Re:Zero ― The Scapegoat's Oath: If Subaru Vowed to Put Emilia on the Throne - The Clown in the Palm of His Hand

Tap, tap, tap. The distinctive rhythm of footsteps echoed through the moonlit back garden. On the cobblestones, Natsuki Subaru's mouth hung slightly open, the taste of blood on his tongue. His body wouldn't move. His vision was blurred. But those footsteps—those, he could hear clearly. He knew them. "...Roswaal." The voice that came out of him was dry and withered. He lifted his head. Silhouetted against the pale moonlight, a tall shadow loomed over Subaru. Long, deep blue hair. Odd eyes—yellow on the left, blue on the right. White and purple clown makeup painted across the face. A thin smile plastered to the lips. "My, my, Subaru-kun. You've been roughed up quite spectacularly, haven't you? Oh dear, oh dear. How painful that looks." A syrupy, drawn-out voice. Sickeningly amused. Roswaal looked down at Subaru as if observing a broken doll. Those snake-like, narrow pupils glistened wetly, reflecting the moonlight. "...What do you want with me?" Subaru clenched his teeth, desperately trying to push himself up. But his elbows just trembled uselessly. His broken ribs gouged into his flesh from the inside with every breath. More than anything, Rem's tear-streaked face wouldn't leave his mind. *"It seems Rem's hero was never there from the start."* That voice echoed deep in his ears, spinning round and round. Roswaal nodded, satisfied. "'Want' is rather too strong a word. I merely came to give you a report. Since you truly did try so very hard." "...A report?" "The plan is proceeding smoothly." Those words dropped into Subaru's chest like cold lead. A terrible premonition spread through his wounded body, black and viscous. "What do you mean?" Roswaal snapped his fingers. A small orb of light floated up, illuminating Subaru's face. Roswaal spread his arms wide, theatrical as an actor on stage. "I am saying that everything has gone exactly according to my script. Arranging for you to appear as a traitor, guiding Rem into striking you down—all of it." Subaru's thoughts ground to a halt. "...What... did you..." "It was I who arranged for Rem to catch you meeting the spy Darwin in the back garden." Roswaal's voice was calm, utterly devoid of emotion. "Oni have keen noses, you see. The timing of Rem following your scent to the back garden, the moment she would discover you in the middle of divulging Emilia-sama's weaknesses to Darwin—all of it, calculated precisely by me." "...Why... would you..." "Why, because it was all meant to be witnessed, of course. Lurking deep in those bushes were not only Rem, but several spies from noble society. They observed, in meticulous detail, the entire scene of Rem sprouting her oni horn and beating you to a pulp. Fufufu." Roswaal pressed a hand to his mouth, his shoulders quivering as if stifling laughter. "Information is already flowing toward the royal capital. A scandal: 'An internal schism has occurred within the Emilia camp.' 'A servant nearly killed her master candidate's knight.'" His mind went completely blank. Subaru just stared at the cobblestones beneath him. His eyes wouldn't focus. Cold air crept up through the gaps between the stones, freezing him to his very core. He had thought he'd done it all by his own will. Being cold to Emilia, earning Ram's hatred, being beaten by Rem. He'd thought it was all a path he had chosen. "Your endurance as the villain bearing all the blame, Rem's rampage—all of it... a picture painted by me." "...You're lying." His voice trembled. "It's no lie. You are merely a pawn. From the very beginning, and all along." "I said you're lying!!" Subaru screamed. His broken ribs made a sickening crunch. Blood-flecked spittle flew from his mouth. But Roswaal's smile didn't waver in the slightest. Those odd eyes simply observed Subaru intently. As if watching an insect inside a cage. "Ah, now that I think of it, I haven't told you yet, have I?" Roswaal slowly crouched down right in front of Subaru's eyes. The clown's face loomed close. Beneath the makeup, his real face was utterly unreadable. "My true goal is not to make Emilia-sama the ruler." "...Huh?" "It is to kill the Dragon." Roswaal said it casually, as if discussing the weather. "The Divine Dragon Volcanica. The symbol of the covenant that protects this kingdom. My fervent wish for four hundred years has been to kill that dragon. If Emilia-sama becomes ruler, an opportunity to get close to the Dragon will arise. The Royal Selection is nothing more than a stepping stone toward that end." The meaning of the words wouldn't sink in. "Ah, and one more thing." Roswaal casually hooked a finger under Subaru's chin. A cold, chilly finger. He forced Subaru's face upward. "That power of yours—the power to return upon death. I know about it. Use it as many times as you like. You'll just revive anyway, no matter how many times it takes." Thump. His heart felt like it had been crushed. But this time, it wasn't because of the Witch's curse. It was pure, unadulterated terror. "...You... you knew about it, and still..." "I knew, and I made use of it. All along. You are a convenient disposable tool. No matter how many times you break, you return good as new once you die. Don't you think that makes you the perfect pawn?" Roswaal stood up. "Well then, please continue to do your best. Subaru-kun." Tap, tap, tap. The footsteps receded into the distance. Subaru was left alone on the cobblestones. His whole body ached. The broken bones, the torn flesh—all of it throbbed with searing heat. But the worst pain wasn't in his body. "...Haha." A sound escaped him. He didn't know himself if it was laughter or a sob. He had broken Rem. He had hurt Emilia. He had killed his own heart. And all of it—all of it—had been in the palm of Roswaal's hand. "...Don't screw with me." Subaru finally tried to stand. But his knees buckled and slammed against the stone. Both hands trembled on the cobblestones. His body refused to obey. "Don't screw with me... don't screw with me...!" Every time he screamed, his broken ribs stabbed into his lungs, and the taste of blood spread through his mouth. Even so, he couldn't stop screaming. He hadn't seen through it. Any of it. Any of it at all. Roswaal's words spun endlessly in his head. *"You are merely a pawn."* *"No matter how many times you break, you return good as new once you die."* *"Not to make Emilia-sama the ruler."* He pressed his forehead against the cobblestones. Cold. Painful. But that pain was the only thing tethering him to reality right now. "...I'm sorry, Rem... Emilia..." He killed his voice and wept. Every time a sound threatened to escape, he clenched his teeth. Bit his lip. Tasted blood. Tears fell onto the cobblestones, plip-plop, glittering as they reflected the moonlight. Had it all been for nothing? His suffering, his resolve—all of it, all of it—in the palm of that clown's hand. Despair slowly sank into the core of his body. He didn't even have the strength to move a single finger anymore. ...But. At the edge of his mind, something burned—small, faint, crackling. A dying ember. It wasn't over yet. Not a pawn moving according to Roswaal's plan, but something he could do on his own two feet— (...It's not over yet.) Subaru scraped at the cobblestones with trembling fingers. His nails split, blood seeping out. But that pain was proof that he was still alive. In his battered head, faintly, he began to think of something. Only the moonlight continued to shine quietly upon Subaru, unable to move. From inside the mansion, no voices could be heard. There was no one left who would worry about Subaru and come out into the garden at this hour of the night. Total isolation. Total despair. But at the very bottom of that abyss, deep within Subaru's eyes, that small ember still smoldered.

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Episode 5

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

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