Wilhelm sat at the front of his dragon carriage with the horrendous forms of his comrades lying at his feet. The remains of his wife were still being held in his hands, so he looked to his left, where Natsuki Subaru held the reins.

As it turned out, Patrasche wasn't hurt at all by the battle, so Subaru swapped Wilhelm's ground dragon for the one that was always reliable. The other ground dragon would hopefully follow them back for the hour-long journey that remained.

Thanks to the Divine Blessing of Wind Evasion that all ground dragons possessed, no wind could affect any of the passengers in the carriage along with Patrasche, which meant that Theresia's ashes would not fly away in the wind.

Inside the carriage was a still-unconscious Garfiel, a satisfied Elsa, the tired Meili, and of course, you. Under the floorboards were the magic crystals that were originally in your carriage that were moved over. They were the initial reason for the visit to Crusch, so it was important to bring them. 

Wrapped up in the clothes taken from her body (which was a copy of yours) was Capella's head. As it turned out, she didn't have actual clothes but transformed her body to make clothes, so that's why she was able to have the exact same clothes that you were wearing.

In the front of the carriage was Wilhelm and Subaru, along with Beatrice, who was sitting at the edge next to Subaru. 

"Go now, I suppose," Beatrice commanded. "This place is unpleasant, so Betty wants to leave, in fact."

Subaru gave her a head pat, and it met minimum resistance from his contracted spirit. "You're pretty bad at reading the room, Beako... But that's okay! All of that time in that cramped library must have dulled your people skills, so I don't blame you too much."

Redirecting his attention, Subaru asked Wilhelm, "Sorry if Beako came out as a little impatient, but we can stay here a little longer if you want to."

Wilhelm was the man who Subaru looked up to. He was the perfect example of a reliable gentleman whose strength and experience were lacking in no aspects. 

So it was obvious that Subaru would be reluctant to leave this battleground if Wilhelm wasn't ready to leave this grave place.

And on top of that, Subaru's reality had recently been shattered. 

Out of nowhere, he found out that one of his best friends was in a contract with Echidna, the Witch of Greed, who he distrusted more than anyone but perhaps Roswaal. As a result, the teenager was more unsure of everything, including what to do in this situation.

Wilhelm hesitated, as if he was trying to figure out what he was going to say. "That will not be necessary. Theresia... is finally at peace. She will finally have an occupied grave, so I should return to Crusch-sama to begin the ceremony to honor my wife's final death."

Upon hearing this, Subaru made direct eye contact with the old man, with nothing but sincerity in his eyes. "You know, you don't have to do that alone. I get that you might want some time to yourself, and that's fine. But if you ever need anyone, remember that there's at least two people in this carriage that will always be there for you."

With a trace of tears in his eyes, Wilhelm nodded thankfully. "Thank you for your kind words, Subaru-dono. It makes this old man happy to hear such thoughtfulness. I would be honored if you and the rest of this group would be in attendance for Theresia's funeral."

Subaru almost teared up from the intense emotion that Wilhelm was emitting, so he averted his gaze and pulled on Patrasche's reins. "I'll be there. You can trust me on that. Death is something that you shouldn't get used to, so I'll be there. If I can help at all... then that would make me really happy."

And with that, the aftermath of the battle against the Sin Archbishop of Lust had entered a new phase, which would take place in a much different setting.

Time Skip

'(Y/N), I do not want to stay in this place for a funeral. There are many things that I can accomplish instead of standing around and pretending to grieve for somebody who I have never known. Find a good excuse for my departure, since I want my leave to be associated with you instead of me.'

'Echidna, if you want to leave, then tell them yourself! I'm not going to be your scapegoat, so figure it out yourself. You're really smart so something like that shouldn't be hard at all.'

'Well, you see, asking you was my first option. I suppose that I will initiate my second plan.'

You sighed and glanced at Omega, who was standing outside of the dragon carriage with you. She gave no sign that she wanted to leave, so it would be impossible to tell what her true thoughts were unless someone were you.

