Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活)

Is there really not a single person,

even if anyone is--

just the slightest memory of him.

Enough, Subaru.

It's fine.

He should know that this is Julius.

Julius Juukulius in full.

I think you've all figured this out,

but he's one of Gluttony's victims

that's been left nameless.

That said, his mind is still intact.

He's not like Gluttony's other victims.

They all either had their memories consumed and ended up

like Lady Crusch, or had both their names

and their memories consumed and ended up in a state

like Rem's But with Julius, only his name was consumed.

So you mean he's an exception?

Everybody else has forgotten, but

he still remembers who he is?

Your uniform tells me that you must be a knight.

I'm sure you must have been an acquaintance

of myself and Felix.

Perhaps even we were closer than that.

At the very least.

I thought of both of you

as important friends of mine.

Damn it.

You think you

were just everyday friends?

If you ask me, I think there's a lot more to it than that.

Lady Anastasia.

I've got a suggestion I'd like to share with all of you.

May I?

In these city walls, there are many people

who were either transformed by Lust,

or who were left without their names, thanks to Gluttony.

We may have captured the Sin Archbishops and all,

but I doubt they're going to just come

out and give us the secret to fixing

everything just like that.

We're in a bit of a pickle.

You thought now was the appropriate time

to bring that up?

And that means we've just

got to ask someone else who

has the knowledge to tell us.

Someone we can tell everything, who's really smart?

That's right.

And you see, there's someone

who's "really smart" here

in this city, ain't there?

Quit being vague and just spit it out then.

You mean?

Shaula the sage.

Shaula?

Yep.

Of the Three Great Heroes of Lugunica.

Shaula the sage.

Long ago, in the Dragon Friend Kingdom

of Lugunica, there was an accomplished band of heroes.

They were the Master Swordsman, the Dragon Lord and the Sage,

together known as the Three Great Heroes.

That right?

Yep.

The keeper of knowledge who

foresees all that will ever be,

standing at the far eastern edge of Lugunica,

in the Auguria dunes, we'll find

the Pleiades Watchtower, which was built to guard

the sealed Witch of Envy.

The legendary sage lives there in total seclusion.

And if my hunch is right, she might just have

the answers we're looking for.

To be frank, I'm still against going

through with this plan.

I mean, aren't we talking about a place

even you weren't able to reach before?

Two years back, when illness befell the royal family,

the council sent me out on special orders,

hoping I could find a cure.

My goal was the Pleiades Watchtower.

But I never made it there, no matter how far I traveled.

The tower in the distance never drew closer.

It must have been some sort of barrier,

and I found myself unable to cross it.

The Auguria dunes are famous for being

a giant den of mabests, if I recall correctly.

Should Mr. Natsuki and the others really

be going to a dangerous place like that on their own?

We must have faith.

I have a duty to fulfill, escorting Lady Felt

and that Sin Archbishop.

Besides, it's painfully obvious,

this city's people still need us.

A place that even Reinhardt has tried

and failed to get into, huh?

Just hearing that part alone makes all this

seem pretty dang hopeless.

Subaru, you're getting

a scary look on your face.

If your worries cause you to neglect our physical contact,

then you see, old Betty's cuteness will go to waste,

I suppose.

I'm sorry.

Wait, you're right.

I only zoned out for a minute there,

and now you're such an uggo.

That is a dirty lie.

Beatrice.

Huh?

Isn't it just about your bedtime?

Would you like to come sleep with me?

I will, I suppose.

Staying up all night is bad for your health, after all.

Natsuki, you're still up?

Yeah.

Even on a safe road, it's best for someone

to keep watch, right?

Right, we just don't have

enough people, do we?

I sure wish Ricardo would have been

able to come with us on this journey.

But with his arm like that.

How about you tell me the truth already?

Huh?

Where's this coming from?

What are you talking about?

You're a seriously lousy actor.

Just drop it.

I know you're not Lady Anastasia.

That face and voice aren't your playthings, so knock it off.

How interesting.

How did you figure out that I wasn't the actual Ana?

Something has seemed off with you this whole time,

but now I know for certain.

It's true that lady Anastasia is a realist,

but there's no way she'd ever talk so coldly

about a close friend dealing with such

a life changing injury.

I keep getting outed like this left and right.

It's kind of embarrassing.

Wait, hold on.

You mean I'm not the only one?

Priscilla Barrielle, the one who called me a vixen?

She sure is a scary woman.

Who exactly are you, then?

And what are you trying to do?

Echidna.

What?

My name is Echidna.

And what I am is an artificial spirit.

Frankly, it's not all that surprising that you'd assume I

took possession of Ana's body.

That's why I was hesitant to tell you the truth.

What kind of terrible joke is this?

So you're Echidna?

Is Lady Anastasia--

You don't mean, all the

terrible things that happened

in Priestella were your doing?

Would you just calm down a sec?

I think there's a huge misunderstanding here.

You expect me to calm down after all that, you vile witch?

What the hell have you done with Lady Anastasia?

Please, I wish you'd stop treating

me like some evil mastermind.

I promise, I have no intention of harming her.

Besides, I've been together with her for over 10 years.

What the hell are you--

wait, over 10 years?

Mm-hmm.

First of all, let me clear up the misunderstanding.

The Echidna that you're thinking of

is someone completely different from me.

The thing is, other than the fact

that I was created as an artificial spirit,

and the fact that my name is Echidna, I know next to nothing

about myself.

You're an artificial spirit, same as Beako?

Strictly speaking, this fox muffler

Ana's always wearing around her neck is actually my real body.

So you see, I've been watching all of you for a long time.

Why would you choose now for this reveal?

Is it because you're finally prepared to take full control

over her body, Foxidna?

Foxidna?

I can't say that I'm particularly fond of that name.

I had no intention of taking over Ana's body.

This unfortunate outcome isn't what I had hoped for.

If that's the truth and it's not what you wanted,

why not go back into that fox muffler?

Believe me, I would love to do just that.

But that's no longer an option.

And why is that?

What's wrong with Lady Anastasia's body

that you can't leave?

I'm going to be blunt.

I'm using Ana's Od as a medium to overwrite her mind

with my own consciousness.

Her consciousness is sleeping in the depths of her Od,