Chapter 10 - Demon Beast Troubles

Orion swung down his sword, imagining his enemy twisting away, flinging a projectile that he dodged before he closed in and finished the attacker off with a horizontal strike, the sword held firm as it completed its arc through the air.

Taking a deep breath, Orion reset his posture before continuing.

Or at least, he would have, if he wasn't interrupted by a familiar black-haired butler.

"Hey! Senpai! Guess what?"

"Huh? What's up, Subaru?" Orion said, turning to him.

Placing his hands on his hips, Subaru pointed his nose into the sky that had turned from day to dusk.

"I went to the village, and I even got everyone to touch me in different places!" he smirked.

"You… went to the village?" Orion said, a bit surprised. "Why did you go early?"

"Well, we don't want the shaman to cast the activation early, right? And if the curse isn't there today, I can just go down to the village tomorrow and see if there's a new face!" Subaru nodded proudly. "Pretty smart, right~?"

"Haa… Sure, whatever. Let's go see the great spirit then before it activates," Orion said, sheathing his sword and leading them toward the entrance.

As they made their way toward the stairs, they were surprised to see a figure shoot up into the air and fly off into the distance.

"...Was that…"

"...Roswaal," Orion finished for Subaru. "To think he could fly… Ram did mention that Al Ventara allows flight, but not at that speed."

"So you can fly with magic… Damn, that's cool. But… Why is he leaving today? That didn't happen in all the previous loops," Subaru asked.

"Hell if I know," Orion said, his eyebrows scrunching in worry. "But that doesn't really change things, does it?"

"No… you're right. Let's go see Beako," Subaru said resolutely.

"...Try not to piss off the great spirit our plan relies on," Orion sighed.

—

"I believe I have been cursed," Subaru said, staring at the little girl in front of him.

"What nonsense are you talking about, I suppose?" Beatrice asked.

"I believe I have been cursed," he repeated.

"No one asked you to repeat yourself, in fact!" Beatrice said, getting off her stool and walking toward Subaru. "I do not know why you would go annoy Betty for such nonsense-"

Her words were caught in her throat as her eyes narrowed.

"...It seems you really have been cursed, I suppose."

"Do you think you could remove it, Lady Beatrice?" Orion asked.

"Of course I can, in fact! The question is why should I concern myself, I suppose!" she shouted.

"Because I believe you're a good person," Orion said before wincing. "Or, spirit… you get my point."

Beatrice narrowed her eyes, but before she could speak, Subaru added his piece.

"Hey, you know, if I died from a curse, Emilia-tan would be pretty upset. And by extension, Puck would as well," he said. "How do you think he would feel if he knew you could have saved his daughter some pain, but didn't?"

"Grk! …Fine! You two can stop with your smooth talk, I suppose!" Beatrice said as her hand was ignited in a glow. "There. That would be the curse in fact."

As Orion and Subaru stared at the black mist emanating from Subaru's dog bite, Beatrice suddenly gripped the mist, making it disappear.

"It is done, in fact. Now you two should leave Betty alone, I suppose," she said, returning to her stool.

"Subaru… the shaman… it was the dog?" Orion said.

"...No mere dog could cause such a curse, I suppose," Beatrice added from the side. "It must be a Demon Beast, in fact. Now leave!"

"R-Right!"

Not wanting to get flung out of the room for a third time, Orion pulled Subaru along, taking them out of the room and down the hall, where they met Ram and Rem in the entryway.

"Ah, there you two are. Roswaal has informed us that he will be away for the night," Ram said.

"That doesn't matter!" Subaru said, causing Ram's eyes to twitch in annoyance. "More importantly, I've been cursed by a Demon Beast. And that Demon Beast is currently at the village. We have to save them!"

Rem and Ram widened their eyes before looking at each other, seemingly having a private conversation in their heads before Rem turned back to the two.

'That must be their synesthesia at work,' Orion thought. 'Being able to share feelings with each other telepathically is definitely a power befitting twins.'

"We cannot leave the manor and Lady Emilia alone in case this is a diversion, but… we can't abandon the inhabitants of Master Roswaal's domain," Rem said, stepping forth. "Thus, Rem will accompany you."

"Alright! Then let's go!" Subaru said.

"Subaru? Orion?" Emilia interrupted, coming down the stairs. "Are you two going somewhere?"

"Just dealing with some pests, Emilia," Orion said.

"It sounds like you're doing something dangerous again," Emilia said with a raised eyebrow before she released a sigh. "I can't stop you two, can I? Just… be safe, please."

Walking up to the two, she closed her eyes as she pressed an open palm against Orion and Subaru's chests.

