[ "This time, sleep for all eternity—Petelgeuse." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"…Geuse, rest in peace."
Outside the screen, Emilia and Beatrice lowered their heads and spoke in low voices.
—
[ "Natsuki-san, you're covered in serious injuries, are you alright?"
"How could I be alright? This is the hardest I've cried since the anesthesia wore off while treating a cavity." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"That sounds painful."
Al retorted casually.
—
[ "I'll talk to Roswaal and make him pay for the dragon carriage repairs too."
Then Subaru looked into the distance…
"I absolutely have to catch up. Just this once, I must save you. Besides, Rem is probably getting impatient waiting for good news. If I can't live up to her expectations, what kind of man am I?"
"Is that the name of the girl you like?"
"It's the name of the girl who fell for me!"
"Ah, then you have no choice but to act cool!" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"…Yes, Rem has received Subaru-kun's good news. As expected of Subaru-kun, you are Rem's hero."
Rem smiled wistfully.
"…Subaru still doesn't know yet. At this moment, little Rem and Lady Crusch must have already…"
Ferris said in a low voice.
—
[ "Natsuki-san, look over there!"
The scene shifted, and Subaru and Otto arrived at the plains. Otto pointed his finger at a distant convoy.
"Over there! Otto, I'm begging you, give it everything you've got!"
"Even if you didn't say so, I would have given it my all!"
"I will definitely—save you."
Natsuki Subaru muttered to himself.
....
"…Mr. Wilhelm!"
"Subaru-dono?"
Wilhelm was covered in blood, but given his strength, one could naturally surmise it was the blood of his enemies, the Witch Cultists.
"Where is Emilia?"
Wilhelm looked puzzled, then suddenly, as if realizing something, he pointed his sword tip in the direction the dragon carriage was running and shouted:
"Ahead! Straight ahead! In the direction of the great tree!"
Hearing this, Subaru hurriedly had Otto rush in that direction.
"…Your opponent is me." Seeing the Witch Cultists trying to intercept Subaru, Wilhelm slashed down head-on.
"This is a perfect opportunity to repay a benefactor. Furthermore, it is truly fortunate that the one making the request understands the situation without needing it to be spoken. What an honor this is. When a man goes to meet a woman, how can he tolerate interruptions! Both you and I are too bloody, unsuited for a reunion scene—all of you, expose your corpses to the wilderness…"
The Sword Demon Wilhelm's voice grew distant, leaving only the sound of the rushing wind. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"He really knows how to read the mood,"
Anastasia said.
"You flatter me. I am ashamed to say, this is all because I committed too many foolish acts due to immaturity in my youth; this old fool has only come to understand a little bit about it,"
Wilhelm said.
—
[ "Natsuki-san, I can see it! That must be the evacuation dragon carriage!" Coachman Otto shouted.
The people ahead seemed to panic.
"Stop! It's me, Natsuki Subaru! Not an enemy! Stop, stop immediately! There's an emergency, I need to investigate the inside of the dragon carriage!"
The dragon carriage came to a sudden halt.
"Ian, come out! Otto, help me separate Patrasche from the dragon carriage!"
Red light flashed, and Ian appeared.
She hovered above the canopy of one of the dragon carriages in the convoy. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"It matches my memories… this is the dragon carriage I was riding in,"
Emilia said.
"Although there's still unfinished business, a touching reunion and reconciliation are coming soon, nyan,"
Ferris laughed.
"It's great that they can make up,"
Felt said.
—
[ Then Subaru leaped over, flipping into the dragon carriage.
"…Subaru." A voice like a silver bell rang out.
Emilia gazed blankly at Subaru.
Then the scene slowed down.
Subaru froze for a moment, then hurriedly gritted his teeth, shook his head, and cleared away his hesitation.
"Ian! Where is it?"
Then, Ian flew to the corner of the cargo rack; the section directly below had changed color.
"Puck! Can you lift just this piece without causing unnecessary shock?"
"Just arrived for an unexpected reunion, and suddenly… hmm, so that's how it is." Puck narrowed his eyes.
"…Found it! A bag made of mabeast hide…" Subaru pulled out a bag stuffed with magic stones.
"This timing is too coincidental… Puck, can you stop it?"
"I can't stop it. But I can suppress the force of the explosion." Puck said, then looked toward Emilia.
"That won't work! Think, think, think, think… Right." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"The reason it won't work is…"
Felt pondered.
"It must be because of that reason. To suppress the explosion, he needs to gigantify, or rather, assume his true form. Seeing such a colossal monster… the villagers of Arlam are already afraid of Emilia, who looks exactly like the Witch of Envy. If they see such a ferocious beast beside Emilia, they will definitely be even more terrified."
Anastasia answered.
"Hmm? Simple, direct, and effective. But also very dangerous,"
Yuriusu said.
—
[ In the next moment, Subaru held the large bag in his arms and rushed out of the dragon carriage.
"Wait…" Emilia's soft call made Subaru stop in his tracks. "Subaru, why…"
"You ask me why…" Subaru paused, leaving one last sentence before dashing away—
"Because I love you, Emilia."
That sentence was finally spoken. That feeling of love was finally expressed in words. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"He finally said it, after all that trouble,"
Otto said outside the screen.
"Seriously, so much effort. It would have been fine if he just said this directly on the day of the fight,"
Felt said.
"Barusu actually acted like a man for once,"
Even Ram couldn't help but praise.
—
[ "Hah, hah, hah—" Subaru rode Patrasche, sprinting wildly to the side.
"Subaru!"
"Hey, Subaru!"
"Subaru!"
The children beside Emilia were calling out to him.
But he couldn't respond; clearly, there was no time left.
Then, the corpse of the White Whale appeared on the screen, the frozen corpse.
He jumped off Patrasche and threw the magic stone bag into the White Whale's wound.
Once done, he immediately turned around, mounted Patrasche, and ducked behind a fallen great tree. Patrasche curled his body, pressing Subaru underneath him for protection, and in the next instant—
"BOOM—!"
An extremely massive explosion sounded.
The screen shook violently, then began to blur.
Subaru was caught in the blast.
He stroked Patrasche with all his might, seemingly checking if he was still alive.
Upon confirmation, he felt relieved, and Patrasche began to lick Subaru's cheek.
Next, the screen not only blurred but also began to dim…
Subaru closed his eyes.
Before all sound vanished—
"…Subaru!" Emilia's voice came through. ]
.....