At this point, Garfiel had shown signs of waking up, but he wasn't fully conscious yet. This meant that somebody had to carry him inside of Crusch's mansion, which was currently working to block the rays of the rising sun from blinding you.

Surprisingly, Elsa had volunteered to carry the demi human to his room. According to her, "This boy had his body reeeaaally broken, but I missed all of the action! If I hold him, I can almost sense the echoes of the snapping bones and the dripping of fresh blood!"

She then licked her lips and carried Garfiel without issue, and she was now the first of the group to head towards the entrance, with Meili following closely.

Wilhelm was slowly walking with intense focus on the precious ashes that he was still holding. Since he was no longer protected by the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion, he had to make sure that not even a speck of his wife's remains left his trembling hands.

Subaru waited for you and Omega to exit the passenger seats so that he could keep an eye on the latter instead of following either of them.

When she noticed this, Beatrice humphed. "What did Subaru ask you, I suppose? It was probably idiotic, in fact." This question was directed to Omega, who looked amused by the fact that Beatrice was talking to her. 

"Let me see..." Omega put a finger up to her lip and acted like she was seriously contemplating telling the truth. Of course, this was just a way to make Subaru anxious since he obviously hadn't told Beatrice about the mysterious woman's true identity. 

Just as she planned, Subaru started to sweat a little. "Y-you're spot on, Beako!" He announced. "I asked her if she would like to join our camp because Emilia-tan could surely use another hot gir- I mean, another strong gir- I mean, someone actually usefu- I mean, uh... more people!"

Subaru smiled widely and hoped that Beatrice wouldn't press on.

"You are stupid, I suppose," Beatrice sighed. "But if you don't want to tell Betty, then that is fine. There must be a good reason, so your judgment won't be wasted, in fact."

"Smart girl!" Omega remarked. "Treat her well, Natsuki Subaru." Turning around, she grabbed your hand. "Come on, (Y/N). There are certain things that I would like to ask you about The Crusaders."

Even though you had no choice in this, you still said, "Sure thing!" as Omega pulled you away from Subaru and Beatrice. Capella's wrapped head swung from side to side as if it weren't anything significant - just like how a child would swing an insignificant grocery bag, which produced an odd sight.

As the distance between the two contracted parties grew, Subaru mumbled, "But I'm a co-leader of that...Hmm- OW! What was that for?!"

Beatrice had kicked Subaru in the shin, causing him to stop his mumbling.

"Don't just stand there, in fact. There are many things to be done, so you are wasting time, I suppose."

"You're right! This is no time to be moping around!" Subaru exclaimed with renewed vigor. "We have to get the crystals and... people... off of this carriage, then get ready for the funeral and sort out this Omega stuff, then let Emilia-tan know what happened, get Garfiel checked out by Felix, see if we can heal those five guys, figure out how we handle the defeat of Capella, talk some business about The Crusaders, and get back to home base so that we can figure out our next steps."

After listing everything that needs to be done, Subaru slouched over, all motivation gone again. "At the same time, standing here and procrastinating sounds good too..."

Beatrice gave him a threatening look, which propelled Subaru back into action. 

"Never mind! I'm going! There's no better time than the present!" With his spirit behind him, Natsuki Subaru ran towards the entrance to Crusch's mansion, where everyone had already passed through.

Time Skip

Crusch Karsten gasped. "I had no doubts that Omega's reports were false, but I had no idea that the truth was so severe! I must commend all of you for defeating such imposing foes!"

Crusch seemed to be unsure of whether to offer a 'congratulations' or a 'sorry for your loss' as she responded, but it was better than the insecure way she acted when she first lost her memories. It was still sad to see her change, but it was obvious that she was slowly adapting to this new way of life.

Felix, who stood beside her, stared in shock at the ashes in Wilhelm's hands. "I-I can't believe nyat the Witch Cult can revive people! Whoever did thyis is a very powerful water magic user! 

Wilhelm nodded grimly. "We know that the Witch Cult is powerful, so it was only about time that they either acquired or made use of somebody who could revive the dead. With this new information, we must move forward with caution."

An uncomfortable silence followed, with the arrival of a servant breaking it after a short time. 

