...
{3rd Pov}
Subaru could do nothing but curse the Sword Saint as he returned by death once again. This time, his checkpoint had been set to the moment he first arrived in this timeline, forcing him to relive the entire sequence from the beginning.
He didn't have the luxury of stopping.
He had to try again.
And so, he did.
This time, he altered his approach. Instead of displaying overwhelming abilities, he deliberately acted much weaker than before, holding back and avoiding anything that might draw too much attention. He refrained from using teleportation, choosing instead to behave in a way that appeared more grounded and less threatening.
However, the result did not change.
Once again, he revived Echidna after Reid Astrea killed her.
And once again...He was killed.
Natsuki Subaru has died, twelfth time (*4096).
…
At this point, Subaru was completely speechless.
He could clearly feel the changes happening within him. With each death, his mana reserves increased, and along with it, the strength of his abilities continued to grow. The improvement was real, and under normal circumstances, it would have been a massive advantage.
But there was a problem.
At the same time, the suppression placed on him was also becoming stronger.
It was as if the world itself was adjusting in response, ensuring that no matter how much he grew, his powers remained restricted. Aside from his mana and the Authorities that aligned with his identity as Subaru, everything else continued to be heavily suppressed.
No matter how much he improved he was still being held back.
Finally, Subaru decided he had had enough of repeating the same outcome.
This time, he chose not to hold back his attitude.
He appeared once again, cracking his knuckles as he looked toward the spot where Typhon was about to begin her Divine Judgment.
A faint smirk formed on his face as he spoke under his breath.
"Time to cook."
And cook he did.
A few familiar moments passed, repeating the same sequence of events, but with a different presence behind them.
"Oh… so you can heal her?" Reid Astrea said, watching as Subaru finished restoring Typhon once again.
"I'm getting bored of this," Subaru replied flatly, his tone carrying clear irritation as he looked at both of them.
Then, without hesitation, he pointed directly at Reid.
"You're about to say that I should come with you so I can heal your old man, right?"
Reid paused mid motion.
For the first time, there was a noticeable break in his expression.
Because Subaru had said exactly what he was about to say.
"Then this Witch will say that someone who takes advantage of her maidenly self cannot possibly be a good person. After that, you will kill her, and if I revive her again, you will get excited and end up killing me as well," Subaru said without hesitation, laying out the sequence of events as if it were already decided.
After finishing, he casually crossed his legs and sat down where he stood, clearly done with repeating the same cycle over and over again.
"So spare me the trouble," he added, looking at both of them with visible exhaustion. "Just tell me what you actually want."
"W-Wait a minute… you can see the future?" Echidna asked in disbelief, her voice slightly shaken by the implication.
Even she had a limited ability to glimpse into the future by accessing fragments of the world's memories, but that power was far from absolute. It was restricted, inconsistent, and dependent on conditions she could not fully control since she was yet to completely possess her authority.
Driven by curiosity, she immediately tried to use her ability again.
However, this time, she saw nothing.
The future was completely blank.
It was as if it had not yet been decided.
As if anything could happen from this point onward.
That realization made her breathing grow heavier, not out of fear, but out of excitement. The uncertainty itself fueled her greed, her desire to understand what lay beyond.
Her eyes locked onto Subaru.
And within them, a faint hint of obsession began to form.
"Indeed… if she had said those words, I would have killed her," Reid Astrea admitted without hesitation, his tone casual as if he were stating something obvious.
"And if you had managed to bring her back somehow, then I definitely would have killed you as well, just to see how strong you really are."
His expression shifted into one of clear curiosity.
"So… you really can see the future?" he said with a grin.
In the very next moment, he vanished.
Without warning, he appeared right beside Subaru, his sword already in motion as he swung it with full force, aiming to cut him down instantly.
The blade passed cleanly through Subaru.
But...Subaru did not die.
Instead, his body simply dispersed, fading away as if it had never been real in the first place.
"Huh?" Reid paused, genuinely surprised.
Before he could process it further, another Flugel appeared directly in front of him.
