The moment they turned their backs to each other, Subaru’s bravado shattered like glass.

He didn’t even understand himself.

The countless hours spent analyzing himself in his free time—it should have made it clear how he’d react in such a situation.

Yet here he was, running, and he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

When did he become this foolish, stubborn man?

Holding back tears and pretending to be strong in front of those sisters was completely out of character for him.

As they faced away, the distance between them grew noticeable by the sound of their footsteps—then, Subaru crumbled.

Pain surged—a sharp sting and a dull ache, both relentlessly hitting him. Grimacing, baring his teeth, and sticking out his tongue, he shouted,

“Ow! It hurts! It hurts, Mom, Dad, Emilia-tan…!”

Calling out to his three major dependencies, he glanced at his flailing right arm.

The pain had been intermittent ever since. His strength was waning, and each jolt felt like someone had stabbed electric wires into his brain. It was probably a dislocation; he wanted to believe that.

The blow to Rem’s horn—it had been inflicted after he botched his landing. He should count himself lucky that he fell onto the soft ground instead of landing headfirst, which could have left him splattered across the landscape.

Even while spinning, it felt like he always fell headfirst—he desperately wanted to know how his luck stat was displayed.

“This phenomenon of always falling on my head… I should respect Murphy’s Law and call it ‘True Murphy’s Law’.”

So, it was really that Murphy, unseen, who was to blame for Subaru’s consistent head-first tumbles.

As he indulged in this ridiculous thought, it somewhat distracted him from the pain. And if it could also lessen his fear of the beast blocking his path, that would be splendid.

Before him stood that cute little beast—how many times had they crossed paths? Counting it was a bother.

It was so persistent it made one wonder if it held a grudge against Subaru.

“I’d like to call it quits with you soon, you know…”

While running, Subaru braced himself for the torrent of rock and dirt he anticipated from the beast.

If he got hit by that this time in an unguarded manner, a dislocated shoulder wouldn’t be the end of it. The most merciful route would be to black out and end up as a snack afterward—anything else was too ghastly to imagine.

Shaking off his unpleasant thoughts, he visualized his escape route and prepared to take a detour as soon as the landslide struck.

If it was coming, let it come! Subaru half-heartedly turned back toward the Urgalm,

“Fwy?”

An absurd sound of air escaping unintentionally slipped out.

But how could he not? What unfolded before Subaru’s eyes was simply unbelievable.

The puppy monster let out a small growl and curled its tiny body tightly. Its entire being seemed to coil with strength. Subaru squinted as he wondered what it was about to do.

“—!?”

The little fluffball exploded in size with explosive momentum.

The size of a small dog he had held in his hands a moment ago transformed into a massive head of what could only be described as a large dog in the blink of an eye—his mouth fell open in utter shock.

“It’s a cliché you see in manga, but where did all the extra mass come from?”

The answer to his question was a roar that shook the forest.

With a force that slammed into the ground, it propelled its massive hindquarters, raising its front legs and brandishing claws that looked capable of slicing through bone with a mere swipe.

The fact that all the fatal blows from magic had missed him had clearly angered it, and it seems that for Subaru, it decided the final showdown would be a direct strike at his throat.

But,

“I have no reason to play along!”

If memory served right, there was no way that puppy-turned-monster’s fangs could reach Subaru. Thus, there was no reason for it to risk anything in hopes of breaking the curse.

With that in mind, Subaru quickly shifted his direction to avoid contact with it.

“—Ugh.”

Subaru, attempting to escape by veering off to the side, found himself blocked by the shadows of the snarling beasts closing in behind him.

He darted his eyes to the opposite direction, only to find several more shadows there, too. Then, countless footsteps could be heard behind him, trampling through the grass.

“Damn it! Are you all just head over heels for my pheromones or something—? You bastards!”

His role as bait was flawless. Having been summoned to this other world for the first time, Subaru found his calling as the ultimate distraction. He wanted to spit and immediately resign this honorary title, though.

Once he became aware of it, he could feel the oppressive presence surrounding him, too daunting to ignore. All the Urgalm in the forest must’ve gathered like this.

And their collective goal was to tear out Subaru’s throat. How thrilling!

Ah, honestly.

“More interested in me than those beautiful girl sisters? Talk about bad taste!”

He was trembling in fear, not even having time to leak a drop of pee.

Blocked in his escape, the encroaching beasts inexorably forced Subaru forward. Which meant, in essence, a one-on-one fight with that massive beast.

