Natsuki Subaru/Synopsis

Volume 2
After surviving the ordeal at the Stolen Goods Warehouse, Subaru awoke in a room he didn't recognize, immediately noticing that it was a high class room, and wondered if he was in Reinhard's mansion. He checked his body for wounds, which had all healed by what he thought was Emilia's magic, then left the room to explore the building. Upon encountering the same picture he'd seen earlier, he theorized that the hall must be under some kind of loop, deciding to see if opening the nearby door would help, only to encounter a girl in a library. His actions gradually irritated the girl until she decide to drain mana from him, effectively knocking him out.

A while later, Subaru woke up to the sound of voices, their source two girls dressed in maid uniforms. While he interacted with them, Emilia arrived, whose clothes he liked, complimenting whoever chose them for her. As she checked up on his condition, she asked if he wanted to take a walk outside, telling him that part of her contract with her Spirits was to interact with them in the mornings. He quickly accepted, all the while referring to her as Emilia-tan, causing her to wonder what tan meant.

Once he changed back into his clothes, the two exited the mansion, and Emilia, seeing Subaru start some radio exercises, decided to join him. Finishing their routine, Emilia summoned Pack, then left him with Subaru while she interacted with her Minute Spirits, though their conversation about her caused her to cut the interaction short. Soon after, both Ram and Rem came to fetch them for breakfast, informing them that Roswaal L Mathers had returned. At breakfast, Subaru asked to be hired as a servant for his reward, and after working for several days, he was horrified to realize that he'd been killed in his sleep, as that meant his promise to go to the village with Emilia never happened.

Trying to figure out what happened, Subaru went through breakfast with Roswaal and the others again, asking to become a servant for a second time. Expecting things to be the same, he was surprised that they didn't go as planned, and was shocked when Roswaal joined him in the bath. While bathing, Subaru asked him about the bath, the topic eventually shifting to magic itself, with Roswaal determining that Subaru was compatible with Yin Magic, revealing to him that Beatrice was an expert with that type of magic. As he got out of the bath, Subaru cursed both Roswaal and Ram, not knowing that Ram was right behind him, ready to help Roswaal change into his clothes. That night she taught him how to write, however she fell asleep on his bead, causing him to break the quill pen.

Days later, on the same night that he died the last time, Emilia came instead of Ram to teach him how to read and write. As she listened to his explanation, she noticed a particular story within the children's storybook he was planning to read, causing her to shut the book and focus on teaching him. While studying the language, he asked for a reward, succeeding in getting her to agree to go on a date with him to the village the next day. Unfortunately for him, he was assaulted by an extremely cold feeling which made his body not function correctly. Struggling down the hallway, he tried to make his way to Emilia's room when he was attacked by an unknown assailant, and was subsequently killed by a weapon with a chain.

Subaru screamed as awoke at his last save point, scaring both Ram and Rem, who he quickly apologized to, then asked them for the date and time. Unlike his last two lives, he decided to be a guest for the third time around in order to gather information. Partway through the week, Subaru told Ram the story of the Red and Blue Oni, though she refused to discuss the story of the witch with him and warned him not to tell Rem about the Oni story. He left the mansion on the day he died the last two times, ready to protect those living at the Roswaal Mansion from the mysterious assailant, only to despair that night when he learned that the identity of the assailant was none other than Rem. She proceeded to torture and heal him over and over, telling him to confess his true intentions, and Subaru was killed when an attack gouged out his throat, prompting Rem to comment that her sister was too nice.

Waking up once again, Subaru started to wildly move around while on the bed, forcing both maids to hold him down, and Emilia healed him when she arrived. Gathering his resolve, he tried to tell her about his Returns from Death ability, only for the world to stop around him, a hand made of black mist threatening to crush him heart. Fortunately, he was quickly brought back to his senses by Emilia, however he told her not to worry about him. He spent the next couple of days in the mansion, during which time he formed a contract with Beatrice, and stayed in the library on the night of the fourth day. To his surprise, he learned on the fifth day that Rem had died, causing Ram to accuse him of killing her. She tried to attack him but was blocked by Beatrice who informed everyone about their contract, allowing him to escape from the mansion. Making his way to the mountain, he tried to commit suicide by jumping off of a cliff, only to find that he didn't have the courage to do so.

A while later, Subaru awoke to find Beatrice standing there, holding his hand. The feeling from her hand made him realize that it was Ram and Rem who had held his hands earlier to try and calm him down. As he gathered his resolve, Ram appeared, ready to kill him, but before she could do anything he told her that he loved them and jumped off the cliff.

Volume 3
Returning from his suicide, Subaru awoke from his fourth death, and, seeing the twin maids, grasped their hands to check if they were the ones who had held his hands in his sleep, earning him insults from both of them. Going through the same events as his earlier lives, this time he asked to be employed, making sure to act normally while trying to figure out the identity of the shaman. Despite Subaru's attempts to hide his mental state, Pack noticed how he was feeling when they played around the following morning, and informed Emilia that he would get worn out in the near future at the rate he was going at.

