TheresiaBaru Chapter 20: Wrath VS Theresia Charm (Patreon)

Subaru had faced many challenges in her life. Demonic beasts. Cultists. An entire legion of people who refused to believe she wasn’t Theresia van Astrea.

But right now, standing in front of Priscilla Barielle—who was fresh from a dance performance—Subaru felt the kind of exhaustion that only came from dealing with arrogance.

“Ah, the commoners have arrived,” Priscilla announced, standing with a grace that practically screamed nobility. “How quaint.”

Subaru’s fingers itched to slap that smug expression off her face.

Instead, she smiled.

A thin, dangerous smile.

“Wow, what a great performance. You must be really bored to start dancing in public.”

Priscilla’s red eyes gleamed.

“Indeed. It is the fate of those with superior bloodlines to possess talents so great that even the most mundane of amusements becomes an art.” She flipped open her fan, hiding her smirk behind it. “Did you enjoy the show, my dear Theresia?”

Subaru twitched.

Emilia, ever the peacekeeper, quickly stepped forward. “It was amazing! You’re very skilled, Priscilla.”

Priscilla glanced at Emilia with mild amusement before shifting her gaze back to Subaru, clearly more interested in seeing how far she could push her.

Liliana, the tan-skinned bard, suddenly inserted herself into the conversation.

“Lady Priscilla is a gift to the arts! Why, even the skies envy her beauty! The sun itself shines brighter in her presence!”

Subaru turned her gaze to the bard, whose sparkling golden eyes were practically glowing with admiration.

“...You do realize she already thinks she’s better than everyone else, right?”

Liliana gasped, scandalized. “Because she is!”

Subaru sighed.

Beatrice, still holding her hand, squeezed her finger just slightly. A silent message.

Do not do anything stupid, I suppose.

But Subaru was already mentally rolling up her sleeves.

“Alright then.” She crossed her arms. “If Priscilla’s so talented, how about she does something more impressive than just dancing?”

Liliana’s eyes sparkled. “Oh! A challenge!”

Priscilla arched a delicate brow. “You dare to suggest that my capabilities are limited?”

Subaru grinned.

“I mean, I’m just saying… If you’re so amazing, then prove it.”

Liliana gasped again, this time in pure excitement. “A duel of arts!” She spun around dramatically. “Lady Priscilla versus the famed Subaru Natsuki!”

Subaru froze.

“Wait, what?”

Emilia’s eyes widened. “Oh, that sounds fun!”

“No, it does not!”

Priscilla, however, was already smiling.

“Very well,” she said, snapping her fan shut. “I accept.”

Subaru blinked. “Hold on. I didn’t—”

“It is only natural that my inferiors should seek to challenge me.” Priscilla’s smirk was so condescending that Subaru felt her soul trying to leave her body. “Very well, Theresia. Show me what little skill you possess.”

Subaru twitched.

Beatrice sighed. “Betty knew this would happen, I suppose.”

Emilia clapped her hands together. “Alright! Let’s pick an event!”

Subaru gaped at her. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?!”

Emilia smiled innocently.

Liliana, having appointed herself as the host of this ridiculous event, pulled out a small notebook.

“Now then, what kind of contest shall it be? Music? Dance? Poetry? Drama? Theater? The culinary arts?”

Subaru groaned. “You just want an excuse to be entertained.”

Liliana winked. “Guilty!”

Priscilla, meanwhile, looked bored.

“Let us simply make it simple,” she said, waving a hand. “We shall each perform one skill, and the audience will decide who is superior.”

Subaru sighed.

Fine.

FINE.

She was going to win this out of spite.

“Alright, deal.” Subaru rolled her shoulders. “I go first.”

Liliana clapped in excitement. “Wonderful! Now then, what skill shall you perform?”

Subaru thought for a moment.

And then…

An evil idea came to mind.

A beautiful, evil idea.

Slowly, she turned to Beatrice.

“Hey, Betty.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. “What?”

Subaru grinned.

“I need your help.”

—

Five minutes later, a crowd had gathered in anticipation.

Priscilla, standing tall and composed, watched with mild curiosity as Subaru walked to the center of the square.

Beatrice stood nearby, arms crossed and looking vaguely murderous.

Subaru inhaled deeply.

And then—

She sang.

Or rather—

She performed.

“Life is a highway! I wanna ride it all night loooong!”

The crowd erupted.

Emilia gasped, eyes wide with delight.

Beatrice, who had reluctantly agreed to provide some minor magic effects, sent little bursts of light dancing around Subaru as she belted out lyrics in a language nobody understood.

Liliana screamed in excitement.

“This is incredible!”

Priscilla…

For the first time ever…

Looked visibly confused.

Subaru grinned.

She knew no one in this world would understand English.