In front of him, the Urgalm twisted its features into a menacing grin, one almost resembling a wicked smile.

He couldn’t avoid what seemed predetermined—a fight that was destined to be a gang-up. Subaru resigned himself with that thought.

—The moment he reached that conclusion, he resolved to play his trump card.

Sliding his hand into his pocket, he felt stones, crushed candy wrappers, and something strangely sticky… and then,

“All that’s left is to trust Pack…!”

He tossed it into his mouth, offering up a fervent prayer to the grayish little cat.

He fixed the round object with his molars and opened his eyes wide, staring ahead.

The distance between Subaru and the beast had diminished dramatically.

In less than ten seconds, they would be close enough to touch one another.

And then it happened.

“—Subaru-kun!!”

He heard it.

A voice calling his name pierced through the chaos.

That voice was filled with a heartbreaking resonance, suffused with an unbearable sense of despair and as though witnessing the end of the world, frail yet clearly demonstrating a concern for Subaru’s life, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of gladness.

He was disgusted with himself. What a pervert. What a traitor.

He couldn’t imagine what feelings stirred within the person who shouted his name, but even so, he found himself smiling at how utterly insane he felt.

Acknowledging such abnormal thoughts, he laughed, and that smile vanished in an instant.

With his left hand still moving, he readied his sword—his broken one—by his waist.

The roar of the beast was coming straight for him.

To counter it, Subaru bellowed with all his might.

His voice cracked, issuing a grating cry. But it was infused with resolve. They glared at each other, their souls crashing together in the face of danger.

With contact mere moments away, Subaru took a deep breath.

Imagining the center of his body.

He focused on the “gate” that connected the inside and outside, located between his chest and waist, and cried out.

“—Shamak!”

Instantly, clouds of darkness exploded around Subaru.

From the epicenter, all around him, it consumed every beast within the forest, shrouding the battlefield in darkness.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

In the thick black fog lay a realm of misunderstanding.

Shapes, colors, smells—all were indistinguishable within it.

The only thing he could clearly feel was the firm touch of the ground beneath his feet. Without that, he would surely have lost all sense of up and down in the oppressive darkness.

The sensation of seeing nothing. Hearing nothing. Understanding nothing.

It felt like the world had ended.

Understanding that the only solid thing he knew was that sensation beneath his shoes, Subaru’s mind was hell-bent on one singular task.

That task was to remember.

He had to recall the contents of his brain that had been whisked away by the black fog, somehow mustering the strength to carry out what he needed to do.

His foot lifted off the ground, leaving him in danger of losing everything in an instant.

Yet when the opposite foot stomped down, clarity returned briefly. Only the feeling beneath his shoes held the truth, but he no longer had any idea if he was truly moving forward.

In that realm of misunderstanding, as he almost clung to the only tangible feeling, Subaru’s mind resisted and fought against the awareness seeking comfort.

He had to reclaim something that had been lost. If he didn’t, things would surely become irretrievably grim.

Again, his foot lifted, plunging him back into confusion, but with the other foot biting the ground, understanding returned. Yet that feeling felt unsteady, almost lax.

What was it? What was lacking?

Remember! Remember before the world of misunderstanding. Remember the world of understanding.

What led to this? Who did what?

For what purpose, for whom, to remedy this situation—wasn’t there some preparation made for this?

Remember, remember, remember—.

As his mind was commanded, sparks of thought began to fly.

Yet it was elusive. He couldn’t grasp it fully. Just one more step—something was still missing.

One step, and he couldn’t follow through with the next. His feet were stuck. He realized they were devoid of power, feeling completely drained.

Why? Why hadn’t he expected that?

If so, he’d surely prepared some means. Remember! Act!

If the outside failed, then question the inside. Even if it was impossible to externalize due to misunderstanding, call out—despite it!

Play your part—move, all the parts that can. Only then—

“—!!”

Suddenly, a burning sensation ignited within him.

A feverish rush surged through his body, and Subaru’s throat erupted with a primal roar that was just barely comprehensible. Or so he believed. He couldn’t be sure.

Uncertainty loomed, yet his feet found the strength to move.

They began to move again. He thrust them forward, toward what he thought was the right direction.

Understanding, misunderstanding, understanding, misunderstanding—over and over the cycle reinforced and faded, only to return again—soon,

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

The moment he burst through the black fog, Subaru was met with a staggering impact.

