Chapter 3 - The fight and revelation

Subaru's new-found power helps him get rid of his attackers, but at what cost?

Chapter 3

The sun was beginning to descend, and the darkness was slowly engulfing the clear skies. Meanwhile, Subaru was toiling arduously as he had to carry a s**t-load of exquisite Karagi groceries, while Ram was walking beside him with the same stoic expression as always. Subaru was trying to distract himself with something so that the burden would lessen somewhat.

'Those slender hands, white as the moonlight itself; such a cute face. The red eyes… they were looking at… me?' He shook his head as he noticed... that she had noticed him.

"Barusu, if you look at me with those perverted eyes again, I would gouge them out and leave you in the wilderness."

"I was not… Well, yes, I did look at you and was having thoughts about you, but they weren't perverted!"

"If I even come into your mind, it's an insult for me. I don't know what sort of things you may be doing in your mind to me."

"I told you I was not having such thoughts! Besides, what do you have to qualify as someone whom a guy will have perverted thoughts of?"

"So the guy with scary eyes thinks I am not attractive enough?"

"It's not that. You are very beautiful, but your beauty isn't measurable by how you look, or whether you're seductive enough. You are weak… no, not that, you can still cause carnage and destroy me in a split second, but still… compared to other magical beings, you are. You can't store mana by yourself, and that gives you a big disadvantage, yet instead of sitting in a room all day, drowning in despair… unlike someone like me, you take control; even if it's trivial things, you do it. That's the thing I like about you. That's why you are beautiful… not because you are cute or something! Besides, you are the living example of a 'tsundere' character in anime…."

'Where's he going with this?' Ram thought, secretly quite pleased.

"You always insult me and reprimand me for trivial things. But inside, you were looking for someone whom you can vent out all your anger. I want you to know I am there for you. I will keep on absorbing your insults, although it sometimes hurts too much, but I really want to be there for you!" Subaru said. "Ouch!"

Subaru cried as Ram hit him on his head with her wand.

"Just get these to the carriage already. I can't let you slack off by giving out all these false flattery."

"But…"

Ram had already out-paced Subaru by that point, walking awkwardly fast for someone her size. But one thing was certain, as only she could feel… 'What am I getting all flustered for? Why am I grinning? Someone… can someone please kill me already?'

As the carriage drew towards Irlam Village, the starry sky had enveloped the skies completely. It was cold, verily so, especially because they were out in the wild and exposed to the biting wind, blowing through the gaps among the high number of trees. Ram's face showed an expression of irritation, as her mana had depleted significantly, eliciting a sense of unease for the exact reason Subaru had just mentioned in his foolish attempt to woo her.

Subaru was looking outside, looking quite comfortable in his P.T jacket, as it was enough to keep his upper body generally warm. Ram was trying to stop her irritation due to the temperature by trying to sleep. It was all in vain, though. Due to the mana depletion, her body wasn't able to warm her from insides and she was shivering uncontrollably.

As she was frowning with closed eyes, she felt something being placed on her, something warm. She opened her eyes to see Subaru only an inch away from her. He had placed his jacket on her. 'How did he know I was feeling cold?'

"I have known you for a good amount of time, my sleeping beauty. Keep that façade for someone else." And then he moved back to his own seat.

Ram was crying from the inside. 'What is he doing to me? So cheesy! Cheesy! I want to hit him now. How dare he make a move on me?! I have only vented my anger at him all this time; I have made his time miserable, then why? So this was what Rem was talking about…' Thinking thus, she fell asleep, this time for real.

The journey was going really well. Patrasche was a good runner; her divine protection was more than enough to make it to the mansion in an hour or so. But something made her stop abruptly, before she gave out a shrill cry of anger. Ram woke up, rubbing her eyes. "What's up, Barusu?" Sheasked.

"Let me check it out," he said, jumping out. He leaned ahead to see something, but unlike modern Japan, there were no lights here. However, he had his Meteor, which was his infamous 'Smartphone'.

He activated the flashlight. The light weakly illuminated the front , as some shadows moved under it; they were all hooded, with their clothes stretched to their legs with gleaming red eyes.

'F**k.'

They're witch cultists.

'I need to warn Ram.' Subaru was about to turn, when two shadowy figures leapt out at him.

"Hey, Ley, don't we have a rather interesting prey to hunt tonight? He looks waaaaaaaaay delicious," the one with disheveled brown hair said, his hands carrying two short swords which were so sharp they were gleaming in the night.

"Now, come on. That sweet scent, the very essence of which is being emitted from his soul, is making my mouth water," the other one continued. This one was a short boy with his hair extending femininely to his thighs.

They both had the same dirty grin which showed their razor-like sharp teeth which could have gnawed even rock to pieces.

'I hope I don't have to deal with those teeth in the fight…' Subaru thought, trying desperately to connect with his Gate.

"Looks like someone is trying to put up a fight! Well, I would have liked the meal to be without cuts and scratches…"

"Before I, Natsuki Subaru, the Knight of Emilia-tan's camp, render you with broken teeth and handicapped bones, I would like you all to retreat from wherever s**t hole you came from!" Subaru said with a determined pose. But inside, he was shaking like a leaf. He had no power, but if he could find out a weakness or two…

Still, was he really ready to die that many times now?

"'Subaru'?, I wanted to meet someone who made the great Elsa taste defeat for so long!" The second person's crazed eyes clearly showed some recognition to his name. "Sorry, we never told you our name, did we? I am Ley, and this is Roy. We are the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony." the one with extremely long hair said.

Subaru's began to have goosebumps all over his body. The battle with a single Archbishop was already so difficult, but now he has to face two vicious looking children, who were speaking of making a meal out of him so casually?. Here, there was no one with him, either to fight alongside or to help, unlike Julius who helped him last time out.

Patrasche simply snorted, ready to attack.

Subaru closed his eyes and exhaled all his worries away. 'Come, fate! Come at me with all you've have got!' Subaru thought, dashing for Ley and Roy.

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[barleygirl]

The first few paragraphs sound exactly like the preceding chapter . . . I'll let you figure out what's wrong here . . .