Wish Upon a Sin

Arc 3 - Chapter 1

Arc 3 — The Schemes of Clowns and Witches

It was a cheerful day in the capital of Lugunica.

The sun shone merrily high in the sky, and the breeze was gentle and refreshing. Most people were out enjoying the day, their worries over the state of their kingdom put aside, if only for a brief while.

Most, but not all.

Subaru Natsuki stood alone in an alley, his arms crossed, his back against the wall, staring out onto the streets without really seeing them.

It could be said to be his first day in the country, but from another perspective, it had been over eight months since he had arrived.

Those two perspectives were wildly incompatible, yet Subaru had to treat them both with equal weight. Had to keep both in mind, and not let them become confused in his mind.

He had made a number of slip ups in his last go around, but the most egregious of his mistakes had been about Otto. He had tread the fine line of trust, and somehow managed to fail on both fronts, trusting his business partner both too little, and too much.

He tried to keep everything from him, but his actions had roused suspicion. And rather than recognise that, he had subconsciously kept trusting Otto anyway, not bothering to hide his actions in any meaningful way.

So despite the fact that Otto was likely the undoing of his last plan, Subaru didn't blame him. Especially since Otto had looked so regretful and unsure when they spoke on the old fort. He had been trying to do the right thing.

The same was probably true of Crusch as well, but she wasn't a friend of Subaru's, so he was less inclined to simply forgive her. But what had she known? As far as she could see, Subaru had been hiding information that could threaten the city, perhaps even the kingdom. She had been kind while arresting him. He had shadow-walked out before that had a chance to change, but would it have? If he had been in her position, would he have done anything differently?

Those thoughts were something Subaru was trying to keep at the forefront of his mind, since he had received another earth-shaking revelation right at the end of the loop.

Why, Roswaal? What do you know, how long have you known, how did you figure it out, do other people know, can anybody else know, does the witch know you know, why didn't you tell me, why, why, why?

But he couldn't jump to conclusions. He couldn't afford to jump to conclusions. Every false start would lead to another restart, another life ripped away from him, more friends he would never retrieve.

He had to think, and understand.

Roswaal is a noble. And he's very popular amongst the people. He's eccentric, but he seemed nice enough when he was talking to me. He could have known then though, so I can't discount the possibility he was acting.

Feeling the bile rising up in his throat at the thought, Subaru took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

No, think charitably, Subaru. What good reason could he have for not mentioning this?

In truth, the answer was fairly obvious after a moment's thought. From the outside, Subaru's ability would look incredibly powerful. The Roswaal of the previous loop had seen Subaru's extensive knowledge of the Witch's Cult. And while it wasn't as impressive, Subaru's future knowledge had also helped out the Taurus company a great deal, which he also might have learned of.

Seeing that power, was it not natural for Roswaal to be cautious of him?

Subaru's blood still boiled, but the thought did cool his head a bit. Roswaal didn't know how painful it was to die. He didn't know how much Subaru suffered in the use of his ability.