“Ouch!”

The sharp pain that shot through his fingertip made Subaru furrow his brow instinctively.

Looking down, he saw that the tip of his index finger had been thinly sliced, with droplets of blood welling up from the cut. It seemed he had nicked himself while clearing away papers scattered across the desk.

“Damn it, I messed up. Is this a baptism for underestimating the paper-making technology of this world…?”

“Oh, Subaru-kun, what happened? Did you hurt your finger on paper?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. It’s pathetic that I cut myself on something weaker than paper, Ros. It was just a little mistake. So, um, can you heal this somehow?”

Showing his throbbing finger, Subaru asked Roswaal, the owner of the room.

Roswaal, seated at his desk working on paperwork, set down his quill and examined Subaru’s injured finger.

“Oh, that looks painful. But it’s nothing serious. Just let it heal on its own. Or should I lick it for you?”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass on that! I’d rather stick it in Beatrice’s mouth than have you do that!”

“Haha, that’s amusing… So, you and Beatrice seem to be getting along well, huh?”

Releasing Subaru’s finger, Roswaal leaned on the desk with a sly smile. Hearing his words, Subaru tilted his head in confusion.

The relationship between Subaru and Beatrice was one that was hard to define, to say the least. It might sound exaggerated, but she had been reluctant to become more approachable.

“I tease her a lot because it’s fun, but I’m not too confident about how she feels about it.”

“Oh no, no need to worry. Beatrice is pretty straightforward. If she truly wanted to reject you, she wouldn’t let you near the Forbidden Library.”

“I see…”

“You know, I can’t even get into the Forbidden Library at all.”

“Really?”

Placing his hand on his own chest, Roswaal sighed. However, it seemed he viewed Beatrice in the same light as Subaru—someone fun to tease. Their acquaintance had certainly lasted much longer than Subaru’s.

“Could it be that you misjudged the distance, and that’s been an issue? Shouldn’t you apologize?”

“Well, it’s not far from the truth. But I think it’s a bit late for both me and Beatrice to apologize at this point.”

“Blaming time for not apologizing isn’t really great either, you know…”

“Ugh, you’re hitting me where it hurts now.”

With a bemused expression, Roswaal once again took his quill. Taking this as a signal that he was returning to work, Subaru shrugged his shoulders and resumed organizing the bookshelf.

Fortunately, it seemed the bleeding from his finger had stopped.

“If it really hurts that much, you should have Rem or Beatrice take care of it. If not, you can ask the Great Spirit.”

“Aren’t you going to heal it for me, Ros? Being a Spartan?”

“No, that’s not it. I—well, I can’t use healing magic.”

“Really? I thought you were a jack-of-all-trades mage who could do everything!”

Subaru raised an eyebrow at Roswaal’s unexpected confession.

He’d heard that Roswaal could incinerate a whole pack of beasts in the woods with flame and dance in the sky like the wind. He’d assumed that as a mage of such caliber, he had mastered all of the basic spells.

However, at Subaru’s words, Roswaal shook his head.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but magic is heavily influenced by innate ability. While I was fortunate enough to be gifted with a wide array of magical talent, that doesn’t mean I can master every spell that exists in this world.”

“So, you can use other types of magic aside from healing, right?”

“Well, I pretty much can use everything except healing magic.”

“So you have just one significant weakness?!”

Contrary to his heavy setup, Roswaal’s shortcoming was just one.

However, that single weakness of not being able to use healing magic seemed like it would be quite a troublesome hole to fill.

“Especially during a fight, whether or not you can heal your injuries feels pretty important.”

“Really? You can think of things like that, Subaru-kun?”

“Yeah, I graduated from choosing just the ‘attack’ command in elementary school; I’ve learned that it’s important to strategize, even as someone with no abilities. I want to be the type who can match wits with ability users even without powers.”

“You seem to be saying something complicated, though it’s probably not that deep after all.”

Subaru had only known Roswaal for a few weeks, but it seemed he could see through Subaru’s lighthearted truth.

As Subaru scratched his head and stuck out his tongue, Roswaal winked and blinked his blue eye.

