The bright morning after an anxious yet heartwarming exchange with Ram, Subaru found himself overwhelmed with feelings as he stood before the front gate of Roswaal’s Mansion, surrounded by the familiar faces of the household staff.

“Whoa, this is amazing!”

As Subaru exclaimed joyfully, there stood a majestic figure before him.

With its hard green skin, towering size, and sharp yellow eyes—it was the formidable sight of a giant lizard that Subaru had encountered many times before but never so closely.

There, proudly stationed at the entrance of Roswaal’s Mansion, was the Dragon Cart drawn by the Earth Dragon, ready to take Subaru and the others to the Royal Capital.

“It’s huge! The skin is hard! The face is scary!!!”

Being in front of such a colossal creature stirred something deep within Subaru, as it does for most boys in the presence of something overwhelmingly large. He was completely enthralled, the early morning a mere detail to his excitement.

Jumping around the lizard, he showed his overwhelming admiration.

“Honestly, you’re acting like a kid!”

Emilia chuckled softly while watching Subaru, sighing in disbelief. She glanced at Rem beside her, seeking agreement. However,

“Subaru-kun… is cute. Don’t you think so, Emilia-sama?”

“I do think it’s cute, but… Rem, it seems you’ve been quite poisoned by Subaru, huh?”

Emilia sighed at Rem who was adoringly watching the exuberant Subaru.

Unbeknownst to Subaru, who was eagerly reaching out and making strange sounds towards the Earth Dragon,

“This is unbelievable! I’m so emotional! A total fantasy! If only I had a digital camera, I could take an epic shot! How about the title ‘The Dragon Crawling on the Ground and Me’—”

Just as Subaru’s energy gauge was nearing its limit and his touches were shifting from gentle taps to full-on attacks, the Earth Dragon’s gauge reached its own breaking point first.

To be specific—

“What the heck!?”

“Oh—”

The lizard’s tail swung around as it growled, smacking Subaru hard on the shoulder. The force knocked him off balance, and he flew off at a speed that seemed to create an afterimage. Subaru tumbled into a soft bush beside the gate, and after a moment of silence, he finally managed to extricate himself, breathlessly saying,

“What just happened?”

“Subaru-kun, the Earth Dragon is a very intelligent creature. Even without words, it understands intentions quite well. So, you must handle it gently.”

“You should have said that sooner!? I felt like I was facing death for the first time since that mayo bath… and it was just recently!”

Since arriving in this world, opportunities to face death had been far from rare.

Just when he thought he could finally enjoy some peaceful days, this happened.

Rubbing his shoulder that took the brunt of the hit, Subaru awkwardly made his way back from the bush to the front gate. He hesitantly glanced at the lizard, which narrowed its yellow eyes slightly and let out a forceful breath, as if to say, “That’s what happens when you touch me so casually.”

Even though he was used to being rejected by humans, to be shown such an attitude by a creature from an untamed land gave him quite a bit to think about.

“I should be more careful with my words, attitude, actions, and daily behaviors going forward…”

“You have a lot to reflect on. But I think it’s quite Subaru-like of you,”

“Is that what you like about me, Emilia-tan?”

“Maybe it would be better to choose your timing, situation, and company,” she mused.

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

With a raised hand in a show of goodwill, Emilia remarked with her hands on her hips while smiling, “Good, good.”

Just then, the front door of the mansion suddenly opened, revealing Roswaal and Ram arriving a bit late for the gathering.

Subaru lightly tapped his wrist without a watch, saying,

“Hey, hey, hey, you guys are late! What’s going on? Wasn’t it Roswaal who set the time? A guy who is late with time usually is loose in other areas, right, Rem?”

“That’s right! It was me who woke Subaru-kun up today when he didn’t get up on time, but feel free to praise me!”

“Okay, okay, just be quiet for a second, Rem!”

Subaru ruffled Rem’s hair, silencing her with ease. Rem’s disapproving gaze pierced Subaru, who then hurriedly defended himself saying,

“I swear it’s not like that! I had my reasons! Like the blueness of the sea and the greenness of the mountains!”

“Even the bluest excuse, huh… Let’s hear it.”

“I couldn’t sleep because I was excited!”

“That sounds so childish.”

Watching Subaru throw in the towel, Emilia sighed and concluded she would let it slide. To avoid another round of interrogation, Subaru redirected the conversation towards Roswaal.

“So what’s the deal? Why are you guys late? We were all ready for breakfast already!”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! You see, since Ram was going to stay and keep watch for a while, we had a little extra goodbye.”