Fearing for his mental state, Emilia tracked Subaru down within the mansion, then led him into a room to give him a lap pillow. He didn't understand what was happening, nonetheless he relaxed when she calmed him down, eventually falling asleep with his head on her lap. When he woke up a while later, he excitedly informed an unimpressed Beatrice, then asked for her help, which she reluctantly agreed to give after he promised to have Pack listen to one of her requests. As part of their agreement, she answered his question about curses, revealing that they needed physical contact to work. At that moment, Subaru remembered that Rem had said something about a witch, to which Beatrice told him about the Witch of Envy Satella, revealing that she was said to be a silver haired Half Elf.

The next morning, Subaru asked Pack about Satella, wondering when people would use her name, and Pack answered that they would use it when they wanted the other person to think that they were insane. Subaru realized that Emilia had tried to keep him away in order to not trouble him with the election in his first life. The topic shifted to magic, with Pack determining like Roswaal that Subaru was compatible with Yin, and demonstrated Shamak to him. Somewhat affected by the magic, Subaru requested to try some Yin Magic, however his attempt with Pack's helped failed as his gate wasn't used enough.

Later that morning, Subaru requested to go to the village, which Ram eventually agreed to, adding that he would work as hard as he could until then. Once Rem left the room, Ram warned him to be careful with his magic, as she had to stop Rem from rushing to the scene, and he realized that the magic could've been seen as an attack. He then wondered who was going to go with him to the village, prompting her to reveal that both sisters were going, causing him to hope that he wouldn't be caught up in any trouble.

During the afternoon, the three of them headed to the village, with Subaru making sure to touch everyone to check who the shaman was, all the while teaching them radio exercises. After he finished, Meili led him to a separate part of the village and called a small dog like animal, letting him play around with it, though unfortunately he irritated it by trying to touch its bald spot, causing it to bite his hand. Leaving the village, the three returned home to see that Roswaal was about to leave, needing to attend to an urgent matter. That night, once Subaru learned from Beatrice that the source of the curse was from the thing that touched his hand, he immediately tried to leave for the village, and, after some negotiations, was allowed to leave as long as Rem went with him.

Upon arriving, Subaru and Rem noticed that the village was in an uproar, learning that Petra and the other children had disappeared. He had a fairly decent idea of where they were and led Rem to the forest, where she noticed that the barrier had been broken, causing her to explain that Demon Beasts lived in the forest. Seeing him go deeper into the forest, she questioned him motives, prompting him to tell her about each of the childrens' dreams, leading to her cooperation. Deeper in the forest, the two of them found all of the children except for Meili, who Petra mentioned was farther along. Subaru made Rem promise to watch over the children until the villagers arrived, promising to answer any of her questions if she did so.

Soon after, Subaru found Meili collapsed in the forest, however, before he could get her to safety, he was attacked by a whole group of Demon Beasts, though fortunately Rem came to his assistance, allowing him to escape with the girl. Despite her intervention, she began to be overwhelmed due to the number difference, causing her to go into her Oni Form, and began killing Demon Beasts. The difference in numbers still proved to be a problem, forcing him to knock her out of her Oni Form to get her to think clearly, ending up with him getting attacked by a group of Danger Beasts in her place. Fortunately she noticed him get attack and killed the Danger Beasts attacking him, pleading for him to not die.

Subaru woke up the next morning, realizing that he hadn't died, instead surviving the encounter the night before. As he wondered what had happened, Pack appeared from a sleeping Emilia's hair to explain the whole situation to him, including the fact that all seven children were safe. After he received some steamed potatoes from Ram, he left the house he was temporarily staying to check up on the children, and while he was doing so he met Beatrice, who revealed to him that he had only half a day to live. Surprised by a lack of a reaction, she confirmed his assumption that he had been given another curse, further adding that the multiple curses had meshed together, making it too complicated to try and remove it, using thread as an example to give him a good idea of what was happening. Seeing that Subaru had resolved to stay alive, Beatrice revealed that there was a way to stop an already activated curse, and that was to kill the user, which was how the children survived the attack.

About to give up due to the difficulty, Subaru remembered Rem's words, realizing that he hadn't seen her even once in the village, then asked Beatrice of here whereabouts, causing Ram to join their conversation. Gaining her support, Subaru and Ram headed into the forest to save Rem, though she informed him that she wasn't as strong as Rem in her Oni Form since she was a Hornless. Making their way through the forest while killing Wolgarms from time to time, Ram tried to find Rem using her Senrigan, but was unsuccessful. After she finished, Subaru tried to her about his Returns by Death to attract the Wolgarms to him, as the smell of the witch deepened when the black hands appeared, and Rem would follow the Demon Beasts if they moved.

Unfortunately, Ram tired after killing seventeen Wolgarms with her magic, forcing Subaru to carry her in his arms as they escaped from them. One of the Wolgarms managed to bite Subaru's shoulder, knocking him off balance and off a cliff. He tried to stop his fall with the sword he had borrowed, however that broke from the pressure, forcing Ram to use her wind magic to cushion their fall, resulting in her becoming severely weakened. To add to their problem, both the Wolgarms and Rem arrived, and while the Demon Beasts fled the maid came down to where they were to attack them. Noticing Ram in Subaru's arms, Rem ordered him to let go of her, attacking him with her weapon as she did so. After a short while, the Wolgarms tried to attack her again, making her turn her attention way from him in order to fight them.

