The Witches in Re:Zero do seem to be having their own way with Natsuki Subaru. First the Witch of Envy Satella gave him the power of Return by Death. And now, the Witch of Greed Echidna arbitrarily made him her apostle without asking his permission. Yes, you read that right. Subaru is now an Apostle of Greed.

The information is confirmed in Re:Zero Season 2 Episode 10, when Ryuzu Bilma, one of the replicas of the original Ryuzu Meyer guarding the sanctuary reveals it to him. 

But, what exactly does it mean to be an Apostle of Greed? Is Subaru now a part of the Witch of Greed’s Cult? It seems not. The title seems to hold an important position only in terms of the Sanctuary and its trials.

What is the Apostle of Greed?

The Apostle of Greed is a rank given to the followers of the Witch of the Greed, Echidna. Simply put, the apostles have the right to command the replicas of Ryuzu Meyer that are guarding the Sanctuary. While they are both essentially pawns of Echidna, an apostle’s authority (or witch factor) puts them above the replicas. 

According to Ryuzu, Subaru discovering the hidden experimental facility in the Sanctuary that housed the magic crystal with the original Ryuzu Meyer, was enough to prove that he had been acknowledged as an apostle. He can now command the replicas in the Sanctuary to do his bidding. 

However, Subaru is not the only apostle who is present in the Sanctuary. Subaru had seen Garfiel ordering around the Ryuzu Meyer replicas while fighting the Witch of Envy Satella. This means that he too was an apostle of Greed. His doubts are confirmed by Ryuzu Bilma, who concedes that Garfiel too had some kind of pact with the Witch of Greed.  

This leads us to the next question;

How does one qualify to be an Apostle of Greed?

A person has to meet the Witch of Greed, Echidna and form some sort of a pact or take a portion of the Witch inside them in order to be an Apostle of Greed. In Subaru’s case, he drank the Dona Tea, which was essentially Echidna’s body fluids. This helped him qualify as an Apostle of Greed. Other than that, Echidna seems to be greatly interested in Subaru’s  Return by Death. This could be another reason why she let him be an apostle.

Since it is confirmed that Garfiel too is an apostle, it goes without saying that he has met the Witch of Greed. And the only way to encounter Echidna is by taking the trials of the sanctuary and being invited to her dream palace. Subaru concludes that Garfiel had attempted to clear the trials of the Sanctuary in the past and failed. However, Subaru is wary of the pact that Garfiel might have formed with Echidna. 

So now, 

So is Subaru the Sin Archbishop of Greed?

Regulus is currently Sin Archbishop of Greed and has the authority of Greed. However, since Subaru consumed a portion of the Witch of Greed is it possible that he has the witch factor in him which grants the Authority of Greed? 

Authorities manifest after people take in and absorb Witch Factor. Subaru already has the Authority of Sloth, which latched on to him after he defeated Petelguese Romanee Conti. And as Echidna mentions during the first tea party, consuming her body fluids would help the witch factor propagate better in Subaru’s body. So though it seems that Subaru could have gained the Authority of Greed from Echidna. However this scenario actually taking place is highly impossible. And it is not explicitly mentioned anywhere that Subaru currently has the Authority of Greed. We might just have to wait and watch to see what happens.

So the only power that Subaru now has by being the Apostle of Greed is the ability to command the Ryuzu Meyer replicas that guard the sanctuary. Do you think being an apostle will have some sort of hidden powers? Let us know your answers in the comments section!