"May the blessings of the spirits be with you."

Orion, who knew of this custom, nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Subaru, however, was simply confused. "Huh? What does that mean?"

Emilia looked up at him. "It's a prayer to send you off and return in good health."

"Ah, got it, Emilia-tan," he said, meeting her eyes. "I promise I will."

The two looked into each other's eyes for a few moments before Orion decided to interrupt, destroying the atmosphere.

"Then, if that's everything, let's go," Orion said. "If you fall behind, Subaru, just tell me and I'll give you a speed boost with Akra."

"Hey! I'm not that slow!" Subaru complained.

—

As the pale light of yang magic faded from Subaru's form, the three looked at the village that seemed to be in a state of disarray, with the lights of lit torches frantically roaming around.

"Dammit. It looks like the Demon Beast did something after its curse got removed," Orion said through gritted teeth. "Hey! You! What's going on here?"

Calling out to one of the passing townsmen, the man turned to Orion, eyes widening in surprise.

"A sword… are you a knight? Ah! Sir Subaru!" he said, noticing the familiar boy behind Orion. "T-The children… they've disappeared! All the adults are looking for them, but…"

"Am I too late?" Subaru said to himself. "Wait, I think I know where they might be. Follow me!"

Subaru then led Rem and Orion to the edge of the village where he had been bitten by the Demon Beast.

Looking across the treeline, Rem quickly noticed that one of the glowing green crystals was missing from its socket.

"The barrier is broken… Rem was wondering how a Demon Beast had entered the village, but that explains it," Rem said. "What do we do now, Orion?"

"We go forward, of course," he said, drawing his sword. "A liege is responsible for their people's safety. That is one of the foremost rules of feudalism. But… Subaru. Are you sure you want to come?"

The fact that Subaru was the weakest among the three was left unsaid.

But despite that… 

"Of course! Petra, Lucas, Mildo, Meina, Dyne, Cain… they all have dreams, you know? They have a future worth fighting for, no matter how weak I am!"

While he had said that with utmost confidence, Rem and Orion both noticed how his hand was trembling.

"...Well said, Subaru," Orion said. "Just don't get yourself killed, alright?"

Subaru stared into Orion's eyes, understanding what he meant as he nodded seriously.

"Of course I won't! I promised to do more radio callisthenics with them, and I keep my promises!" Subaru said, stepping forward.

Orion nodded. "Right. Then let's go."

The three then began running through the forest, following the scattered footprints they had noticed on the ground before Rem suddenly stopped to sniff the air.

"That smell… I think that's them," she said, pointing in front of her.

"Then let's go! Ventara!"

Casting the wind spell on himself, Orion shot forth through the forest with increased speed, brushing past tree after tree until he reached a clearing, where he could see six small figures lying at the top of the hill.

"The kids… shit!" he swore.

Running to the top of the hill, he crouched down and put his finger under one of their noses, and feeling the tickle of a breath, felt immediately relieved.

"They're alive… but they're so weak," Orion mumbled. "Did they get cursed? No… wouldn't they be dying already? Unless it's a weakening curse instead…"

Orion's pondering was interrupted by two sets of footsteps and a voice.

"Senpai! Are the kids-?"

"They're fine. Or, at least alive," Orion said as Rem and Subaru came to his side.

"Thank god," Subaru sighed. "Now we can-"

"S-Subaru?" one of the kids said, opening her eyes with difficulty.

"Petra! What is it?" Subaru asked.

"T-There's one more… the one with the braided blue hair… over there…" she said before passing out.

"Subaru... Was there another?" Orion asked.

"Yeah… she was quiet, but… Dammit! Rem? Can you help the kids?" Subaru asked.

"I can't remove the curse, but my healing magic can alleviate the effects before carrying them back," Rem answered.

"Alright," Orion nodded as he stood up. "Rem, you and Subaru take the kids back while I look for the last one."

Rem looked at him with worry. "But Orion-" 

"It's fine, Rem," he stopped her. "I've been training for something like this. I won't let a kid die just because I'm afraid of some dog bites."

Rem narrowed her eyes before sighing. "Fine. But Rem will come to assist you as soon as possible."

Subaru, who was hoisting an unconscious Petra into his arms, looked to Orion. "Just… be safe, Senpai."

"Of course," he nodded.

—

Sprinting through the forest, Orion followed the single trail of footsteps, his sword held at his side as his eyes scanned for a blue-haired little girl, until eventually, he found her. 

In a clearing, with a fallen tree resting in the center, a small figure was lying down, unmoving.

"Shit…"

Running up to her, Orion confirmed that she was indeed the lost blue-haired child, and most importantly, that she was alive, judging by the soft rise and fall of her chest.

