Re:Zero ― The Scapegoat's Oath: If Subaru Vowed to Put Emilia on the Throne - The Clown's Sneering Scheme

The cold stone floor. A graveyard chill crept up from my back. Natsuki Subaru sat slumped against the wall of a dark corridor, knees hugged to his chest, curled up small. His breath misted white. The sensation in his hands and feet had long since been left somewhere far away. No. The cold wasn't the floor. It was his own heart. This was Roswaal's mansion—a noble's estate built in the hills of the Mathers domain, in the northeastern reaches of the Kingdom of Lugunica. There was nothing around for miles, but the live-in servants always filled the place with energy. But now it was the middle of the night. No one was here. No presence, no sign of anyone. When he lifted his head, only moonlight streamed through the windows, drawing silver lines across the corridor. Beautiful, he thought. But that light didn't shine on him. How did it come to this? "...Failed again." The voice he muttered was so hoarse and weak it made even him shudder. Return by Death—the curse-like power that only he, Natsuki Subaru, possessed. When he died, time rewound. Again and again. Over and over. He had used this power to save Emilia and the others. Because he wanted to see a future where everyone was smiling. But no matter how many times he tried, it never worked out. Like the time they were attacked by demon beasts and everyone died. The time the Witch Cult placed a curse and he couldn't save anyone. The time Rem shielded him and he was the only one who survived... Dying hurt. It was terrifying. It was cold. Even so, he'd thought it was worth it if he could try again. But every time he did, his heart fell apart a little more. As if an invisible knife was whittling him away, bit by bit. He'd tried to tell someone about this power before. But he couldn't. Whenever he tried, his chest seized up, like someone had grabbed it with all their strength, and the words wouldn't come out. The world wouldn't allow it. So he was alone. Always, completely alone, fighting. He was tired now. He hugged his own arms tight. His nails dug into the black fabric of his long-sleeved shirt. He used to wear a white tracksuit. He'd liked brighter clothes, patterned ones too. Now, he could only wear clothes this color—the color of death. His brown eyes reflected nothing, just staring into the darkness of the corridor. "I want to quit..." His voice trembled. His fingers traced the left side of his temple. This scar—a mark from the first time he died, a trace that would never fade. It was small; no one ever noticed it. But he always touched it. Because it reminded him: this was where everything began. That was when it happened. "Hmm... sinking into such despair is poison for the body, you know." A voice, suddenly. From directly above him. *Ghk—!* His heart nearly leaped out of his mouth. He whipped his head up—and there, as if floating in the darkness, stood a tall man with blue hair. Roswaal L Mathers. The master of this mansion, and the Court Mage of the Kingdom of Lugunica. His deep blue hair hung all the way down his back, swaying gently in the moonlight. On his face, clown-like paint—a star and a moon. But the strangest thing was his eyes. The left was yellow, the right blue. Both pupils were vertically slit, like a snake's. Those two eyes were staring down at him, fixed and unblinking. It felt like everything was being seen through. A deeply unpleasant feeling. "R-Roswaal... how long have you been there?" "Who knows? Just a moment ago, or perhaps quite some time... My sense of time is a touch on the long side, you see." He deepened his clown's smile, lips curling up at the corners while his eyes didn't smile at all. A chill ran down Subaru's spine. *What is with this guy?* He knew. Roswaal was supporting Emilia's royal candidacy—he was, in a sense, an ally. Emilia was a half-elf with silver hair, the girl Subaru wanted to protect more than anyone. She was currently running as a candidate in the "Royal Selection" to decide the kingdom's next ruler. The Kingdom of Lugunica was a nation founded on a covenant with the Divine Dragon Volcanica. Now that the entire royal family had been wiped out, five girls whose names were inscribed on the Dragon Tablet—a prophetic stone slab—were competing for the throne. They were all called "Dragon Maidens." But Emilia was a half-elf. She faced brutal discrimination. Everyone feared her because she shared the same face as the "Witch of Envy," Satella, who had been sealed away 400 years ago. The other candidates were desperate to knock her down. And in the midst of all this, Roswaal was saying, "If you become the villain, everything will go smoothly." "...What the hell does that mean?" Subaru pushed himself up, hand against the wall, and