Chapter 185: Don't... Don't Steal My Husband! (Crying Violently)

“Elsa, stand down. I trust Rem, so naturally I trust this… brother, too.”

Natsuki Subaru waved his hand with a smile, and Elsa, flashing him a brilliant smile in return, lowered her curved blade. Then she proudly lifted her pale, slender neck and strode over to stand guard at Subaru’s side, righteous as could be — wordless, yet looking for all the world like a black swan that had just won a battle.

How had the Bowel Hunter become so obedient?

Petra, watching the scene unfold, was struck with astonishment. Was this really the terrifying Bowel Hunter she remembered?

Even Emilia frowned slightly at the sight, a flicker of displeasure crossing her face. What a shameless flirt — all she knew how to do was put on airs to win Subaru’s favor!

At the doorway, Halibel blinked in surprise at those words. He looked Subaru up and down carefully, then cautiously exchanged a glance with Rem across the room to confirm what he was hearing.

Only now did he realize — could it be that Su-san, unlike him, didn’t carry memories of a past life?

At the thought, a trace of inexplicable sorrow flashed through Halibel’s narrow eyes.

To meet a close friend like Su-san again, only to have him not recognize him — none of what had passed between them remembered — meant starting all over again in this lifetime!

Still, the one small comfort was that Rem’s words a moment ago had confirmed she still remembered him.

Otherwise, this whole visit would have been an embarrassingly abrupt intrusion, and he’d have lost all face!

At the thought, the pair of beast ears atop Halibel’s head drooped, and he couldn’t help sighing again and again, so much that even the pipe he habitually kept clenched in his mouth tilted askew.

Having fought his way to his current strength, Halibel had no shortage of life experience, and he understood well enough that the bonds between people depended heavily on the time, place, and manner of their meeting.

Meet at the wrong time, and even kindred spirits might never become true friends — now that would be a genuine regret in life!

But as the Admirer, the strongest warrior of the Kararagi city-state, Halibel’s resolve was naturally far beyond ordinary, and he quickly steadied himself.

After all, wasn’t Rem — Su-san’s wife — still holding onto her memories? If he’d managed it before, he could certainly manage it again: earning Subaru’s trust and forging a bond with him.

On his end, Subaru was also studying this powerful man with a distinctly ninja-like air, his thoughts churning with emotion.

Halibel? Oh, he knew him — knew him about as well as anyone could.

Ever since reading through that book chronicling the life of the Purge King Natsuki Subaru, the one he’d dubbed the Book of the Dead, he’d effectively gained an entire lifetime’s worth of memories as the Purge King, out of nowhere.

It was as though he’d genuinely lived in another timeline, served as the Purge King in another possible world.

And facing Halibel — one of only two top-tier powerhouses under his command in that other life, the most loyal of his vassals, a man who’d unilaterally considered him a brother — his feelings were the most complicated of all.

The shock came from learning that in the world Rem had experienced before, Halibel had also been close with him, calling him Su-san — truly, what a deep bond of fate that was.

As for the joy — when Pandaemonium had collapsed and Halibel, following his orders, had taken Frederica and left, he’d murmured a quiet wish to become true, trusted friends with him. Now, that wish finally had a chance to come true.

And so —

“Hal — allow me to call you that. I’m not the Natsuki Subaru from your memories, but I genuinely want to be your friend, so… I’ll shamelessly go ahead and use this more familiar name!”

Hearing this, Halibel didn’t seem to mind at all — instead, he shook his head with a cheerful chuckle.

“Even without those memories, doesn’t that still make you Su-san?”

“What matters to me is who you are. So what if we haven’t met before? Worst case, we just start from zero!”

Subaru blinked in surprise at that, then burst out laughing, moved.

“Now I think I get it — why we became such close friends in that other possible world!”

“Hal, have a seat. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”

Subaru’s eyes were sincere as he gestured for Halibel to sit, mindful that the man, having rushed here in a hurry, likely hadn’t eaten.

“Thanks then, Su-san. I’ll shamelessly mooch a meal off you.”

“Though I suppose I got plenty of free meals off you two as a married couple before, too — I’m well used to it by now!”

Halibel, pipe still clenched between his teeth, rubbed his hands together, a broad smile on his face.

What he didn’t realize was that his words had landed like a boulder dropped into still water, sending up massive waves.

M-married… couple?

Every woman present, except for Rem herself, felt as if their heads had been struck by a heavy hammer, ringing and buzzing, and they froze on the spot.

None of the women present were fools. After what they’d been through in the viewing space, they’d all gained a rough understanding of one another.

This group of them had come from nearly all different possible worlds — much like the Wrath-if line they’d all watched.

Their reactions while watching had all but confirmed to everyone that Emilia and Ram came from the Wrath line.

And now, it was clear that the Great Spirit Zarestia who’d attacked the village earlier, Rem, and the Halibel standing before them all came from the same possible world!

So this “you two as a married couple” that Mr. Halibel had mentioned — exactly who was it referring to, besides Subaru?

Judging by Zarestia’s attitude toward Subaru, it clearly wasn’t her.

That left only —

Emilia, Petra, Elsa, and Meili all turned their eyes at once toward Rem, whose face was a picture of panic, as though her secret had just been exposed.

Shock, uncertainty, envy, jealousy, disbelief — every kind of emotion churned in the women’s eyes.

Even Ram turned to look at Rem with an expression of disbelief, dazed.

Ram’s lips moved as if to say something, but in the end all that came out of her throat were a few meaningless sounds.

Her mind was entirely consumed by Halibel’s words just now — you two, married, a couple…

Ram never imagined that while she, the elder sister, had been living through hell on earth, grieving herself half to death over Rem’s passing —

— her little sister Rem had, in another world, walked down the aisle with Barusu, living a happy and fulfilled life surrounded by friends, and perhaps even bearing him a whole houseful of children!

At the thought, Ram couldn’t help feeling utterly hollowed out — the gap between those two realities was simply too much to bear.

Rem, for her part, sensing her twin sister’s grief, carefully reached out and took Ram’s hand in a silent gesture of comfort.

“Married?!”

Compared to Ram, the shock hitting Petra wasn’t any less severe!

Whoa… whoa, no way!

Petra’s long-standing wish had always been to become Subaru’s bride, and now, learning that someone else had already beaten her to it, how could she not panic?

“You can’t… you can’t steal my husband away from me!!” (bawling uncontrollably)