He had to deal with Natsuki Subaru first.
And so, Roswaal suddenly raised his voice: “My, my~ It seems this is all the enemy’s blood.
I never would have guessed that Subaru-kun, despite looking so frail, possesses such extraordinary strength~” He reached out, placing a hand on Subaru’s shoulder.
“There’s no need to be so distant.
Since you’ve come here, a most warm welcome to you!
As Lady Emilia’s savior, you are an honored guest of this mansion!” Saying so, Roswaal looked up toward the sky, quietly calculating his subsequent plans in his heart.
He then continued: “Subaru-kun, I deeply apologize for not being able to introduce everything properly to you right now.
As it is already late, let us set various matters aside for now.
Please get a good night’s rest, and we shall discuss everything tomorrow.” With that, he raised his hand and instructed: “Rem!
Hurry and take Lord Subaru to the finest guest room on the second floor.
Attend to him well, and do not mistreat our honored guest!” “S-Subaru?
‘Lord’ Subaru?!” Subaru’s expression broke down in sheer shock, his hands waving wildly in overwhelmed embarrassment.
“No, no, no!
Just call me Natsuki Subaru!
I can’t possibly accept being called ‘Lord’!” He turned in a panic to look at Emilia, his eyes completely pleading for help.
*Your household’s master is way too enthusiastic.* “Subaru, it’s fine.
Tonight, just listen to Roswaal and get some good rest,” Emilia replied with a smile.
At this moment, Rem bowed slightly, stepped to Subaru’s side, and raised a hand to indicate the direction.
“Please follow me, Mr.
Subaru.” Subaru hadn’t quite recovered, remaining flustered and frantic.
As he walked behind Rem, he turned his head back repeatedly: “Then I’ll be heading off first!
Sorry for the trouble, everyone!” It wasn’t until they turned the corner of the hallway that he let out a sigh of relief, clutching his chest as he muttered in a low voice, lingering dread in his heart: “My goodness, that Margrave’s appearance is way too terrifying…
yet he’s unexpectedly friendly.” Emilia watched the direction he departed, softly advising: “Rest easy.
Roswaal’s mansion is very safe, there won’t be any problems.” With that, she nodded toward Roswaal and Ram, then made her way toward her own room.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Rem was guiding Subaru down the path, her footsteps steady.
Along the way, Subaru looked all around, truly witnessing what a noble’s mansion looked like for the first time.
Wealthy, ornate, flamboyant, grand.
These words couldn’t be more fitting to describe this place.
By contrast, he looked like a little brat who had never seen the world.
Before long, Rem brought Subaru to the guest room.
“This is your room.
Please step inside.” She pushed open the door and stepped aside, offering a brief explanation: “Lord Roswaal’s mansion is very safe.
Please rest easy and do not wander around recklessly.
If you need anything, you may call for us.” Her tone was purely businesslike, not once making eye contact with Subaru throughout the entire exchange.
After speaking, she prepared to leave, clean and succinct.
“W-Wait a moment!” Subaru called out to her.
Rem stopped in her tracks and tilted her head slightly, that standard, unvarying smile still plastered on her face.
“Thank you,” Subaru scratched his head, smiling a bit foolishly.
“Also, my name is Natsuki Subaru.
I’m not some suspicious person.” Rem remained silent for a few seconds, then gave a gentle nod, the curve of her lips not shifting in the slightest.
“Rest well, Mr.
Subaru.
Tomorrow, I may be the one to give you a tour of the mansion.” With that, she pulled the door shut softly and turned to leave, her movements extremely faint.
The moment the door clicked shut, the smile on Subaru’s face vanished entirely.
He stood with his back pressed against the door for a moment, rubbed his nose, and whispered under his breath, his heart full of doubts: “I feel like…
something is kind of off.” Having been repeatedly reminded by Diavolo, he had deliberately paid attention to the expressions of those around him just now.
While he couldn’t be considered exceptionally sharp, he could still pick up on a few anomalies.
To Subaru, Rem’s smile was far too formulaic, as if painted on, without a trace of warmth beneath her eyes.
Even underneath Ram’s cold demeanor, there seemed to hide a subtle, almost imperceptible sense of guard.
However, in Subaru’s eyes, these weren’t major issues.
He simply assumed that strangers would naturally be on guard when meeting him for the first time.
