the path to the front doors. The carriages start parking around fifty meters away from the entrance, because you want to enter the mansion as soon as possible. You had internalized that you were trapped in Sanctuary along with Emilia, but of course you could come and go as you pleased as long as Garfiel wouldn't grab you and hurl you back into their dingy village.
"Otto, please deal with making sure that every villager gets his belongings, and figure out if they have some urgent need that they would like to fill, so I can ask Frederica. We don't want for them to return to their homes only to immediately start riling up those who stayed behind."
"Understood, Mr. Natsuki. It's good to be back, isn't it? Too bad we haven't gotten lady Emilia out of that village yet..."
"Well, we'll get her out eventually." You look around the vast yard, but you don't see any sign of the servants. Although you want to see behind the windows, the rays of the setting sun have turned them all into mirrors. "It's strange that Frederica hasn't come out to greet us. She should have noticed a caravan entering the mansion's grounds."
Otto grabs one of the travel sacks from the back of his carriage.
"Maybe she's busy dealing with some problem?"
"I wonder if she's worried about us... After all, she must know that we will confront her regarding the magic crystal she gave us. I wonder what she will say when she realizes I would have gotten ripped apart at the witches' tomb if the traps had worked on me." You frown. "In any case, I'll return with her in a while."
You walk towards the front doors. You open them carefully, given they are built for much stronger people to handle. After you enter the large foyer and close the door behind you, you are first surprised by the lack of noise. You would have thought that either of the servants would have been moving around in this floor, but what shocks you the most is that every single door you can see is open. It's as if someone opened one enough to check whether there was something inside that room, then left that door open and moved to the next one. Your body knows how wrong this is. Someone other than the rightful inhabitants of this mansion has been here, and if any of the servants had seen this unsettling chaos of opened doors, they would have corrected it.
You move further into the foyer.
"Frederica!? Are you there, lioness!? Petra, even! Does any of you hear me!?"
No one answers. The quietness feels creepy. Worse, it brings back memories from back when you didn't know you would return to the past if you died for any reason. You recall entering this same foyer hoping to find your people, those who had welcomed you into their lives, only to find Ram's beheaded corpse. You had frozen to death shortly after.
Rem. She's as defenseless as any living being could be. Any stranger who wandered in here could murder your beloved demon servant just by cupping her nose and mouth with his or her hand. Your chest feels hollow as you run towards the room that Emilia chose for Rem. You no longer shout for the servants, because it's clear they won't come, if they remain in the mansion at all.
When you can already see the door to Rem's room further into your current hallway, you see that there's a woman standing on the carpet, and looking at you. In less than a second your body registers that she's one of the sexiest women you have ever seen. She must be in her late twenties or early thirties. She has long, soot-colored hair that frames a mature, gorgeous face. She's wearing a cape with a feathery hood, although she isn't covering her head with it, and the cape barely conceals her black dress, which has a cleavage that exhibits her smooth skin down past her navel to slightly above where her pubic hair should be. The outer half of her big, firm breasts somehow remains hidden even though it would take the fabric slipping a few centimeters to reveal her nipples. Under the tail of her dress, her shapely legs are covered in blood-colored tights.
Everything about this woman screams sex and danger. You haven't managed to move a muscle when she steps forward and wields a smile that while pretty in her face, makes you feel like a rat watching helplessly how a bird of prey descends towards it with the claws drawn.
"Hello, boy. You are lovelier than I had imagined."
The woman's voice sounded pleased and relaxed as if she had an orgasm mere minutes ago.
Your throat feels clogged with dryness, and your spine has gone cold.
"Holy shit. Who are you? What are you doing in our mansion?"
She lets out a chuckle that in different circumstances would have seemed seductive.
"Why, I'm not doing anything here, darling, except for my job."
Her hips sway from left to right and back as she comes a bit closer. Your throat gets tighter.
"What job would that be?", you ask with a thin voice.
The woman stops and holds her hands in front of her waist. She leans forward a bit, which displays more of her big, impossibly firm breasts that you are trying very hard not to stare at.
"If I tell you how they call me, you will have all you need", she says with a low, sensual voice. "I'm known as the Bowel Hunter."
The inside of your mouth has turned to papery mush.
"Never heard of you, and I don't know who is this 'they' you refer to", you say with a parched voice. "Kind of an unflattering nickname, though. I would have given you one related to those delicious-looking breasts of yours, but to be fair I can hardly think of anything else at the moment."
She giggles, and you can smell a light scent of flowers coming from her. Her eyes shine playfully with mischief.
"I'm honored you think my twins are delicious, but if that doesn't convince you who I am, how about I tell you my modus operandi?"
You swallow, then force yourself to look up at her purple eyes.
"Sorry, what did you say? Man, how do you keep those glorious mounds of flesh from popping out of your risky dress? Do you glue them to the fabric with some sort of fantasy world adhesive tape? Still, it must be some industrial grade stuff. And they are so firm, like carved in marble..."
The woman narrows her eyes and widens her smile as if humoring you. Her white teeth are on full display.
"You'll just have to find out my strengths for yourself. How unfortunate for you, darling."
She parts her lips, although a thread of saliva keeps them connected, and her eyes glisten as she stares at your clothed abdomen. You can feel the warmth building up in her body and emanating like an aura. She desires something of you, so intensely that it burns.
