The Witch's Child (Re:zero)

Priestella

Upon their arrival, Subaru and the others are greeted by towering, grand walls.

Subaru: Yeah, this looks exactly like the prison I expected it to…

Mutters Subaru as he pokes his head out of the carriage window, Otto at the reigns. Beatrice captures Subaru’s muttering, her head also out the window beneath Subaru. With Mamoru squeezing himself under Beatrice to also have a look at the city.

Beatrice: Joshua said it was a sightseeing spot, but Betty doubts that, in fact. It looks far more depressing than relaxing, I suppose.

Subaru: Agreed. I mean, I guess the bridge and gates and stuff are kinda cool.

Mamoru: Wow, who knew that a guy from that prick Julius's family would have bad taste.

No one missed the rather obvious sarcasm in Mamoru's voice.

Their carriage is travelling across the massive, stone Tigracy Bridge, which leads to the front gates of Pristella.

Subaru stretches slights and looks over to the horizon, where he sees sunlight glinting on the water. To him it looks like an ocean, but since oceans don’t exist in this world, it has to be a lake or a river.

Beatrice: Pristella is a city built upon a lake, in fact. The land inside those walls becomes so flat that it forms a basin in the centre, I suppose. If you envision the city as an old trap, then of course you’d expect the centre to easily flood, in fact.

Subaru: You mean that thing ’bout it being a trap for some nasty witchbeast. Emilia mentioned that too. Is it actually true though?

Mamoru: Want me to ask for you?

Both Beatrice and Subaru looked at Mamoru with confused faces.

Subaru: What do you mean-

He muttered something and he suddenly fell unconcious, hitting his face on the rim of the window roughly. Both Beatrice and Subaru blinked a couple of times before Mamoru regained conciousness. Although unlike before he fell unconcious his mood seemed to have taken a sour turn.

Mamoru: Wish now that I didn't ask.

Subaru: Uh...What?

Mamoru: Oh, right. It was a trap, but not for a witchbeast.

Subaru did want to ask for who it was made for, but Mamoru's sudden sour mood stopped him from making any such attempts. Only leaving him with questions like why his mood was suddenly sour and how he got that information by knocking himself out.

Beatrice: Why are you stroking Betty’s head, I suppose.

Subaru: Because it’s there. I wanna spend all the time patting you that I’m able.

Beatrice: Utter nonsense, and patronising, undesired nonsense at that, in fact!

Nevertheless Beatrice neglects to swat Subaru’s hand a way and he proceeds to pat her more while gazing past the bridge-railing, at the lake. The pristine waters give him a clear view to the bottom of the lake, with not a single piece of litter or pollution in sight.

Subaru: Actually I didn’t notice any litter or illegally dumped industrial waste on the road either. Probably ’cause people don’t have much stuff but still it’s nice.

Otto: Pristella is particularly strict on littering since it has to preserve its landscape. There will be a simple border check once we enter the gates, please don’t get weirdly assertive and reject the binding paperwork they give you.

Now that Otto said that, Mamoru couldn't help but imagine himself causing Otto as much trouble as possible when given that paperwork. Like, punching the guy that gives it to him or something.