Somehow, Living Life in Another World is Wrong, as I Expected Ch. 11.4 (Patreon)

When it comes to bad decisions-

No. You know what? This doesn’t even deserve a monologue.

“Felt, Rom. We’re leaving.”

“Yep, sounds good Boss.”

“Man, I’m getting too old for this shit.”

The two of them, being smart enough to realize that trying to go against the Rabbit was suicide, agreed without hesitation.

“Wait, no-”

Natsuki didn’t get to finish before we stepped through the portal back to my shop.

…

Of course, my beloved respite only lasted for a grand total of thirty seconds, before another portal opened up in front of us. The first ones out, to no one’s surprise, were Natsuki and Beatrice. Everyone else following was a mild bit of surprise though. Even that blond kid joined in. Seriously, who the hell just waltzes into someone else’s home without permission like that?!

Thankfully, it seemed that Barielle - and Aldebaran by extension - wasn’t with them, seemingly staying behind at the manor. Thank god for small mercies. And fuck god for putting me in this situation in the first place, I guess.

“Look, I know how it sounds-” Natsuki was already talking when he stepped into my now cramped shop.

“It sounds fucking stupid and you know it.” I cut him off with as much annoyance as I could project, “First off, I’m not under any obligation to help you any more than I already have. Hell, I could argue fighting two damn Archbishops, on your territory mind you, makes your entire camp owe me for my trouble! Then you want me to go and fight another fucking Great Mabeast. What the actual fuck, Natsuki?!”

I supported Natsuki when taking down the Whale for wholly selfish reasons, I will admit. Yet, I still hadn’t gotten access to Mathers’ collection anyway, so they still owed me that.

What I’m saying is that the amount of compensation has not been commensurate with my suffering. And this ass of a light novel protagonist just wants me to suffer even more?!

Not happening.

“Hikigaya…” Karsten, damn her, started speaking. I glared at her, though she didn’t even flinch. All she did was keep looking with that familiar hard-headedness that I’ve grown familiar with. More times than I could count had that look been directed at me, and every time, she would somehow win and get what she wanted.

Well, almost every time. There were exceptions to the rule, one of them being that I join her camp for the Royal Selection. I enjoyed being neutral, and I would fight tooth and nail to keep myself that way.

With any luck, and my own self admitted stubbornness, this would be another exception.

“Karsten, I know for a fact that you’re not going to let this go,” Her sense of ‘justice’ was way too rigid, there was no way in hell that she would take hearing that the Great Rabbit was in the area lying down, “But, and I mean this in the most sincere way possible, that has nothing to do with me or Rom, or Felt. As much as you may feel that you have the responsibility to take care of this as a Duchess, I am the complete opposite. I both have no obligation, nor want, to put myself in any more danger than I already have.”

“I-” Karsten opened her mouth to say something, and I braced myself for a tirade as she would inevitably try to convince me. Then, she did the most shocking thing she could’ve done at that moment.

In that, she didn’t do what I expected.

“...No, you’re right about that.” Karsten deflated with a rueful smile on her face, “I suppose it was my fault, for pushing more and more things onto you and thinking that you would just go along with things.” She cast her eyes downward as she spoke somewhat morosely.

“No, stop that self-loathing bullshit.” I nipped it in the bud the moment I spotted where she was heading, “Yes, I helped you whenever you asked, but I did so in service of my own ambitions. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be opposed to you in general. Just, for fuck’s sake Karsten, we just finished killing the Whale and you and Natsuki want us to go kill an infinitely spawning bunch of rabbits?” I put up my arms even as I ranted.

“Need I also remind you that you’re going to be doing this in the territory of arguably the most influential Margrave of Lugunica? Nevermind the political consequences, or that we might even get dragged into even more shit than Natsuki already has, have you thought that maybe, this shouldn’t be your fight? Surely, the most powerful mage that this entire fucking country has, who owns the land, who has the responsibility of ensuring safety of said lands, should be the one fighting this thing?!”

The tiredness I had felt creeping up to me had become the spark that ignited this tirade. I…don’t even know if I was saying all this because I wanted to convince Karsten to see reason, to stay here. She wouldn’t be able to do anything against the Great Rabbit, at least, not anything permanent. 

Fundamentally, the Great Rabbit was the complete opposite of the White Whale. Where the Whale could be felled as a single mabeast, the Rabbit was a living hivemind that would need every single instance of it wiped from existence to actually take down. It was why Astrea was sent out to deal with possible sightings of it, as one of the few individuals with the power and durability to deal with it.

“Regardless of any of that, I must go.” She said quietly.

Karsten…I didn’t want her to throw her life away like this.

Yeah, I’ll admit it. Big bad Hachiman Hikigaya doesn’t want Crusch Karsten to die…Is that so fucking bad?

Before I could continue, I was suddenly reminded that we weren’t alone.

“Well, I think you’re not gonna like what I’m going to say, but I still gotta say it.” Natsuki coughed as he raised his arms placatingly, “Alright, I’m sorry that I’m kinda butting into your lover’s quarrel,” Our what- “I just wanted to point out one thing: Hikigaya, you owe me a lot more than Roswaal owes you.”

