Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 4/Synopsis

Prologue: The Fool's Pride
The beginning opens with Subaru in an intense duel with an unknown person only is he getting beaten so badly that he's barely conscious, yet despite his injuries Subaru refuses to give up.

Chapter 1: Return to the Royal Capital
Several days after the fight with the Wolgarms, Subaru was at the village, participating in radio exercises with the villagers, and once he finished he stamped the children's cards and joined Emilia to return to the mansion. On the way back, they reflected on the past events, including the fact that Subaru had introduced everyone to the concept of mayonnaise, which proved to be a huge hit. Upon arriving at the mansion, the two of them saw an elderly man with a dragon carriage in front of the gate, who informed them that a messenger with news about the Royal Selection was already inside. Subaru tried to accompany Emilia to the meeting with the messenger, however Rem told him to wait in his room, causing him to go back outside to spend some time with the elderly man instead.

Talking with the elderly man outside, Subaru learned that his name was Wilhelm, however he refused to tell Subaru anything about their visit, as he didn't know how important he was in the mansion. A short while later, Rem and a cat eared girl exited the mansion, and after the girl recognized Subaru, she hugged him from behind to check the water in his body, giving him a soft bite on the ear as a "service". She was surprised when she saw that he didn't understand what she meant, prompting her to tease him, nonetheless she left when Wilhelm told her it was time. Returning to the meeting room, Subaru pleaded to go to the royal capital with Emilia, a reaction both she and Roswaal expected. Although Emilia was reluctant, Roswaal ordered her to take Subaru, but he made sure to add that he was only going there to be treated.

On their way back, Wilhelm asked if Ferris managed to do her job properly, prompting her to point out that she would never fail an order from Crusch. She then commented on his little chat with Subaru, remarking that she didn't expect the two to talk, and claimed that Wilhelm hated to talk with people. When he told her what she claimed was a misunderstanding, she revised her comment, telling him that he liked to cut people instead of talking with them, causing him to once again point out that it was a misunderstanding.

Dissatisfied with being brushed off, Ferris asked him if he enjoyed talking with Subaru instead, adding that she didn't think he was that special. To her surprise, Wilhelm agreed with her comment, confirming that Subaru wasn't special at all. Wilhelm explained that the reason he was interested in Subaru was because he had the eyes of someone who'd come back from death, which was something he had never seen before. Ferris didn't really understand his answer, nonetheless she commented that Subaru had a rough path ahead of him, as she claimed that being liked by Wilhelm was the same as being captivated by a witch.

Two days later, Subaru, Emilia, Roswaal, and Rem left for the royal capital, leaving Ram and Beatrice behind to manage the mansion. On the way there, Subaru worried about Rem, who was outside the carriage driving the Earth Dragon, prompting both Emilia and Roswaal to explain the concept of Divine Protections to him. This got his hopes up, though they were quickly dashed when Emilia told him he didn't have one. Eventually Subaru wanted to look out the window, causing Rem to invite him next to her, an offer he accepted, however he heard her warning not to lean too far away from the dragon carriage a little too late, resulting in him flying off due to the overwhelming speed the wind was flowing at around them. Fortunately he was saved by Rem's weapon and decided to behave himself for the rest of the journey.

Chapter 2: Blessings, Reunions and Promises
Upon arriving at the royal capital, Emilia forced Subaru to hold hands with her, as she didn't trust him by himself, believing that he'd go off and do something if he was left alone. Unfortunately for them, they were holding hands in front of Kadomon's store, causing him to tell them to stop flirting and go away, however he eventually remembered their promise and sold Subaru some appas. A short while later, the two made their way to the guard barracks, where they met Julius Juukulius of the Royal Guard, who Subaru took an immediate disliking to. Subaru tried to accompany them inside but was told by Emilia to wait outside, leading to him fantasizing of punishing Julius in the event that Emilia became king, however he decided to leave when he saw a girl being taken into an alley.

