Rem couldn't forget the morning she met Leandro. Her first impression of him was undoubtedly striking.
"Who is he? He has the witch's stench impregnated on his body."
When she saw the newcomer, Rem felt disgust and anger. The young man's presence reminded her of the worst moment of her life. She had to kill him to prevent any danger.
But then the boy boldly revealed his status as the witch's protégé, risking prosecution for his connection to the world's most infamous entity.
From the beginning, Leandro was honest and straightforward about his identity and intentions. Or so it seemed.
"So he's a survivor, like me. Maybe I'm not alone after all?"
For a moment, Rem thought she'd found someone just like her: someone with a hollow heart and a shattered soul. It would be nice to know she wasn't alone. But that hope didn't last long.
She couldn't resist the temptation to ask him how he felt about the misfortunes that had befallen him, and he responded in an unexpected way. He said he only felt sorry for his enemies. Emotions like hatred and resentment seemed useless to him.
"How is that possible? How can you think like that?"
Rem thought it was impossible to have that mindset, unless one was too powerful or heartless... No, that was denial, and she knew it well.
"The problem is me. I always have been."
Unlike her sister, or Leandro, she was the only person unable to overcome the past. There must be something wrong with her: possibly she was defective. Thinking about it, the signs were always there, even at birth.
In the end, she had to agree with the late oni leader, Setanta. Rem was a mistake, and the only one who should have lived was her sister. She wouldn't have lost the horn, and with its great power, she would have repelled the cult's attack. Without Rem, everything could have been different, and better.
Something happened later that brought Rem out of her depressive bubble. Leandro said the cult had sent an assassin to take his life. She had the opportunity to corroborate this claim during the night, when the cultist appeared nearby.
If Rem had distrusted the story told by the black-haired man, now she had no doubts about its authenticity.
"I have to kill him!"
Rem wanted a rematch with life. She would destroy the witch cult with her own hands, and this would be the first step. She didn't need anyone else, because that was her duty. She would prove to herself that she could do it.
She decided to abandon her position without informing Leandro, believing she could confront the enemy alone without endangering others. But the assassin was faster than her and headed toward the mansion while she followed his trail into the woods.
That mistake could have cost Leandro his life, and not just his, but everyone in the mansion. Fortunately, the boy survived the assassin's attack, and he was taken to a remote location to protect the others.
Rem then had a chance at redemption when she arrived on the battlefield, finding her comrade cornered by the enemy. She used all her power to kill the cultist, forgetting everything except the vengeful desire that consumed her.
"Die, die, die!"
She attacked blindly, without regard for his opponent's abilities, and it cost her dearly.
Rem was defeated in record time. In her mind, she failed Leandro, Ram, Lord Roswaal, and herself. Her strength wasn't enough to protect the things she cared about. Then, upon awakening, she learned that the problem had already been resolved. Normally, Rem would have blamed herself for everything, adding unnecessary weight to the burden already on her heart. But Leandro didn't allow it. That night, he thanked her fervently.
Just as Rem was sinking into a powerless, self-destructive depression, Leandro reprimanded her and emphasized the importance of her actions, how significant her participation was. Immediately afterward, he affirmed that he would believe in her and support her with all his might. This lit a spark of hope in Rem's heart: it made her believe in herself.
"Maybe it's true, maybe I'm not completely lost."
Even then, she only saw Leandro as a good friend. Then came the trip to the royal capital for the royal candidates' conference. It was a short time, but it was eventful. Like a troublemaker, Leandro found himself in one conflict after another, first being chased by thieves, then running into an old giant who held a grudge against him, and finally, getting involved in an assassination attempt on Russell Fellow and Anastasia Hoshin, saving their lives.
In the midst of this, Leandro and Rem had several close encounters, which she turned into awkward moments to ease the tension that was building, as she wasn't sure she wanted to have that kind of relationship with him. This was because her heart wasn't ready for those kinds of feelings. However, that didn't diminish the admiration, gratitude, and affection she felt for her friend. Rem wanted to follow him because he needed a faithful companion, and she needed to feel that her existence wasn't entirely in vain.
So Rem officially proposed that she become his partner. Although she said "partner," that wasn't really her intention, as she trusted Leandro's judgment much more than her own, so she would do whatever he said, as long as it made her feel useful.
"I'll use everything I have to help you. I won't disappoint your expectations."
However, Leandro preferred to avoid risks by solving everything on his own, leaving Rem out of the loop. He gave her a practically harmless role in the mission to catch Gilbert Von Falkenhayn, using her as an informant to curry favor with Russell Fellow while he went after the criminal. Later, during the subjugation of the White Whale, Leandro put his life at risk by serving as a decoy against the great mabeast, leaving her in a safe place as a mere spectator. The same thing happened when he slipped away to fight two archbishops.
Each feat was greater than the last, and Rem knew she was witnessing the rise of a hero. Her admiration grew, but so did her frustration. She wanted to support him with all her might, but Leandro apparently trusted her enough to involve her in his plans, but not enough to give her a major role. Rem felt he was overprotective of her.
"Is this all? How can I feel useful like this? How can I help you if you won't let me?"
