Toyota had to spend a lot of time listening to Rei's lectures about the Royal Selection. Through these lectures, he managed to figure out how her Divine Protection of Instruction worked. It allowed him to focus and retain everything she said—like taking Adderall before a class. He didn't find the lessons boring, but they did tend to drag on… especially when all he could think about was trying out variations of weapons.
The main points he gathered were as follows: the Royal Selection was an event to decide Lugunica's 42nd monarch, and the process would last three years. Guess he was going to have to buckle up for the long haul.
The candidates were chosen by dragon jewels—also known as insignias. The reason for this selection? The entire royal family had died from an unknown illness. Totally not suspicious. Nothing shady at all about an entire bloodline being wiped out overnight by a disease that had never been seen before and still hadn't been identified to this day.
Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea that Rei was personally preparing his meals, in case of poison. If he was going to run for ruler, there were going to be guaranteed hits on his life in the future.
With the royal bloodline completely extinct, there had been a nationwide panic over whether the kingdom's pact with its guardian dragon—Volcanica—would be revoked. The dragon's oath was tied to the bloodline, and with no descendants left, some feared Lugunica was vulnerable.
This fear wasn't unfounded. One of the Four Great Nations—Vollachia—was Lugunica's hostile, southern neighbor and would definitely take advantage of the dragon's absence. Without divine intervention, an invasion became a real possibility.
Hearing Rei describe all this so dramatically and passionately, Toyota couldn't help but think she alone could conquer and unite all the countries if she wanted to. There wasn't much of a need for Volcanica, honestly. When he'd read the novel, he remembered the divine dragon living for so long, had memory problems, and was currently asleep at the Pleiades Watchtower anyway.
Rei went on to explain that the Council of Wise Men, part of Lugunica's government, had turned to a mysterious stone for prophecy. Apparently, it foretold five candidates who would be chosen across the kingdom. Their candidacy would be confirmed when a dragon gemstone gleamed brightly in their hands.
Once all five were found, the Royal Selection would officially begin.
Toyota still had no idea how a vague prophecy from a glowing rock held that much power, but sure. Magic world logic.
Rei continued, listing the rules:
Anyone, of any race or nationality, could be chosen by a dragon jewel. That explained how a non-human half-elf like Emilia had been chosen.
Candidates had to keep their insignias safe at all costs. Losing one meant automatic disqualification.
At that point, he had vividly remembered Rei handing him his own insignia, with a terrifying, intense look that made his soul shiver. She didn't need to say anything to scare him. It was just Rei being Rei. Similar to having a tame pet tiger that you know could hurt or kill you, and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. Was comparing her to a pet a bad thing? He never had a pet, so he wouldn't know. She had watched as he put the Insignia into his spatial ring. She seemed to scowl at his ring when he had asked her if something was wrong. She looked away before putting on a stern expression, telling him that everything was fine.
She also explained that if a candidate managed a domain, they were responsible for it throughout the selection. They couldn't just hand it off or ignore it.
Was he in charge of a domain now? Or could he claim one? He should take Felt's role and reform the slums, after all, it made up around almost a third of the capital's population, and where the people are, supporters follow. It could be a point farm. Not that he was some psycho that thought of people only as tools—he did want to try a kingdom-building simulator.
As a lord, with his knowledge of basic science, to these people still stuck in the medieval age, he could become an Isaac Newton.
Next up: no candidate was allowed to get married during the selection. Apparently, this was to prevent marital ties from turning into political conflicts. Toyota couldn't care less about that rule.
And finally, the only way to leave the selection was to either resign… or die.
Yikes. That last one sounded less like a rule and more like a grim warning—that if he died, others would only rejoice that another candidate was out of the running.
Sighing, he relaxed his head on the soft woolen pillow while looking at the ceiling, finding patterns on it. Rei had said that her bedroom was next door and to call if he needed her. Was she that scared he was going to get killed in his sleep… or was she lonely?
He was wide awake, to his annoyance. Bedroom proficiency wasn't helping him fall asleep. Unknowingly, he scratched at his wrists, causing white marks to appear on his arms.
He was still scared. Who would fall asleep knowing that when they did, they would experience the pain of dying?