With a swift movement she crosses and uncrosses her arms in front of her waist, and now she's holding two exotic looking gutting knives that glint in the setting sun.
You take a couple of steps back.
"Ah... You aren't a nice one."
"On the contrary, my lovely boy. Let's see how beautiful you are."
She lunges forward while wielding the knives. She moves so fast that you can only sense a blur as you try to jump out of her way, but you feel a burning slash across your abdomen. You stagger for a moment, and when you trembling legs decide to support your weight properly, you realize that the woman is standing calmly a few meters away from you, holding the knives at the sides of her legs. One of the blades is dripping blood.
Although you had intended to press the wound in your abdomen with your hands in order to stem the bleeding, it's not so much a wound as wide open gash from one side of your torso to the other. The pink-colored, long, sausage-like flesh bulging out the gash are your intestines. More than that, you feel like you are about to evacuate all of your internal organs through that hole.
As if your legs couldn't handle the shock of you getting disemboweled, they buckle and you fall on your back. The pain shooting through your body is new, and whitens your vision. Beads of sweat are rolling down your face. Your arms have moved instinctively to keep your intestings from spilling out further, but your abdomen is ripped open like a pocket. No way you can survive this. Wilhelm's wound when Petelgeuse gutted him wasn't so huge, and that old man is far tougher than you. Ferris isn't here to save you.
As you lie there, struggling for breath with blood trickling down your mouth and pooling around you, Elsa calmly walks up to your side. Those big, firm mounds of flesh frame her beautiful, flushed face as she smiles down at you. A fire burns in her purple eyes while she licks her lips slowly with her red tongue.
"I knew as soon as I met you that your guts would have a lovely color. My beautiful boy..."
You wheeze and cough up blood, splattering it on your face. She bends over, her long, soot-colored hair falling forward onto your face, and offers you an affectionate smile.
"How does it feel to have your insides leaving your body like that? Tell me in your words, darling", she says with a low, deeper voice.
You struggle to focus on the question. The initial pain has subsided somewhat, and all there is left is a lingering ache. Even that begins to fade as your life force dwindles away.
"Well... It's a new type of pain, but it could be much worse. It isn't mind-shattering, at least."
The woman's eyes narrow for a moment, taken aback by your answer, even though it doesn't alter her smile.
"Is that so?"
She grabs your arms by your wrists and puts them at the side of your body. They are trembling and already weakened. And it's not like defending yourself at this point would change anything. It probably wouldn't have changed anything even before this woman gutted you. She clearly knows what she's doing.
The woman tilts her head and parts her lips as she touches first and then kneads your mass of intestines. Under her loving attention, those nerves in your flesh send you confusing information that registers as noisy pain. You feel the shit the intestines contain getting squeezed through the tract.
The woman then shoves her hands deeper into the gash, widening it, which causes you to groan in pain and tears to jump from your eyes. The woman takes out of your body as much as she can of your intestinal tract, and possibly other nearby organs as well. Despite the blinding pain that trembles through your bones, a weird relief surprises you, as if holding your organs inside had been an effort all along.
Your intestines make soggy sounds while the woman plays gently with them. Her eyes are glossy and her lips wet, as if she will start drooling at any moment. She notices you staring at her, and she holds your gaze with affection.
"I'll stay with you, boy, as you die. Slowly, slowly, slowly... I will watch the light go out in your eyes."
Her alluring smell, that warm gaze, the loving smile, the way she's stroking and kneading your organs, have made you uncomfortably hard. You are getting so weak, your vision is blurrying, you are getting colder. Yeah, there's no surviving this one. You will pay a visit to that traitorous, looped witch soon.
"Ah... Tell me, so called Bowel Hunter," you say with a trembling, thin voice, "what is your name?"
The woman is taken aback by your question, but then she smiles. Her saliva drips down onto your innards.
"You want to know... my name?"
"Yeah."
"For your sake, you may call me whatever you wish."
"But I want to know how to properly address such a lovely woman. I'm Natsuki Subaru."
The woman's smile widens.
"Well then, my lovely Natsuki, I am Elsa Granhiert. I'm very glad to meet you."
"And I'm glad to meet you, too", you say, making an effort to keep your voice from shaking. "Nobody had played with my insides like that before. Why are you here, Bowel Hunter? Just in the neighborhood?"
She laughs softly, closing her eyes, and then she rewards you with a glowing smile. Sweat is beading on her flushed face.
"I came for you, Natsuki."
"You're here for me?"
The woman touches her lips with her bloodied index finger in a coy gesture, leaving a print.
"Shh... It's a secret."
As if she couldn't keep away from your guts, the hand she had pulled from them goes back to playing with your innards. She licks the blood on her lips in a way that makes your erection pulsate.
You swallow to be able to push your voice out.
"C'mon, Elsa. Surely you can reveal this secret to me, right?"
She chuckles.
"You truly didn't know me at all. I'm the best contract killer in the kingdom, they say. In the whole world, I'd argue."
Frederica, Petra, and most importantly Rem are dead. That sudden realization makes your heart, which was already having trouble pumping correctly, stop for a moment. You swallow some of the blood that is reaching your mouth from somewhere else in your body.