"Crusch-sama, we have collected the... remains... of the five soldiers who were transformed." The servant was sweating, and he looked nauseous from seeing what became of some of his comrades.

"Thyats great!" Felix called out.  Turning to Crusch, he said, "Sorry, but I have to leave nyow to see if I cyan heal those people. Stay out of trouble!" 

Crusch nodded unassuredly  and watched with everyone else as Felix practically skipped toward where the grotesque forms of men must have been waiting.

As soon as the healer exited the room, you cleared your throat and held up the clothes that held Capella's head. "I haven't mentioned this yet, but Lust also transformed before we decapitated her, so this head doesn't look like hers."

Crusch moved her gaze from the exit towards the bag you were holding. "Is that so? May I see it?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "I don't see why not..."

As you carefully unraveled the clothes, Crusch gasped. In your hands seemed to be your own head, which would surprise anyone for good reason. 

"Now, that won't bring up any problems with the whole 'proof' thing, will it?" Subaru questioned, the answer up for anyone who could answer it.

Crusch looked around the room, hoping that someone else could answer since she was unsure of the correct answer. Politics and fine details were lost to her, and half a year wasn't nearly enough to catch up on re-learning everything.

To her relief, Omega volunteered to answer Subaru since nobody else seemed to have a certain answer. Beginning with a question, she asked, "Are shapeshifters common?"

"Err.... No...?" Subaru guessed. Turning around the room, he openly asked, "They're pretty rare, aren't they? I haven't heard of one so far, so that makes sense."

Sighing, Omega nodded her head. "That is correct. What are the odds that we faced a random shapeshifter who could also transform men? Low, isn't it?"

Everyone in the room nodded, since her points were valid.

Continuing her monologue, Omega explained, "In that case, we have nothing to fear. There is no evidence of a lie, so our testimonies and the decapitated head will serve as sufficient proof for anyone but the most miserable critics."

At that time, a certain noble who was under several thick bedsheets sneezed, wondering if he should have spent more time in the hot tub.

Time Skip

After the debrief for Crusch, Subaru groaned while stretching his body. Getting closer to you, he complained, "Man, I might not have done much, but I feel terrible right now. Honestly, I was fine until right after you killed Capella, but I'll just have to deal with it! I might feel a little sore, but that's better than having to redo everything!"

Nervously, you added, "You got that right..."

It was still amazing that Kurgan, Theresia, and Capella were defeated on only the second loop of the battle, and it was obvious that the result could have been very different if things hadn't played out as well as they did.

"Now then," Omega said as she grabbed your arm, "We should head to our sleeping quarters now, since fatigue must be overwhelming by now, right?"

'Are you really forcing me to stop socializing just so we can have some alone time and sleep?'

'Since when do you prioritize socializing with Subaru over sleeping?'

'... You have a good point.' 

"Yeah, I guess that I need some sleep too. Hey Subaru, maybe your body will feel better once you get some rest! That, or you'll feel way worse. Bodies are weird like that."

Subaru scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, good night- well, I guess it's good morning now. See ya later."

"See ya!"

Subaru walked off, with Beatrice not far behind. Elsa had already taken Garfiel to his room, and then she roomed with Meili immediately after that.

Felix said that he would heal Garfiel after he attended to the transformed men, but by the time the healer would finish, Garfiel would probably be conscious enough to reject treatment.

And now that Subaru and Beatrice were leaving to their assigned room, you and Omega were finally alone. 

This would be the first time since that one day in the Sanctuary that you were one on one with her physical body, but with a fatigued mind, the benefits of this weren't clear.

'I am almost disappointed in the fact that you cannot see what is clearly in front of your eyes, (Y/N). Is it not obvious?'

'What is that supposed to mean?'

Turning towards you, Omega spoke out loud, "We can cuddle!"

Restraining your voice as much as possible, you replied, "That doesn't sound like something you would normally say..."

Omega nodded, confirming that. "True. I used a personality that can only be juxtaposed to my usual character. However, I only did so because I want to discover the illusive factor of cuddling that makes it so warranted."

