It was early morning, the sun rising steadily, painting the sky in warm, golden hues. Birds sang their morning songs, their melodies drifting through the crisp air, welcoming the new day. A gentle breeze wove through the surroundings, stirring the leaves and slipping into the mansion. Sunlight streamed through the windows, causing them to glimmer softly as it illuminated the grand halls.
Outside, the residents of Roswaal's mansion—except for Beatrice—stood gathered near the front steps leading to the entrance
"Subaru, Rem, I can't thank you both enough for your help. You've really lifted a huge weight off my shoulders, and I honestly don't know how I would have managed without you,"
"No problem at all! To be honest, I'm relieved the mansion is the way it was; I was half expecting it to have been burned down or something."
It had been a full day since their return to the mansion, and they were now getting ready to head to the Sanctuary.
Once things had calmed down and they felt settled, Subaru expressed his eagerness to go to the Sanctuary as soon as possible, growing impatient to speak with the clown and to bring back the people of Arlam.
While Rem supported him, wanting to reunite with her sister, Emilia suddenly disagreed, stating that although reaching the Sanctuary was important, they should take some time to rest while they were here, especially since Ram seemed to be doing fine.
Frederica backed Emilia, mentioning that they had been working hard dealing with the witch cult and the villagers, and deserved a break to unwind for a bit.
Otto also sided with Frederica, expressing his desire to rest a little before setting out, and it definitely wasn't because he was unprepared to meet Roswaal and negotiate the purchase of all that off-season oil he had foolishly bought.
After some back and forth, Rem was swayed, and seeing that he was outnumbered, Subaru reluctantly agreed to stay in the mansion for a while longer.
During their stay, everyone excluding Frederica bore witness to the sheer disorder and trashness of the mansion.
The kitchen was an utter mess, with random items and junk strewn about the countertops and the floor. food and other dried items were also there on the ground.
Some of the rooms were dusty, the bed covers desperately needed to be changed, and the garden was a mess, with the small trees that lined up the mansion's wall poorly trimmed.
Subaru was impressed at how one maid could actually mess up the place that bad in the span of a little bit more than a week.
So, despite Frederica's initial protestests, Subaru and Rem took it upon themselves to help out with the cleaning, getting everything clean and back in order.
"Subaru-kun! Nee-sama is Diligent, hardworking, and lovely! She would never let things get this bad!" Rem protested, defending her sister from the slander.
Subaru and Frederica, even Emilia who was standing at the side, did not buy her words at all. Slacking off to take naps or tea breaks every hour is hardly the characteristic of diligence.
Subaru went and rubbed the maid's head, "Awww~ Remmy, you're so cute when you defend your sister like that! Please never change!" He cooed at the maid, causing a blush to spread across her face.
Frederica cast a knowing look on the scene, a smirk adorning her face. Emilia just looked on stoically.
"Subaru-sama, Emilia-sama, Rem-sama, the carriage is ready for departure," the merchant, Otto, called out from the front, making him stop teasing the oni.
"Alright, we're coming. Emilia, Rem, let's go," he said, calling out to the merchant, both Rem and Subaru heading to him.
"These two get along nicely, don't they?" Frederica said, a knowing tone in her voice. Her sharp smile filled with mischief.
Emilia nodded slowly at her words, "They do. Rem and Subaru spend a lot of time with each other and are veeeery close."
This feeling Emilia didn't quite like had returned, and she felt a tightness in her chest.
Wanting that feeling to go away, Emilia turned to Frederica and said, "Frederica, the mansion isn't the mansion too big for you? Do you think you can take care of it on your own?" she said, her tone tinged with concern.
"I appreciate your concern for me, Emilia-sama. But don't worry, I have sent out a job offer for a servant in the surrounding area. I'm certain someone is bound to come in no time," she smoothly assured the half-elf's worries.
"Anyhow, before you leave, I wanted to give you this," Frederica reached a hand in her pocket and pulled out a necklace with a slight dark blue mana stone adorned with an intricate design.
"What's this?" she asked, slowly reaching for the necklace and taking it from her hand. Her fingers brushed against the stone, feeling the mana inside of it.
"The Sanctuary is surrounded by a barrier that keeps it safe from outside dangers. This necklace will help you specifically get past the barrier in the forest and enter the Sanctuary safely," she answered.