"Who hired you then?"
"Nu-huh", she answers playfully.
"C'mon, Elsa. You know I'm going to die here. No way I could survive the best contract killer in the world, when she's already playing with my intestines no less. Tell me, who paid so we could have such a lovely encounter?"
"Your insides have such a lovely color, boy, that I want to give you anything you wish for during these last precious moments you will spend with me. But you don't get to where I am by breaking the rules. I never reveal information about the client, it's a naughty thing to do. I wouldn't tell even such a lovely boy."
You try to reply but only a gargling sound comes out of your throat. Elsa looks at you as if wishing to please you.
"I will share, though, that the targets were a part beast servant, a very young trainee, and a shut-in spirit, as well as yourself, whenever you arrived. However, they did specify to kill everybody at the mansion, so I gutted a pretty, unknown girl as she slept. She never opened her eyes, the poor thing. She must have been seriously ill."
You cough blood. Your vision already looks as if you are seeing the world through a thin layer of water. The waves of pain prevent you from focusing on facts that otherwise would have you crying. But you are about to die, and none of this matters.
Elsa's hard nipples are bulging out of her fancy, black dress, as if she had rubbed them with ice cubes. Despite the whole you getting murdered thing, it does make you proud that fondling your intestines is satisfying her freaky fetish. You know just how she must be feeling.
You aren't sure if you passed out for a brief moment, but you find yourself holding Elsa's gaze as she looks down at you with some disappointment.
"You are so well behaved that you don't scream nor plead for your life. Please, show some fear. It feels so much better when they struggle to survive even with their last ounce of strength."
You spit blood in her face. She wipes it with her forearm and smiles with satisfaction.
"A half-assed attempt, but it feels better. Thank you."
Your heart is pounding. You'll end up having an orgasm if this keeps going. You feel the need to vomit, but your body has no such luck.
"Sorry, Elsa. It's just that death hasn't frightened me for a long time, and it's going to go dark for me no doubt. Nobody will heal that mess in my abdomen."
She stops playing with you for a moment as she observes you with the closest thing you've seen to confusion in her beautiful face.
"How did you get so calm with the way I'm enjoying your innards? You are an intriguing boy."
You can't help but laugh, but it makes her frown slightly and pout.
"Then I'll make you feel a fear engraved in the bones of all of you. Please, lose your mind for me and scream."
She attempts to pulls down your pants and underwear enough, and after she struggles for a bit longer than she had intended, your rock-hard penis pops out. Elsa gives a pleased sigh, as if you had complimented her.
"Ah, you are enjoying my touch so much. What a lovely boy... I will keep you for myself."
She grabs one of her gutting knives from the ground. Her free hand holds the head of your dick with the index finger and thumb, which makes your back tremble warmly and almost causes you to cum, and it only takes a flick of the wrist of her other hand to reap your penis near the base. She holds it on her hand to show it to you. It begins to shrivel while leaking blood all over her palm, then dripping from her hand in tiny, viscuous courtains.
You would have expected it to not only hurt enormously, but also make your mind shatter, as a primal fear got triggered. Maybe you've gone too weak already, or that pain didn't register in the tide that is already coursing through your body. In comparison with how you felt back when a huge ground dragon turned your genitals into mush, you now don't have to handle the horror of fighting everyone in your life so you can die and wake up in Satella's bath of vaginal juices again. It's a huge whatever.
Elsa smiles briefly before bending down and giving the tip of your cut off dick a kiss. She puts it in some pocket of her cloak, but when the woman turns to focus on your expression, she gets stunned.
"You don't even care..."
She sounded disappointed and annoyed as if she were about to cum to the best part of a porn video, only for that scene to end before she could stop herself. She continues to look at you with a questionable gaze, waiting for some sort of tears or anger, but she doesn't get either.
"I can put on a sad face if you want", you say with a threadbare voice, "Sorry, I lost my dick once before, and in worse circumstances. The shock wears out surprisingly quick."
"You have lost it before...? You are the oddest boy in the world."
That annoys you. You want to shout, but you are barely holding onto life.
"I'm odd? Does that fetish of yours run in your family or something? Couldn't you get off to incest porn like a normal person?"
Elsa is bewildered into silence, with her hands shoved into the mass of your intestines.
You shake your head slightly. Your body doesn't want to obey you much. The pain rises and falls as your breath shortens.
"I can't believe you just went straight for my guts. No innuendo, no foreplay... Not even a bit of tongue play."
Elsa smiles warmly, then nods.
"Ah, you are right. That would be lovely, and you have earned it."
Elsa pulls out her hands from your guts. She crouches next to your shoulder, cups the back of your head with one hand and lifts it enough so she can cover your open mouth with hers. Her tongue licks yours, and her lips suck on your flesh, possessing you like you would never imagine you could feel. You moan in her mouth, and she chuckles softly. Your blood rushes to your crotch and spurts out of the hole where the rest of your dick ought to be. You will die from blood loss that much quicker.
Even though your consciousness comes and goes, you feel her holding your tongue with her teeth around the middle part. She then bites harder and harder and harder, gnawing at it, and suddenly retracting her head, she rips off the lower half of your tongue.