“Actually, you’re right, Subaru-kun. The presence or absence of healing magic can drastically change the dynamics of a battle… one could say it can shift the battlefield significantly. That makes it quite a valuable talent.”

“Is that so? But Pack, Beatrice, and Rem can all use it too, right?”

“The first two are special cases. As for Rem, it might also be a matter of temperament. I put a lot of effort into nurturing that talent.”

According to Roswaal’s later explanation, the usefulness of healing magic was especially emphasized among magics, to the extent that a mentoring system at specialized clinics existed.

While Rem could have learned there, she didn’t want to part with Ram, so Roswaal had taught her directly.

“So, if you get too used to having healing magic around, there’s a risk you might forget how to endure when you’re injured.”

“Ah… so it’s like losing your tolerance to pain. That might really be the case.”

Just like a person who’s raised in a sterile environment often lacks immunity to outside viruses, if someone leans too heavily on healing magic to immediately heal their injuries, they might be in big trouble if the magic isn’t available in an emergency.

From that thought, Subaru glanced at the cut on his finger.

“Got it. It’s not a wound worth making a fuss about, so as a reminder, I’m going to endure this pain.”

“Just a tiny cut doesn’t call for dramatics. You wouldn’t change much by healing it, so why not have Rem fix it?”

“A tempting trap that lures one into laziness! …but, yeah, I’ll be fine. No problem.”

Though Roswaal’s tone sounded casual, Subaru felt there was some merit in his words.

He had already learned from two events in the royal capital and the estate that this otherworldly life was no walk in the park. When it came to unbearable pain, it was best if it didn’t exist at all.

However—

“When that unavoidable moment arrives, I’ll be ready.”

“It’s just a cut on your finger, though.”

With his index finger raised and filled with determination, Subaru earnestly declared that as Roswaal chuckled.

Yet, despite Subaru’s zeal, it would ultimately prove futile. Once he finished cleaning the office, and rejoined Rem and the others, they would immediately notice his injury and take care of it.

△▼△▼△▼△

“Ugh…”

“Hold this wooden splint and bite down! It’s gonna hurt!”

As Todd said that, he straightened out Subaru’s left hand, applying a pungent ointment to the three fingers that had turned a reddish-purple. Then he swiftly attached the wooden splint, wrapping it snugly with bandages.

“Next, here’s this medicinal drink. It should help ease the pain a bit.”

Todd handed a bottle of grimy green liquid to Subaru, whose forehead had beads of sweat rolling down. Only he could deem it unavoidable if it was medicine.

With determination, Subaru steeled himself and gulped it down.

“Ugh! Gross! This heavy liquid is sticking in my throat…”

“Yeah, this medicine is known for being hard to swallow. But I guarantee its effectiveness—it’s considered a valuable asset even in the military. It’ll hasten your recovery.”

As Subaru downed the brew, Todd laughed while Subaru pinched the empty bottle with his fingers.

Wiping his mouth, Subaru felt indebted for being given such a precious item by someone like him.

“Thanks for sharing such a valuable potion with someone like me, who’s totally no one special.”

“No worries! Honestly, your finger was on the brink of rotting off if we’d left it untreated. I don’t mind owing a favor to someone who’s got my back when it comes to the Wolf God’s dagger.”

Todd’s generous response lowered Subaru’s eyebrows as he bit his lip.

It seemed Todd, being a soldier of the Volakia Empire, mistook Subaru’s identity as something noble due to the knife he had received in the woods. Because of this, though he was technically a captive, his treatment was still quite favorable.

Yet, that also gave rise to a feeling of guilt for deceiving him.

Moreover, a certain question flitted through Subaru’s mind.

“So, this is awkward. If only I had healing magic right now, I could just fix this wound in a flash.”

While checking on his left hand, Subaru casually uttered that thought.

Todd raised an eyebrow in response to what he heard.

“Oh? That’s quite a luxury to wish for. Healing magic isn’t something you just come across.”

“—I see. I figured as much?”

“It’s like casting fire or wind. If you could heal injuries and sickness with the same ease, it’d be pretty convenient. Your left hand would heal in no time.”