I wasn’t stupid enough to think that this was Natsuki doing a yakuza style ‘deal’ on me. The same couldn’t be said of Felt though, who immediately snapped back, “Oi, Subaru, that sounds awfully like a threat.” Alongside it, I could hear her moving forward to just a step behind me. Almost mirroring her, that ‘Garf’ kid that Natsuki had brought along did the same to him.

I appreciate the concern, even if it wasn’t necessary. Karsten and I were looking at Natsuki with surprise and animosity respectively, “Natsuki, you’re not nearly as sly as you think you are. Cut to the chase.”

“If you insist.” Natsuki wiggled his hand towards the quiet Great Spirit, “Technically, me and Beako here could’ve gone to the Sanctuary and stopped the Great Rabbit without any trouble…Except now, she’s tapped out because we had to go and bail you guys out of that fight with that Archbishop. So yeah, basically, the Emilia camp owes you library access, while you owe me your guys’ life.”

“And whose fault is it that we’re in this mess in the first place?” I countered, annoyed. Protagonist he may be, the audacity to tell me that I owe my life to him when he was the one that put me into this shit was too outrageous to ignore.

“Roswaal’s.” …I will admit that the immediate deflection, and the fact that the amount of vitriol in his voice matched that of when he had first talked about Romanée-Conti, startled me. The same could be said for Karsten, who hadn’t interjected to call out a lie.

“Look, all of this?” With a sweeping motion with his arm, Natsuki continued with a grim look on his face, “Everything from the moment that Roswaal met Emilia-tan, everything has been Roswaal’s fault. This entire time, he’s had this massive plan because of some sort of hard on for his teacher. I don’t know the exact details, but the bastard’s got some kind of Gospel that he's been following so he can resurrect her." That got a reaction out of everyone.

"Elsa, he hired to force Hikigaya to make her a weapon. He did the same to steal Emilia's insignia, so that I got involved. Petelguese, I'm guessing you came here cause you heard about a white-haired elf, right? Well how did you even hear about it when there's been no announcement for the Royal Selection just yet?”

“Natsuki-san, I want to be clear here,” Karsten held up a hand as a visage of alarm shone on her features. I suppose the same could be said for me, even as she continued, “You are accusing Margrave Mathers, the Court Mage of the Kingdom of Lugunica, and your own sponsor as a member of the Emilia camp, to be a Witch Cultist?”

“...It’s not the same Witch, and it’s not exactly a real Gospel, but the end result would be the same if he were to succeed.”

It was not Karsten that disrupted the cloying silence that followed. Nor was it me, nor Felt. It wasn’t even Rom, who was being as quiet as a man his stature could be.

No. Of all people, it was Romanée-Conti.

From his position, he had been quietly sitting down on one of the empty tables. I hadn’t paid much attention to him even as he had joined Natsuki when they crossed over with Beatrice’s portal. I didn’t want to think about my absolute disgust as a Cultist and self-admitted Archbishop made themselves at home in my shop.

I did have to pay attention when he suddenly shot up from his seat and stomped towards Natsuki.

Moronic protagonist he may be, I wasn’t about to let a visibly angry Archbishop just do what he wanted, even if I had an inkling as to why.

I moved before my brain could finish complaining about the new mess I was about to wade into. One moment I was processing the fact that a supposedly insane Archbishop was charging at the idiot protagonist, the next I had already stepped between them, hand pressed firmly against Romanée-Conti’s chest.

"Not in my shop," I said flatly, "You want to start something, do it outside where I don't have to clean up the blood."

"Remove your hand." The words came out clipped, controlled. That alone was unsettling. For however long I had been acquainted with him, never had the amount of emotion I could see ever appeared, before right this moment. The man's eyes, however, weren't on me at all. They were fixed past my shoulder, boring into Natsuki with an intensity that could set water on fire, "I will not ask again."

"Yeah? That's funny, because I'm pretty sure I just told you how this works." I didn't move, "You don't get to stomp around my place of business threatening people. I don't care if you're an Archbishop or the Sage himself."

Was I feeling particularly unhinged that I felt the need to talk to an Archbishop like this? Maybe. At this point, I don't give a shit anymore.

"Hikigaya, it's alright. Let me handle this."

Even through all this, though, Natsuki met his gaze without flinching. Whatever else you could say about the guy, cowardice wasn't one of his problems. Stupidity, sure. Recklessness, absolutely. But not cowardice.

"Roswaal's been playing a long game," Natsuki said, "A four hundred year old plan by the Mathers family, if what I've figured out is right. He's got some kind of plan to resurrect his teacher, a woman named Echidna, the Witch of Greed. And he's been using everyone. Me, Emilia-tan, the villagers at the Sanctuary. And yeah, you too. All of you. And unless you help me beat him, then whatever other plans he has won't stop. He'll keep trying for however long it takes, even if it damns everyone and everything."

Natsuki bowed.

"So please, for Emilia, for yourselves, for everyone that Roswaal has hurt and will try to hurt, lend me your strength so that I can stop him once and for all."

…