Copyright
RE:ZERO Vol. 3
TAPPEI NAGATSUKI
Translation by ZephyrRz
Cover art by Shinichirou Otsuka
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
RE:ZERO KARA HAJIMERU ISEKAI SEIKATSU
© TAPPEI NAGATSUKI / Shinichirou Otsuka 2014
First published in Japan in 2014 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights reserved by YEN PRESS, LLC under the license from KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., Tokyo.
English Translation © 2017 by Yen Press, LLC
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Nagatsuki, Tappei, 1987– author. | Otsuka, Shinichirou, illustrator. | ZephyrRz, translator.
Title: Re:ZERO starting life in another world / Tappei Nagatsuki ; illustration by Shinichirou Otsuka ; translation by ZephyrRz.
Other titles: Re:ZERO kara hajimeru isekai seikatsu. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2016– | Audience: Ages 13 & up.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016031562| ISBN 9780316315302 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316398374 (v. 2 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316398404 (v. 3 : pbk.)
Subjects: | CYAC: Science fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.N34 Re 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016031562
ISBNs: 978-0-316-39840-4 (paperback)
978-0-316-39841-1 (ebook)
E3-20170301-JV-PC
CHAPTER 1
SUBARU NATSUKI’S RESTART
1
—Subaru Natsuki experienced only a single moment between losing consciousness and reviving.
“”
His head had smashed against the hard ground, bathing his world red just an instant ago.
The moment after he lost all five senses, Subaru found himself on top of the soft bed.
“Whew—”
He exhaled. His body relaxed as the shock of death retreated from his soul.
It was enough to make him pull up the sheets and cower, forgetting even to breathe.
Of course it was. He’d never leaped off a cliff and taken his own life before.
His fourth death in this loop was suicide. Without a manual for how Return by Death worked, or any precedent, that could have truly been the end of Subaru’s life for all he knew.
But—
“I’m…back…”
Subaru clenched his trembling fist, smiling thinly at the white ceiling that filled his vision.
The soft bed, the sweet-smelling pillow, the well-furnished suite—all of it belonged to the guest room that had greeted Subaru on his first day at Roswaal Manor.
And more importantly—
“Sister, Sister. Our Dear Guest appears to be slow to wake.”
“Rem, Rem. Our Dear Guest seems to be slow in the head for his age.”
The twin sisters were clasping the other’s hands, their eyes side by side as they looked at Subaru from the foot of the bed.
They wore little black dresses with white aprons on the front. Both had dazzling white lace headpieces on top of their short bob hairstyles, one with pink hair, the other with blue. Their faces were young and lovely.
They were the maids who took care of the mansion, and also the reason Subaru had made his Return by Death.
Subaru’s heart shuddered at hearing their familiar voices speaking in familiar ways, during what would be the fifth round of meeting them for the first time.
He had a mountain of things he wanted to ask. But he felt like something was lodged in his throat; the words wouldn’t come out.
Seeing Rem alive and well, while Ram behaved with her typical rudeness, everything felt so ordinary and natural that it was hard for Subaru to keep his emotions down.
“Dear Guest, Dear Guest. Is something wrong? Are you unwell?”
“Dear Guest, Dear Guest. Are you sick? Perhaps a chronic illness?”
Subaru put a hand on his chest and lowered his head before the bewildered twins.
The maids went to one side of the bed and separated slightly, reaching out with one small palm each as if to touch Subaru from both sides.
Those hands—
“Let me borrow those for a sec.”
“Eh?”
“Ah.”
Subaru, not waiting for them to say yes, grasped their hands, entwining his fingers into theirs.
With the sisters frozen in surprise, he got a good feel for their slender fingers and the warmth of their palms.
“Yeah, I knew it… There’s no mistaking it.”
Subaru remembered the feel of their hands and how their warmth had saved him in his time of need.
He wasn’t wrong about what had given him the determination to throw himself off that cliff.
Both pulled their hands back and poured scorn on Subaru’s rude, insolent behavior.
“No, Dear Guest. You are surely mistaken. About everything.”
“No, Dear Guest. It was surely a mistake that you were born.”
But Subaru nodded as if even those cruel words were music that refreshed his soul.
“All things considered, I probably shouldn’t smile at that…but right now, it feels good.”
“Sister, Sister. Might Dear Guest actually enjoy being insulted?”
“Rem, Rem. Might Dear Guest be a perverted masochist?”
These were odd accusations to throw at a “Dear Guest” so quickly, but he smiled and let them slide.
If it meant he could really do things over with the two of them, everything else was unimportant.