But that didn’t matter.

Because the energy—the confidence—was enough to make the crowd lose their minds.

By the time she finished, the applause was deafening.

Subaru stood tall, crossing her arms triumphantly.

“Beat that, princess.”

Priscilla’s eyes gleamed.

“Oh?”

She smiled.

And then—

She danced.

—

It was a massacre.

Priscilla moved with such effortless grace that even Subaru had to admit she was insanely good.

Every motion was flawless. Every step was perfect.

It was like watching a goddess perform.

By the time she finished, the crowd was weeping.

Even Beatrice looked mildly impressed.

Subaru, meanwhile, was suffering a spiritual death.

Liliana turned to the audience.

“And the winner is—”

”PRISCILLA!!!”

The crowd cheered.

Priscilla smirked.

Subaru groaned.

“Well, that was rigged.”

Priscilla approached her, red eyes glowing with amusement.

“Did you truly believe you could defeat me?”

Subaru sighed.

“You know what?” She turned to Emilia and Beatrice. “Let’s go.”

Beatrice immediately grabbed her hand.

“Finally, I suppose.”

As they walked away, Subaru heard Liliana cheerfully singing:

“She fought with all her might, but lost in the end! To the goddess of fire, the noble Priscilla!”

Subaru clenched her fists.

Emilia giggled. “That was fun!”

Subaru groaned.

“...I hate this city.”

Ö~Ö

Subaru had exactly two seconds to process what was happening.

One second to realize that the bandaged woman yelling enthusiastically from the tower was not a street performer but an actual, honest-to-god Sin Archbishop.

And another second to understand that the laughing townspeople weren’t just enjoying the show—they were in on it.

The realization hit her like a bag of bricks.

"Wait, wait, wait—hold on!" Subaru waved her hands. "Did you just say Sin Archbishop of Wrath?!”

Sirius, still standing dramatically atop the tower, tilted her head as if confused by Subaru’s outburst.

“Yes! That is what I said!” She spread her arms wide, the bandages covering her entire form fluttering in the wind. “The Sin Archbishop of Wrath! Sirius Romane-Conti!”

Subaru’s brain lagged.

Why the hell was she thanking people?!

And more importantly—why was everyone else so happy about it?!

People clapped, cheered, and laughed as if Sirius had just announced a festival.

Sirius threw her arms upward, pointing toward the sky like a preacher delivering the final word of truth.

"And now!" she cried, dramatically kicking at the air. "I present to you the LOVE of the Wrath!"

Subaru flinched.

That was never a good sentence to hear.

And then—

Sirius reached behind her, grinning wildly, and pulled out a struggling, tied-up blonde boy.

The cheering got louder.

People clapped.

Sirius cackled, swinging the poor kid around like some kind of prize.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she shouted as if she were a performer on a stage.

Subaru felt her blood run cold.

"OI! STOP THAT!"

Her voice boomed across the square, cutting through the crowd's laughter like a knife.

The cheering died—only to be replaced with a deafening silence.

For the first time, Sirius stilled.

Slowly, she turned her head toward Subaru, her body twitching in erratic spasms.

A deep, unsettling chuckle escaped from beneath her bandages.

And then—

She hissed.

"You..." Her voice was dripping with venom. "You dare reject my love?"

Subaru shivered.

That was a horrible sentence.

The crowd—who had been laughing moments before—suddenly turned on her, their once-joyful faces now twisted in rage.

Their eyes—

They were glowing.

A deep, horrific red.

And then, in perfect unison, they snapped their heads toward Subaru.

And screamed.

"You reject love?!"

Subaru stumbled back.

“Oh, what the hell?!”

Sirius cackled from above.

"Unfortunate, girl! You must be so confused! But do not fear!" She kicked at the air again, spinning in place like a deranged puppet. "Soon, you too shall understand the depths of love!"

Subaru barely had time to react before—

Sirius threw the child.

Like a ragdoll.

Like she was tossing away garbage.

The boy screamed.

Subaru moved.

Her body acted before her brain.

One second she was standing in the crowd—

The next, she was leaping through the air.

Everything slowed.

The boy's terrified expression—his bound arms flailing helplessly—

The wind rushing past her ears—

The glowing eyes of the crowd watching silently as she flew past them—

And then—

She caught him.

She wrapped her arms around his tiny frame, twisting her body midair—

And landed.

Perfectly.

Like an absolute goddamn hero.

The moment her feet touched the ground, the crowd gasped.

She pulled the kid close, ensuring he was safe—and then—

She grinned.

"You're safe now," she told him, dropping her voice into something firm—something reassuring.

The boy blinked up at her, eyes wide.

And then—

She clenched her fist, thrust it to her chest, and—

"Why?" she boomed, channeling every ounce of her inner All Might.