Even if it expanded his mana reserve through his ability, his conscious mind wavered away from the pain, giving him the fear to stay awake.
Finally, having enough of this mental torture, he resolved to use his knockout button, using his mana to condense in his head with gravity. Last time, it had knocked him out instantly, and all he had after was a bout of suicidal rage and a headache…
Actually, for that first one, he might have a problem.
Looking around the room for something to work as a rope, he found two wrapped around the middle of the large dark curtains covering his bedroom, keeping them in place from spreading out completely. Standing up and walking to the windowsill, which overlooked the back of the mansion, he could see a large training ground with a marked-out track and sandy ground, presumably used for sword spars. There were even stands for a small group of spectators to watch.
His gaze drifted up to the moon, which was round somehow, then to the stars, which, unlike the stars on Earth, held a different glow, with a spectrum of different colors like balls of mana in the sky.
He could only ponder if that was the same sky from his world.
Snapping out of the daze, he got to work untying the ropes that held the restrained curtains in place. Bringing them to the bed, he wrapped them around his wrists. The problem was tying the other ends to the two opposing bed frames. He couldn't possibly do both by himself, tying himself with one bound hand.
He shouldn't tell Rei. What would she think if he told her? She would either be weirded out or get worried. He just made his first true friend—or knight. He couldn't ruin that.
Deciding on tying his hands together and wrapping the excess rope around one bedpost in the top corner, which luckily he was able to do without too much effort. Doing a sharp tug to make sure it was secured, he then, dreading the pain, used Vita resulting in a pressure in his head that led to Instant Darkness.
***
He was a king—the king of Lugunica.
He had recently turned 23 years old.
He was a good king. Using his knowledge of his old world, he introduced revolutionary ideas. His most recent idea was a mass-produced lighter that the common masses could use even without a fire-attributed mage.
Under his leadership, the entire kingdom was in a renaissance—an era of prosperity.
He was engaged to every royal candidate.
But everything in his head was sluggish.
He couldn't remember how he became king.
He didn't know why he was here.
But his body moved on its own.
He was sitting on a throne, with the red-haired knight Reinhard on his left and the purple-haired knight Julius on his right.
He couldn't remember why they were here with him.
They stood tall, watching the entrance leading to his throne, their eyes fixed forward.
He didn't understand what was happening.
A thought flashed through his mind:
Paperwork.
Oh no. I forgot to do my paperwork.
Rushing out of the room, his body ran on its own while his thoughts moved sluggishly.
Why do I have paperwork? Something's wrong.
As he ran into a room—his vision blurry like a dream sequence—his hands speedily grabbed a large stack of papers, moving them over to a more modern desk. He hastily began putting his signature on every document he could see.
It was dark, and he was still signing papers, until a girl entered the room.
Rem.
His body began to heat up. Just seeing her filled him with an unmistakable sticky hunger.
His body moved on its own, his mouth whispering sweet nothings to her. And her doing the same back.
Why was this happening?
How did he get to this point?
Through all of his pain and suffering, watching this unrealistic version of himself—so annoyingly happy and lustful—filled him with rage.
He could only watch as his body, on its own, filled with that same hunger—filled with a lustful greed—devoured her. From flirting to kissing, finally to intercourse.
Then it was morning.
Hours seemed to be fast-forwarded in his state of suspended animation.
He watched as the shallow shells of the candidates, one by one, came to him.
A false human with no personality, wanting his affection—mentally and physically.
All the interactions became carnal.
Why did they want his love? Was this even love?
It was more of a false attachment—one that seemed forged by a fevered mind, making one-dimensional characters.
How did they love him?
Why did they love him?
He couldn't understand—couldn't conceive.
What was this sickly intense sensation in his head?
Why was all his affection toward people he remembered being cruel towards him in the past?
They were imagined illusions he had to watch himself lust after, unable to change his body's actions.
The final straw was when Petra—the little girl who had acted like a little sister, someone he thought of protecting before any of the other villagers—in an out-of-character cheer, squealed to him with a lustful gaze:
"I'm pregnant!"
That's a child.
One you swore to protect.
Emotions—burning, scorching rage.
Hatred toward himself.
Wanting to kill the figure he was watching control his body.
