“—Ah!”

The moment a strong sound echoed, animals in the distance kicked up the earth all at once.

In a small forest seen partway through the plains, there was an animal that looked much like a deer grazing in the shade. With its majestic antlers and black fur, it was known as a “Black Deer,” a commonly found creature in the other world, even in the Lugnica Kingdom.

Among the scattering herd startled by the noise and shock, one black deer was left behind, collapsing on the grass.

A thick arrow was embedded in the body of the black deer, which had destroyed its heart in one strike.

Its limbs trembled slightly—a post-mortem spasm—which would eventually slow to a stop.

In any case—

“I got the meat, yay!”

“…At least say ‘black deer’ instead of ‘meat’!”

“Huh? What did you just say? Kuna’s voice is too small to hear!”

The one who raised the cheer was Holly, who had shot the powerful bow.

With a bright smile, she tilted her head in confusion as she couldn’t hear the mumblings of the girl beside her—Kuna.

However, seeing this, Kuna pouted and exclaimed, “It’s nothing! Let’s just get to the bloodletting quickly!”

“Wa-wait for me!”

Kuna started walking away, and Holly hurriedly tried to catch up. But before she could, Holly halted and turned around sharply.

Ahead of Holly’s gaze, there was the shadow of their companion—

“Since it’s a rare opportunity, let’s take a short break, okay? Subaru, are you fine with that?”

“…Uh, yeah, sure, I’m totally fine with it, but, alright.”

In response to Holly’s suggestion for a break, Subaru wiped the beads of sweat streaming down his forehead.

Seeing Subaru like that, Holly relaxed and chased after Kuna’s back, while Subaru slowly knelt down at the spot.

Behind exhausted Subaru, Rem, who was loaded onto a backpack, let out a small sigh and muttered, “…Stubborn.”

So softly that Subaru could hardly hear her.

—

“No, seriously, I was taking this a bit lightly. If I weren’t the eldest son, I would’ve been whining like crazy. It’s only because I’m the eldest that I can endure this, but if I were the second son or the youngest, I couldn’t handle it.”

Subaru gathered the collected twigs and continued making excuses in the soothing breeze.

Rem looked at him with a disinterested expression, while Lui, clueless about what to think, stared blankly. Despite everything, Rem sighed as if she were baffled by the content.

“I don’t understand. Does your endurance really relate to whether or not you have siblings?”

“What I said was a sort of a comedic routine, but I really feel there’s some correlation between endurance and having siblings. You know, the eldest is usually raised strictly by parents, while the youngest tends to get spoiled, right?”

“Just because you say so, it doesn’t mean I know that. It doesn’t apply if you’re an only child.”

“In that case, you end up being spoiled while receiving strict training… I embody the traits of a firstborn and a spoiled-only child, after all.”

Considering the affection shared by his parents, it’s quite strange that Subaru has no siblings.

He has an awareness of monopolizing his parents’ love, so he somewhat wonders what would have happened if he had siblings, but the reality won’t change.

“Plus, just because I’m not there, it’s possible that siblings haven’t been born yet…”

“—”

“Ah, uah.”

Beside Subaru, who was imagining horrific scenarios, Lui was playing around on Rem’s lap.

The backpack strapped to Subaru’s back can be used as a chair if placed on the ground.

Thanks to that, he didn’t have to force Rem to climb on and off repeatedly.

Of course, Rem might have been somewhat ashamed to be reliant on Subaru like this, but that was a humiliation she would have to endure for a while.

“Sibling…”

“Hmm?”

“Family members born before or after me… did I ever have any?”

“Ugh…”

Suddenly asked by Rem, Subaru instinctively held his breath.

Realizing quickly and looking up, Rem was teasingly twirling her fingers in Lui’s hair while directing her blue eyes back at Subaru.

The emotions flickering in that pale light were unclear. Perhaps, Rem herself didn’t quite understand them.

But—

“This is the first time you’ve tried to ask me about memories.”

“Where am I, who are you, who am I, what am I going to do, and how can I even show my face… I think I’ve asked those questions many times before.”

