Chapter 53: Hero Natsuki Subaru
Running, even though his body was nearly at its limit, he couldn't stop moving.
Because once he stopped, it would mean handing over his life to this place.
Subaru's breathing became heavy and rapid.
His stamina was rapidly disappearing, and he didn't even have the energy to complain or make remarks.
Occasionally, the sounds of those beasts launching attacks echoed in his ears, but every beast was killed by Rem's flail before it could even touch Subaru.
It was like poking a hornet's nest—he felt as though all the beasts in the forest had gathered around him.
They died, then came again. Killed, then came again. It seemed impossible to kill them all.
"Subaru! The village is just ahead! There's a barrier there, you'll be safe soon!"
Hearing Rem's words, Subaru had no strength to reply.
He could only grit his teeth and use the last bit of energy to run toward the village.
There were still two hundred meters left to the village's safe zone.
Two hundred meters felt so far for Subaru, but as long as he held on, he'd make it soon.
But accidents always come when you least expect them. Rem was only one person—she simply couldn't prevent beasts from appearing from all directions.
One beast suddenly lunged at Subaru before Rem could react. Even though Subaru noticed the stray beast, his body couldn't respond properly to his commands.
"Subaru!"
Rem's voice reached his ears.
The approaching beast got closer and closer, and in that moment, Subaru made a decision—not to run, but to throw the girl in his arms toward Rem.
"Catch her!"
Rem rushed over and saw the girl flying toward her.
As she reached out and caught the girl, she also saw Subaru on the ground, pinned by a beast biting his arm.
If Subaru hadn't used his hand to block the beast's huge mouth at the last moment, the bite would have been on his neck.
His strength vanished entirely at that moment; a taut nerve was near its limit.
The smell of blood mixed with the beast's breath filled his nose.
Just as Subaru was wondering if he had to start over, the beast on top of him was suddenly blasted away.
Subaru, lying on the ground, turned his head to see Rem running up beside him.
"Subaru, are you alright? Hang in there! We're almost at the village. Lady Emilia and Lady Beatrice will definitely heal you."
Rem's expression was panicked.
Seeing Subaru's pitiful condition, she began to blame herself.
If she had come to find Subaru earlier—if she hadn't hesitated because she disliked his scent—maybe he wouldn't have been so severely injured, and wouldn't have faced eleven beasts alone.
And if only she had been more careful or faster, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
"Rem… you should leave… I have no strength left." Subaru said as he stood up with Rem's support.
"Since earlier… these bastards really wanted to eat me… I was able to buy you some time."
"Why… why go to such lengths?"
Hearing this, Subaru looked at Rem, recalling what she had just said. It was as if he was confronting himself.
Subaru smiled—a joyful smile.
He brushed away Rem's hand, stepped forward, and said:
"Does something like this need a reason? I just did it because I wanted to."
Though the words were from his own mouth, it was as if someone else appeared in his vision and spoke them.
That figure was so reliable, and those words so unforgettable.
No matter how badly injured, that figure pressed onward—that was exactly what he had been chasing!
Rem watched Subaru's back.
Her heart trembled and it felt like the world before her eyes had changed.
The world looked the same as before, yet somehow different.
That feeling made Rem focus entirely on Subaru's back.
Surrounded by beasts closing in on them, Rem took a deep breath.
Before Subaru could react, she stepped forward, knocked him out, and then tied him up with the chain of her flail behind his back.
Holding the little girl in her left arm, she ran toward the village.
The beasts kept attacking madly, trying to break through.
But Rem killed them one by one, willing to take injuries herself rather than letting Subaru get hurt.
Time passed slowly during the battle—although slow, time indeed flowed.
The time that had stopped on that fiery night was now moving.
"I absolutely will not let you die, Subaru-kun!"
With that declaration, nothing could stop Rem anymore.
In just three minutes, she broke through the beasts' blockade and covered the remaining two hundred meters to the village.
After entering the village, Rem looked back at the retreating beasts, then hurried toward the village center carrying Subaru.
Upon seeing her older sister and Lady Emilia, she couldn't hold back her emotions and shouted:
"Lady Emilia, please save Subaru-kun! Save him!"
What happened that night exceeded everyone's expectations.
They initially thought Subaru was lying, but the beasts had indeed attacked the forest. However, all were repelled by Ram, Rem, and the bravely fighting villagers.
That entire night, all the villagers learned that one person had entered the beast-infested forest alone for the sake of the village's children, and returned bearing all the kids despite being covered in wounds.
Because he saved them and gave prior warning of the attack, Subaru's reputation in the village surpassed even Roswaal's.
To the villagers, Roswaal was the lord—an aloof figure they rarely saw and highly respected.
But Subaru was someone they truly knew, someone right there beside them.
If villagers had to choose whom to follow between Roswaal and Subaru, they would all pick Subaru.
When the beasts were defeated, injured villagers and those who should have stayed home gathered silently outside a house, waiting for their hero Subaru's safety.
Inside the house was Beatrice, who shouldn't have left the library but had appeared there—perhaps at Rem's request or for some other reason, but regardless, she was definitely treating Subaru.
After over an hour of treatment, the villagers received news that their hero Subaru was safe.
That night was peacefully passed thanks to Subaru's effort… but Beatrice understood that if no action was taken soon, Subaru, lying in bed, might not survive until tomorrow night.