looked at him. This man was always like this. He knew everything, yet he revealed nothing. "Let me see." Roswaal placed a long finger to his chin and tilted his head. The gesture was oddly theatrical. Deliberately so. He was doing it fully aware of what Subaru thought of him. "At present, Lady Emilia's reputation has, frankly, fallen to the ground. Simply because she is a half-elf, the populace fears 'the Witch will become king,' and the other candidates are uniting to scheme for her elimination. Support from the Mathers domain alone can no longer remedy the situation." "So... what does that have to do with me becoming the bad guy—" "Exactly as the words imply." With a speed that almost seemed to make a *whoosh*, he closed in right beside Subaru. Up close, his heterochromatic eyes looked grotesquely distorted. His voice echoed right next to Subaru's ear. "You will become an enemy pretending to be an ally. You will pose as an insider—a traitor seeking to exploit Lady Emilia. In doing so, you will be hated, and the opposing factions will draw near to you. Lady Emilia will be wounded, and as a pitiable victim, she will earn the sympathy of the people... Heh heh, not a bad script, is it?" *Script...?* "And that... will make Emilia king?" "It will indeed. The more thoroughly you become a figure of hatred, the more so." Subaru lost his words. Become a figure of hatred. Be hated by Emilia. Her silver hair, her violet eyes—all of it would come to look at him as if he were something filthy. Be hated by Rem, too. Rem was a survivor of the Oni clan, a maid. Normally exceedingly polite, but when angered, she could sprout a horn that multiplied her combat power many times over—an incredible girl. She had always called him "Subaru-kun" and relied on him. And be hated by Ram. Ram was Rem's older sister. Sharp-tongued, but fiercely loyal to her comrades. Hated... by everyone. Just imagining it sent a sharp, piercing pain through the center of his chest, like the brain-freeze from eating shaved ice. But somewhere far beneath that pain, a part of him accepted it. (*Ah, I see.*) He thought. (*That's my role, isn't it?*) Because no matter how many times he used Return by Death, he couldn't make everyone happy. If anything, just being near them caused trouble. He was holding everyone back. In that case—he should be the one to get hurt. If he alone became the villain, if everyone threw stones at him, then Emilia could smile. Rem wouldn't have to cry for him anymore. If he could make that happen, wasn't that the greatest thing he could ask for? It didn't matter what happened to him. "...Fine." His voice came out steadier than he expected. "I'll do it. I'll become the hated one. It was weird for someone like me to be beside everyone in the first place." Roswaal's left eye—the yellow one—seemed to glint. "A fine answer. Then, starting tomorrow... please treat Lady Emilia and Rem coldly, cruelly. Kill the heart that truly cherishes them so deeply." "...Yeah." Subaru nodded. He looked up at the ceiling. He wasn't going to cry. Like hell he'd cry in a place like this. "Well then, I shall take my leave." Roswaal left behind a satisfied smile and swirled his cape. There was no hesitation in his back. This man truly felt nothing about using people. He vanished into the darkness of the corridor. Just as he left, Subaru saw the corner of his mouth twist into a grin. That smile—probably one he only showed to Subaru. Something was wrong. Did Roswaal really only want to make Emilia king? If Subaru became the hated one, was Emilia really the only one who stood to gain? He didn't know. But right now—he had no choice but to cling to that. The corridor, empty of everyone. Only the moonlight was still there. Subaru leaned his back against the wall once more and slid down to sit. He remembered Emilia's smile. He remembered Rem's voice calling him "Subaru-kun." "...Sorry. I'm sorry, everyone." His voice trembled. His vision blurred, hot and stinging, the moonlight smearing. Tears spilled over. Hot droplets, one after another, traced down his cheeks and fell. He killed his voice. So no one would hear. So he wouldn't trouble anyone. He bit his lip, gripped the sleeve of his shirt tight, and cried alone, without a sound. As he cried, he thought. (*This is fine. This is the right thing.*) If he got hurt, everyone could smile. If he was hated, Emilia would be more accepted. Then this tearing pain—all of it—was just the toll for the right path. His battle—one no one would ever acknowledge—was beginning now. In the night where the clown sneered, he resolved to kill his own heart.

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Episode 1

Name: Re:Zero ― The Scapegoat's Oath: If Subaru Vowed to Put Emilia on the Throne
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