“Not in that negative way. And also, ‘showing my face’ was never mentioned before…”

With Rem’s sharp words causing Subaru to chuckle, he felt a slight sense of relief.

As he had mentioned to Rem, this was the first time she had asked Subaru something positive in this way. Subaru viewed this as progress in their relationship.

Honestly, he had been anxious all the way since leaving the Shudrak settlement.

Because the Rem, who had shown so much hostility and suspicion towards him, did not refuse Subaru’s proposal to head to town, which took several days.

To be frank, the biggest obstacle to leaving the Shudrak settlement was Subaru’s belief that Rem was stubbornly unyielding to his words.

That Rem was cooperative with Subaru’s plans was something he found miraculous—not that it signaled hope, but it made him think about what kind of calamity was approaching.

Yet currently, Rem was being cooperative and did not burden Subaru with various unreasonable requests while seated on the backpack. Instead, she even scolded Lui, who was fidgeting around, to lessen Subaru’s burden.

“—”

“What is it? Do you not want to talk?”

“N-no, no, that’s not it! You’ve misunderstood! It’s just, well, the relationship between me and Rem has always been rocky, right?”

“It’s still rocky now, and rather than rocky, it’s more tense.”

“I thought that tension has slightly eased up!”

Subaru felt wounded by Rem’s look of disgust as if seeing something unsightly, but he treasured the wound as something given to him by Rem and scratched his cheek with a finger.

“I don’t know everything about Rem either. But I know more about Rem than I did before. If you have questions, I’m willing to answer as much as I can. But…”

“It’s up to me to decide if I can trust you…”

“Yeah.”

Nodding slightly, Subaru glanced at Rem’s demeanor.

While brushing Lui’s hair with her fingers, Rem furrowed her brows as if deep in thought. Then some time passed, and Rem returned her gaze to Subaru, saying, “I don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand… yourself?”

“I don’t understand you… I don’t know what kind of person you really are. The things I feel and the things I see don’t match.”

As Rem shut her lips tightly, her eyes radiated a cold heat.

It wasn’t the distance of their hearts that had grown, but rather, its intensity had increased. Rem focused her gaze on Subaru, her eyes filled with seriousness.

It was a sign that she deemed Subaru’s character worthy of scrutiny.

“From how I’ve been treated as an embodiment of evil, that feels like a significant advancement.”

“I still think you’re teetering on the edge of being an embodiment of evil… But I’ve just become open to believing you could be more.”

“—”

The addition of those words felt like a handshake of concession from Rem.

With relief washing over him, Subaru grasped that invisible handshake. Though Rem shot him a suspicious look as he grappled with an unseen hand in the air,

In any case—

“Then, now that a thin layer of paper has been added to the thin ice of our relationship… what will we do? Do you have anything you wish to ask?”

“…Can you give me a moment to think?”

While Subaru was prepared to open his heart, upon hearing that, Rem shook her head.

Rem’s preparation—not precisely that; she wasn’t ready to trust Subaru yet.

In her current state of not being able to trust Subaru wholly, she may worry that hearing his stories would overwhelm her.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say that he didn’t feel exasperated by Rem’s concern.

“—Got it. I’ll wait until you are ready.”

“…Please don’t act like it’s someone else’s problem. Your everyday actions may have a role in this as well, you know.”

“I see… So if I pile up favorability and trust with Rem, then the route will unlock that much faster, right?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, but I see you’ve said something unpleasant.”

Subaru, running a hand under his chin and feeling satisfied, felt yet again the murmur of Rem’s frustration.

In the midst of this discussion, however—

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve finished the disassembly of the black deer quite nicely!”

Holly returned with a beaming smile.

With the disassembled bits of the black deer hanging from a branch on her shoulder, Holly looked delighted. Behind her, Kuna looked exhausted after evidently working hard on the dismantling process.

“Why do I have to do it all…?”

“That’s because you’ve got the skills, Kuna! If the meat goes to waste, I’ll be hungry no matter how much I eat!”

“Why’s that?! If you eat, it should stay in your belly properly, you weird girl!”

While Kuna yelled at Holly, Holly just laughed it off.