You stopped where you were, and Omega was amused by your reaction. "Did my big words confuse you~?" 

"Hmm?" You scratched your hair, Omega's comment throwing you off a little. "Not really. At this point, I'm getting better at using context clues to figure out what you're saying. Now that I think about it, you've helped me with that way more than any teacher could..." You caught yourself going on a tangent, so you brought the conversation back to where it was supposed to be. "But anyway, I stopped for a different reason."

"And what may that be?" Omega asked curiously.

After slight hesitation, you answered, "Well, you see... do we turn right or do we turn left?"

Omega looked down the intersection that you were now at, then she drew her gaze back to you. "Seriously?" she remarked with disappointment, "You have a sense of direction that is comparable to Zoro's!"

Becoming defensive, you retorted, "Well, how didn't you know why I stopped if you can literally see my thoughts? You're lacking too!"

Omega clicked her tongue. "Nonsense. I merely find it much more entertaining and pleasurable to discover your thoughts through interaction than by taking the boring route and peering into your mind."

You sighed. "I just can't win against you, can I?"

Omega smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

You looked at Omega, whose smile actually seemed genuine for once. Perhaps her emotions were finally beginning to find their way through her crowded mind. 

After some thought, you knew: it was finally time to ask her. 

Clearing your throat, you asked, "Hey Omega... I just wanted to say that a smile really fits you... But more importantly, where do we turn? You still haven't answered me and we've just been standing here."

Thankfully, Echidna wasn't a typical anime character - or female, for that matter - and she didn't take offense to things like that. Instead, it only amused her even more. "Impatient I see... Good! One should always strive to seek an answer when it is closely attainable! As for my answer, we turn...uh... well, isn't that odd..... wait a second...... I found it! We turn left."

Without waiting, Omega pointed left and proceeded to walk down the corresponding hallway. Looking back, she said, "I looked through your memories and truth be told, this particular memory was difficult to find. Your mind truly does struggle to retain a very specific type of information."

"What?!" You jogged to catch up to Omega and continued to press her for an answer. "Are you serious? Do I have some brain disorder or something, because that would make too much sense."

"I'm afraid not. I suppose that you are just unique, for better or for worse."

Thankfully, your room wasn't far ahead, so the silence that followed Omega's ambiguous comment wasn't awkward. 

As you reached for the ornate handle, Omega smirked. As soon as she did, you retracted your hand. Sighing in disappointment, you noted, "Wrong room, eh?"

Omega's smirk only widened as she opened the door herself. "Why would you think that?" she asked playfully. 

As she walked in, your eye twitched. So now she was playing mind games....

'Speaking of the mind, I believe that I caught onto something that Subaru is unaware of, even though it involves himself.'

'What is it? Subaru can be pretty bad at being self-aware sometimes, but I'm pretty sure that he's getting a lot better about that recently.'

'No, it is nothing like that. This has nothing to do with a personality trait or a habit of his. I believe that Natsuki Subaru has now absorbed the Authority of Lust.'

At this moment, you froze on the spot. 'Seriously?! How did you notice that when he didn't even know about it?'

'You see, he was complaining about a sudden aching immediately following Lust's death, and the boy has already absorbed the Authority of Sloth, so it would not be unfathomable for him to have become a vessel for two Authorities.'

'Well dang... I wonder if he'll finally be useful in battle like he wants to be or if that ability will get nerfed too.'

'Nerfed? As in "Nerf or nothing?" I suppose that firearms would increase his usefulness, although the probability of this happening is next to nonexistent.'

'No! I mean I wonder if his new power will be weak like how he can only use one arm with Sloth, even though other users used hundreds and even thousands of them.'

'Ah. I see now. To answer your question, it all depends on his heartfelt wishes and his affinity with Lust. Knowing Subaru, I would conclude that he will most likely be disappointed in his new ability.'

'That's nothing new...'

'You can not say that either. The only good decision you seemed to have made by actually thinking was to contract me.'

'I'm insulted by that, but I have to agree. Now that I think about it, there's a lot that I would change if I had the chance.'

'Such as?'

'Well, I would've handled the whole White Whale