Faced with an attitude that was less caution and more blatant, visceral distaste, Subaru hopped off the bed. He pressed a hand to his butt as he double-checked his body’s condition before turning toward their two suspicious faces.
“Sorry for doing that earlier without even saying hi. There’s something I want to say beyond apologizing, though.”
Subaru crossed his arms, dramatically puffed his chest, and sat back down, directly facing Ram and Rem. Feeling the rather sharp gazes that both trained upon him, Subaru absentmindedly mused, They’re probably already starting to assess me.
If Subaru Natsuki could not win their trust, indeed, the trust of everyone under the mansion’s roof, he could not hope to regain the peaceful, tranquil time he had lost.
So he chose to throw caution to
the wind, hoping to assuage their suspicions—
“I mean, geez, I’m not some kind of delinquent who can’t get along with anyone…”
Hearing Subaru’s murmur, both of them tilted their heads a little, as if they had their doubts about that.
Finding it funny that even now their gestures were syncing up, Subaru felt the tension and stress drain from his body. He already knew what he wanted to say, as well as what he needed to do.
“—I trust you, so let’s get along, okay?”
Just like in the first loop, he’d do his best to earn the girls’ trust.
Having a little knowledge of the future didn’t change Subaru’s core nature, nor did the mere possibility he might be able to change things. All he could do was address the situation before his eyes and live every day to the fullest.
Subaru’s request made the twins look at each other and trade a silent conversation between their eyes. Their back and forth was still going on when they abruptly looked toward the door, having noticed a lone girl entering at just that moment.
She had skin so pale you could almost see through it, with silver hair she wore down to her hips. Her violet eyes seemed to emit a bewitching magical spell that lured you in. It was Emilia, a girl of inhuman beauty.
Emilia, noticing Subaru staring at her, broke out in a small smile as she looked among the three in the room.
“I heard a ruckus, so I came to peek… You seem pretty lively, Subaru. I’m glad.”
“I felt kind of conflicted there, but seeing Emilia-tan blows all that away. You’re like a compassion pill that works extra strong on my heart.”
“Sorry, I don’t really know what you’re saying…”
A troubled look came over Emilia’s beautiful face because Subaru was speaking even more glibly than usual.
“Even your sad look is cute… You’re always fresh, and that makes me feel refreshed.”
“Somehow, that sounds kind of creepy. But good morning. I’m glad you’re safe.”
The grimace she had made quickly softened into a charming smile and she beamed at Subaru.
As far as Emilia was concerned, this was their first reunion after the events in the royal capital. Subaru sincerely accepted Emilia’s words of relief at seeing him come back from the brink of death.
“Yeah, good morning. Well, let’s start again, shall we?”
The three girls in the room, not understanding what Subaru meant by that, tilted their heads slightly with puzzled looks.
Seeing all three of them react like a trio of sisters made Subaru break out in laughter.
“What I meant was, it’s time for me to start clearing the Roswaal Manor level.”
His goal was to reach the morning he wished to see for him, and for everyone at the manor.
—Now, let’s get this show on the road.
And so, he began his first day at Roswaal Manor for the fifth time.
2
He needed to surpass two major obstacles to get through his first week at Roswaal Manor.
The first was to win the trust of everyone living there. This meant not just Ram and Rem but their master, Roswaal, as well.
If the girls saw any part of him as even remotely dubious, the chances they’d commit murder to silence him were exceptionally high.
The second obstacle was bringing down the shaman attacking Roswaal Manor.
But he didn’t have any real leads for doing that as of yet.
His opponent was a tough one, his true identity remaining concealed even as Subaru was taking his fifth crack at it.
Subaru needed to earn the twins’ trust and deal with this unknown, evil magic user. Those were the victory conditions he had discovered by his fourth death.
However, Subaru still lacked many of the elements he needed to fulfill those requirements. In spite of his Return by Death, he hadn’t been able to lay his hands on anything solid.
His head felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, but Subaru threw off his negative emotions and looked to the future.
He had to confront the wall standing before him no matter how high it was.
It was Subaru’s choice to come back and do this, not knowing if he’d even make it. He decided that, having once experienced death by his own hands, he would do it…even if it killed him.
3
The moon was rising in the nighttime sky as a private discussion took place in the study on Roswaal Manor’s highest floor.
The man sat at the desk, posing his question in his slow, exaggerated manner of speech.
“So hooow is he, Ram? How would you raaate him from what you have seeeen?”
He was a man with long indigo hair with ghastly pale skin, and he would look something like a classic variety pretty boy—if not for the clown-like makeup covering his face. That, combined with his peculiar speech pattern, made him a hard man to forget.
He was Roswaal L. Mathers, lord and master of the manor.
