"Thank you for your assistance," Crusch said with a deep bow, expressing her sincere gratitude to Haruto.
Haruto waved his hand dismissively, indicating that it was no big deal.
At this point, the group had already withdrawn from the Forbidden Magic Hall.
The members of the subjugation team had been dismissed, leaving only a few individuals behind. These few would discuss whether the Re:Zero world should accept the SCP Foundation's intervention.
However, at the moment, no one was talking about the main topic.
Emilia was glancing back and forth at Haruto with a look of uncertainty.
"Um... Are you... Meili?" she asked hesitantly.
Haruto sighed helplessly and nodded.
"Those bandits came from beyond this world. To completely eradicate the root of their organization, I had to infiltrate them for a while. I sincerely apologize for deceiving you."
Hearing this, Emilia quickly waved her hands, indicating that she didn't mind.
Puck flew around Haruto twice and then landed on his shoulder.
"You're really an enigma… But still, thank you for protecting Lia," he said.
Emilia quickly snapped out of her thoughts and bowed in gratitude.
"Lord Haruto, please return to the royal capital with us. We will welcome you with the highest honors," Crusch said respectfully.
Haruto, however, waved his hand.
"No need. I plan to travel to a few more places in this world before returning."
"I've been in this world for quite some time now. A brief leave from my duties is fine, but staying too long wouldn't be appropriate. Of course, during my journey, I won't cause any harm to this world, so you needn't worry."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly reassured him that they had no concerns about him harming the world.
What a joke.
The man in front of them could erase a world with a mere gesture, why would he need to "cause harm" deliberately?
Fortunately, he seemed to be a benevolent existence.
However, Crusch seemed a bit anxious.
"But if we reach a decision regarding the SCP Foundation's intervention, how should we inform you, Lord Haruto?"
The proposal to involve the SCP Foundation was quite tempting.
The Re:Zero world was filled with dangers, and if the SCP Foundation intervened, it could eliminate all anomalies that threatened the world.
Who wouldn't want to live in a peaceful and harmonious world?
Haruto pointed at Subaru.
"Just tell him when you reach a decision, or come to the Forbidden Magic Hall. This place will serve as a temporary SCP Foundation site for now."
Subaru had signed the agreement and was now an official SCP Foundation C-Class investigator.
Honestly, even though he was given a lot of equipment…
This guy was still pretty weak.
He was nowhere near the level of a Mobile Task Force operative.
Reinhard also signed an agreement, though only as an E-Class personnel for now.
He still had many responsibilities and attachments in the Re:Zero world, so he couldn't just leave everything behind.
For now, he would serve as a temporary member, and once all threats in the Re:Zero world were neutralized, he would officially join the SCP Foundation.
After finalizing these matters, Haruto headed toward the mansion.
There, he picked up Beatrice and set off for the Sanctuary.
The so-called Sanctuary appeared to be a mere refuge for demi-humans. But in reality, it was the resting place of the Witch of Greed, Echidna. Haruto's actions could be seen as bringing a daughter to meet her mother.
Echidna had devised a method within the Sanctuary to resurrect herself. The first thing Haruto did upon arriving at the Sanctuary was severing that method.
After all, witches were anomalies that threatened the world!
Soon after, Haruto felt a subtle pull on his perception.
However, due to the existence of his Knowledge Fragments, his perception was completely unshakable.
No matter how hard Echidna tried to influence him, it was utterly useless.
In the end, it was Haruto who actively used his perception to enter the true Sanctuary, Echidna's mental space.
--------------
Here, Beatrice was finally reunited with her mother.
Echidna, on the other hand, looked at Haruto with a deeply resentful gaze. Haruto merely sneered and said nothing.
The details of their negotiations were not worth mentioning.
Ultimately, as the Witch of Greed, Echidna's greatest desire was to know everything. And in her eyes, Haruto was an entire domain of the unknown.
To uncover this mystery, Echidna was willing to pay any price.
