After the Battle
The moment Subaru regained consciousness, he realized he was covered by a high-quality quilt and lying on a soft, faintly fragrant large bed.
The familiar sensation made him open his eyes in alarm, and as he had feared, he found himself in a luxurious guest room he knew all too well.
Nervously glancing around, he felt relieved to find that the familiar catboy was nowhere in sight.
"Right... Because during Reinhild's battle, the servant quarters were destroyed, and I got assigned to this room."
As memories gradually returned to his mind, Subaru muttered to himself while tapping his palm.
He then got up and walked to the window.
Pulling open the curtains, he could see a giant crater on what used to be a neat and beautiful lawn.
At the center of that crater was the place he once lived.
Surrounding it were countless tents, most of which housed the citizens from the south who had been frozen.
Looking at a courtyard now so drastically different from before, Subaru finally felt the reality that the battle had ended.
He slowly got dressed and left the room.
On the way, he saw maids busily distributing food and comforting refugees, guards training their swordsmanship with pained expressions, mercenaries resting, and displaced citizens.
This chaotic scene made the aftermath of the battle all the more real.
But Subaru's purpose for coming to the courtyard after eating wasn't just to experience the aftermath of war.
His gaze secretly observed a distinct and out-of-place area within the chaos: a group of tents with a lion banner in the easternmost corner.
The lion insignia belonged to the Karsten family—loyal to Ferris and Wilhelm.
They had arrived last night.
Their sudden arrival from the royal capital had shocked Subaru, who initially thought Roswaal had broken their contract.
But so far, the Karsten camp claimed they had come merely to mediate the inexplicable war between Roswaal's faction and Reinhild's, and they had indeed behaved accordingly by simply setting up camp.
"Though they've settled peacefully, considering the timing of their appearance, we can't say Roswaal is completely uninvolved."
Staring at the tents in the distance, Subaru made a decision in his heart.
After hesitating for a moment, he walked up to Ben—the former squad leader who had now become the head butler.
Seeing this sight didn't fill Subaru with any sense of congratulations.
He understood clearly what it meant: he had already witnessed Winston's final moments.
"Yo, Ben. Morning."
Subaru pulled himself together and prepared to launch a full-on charm offensive against the current head of staff.
"Good morning, Lord Subaru!" "Good morning!"
Ben replied respectfully, and the nearby servants hurried to stop their work and bowed to Subaru.
At that moment, Subaru deeply felt the difference between bowing out of courtesy and bowing from the heart.
Ironically, this made Subaru feel all the more guilty.
"Ahaha... Don't be so formal, everyone. You're making me feel like I don't belong.
Keep doing what you're doing—I just need to talk to Ben."
Scratching his head, Subaru spoke.
As the others dispersed under Ben's gaze, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Of course he understood the reason behind this change in attitude.
Just days ago, he was a "noble" guest who ran away from dirty chores.
But now he was the sharp-witted savior who detected the witch cult's plot and helped save everyone.
Subaru had undeniably made significant contributions.
However, because he had effectively done nothing during the final battle, this respect felt more like a burden to him.
Moreover, he was painfully aware that the disaster had started because of him.
Being revered by the very people who suffered made his conscience ache.
Not that he blamed Reinhild—he knew Reinhild kept him out of battle and hid the truth to protect him.
Subaru only hated his own powerlessness.
"Lord Subaru?"
"Ah! Sorry, I spaced out. I saw how busy everyone was and wondered if there's something I could help with—like bringing tea to our guests over there!"
Suppressing his negative thoughts, Subaru launched into his charm campaign.
But it was clear that even strict Ben wouldn't assign such an important task to Subaru, even if he was still considered a servant.
Let alone now, when Subaru was seen as a guest of honor.
Despite his failed plan, Subaru didn't want to give up.
He had heard that Reinhild and Crush, who had come from the capital, were going to discuss the Roswaal matter.
Subaru knew well that, in terms of status, someone like him—an outsider—wasn't suited to attend a meeting involving the three royal candidate factions.
His negotiation skills couldn't compare to the likes of Roswaal or the former merchant Otto.
And as for combat strength... well, even mentally, Reinhild had told him the day before that he'd fight for Subaru's interests.
"Yeah, even if I was there, I wouldn't be able to help anyway."
These words spoken aloud were no doubt Subaru's true feelings.
Still, he nervously carried a tray of tea he had prepared himself and walked toward the lion-flagged tents.
Subaru knew what he was doing was wrong—Ben had just warned him not to get close.
Even so, he still wanted to be involved.
This wasn't some childish whim—it came from a sense of responsibility.
Subaru understood his role clearly.
He had entrusted combat to Reinhild.
So he had to perfectly fulfill his own task of providing intel.
Though the battle had ended, in Subaru's eyes, it was still only the seventh day of his life at the mansion.
He remained keenly aware of the crisis.
'If he had to go through another return by death, wouldn't he regret missing this event?'
With this thought flooding his mind, Subaru moved forward step by step.
Sure enough, his sneaky approach got him a sword at his throat from the guards stationed at the tent.
"Isn't this Subaru-meow? Put your weapons down.
Strictly speaking, he's involved too. Subaru, are you trying to join the meeting, meow?
Meow's outside because I just finished treating the last patient. All-nighters are brutal, meow..."
The one who came to Subaru's rescue was Ferris.
Not only did he defuse the situation, he saw through Subaru's intentions and even volunteered to escort him to the meeting room.
Subaru had complex feelings about Ferris.
At first, he had been grateful for saving his life.
But during the events of the fourth loop, he had resented Ferris deeply.
However, as Subaru came to understand the absurdity of his own information, that resentment faded.
"I'm sorry. And thank you."
Subaru sincerely apologized for his past actions and thanked Ferris for continuing to save lives.
"No worries. Today's meeting actually has a lot to do with you, meow. And Lady Crush wants to see you too."
Subaru didn't say anything in response.
Before long, the two arrived at a large tent.
Ferris stepped in first.