3rd Person POV
"Foolish! Do you think anyone would come to save a filthy Witch Cultist?" she snarled, but in the very next moment, a girl materialized in front of Subaru.
"…"
She fell silent, stunned at the sight of the fair girl who had just appeared. Her red hair swayed gently in the wind, and her clear blue eyes looked briefly at Rem before turning to Subaru. A soft smile appeared on her lips.
"I am here, Lord Zero," she said.
Subaru couldn't help the wave of relief and joy that washed over him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her from behind.
She let out a surprised yelp, her cheeks flushing pink. But after a second, she returned the embrace, a smile of pure happiness lighting up her face.
Rem, of course, wasn't one to stand still. Without hesitation, she chanted, "Al Huma!"
A towering, dense pillar of ice formed instantly, racing toward them with terrifying speed. Subaru's eyes widened in shock at the incoming attack.
Reina, however, didn't even glance back. Her expression turned cold as she raised a hand and simply flicked her finger toward the ice.
BOOM
The massive ice spell shattered into a thousand glittering shards, the fragments flying backward with a fierce shockwave. Rem was caught in the blast and thrown through the trees like a ragdoll, crashing violently into several trunks before finally landing.
Subaru's jaw dropped as he stared at the scene in disbelief.
Releasing the hug, he looked at Reina with awe. She turned to him and said calmly, "Don't worry, Lord Zero. As long as I'm by your side, no one will be able to harm even a single strand of your hair."
"Re-Reina, that was incredible! You were amazing!" he said, his eyes practically sparkling.
She rubbed her nose bashfully, trying to hide her smile. "I-It wasn't that impressive…"
If it had been anyone else, they would have been terrified of her or even called her a monster.
But Natsuki Subaru wasn't like everyone else. Especially not his former self, Ayan Ghosh, who had always admired overpowered protagonists.
(A/N: Non-dense OP main characters are the best, mark my words.)
Rem, groaning, forced herself to her feet and suddenly took off, sprinting toward the mansion. Reina stepped forward, broke the sound barrier, and reappeared instantly with Rem dangling by her neck. She returned to Subaru without so much as a scratch.
"I've captured her, Lord Zero. Should I eliminate her?" she asked. She didn't understand why this blue-haired oni had attacked her Lord, but if her Divine Blessing hadn't warned her against killing Rem, she'd have already ended her.
"No—let's take her to the Mathers mansion. She's got some explaining to do," Subaru replied. Reina nodded.
Subaru's expression darkened as he stared at Rem hanging helplessly. She struggled, but her magic wouldn't activate—her mana was completely disrupted.
"Oh, before that—can you put her down for a second?" he asked, and Reina obeyed.
The moment Rem's feet touched the ground, she glared at Subaru.
"Filthy Witch cu—" she began, but her words were cut short as Subaru slapped her hard across the face.
She hit the ground, coughing up a few teeth. Her cheek swelled rapidly, and she looked up at him in shock and disbelief, utterly humiliated.
"What's with that look? Like I'm the villain here?" Subaru said coldly. "You tried to kill me over some fake accusation that was already disproved—by a damn Great Spirit, no less."
He glanced at Reina, silently signaling her to grab Rem again. Reina nodded and picked Rem up by her neck once more, like a child.
Together, they headed toward Roswaal's mansion.
On the way, Subaru explained everything that had happened, including why Rem had tried to kill him. Reina's expression grew colder as she listened, her grip tightening.
"Is that true? You tried to kill Lord Zero over something like that?!" she snarled. Her eyes glinted with fury, and her hand tightened, making Rem's face turn pale as she struggled to breathe.
"Reina! She'll die at this rate—stop!" Subaru shouted.
Reina immediately loosened her grip.
"Be grateful, bitch," she spat. "If not for Lord Zero, I'd have erased you without a trace."
Rem didn't fully understand who Reina was, but one thing was clear—she was absurdly strong. To destroy her most powerful spell with just a flick of her fingers? Terrifying.
"Anyway, Reina, do you have a Divine Protection that allows us to communicate telepathically?" Subaru asked.
She nodded. "Yes, I do."
She activated it and sent a message directly into his mind: 'You can speak now, Lord Zero.'
'Great. Once we arrive, I'm going to tell them a little joke,' he replied with a grin.
'A joke?' Reina tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the purpose.
Subaru quickly explained his idea. Though she still didn't quite get why he wanted to do that, she didn't question it either. If that was what he wanted to do, she would support him.
…
Soon, they arrived at the mansion, and Reina tossed Rem unceremoniously to the ground.
"Come out!" Subaru shouted. Reina used her Divine Protection to rouse everyone.
Before long, Ram, Roswaal, Emilia, and even Beatrice had gathered in the garden.
"Why are you bothering Betty so late, I suppose?" the little spirit muttered, despite the fact she didn't need sleep.
"Zero—wait, what happened to Rem?!" Emilia gasped upon seeing her condition. Ram, supporting her sister, glared daggers at Subaru, while Roswaal looked on with a deep frown.
"I am the Sin Archbishop, Representing Pride! Zero!" Subaru declared with a grin.
Rem and Ram's faces twisted in horror.
To be continued…
(A/N: I have edited it with Ai, and damn it went better than I expected, previously due to my different writing style the edited story had so many plotholes that I basically discarded the idea of making any edit with Chat Gpt, but now it seems it isn't so bad, I mean it didn't turn to be a poetic mess, so I am glad for that)