Roswaal, gesturing with his finger, explained while straightening his attire. Meanwhile, Ram quickly tidied her hair and clothes, the simplicity of it transmitting a certain realism.

“Forget it! We’re pretending this conversation didn’t happen, and I’m going to call roll. First, me. Second, Emilia-tan. Third, Rem. And also, Roswaal.”

“Why’d you add me at the end? I own the Dragon Cart too, you know?”

Roswaal chuckled softly as he reached out and gently touched the sullen lizard’s jaw.

Subaru couldn’t help but shrug, picturing Roswaal getting tossed aside, and for a moment, he felt an odd thrill at that thought, though it quickly faded.

Instead of recoiling from Roswaal’s touch, the lizard affectionately leaned against him, as if behaving like a horse seeing its owner.

What a vast difference from its earlier treatment of Subaru!

“I just can’t wrap my head around this.”

“Of course, the Earth Dragon is Roswaal-sama’s pet, so it’s natural for it to be affectionate towards him, unlike Balus, who just frequently rejects you.”

“Pet Dragon? That’s a cool way to put it… Wait, how much did you see of my embarrassing moments?”

“Oh, really?”

Ram replied nonchalantly, making Subaru’s face turn pale. She pointed at Subaru’s head, then smirked, glaring with a high-pitched sound.

“You have leaves stuck all over your head and body. Not to mention dirt from rolling around… I wouldn’t want you to dirty the inside of the Dragon Cart.”

“Not even your job to clean it…”

“Roswaal-sama will be riding too. It’s the duty of servants to ensure he is comfortable. And when it comes to Balus… well, you can’t expect much given the circumstances.”

“Don’t use my name as a synonym for failure, or I might just cry.”

Those words felt like a playfully humiliating defeat.

However, this playful banter from Ram was only going to add to the disdain and ridicule she aimed at him.

While they were talking, Rem was energetically loading luggage into the Dragon Cart.

The mood shifted as casual chatting came to an end, signaling it was nearly time to depart. As each person offered Ram a few parting words, Subaru suddenly recalled something and muttered,

“Speaking of which, I just remembered Beatrice didn’t come to see us off.”

He thought of that indifferent loli character with cream-colored hair.

Of course, he had anticipated this outcome and had playfully teased Beatrice yesterday to make up for it. Yet, standing at this departure point without her felt rather lonely.

“This just lacks a bit of flair,” Subaru mused, feeling a slight frown as he glared at the mansion.

“—Oh!”

Almost hidden behind a slightly opened door, he unexpectedly made eye contact with someone dressed in a frilly outfit, who had been watching him intently.

She flinched for just a moment when Subaru spotted her but then boldly carried on with her sneaky little mission, remaining behind the door.

With a wry smile directed toward that stubborn girl, Subaru raised his hand and gestured,

“If I come back safely, I have something I really want to tell you.”

To which the girl nonchalantly waved her hand dismissively, almost as if to shoo him away. Then she promptly closed the door, fulfilling her duty of seeing him off.

“—Subaru? What’s wrong?”

Upon turning around, he found Emilia leaning out of the Dragon Cart, looking down at him. It seemed he had unwittingly boarded without noticing, standing on the ground while everyone else was already inside. He hurriedly reached for the entrance,

“Right!”

Before his hand could touch the handle, a white fingertip reached out faster.

For but a moment, he hesitated, though Subaru took that hand. An unexpected force pulled him into the cart.

As Subaru confirmed he was aboard, Rem nodded to the remaining Ram.

The twins exchanged thoughts without words, and Rem tugged at the reins, making the Earth Dragon step forward.

As the cart creaked, Subaru felt it begin to move. He quickly turned to glance out the window, meeting Ram’s eyes looking up at him.

“Alright, I’m off! You take care too!”

“Balus, if something happens, you’ll at least be good as a decoy, I must admit.”

“Come on, I’m sure I have some redeeming features!”

Thus began the unceremonious exchange that served as their farewell for the morning.

The Dragon Cart picked up speed, rapidly increasing their distance from the mansion. Soon, Ram’s figure standing by the gate became smaller and smaller.

Before she disappeared from sight, she pinched her skirt and bowed slightly, deeply lowering her head as if to send them off with the grace of a model maid.

“…If only the ability to work matched her looks, she’d be perfect.”

As they entered a slightly sloped roadway, Ram’s figure completely vanished. Finally, Subaru settled into his seat in the cart with a sigh.

And what a strange but surprisingly comfortable ride it turned out to be. Although he had expected the ride to be somewhat difficult, the quality of the seating was surprisingly great.