Shrugging, Todd spoke seriously, eliciting a downcast expression from Subaru.

He had feared this would be the case. He had previously discussed the rarity of healing magic with Roswaal when he had thought of him as just a lively jester of a noble.

Magic depends on talent, and those who wield healing magic are rare.

Adding to that, by the time Subaru had arrived at the battlefield, the medical tents set up were filled not with magical items but with herbs and medical supplies.

Todd had been the one treating Subaru with that approach, not relying on magical means, cementing Subaru’s understanding.

“Healing magic is rare.”

“At least, I haven’t seen anyone use it. From what I’ve heard, there are mages capable of it holed up in the Imperial Capital. For regular folks like us, it’s really out of reach.”

“―――”

“To be honest, I was more surprised to hear you mention healing magic. From my perspective, that’s not even a consideration for us.”

For those not familiar with it, such things would never even enter their minds.

In the Empire—at least to Todd’s group, healing magic could be considered distant.

Having anticipated such a response, Subaru shook his head.

“No, you see, I’m actually a traveler. I’ve been wandering around, and I’ve run into people who can use healing magic before.”

“I see, it’s the garb of a traveler. I thought your outfit was strange, especially considering the heat around here and how it didn’t mesh with your attire.”

So saying, Todd looked Subaru over from head to toe. His outfit was still suited for traveling through sandy underwater terrain to cross the Pleiades Watchtower.

The Augria Sand Dunes were not particularly hot compared to a desert, but Subaru had covered most of his skin to protect against sand winds. Therefore, in the humid and warmer Volakia, his outfit was somewhat out of season.

“So, you encountered a healer during your travels and became spoiled by their convenience.”

“That’s a bad way to put it! It is convenient, though.”

Still, Subaru had relied on healing magic on numerous occasions—no, rather frequently.

Back when he had just been summoned to this other world, it was because of Beatrice’s healing magic that he had survived the first major challenge he faced.

If she hadn’t been there, he would have bled out with his innards trailing behind him.

“I never want to step on my own guts and fall over again!”

“Healing magic, huh?”

“—? Todd?”

As Subaru recalled that rather unique experience, Todd let out a quiet sigh. Noticing the sudden shift in atmosphere, Subaru furrowed his brows.

“Never mind, I’m just lucky not to have healing magic around me.”

“Lucky? How come?”

“Because when your wounds heal, it means you don’t die. You’re not forced to retreat after being injured. Healing your wounds just leads you back into the endless cycle of fighting.”

“—”

“I’m frightened to death. Who on earth was it that first conjured healing magic? It feels like I’m watching a spectacle that shows just how much they love to fight.”

Hearing Todd’s somber words left Subaru speechless.

Though he thought it was a somewhat biased perspective, the truth remained that healing magic had a place beyond just battle—saving daily lives, accidents, and sick humans as well.

Yet, in a simplistic sense, Todd’s mindset was undoubtedly true.

Treating an injured opponent on the battlefield and sending them back into combat—there was no denying that aspect, which made it hard to refute Todd’s feeling of fear.

“I’m sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to derail this discussion. I didn’t want to leave you frowning like that.”

Seeing Subaru sink into silence, Todd interjected to reset the atmosphere. Subaru nodded in return, assuring him it was all right, even in light of the unusual perspective.

After that, Todd attempted to change the subject and glanced toward the outside of the tent.

“By the way, speaking of which, the girl in the cage must be your travel partner, right? So, why’re you getting bitten like that?”

“…Accidental circumstances, I guess. Earlier, we were quite in sync, but now, due to various reasons, we’re totally one-sided. I ask that you keep it in mind.”

“I’m fine, but it seems like you’re having a tough time with that… Anyway, in that case—”

Rather than delve deeper into Subaru and Rem’s complicated situation, Todd stroked his chin while averted his gaze.

Subaru noted where Todd’s attention was drawn, which was to his right arm—something that Subaru was consciously choosing to ignore. Clinging to his right hand was—

“Ah?”

—Appearing with an air of cluelessness, making a silly sound, was Lui.