"And Emilia." The aforementioned girl turned to look at the maid, her expression an uncharacteristic seriousness. "I haven't gotten the chance before, but what I'm about to tell you is something you shouldn't forget while you're traveling there."
"Beware of the one that goes by the name of 'Garfiel.' At the Sanctuary, he is the one whom you'll have to treat with the most carefulness."
Emilia absorbed Frederica's words, mulling over them before she stared seriously at the maid. "I understand. Thank you for your warning, Frederica."
The maid bowed at Emilia. "You're welcome. And take care during your travels, Emilia-sama."
With a nod, Emilia went over to the parked carriage and climbed inside. The polished exterior gleamed under the sunlight as the carriages lurched forward, departing the estate and heading toward the Forest of Kremaldy, where the Sanctuary awaited.
Frederica stood by the gate, watching as the carriage slowly shrank into the distance until it disappeared entirely.
Once it was gone, she reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope—plain, yet sealed with the emblem of the Mathers family.
"The future of the Sanctuary depends on you, Emilia-sama. I can do nothing but pray for your success," she murmured, before turning away and walking down the path.
---------------------------------
The carriage rolled along the dirt road, steadily making its way towards the Sanctuary as per the guidance of Frederica.
Inside the carriage, Subaru sat beside Emilia and Rem, seemingly unaware of Otto's unease. His gaze lingered on Emilia—not in admiration, but curiosity.
"Hey, Emilia," he called out, catching her attention. "What's that necklace you're wearing? I don't think I've seen it before."
"Oh, this?" she replied, her fingers brushing against the mana stone on the necklace that rested above the one containing her father.
"Frederica said that there's a barrier around the Sanctuary for protection. This necklace is supposed to help me get through it safely."
"A barrier? First time I heard about that. When did she tell you about it?" he asked.
Back at the mansion, their discussions had mostly revolved around whether to leave immediately or stay—after Frederica and Rem returned, and he had spent most of yesterday tidying up the mansion with Rem.
"Just before we left the mansion," she answered.
"Ah, right. I should have stayed to listen... What exactly does this barrier do?" he murmured the first part.
"I don't know, Frederica hasn't told me. Just said that I have to wear it to get past it safely." She said,
"Actually, Rem knows what it does." The oni-maid interjected, causing their attention to be directed to her.
"You do? What does this barrier do then?" Subaru asked.
"The barrier has an ability which makes any outsiders get lost, which prevents them from entering to keep the sanctuary safe and secured. It's the reason why this forest is called 'The Lost Forest of Kremaldy'"
Subaru hummed as he absorbed the information. "So that's what it's called. I guess it's a fitting name, since people do tend to get lost there."
He then turned to the front window, where Otto sat, "You heard that, Otto? People really do get lost there! Feeling nervous now?"
There was a brief silence before Otto responded. "Not at all! With Frederica-san's guidance, I'm confident we'll reach the Sanctuary without any issues."
Subaru blinked before grinning. "Looks like you've grown a pair, Otto. Keep it up, and I might follow up on my promise and put up a nice word for you."
"Wait, you weren't planning to do that?!" Otto exclaimed indignantly, while Subaru snickered and shut the window.
Rem and even Emilia exchanged amused glances. Otto Suwen was always fun to tease. Emilia started to wonder what Subaru felt whenever he teased her.
"So, Rem, what more can you tell us about the Sanctuary? I want to know everything before we reach there," he asked, turning to the oni.
Rem placed a hand to her chin, tilting her head cutely, a thoughtful expression on her face before responding.
"Well, the Sanctuary is, as its name suggests, a sanctuary. A small village of demi-humans live there, safe and isolated from the outside world. Rem and Nee-sama have visited multiple times in the past…"
As Rem talked about the Sanctuary, Emilia tuned her out, staring down at her knees, her hands clasped tightly together.
She may not have shown it, but with everything happening so fast one after another, Emilia felt tired, lost and confused.
In a matter of days, Puck had all but abandoned her, the Witch Cult had nearly attacked her home, aiming to kill her, and now she was heading toward the Sanctuary—another place where she might face the discrimination that had followed her all her life like a shadow. And then there was Roswaal and his disappearance.