Despite the road not being particularly well-maintained, the vibrations supposed to come from a Dragon Cart seemed minimal.

In truth, comparing the ride to a car in his original world, it felt comparable, if not better.

“Feels like a Dragon Cart is something special, huh?”

“Special? More like a fresh surprise. Everything’s a bit thrilling for the first time. I might make a little noise sometimes, so bear with me.”

Subaru responded to Roswaal’s comment, feeling the vibrations under his feet as the cart continued to roll smoothly. Though the stunning scenery out the window rushed by, they were hardly moving at all.

The speed was so high it exceeded even typical cars, yet inside the cart, the comfort was so well-maintained it felt like they were moving at breakneck speeds—perhaps even close to 100 kilometers per hour.

This realization made him worry about Rem, who sat alone on the driver’s seat exposed to the elements.

“Hey, it’s pretty fast, but is it fine for the driver’s seat to be exposed like that? I mean, I trust Rem not to get thrown off, but are her clothes and hair gonna be anywhere near okay by the time we reach the capital?”

“The Dragon Cart is protected by the blessing, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

In response to his relatively delayed question, Emilia answered with a puzzled look. When Subaru tilted his head, asking, “Blessing?”

“That’s one of those words I’ve been hearing a lot lately. It seems less common than mana, and I’ve missed the chance to learn about it. What exactly is it?”

“A blessing is precisely that. It’s a gift from the world received at birth… wait, you really don’t know?”

Pointing both hands at Emilia, Subaru shook his body side to side, sheepishly admitting his ignorance.

With a light tap on her temple, Emilia sighed,

“A blessing, like I just mentioned, is essentially a grace bestowed by the world. There are various kinds of blessings, so they can’t all be categorized. However, certain blessings are given specifically to particular races. The Earth Dragon’s ‘Wind Shield’ is one of those.”

“‘Wind Shield’ blessing, you say?”

“The Earth Dragon can run across the ground without experiencing any resistance or interference from the wind. The power of that blessing also applies to the Dragon Cart it’s pulling. So, this guest room isn’t affected by the wind.”

“And that also means Rem outside won’t feel any of the effects either.”

Subaru processed Emilia’s explanation and nodded in understanding.

He smiled at Emilia, appreciating her clarifying the concept of blessings, but then the thought ignited—or rather, flared up—a hope within him.

“What about me? Hey, Emilia-tan, do I have any blessings?”

The special blessing granted at birth, the very thing Subaru had desperately desired since being summoned to this other world.

It was precisely what he wished for!

But if blessings have their specific uses, perhaps just like the Dragon Cart or Reinhardt, Subaru’s blessing might be somewhat limited and, thus, underutilized.

Hope welled up within him as he glanced eagerly at Emilia, who responded,

“Well, it’s hard to say, but a lot of people are actually born without a blessing at all. Plus, those who do have a blessing usually know it well.”

Her voice trailed off as she looked at Subaru apologetically, and with just that, he understood what she meant.

The tower of hope he’d just built crumbled fast.

His thin hopes having been dashed, Subaru wryly joked with a forced smile,

“No, it’s no big deal. It was a ridiculous luxury I didn’t need anyway. After all, I’ve received something even more precious in this world. Yes! The miracle of meeting Emilia-tan is greater than any blessing!”

“Alright, alright. It’ll take about four hours to reach the Royal Capital, so just behave yourself until then.”

“Emilia-tan, you’re so cold! But I feel happy even with that reaction… it’s frustrating!”

Through daily interactions with Emilia, Subaru was picking up some high-level perversion.

As Emilia and Roswaal began discussing their plans after arriving at the Royal Capital, Subaru, having been told to behave, started eagerly observing the interior of the Dragon Cart.

Contrary to its lavish appearance, the cart was surprisingly cramped; more like a four-person seat one might see in movies with wealthy characters. The quality of the seats was remarkably good, thankfully preventing his rear from hurting even after a few hours.

All the while, Subaru was already feeling restless due to the limited space.

“Emilia-tan, Emilia-tan, can we switch seats?”

“What’s wrong? Oh, did you get sick even though it’s not that bumpy? That can happen if you’re not used to it. I’ll let you borrow Pack.”

“Thanks for your kindness, but that’s not quite it. Also, I don’t get the logic of handing Pack over to me when I’m sick. Am I supposed to use him as a barf bag in case of emergencies?”

“At that point, I think even Pack would get angry…”

Subaru plotted to bring up the morning when he wasn’t supposed to have recovered from the cat-fight.

The early morning hour found its rhythm, so he brought up the topic of the cat-shaped spirit.

