――Cheers spread across the moonlit plains.

　The knights’ swords reflected the moonlight, creating a sight that was, dare I say, beautiful.

　The massive form of the White Whale lay beneath the Great Tree of Flugel, enveloped by an ecstatic crowd. Everyone was elated with victory, shedding tears of joy for having fulfilled their long-held wishes.

　But as if to douse their joy…

　“――――ッ！！”

　Two powerful roars shook the atmosphere of the previously calm Leafaus Highway.

　These were not the White Whale that had been slain; they were two copies, offshoots that had lost contact with their main body. As they writhed on the ground, their mighty forms began to fade into the ether.

　The supply of mana from their main body had ceased, and they were on the verge of being unable to maintain their forms. Left unchecked, they would likely vanish in mere minutes, a pathetic sight…

　“Unrefined.”

　With a single word, I cut through their dreadful display and unleashed a blade of wind that could not be seen.

　The wind slash, accompanied by a gust, entered through their heads and effortlessly cleaved apart their once-strong exteriors—splitting them cleanly in half and effectively scattering their existence into mist.

　The remaining copy was also shattered to pieces by a single shot from the expedition team’s cannon, its dissipating mana dissolving into the atmosphere and causing its gigantic form to completely disappear.

　At this point, the true White Whale subjugation had reached its end. Yet—

　“There’s no time for celebration.”

　Clenching my fists, I felt a surge of exhilaration within me, but Crusch shook her head to disguise it.

　Defeating the malicious creatures together and wrapping up the story neatly with a “happily ever after” was not in the cards. Such an ending is reserved solely for illustrated tales, while the reality continued to present a mountain of tasks to be tackled.

　We had to tend to the wounded survivors, give a proper burial to the dead whose remains were still present, and trace the footsteps of those whose bodies were nowhere to be found.

　And, exhaling a sigh in the face of all these duties, Crusch noticed something.

　Not far from the corpse of the White Whale, a figure stood out desperately raising their voice in celebration.

***

“Rem…! Rem, open your eyes…!”

　Desperately cradling the girl who lay limply in his arms, Subaru shouted fervently at her pale face.

　Beside him, the Earth Dragon nudged him with its black snout, displaying concern. Yet even such affectionate gestures from the creature couldn’t ease the overwhelming frustration coursing through Subaru at that moment.

　——The plan to lure the White Whale under the Great Tree of Flugel by following Subaru’s scent had been brilliantly executed.

　Although murmurs of hesitation arose regarding the fear of cutting down such a historic tree, the rational beastmen mercenaries showed no qualms about it; even Crusch readily accepted it, recognizing it was necessary.

　As a result, the plan, which Subaru had risked his life to create, moved forward and ultimately yielded remarkable success.

　However, if this was the toll paid for that success, it felt overly cruel.

　“This can’t be happening… Please, Rem… I need you…”

　Before him, Rem still showed no signs of responding to Subaru’s calls.

　There was no trace of will to be found in her limp limbs, and his tearful voice calling her name echoed uselessly into the void.

　Subaru had sprinted through the imminent threat of the White Whale’s fierce retaliation directly towards the trunk of the Great Tree.

　The gigantic body had slammed into the tree with great force, causing violent rumblings and shocks that haphazardly pushed the surroundings away, including Subaru and his companions.

　Amidst the fierce impacts that disoriented everyone, Subaru remembered being sheltered by something warm. The moment he realized it, a tremendous crash reverberated, slamming him into the ground with that very sensation intact.

　Breaking through the fog of consciousness, Subaru shook his head, realizing he had collapsed to the ground. Upon lifting his gaze, he realized he had been holding onto someone until the very end—it was her body.

　“…Suba, ru…”

　“Rem—!?”

　Her eyelids twitched lightly, and beneath them, her gaze, now lacking in strength, met Subaru’s.

　Seeing his own weak reflection mirrored in her eyes, it felt as if she were about to unintentionally acknowledge the reality looming over them.

　“Yeah… ah, that’s me. Do you recognize me? It’s Subaru. Rem, your body…”

　“Subaru-kun… I’m glad you’re safe…”

　“…!”

　His throat tightened. As Rem, with a voice filled with relief, smiled at Subaru, he couldn’t even manage to voice a single word of concern for her well-being.

　Ignoring her own physical condition, all she cared about was confirming Subaru’s safety, and that made her radiant with joy.

　“The Beast… what happened…”

　“…It fell. We defeated it. Everything went well. I’m fine, no injuries… all thanks to you…”

　“Is that so? Then, Roswaal and Emilia… must be okay too…”

　“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything. So Rem, just take it easy now… No, keep your eyes open… ugh, damn it, what do I do…?”

　He desperately wanted her to stop pushing herself. Yet, without her uttering a word, he couldn’t dispel the anxiety creeping up within him. There was an overpowering sense of fate that appeared as if it were snatching her life from Subaru’s grasp.

　He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t fathom how to help her.

　So, feeling helpless, all Subaru could do was grip her hand tightly and tighten his embrace around her.

　“It hurts… Subaru-kun…”

　“Sorry. My bad. But if I don’t do this, you’ll…”

　“I won’t go anywhere… Rem is right here, by Subaru-kun…”

　With a voice like a sobbing child throwing a tantrum, Subaru felt her words pierce his heart, and he couldn’t help but smile at her affectionate and caring demeanor.

　“Just by holding hands, just being next to me, you’re enough… So, please, Rem…”

　Her trembling eyes looked up at Subaru, and the heat blossoming on her cheeks made him smile at her, grinning fiercely.

　“I’ve taken down that Whale. Your hero is super, unbelievably amazing, you know?”