To his surprise, the girl refused his help, going as far to throw him against a wall when he tried to take her with him, claiming that she would do as she pleased. He then recognized the thugs that dragged the girl into the alley as Ton, Chin, and Kan, making him wonder if they were the only thugs in the royal capital. The girl's attitude, coupled with the thugs remembering who Subaru was after a hint, forced him to bring out his "trump card", which was telling the thugs that he was supposedly best friends with Reinhard. Not wanting to fight Reinhard, the thugs retreated for the time being, though they returned later when they realized that Subaru was lying, forcing the two to run from them. Fortunately they were saved by Rom and succeeded in escaping from the thugs.

Having met Rom for the first time in a while, Subaru took a little time to chat with him, telling him that Felt had been taken by Reinhard, and in exchange Rom guided them back to the main street partway, leaving the two of them when they came close. At the main street, the two ran into Emilia and Al, who had been working together to find their missing companions. After Priscilla and Al left, Emilia asked Subaru why he'd been with Priscilla, but before he could answer the thugs led by Ton managed to find them, though they were quickly annihilated by Rem, who arrived from the air. Elsewhere, the thug group led by Chin and Kan found Priscilla, though like the other group they were annihilated, this time by Al.

Chapter 3: On the Very Worst of Terms
The next morning, Emilia refused to let Subaru come with her to the discussion about the Royal Selection, ordering Rem to keep watch over him. However, Rem, due to Roswaal's order to not stop Subaru, turned a blind eye to his actions and allowed him to chase after her. Despite having left the room, he had no idea how to get to or into the castle, however fortunately for him he ran into Al, who offered to help him get into the castle. Deciding to accept his assistance, Subaru left a message for Rom with Kadomon, telling him to wait as he would search for Felt in the castle. While in Priscilla's dragon carriage, he correctly guessed that she was a candidate to become the king, and learned that Al had also been summoned to a different world. Once they reached the castle, she introduced Subaru to the guards as the person in charge of giving her appa, allowing him access inside as her servant. Emilia was shocked to see Subaru, nevertheless he was allowed to stay with Roswaal's help, and the discussion began as soon as the members of the Council of Wise Men arrived.

Joining the rest of the knights, Subaru met Reinhard and Ferris again, then glared at Julius who he thought was a rival in love. Marcos Gildark, the captain of the Royal Guard, began the discussion, but was cut short by Anastasia Hoshin right after the presentation of the insignias, who cited a waste of time. Nonetheless, after a small discussion, Marcos continued on with his speech, apologizing for his disrespect at the end, which Anastasia told him not to worry about. He then had Reinhard report on the discovery of the fifth candidate, introducing Felt to everyone present, and proved it by giving her an insignia, which immediately started glowing in her hand.

Chapter 4: The Candidates and Their Knights
Rickert protested her candidacy, commenting that she wasn't worthy, prompting Miklotov to have Reinhard give everyone the details behind the discovery. Upon learning that she was from the slums, Rickert increased his protests, however he was shocked when he noticed she had the features of the Royal Family, and withdrew when he saw that Reinhard was resolved to support her. To everyone's surprise, Felt refused to be a candidate, leading to an argument between her and Priscilla. Emilia tried to stop the argument, causing Priscilla to insult her, forcing Reinhard and Al to step in to prevent it from getting worse.

Following the altercation, Miklotov brought the topic back to the Royal Selection, asking Crusch to begin with her speech. Subaru, hearing that Ferris' name was Felix, remarked to Reinhard that she had a male like name, to which he told him that Ferris was indeed male, a fact Crusch confirmed by telling him that she had seen male genitals between Ferris' legs when they used to bathe together when they were young. Rickert raised some concerns over Ferris' crossdressing, which she addressed by mentioning that those clothes fit him the best, just like she wears male clothes herself. She then moved on to her speech, claiming that she would cut ties with the dragon if she became the king, pointing out that the kingdom had become too dependent on it. As Ferris had nothing to add to her speech, the time moved to the next candidate, which was Priscilla.