Elsa straightens her back. She's shivering in a pleasured daze while blood runs down from her dyed mouth. She chews a bit and swallows.
You want to ask what kind of benefit she got from eating your tongue, but then again you don't want to retain the memory of how it feels to say something when most of your tongue is gone. You are already choking on the blood pooled in your mouth. Blackness is encroaching your vision.
You concentrate what remains of your strength on lifting your arm closest to Elsa towards her breasts. You slide your trembling hand under the dress and cup that glorious mound of flesh. You feel the hard nipple between your index and middle finger. You rub it with your palm, you squeeze it. Elsa shivers. She caresses your trembling arm with her own hand. Shortly after she lifts her face up and moans as her body convulses.
A breast fit for a god. Priscilla Barielle, you have been outranked.

As the black bath of vaginal juices seeps into your very soul, the Witch of Envy embraces you with her elongated arms. Her hazy, purple eyes regard you as warmly as an automaton's.
"I love you I love you I love yo-"
"It's been a while, Satella. How are things going with you?"
"I love you I love you I love you I lov-"
"Ah, that's wonderful. Well, let me tell you. I just met a lovely woman, very passionate. Kind of love at first sight."
"I love you I lov-"
"She was so into me, she even bit off my tongue. But in the end it was worth it, because she got me hot enough that I just creamed all over her tits."
"I love you I love you I lov-"
"Just kidding. I didn't even have a dick at that moment."
"I love you I love you I love you I love y-"
"You know, I gave Emilia shit for being retarded enough to allow that teenage thief to steal her medallion, but I'm one to talk, right? I keep losing my most important body part. How can I look at anyone in the face if I'm not even capable of keeping my dick intact?"
"I love you I love you I love you I love you I lov-"
"Sorry to disappoint you by getting sexually involved, somehow, with virtually every other woman I come across. That's why I wanted to keep that Petra out of the mansion! Nobody listens to me."
"I love you I love you I lov-"
"Not to disparage you or anything, Tella. Do you prefer that diminutive? I could also just keep saying your full name like a normal person. I guess it's the old sloth in me."
"I love you I lo-"
"It's a reference to that Petelgeuse, the ancient ghost you swallowed. Remember that whole thing we did...?"
"I love you I love you I lov-"
"Anyway, it was good to talk again, you fucking traitor."

Finally I can play with the lovely Elsa Granhiert. Anyone who has read the original novels or watched the anime adaptation knows that she appears as early as the first volume, or the first episode or the second. But I completely botched that arc in this strange, AI-fueled retelling that I'm doing. Whatever. Most people who went through the original story constantly wondered what the fuck happened with Elsa to have disappeared from the narrative. Now she's back where she belongs.

Roleplaying through "Re:Zero" with the GPT-3 story generator (Part 49)

This entry covers part of the tenth volume of the original "Re:Zero" novels.

In the previous entry we discovered that Otto might be impotent, that Roswaal is a lazy son of a bitch, and that Ram doesn't want to have sex in a barn.

First season

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-Link for part 28
-Link for part 29
-Link for part 30
-Link for the post-mortem

Second season

-Link for part 31
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-Link for part 38
-Link for part 39
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-Link for part 48

Someone is touching your thigh. You wake up from your sleep, and although you remain dazed for a few seconds, you see that a delicate hand is resting on your thigh, stroking it slightly. The hand comes from Emilia, who is lying on the guest bed at Ryuzu's place. Her head is resting on the pillow, and her purple eyes are regarding you so warmly as if there was no better gift than to see you as soon as a new day started. Even right after waking up, with her silver hair messy, Emilia's face could appear on billboards in your previous world and probably cause some traffic accidents. Still, her traumatic experience with the trial makes her look slightly tired, and now she has the closest thing to eye bags you have ever seen in her delicate face.
Being looked at with such affection makes a warm shiver run through your spine. You swallow. Not only that, but Emilia's hand is resting quite close to your morning wood, and maybe even contributed to it before you regained consciousness. You shift your weight on the chair to try to disguise the bulge, but Emilia's glance down lets you know that she's well aware.
"Ah... Such a glowing smile suggests that at least you've had a good night's sleep", you say with a voice that you hope doesn't reveal the tingles you are feeling.
"It was alright. Even if I hadn't, though, just waking up next to you would have made me smile this way."
She sounds calm, without a hint of yesterday's mental breakdown. Given that it was induced by a witch's spell, or enchantment, or whatever kind of magic the trials represent, maybe you shouldn't correlate her current mood with those shrieks, which you are quite sure ended up showing up in your dreams. In addition, both her touch and her smile and her sweet words are increasing the tingles, as well as warming your chest. You have a girlfriend, and she's in a coma.
"You are here with me, Subaru...", she says as if it wasn't obvious.
"Of course I'm here, Emilia. You think that I would leave your side after the trouble you went through last night?"
Her smile fades a bit. She must not want to remember any of it, but it's not as if you can't bring it up.
"Sleeping in that chair must have been uncomfortable, hasn't it been?", she asks.
Emilia doesn't seem to have any intention of drawing back the hand that she's resting on your thigh, and it even moves slowly, almost imperceptibly. The crotch of your pants is getting tighter.