After that, Holly turned her attention to the bundle of twigs Subaru had gathered.

“Oh, you’ve gathered them well! I’m impressed!”

“I can’t hunt, so I figured I should at least do this… Is it okay if I learn how to light a fire?”

“Learn? That’s such an unfamiliar word to me!”

“Means to be taught…”

Holly tilted her head, and after being pointed out by Kuna, her face lit up again.

Then, Holly swiftly produced a small black stone from her supplies, quickly striking it to produce sparks, igniting the twigs effortlessly.

“Whoa, amazing! That’s some skilled craftsmanship!”

“That’s a flint! Once you grasp the trick, it’s easy! Subaru can give it a try too!”

“Are you letting me go? Alright then, let me just borrow it for a bit…”

Handed the flint by Holly, Subaru imitated what Holly did. He failed the first three attempts, but on the fourth, he finally sparked a flame.

Now, if he just applied it to the twigs—

“I did it!”

“You did well! Now anytime the meat is ready, we can roast and eat it!”

“The meat she’s talking about is still the animal before it became meat, so don’t take her literally!”

Both Holly and Kuna assessed Subaru’s small achievement in their own starkly different ways.

As he held onto both of those evaluations, Subaru stared at the black deer meat roasting over the campfire and led the conversation.

“By the way, when I spotted the herd, your quick draw was incredible, Holly. The arrow had already been fired before I even noticed.”

“It was thanks to Kuna pointing out the herd. Because of that, we were able to get fresh meat.”

“I just mentioned that a herd was there… Even if I’m quick on the draw, anyone from Shudrak could shoot a bow.”

“Except for Kuna, that is.”

“Ugh.”

Kuna’s expression stiffened grimly as she was poked at directly.

Seeing this reaction from Kuna, Rem’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Is that so? I was surprised to hear that. I had heard from Mizelda-san that you have good eyesight, Kuna…”

“…Just because I have good eyesight doesn’t mean it’ll amount to much if my skills are terrible.”

“You’re saying that you, who can’t hold a candle to Utakata, is adorable!”

“Shut up!”

Belittled in comparison to Utakata, Kuna delivered a chop to Holly’s stomach, but Holly easily shrugged it off with her ample body.

Though Rem smiled fondly at that exchange that felt typical, Subaru felt quite mixed emotions at hearing about Utakata’s archery skills.

After all, Subaru had once lost his life to Utakata’s poisoned arrow.

While Utakata likely couldn’t kill Subaru with pure strength, or if she coated the arrowhead in poison, there wouldn’t be a significant disadvantage in terms of lethality.

While poison was not particularly welcomed in hunting,

“Not to mention…”

Placing a finger to his mouth, Subaru began to think about the strong bow.

That was the “hunter” that had assaulted Subaru and Rem in the woods before they were captured by the Imperial soldiers. Once, they had fought against the beasts that attacked Subaru and killed him with a single shot.

The identity of that hunter remained unclear.

Thus, when Holly shot down the black deer, Subaru’s blood ran cold.

However, when he considered the earlier discussion about handling bows in Shudrak—

“—Could it be someone from Shudrak? Or is it just a waste of thought?”

At that point, they were the suspicious elements who had ventured into the forest.

Yelling out loud while searching for Rem, it wasn’t unreasonable for them to judge Subaru as a suspicious enemy and seek to eliminate him. The later battle that included beasts was likely to be perceived in the same way.

After all, the hunter had protected them from the beasts… It could not be entirely concluded that they were an enemy.

“That means Holly and Kuna seem like they get along well.”

While Subaru pondered these things, he heard Rem happily conversing with Holly and Kuna.

Rem began to inquire about Holly and Kuna—two young members of the “People of Shudrak” who had accompanied them.

However, only Holly, who was laughed at for being ‘close’, responded cheerfully, while Kuna wrinkled her face in distaste, even sticking out her tongue.

“What kind of response is that, and what kind of face? That’s not something beautiful girls should be doing!”

“I was just reminded of our toxic relationship. I’m under constant stress here…”

“Hahaha, Kuna, you’re quite the worrywart!”

“Whose fault is that?!”

