“Well then, it’s been a short while, but thank you for everything,”

Subaru said, enduring the ticklish sensation as he bowed his head while being watched by the four people in the entrance hall (excluding Beatrice).

Three days had passed since his stay, and the day had come for Subaru to leave the mansion.

Dressed in the tracksuit from when he was summoned to this other world, carrying a convenience store bag and the tool kit given to him out of Roswaal’s kindness, Subaru’s outfit was pretty simple.

The tool kit felt heavy, but apparently, it contained quite a sum, and looking inside it made him a little afraid, especially given his current lack of self-defense.

“Are you really okay? If you need a carriage, you could have asked Roswaal to call one here,”

Emilia, standing in the center among the farewell party, could not shake the concern from her expression. Subaru, feeling pleased by her caring attitude, waved his raised hand.

“No, no, no, I’m totally fine! I’ll take my time—no need to bother you more than this, seriously.”

“…I suppose it’s fine since Subaru is reliable, but…”

“Whoa, feeling the pressure when you say it like that! But it’s okay. One day I’ll become a stronger, smarter, and wealthier man, and I’ll come riding in on a white horse to take you away.”

“Did you bring a handkerchief? You’ll need drinking water… and right, a Lugmaite for when it gets dark. And then…”

“Completely mom-mode!?”

Emilia’s worries knew no bounds, asking if he would be able to sleep alone without feeling lonely. How needy did she think he was?!

Or perhaps she sensed Subaru’s real feelings, hidden beneath the concerns he couldn’t quite express.

“Well then, Subaru-kun, stay safe. It was a short time, but I had fun, alright?”

She extended her hand, and Subaru smiled as he shook it.

“Yeah, thanks for everything on my end too. You even let me take some souvenirs; it’s been a real treat.”

“That’s the least I could do! Oh, and don’t lose those souvenirs! I added just a little extra to the memories of our three days together.”

Understanding Roswaal’s wink from one eye, Subaru nodded widely and shook the tool kit he carried on his back.

“Sure, sure, it’s the hush money, right? I got it, won’t spill any unnecessary information. Heck, I could swear it on a dragon if I wanted!”

“Talking to you makes me forget the very essence of a good scheme. Also, swearing on a dragon in this country is the highest oath. Not that I’m suspicious, but do remember that, okay?”

Waving his hand in response to Roswaal’s caution, he turned to the twins who stood silently behind him. Subaru patted their shoulders with his raised hand.

“You two were a great help too. Especially Rem, thanks for the delicious food all the time. And Ram, well, you’re great at cleaning the toilets, right?”

“Older sister, older sister. Our guest is simply hopeless at giving compliments.”

“Rem, Rem, our guest has a critical lack of tact regarding compliments.”

“Shut up! I really couldn’t think of anything; but thanks!”

After saying goodbye to everyone, Subaru turned away before he got too sentimental.

As the twins darted back to open the door of the entrance hall, a straight path to the nearby village sprawled out ahead of him.

Walking for about twenty minutes to the village, moving to another village from there, and catching a carriage to the Royal Capital—this was the plan Subaru had explained to everyone.

“Well then, thanks for everything. Hope to see you again someday!”

“Yeah, take care. Don’t get hurt, okay?”

With a smile at Emilia, who continued to worry about him until the end, Subaru stepped onto the road as they waved him off.

The Silver-Haired Girl stood there waving her hand until he was no longer visible from the mansion.

That distant gesture was so dear that it reignited the flame of anxiety that had begun to flicker in Subaru’s heart.

One lone figure on the road, Subaru stopped for a moment.

Surveying his surroundings and confirming the lack of human presence, he suddenly veered off the path and into the forest. The forest across the road connected to the mountains, a deep wilderness that Ram had sternly instructed him to avoid because of the many wild animals.

Ignoring that advice, Subaru pushed through the bushes, directing his body deeper into the woods. Scaling several inclines, occasionally scratching himself on protruding branches, he maintained his pace.

He must have traveled deeper into the mountains for about fifteen minutes.