"Well... Not particularly, I get backaches when I sleep too long in the same position anyway. And I can just sleep anywhere, anytime. I mean... It's alright. Sleeping while sitting up doesn't even make the list of uncomfortable situations I've gone through."
Her smile turns into a playful pout.
"Still, it's unnecessary. I would prefer you to sleep next to me, keep me warm. You will next time, right...?"
Your heart beats louder and louder, and you feel as if you are about to break in cold sweat.
"It sounds to me that you have woken up quite warm this morning."
She chuckles.
"It's true... But I would still have preferred to wake up snuggled in your arms, keeping me so warm and safe..."
You close your eyes. You want to go to the bathroom and take care of yourself, but you can't even move without revealing that Emilia is making you melt.
"Ah... Emilia, I'm glad you feel good, but you know I-"
"It must be so nice, sleeping next to someone you love. You have done it before, for sure. It must take your mind off things."
"Well, yeah. Of course it does." You clear your throat softly. "I do have someone for that, actually, as you know."
Emilia looks away, then retracts her hand that was touching your thigh and hides it under the covers. You shift your weight on the chair.
"You are so lucky to be able to know the warmth of love," Emilia says, lowering her voice, "and to have experienced your beloved sleeping next to you. You are a very lucky person."
You shake your head. You can't look her in the eyes right now.
"I wouldn't call myself lucky, no. Not at all at the moment, with Rem in a coma. Because there's that whole thing, you know, of my girlfriend back at the mansion having gone to sleep forever."
She turns her head on the pillow so her lips are touching the fabric, and she looks down as well.
"I know. And all I want is to forget everything bad in the world and be in your arms and kiss you and discover everything else, Subaru. It's not just that I want it, I need it. I feel it so close, and not having it hurts. I have never felt this way."
The pain in your chest starts beating louder than your heart, so you just bring your voice down to whisper at it.
"I wish I could make it stop hurting, Emilia."
"Do you think we can run away together? Somewhere far away from here?", she asks, her eyes looking straight into yours now, not hiding anything. "Just get on a carriage, breeze through the barrier as if it wasn't there, and then find some beautiful place in which we could just be together, be passionate with each other... I just dreamt about something like that. I wish the you that waited for me in this room would treat me like the one in that dream."
You look at your knees and sigh. When you face Emilia again you see the tear running down her cheek and then moistening the pillow.
This lovely girl believes, and maybe she has it right, that with with merely your love she could get rid of her pain. It's tearing you in two. You doubt you could get to satisfy her like she needs, and yet you know it would make her feel better.
The shame as well as the self-hatred are burning already. Remember your sleeping girl, think of how you would break her heart if you did everything your body demands you to.
"Emilia...", you begin, but your voice comes out so raspy that you clear your throat. "You think too highly of romance. It's great, don't get me wrong, but many, if not most of the practical aspects of loving someone won't show up in your dreams."
Emilia breathes out roughly. She wipes her tears with a hand, then pulls up the covers, cuddling with her pillow.
"Like what..?", she says with a soft, teary voice that pierces your heart.
"Well, say there's someone you really love. What if that person loves someone else? What if you're not sure if you really love them back, so you push them away? What if there's someone else who also loves you and your first love is indecisive?"
"What... what if...", she mutters while hiding her face.
"Imagine you are living together and the both of you eat a big supper. Then as you are having pleasant dreams, you are woken up by a huge fart. Your man is lying there next to you, under the same covers, unconscious but ripping the nastiest farts you can imagine. They horrify you as if you are getting attacked by a chemical weapon. If you covered your head with the sheet, you would vomit and then pass out. The person you love doesn't even know, because he's lying there unconscious. How do you deal with it the next morning? Do you tell him? Are you going to smile sweetly to him and inform him that he almost suffocated you with his sulphurous pestilence?"
She lets out a muffled noise, a mix of surprise and disgust.
"That's not fair. You're trying to confuse me."
"Life isn't fair. I'm just saying, that if you truly love someone, then you need to accept them for who they are, even if that means living with the consequences of their bodily functions."
Emilia shakes her head against the pillow. You continue talking, softly.
"Or imagine this: you love someone only to realize that you don't like the books he likes, the music, or the movies. He likes sports, you hate them."
"Movies...?"
"Not that they were producing enough decent stuff by the time I left. But yeah, what if a few months in you want children, and he doesn't ever want to become someone's father? What if you hate that he doesn't earn enough at his job? What if you hate his friends, or he hates yours?"
She turns her head enough that you can see her profile. Her eyes have reddened.
"I would have to talk to him about these things first..."
"Yes, you would. But what if you can't reach an agreement on these issues? What if it turns in to yelling and screaming, tears and frustration? Some problems aren't solvable, or at least not solvable at that moment."
She bites her lower lip as her face scrunches up.
You heart hurts. It feels heavier, and you can't put words as to all the facets of why.
"Imagine you live with your beloved for years only to realize that they have changed so much that you don't like each other anymore. That being together is just a source of annoyances and arguments, and the best you can hope for is a boring afternoon spent at home, exhausted after work. Or you have children only to find out that you wish you hadn't, and now you exhaust most of your waking life taking care of the little shits, or worrying about them. Or one day you find texts in his cellphone, conversations he had with some coworker or some dumb broad from the internet. Then everything breaks, and you come out of it as if you have lost years and years of your life, and you have nothing to show for it but regret, bitterness, and new pains that will never go away, not entirely."