When Emilia took in a breath to continue, she quickly looked back at Subaru and said,

“But really, why is that the case?”

“Because, well, you and Roswaal are both busy discussing future plans, right? The left-behind me is feeling a bit lonely, and rather than just feeling sleepy, I’d rather be distracted by gazing at the scenery.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize. Alright, then.”

Emilia maneuvered her way to switch seats with Subaru. Since he naturally sat beside her, a lot of contact occurred during the shift, causing his cheeks to soften.

After the seat switch was complete, she admonished him,

“Okay, now make sure to behave.”

“Sure! For now, I’m just gonna enjoy the warmth of this indirect sit down with Emilia-tan.”

“I don’t get what you’re saying, but it feels really creepy, so please keep it down.”

As Subaru’s excitement heightened at Emilia’s mild words, he noticed the lingering glances she shot at him, as she worriedly watched his squirming form before she returned to her conversation with Roswaal.

He flashed her a smile, responding warmly to her concern, then turned his face towards the small window he could peek out of. Above the door was a small window showing the speeding scenery outside.

From the angle he looked down at, the blue sky filled his view, and he deduced the cart had already exited the wooded area near Roswaal’s mansion.

“Anyway, I have no idea how far the Royal Capital is from the mansion…”

Emilia had mentioned they would arrive in about four hours, but without knowing how fast the Dragon Cart was traveling, it remained just a rough estimate.

Getting up from his seat to observe out the small window, he noted the landscape rolling past outside at a much faster speed than he had anticipated. Despite being a bumpy dirt road, their ride was blissfully comfortable.

“This is really a bewildering sensation. I guess with the blessing, it’s just always like this.”

Subaru gazed out at the weird phenomena of the world, and the thought of having heard that at around 80 kilometers per hour in his original realm swept through his mind.

“A wind at 80 kilometers was said to feel like touching a woman’s chest…!”

Sadly, because of the blessing, he couldn’t confirm that theory at all. If it turned out to be true, then had he reached this speed in a non-blessed situation, he could have experienced a woman’s softness all over.

“Furthermore, just glancing over, I’ve got Emilia-tan right here… If I try to imagine a pair of OPPAI while looking at her, doesn’t that just spark some imagination!”

As Subaru had another epiphany, his mind twisted with undesirable thoughts.

He lamented any lingering regret, stretching his hand towards the blue sky until he suddenly felt a fierce wind slap against him.

“Subaru-kun,” said Rem, “please be careful not to lean too far outside the Dragon Cart. —You might get blown away from the blessing.”

As soon as she said that, a gust of wind hit him.

Too late to react, both his arms flailing, he lost his grip—his body suddenly flung sideways out of the Dragon Cart.

Thus, exactly as Rem had warned, the situation unfolded.

There was no time to reflect on all the flags he had dropped in haste; survival took precedence as the wind swept him into a dizzying spin.

“Ah, no no no?! This is bad, super bad! What is this?! I’m gonna crash onto the ground—!”

At the moment when he thought he would collide with the earth, his body aligned parallel to the Dragon Cart due to his right arm. Stinging pain shot through his wrist, and glancing down, he found the life line Emilia had given him working appropriately, barely keeping him from disappearing into the void.

But even so, Subaru’s right arm screamed in pain, turning purple in an instant.

“Can I pull myself up? Is it possible?! I don’t know, it’s too shaky to—ugh! I’m gonna bite my tongue… yikes!”

All this just because he let his thoughts get carried away, turning a possible disaster into reality.

His endurance on his right wrist was fast approaching its limits, dark thoughts threatened to overwhelm him, until a shrill sound pierced his eardrums.

With an exhilarating jolt, he looked up to see a writhing silver snake coiling toward him. Its tail was thick and rounded, covered in spikes.

“I-I think I’m having a flashback!”

The snake hissed loudly, wrapping around Subaru’s body. Overwhelmed by its tight grip, he let out a muffled groan. In contrast, it firmly held him before lifting him off the ground, soaring over the Dragon Cart and up towards where the lizard loomed.

When the snake’s grip finally released him, Subaru’s body plummeted back into the free fall, spinning wildly, he managed to spot Rem below, who had grasped an iron handle and reins, reaching toward him.

It seemed he had barely dodged death, and nothing more was to be done about it but hope that the outcome would indeed work out.

“I think from now on, I should live a little less recklessly…”

The words he had heard from many echoed through his head—this time, he was genuinely determined to remember them better than ever—before Subaru’s vision faded, slipping back into the comforting embrace of ‘two more sleeps.’