Thus… she signed a contract.
And so, from the Re:Zero world, Haruto took away both the Witch of Greed, Echidna, and the Great Spirit, Beatrice.
While in the Sanctuary, Haruto also encountered the souls of the other witches.
He collected them all.
Their existence posed an extreme threat to the Re:Zero world. Moreover, witches were all eccentric in nature, making them walking time bombs.
It was best to just pack them up and take them away.
Later, inside the Forbidden Magic Hall, Haruto opened a portal and returned to the main world.
As soon as Echidna arrived, she immediately ran off to study new knowledge. In the future, she would serve as the fourth O5 Council member.
(T/N: Who was the third? Genuinely forgot...)
Meanwhile, Beatrice stuck closely to Haruto with a sulky expression.
The two had already formed a contract.
Throughout her long existence, Beatrice had imagined countless times what her contractor would be like. After all, they were meant to be the most important person to a spirit.
Haruto… fulfilled all her fantasies of the perfect contractor. He even reunited her with her "deceased" mother.
But… Beatrice still felt upset.
Their meeting wasn't romantic at all, it was a mess!
----------------
By the time Haruto left the SCP site, it was already dusk. Stretching his body, he rotated his neck slightly.
Work was so exhausting!
He really needed to retire soon.
As he walked towards his apartment, a thought suddenly came to him.
"Speaking of which, where are Rem and Ram?"
The events in the Re:Zero world had been drastically altered.
However, before the intervention of the Reincarnation Palace, Rem and Ram had already gone missing.
There were no records of them anywhere in the world.
The most likely explanation was that they had been devoured by the White Whale.
Yet, according to the kingdom's records, the last time the White Whale appeared within the borders was many years ago…
It had last been sighted when it devoured the previous Sword Saint.
If Rem and Ram had truly been eaten by the White Whale, there should have been records of the whale attacking the borders.
But there were none.
That was strange.
Just as Haruto was pondering this mystery—
He passed by the small park where his journey had begun. At that moment, two streaks of light shot across the night sky.
They were falling directly toward the park.
Haruto instinctively stepped forward and skillfully caught the two falling figures.
Looking down, he realized they were two young girls.
They wore adorable outfits resembling kimonos, one pink, one blue, with delicate and beautiful features.
What stood out the most was the strange horn on the forehead of the blue-haired girl.
"Ah… so that's what happened."
Feeling the faint pulse of energy within them, Haruto finally understood where Ram and Rem had gone.
Their very existence seemed to be entangled with his fate, as if they were bound to him.
Yes, it was Fated Entanglement!
Judging by their appearances, they were still young.
(T/N: ....)
They must have been transported here from a hundred years ago in the Re:Zero timeline, back when they still lived in the Oni village.
Ram's horn was gone.
That likely meant the village had already been attacked by the Witch Cult.
Originally, in the main story, they were taken in by Roswaal and became maids at his mansion.
But due to distortions in the timeline, they had instead been transported away from the Re:Zero world by their entanglement with Haruto.
That explained why there were no records of them in that world.
"A single Fated Entanglement… and I got two golden pulls… Nice!"
Haruto smirked.
Rem and Ram were already trained as maids. Though Ram wasn't great at cooking and could only bake sweet potatoes… Rem, on the other hand, was an all-rounder!
Looks like those two wishes he made for a little chef finally came true!
As he pondered, the two girls slowly opened their eyes. Waking up, they immediately hugged each other in fear. Clearly, they hadn't recovered from the Witch Cult's attack.
After confirming that they were both safe, they finally noticed Haruto.
"Ram, Ram! There's a scary uncle! Are we going to be eaten?"
"Rem, Rem! The scary uncle looks dangerous! Let's run away!"
The two of them performed a synchronized skit.
Haruto's forehead twitched with irritation.
But after a moment, he sighed and gently ruffled their soft hair.
They had just survived a life-and-death ordeal and lost all their loved ones. Scolding them now would be too heartless.