"I already knew you were going to do something like that," Subaru said calmly. "So that wasn't my real body."
Reid's eyes narrowed slightly, his interest growing.
"Is that so?" he replied, clearly intrigued now. "Then I'm curious… how exactly did you fool my senses?"
His gaze remained fixed on Subaru, trying to understand what he had just witnessed.
"Magicians don't reveal their tricks," Subaru answered with a faint smile.
In the next instant Reid's blade cut through him again.
And once more, Subaru's body was split apart.
But it turned out to be nothing more than another clone.
"Don't you get it? I already knew you were going to attack me… hell, I even know you're trying to figure out how far my ability extends," Flugel said calmly, his expression unchanged.
Reid Astrea paused for a moment, clearly impressed.
"You're… something close to omniscient!" he exclaimed, throwing the term out casually. But for someone capable of deceiving the Heavenly Sword, it would indeed require something close to that level.
Subaru, however, did not bother correcting him.
He didn't mention that he could perceive Reid's surface thoughts, and not by forcefully entering his mind either. It was something far more subtle, a result of a unique ability he had awakened.
His eyes had changed.
They could now perceive the soul itself, allowing him to understand intent, predict movements, and even grasp the thoughts behind actions simply by observing someone.
To Subaru, Reid Astrea was completely exposed.
No, that phrasing felt off.
A better way to put it would be that, at this moment, Subaru understood Reid more clearly than Reid understood himself.
Every movement, every intention, every decision was laid bare before him.
Subaru had given this ability a name.
"Eyes of the Enlightened One."
It was an ability that closely resembled the perception attributed to enlightened beings, something he had once seen referenced in the anime Record of Ragnarok.
This ability was an Aura ability that let him see the aura of others and letting it read perfectly, he can read what movements they will make, what are their thoughts, and what are their emotions.
"Also, I think that's enough fighting for today," Subaru added calmly, as if he had already decided the outcome.
Reid Astrea burst into laughter, clearly amused by what he had just heard.
"The fight only ends when I decide it ends!" he replied, his tone filled with confidence as he swung his sword once again, cutting down another one of Subaru's clones without hesitation.
"Why don't you understand?" Subaru sighed, appearing once more in front of him, only to be cut down again almost instantly.
And then...In the very next moment, thousands of Subarus appeared across the area, filling the surroundings with identical figures.
But even that changed nothing.
With a single overwhelming strike, Reid cut through all of them at once, destroying every clone in an instant.
"Let's see how long you can keep delaying thi—"
He suddenly stopped mid sentence.
Something had reached him.
A faint aroma drifted through the air.
And it wasn't just Reid who reacted to this delicious aroma, that made his mouth water as he gulped down his own saliva.
Echidna, who had been observing everything with keen interest, also reacted. Her attention shifted immediately, drawn toward the source of the scent.
Even Typhon, who had been unconscious until now, suddenly woke up.
She stood up almost instantly, as if her earlier injuries had never even happened.
"…Something smells really good," she muttered, her voice soft but filled with curiosity. "Can I have some?"
"Indeed, you can have it," Subaru said as he appeared once again, this time holding an entire table filled with food.
Yes, when he had said earlier that he was going to cook, he had meant it both figuratively and literally. It was not just a casual remark or a way of speaking, but an actual plan that he had decided to execute after analyzing the situation carefully.
He had already come to a conclusion.
The only way to deal with the First Sword Saint was not through force, at least not in his current state. Fighting him directly had already proven to be ineffective. Subaru had died twice trying to handle him through strength or confrontation, and both times had ended in failure without any real progress.
So instead, he shifted his approach.
If he could not defeat Reid, then he would have to manage him in a different way.
To do that, he focused on understanding Reid's nature. The man was driven by simple but strong desires. One of those was his lust, something Subaru immediately ruled out as an option. There was no way he was going to entertain or satisfy that aspect, nor would he ever consider it.
The second was his desire for strong battles.
That was also not viable.
Subaru knew that in his current restricted state, even with all his experience and abilities, he was not capable of defeating Reid in a direct fight. That had already been proven by his prior deaths, and there was no reason to believe the outcome would change without a major shift in conditions.