That changed when they arrived at the Sanctuary. Once there, Leandro made a shocking revelation about Lord Roswaal, turning poor Rem's mind upside down. Furthermore, he finally included her in the plan, putting his faith in her. Rem rejoiced in that vote of confidence and felt that everything was starting to go well (except for the Lord Roswaal thing, and the fact that lately she was annoyed to see her partner so affectionate with Lady Emilia).
Because of this, Rem realized she was losing ground. She couldn't stand idly by while the half-elf monopolized Leandro's affections. Today, she finally mustered the courage to make her move, and even though she was interrupted, Rem was content. She could wait a little longer to confess; it reassured her to know that Leandro felt for her the same way she felt for him. Happiness was closer than ever.
"Just a little more... I have to try hard and do well. I can do it!"
But it was all a lie.
"I know your type. They like a lot of attention and will do everything to get it. They manipulate you, make you believe they like you, but all they want is for you to look at them, think about them, adore them."
Suddenly, he plunged a dagger into her chest. It was a treacherous attack, cruel and ruthless.
"You're not fooling anyone, Rem. You tried to use me to make yourself feel better, to forget how miserable you are. I feel sorry for you."
He finished her off with those words, looking at her as if she were a piece of trash.
And Rem's whole world fell apart.
***
"Ugh!"
Ram gasped for air. The invisible force that had been holding her back from moving or breathing vanished when Leandro lost consciousness.
Although she was free of the oppressive force, Ram still felt her body compressed and tense. She breathed deeply, with a persistent feeling of suffocation.
"Rem, are you okay?"
More worried about her sister than herself, Ram focused on Rem, who had collapsed on the ground next to her.
The blue-haired girl was crying profusely. Her older sister rushed to comfort her, wrapping her body in a sisterly hug.
"Don't worry, I'm here with you."
Despite feeling the warmth of her beloved sister, Rem showed no signs of calming down. Ram clenched her jaw in a rage she was barely containing. She glared at the dark-haired man lying on the ground.
Ram had never seen his little sister so devastated as she was at that moment, and it was all Leandro's fault. How could he do that to Rem? He'd talked a lot about Lord Roswaal, but in the end, he was no better than him.
For a second, Ram felt like killing him. However, she knew it wouldn't solve anything. Besides, too many lives were currently at risk because of Lord Roswaal, and getting rid of the only person who could beat him at his own game didn't seem like a great idea.
"It can't be now, but when this is over, I'll make you pay for what you did today."
Then someone arrived. Ram watched the small figure approach, leaping nimbly over the pits and rocky protrusions in the terrain.
"Wow, these guys can't hold back."
Ryuzu Shima spoke calmly. She glanced at Leandro briefly, then focused on Garfiel, who had returned to his human form and wasn't moving. When she saw that he was still alive, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Examining the teenager's wounds, Shima had to retract her earlier statement. Considering what happened in the fight and the fact that Garfiel was defeated in his beast form, it was clear that Leandro could have completely destroyed the demi-human, but he focused his attack in such a way that it didn't cause any fatal or irreversible damage.
Fortunately, Garfiel wasn't seriously injured and would only take a few hours to recover. Shima's gaze returned to Leandro. Blood had trickled from his nose and eyes, which didn't look good.
"Is this power what you rely on?" Shima sighed. "You'd have to be really crazy or desperate to rely on something like that. However, for someone who isn't afraid of death, it's pretty good."
Shima didn't know exactly what Leandro had done, but it was clearly something that would take its toll on his body every time he used it.
"Miss Ryuzu..."
Ram couldn't understand what the elderly girl was muttering, but she was alarmed to notice her so close to Leandro. It was the first time she'd seen a sparkle in her blue eyes.
"Don't come closer, it's dangerous." Ram warned.
"I doubt it is. He's unconscious and out of energy."
Shima examined the boy thoroughly. The miasma surrounding him was still dense, but for some reason it remained stuck to him, not spreading outward.
"How strange. The miasma shouldn't behave like this."
She believed that if such an intense miasma were released, it would drive anyone it touched insane, not to mention attracting many witchbeasts. But when distributed this way, it would only affect Leandro, and it's worth noting that the mental disturbance would be much greater due to its high concentration.
"This is inhuman." Shima whispered. "How can you do this to yourself?"
"What are you talking about, Miss Ryuzu?" Ram frowned. She knew Leandro had used some kind of dark power related to the authorities or the witch herself, but her understanding of it was less than superficial.
Without further explanation, Shima waved her hand. Five seconds later, a group of silent Ryuzus appeared to take Leandro and Garfiel away. Before leaving, Shima decided to answer Ram.
"I'm not sure what happened between you, but that boy cares a lot more about you and your sister than you think."
"What makes you say that?" With her resentment, Ram almost wanted to laugh at those words.
"He risked his sanity and his life to protect both of you."
In fact, Shima was very surprised that Leandro was able to endure the excessive miasma without losing control of himself, especially in such a violent and dangerous situation.
This only increased her respect for him, considering he spared Garfiel's life and protected her companions while fighting the miasma madness.
"The witch's miasma must have empowered him, but it also filled his mind with darkness and chaos. It takes incredible willpower to resist such madness. Anyone else in his place would have killed everyone and destroyed everything in front of them. You're very lucky to be alive."
Leaving those words hanging in the air, Shima left to take care of Garfiel and later have a private interview with Leandro. She wanted to see if the boy's mind had succumbed to madness. She hoped not.