She hung onto Subaru’s right hand and, for reasons unknown, gleefully smiled, occasionally playing with his fingers while entwining her hair, having her way with him.

“You’re definitely not old enough to be someone’s daughter. What’s your deal with him?”

“How many times do I have to say it? I don’t know this kid! But it’s clear she’s a nuisance.”

“That’s quite a salty response… But I think the girl in the cage seems to be concerned about this child?”

“That’s what makes it complicated…”

Having pointed out the situation again, Subaru sighed at the complexities of it all.

As things stood, Subaru’s feelings for Rem had completely hit a dead end. Rem’s cold treatment towards him, having lost her memory, was heavily influenced by how Subaru neglected Lui.

Nonetheless, even if he understood this, Subaru couldn’t bring himself to accept her.

It was only natural. After all, she’s one of the Archbishop of Sin, a pure evil that couldn’t be reconciled with.

“How did it come to this? What are you plotting, and what exactly do you want?”

“Hmm? Ah, uh…”

Lui responded only with a giggle to Subaru’s hard questioning, refusing to give him any answers.

Her attitude was infuriating. Of course, it would be troubling if she once again showed a malicious attitude like she did in the Memory Corridor. But being able to treat someone as an outright enemy would put Subaru at ease.

The state where Subaru was the only one aware of her danger while she acted like a baby or toddler was much more of a headache.

“Well, since you two are travel partners, it’s probably beneficial to improve your relationship a bit.”

“—Is that advice for one of us or both?”

“Advice? Well, just take whichever one suits you best.”

Tilting his head at the unfamiliar word, Todd stood up.

This was a medical tent, and it seemed undesirable to linger on in frivolous chatter. With Lui still clinging to his right hand, Subaru followed Todd.

“Now that we’ve taken care of your injury… I have a quick favor to ask you.”

“Hmm? Ah, I’d prefer not to feel guilty about doing nothing, so go ahead, assign me anything. Just not a job involving eating shoes.”

“You seem pretty fed up with Jamal, huh? Fine, fine, I won’t make you do that. For now, let’s see…”

Todd glanced around as if contemplating, then fixed his gaze on a collection of black tents.

“What’s that?”

“Those are supplies for the encampment. They’ve been gathered due to necessity, but I’m a bit hopeless at organizing all the little things. That’s where your experience in tidying comes into play.”

“…Did I ever say I was good at organizing?”

“Not once? But you seemed to think you would be good at it. Even if you’re not, I felt you’d be motivated to help because I had done something for you.”

“…You’ve got a good nature, Todd.”

He wore a friendly smile while saying something rather mischievous. Subaru’s lips twitched in response to his words as he scanned the collection of black tents.

At a glance, there were about twenty tents; based on Todd’s words, if they were all filled with supplies yet still disorganized, it would be a heavy workload.

“It doesn’t seem like I can finish this in a day or two…”

“Don’t worry! All I need is for it to be done by the time the supply team’s dray goes out. Hahaha!”

“Hahaha…”

In other words, he was telling him to move quickly.

Considering his injured left hand, it might be somewhat challenging, but it couldn’t be helped.

“This is all for today’s earnings, to bring Rem back to Emilia-tan…”

“Uu!”

Clenching his fist tight, Subaru prepared himself for hard labor, which caused Lui to call out to him. Subaru scowled at her in annoyance.

With her blissfully clueless expression, the Archbishop of Sin burdened both Subaru’s heart and body. Her wickedness had become a difficult-to-handle inconvenient foe.

“Seriously, with Shaula and now her, the rate at which I get entangled with people I don’t know is just too high…”

“Ah, uuh…”

Dragging along the seemingly well-spirited Lui, Subaru marched toward the black tents.

Unlike his eventual understanding with Shaula, he was utterly incapable of communicating with Lui. He thought that understanding her was impossible.

△▼△▼△▼△

“So, you’ve been cleaning the tents until it got dark?”

As Subaru returned from his labor, Rem met him sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Seeing Rem’s posture, Subaru lowered his brow, and her reaction made her narrow her eyes.

“I wasn’t welcoming you, you know.”

“Hey, don’t read my mind… But, you got let out of your cage, right?”