So many things happening at once, and many more to come, yet so little time to make any sense of them, it made her feel disoriented. Deeply so.
She wanted nothing more than to turn around and go back to the mansion, lie down on her bed, and drift off to eternal slumber.
The only thing stopping Emilia was the promise she made when she reconciled with Subaru.
It took the soft sensation of something holding her hands that she was brought back to reality, She turned to the side and saw Rem's worried blue eyes.
"Emilia-sama, you don't look well. Are you okay?"
Emilia glanced to the side, noticing Subaru watching her with concern. She softly shook her head before offering a small smile.
"I'm fine, it's just... I'm a little nervous, I guess."
Subaru frowned slightly. "Are you sure? We called your name multiple times, but you never responded. That doesn't sound like nervousness to me."
The way she had ignored him and Rem—it was as if she had shut everyone out, retreating into her own world.
And her eyes looked cloudy, lost.
Emilia blinked at that. Had she really been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed them?
She shot him a reassuring smile, forcing as much determination into her expression as possible. "Subaru, I'm reeeally fine, okay? I really am. Because I have both of you by my side."
Subaru and Rem exchanged glances before looking back at her. They weren't convinced, but if she insisted, all they could do was to hang back and support her in any way they could.
"Excuse me," the sound of Otto took their attention as the window slid open, "We're in the forest now,"
And on cue, the trio looked outside the window and saw thick trees surrounding the patch of dirt that acted as the road.
"The lost Forest of Kremaldy… I guess we're here then," Subaru commented.
He turned to the maid. "Rem, can you check up on your sister for me? I want to make sure she's safe."
Rem closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. "Nee-sama is fine. She knows we are coming and is patiently waiting for us."
"Good, at least nothing has happened to her. Is the Sanctuary as safe as you really said?"
"Actually," Emilia spoke up, catching their attention. "There was something else Frederica told me before we left. She told me to 'beware of Garfiel' and to be careful around him."
Subaru blinked as he heard the name. 'Garfiel? Like Garfield the cat?' He quickly shook his head—this was not the time to think about coincidental references.
"That won't be an issue." Rem had a knowing look once she heard the name.
"Why? Do you know who this Garfiel guy is?" he questioned, and she nodded.
"Yes, Garfiel is—"
Rem was cut off before as brilliant light radiated from Emilia's necklace, illuminating the carriage and capturing everyone's attention.
Seeing the sudden glow, Emilia panicked a little. "U-um—W-what is this?" she asked, looking at both of them.
Seeing the worried look in her eyes, Subaru felt his stomach drop. "I don't know, and I have a bad feeling about it!"
"M-maybe we've reached the barrier and it's reacting to it?! Frederica-san did say it will help Emilia-sama enter the Sanctuary safely," Rem offered an explanation.
While it made some sense, it didn't ease Subaru's unease. Judging by her expression, she didn't fully believe her own words either.
So he opted not to do anything reckless and to wait, observing the situation. Rem and Emilia shared the same concern and chose to watch the necklace.
Then suddenly, without warning, Emilia's eyes rolled back, and she slumped forward—stopped just in time by a panicked maid.
"Emilia!" Subaru shouted as he saw Emilia lose her consciousness.
"E-Emilia-sama! Are you okay?!" Rem called out, and Subaru stood up, now panicking.
"Umm—can someone tell me what's going on?" Otto hesitantly called from the front, hearing the commotion that was happening behind him, but was ignored.
"That's it! Sorry Emilia, but I'm gonna have to borrow that necklace!" Fully focused on the unconscious half-elf, Subaru reached for the necklace, his fingers brushing against the gem—only for the glow to intensify to a blinding degree, forcing him to shield his eyes.
He suddenly felt weightless as his body jerked forward—it was the same sensation as when he teleports around.
Then, as quick as a click, the glow vanished. Subaru blinked multiple times, trying to clear the sting from his eyes, rubbing them as reverse cursed technique worked to heal them.
"What the—!" When he finally regained his vision, his head turned wildly as he looked everywhere. He was surrounded by thick foliage and towering trees, he saw no road, no carriage—nothing.
He was completely alone, separated from everyone.
In a forest where people get lost and never return.
He felt sick.