　“Subaru, ku…”

　Rem’s attempt to call out his name was abruptly cut short as she struggled to suppress her emotions, swallowing several times and gasping for breath. After letting the overflow of her feelings spill from her eyes, she smiled while crying.

　“…Yes. Rem’s hero is the best in the world.”

***

　With Rem and the other injured heading back to the Royal Capital with Crusch, Subaru set out towards Meisters Territory, accompanied by the remaining expedition team.

　With companions like Wilhelm and Felix, the number of those traveling with Subaru amounted to twenty-four. Although this was significantly less than expected, they were still crucial forces.

　But they weren’t the only ones coming along.

　“Ah, but still, it’s a shame that all the good stuff got taken by you, big brother!”

　“Captain! Mimi too! Mimi has also worked super hard!”

　The two beastmen riding a large dog were chattering enthusiastically.

　One was Ricardo, who nearly became a “dirty firework” while shielding Subaru, and the other was Mimi, who hadn’t lost her childlike demeanor even in the midst of the deadly battlefield.

　Not only those two, but about ten more of the surviving beastman mercenaries were also accompanying them. The other vice-captain, Hetero, would lead the injured back to the Royal Capital.

　“By the way, how come you’re so lively when your bro was panting like that?”

　“Hetero’s a wimp! Unlike me, who trains hard!”

　Mimi laughed while teasing her brother’s frailty. Yet, Subaru suspected that the sister was simply more physically hardy.

　She seemed to be the type who just couldn’t get enough of battle. Being a cute little cat-like beastman only added to the absurdity of it.

　“Well, even though I did a lot, don’t worry. I’ll definitely help out with whatever your lady asked me to, so count on me!”

　“That’s great and all, but do you even know what I’m planning…?”

　“Something about going head-to-head with the Witch Cult, right?”

　Subaru’s voice caught when Ricardo lowered it slightly.

　Naturally, he gripped the reins of the Earth Dragon—Patrasche—tightly, and the creature seemed to whimper with concern.

　Realizing that he had underestimated Anastasia’s reach, Subaru felt a chill run down his spine.

　“Are you serious? The Witch Cult…?”

　“Don’t flip out or anything; just know that we’re mercenaries working for your lady. We keep our eyes and ears open, you know. It’s not just because I have big ears.”

　“That’s right! Mimi’s ears are huge!”

　“Not about you, kid.”

　Mimi reacted to Ricardo’s joke, causing him to chuckle, while Subaru took a small breath, realizing how wrong he had been about Anastasia’s influence.

　Nevertheless, he had to be transparent since they were going to collaborate on his objectives.

　However, it was also critical to ensure the safety of the situation before revealing anything.

　“Oh? Looks like we’re about to meet up.”

　“Huh?”

　Noticing Ricardo gazing off into the distance, Subaru quickly followed his line of sight. But before him stretched the dark plains of night, offering no clues as to what Ricardo was staring at.

　“Just relax. If you wait, you’ll see them. It’ll be obvious.”

　“I want to eliminate as many unknowns as possible as soon as possible.”

　“That’s fair, then I won’t keep you in suspense. —They’re a bit far, but the other half of our mercenary group is coming from over there.”

“Half?”

Confused by what Ricardo meant, Subaru tilted his head in confusion.

“Half means just that. Originally, we from the ‘Iron Claw’ only sent half of our personnel for the White Whale hunt. The remaining half had other business to attend to.”

“Other business?”

“Stopping other people from getting involved in the battle down the highway, right? So, we had to seal off the other side of the highway ahead of time. They left last night, so I didn’t get a chance to see you back then.”

Subaru nodded along as he listened to Ricardo’s explanation.

While it was hard to accept that they hadn’t gone all out for the whale hunt, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that Anastasia had made a strategic decision to avoid a complete loss of valuable forces if Crusch’s fight against the White Whale went south.

However, for Subaru, who had no room for options, this felt like a different level of concern entirely.

“So, the ones coming in now are our remaining teammates. Do they have a leader?”

“Yo, my little brother Tibby is commanding them. He’s super skilled, and can do some combo moves with Mimi, too!”

With pride, Mimi puffed her chest out as she answered Subaru’s question.

Just hearing that made Subaru’s expectations about the remaining team drop slightly.

“Wait, but my brother is sane! Maybe the one on this side has a slight chance at being normal too…?”

“Don’t worry about it! Tibby is one of the brightest kids among all of us. He handles finances and negotiations, and knows how to deal with Mimi, too. He’s like Hetero’s superior.”

“Don’t say that! Poor Hetero…”

Subaru felt bad for Hetero, considering that he had been left behind and neglected.

Leaving aside the pity for him, having such teammates join them would be a great boon. He should wait for them to arrive and then create another opportunity for discussion.

He pondered how to explain to Crusch’s camp about going against the Witch Cult. As he stared into the distance, just as Ricardo had said, a pack of Rigers kicked up dust and approached.

“——Huh?”

Noticing something strange, Subaru raised his voice softly.

Among the approaching group of Rigers, one figure stood out as being noticeably different.

As they drew closer, the blurry silhouette started to solidify, making the distinct form of an Earth Dragon appear.

And perched atop that Earth Dragon was—

“——What the hell are you doing here?”

“You have quite the audacious tone to use against someone here to help you, don’t you think?”

Looking at each other as the Earth Dragon came to a stop, Subaru squared up against the person.

A man with meticulously styled purple hair dressed in the elegant garb of the royal guards wore a serene smile that seemed to embody grace.

——The fated figure, Julius Euclius, gazed at Subaru with an elegant demeanor.