Priscilla began by addressing the comments regarding her alias of "Bloodstained Bride", claiming that she didn't really care for her former husband Leip Barielle, who she labeled as a "perverted old man". Al also told everyone about himself, mentioning that he was formerly from the Vollachia Empire, hid his face with a helmet to hide his injuries, and became her knight after placing in the top four in a contest she held. Priscilla claimed she was the only one worthy of becoming king, telling everyone they should obey her, and that she would reward those who did so. Once she finished, Anastasia and Julius took their place. Anastasia revealed that she was originally from the lower class, working her way up to the top, and eventually reached where she was now, the head of one of the largest trading companies in Kararagi. Labeling herself as greedy, she stated that she wanted a country, and if that broke her inner scale it would mean she was satisfied, and if it didn't she would keep aiming higher. Julius added to her speech, claiming that while she labeled herself as greedy, it also meant that she was ambitious, pointing out that it would help the country, which was currently in a financial crisis due to recent events. Once Anastasia's speech was finished, Emilia and Roswaal were both called to speak.

Immediately, people throughout the room began whispering insults about her, as her appearance was that of Satella, the Witch of Envy. Even Bordeaux Zellgef of the Council of Wise Men protested her candidacy, however, through an act by Roswaal, Puck, and an unknowing Subaru, Roswaal managed to convince those present that she was strong, allowing her to negotiate with everyone to treat her fairly. Seeing this, Bordeaux apologized for his comments, though he still refused to change his mindset, remarking that regardless of what she did the people would only see her as a look a like of Satella. After her speech, Miklotov turned his attention to Subaru, and before Emilia could comment on him, he announced that he was her knight. Julius disapproved of it, claiming that he wasn't worthy of being a knight, which soon led to an argument between the two, forcing Emilia to step in and apologize to the Council of Wise Men, making sure to mention that Subaru wasn't her follower.

Soon after, Subaru left the room after being suggested to do so by Marcos, and to his surprise, he met Rom outside, who was being taken in for questioning for trespassing within the castle. After protecting him by pretending he didn't know him, Rom was taken to the main room, where everyone was gathered for the discussion. Rom's presence caused many of those present to start insulting the poor again, however this led her to decide to become a candidate, ordering Reinhard to cut his handcuffs. Once Rom was taken out of the room, Felt expressed her desire to be a candidate once again, promising to destroy the country if she became king. After her speech, with the agreement of the other members of the Council of Wise Men, Miklotov announced the start of the Royal Selection.

Chapter 5: Self-Proclaimed Knight, Natsuki Subaru
A short while later, Reinhard and Ferris visited Subaru to inform him of what happened, with Reinhard mentioning that Rom was safe. As they discussed Ferris' magic and Emilia's agreement to heal Subaru, Julius joined them, telling Subaru to come with him to the parade grounds to teach him a lesson.

While the fight between Subaru and Julius was going on, a member of the Royal Guard reported the situation to Marcos, which everyone else in the room also heard, as the candidates and those associated with them were gathered in the same room. Confused and troubled by the news, Emilia referred to it as a fight, prompting the knight to correct her, stating that it was a mock battle, as calling it a fight would hurt Julius' reputation. When the other candidates learned of who started it, they didn't have any intention of stopping the fight, causing her to panic even further. Irritated by the intrusion, Felt asked the knight of why he came to report it, to which the knight answered that he came to receive orders since the fight was completely one sided. This was the final straw for Emilia, who rushed off to try and stop them. Despite his efforts, the fight was completely one sided, as Julius proved to be far stronger than Subaru was. Even his Yin Magic had no effect on him as it didn't work against those who were stronger than the user. Julius dealt the finishing blow while Emilia watched, completely knocking him unconscious.

Subaru later awoke in a room he didn't recognize. While there, Subaru got in an argument with Emilia over his actions, leading to her to cut ties with him, leaving him behind with Rem to be treated by Ferris while she and Roswaal returned to the mansion. However, before she left, she told him that she had hoped he wouldn't give her any special treatment and treat her like a normal girl. Despite her wish, there was nothing he could say in favor of it, as he couldn't see others the same way he saw Emilia.

Epilogue: Knightly Expectations
Marcos and Julius are discussing the details of the duel and his hand in the matter. Ferris joins in later and how Julius punishment will be carried out is decided. Julius and Ferris leave the office and make small talk about his reasons for initiating the duel, Subaru and Emilia. When they arrive outside the Knight's HQ, before going their separate ways once they finished their conversation by both declaring their intent to seat their respective masters on throne in a competitive but friendly manner.