Emilia, still resting on the pillow, stares at you as if she's trying to read your thoughts. She takes a deep breath.
"What if you loved each other so intensely that even if bad things happened to you both, or risked growing apart, you kept fighting for what you know is worth more than anything else in the world, and you both grow old together, and in the end you can say truthfully that you had a happy life, that you wouldn't change a thing?"
You swallow.
"Then maybe those people live in a fairy tale."
Emilia holds your gaze intensely.
"I would love to get married and have children one day. If you don't have either, you are free to do whatever you want. Travel, or stay at home and knit all day. With your freedom comes a price: being alone. Maybe when you become too old, you'll long for those days when your family visited, or the quiet evenings with your husband or raising your kids."
"Don't get me wrong, Emilia, I want a fairy tale. It's just that it won't happen. I just want to enjoy the good parts while they last, and hope that the bad parts don't kill me inside."
"Once you spend enough time with someone, you're supposed to grow old and die with that person. Not everyone gets that chance. You should cherish it."
You lower your head and smile while staring at your knees.
"You will make someone so happy."
Emilia sighs as lift your gaze towards her. She is resting her head on her hand, elbow on the pillow.
"Let me make you happy then", she says with a thin voice. "You told me that you can only love someone who will make you suffer. I believe you deserve to be loved by someone who would never hurt you. That's what I will do, if you allow me."
"Hah..."
Emilia reaches for your hand, and you grab hers and squeeze it.
"I know, Subaru", she says. "Rem is there, and will be forever. And yet I want us to be together. It's just how it is. I can hardly care about anything else."
You rub your eyes slowly with your free hand. You feel as if filled with lead.
"We are both avoiding reality. None of this matters as long as we can't leave this place. You haven't spoken at all about the nightmarish time you had during your first attempt, and you clearly don't want to bring it up."
"I..." She swallows, and her eyes dart away from yours quickly. "I don't want to talk about it, that's all."
You keep looking at her with what you hope is a reassuring expression, while you stroke her hand with your thumb.
"I heard a lot of what you shouted. I could almost imagine the people you were pleading to. Something horrible must have happened to you, probably when you were a child, and maybe you will never recover entirely from it. I know some of my own wounds will never get fully cured. And yet, Emilia, I hope you know that whatever you would want to say about any aspect of it, I would love to listen, I would love to help you in any way I can."
You're surprised you managed to say something so honest and heartfelt. It seems your time with everyone else has been rubbing off on you, even if you still do have a long way to go.
She sniffs, but smiles. Her face relaxes a bit, even as she squeezes your hand more tightly.
"Thank you, I... The thing is, I can't remember anything. I just know there's a hole there, and about the trials, it's like every detail was wiped out except for what it made me feel. Horror. To an extent that the perspective of attempting it again feels like masochism, and yet I must..."
Your head snaps back without you thinking about it.
"Is that what happens when you fail the trial? No, Garfiel seemed to remember... You mean you don't even have memories of your childhood?"
She slowly shakes her head.
"I can't remember anything before I woke up in the frozen woods as a child. Although my memories of that time suggest that I was born then, despite being a grown child already, I feel there's a span of memories missing, or blocked out..."
You hide half of your face with your free hand.
"You seriously need a psychiatrist, but the profession doesn't seem to have been invented in this place. What a mess."
She smiles cautiously.
"I don't think you're joking... But I do feel like I should laugh."
"Well, I'm glad you see humor in the situation. But these trials... What are you going to do, Emilia?"
"I'm going to try again. I don't know why, but I feel like I have to. No, I must. That's what I ought to do. I have the chance to become the ruler of this kingdom, don't I? I can't be weak."
"No, you can't be weak, but you don't need to put yourself through that torture just for the sake of being strong."
Your reassuring words fall on deaf ears, as Emilia's eyes stare into the distance.
"I have to do this. Thanks for your concern, but I must see this through to the end."

A couple of hours later you find Garfiel sitting on a wooden fence, kicking his feet and throwing bread into a pond, for the weird fishes and fish-like creatures to eat. You are stunned for a moment, because you would have expected this guy to spend his free time punching trees or growling at nothing, and before you realize it he's eyeing you as if you are about to push him into the water.
"The hell ya come to freak me out with now, evil eyes?", Garfiel asks.
You sigh.
"None of that going on at the moment. I want to ask you a serious question."
He narrows his eyes suspiciously.
"Serious, huh? That sounds worse comin' from ya. You are bad enough playin' around."
"It's about Emilia, damn it, and the shit she's gotten herself into regarding the trials. Can we speak about that seriously?"
"Ugh... If ya insist. So, what's up?"
"I was trying to figure out what happened to her during her attempt, what scared her so bad... Garfiel, I realize that the trial made you see some bad stuff from your past, and I'm not going to ask about the contents, but can you remember the stuff you saw in there?"
Garfiel mulls this question over for a while, as he keeps on staring at the pond.
"As I could forget any of it, half-pint. That's them trials deal, ain't it. They push it inta yer head so you won't ever get it out. I wish I hadn't seen that crap."