Fuming, Kuna lunged at Holly, shaking her shoulders vigorously. However, the significant difference in their sizes meant that Holly felt nothing as Kuna’s petite figure couldn’t even faze her.

In the end, all Kuna could do was sulk and grind her teeth in frustration.

“Me and Kuna were born on the same day! We’re neighbors, like sisters!”

“Anyone like you as a sister or a brother is a no-go for me…”

“Oh, it’s about time it’s nicely roasted!”

“Listen to me!!”

In the face of Holly’s unhurried demeanor, Kuna found her resistance falling flat.

Watching this spectacle, Subaru couldn’t help but see hints of a slightly problematic martial bureaucrat in the way Kuna was tossed around.

“Also, Kuna dyes her hair green, and we share the same image color… She’s so assertive even off-screen.”

If she heard him say that, she would probably retort, “Such a baseless accusation!” but since she wasn’t present, it could be treated as an auditory hallucination.

Yet, while watching Holly and Kuna bicker about the meat’s roasting color, he heard Rem’s voice gently murmur, “How enviable.”

“Having someone you can speak so freely with…”

“…Ah, Rem, can I ask you just one thing?”

That murmur was filled with sincere yet distinct envy.

Considering memories had been erased, Subaru believed that the world around Rem, including him, seemed like invaders from the dark, where true security never existed for her.

He didn’t know if he could be a remedy for her strained heart—

“What is it?”

“I said I’d stay quiet until you wanted to ask, but I’ll let one thing slip.”

“—”

“You have a sister. A twin sister who truly cares about you. So no matter where you are, you’re never alone.”

Upon hearing Subaru’s words, Rem opened her eyes wide in astonishment.

After saying it, Subaru questioned whether he should have held off, but he immediately decided that this choice was correct.

Rem had just said she would wait until she could trust Subaru, and barely a second later, she could voice her resentment.

However, both Subaru and Rem were reaching their limits here.

At the very least, he figured it was fine to share about Ram’s existence.

She had likely been worried about her sister from afar, even now, in Lugnica. —Ram, who could sense Rem’s presence through their synesthetic bond.

“I don’t know how you would feel that, but try closing your eyes and thinking about it. You might be able to sense it. That’s what’s called twin empathy.”

“Empathy…”

With a bit of hesitation, Rem timidly placed her hand over her chest and closed her eyes.

Just like that, she began to reach out her consciousness toward the dark ocean of night, searching for the existence of her other half—her twin sister who was born from the same mother on the same day.

However—

“…I can’t feel anything.”

“I see… I guess it’s tough if you can’t visualize it, huh?”

Rem shook her head gently, reporting that her empathy had failed.

For a moment, anxiety welled up in him about whether something may have occurred to Ram, who couldn’t connect with her, but he decided that the distance—both physical and emotional—seemed considerably large.

To be honest, he felt if the empathy had succeeded, many things could improve, leading to a feeling of great regret, though he couldn’t express that openly.

The one most disappointed was Rem.

At the very least, he thought he should lend support to Reim’s feelings of disappointment—

“—Ah.”

“Huh?”

But while Subaru was deciding on words of comfort, a small breath slipped through Rem’s lips.

The reason was the hand of Lui placed atop Rem’s hand, who had her head resting on Rem’s knee, as she seemed concerned about her.

With that action, Rem gently softened her expression.

“Thank you. I’m okay.”

“Ah—”

As Rem smiled bravely, Lui also smiled happily at that.

Seeing the heartwarming atmosphere between the two, Subaru felt a pang of regret for having arrived late and for being forced into another role.

“Damn… So you really are my enemy, huh…!”

“Why do you think it has to be like that? Don’t you think that’s childish?”

Glaring at Lui, Subaru made Rem lose her trust in him once again.

Oblivious to this, Lui kicked her arms and legs cheerily as she responded to Subaru’s piercing gaze.

And while the tense relationship among Subaru, Rem, and Lui continued—

“It’s done!”

“It’s still raw!!”

The two who had already established their relationship roared with their voices.

—

After four days of travel, the group finally arrived safely at “Gwararu”.