Perhaps it was just basic maid etiquette?
He couldn’t very well doubt someone based purely on a hunch, right?
Yet just because he couldn’t see through it clearly didn’t mean Diavolo inside him couldn’t understand it.
Having once ruled over the massive mafia organization “Passione,” he could read all types of human minds at a single glance.
Beneath Rem’s eyes surged a dense, boiling hatred.
*Could it be that this brat experienced ‘foreseeing the future’ and deliberately hid it from me?* To avoid drawing that mysterious girl’s attention, even when thinking internally, he deliberately avoided using the phrase “Return by Death.” *No, that’s highly unlikely.
If time had truly restarted, I would definitely have noticed a change in him—unless this brat has gone through thousands of loops, so deep that even I cannot see through it.* Yet upon careful thought, the probability of such a scenario was vanishingly small.
In that case, there was only one most reasonable conclusion left.
This mansion itself was the problem.
This was a trap.
Emilia was the bait to lure someone onto the hook, and Subaru was the prey taking the bait.
By now, Subaru was already lying on the bed.
“So comfortable.” The softness of the mattress was far beyond imagination—as expected of a mansion where a Margrave resided.
Furthermore, the interior decor was luxurious; it truly lived up to being the finest room.
“Brat, have you noticed anything unusual?” Diavolo spoke, testing the waters.
“Ah, Boss, everything looks normal so far, except Roswaal is just a bit over-enthusiastic.” “Is that so?
Then how many times has this been for you, experiencing ‘foreseeing the future’?” Subaru hadn’t expected Diavolo to bring this up so suddenly, hesitating for a moment.
It wasn’t that he was intentionally hiding it, but rather that experience was far too painful and humiliating; he simply didn’t wish to recall it.
In the end, he spoke slowly, his expression somewhat embarrassed: “Boss, it’s already the second time triggering foreseeing the future.
The first time, I died under the claws of a giant white beast, and the second time, I was stabbed to death by street thugs, cough cough.” To die so sloppily left Diavolo momentarily speechless.
“Brat, you must never grow careless.
Even if you possess the ability to ‘foresee the future,’ you must never belittle the perils brought by death.” Diavolo spoke in a grave tone, believing he had to repeatedly hammer this warning into Subaru.
Even if an ordinary person personally experienced life and death, their mind and character would struggle to mature and grow in a short period.
Even if they had undergone multiple near-death experiences, it remained the same.
“Ah, Boss, I’ve never dared to belittle death.
The pain of being stabbed by those street thugs last time is still vivid in my mind.
I don’t ever want to experience death again in my life.” Recalling the scene from back then, Subaru couldn’t help but shiver.
Seeing such a genuine reaction from Subaru, Diavolo felt slightly at ease.
It seemed he wasn’t a Subaru who had undergone countless loops while keeping all secrets hidden to himself.
“That’s good.
Brat, remember my words: never abandon the desire to live.” After all, their lives and deaths were bound together.
“Huh?
Why are you suddenly saying something like that?” Subaru was filled with confusion.
Usually, Diavolo was consistently cold and overbearing; to suddenly display warmth like this actually made him thoroughly unaccustomed.
“Have you never deeply investigated the source of your ability, its activation conditions, and its limitations?” “Well…
the activation condition is obviously *that*, and as for the source and restrictions…” Subaru suddenly remembered that mysterious girl’s voice.
The other party had said that Return by Death was a secret belonging exclusively to the two of them.
Had Diavolo not brought it up on his own initiative, he wouldn’t have wanted to recall that conversation at all.
“It seems you know nothing yourself.
Based on my deductions, the source of your ability is mostly related to that girl, but the core control ultimate rests in your hands.” “You initially called it a superpower.
And to reliably activate ‘foreseeing the future,’ in my view, the most crucial aspect is firmly believing that the ability will take effect.
Otherwise, you might welcome true, absolute death.” “This alternate world is fraught with danger, and death often comes unexpectedly with no way to avoid it.
Your ability is a superb intelligence channel that can help us evade danger.” “And when it comes to facing life and death directly, I possess experience far beyond that of ordinary men…” “If you are terrified of facing death, I can shoulder all the peril for you.
For me, death has long been a daily occurrence.” Diavolo’s tone was arrogant and detached, as composed as one who had weathered countless deaths.
After all, in the past…
Death was like the wind, always by his side.