Which left only one remaining option.
Gluttony.
At the end of the day, everyone appreciated good food, and Reid Astrea was no exception to that. In fact, given his rough personality and lack of restraint, he was even more likely to indulge in it compared to other knights. It was something simple, but also something effective.
So Subaru decided to use that.
For this occasion, he had prepared a wide variety of dishes that this world has never seen, placing them carefully across the table he had brought out. The ingredients had been gathered from what remained of the village, utilizing whatever resources were still usable despite the destruction.
But the preparation did not stop at ordinary cooking.
To enhance the food further, Subaru had used a specialized spell to infuse the dishes with additional flavor replacing the role of spices that weren't present in this world. More than that, he had mixed in traces of his aura and ki, despite their restricted flow, carefully embedding them into the food in a controlled manner.
This was not just to improve taste.
It was designed to satisfy not only physical hunger, but also a deeper, almost spiritual appetite. The food carried a subtle energy that made it far more appealing than anything normal, something that could resonate even with someone like Reid.
"I've prepared a few dishes… would you like to try them?" Subaru said, his tone calm as he looked directly at Reid Astrea while gently placing the table down on the ground.
As the table settled, the full spread of food became visible.
There was a wide variety of dishes arranged neatly, each one carefully prepared and presented. The aroma that had already spread through the area became even stronger now, making it impossible to ignore.
Moments later, four chairs appeared around the table.
Subaru casually took a seat without hesitation, as if this situation was completely normal for him.
Reid, after a brief pause, sheathed his sword.
Then, without any resistance, he walked over and took a seat as well. His curiosity had clearly been piqued, and for once, he chose not to act aggressively.
Echidna followed shortly after, her eyes still filled with interest, while Typhon came along almost instinctively, drawn entirely by the smell of food.
Reid didn't waste any time.
He immediately reached out and grabbed a chicken leg from a dish that appeared to be served with yellow rice. Without any concern for manners or appearance, he took a large bite.
The reaction was instant.
His eyes widened.
The flavors hit him all at once, spreading across his tongue with overwhelming intensity. It was as if the overwhelming taste was blasting his every molecule of the body with flavour so rich that it will put this world's entire cuisine to shame.
"What the hell is this?!" Reid said with a grin, clearly impressed as he took another bite without hesitation.
"Are you blind? It's just cooked chicken," Echidna replied dryly, her tone mocking as she watched his reaction.
However, despite her words, her attention had already shifted.
Her gaze moved toward the yellow rice.
"What is this…?" she muttered, curiosity taking over as she reached out and grabbed a handful of it.
Without bothering with utensils, she brought it to her mouth and took a bite.
Her expression changed.
The richness of the flavor hit her immediately, causing her to almost let out a moan in response. The taste was far beyond what she had expected, layered and complex in a way that made it difficult to process all at once.
For someone like her that alone was enough to hold her full attention.
Not to mention, rice itself was something completely unfamiliar in this era. It was not a crop that people recognized or commonly consumed. Even if it had existed at some point in the distant past, the knowledge of how to cultivate it and properly prepare it had clearly been lost over time.
Subaru himself had only managed to obtain it through very specific means. He had found it in the plains that, in the future, would eventually become the region of Kararagi. Without that prior knowledge, it would have been nearly impossible to identify or use it correctly in the present.
"I want to eat too!" Typhon said eagerly, her attention completely focused on the food as she reached out her hand, intending to grab a large portion of it without hesitation.
However before she could even touch it, her hand was suddenly struck aside.
"Don't dirty it, girl!" Reid Astrea grumbled, clearly annoyed as he snapped her hand away, showing no patience at all.
"So mean!" Typhon pouted, her expression shifting into clear dissatisfaction as she pulled her hand back.
Seeing this, Subaru intervened without delay.
In the next moment, a set of chopsticks appeared in his hand.
"You can use these instead," he said calmly, holding them up before demonstrating how to use them properly. He picked up some rice with ease, showing the correct technique so that they could follow along.