"Because I am HERE!"

For a moment—

The boy stared.

And then—

His face lit up.

Sirius, meanwhile, was seething.

Her entire bandaged form trembled, twitching in violent spasms.

"You..." She let out a choked, rage-filled breath. "You dare take my offering?"

The crowd—

The glowing-eyed mob—

Snapped toward her again.

And screamed.

"YOU REJECT LOVE?!"

Subaru flinched.

"Okay! Okay! Calm down!" She took a step back, keeping the kid firmly in her arms. "Listen! We can talk about this! We can—"

Sirius shrieked.

And the crowd—

Charged.

Subaru ran.

Subaru slammed straight into something unmovable.

A brick wall?

No.

A mountain.

Well.

Close enough.

Reinhard Van Astrea, standing tall as ever, looking like an actual divine existence with the way the sunlight kissed his perfect, undeserving, bullshit-immune face.

His eyes widened in shock—

“Grandmother—?!”

Subaru exploded.

"LISTEN, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF BRAINLESS SHIT—"

Reinhard blinked.

"I DON’T have time for whatever half-baked, delusional, insane garbage you have to say about me being your grandma or your long-lost reincarnated sunflower angel of war or whatever—"

The crowd behind her roared in rage.

She grabbed his stupid white cloak, yanking him down so she could yell directly into his perfectly chiseled face.

"Right now, there is a SIN ARCHBISHOP OF WRATH in the city, mindfucking people into thinking mass hysteria is love, and I—" She jabbed her finger into her chest. "—CANNOT just start slashing civilians left and right without feeling like a complete piece of shit—"

She let go of his cloak and threw her hands up.

"SO, REINHARD. WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO?!"

Reinhard, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, remained completely unfazed.

Instead, he tilted his head in deep contemplation, as if Subaru had just asked him the meaning of life.

"Hmm," he mused. "You could just use your Theresia-charm."

Subaru froze.

Her what.

She slowly turned to look at him.

"My WHAT?"

Reinhard nodded sagely.

"You know. The one you used to spellbind the courtroom during the Royal Selection gathering."

Subaru blinked.

Then blinked again.

And then, in pure disgust, whispered:

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Your charisma," he said simply. "Your natural ability to enchant the masses with your elegance, your voice, and your undeniable presence. Surely, if you could captivate the entire castle audience that day, then enthralling a few hundred civilians should be a trivial matter."

Subaru stared at him.

Then—

She shoved the kid into his arms.

"Hold this."

And then she bolted.

She ran, dodging civilians and hurdling over a stone bench—

And then—

She leaped.

She landed on the edge of a fountain, spinning dramatically.

The mob stopped.

Their glowing red eyes all snapped toward her in eerie unison.

Subaru took a deep breath.

She cleared her throat.

And then—

She sang.

[Die With a Smile – Subaru Edition]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~~!

 If you’re feeling homicidal~! 

 And you wanna burn this town down~! 

 If a bandaged cultist’s tellin’ ya~! 

 To turn that smile upside down~! 

 THEN PLEASE DON’T GO AND STAB YOUR FRIENDS 

 OR SLICE A KID IN HALF 

 TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND KISS YOUR CAT 

 AND MAYBE HAVE A LAUGH 

 'Cause life’s too short to kill your pals 

 Or take advice from creeps 

 Instead just go and buy a snack 

 And eat until you sleep 

 DIE WITH A SMIIIIIIIIIIILEEEEEEEEEE~! 

 NOT WITH A KNI-I-I-I-I-IFE! 

 DON'T GO AND HURT YOUR FAMILY 

 'CAUSE I SWEAR THAT SHIT AIN’T RIGHT 

 JUST GIVE A HUUUUUUUUUUUUUG~! 

 TO SOMEONE YOU LOOOOOOOOOOVE~! 

 AND REMEMBER THAT MURDER IS BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD~! 

The crowd—

The raging, rabid, murderous mob—

Went silent.

Their glowing red eyes dulled.

Their expressions slackened.

And then—

Like a damn miracle—

They all tilted their heads.

Mesmerized.

Absolutely enchanted.

Some of them even swayed gently to the rhythm.

One guy in the back sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"That was beautiful," someone whispered.

Subaru, still standing on the fountain, was panting heavily.

Her lungs burned.

Her soul burned.

But most importantly—

The mob was not attacking anymore.

She let out a long, exhausted sigh—

And then—

A furious scream pierced through the silence.

Sirius—

Absolutely raging.

Her bandaged body trembled violently atop the tower.

Her eyes—blazing wild with anger.

Her mouth twisted into a snarl.

"YOU. ABSOLUTE. HERETIC!"

Subaru sighed.

"Of course you’re mad about this," she muttered.