“That’s Gwararu… it’s well-protected by impressive walls.”

What could be seen from a distance was a castle city surrounded by high walls.

Subaru felt a sense of surprise and fortune at the disparity between what he had imagined from the nearest town and what lay before him.

“The atmosphere of the town is pretty intimidating… Are there giants coming?”

“Giants? I’ve heard they nearly went extinct ages ago.”

“Really? Then is the old man I know the last of the giant race…?”

Subaru sighed at the serious reply from Kuna, letting an unnecessary thought slip out.

He was surprised to learn that Old Man Rom, the only giant race he knew of, held such a rare position. Moreover, he had heard from Rem that ogres were in short supply, so it seemed that a survival race competition was tough in this world as well.

“Upon calm reflection, I’ve never encountered elves other than Emilia, so it might be that elves are also sparse.”

In fantasy, it’s commonly said long-lived species have a long lifespan but poor reproductive rates, making it hard to multiply.

Adding to that were the fears surrounding the “Witch of Envy”, which lead to the aversion towards half-elves, indicating that their pureblood counterparts could also be burdened by such taboos.

“I’m yearning for Emilia and Beatrice, not to mention, it feels like I’m running low on Emilia-zi and Beatrix.”

The reparative medicine for both deficiencies was contact with Emilia and Beatrice.

In all seriousness, prolonged states of anxiety and tension induced a significant mental exhaustion, so even merely hearing the voices of the two who formed Subaru’s basis of comfort significantly lightened his mood.

“I miss Ram, Petra, and Frederica’s voices… I’d even appreciate hearing Roswaal’s voice right now.”

“Could you stop the pointless monologue?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Subaru’s soliloquy was heard by Rem on his back, who called him out.

During their journey, Subaru had successfully navigated carrying Rem on his back without entrusting her to anyone else. In the first couple of days, he had displayed evident waste of energy as he had not grasped the trick to transport her, but thanks to the pacing and balance he finally managed to get right by the third day, they had been making good progress.

“I’m the best in the world at carrying Rem!”

“Please don’t compete over something so dishonorable. Also, about Holly and the others…”

Due to their back-to-back posture, it was Subaru’s back that Rem was addressing. Following her cue, he turned around to see Holly and Kuna standing there.

And then, beside a listless Kuna scratching her head, Holly stepped forward.

“Well then, we’ve arrived safely, so this is where we part ways!”

“Ah… so you two aren’t entering the city?”

“There’s no reason for us to enter. Our job is simply to escort you.”

“I see… I really appreciate you two.”

As Subaru responded to the sudden farewell, he admonished himself to remind of practicalities.

They were merely giving their kindness as members of the “People of Shudrak”. Along the way, he had relied on their support so much that he had gotten into a habit of slacking off.

Holly, with her hunting skills and cheerful demeanor, lightened up the journey.

Kuna, with her serious demeanor and surprising knowledge, came in handy.

After parting ways with them, Subaru would now be adventuring alongside Rem—or rather, he would embark on a trip with Rem and Lui.

In the Imperial territory and the settlement of Shudrak, there had always been someone around, but this time it was different.

“….Don’t look so pathetic.”

“Sorry. How am I looking so pathetic… Whoa!?”

While Subaru’s eyes ran with anxiety about the future, Kuna thrust something toward him.

He instinctively caught it with his hand and leaned forward due to the unexpected weight. What was handed to him was a long, white package. It had been something Holly had carried the entire journey.

He had assumed it was a necessary item for their journey.

“Now that I think about it, I never opened it… what is this?”

“That’s for you. After you arrived in town, the chief told me to present it to you.”

“My item, and after arriving in town…?”

Confused about Holly’s intention, Subaru furrowed his brows. However, Kuna roughly interjected, “Just open it already.”

Receiving it, Subaru set the backpack down and opened the white package.

Inside—

“Oh…”

“This is… a horn?”

In Subaru’s arms was a large white mass about the size of a hug. Rem’s words confirmed that it was indeed a horn—it was the horn of a beast.

It was something he recognized. He’d seen it clearly once during the “Ritual of Blood.”