“—At least, it seems there’s no hostility from those here towards me.”

The slight awkwardness that accompanied her gaze was probably due to the initial encounter they had by the riverside with Jamal’s one-eyed crew—an unfortunate start.

By nature, Rem was rather cold when interacting with someone she didn’t trust.

After developing a good rapport with Subaru, she had warmed considerably; however, having lost her memory, her temperament had somewhat returned to that icy state, which she probably felt remorse about.

“But it’s impressive that you can reflect like that, Rem. Full marks for effort!”

“…What kind of gaze do you have of me? I’m not pleased by your praise. In the first place,”

With a smile, Subaru tried to encourage her, but Rem directed a pointed look at him.

Even after raising her head, all that was before her was the squarish ceiling of the conical tent. Puzzled, Subaru tilted his head, to which Rem tutted in annoyance.

“Why are we stuck in the same tent? I wouldn’t usually want to complain, but couldn’t you show a little more consideration…”

“No way! No, I think this is a fortunate arrangement. Todd said we’re fellow travelers, and that’s why… it hurts, it hurts!”

“Do as you please!”

As soon as Rem sat down beside him, she harshly grabbed his waist area, grinding his lumbar vertebrae. Surrounded by pain, Subaru looked at Rem, who shot daggers at him.

However, this behavior was suddenly interrupted by a small voice that tried to intervene.

“That’s—”

“Uu!”

Lui pressed against Rem’s grasp, protesting with her whole body.

For some reason, Rem’s heart seemed softened by Lui, which caused her to let out a sigh of resignation and halt her chastisement of Subaru. Instead, she pulled Lui into her lap.

Then with her immobile legs, she gently stroked Lui’s head.

“Tch.”

“Why are you clicking your tongue? This child is so attached to you; I don’t understand why you can be so cruel towards her.”

Rem’s response towards Subaru’s bad attitude was less than favorable.

As for Subaru, he could only keep a close tab on Lui’s movements to protect her when she finally reveals her true self.

—At Todd’s instruction, Subaru had begun organizing the black tents.

True to his initial expectations, the tidying required inside the tents was no trivial matter. This was due to both his currently injured left hand and the fact that the imperial people seemed to lack the organizational rules he expected.

Moreover—

“She keeps interrupting my work! Every time I tidy up, she comes along and scatters everything again. I’m hardly making any progress!”

“It’s not her fault if she doesn’t understand anything.”

“Well, Rem, you don’t know anything either. Yet, you’ve never done any of that. Thus, case closed! QED!”

“Why do you keep saying such bizarre things!”

Recognizing that the source of Rem’s saltiness lay with Lui, Subaru could see why he couldn’t easily maintain a cordial relationship with her.

Even though he recognized it was a toxic spiral, he was still unable to work things out with Lui on the surface. The visceral feeling of disgust was simply something he couldn’t bury.

“—”

Bearing the weight of this frustration, Subaru plopped down on his back on the floor.

Only the three of them—Subaru, Rem, and Lui—occupied the tent. Todd had provided it as their lodging for the short few days while they were stationed.

While establishing the camp, the owner had gone missing among exploring teammates; therefore, Subaru could use this empty tent freely.

“Not that I can joke about it.”

Though it was indeed a significant help that he was given a spare tent.

At the least, leaving Rem in a male-dominated encampment did not ease his anxieties. Although Todd had promised to treat them like guests, just how far did that promise extend?

Moreover, Rem had already caught the ire of Jamal.

If possible, he wanted to keep an eye on her while doing chores without separating them—

“Quit pouting and eat something.”

“Huh?”

As Subaru lay on his back, lost in thought, Rem pressed a skewer of grilled meat against his face.

Startled, he sat up to see Rem turning her face away while thrusting the skewer at him.

“What’s this?”

“Food. They were distributing them among the troops, so I got some for me. We have to practice moving gradually, even just a little.”

Saying this, Rem rubbed her own leg with her free hand.

While he didn’t know when her mobility would return in her unfortunate state, Rem was surely more anxious about her situation than Subaru felt.