“Alright, this should do,”

Suddenly the forest opened up, revealing a high sky. After climbing several slopes, Subaru found himself atop a small hill in the mountains.

This was the intended location. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Subaru turned his gaze to the cliff before him—specifically, a building located just below it.

A familiar mansion—it was none other than Roswaal’s Mansion.

After circling through the road and traversing the forest and mountains, he had arrived at the perfect vantage point to watch over Roswaal’s Mansion. Particularly,

“I can see Emilia-tan’s room clearly from the west side. If anything happens, I’ll know right away!”

From a distance, he could just barely see her window with his eyesight. Beyond that, the entire west side of the mansion was visible. If anyone were to visit the mansion from outside, he would surely be able to see them with certainty.

Having already looped into the third cycle, it was now the morning of the fourth day. Based on Subaru’s experience, about sixteen hours remained until the time of his previous death.

In other words, that was when some kind of abnormality at the mansion was expected.

“Now I just need to lie in wait for something to happen,”

With just sixteen hours to go, Subaru had the mental fortitude to stake out.

In truth, he had planned to create this situation from three days ago—right after the loop began—but he decided to give himself three days of leeway, fearing that if he rushed, he would lose focus.

And that was worth it; both his physical and mental energy were at their peak.

Setting the stage to detect any abnormality at Roswaal’s Mansion or creating a condition where he could dive in when anything happened—this was the premise Subaru had prepared.

Remaining in the mansion, he would inevitably become a target for the attackers, just as he had in the past, with the same magic clouding his consciousness.

In a situation where he desperately needed as much information on the attackers as possible, that would be fatal.

Thus Subaru chose to use Emilia and the others as bait to lure the attackers.

Of course, Subaru, unable to commit to such cold-heartedness, set several precautions, ready to dash back into the mansion and alert everyone at the slightest sign of trouble.

“If the enemy is cautious enough to run away from my scream, it would really help me out,”

He voiced optimistic thoughts as he rummaged through the tool kit he carried. Pulling out a long rope he had borrowed from the mansion’s warehouse, Subaru was familiar with where such supplies could be found thanks to his experience as a servant.

He had sneaked it out to carry it with him in case of emergencies.

Tying the rope to a nearby stout tree trunk, Subaru fastened the other end around himself. Of course, he knew this wouldn’t prevent his death from a load, so he made several knots to create shock absorbents.

“Now, where’s that little knife for cutting the rope… Hopefully, just cutting the rope will suffice,”

The fruit knife was also intended for self-injury, should it come to that.

As a means to resist the magic that would initially rob him of his consciousness, he could at least take care of the initial weakness. As for the subsequent weakening, he doubted he could resist that.

“It’s better than having no means at all… After all, this is just for preparing a countermeasure next time,”

He muttered to himself, shaking off his doubts.

Suddenly, he recalled the faces of the people at Roswaal’s Mansion, whom he had just said goodbye to.

This time, Subaru planned to use them as stepping stones to prepare for the next loop. Just like before, those who had formed such a solid bond with him.

If he closed his eyes, he could recall the past four days of their time together.

He didn’t think he had formed a relationship as close as before, but he had spent plenty of time with Ram and Rem, and he had actively gone to visit Emilia. He had expected that this would lead to heartache.

That was a reminder. A natural retribution. A punishment to be received without question.

Having thought that he must let go of them as stepping stones, Subaru felt the undeniable weight of this reckoning he had to face.

It was painful, thinking of them in that way.

It was precious, cherishing those thoughts.

With his finger pressed into the wound created, enduring the pain that felt like tearing flesh and breaking bones, Subaru spent these three days.

All so he would not forget anything.

“I told you, Natsuki Subaru. When you repeat, even if everyone forgets it… you remember.”

So he should never think that this was something to forget.

Until the very last moment, Subaru had to continue searching for the happy ending he desired.

No one had the right to dismiss the existence of her and them as mere bubbles that would dissipate in the passage of time.