"Garfiel, Emilia told me she doesn't remember any of it. And she was serious, too. The whole thing is blank. She just remembers the pain and the horror that the experience made her feel, but none of the details."
He blinks a few times, then looks away to think about it. You figure that this punk needs to squeeze his brain to think about anything, so you give him his time.
"An' that's good for her. Trust me, ya don't wanta remember the stuff from yer past. It only brings ya down an' gets ya inta trouble."
"I really want to help her with this. She's suffering, Garfiel. She's determined to keep trying, but she can't learn anything from what she can't remember!"
"That ain't good."
"It isn't, but it's the truth. Why would that be? Do you have any clue? Did your so called gran tell you anything about some shit like this?"
He holds your gaze for a couple of seconds while frowning as if he isn't sure what he can reveal about what he knows.
"Nah, old hag didn't wanta go through them trials neither. Wasn't happy 'bout me sneakin' in back then. Bunch of warnings notta open the door, but I don't think she knew what was there, what went on. She's been around fer a long time, guardin' our town. It's a reverence kinda crap, I reckon." Garfiel takes a deep breath. "Echidna didn't build the barrier for it to be broken, did she, that old witch? So why screw with it? That was gran's thinkin', I reckon." Garfiel turns his torso to face the pond again, a movement that makes clear that the conversation is about to end. "Ya don't build a barrier an' call yer place Sanctuary 'cause ya want every damn gorfungol of the world ta come an' go as they please, just like ya. It was supposed to keep our people safe."
"If this place was so great, people wouldn't want to break the barrier and leave."
"Ah well. They're just greedy. They don't know what they got 'till it's gone. They could be eatin' the juiciest tarmodanos and the plumpest oyegambos and still fools would be achin' to hunt fer myrmadapos instead."
"If you don't mind, I'll substitute all the nonsense for sexual terms in my mind."
"Heh."
You shrug, then look around as if the sight of the enclosing forest would help.
"Well, Garfiel, thank you for wasting my time again."
He shoos you off with one hand, without bothering to turn his head.
"Waste not, want not."

Emilia didn't pass the trials at her second attempt. She didn't pass them at her third, nor fourth, nor fifth. You all witnessed her entering the witches' tomb with a determined look in her face, and although she exited by herself, she was always crying. The same way you knew, without any tangible proof, that you had passed your first trial, Emilia knew that she had failed it. She never remembered what she faced in the witch's vision. And with every attempt, her expression as she stood in front of the tomb to enter it looked more and more as if she was heading voluntarily to be tortured, and when she exited the tomb, she looked more weary and crestfallen. She didn't improve; this was a more sophisticated version of hitting her head against a wall over and over.
Emilia became more withdrawn and sullen. It didn't take long for your villagers to become dissatisfied. They blamed Emilia for their situation, they claimed that she wasn't doing enough to get them out of there, that she never would without some 'supernatural help'.
You asked to meet with the mayor of Sanctuary, Ryuzu, at her house near the church-like building, and Garfiel sat there as well, you aren't sure if because he needed to know what you wanted or because of his role as the toughest guy in town.
"Here's the thing, Ryuzu", you begin. "Emilia cannot leave, and her sense of duty, as well as the guilt she leans towards naturally, make it so she won't stop herself from trying over and over. I won't comment on the prospects of her passing the trials at this point, but what I want to ask you is the following: allow Roswaal's villagers to return home. Their continuing presence here will only cause further conflict, both with Emilia and your local half-beast people, not to mention the resources you must be wasting to take care of people who aren't tending the farms, your farm animals and such. Sounds like a reasonable suggestion to me."
"Best idea ya ever had, half-pint", Garfiel says. "Bastards were gettin' on my nerves. I'd be happier if we kicked all them ungrateful dicks and let the rest of us enjoy a moment's peace."
"I thought you were the one who would raise a fuss about the idea, Garfiel. I'm surprised to find out you were a reasonable guy all along."
Garfiel shrugs.
"If it means less ungrateful bastard villagers runnin' aroun', then sure."
Ryuzu is staring at you as if thinking about your proposal. This tween-sized elf who is somehow Garfiel's grandmother hasn't reacted to the punk's answer.
"I do agree that lady Emilia is unlikely to quit her attempts to pass the trials. It's taking a big enough toll on her mental health already, she doesn't need the added stress of the villagers' expectations. Very well then, Young Su, I will allow it. How do you propose they all return home?"
These two are quite reasonable for a couple of blackmailers, you think.
"It seems that Ram had hired a bunch of merchants so they would carry the villagers here on their carriages. I'll send my own personal merchant Otto to a nearby village so he can hire some others. I guess we can get a caravan ready for tomorrow."

As both Otto and Ram were herding the villagers and their few belongings to the carriages waiting at the edge of Sanctuary, you remain with Emilia, who is sitting at the table in Ryuzu's home. You aren't sure if she would force herself to bid farewell to the villagers, most of whom have given up supporting her, and Emilia has grown so highly strung after her failed attempts that she can hardly bring herself to look you in the eye. You have sat next to her, and are rubbing her back to comfort her.