The sword clutched in his hand was nearly yanked from him by the force of it.

He instinctively surveyed his surroundings, swallowing the astonishment as he witnessed the result of the shock.

In the expanse of black fog, an enormous beast still had its head stuck inside, with Subaru’s sword lodged deep within its body.

That unexpected strike returned to him a sensation he had never felt before.

A dull blade piercing the body of a living creature—this was an unexpectedly profound psychological shock for Subaru.

Until now, he had faced beasts and claimed lives twice. Once by accident, and a second time intentionally. But taking such decisive action to ensure a residual sensation in his hand was unprecedented.

And it bore an unsettling sort of unease, grievous in the extreme.

He was currently killing a warm, living creature.

The beast, still lost in a haze of misunderstanding, was unaware of its impending demise.

Looking on, Subaru saw the velvety black clouds billow around him, and there wasn’t a single shadow of a beast trying to escape.

In stark contrast to Subaru, they had lacked any of the mental preparation for such an outcome.

Once they sank into that fog of misunderstanding, how could they be ridiculed for stalling out in cowardice?

Stumbling, Subaru began to sluggishly withdraw to gain some distance.

His head felt heavy, his body ached. This was the residual impact of excessive mana release due to Subaru’s incomplete use of magic that Pack had pointed out.

Normally, he should have expelled all the mana within him and collapsed, unable to rise, yet the trump card had allowed him to break free and keep going.

“…Thanks for the help, kiddos.”

He spat out the remnants of a fruit peel, mumbling quietly to himself.

The fruit he spat out was the third time he had the chance to taste it.

The Bocco fruit—an item that activated the mana in the body, offering a slight resurgence of power to a withered form.

Where it had come from was unknown, but among the useless items the children had given Subaru on his way to rescue Rem, this had been included.

The moment he confirmed its existence, that plan had lingered dimly in his mind.

If he bit into it right after casting a spell, perhaps he could still move.

It was a gamble, betting his life on the line, and the balance had tipped in his favor—his survival proved by the fact he still breathed.

Heading in the direction where Rams’s clear statement about the barrier had pointed him—

Subaru had no idea how long his underdeveloped mana would sustain his Shamak.

He couldn’t afford to waste any more time. He simply had to reach the barrier—!

“—Huh?”

However, that plan of Subaru’s was suddenly halted.

“Y-you…”

An unexpected swipe of claws glanced off his side, causing his ambitions to come crashing down.

Sharp pain screamed out, and Subaru kneeled, groaning with the sensation of blood flowing. Yet the enemy wouldn’t allow him to kneel in defeat.

Extending a thick arm, the claw-like weaponed limb easily seized Subaru by the body,

“Damn it!”

The gaping maw of the beast opened wide before him, exposing glistening fangs and a fetid breath wafting across his face.

With a hint of madness, Subaru couldn’t help but laugh at the monster’s desire.

“Drop dead, you bastard—!”

He yanked free the sword that had pierced its body and slammed it back firmly into its open mouth.

“—!!”

As that decisive blow landed, it tossed Subaru aside without a second thought.

But Subaru hadn’t let go of his sword. He ravaged the inside of its mouth with the blade, shredding it apart before being thrown onto the ground, tumbling sideways as he rose.

“Ah! What now, huh?! Come on, you bastard!!”

“—!!—!”

The Urgalm, its face a whirlwind of bloodlust directed at Subaru, gazed at him countenance twisted in rage.

As they faced off, Subaru too began to shake off the blood and grit as he gripped his jagged sword and hurled insults right back.

Blood surged through his head, and neither of them could see anything other than each other.

Plans had been slaughtered, and Subaru had long since lost any sense of calm. Without taking down the monster before him, he couldn’t hope to go any further.

But it was the same for the monster. It needed to dispose of Subaru to shed the ugly emotions swelling within it.

Both were poised for a climactic showdown, ready to ignite at the slightest spark.

As this frayed standoff reached a boiling point—

“—Urugoar!”

The moment a blazing fireball rained down from the sky, the tense moment was eternally suspended.

“Ohhh!?”

Covering his face, Subaru was thrust backward by the shockwave.

Out of nowhere, the ground before him exploded. The force brought scorching heat, compounded with the injuries he had already accumulated that clawed mercilessly at his body.

Cuts, bite marks, scrapes, bruises, burns—the mental and physical toll had him utterly wrecked.