“Could it be the horn of Elgina?!”

“Exactly! Since you broke it, that horn is yours now.”

“It’s a rare item. With its size, it can fetch a high price.”

“—!”

Hearing that it could be sold for a high price, Subaru gasped in astonishment at their consideration.

In other words, Holly and the others were suggesting they trade this beast’s horn for travel expenses to return to the Lugnica Kingdom.

They had been carrying this baggage without stating anything about it.

“It’s quite heavy, isn’t it?”

“You’ve been carrying Rem on your back all along.”

“Besides, I’m exceptionally strong. So it was no problem for me!”

In response to Subaru who trembled at their thoughtfulness, both Kuna and Holly were unfazed.

With their consideration, Subaru felt genuinely at a loss for words.

“—”

They had helped him during the journey and even provided funds for him to go back home.

Yet, he was parting with them, returning to his own country. Holly and the others were going to rejoin their kin in Shudrak and battle at the capital along with Abel.

Their path would bring about life and death for many—

“I…”

“—Don’t you dare think such foolish things.”

“—”

“To protect those that must be protected, fight for them. We’re doing the same.”

As words were about to tumble from Subaru’s mouth impulsively, Kuna sharply cut him off.

With her typical lassitude, she fixed a somewhat exasperated stare on Subaru.

Despite having many grievances and always feeling irritated with Holly, she never once showed signs of abandoning Shudrak or expressed hatred toward Holly.

As a member of Shudrak, she had always deemed it natural to stand and fight alongside Abel.

—That likely indicated that what she deemed “something to protect” was firmly established.

“Stop lollygagging now. I have good eyesight. If you mess around, it’ll be seen right away.”

“Then Kuna prompted me to unleash a barrage with my bow!”

“…Yeah, that would be scary.”

Realizing the gentle nudges, Subaru understood their words.

If he acted impulsively here, it would belittle their—no, the kindness of the “People of Shudrak.” That was something he could never bring himself to do for those who called him a comrade.

“I’ll gratefully take this and make it part of this journey. Both of you, thanks for your help!”

Having understood their intentions, Subaru swallowed his overflowing emotions.

Accepting it, Holly and Kuna nodded in their respective ways.

“Thank you, Holly and Kuna, for your help along the way. I will never forget my appreciation for you two and for everyone from the ‘People of Shudrak’.”

“Make sure you remember that. I’ve heard you forget things often.”

“I think that’s a bit exaggerated.”

Desiring to express at least some form of gratitude, Rem, who had gotten off the backpack, felt a tinge of reluctance at parting with the two.

What surprised him was that Lui seemed reluctant to part from Holly and Kuna as well. Especially, it seemed that she had become close with Holly, who had shown no hesitation in her interactions with the little girl, as Lui clung tightly to Holly’s waist, refusing to let go.

“See you later, Subaru. Don’t forget—I’m watching you!”

“Yeah!”

“Ah! Thank you so much! Thank you!”

With large waves of the hand, the two turned their backs to Subaru and the three resumed their journey together.

The beast’s horn was reverted back into its bundle and balanced on Lui’s back. With Subaru unable to free himself of his hands, it was a tormenting decision, but it seemed the words of Holly and the others had resonated, as Lui diligently followed Subaru’s lead, determined not to let that bundle drop.

“That girl will be seeing many things, huh?”

“…I know she’s filled with curiosity.”

Subaru answered with bitterness upon hearing Rem’s comments.

Lui, the Archbishop of Gluttony, was devouring every life she encountered in search of her best life—she was, in a positive light, an explorer, and in a negative light, a jack of all trades.

Thus, seeing her display even a semblance of modesty wouldn’t cause a shift in Subaru’s impressions.

It shouldn’t change.

“Let’s go.”

Feeling Rem’s gentle sigh against his back, Subaru set off with that determination.

As he stepped forward, he heard Lui’s footsteps follow along behind him.

It was just him and Rem at the beginning, along with Lui when they first burst into the Volakia Empire.

Finally, they were all heading in the same direction as they marched forth.

And then, they passed through the gates of the castle city, Gwararu.

 

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