"Did the Demon Beast change its curse to knock them out instead? Maybe it ran out of power and couldn't kill them?" Orion wondered aloud. "Regardless, I should start-"

"Grr!"

Hearing a growl, Orion turned to see a dog-like Demon Beast saunter towards him.

Narrowing his eyes, Orion got in between the monster and the girl, holding his sword with both hands as he faced the dog.

And just as the dog was about to leap forward…

"Jiwald."

A beam of concentrated light shot forth from Orion's extended finger, tracing a path directly through the air and into the monster's brain, instantly killing it.

"Hoo… Thanks for not moving, Mr. Demon Beast," Orion said, narrowing his eyes at the multiple figures sauntering out of the brush. "Seems like I've pissed off your friends though…"

Taking a breath, Orion chanted once more. 

"Inferna."

Fire danced across Orion's body and sword as the first Demon Beast leaped forward, only to be cut down as Orion sliced through its neck, the scent of seared hair and meat entering his nose as he finished his movement.

"One down…" Orion muttered.

At this, another two began sprinting towards him.

"Fura."

Orion released a wind blade, digging deep into one of the attacking monsters, causing it to tumble as Orion dodged the other's leap, turning on his heel before releasing another blade of wind.

"Fura! Shit, it's hard to focus on handling the mana in the middle of a fight. I'll have to work on that."

Going back to the fallen tree, Orion ensured that Inferna had worn off completely so as to not accidentally burn the child before he slung the sleeping girl over his shoulder.

'I'd be a bit too dangerous to swing this around while holding a little girl… I hope my magic is good enough,' he thought as he sheathed his sword.

As Orion began to run back to the hill where Rem and Subaru had been, he quickly came to a stop as multiple Demon Beasts came out from the woods, surrounding him.

Orion was trapped.

'...Shit.'

Extending his hand, Orion took a deep breath to focus, making use of the time the monsters were wasting by passively observing him to mould this version of a spell for the first time.

"El Jiwald!"

A beam fired from each of his five extended fingers, piercing a Demon Beast each as they seared through their heads.

Unfortunately for Orion, however, there were more than five enemies, and his attack had ended their period of hesitation, the monsters in front of him now leaping forward to enact their vengeance on the young man.

Dodging the first monster, Orion began running past the five corpses he had created, casting Fura whenever a Demon Beast got too close. 

But there were simply too many.

As Orion watched three Demon Beasts leap toward him, jaws wide and bearing their sharpened teeth, he raised his arm as a hasty defence, ensuring the little girl was safe in his arms before-

"Get away from him!"

Accompanying a young woman's shout, a familiar spiked flail shot forth, decimating the Demon Beasts in front of him with one swipe.

'Rem… holy shit, I love you!' Orion thought inwardly.

"Thank you, Rem," he said, sighing in relief.

"It's nothing," she said, eyeing the girl in his arms. "If you have the girl we should leave."

"Orion! You're safe!" Subaru said, smiling in relief as he ran up to him. "The kids are back with the village- Wait, you're covered in blood!?"

Indeed. Orion's simple black dress shirt was splattered in blood. Not even Orion's face was spared as Orion took the moment to wipe the disgusting liquid that had trickled down to his lips.

"Don't worry, it's not mine," he said. "More importantly, as Rem said, we should leave now. Here, take her."

Passing the little girl to Subaru, Orion once again pulled out his sword.

"Rem. Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "Rem can deal with most of the Demon Beasts behind us if Orion deals with the ones in front."

Watching the girl smear the blood off of her cheek as she spoke resolutely, Orion felt his heart thump at the sight.

'No… I can deal with that later,' he thought. 'No need for those thoughts to get in the way of the most important thing at the moment: surviving.'

"Alright. Then let's go."

Following their proposed formation, Orion led the two through the forest, his sword held firm in his right hand as his left was ready to bisect any incoming attackers with a wind blade.

While they were able to dodge many potential fights due to Rem's scent-based detection abilities, eventually, their luck ran out as Orion found himself confronting two Demon Beasts.

"S-Shit! We gotta-!"

"Fura," Orion chanted, interrupting Subaru.

As the first Demon Beast lost its head due to a wind blade, Orion sprinted forward and stabbed the second one through its skull.

"Come on. Let's go," Orion said calmly, pulling his sword out of the dead monster's head.

"S-Senpai…" Subaru said with stars in his eyes. "That was so cool!"

"Um, thanks, but we have to…"

Orion's words trailed off as he felt the ground tremble. 

'What the hell?' Orion wondered before he heard a rumble from his left.