"I should... face them and tell them that I'm sorry", she says with a weak voice. "But even if I told them that I believe that I will eventually lift the barrier, it won't matter to them any longer. They will forget about this place."
You don't want to comment on her baseless hope. Given that not only her attempts at passing the trials aren't improving, her sanity is deteriorating. You can't imagine it ending any other way than with Emilia having a mental breakdown, and that brings so many horrible memories of your own attempts at preventing Rem from leaving on Crusch caravan, that the knot in your throat makes it hard to speak.
"Emilia, don't worry about Roswaal's villagers any longer. When I make sure they reach their homes safely, I'll come back and we'll focus entirely on how you can get through this. Just get some sleep in the meantime, alright?"
Emilia, nods slowly, her gaze averted to the side as she sees something else in her mind.
"You will return to me, right?"
"Of course. Don't doubt it for a moment."
"Thank you, Subaru..."
You sigh then turn to leave her be, only to see Ram at the doorway. You both leave Ryuzu's home together.
"Everyone is ready, Barusu."
Emilia suffering like that turned you increasingly morose. You barely want to address anyone else, but it has made you a bit more sympathetic towards Ram, who most of the time looks as if she's fed up with everything.
"Do you have any suggestions about the trip home, or something I should check at the mansion?", you ask.
"Attempt to figure out what Frederica intended by giving you that magic crystal. We need to know the extent of her betrayal. However, try to avoid a physical confrontation with her, because she will crush you like the defenseless bug that you are."
"Ugh. Thanks for your support, sis."
After you part ways with the pink-haired senior servant, you meet up with Otto, who is loading some of the villagers' belongings on other people's carriages. The tumult of people walking around, hauling stuff or just talking excitedly is threatening to give you a headache.
Suddenly someone approaches you. It's the male teen, around seventeen years old, that had been helping a group of younger villagers during the Witch's Cult's assault. He's also displaying his bare chest again, even though he doesn't have much to show off. He must be in some sort of crusade against any clothes that cover the upper half of the body.
"You are coming with us, aren't you, sir?", the guy asks. "You can count on me to help with whatever needs to be done."
"I'm surprised you came to Sanctuary. Beyond that idiotic village chief of yours, it's mostly children, women and old people."
"I was worried about the troubles they would encounter here, and I wanted to protect them if I could. It's just too bad that lady Emilia couldn't pass the trials, but then again I don't blame her. Nobody has done so in hundreds of years. Poor lady, she always looks sad when I see her around."
"... Yeah, she does."
Otto comes to your side and starts whispering.
"Hey, don't talk too much about lady Emilia in front of this guy. He's head over heels for her."
The teenager's eyes widen as he blushes.
"Oh?! Wh-where did you hear that lie? I do not have those kind of...! Y-you're just saying that to tease me, aren't you? I just can tell that she's kind and sweet, and when the chief called her a demon at that meeting, it made my blood boil!"
You smile at the teenager's kind words, and pat him on the shoulder.
"You're a very loyal person." You suddenly remember that you threatened to murder a bunch of villagers at that meeting, due to how angry they had made you. "Shit, so you were listening... I kind of went off the rails when they started disrespecting Emilia."
"No, I felt that anger myself! I have always wanted to stand up against that nasty chief. He really is an asshole. All he ever did since her speech is insult lady Emilia and complain about us supporting her."
"What an utter dick. Maybe we should just push him off his carriage on the way home, hopefully into a bottomless pit."
Otto chuckles, but the teenager doesn't laugh. He frowns instead.
"Talking about murdering people... I don't find that funny, sir."
You shrug.
"Ah, well. You can find humor in terrible things, as long as they don't happen to you. Don't worry, I doubt bottomless pits exist even in your fantasy world."
Once every villager is either sitting or standing on a carriage, and every driver's seat is filled, Garfiel comes by you as you are sitting next to Otto on a driver's seat. You aren't sure if the punk has come to bid you farewell or to annoy you for the last time until you return.
"I'm sure that as soon as we pass the barrier I'll start missing the nonsense that comes out from behind those triangled teeth of yours, Garfiel", you say.
The punk smirks.
"We'll just hafta come up wit a suitably funny noise that 'll remind me of yer insults when I miss 'em. Never think I'd miss bein insulted, but it's true that you've growin' on me. Same as fungus between the toes, I reckon."
"Ah, thanks for the lovely comparison. Anyway, I'm sure to check on your lively sister Frederica, whom you love and miss so much that it breaks your heart you haven't seen her for so long. Do you want me to relay a message to her the next time I get to gawk at her gorgeous form?"
Touched where it bothers him the most, Garfiel's cheeks twitch, and he makes a face of disgust.
"Eat a dick!"
You give a mischievous grin.
"Just that? 'Frederica, eat a dick', then?"
Garfiel groans.
"Yer an asshole."
You chuckle.
"Actually, if you love her so much, maybe I should kiss her on your behalf as well? How sloppily should I do it?"
He tightens his fists. He begin to walk away, but he stops and turns his head slowly, a dark look in his eyes.
"Try it an' I'll break yer fucking jaw."
You give him a smile and nod.
"Right then. Well, off we go."
The carriage starts rolling, and you tip your index finger at Garfiel, who glares at you for a moment, before flashing a toothy grin and raising his own finger in turn.