“What the hell…?”

Rolling across the ground and shaking his head, Subaru groaned painfully as he propped himself up.

And the astonishment he felt was layered as he beheld the scene before him—again, he couldn’t tell how many times this had happened in one day.

Before Subaru’s eyes, the massive beast was consumed in flames—

Its black fur enveloped entirely in fire, the Urgalm thrashed about in anguish. Yet, the more it struggled, the more the flames raged, until eventually, with a resounding crash, its bulk hit the ground.

It writhed for a while, groaning in agony, but that soon subsided, leaving behind only a charred lump of meat.

But that wasn’t the only thing that astonished Subaru about this unexpected end.

The fireball that incinerated the Urgalm—a cascade of fiery projectiles did not cease after one strike, flying in after another, aimed directly into the depths of the black fog.

In the expanse of darkness, he couldn’t see how much power each fireball wielded.

However, envisioning the aftermath wasn’t hard at all.

Deep within the unapologetic darkness, the monsters caught in the fog were still unaware.

They wouldn’t detect the descent of flames, nor the sensation of being barbecued, even as their lives extinguished without realizing it.

Whether that was mercy or cruelty, Subaru couldn’t say.

But—

“No, no! What a brilliant idea! Using Shamak, typically a diversion, as a marker instead!”

The individual responsible for such darkly comedic circumstances appeared, grinning widely.

With long indigo hair flowing in the wind and mismatched blue and yellow eyes, he dressed in bizarre garb as he nonchalantly descended into the Forest of Magical Beasts.

The master of the mansion. The court magician. That useless character who was absent when it counted—Roswaal had finally arrived.

He swept the hem of his outfit, letting his long hair fall behind before looking down at Subaru.

“Aha! It looks quite dire, doesn’t it?”

“You’re mega late, Ros-chan! You have no idea how many times I faced death waiting for you.”

Pretty sure one hand wouldn’t suffice to count it.

He felt a little downcast as he recalled all that, but relief washed over him as he finally sat down.

“By the way, you figured out it was me just by seeing that, huh?”

“Well, I remembered Emilia-sama said so many things back in the Village. ‘Even if it’s reckless or reckless, when cornered, he undoubtedly uses magic, so don’t miss it if he’s flying in the sky!’”

“That Bear’s already filled Emilia in on everything, hasn’t she?”

The aide failed to deceive Emilia satisfactorily without her knowing.

But thinking back on Roswaal’s miraculous intervention, it seemed the outcome was good after all.

While Subaru pondered over the situation,

“Roswaal-sama—”

Dodging the black mist, Ram appeared, rustling the bushes. Noticing Roswaal, she swiftly dropped her composed facade.

“I apologize for troubling you.”

“Oh no, it’s perfectly fine. This is a matter that transpired in my territory. It’s my duty to settle it. In fact, you did remarkably well.”

Her cheeks flushed at his praise, Ram gravely nodded, pressing her hand to her chest.

Witnessing their exchange, Subaru let out a deep sigh and—

“—Subaru-kun!”

Abruptly, he found himself engulfed in an embrace from Rem, causing him to exclaim “Gweh!”

Right in front of him, blue hair fluttered close to his face, indicating she’d dove in from super up close. Usually, this would be a delightful moment, but—

“Rem, right now, my body all over is… ah, my consciousness…”

Her embrace held a power that seemed to stem from overwhelming emotion.

Every bit of his injured body screamed out in agony, and Subaru desperately pounded on her back with his free left hand, signaling for her to release him from the painful clutch.

Yet,

“You’re alive! You’re still with us, Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun!”

Caught up in emotions, Rem failed to notice Subaru’s distress.

Her face buried against him, warm droplets soaked into his chest. A mix of sensations flooded in, leaving Subaru’s mind completely overwhelmed.

In short,

“Here we go again… this pattern…”

As he said this, himself unable to support his neck, his head lolled downwards.

Fading consciousness. Diminishing voices. Lastly,

“You should sleep now. When you awaken, I’ll repay your kindness. —At the very least, I promise to eliminate anything that threatens you.”

That serious voice, devoid of pomposity yet carrying a degree of intensity, resounded in his eardrum.

With a sure sense of relief embracing him, Subaru slowly let go of his consciousness.

Just before plunging into slumber, he savored the warmth enveloping him in the embrace while—

Subaru’s consciousness sunk beneath the waters of unconsciousness.