Participating in the conversation were Roswaal and a maid—Ram—facing toward him and the desk.
Roswaal crossed his arms and made a broad smile while Ram tilted her head, deep in thought. He raised an eyebrow, finding her hesitance to make her report a rare sight.
“Hmmmm, to see Ram, prone to snap judgments about everything, so conceeerned, it is quite a siiight, is it nooot? Perhaaaaps one day is not sufficient to get to know him?”
“That is…not the case. However…”
Though she immediately denied it, her words revealed a lack of clarity. Ram put a fingertip to her own lips and still seemed a little unsure as she began to speak again.
“Let me grade him first. He…Barusu…has no ability. His workmanship as a servant is completely amateur.”
“My, my… Is it not somewhat puuuzzling that he himself asked for this role?”
Roswaal grinned as he recalled the exchange over that morning’s breakfast. He remembered, too, what words the freshly awakened guest employed as he sought a reward for his exploits.
What stood out was Subaru’s claim of being a teenager with good health, a half-decent education, and a not-terrible head. It was a robust self-assessment that, by the same token, merited a certain level of caution.
Accordingly, he had commanded Ram to oversee his education, as well as to observe his actions and report her findings, as she was doing that moment. He had not thought the matter would be resolved in a single day, but Ram’s hesitance in making her report was a problem in itself.
Roswaal rested his cheek against his hand. Ram held her silence for a little while before opening her mouth.
“There are some mysterious things about Barusu.”
“Yes, yes, do teeell. Speak of anything that stands out.”
“He can be said to be completely without talent, but Barusu seems to be…a little too quick-witted when it comes to particular things.”
“What do you mean, a little toooo quick-witted?”
“These are very minor things, but…in the middle of work, he seems overly familiar with minor details about the mansion, things I have yet to teach him. When putting dishes away, he opened the drawers in the proper order. Also, our…tastes in tea leaves.”
“”
Roswaal said nothing in reply to Ram’s words, instead silently running a fingertip across his chin. Seeing Roswaal do this, Ram added, “Of course, these are all quite minor details. After breakfast, I gave him a brief tour and explanation of the mansion. I noticed his eyes drifting to various places. That is really all, but…”
“I see, too much to be a set of simple coincidences… That is rather iiinteresting.”
Suspicion begins from the smallest things. If he was not overthinking it, Subaru could have checked out the mansion before infiltrating it in earnest.
But what made that possibility difficult to fathom was…
“His feat was protecting Lady Emilia in the royal capital, was it nooot…?”
“It seems too…blatant a means to infiltrate the mansion. At any rate, he
might well have lost his life had Lady Beatrice not been available.”
The memory of his being carried into the mansion was still fresh in Roswaal’s mind. Though he had not healed the boy personally, it was impossible that Beatrice would participate in such a scheme. Furthermore, Ram had nursed the wounded Subaru the entire way back from the royal capital. Slipping something past both of them was very unlikely.
“All things considered, such thoughts seem sooomewhat excessive in light of the faaacts.”
“The Bowel Hunter’ who attacked Lady Emilia… I imagine it is possible he conspired with her to infiltrate the mansion, but…”
Ram’s words lacked conviction, suggesting even she viewed it as unlikely. For his part, Roswaal shook his head.
“No, that is not pooossible. Surely we need not even suspeeect that the Bowel Hunter would team up with him?”
“…Is…that so?”
“More importantly, are there any other issues of concern?”
Prodded by Roswaal to move on, Ram lowered her eyes.
“I suppose that…putting aside his being too quick-witted from time to time…Barusu is so optimistic, it is rather nauseating.”
“Eh?”
Roswaal raised an eyebrow at Ram’s statement. She seemed to be not so much choosing her words carefully as she was searching for the right ones to use.
Surely even Ram knew she’d said something off topic. Ram continued, looking frustrated at her own inability to find a more accurate explanation.
“At this rate, he will speak himself to death. His smile never falters when he bumbles, and he seems exceptionally attentive to how he behaves toward us…”
“…What do you thiiink of that?”
“…It is different from how Lady Emilia describes him… Namely, how he’s honest about his own desires like a little child, genuine in a likable way…”
Ram tried to keep her response to the subtle question short.
Roswaal, having had little contact with Subaru, couldn’t understand what made Ram so doubtful. But these were the words of a loyal retainer who had a long record of service. Roswaal tugged on his chin as he digested Ram’s analysis
“It seeeems we shall have to keep an eye on him for some tiiime. His first day made for difficult viewing, but it cannot be heeelped. It is aaalso a fact he deserves a commensurate rewaaard in thanks for saving Lady Emilia.”
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Vol. 3 Page 1