Surrounded by strangers in the encampment, with her memory gone, she was undoubtedly grappling with a fuzzy understanding of her situation. But she couldn’t even begin to move since her feet were still unable to cooperate.

“…Will you please hurry and eat? My hand is getting tired.”

“Yeah, yeah, got it. Have you eaten yet, Rem?”

“Huh? Why should I eat before this child? I wouldn’t engage in such selfish behavior.”

With that, Rem drew a bone dish she had set aside and removed the cloth covering it, bringing the skewer to Lui’s mouth.

Lui, spoiled by Rem, took advantage of her gentle demeanor and grazed lightly at the meat like a chick pecking feed from a parent bird.

“Fufu.”

Rem watched over Lui’s eating with a smile, and Subaru, unable to take his eyes off the scene, nibbled at the skewer presented to him. The flavorless meat skewered and cooked over fire left him unsure what it was.

For now, it was hard and bland—not something he could describe as delicious.

“It’s about the same as the meals Emilia-tan or Beatrice make…”

“What are you mumbling about… ah?”

“—?”

As Subaru groaned about his impressions of the meal, Rem, glancing at him, suddenly widened her eyes. Subaru knitted his brow, curious about why she had reacted.

The bright blue eyes looking at Subaru’s face indicated that the cause of her surprise must be his expression.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me that you’re sad because it’s the first time you’ve looked at my face properly?”

“That’s not the case… but, you have tears.”

“Tears?”

“…Tears are falling from your face. Aren’t you aware of it?”

Taking a cautious approach, Rem pointed out with curiosity, making Subaru take a sharp breath. He tentatively touched his cheek, feeling warm droplets against his fingers, and was astounded.

It wasn’t some nonsensical lie, it was true.

“Wait, am I crying?”

“Yes, you’re crying. What’s wrong? Is it your finger injury…?”

Subaru wiped away the flowing tears, becoming confused by the waves of his own emotions. But those tears were not caused by the pain of his cut finger.

Rather, it was something else entirely—the pleasure of spending this serene moment with Rem.

“—”

There was still much that was far from settled.

Separated from Emilia and the others, without knowing how to contact them, this was a dangerous land where exposure could lead to trouble if his identity was discovered, and there lay a pure evil—the Archbishop of Sin—among his companions, leading the universally incompetent Natsuki Subaru.

There was not a single reason to feel optimistic. Not a single one, yet—

“…Talking to you like this and sharing a meal, that made me happy.”

“――――”

“Sorry, I know it probably doesn’t make any sense to you. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking it’s weird… but it’s the truth.”

With tears continuing to flow, Subaru was determined to express that while sniffling.

He wiped away the tears with his sleeve, his sniffles echoing alone in the quiet tent.

For a brief moment, that awkwardness prevailed.

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Then, unexpectedly, in a voice barely above a whisper, Rem spoke.

Wiping away his tears, Subaru fell silent. Responding to Rem’s cold, hard voice, he chastised himself for being embarrassed.

In front of him, a stranger—a man giving off a scent he didn’t particularly like—was crying, and it would be unreasonable to expect anyone to react positively to that.

Once more, he had lost Rem’s trust. And worse yet, in an irretrievable way.

“However, I won’t laugh at you for crying. I do think it’s creepy… but not to the point of feeling sick.”

“—Huh?”

Taken aback by her unexpected words, Subaru lifted his head, eyes wide.

Facing him, Rem stroked Lui’s head resting on her lap and avoided looking into Subaru’s direction, trembling as if trying to choose her next words.

“…That’s all. Please hurry and eat. I’m tired now.”

“—Ah.”

As Rem hastily told him in a clipped manner, Subaru froze for a moment, momentarily slow to process her message about the skewer on her lap.

However, realizing she had meant the skewer, he rushed to bite into it before it was too late.

“R-Right! Uh, it’s good! Salty and tasty!”

“The saltiness is due to your tears… It’s unfair that your body odor makes it hard for me to enjoy my meal.”

“Well, let me think of a way to improve that. Right?”

In response to Rem’s sharp tone, Subaru felt like he was being pushed further away, but she didn’t tell him to leave or that she didn’t want to share a meal with him.