Hiding himself, gritting his teeth, Subaru concealed his body among the trees and grass, waiting to watch over Roswaal’s Mansion from the forest’s gap.

His breathing was shallow, and despite his body being tense, his heartbeat was surprisingly calm, reflecting an affirmation of resolve throughout his body.

It was a sensation unlike any other—that his own body was obeying him.

With that rare feeling, Subaru continued to wait quietly for the moment.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Hiding, waiting for the time to come.

Tension stiffened his body, anxiety stirred his heart, and impatience cluttered his vision.

Quietly dodging those unconscious distractions, Subaru kept his breath held.

Six hours had already passed, and the world that had been around noon was now bathed in the vibrant orange hues of the evening sky.

Thinking back, this would have been the time when either Ram or Rem would have gone shopping in the village.

However, this time, he had confirmed that neither of them had exited the mansion. If Subaru hadn’t been around, it seemed that shopping event wouldn’t be happening.

“Purely, one less mouth to feed meant the shopping was pushed to tomorrow… When I think about it objectively, it feels weird,”

After being silent for more than six hours, his soft mutter came out more hoarse than expected. With a wry smile, Subaru took out the water container from his tool kit and quenched his thirst with the cool water. It was simply built like a bamboo cylinder, yet the water inside stayed cold indefinitely. He suspected it was a tool related to magic.

“Only six hours, how pathetic. This isn’t the time to lose focus; pull yourself together, me!”

Saying this to himself, he slapped his cheeks, producing a sharp sound that jolted him back into awareness.

He still had nearly half a day left until the predicted time. If he faltered now, the future would be concerning.

He needed to collect his thoughts and return to his watch.

By happy chance or misfortune, that was the moment Subaru shifted his mindset.

“———!”

The faint discomfort he felt on his eardrum; the moment he sensed it, Subaru’s body flew sideways without a hint of hesitation.

It was a previously determined evasive action, executed with all his senses engaged.

It bore fruit, saving Subaru from the threat of that sudden attack.

In the next instant, he heard the crunching sound of a heavy object snapping a nearby tree in half. Trees fell around, with leaves and branches breaking and scattering noisily.

Subaru dashed forward, flights of descent aiming toward the cliff face.

“———Uwa!”

A scream that couldn’t be suppressed echoed out as he experienced the sensation of his insides flipping due to the drop from above. However, just a few meters down, his momentum halted abruptly. The rope he had tied off around his waist dug in painfully, and with a strained groan, he uttered,

“Emergency… escape…!”

He shouted as he cut the rope with his knife. Freed once more, he descended—his shoes gripping the sloped cliff as he slid down fiercely, landing roughly on the ground.

With no time to catch his breath, Subaru hurriedly chose flight, discarding all excess baggage like his tool kit. He fled the mountain with just his body, in full flight.

Panting and running, he exclaimed,

“I saw it! Ha…! I saw it!”

The object that had blasted through the trees was a spiked iron ball roughly the size of a person. You could say it had been given lethal capabilities like a bowling ball, bound to its wielder by an exceptionally long “chain”—a romantic weapon known as a Morning Star.

The discomfort felt in the mountains had been the sound of the chain connecting to that iron ball. That familiar sound without a doubt belonged to that vicious weapon which had taken his life on that fateful night.

Seeing its terrifying weight and imposing presence, Subaru was now utterly frozen with fear.

If that mass were to come flying toward him with its sharpness, it wouldn’t be surprising if his body were to scatter upon impact. To have one’s left side torn away would be quite understandable.

“Just… why is it coming this way?!”

He stomped through branches, leaped over grooves, and struggled through the uneven ground while spewing out curses.

This was an expected action. Just as likely as the attack on Roswaal’s Mansion, an attack on Subaru, having left the mansion, was no surprise at all.

If the intention was to annihilate the family members, Subaru, who had been there for three days, would not have vanished from any list.

Choosing Subaru as a target meant that,

“It means they’ve been watching me in that mansion for days now.”

The attackers had been surveilling the mansion from days prior.