He already understood the difference in habits.
In this era, people either used their bare hands to eat or relied heavily on a variety of utensils, often focusing more on the tools themselves rather than the actual food. The entire process could be unnecessarily complicated depending on the situation.
Compared to that, chopsticks were simple and efficient.
Along with eating by hand, they were one of the most practical methods available.
And for this kind of meal they worked perfectly.
"Not bad… these are actually pretty useful! You can use them to eat, and you can also use them to deal with weaklings," Reid Astrea said with clear enthusiasm, instantly taking a liking to the chopsticks.
In his hands, anything could become a weapon.
As someone who had reached the level of the Heavenly Sword, whatever he held would naturally take on the properties of the sharpest blade. It did not matter whether it was a sword, a branch, or even something as simple as a pair of chopsticks.
Under normal circumstances, he could not always rely on his true sword, Reid, since it would only unsheathe itself when facing an opponent it deemed worthy. That limitation meant he often had to rely on other objects during fights.
At the same time, using regular swords against weaker opponents bored him. It made battles too easy, removing any sense of challenge or excitement. Because of that, he had developed the habit of using random objects like leaves or branches to defeat his opponents instead.
The only drawback to that approach was that such objects were not durable enough to last long during prolonged combat.
However, the moment he held the chopsticks, he immediately recognized their potential.
They were lightweight, easy to handle, and perfectly suited for quick, precise movements.
To someone like Reid, they were not just utensils.
They were weapons.
Meanwhile, Echidna watched this entire scene unfold, and her lips twitched slightly in irritation.
Seeing someone take something as refined as an eating utensil and immediately turn it into a tool for combat was… frustrating, to say the least.
It perfectly reflected his nature.
A complete barbarian.
And yet, at the same time it also perfectly demonstrated why he was the Sword Saint.
There were many other dishes on the table, each one different from the last, and none of them were anything that Reid Astrea, Echidna, or Typhon had ever seen before, let alone tasted.
As they continued eating, the intensity of the flavors became overwhelming in its own way. Every bite carried a depth and richness that went far beyond normal food, making the experience feel almost unreal.
'…I might have overdone it a bit,' Subaru thought, his expression turning slightly strange as he watched their reactions, as if they were going to orgasm with their clothes bursting apart, making them completely naked.
The dishes were clearly having a strong effect, far more than he had initially intended. It wasn't just about satisfying hunger anymore. The food was stimulating them on a deeper level, making the entire experience feel far more intense than a normal meal.
Reid looked as if he was going to burst a nut.
Subaru rubbed his temple lightly, already regretting putting in that much effort.
Last thing he wanted was to see them orgasm, seeing Reid naked will traumatize him for the life, and not to mention Typhon was a loli. The only one acceptable was Echidna... but well she was Echidna, and she didn't care about her sexuality or being naked at all.
Still, at least the result was effective.
Reid continued eating without holding back, clearly enjoying himself. Typhon looked completely satisfied, her earlier complaints already forgotten, while Echidna maintained her composed posture, though the faint shift in her expression made it obvious she was equally affected.
After finishing his portion, Reid leaned back slightly.
"Tell me, Flugel… are you some kind of God of Cooking?" he asked seriously, his tone lacking any trace of mockery this time.
Typhon and Echidna both glanced toward Subaru as well, their curiosity evident as they waited for his response.
"No… I'm the God of Gaslighting," Subaru said with a grin, clearly amused by his own statement.
As expected, the term completely went over the heads of all three of them.
"Gaslighting…? What an interesting term," Echidna said, her curiosity immediately piqued. Her eyes sharpened as she carefully observed Flugel from head to toe, trying to understand what kind of ability or concept he was referring to.
To her, it sounded like something significant.
Something worth analyzing.
"It means I can turn truth into lies… and lies into truth," Subaru replied calmly, his tone almost as if he were explaining something obvious, like a simple rule of the world.
There was no hesitation in his words.
No indication that he was joking.
Echidna froze for a brief moment.