If that were the case, there was no other choice but to come up with a solution.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to secure this precious tranquil moment of his.

“…But if we’re talking about fairness, I’ve got something to say too.”

“Something to say? If it’s about your finger…”

“—That’s right. That kid who’s lounging away on my lap right now.”

Pointing firmly, Subaru made a face at Lui, who was enjoying herself on Rem’s lap. Upon witnessing this, Rem narrowed her eyes as if to say, “Here we go again.”

However, what Subaru wanted to say shifted from the repetitive complaints of before.

“Rem keeps bringing up my body odor… which sounds pretty gross. But that kid over there must have a similar scent, right? Are you ignoring that?”

With each successive “Return by Death,” he could sense the intensifying aroma associated with the witch’s remnant.

But if that smell indeed originated from the Witch Factor—related to the witch—then there had to be a similar foul stench emanating from Lui, the Archbishop of Sin.

Recalling Rem’s furious reaction towards the Witch Cult, that assumption held strong.

“—? What are you saying? Don’t lump me and this child together.”

“…Huh?”

“Please, this child doesn’t smell like you. Don’t say such strange things when you’re obviously floundering.”

But contrary to Subaru’s expectations, Rem’s answer was completely unexpected.

Although taken aback, he gazed back into her eyes, finding no signs of deceit in Rem’s expression. She didn’t seem to be trying to play him either.

Essentially, she truly didn’t sense any remnants or poison from Lui at all.

“Could it be that she’s capable of disguising her poison? No, but for what purpose?”

Based on his past experiences, only a limited number of beings could detect the stench of the witch’s remnants. Aside from Rem, only a few like Beatrice and Ryuzu had ever reacted to it.

Besides, it was hard to see the Witch Cultistas having any notion to hide such things.

They were, after all, the agents of treason that trampled over this world without reserve. And yet—

“Is it fine now? If you’re done eating, this child seems a bit tired, so I’d like to prepare for bed…”

“Ah, um… was what you said earlier for real?”

“How tiresome…”

With a sharp tone, Rem effectively shut down Subaru’s inquiry.

However, that attitude once more seemed to prove that her feelings were genuinely straight.

“…So, you can’t sense any poison coming from Lui?”

What that could mean escaped Subaru’s understanding altogether.

Yet, there was a grim sensation lurking just beneath the surface; something profoundly uncomfortable that was not in his favor seemed to be occurring.

“Sorry, but could you take away the containers? I’m getting ready for bed.”

“Ah, okay, understood. But don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything strange.”

“—Your comment leaves me rather anxious.”

Once again, with that stiff voice, Subaru packed up the empty container and stepped outside the tent.

Amidst the night, flickers of campfires illuminated various parts of the encampment. They may not be under direct orders, but workers would likely be keeping watch through the night.

Though he only knew of it from games and manga, preparing for war seemed complex indeed.

“…I want to leave here as soon as possible.”

While Todd was a good-natured guy, he didn’t seem to be accustomed to the battlefield atmosphere.

As quickly as possible, Subaru needed to find a way to leave and reunite with Emilia and the rest.

Resolving himself, Subaru held the container tightly, only to realize—

“…Huh, my finger doesn’t hurt. Could the medicine have already taken effect?”

Flexing the grip he had on the vessel, Subaru was surprised at the medicinal effects.

Although some sensation remained, the now-warmed feeling in his fingers showed that they were gradually returning to functionality.

“They said something about healing magic, but this medicine works better than I thought…”

Recalling Todd’s words, Subaru lightly shook his left hand and began to walk.

Many thoughts were swirling regarding Rem, Lui, and himself.

And while they were plenty, one step at a time, he decided to improve things.

Just like with the finger on his left hand—one step at a time, he’d move toward a better direction.

△▼△▼△▼△

“———”

As Subaru stepped away from the tent, a solitary shadow watched him slowly stroll along.

A man with an eye patch narrowed his remaining eye and clicked his tongue at Subaru’s relaxed back.

Then he murmured—

“He’s getting carried away. Pathetic.”

“`

 

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