Thus, they never excluded Subaru from their targets after he left. Indeed, finding Subaru, who was hiding, was the confirmation of that.

How could they have done so without following him after he left the mansion?

“—Uwa!”

It was the moment he had gotten too engrossed in his thoughts and let his feet overlook the ground.

A tree root snagged Subaru’s legs, propelling his body to tumble recklessly. He rolled on the ground, sliding down the slope. Just above him, the iron ball flew by as if it had been aimed.

At that moment, the thought of “If I hadn’t rolled away…” sent a shudder through Subaru.

Tumbling sideways, he stood up, spitting out the dirt in his mouth and sprinting away once more. Though he had completely lost sight of any path, he couldn’t afford to stop.

He was out of breath. His lungs ached. After all, endurance was one of Subaru’s weaknesses.

He had average confidence in all other forms of physical capacity, but stamina was his Achilles heel. The idea of a chase through the mountain path sounded like instant defeat—thinking about it was enough to know he had no chance, and actually doing it would be even worse.

In other words,

“It was inevitable to get caught up in this…”

Ahead of him, the cliff loomed, blocking his escape.

The freshly exposed rock wall, showcasing sharp and hard fragments, denied any chance of climbing up or stepping on it as a foothold. Naturally, at that moment, Subaru had no means to overcome it.

Turning around, he inhaled deeply, adjusting his breath.

Directly in front of him, the darkness of the forest had deepened, and this place, shrouded in shadows from the trees that obscured the sunset, felt utterly isolated from the world.

“Come if you dare…”

He silently called while shaking off the weak thoughts and taking off his top jacket to spread it wide in both hands, quietly awaiting the attacker.

He was driven into a corner. He was trapped. Subaru had become nothing but a powerless prey caught in a predator’s snare.

Yet, he wouldn’t let himself be eaten for free.

He had sacrificed so much. At the very least, he would ensure to take some form of compensation.

In that moment, darkness beckoned with the sound of chains approaching at high speed.

“What the hell—are you serious!?”

Facing an imminent lethal strike, Subaru’s body showcased reflexes beyond normal reasoning.

He raised the jacket he held with both hands, wrapping it around the incoming iron ball from underneath, redirecting its momentum slightly, avoiding direct impact on his body by a hair’s breadth.

Naturally, the fabric was torn from his arms, and his body was slammed against the rock wall, leaving him with injuries.

However, lifting his gaze and seeing the iron ball embedded deep within the wall, Subaru grinned with relief as he firmly grasped the stretched chain.

Then, he looked towards where the other end of that chain was being held, heading into the darkness.

“Now show yourself, you punk! It took me a week to see your face, damn it!”

His voice bellowed with fervor as he blasted out curses to rally himself.

No matter who emerged, he would sharpen his eyes to catch them and not let them slip away.

Though the situation was dire, somehow, he had managed to keep his life.

Or perhaps, instead of using this time as a stepping stone, he might be able to drive back this attacking figure.

Excited thoughts flooded Subaru’s mind with optimism.

Amid an environment he had once almost given up on, he desperately reached for a glimmer of hope.

Within that light stood Emilia, the twins, the cheeky girl, and Roswaal. A feeling emerged, causing his instinctual smile to soften as he thought of them.

“—It can’t be helped, can it?”

The sound of the chains rattled, feeling the tension as they swung back in response to the owner’s approach.

But brushing aside that trivial feeling, Subaru opened his eyes wide.

His lips quivered while soundless moans escaped his throat.

Unaware, his fingers released the chain, his neck shaking weakly in refusal.

Stepping through the grass, crossing over branches, the figure of her slowly emerged from the depths of the darkness.

Dressed in a predominantly black apron dress, her hair adorned with pure white frills. Despite her small stature, she wielded a spiked iron ball connected by a chain.

“You shouldn’t have noticed anything until it was all over…”

Her blue hair swayed as she tilted her head, her familiar emotionless expression firmly set.

“No way… Rem?”

The girl he had vowed to protect stood before Subaru, raising the iron ball high above her head.

 

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