Then her eyes widened.
"So… you can manipulate reality itself?!" she asked, her voice carrying pure, unfiltered shock. For someone like her, who constantly sought knowledge and understanding, the implications of such a statement were enormous.
Even Reid Astrea looked surprised, his expression shifting as he processed what had just been said. It was not something he could easily dismiss.
As for Typhon she showed no interest at all, she didn't give a fuck to what older people were discussing.
"That ability to create such realistic clones… it must be the power of this 'gaslighting' you mentioned," Reid Astrea said with a serious nod, clearly convinced by his own conclusion as he looked at Subaru.
To him, the explanation made perfect sense.
If someone could deceive even his perception, then it had to be something extraordinary.
"But I suppose this is what one would expect from someone who is close to omniscient," Echidna added, her voice filled with growing interest. "If you can perceive everything, then influencing reality itself to a certain degree would not be entirely impossible."
Her grin widened as she spoke, her gaze fixed on Subaru as if she had just discovered something extremely valuable.
To her, he was no longer just an interesting individual.
He was a potential source of endless knowledge.
Meanwhile, Subaru's own grin deepened slightly.
'These people really don't realize it… I've already gaslighted them,' he thought to himself, clearly satisfied with how things had turned out so far.
"Whatever the case may be, buddy, your cooking is incredible. It's on a completely different level," Reid Astrea said, clearly impressed as he leaned back slightly. "I honestly don't feel like killing someone with skills like this. That would be a real loss for the world."
Then, after a brief pause, he looked directly at Subaru again and added, "You don't mind sharing that divine cooking of yours with me, right? And since you've got that kind of healing ability too, why not come along and fix up my old man while you're at it?"
Although his face carried a casual smile, there was no mistaking the underlying pressure behind his words.
Subaru could already tell this wasn't exactly a request.
If he refused outright, there was a high chance that Reid would either attack him again or simply force the situation until he got what he wanted.
'Yeah… this kind of behavior really suits Gian,' Subaru thought to himself, already seeing through the situation clearly. Reid Astrea was exactly the type of person who would push things his way without caring much about how others felt.
There was no subtlety to it.
Just straightforward pressure.
And in this dynamic, Subaru found himself in a very familiar position.
If Reid was playing the role of Gian then he was basically stuck as Suneo, the one using his brain to navigate the situation, yet still ending up getting dragged around by someone stronger.
Not exactly a position he enjoyed.
But for now it was one he had to deal with.
"I don't mind sharing," Subaru said calmly, maintaining a composed expression as he looked at Reid Astrea.
"However, in return, I would like you to stop this unnecessary slaughter of the Witches. They are far more useful alive than dead."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Echidna and Typhon, making it clear that his request was not just a casual suggestion, but something he expected to be taken seriously.
Reid let out a short, dismissive sound.
"Don't worry about that," he replied, waving it off without much thought.
"They're too weak to interest me anyway."
The casual insult landed immediately.
Echidna's lips twitched again, though her expression remained mostly composed on the surface. Even if she did not experience emotions in the same way a normal human would, this was one of the rare moments where anger began to surface within her.
Being dismissed like that, being called too weak to even be worth fighting that was not something she could simply ignore.
She was the strongest magician of her time, someone who stood at the peak of magical knowledge and capability, and yet this man had reduced her to something beneath his interest.
Only she truly understood how insulting that was.
And just like that Reid Astrea had earned himself a place on her revenge list.
Meanwhile, Subaru simply watched the exchange, already aware of how things would unfold from here.
For now, however, none of that mattered.
Because despite everything that had happened, against all odds he had managed to get through it.
And just like that, Subaru survived his first day.
And gaslighted everyone into thinking that their perception was the truth.
When the reality was like the ex-wife that has left their truth.
To be continued...
(A/N: Uploading this for the week... Since I dropped Vm for now, it will get a rewrite probably later on if people want.
Also it seems I cannot wait any longer, Tappei isn't uploading chaps fast enough though he will probably update three chaps at once the moment I start doing daily chaps, my luck is just that shitty)