How dare he destroy the memories of people he cared about—
With these fakes replacing them like bags of meat whose only purpose was to please.
He had no loyalty and placed no limitations on himself.
His rage, which cleared the haze in his head, finally disrupted what was happening to him.
He woke up on a grassy hill, sitting under an umbrella with a tea set on a lawn table in front of him.
Across from him sat a beautiful woman with long, white, flowing hair, a dark gown, and a black butterfly hairpin.
Her dark eyes looked at him with unbridled curiosity, before her lips curled—her tongue poking out, licking her lips in an unsettling manner.
"So how was it? Did you find my dream satisfying?"
His voice came out raspy as he stated the curious witch's name.
"Echidna."
A feeling of relief and despair mixed in his chest—relief that he knew that person wasn't him, but also despair that he would have to continue in a life where he would suffer.
Soul Memories End
Lust Subaru's memories have been fully transferred.
Due to a full soul being synchronized in ability and memory, the speed of future memory transfers will be enhanced.
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
As his eyelids slowly opened, he felt truly confused and shaken.
Toyota had experienced something he didn't remember watching or reading in Re:Zero.
That feeling in his body—the feeling of being trapped in a fever dream as his body was consumed by lust.
Looking down at his clothes, which were soaked in sweat, he felt a strange heat in his lower body that didn't immediately fade away.
"So when it meant 'bedroom proficiency,' this is what it meant…"
His voice dipped hollowly.
He did feel sick watching those memories, but not in the same way as when watching Envy.
A voice—a cracked, tired voice filled with complexities that gave it a strange charisma—whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
"Listen, kid. You're kind. Too kind.
If you want the strength to protect everyone you hold dear, you must overcome all seven of us devils—each a life filled with sin and regret.
When you overcome us, we will be your greatest allies.
Learn from our mistakes when facing your greatest enemy—
Which is, and always will be, yourself."
His last word resonated with the silent Toyota, who was staring quietly at the ceiling.
Reaching up slowly to feel his face—that was moving by itself—the corner of his mouth chuckled in amusement.
But it was a tired chuckle.
"It seems only I have the will to communicate directly with you.
If I can give you advice, it's this:
When you watch my life, retain your emotions.
Because that is what separates you from that Witch of Greed.
Don't lose yourself… not like I did."
His lips, which in one corner were curled, slowly lowered.
A stillness settled over the room.
"What the f*** is happening?
Not only do I have a system—which may or may not be my own power—
A parasite that's able to affect the memory transfers to make me feel rage, most likely for possession of some kind—
I also have random souls embodying the Seven Deadly Sins in me,
And the voices are now talking to me."*
Even with Subaru's mentality—his inner world—his sanity was cracking.
Usually, when he woke up, it would take around five seconds before his mind felt restored,
But the lingering disgust stayed with him quietly.
Ding!
Mission 4: Help Beatrice, the Great Spirit, leave the library permanently.
Reward: 50,000 points.
Status: Completed.
"Finally."
I was wondering if I specifically had to be the one to make a contract with her. Took him long enough to do it.
It should've happened immediately after I left. I made both of them promise.
Well… as long as it works out and I get the points.
The soft morning light was seeping in through the cracks in the curtains as he carefully attempted to undo the rope on his wrists.
The rope was dyed red where it had ripped his skin off—he must've thrashed in the night.
He was lucky none had gotten on the sheets, or that would've been difficult to explain.
Suddenly paralyzed, he realized Rei might get worried if she saw his wrists.
Feeling an itch on his forearms, he nervously scratched at them, leaving white marks.
They weren't bleeding profusely, so he could just rinse them off and cover them with long sleeves.
Stealthily walking to the door, he opened it slowly, so as not to wake anyone who could be sleeping or alert anyone already awake.
Cracking open the door, he immediately saw a blue eye in the gap, staring directly at him.
A cheerful, almost giddy female voice immediately greeted him:
"Good mor—"
He shut the door.
…Well, I'm screwed.
(AN: Thank you, my generous readers, for the power stones. What can I say, I'm a man of my word. I'll work hard to write your bonus chapter. Today was my last day of high school, so now I'm officially a big boy.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Although when I get bored, I add extra.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 50 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)