Temporarily relived, he watched the two forces fight each other, and seeing that Rem was starting to take more and more damage, he decided to bring their attention back to him by attempting to mention his Returns by Death again. He succeeded, turning the fight into a three way battle. Subaru carefully maneuvered his way around the battle, making sure to avoid any damage, though unfortunately one of the Wolgarms activated the curse it had placed on him in order to gather mana to fight Rem. To his surprise, Rem killed the Demon Beast that activated the curse, causing Subaru to realize that even in her Oni Form she still remembered why she was fighting the Wolgarms. At that point Ram woke up, informing him that a powerful strike to her horn would bring Rem back to normal. Taking her advice, Subaru attempted a strike at her horn by throwing Ram to distract her, but he missed her by a few millimeters. Taking advantage of the situation, the small Wolgarm attacked them with magic, sending him flying into the sky, nonetheless he took this to his advantage by attempting another attack on her horn. His second attack succeeded in striking the horn, bringing Rem back to normal.

As soon as he returned Rem to normal, Subaru grabbed both sisters and ran as fast as he could, leaving their defense to Ram. Rem didn't understand why they were helping her, claiming that she needed to do it herself, to which he told her to depend on them. He then left Rem with Ram while he ran off to be a decoy, which Rem protested, nonetheless he refuted her protests and left. Making his way back to the small Wolgarm, he was shocked when it grew several times its size into a large Wolgarm, and as he was about to fight it he heard Rem call his name, brining a smile to his face. He then used Yin Magic to cover the area in darkness. Gathering all of his energy, he made his way outside of his own magic, then swung his sword, stabbing his sword deep within the Wolgarm, whose head was still within the magic. Subaru was immediately overcome with a sense of disgust at the thought of killing a living being, though he got over it and ran off, his mana holding up because of a Bocco Fruit the children had given him.

To his surprise the Wolgarm attacked him and picked him up from behind, ready to devour him, however Subaru blocked its attempt by drawing his sword from its body, then plunged it into its mouth, wounding it from the inside. The Demon Beast fought back, but before sides could continue, Roswaal attacked it with fire magic, killing it in one hit. Subaru complained about Roswaal's late appearance, then asked him how he found his location, to which Roswaal answered by telling him that Emilia was certain he would use magic if he was cornered and made sure Roswaal knew about it before he left for the forest. Soon after, both Ram and Rem joined them, with Rem hugging Subaru with all of her might, causing him to lose consciousness. As he lost consciousness, he heard Roswaal tell him to sleep, and that he would reward him later, adding that he would get rid of everything that threatened him.

While unconscious, Subaru found himself in a shadowy place with a shadow that formed into a female humanoid shape. Before the shadow could claim his consciousness, white fingers surrounded his consciousness from behind, causing the shadow to begin to dissipate. However, before it completely disappeared, the shadow stretched out a finger and said something, though he was unable to hear it clearly.

Subaru awoke in a room within the mansion, then noticed that Rem was sitting in a chair next to his bed, her hand entwined with his right hand. He asked her why she was holding his hand, prompting her to tell him that he seemed to be suffering in his sleep, and Rem, not knowing what to do, decided to hold his hand as that was what she enjoyed being given. She began explaining the situation after he asked, informing him that all of the Wolgarms had been killed, and that Roswaal had invited the children from the village to write get well messages on his servant's shoes.

At this point Rem began blaming herself for all the trouble she had caused him, asking him why she still had her horn and Ram didn't, then told him to forget about what she just said. However, Subaru told her that she had three "stupids", the first being that she was still dragging something that had ended, the second was that she tried to resolve everything herself, and the third was that she thought of herself as inferior to Ram. He added that Rem was probably the only one who cared whether or not she had a horn or not, praised her good traits, then thanked her for saving him.

Later on, Emilia visited his room and began to lecture him about his decision, though she added that she was grateful for what he did. As a reward, Emilia agreed to go on a date with him, commenting that they should take a bouquet on the day of their date.

Volume 4
Several days after the fight with the Wolgarms, Subaru was at the village, participating in radio exercises with the villager, 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 election 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.

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.

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 ringa. A short while later, the two made their way to the guard barracks, where they met Julius Euclius of the Royal Guard, who Subaru took an immediate dislike 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.

The next morning, Emilia refused to let Subaru come with her to the discussion about the election, 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 ringa, 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 Sage Council 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.

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 election, 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 Bariel, who she labeled as a "perverted old man". Al also told everyone about himself, mentioning that he was formerly from the Volakia 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. 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 Sage Council protested her candidacy, however, through an act by Roswaal, Pack, 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 Sage Council, 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 Sage Council, Miklotov announced the start of the royal election.

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. 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 that 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.