Looking up, he saw the familiar puppy standing at the top of a hill and, more importantly, a wave of earth crashing down the slope like a wave, heading right for…

"Rem! Run!" he shouted.

Rem, who was fighting off a few of the Demon Beasts that were trailing them, turned to Orion just as she was engulfed by the earthflow, sending her tumbling down the hill.

"Rem!" Orion shouted, horrified as he began running towards where her likely broken form lay.

'Don't die Rem! Please! Stay with me! This is supposed to be the loop! Please don't… die?'

Orion's thoughts paused as he began to hear the sound of maniacal laughing.

Looking over to where Rem had ended up, Orion was met by the sight of her staring at the air as a glowing shape began to form over her forehead. Her lips spread wide in a fanatical smile as she continued to giggle.

'Is that… her horn?' Orion wondered.

"Oi! Is Rem… okay?" Subaru said, coming up to Orion's side as he noticed the oddity happening down below. "...What's wrong with her?"

"I… don't know," Orion answered. "I think that's a side effect of her horn, but… at least she's alive."

"Her horn?" Subaru shook his head to remove the useless thought. "Anyway, we should get Rem and go back to the village."

"Sure…"

Orion watched as Rem started killing the Demon Beasts that began to surround her, continuing to laugh as she danced with her chained flail, decimating a monster with each movement, reducing them to a bloody pulp.

"Demon Beast! Demon Beast! Demon Beast! Demon Beast!" she continuously chanted with a crazed smile.

"She's… like a demon," Subaru said, his voice trembling with slight fear.

"Hey, that's my crush you're talking about," Orion glared at the boy. "But… yeah. This isn't like the calm and kind Rem I know."

Orion gripped his sword, thinking about what to do until he noticed Rem stare up the hill with a smile, right to where the small puppy that had started this whole mess stood.

But, rather than following her gaze, Orion noticed the group of Demon Beasts leaping down at Rem's distracted form.

"Fura!"

Leaping forward, Orion used his sword to block the monsters his initial wind blade didn't kill, holding them back as they clawed at his arms, tearing his clothes before he mustered the concentration to cast another spell.

"E-El Jiwald!"

Gritting his teeth to ignore the pain, Orion spread out his fingers, sending a beam of concentrated light through each of their heads, finishing them off.

"Hoo… Shit, that hurt. Rem, we have to…" 

As Orion was about to convince Rem to head back to the village, he turned his head and noticed that she was no longer standing next to him, instead having decided to leap toward the Demon Beast puppy and its entourage.

"...Fuck," Orion said before running forward. "Rein was right. I do have shit luck."

But before he could reach Rem, who was currently about to begin another battle with a group of Demon Beasts, Orion noticed that a few of the dogs were darting toward Subaru.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Orion growled before changing his trajectory. "Get down, Subaru! El Goa!"

Luckily, Subaru had heard Orion's command in time and crouched down, shielding the girl in his arms as a searing heat passed overhead, the fire projectiles slamming into the approaching Demon Beasts.

"Senpai! That scared the crap out of me!" Subaru shouted, getting back to his feet.

"Would you rather be mauled?" Orion responded, keeping his eyes on the surroundings. "For some reason, these guys really seem to like you, so stick with me while I knock Rem out of it."

Subaru looked at him, confused. "Knock her out of it? How are you gonna do that?"

Orion narrowed his eyes. "By doing it in the literal sense."

Subaru tilted his head before suddenly widening his eyes. "You're gonna hit your crush!?"

"Call it tough love. Unless you have a better idea, let's go," Orion said.

As Orion ran towards Rem, he grimaced at the sight before him.

The ground surrounding her was bathed in blood, the corpses of Demon Beasts littering the ground as Rem continued her massacre, the sound of chains and demonic giggles echoing through the forest.

'She's completely lost in her bloodlust…'

"Rem! Come back to us, Rem!" Orion yelled as he cut down a Demon Beast that had gotten too close.

Instead of answering, Rem turned her head towards Orion, looking at him with a crazed smile before she flicked her flail towards him. An attack that Orion just barely dodged by diving to the ground.

"Yep, that's definitely enough," Orion grunted, getting to his feet.

Grabbing the chain of her flail, Orion let mana flow through his arm as he pulled, causing Rem to fly toward him.

"I love your smile more than anything, but not the one you're wearing right now!" Orion shouted. "So… sorry, Rem."

As her surprised face came closer to him, Orion slammed his head down on her forehead, hitting her horn and causing both of them to stumble back from the impact.

And with that, Rem's eyes slowly regained focus as she came back to reason.

"O… Orion?" she said in shock, clutching her slightly aching forehead.