Chapter 95: Sorry About This
As Subaru Natsuki shouted, Rem immediately accelerated the dragon carriage without hesitation.
For Rem, who deeply loved Subaru, it didn't matter that she didn't know what he had seen or why he had shouted—if it was Subaru speaking, she would follow without question.
In contrast to Rem's decisiveness, Otto was a beat late.
When he looked up and saw the thick white fog rapidly descending, he quickly urged his own dragon carriage to follow Rem's.
At that moment, the words "White Whale" surfaced in his mind, and his heart began to pound rapidly.
However, in just that short amount of time, both the decisive Rem and the slightly slower Otto realized that they had already been engulfed by the dense fog.
The three of them, lost in direction, could only see each other and the impenetrable mist surrounding them.
"White Whale! It has to be the White Whale! But why?! It shouldn't be appearing here—this isn't the fog zone!"
Otto's confused and desperate shout echoed as Subaru furrowed his brows, warily observing the thick fog around them.
Whether it was the White Whale or not, one thing was certain—something within the fog was watching them.
"Forget asking why! Just run! If you don't want to die, just listen and go full speed!"
"Watch out!"
Before Subaru could finish speaking, Rem's voice rang out.
In the next instant, he felt himself being embraced and soaring through the air.
He then heard the sound of something shattering.
When he came to, he and Rem were sitting in Otto's carriage, and their own dragon carriage was nowhere to be seen.
Subaru's eyes widened as a terrible realization dawned on him: whatever monster lurked in the fog, its target wasn't random—it was him.
He had felt it earlier, the sensation of being watched.
He'd thought they were watching the group, but now the attack had clearly been aimed directly at him and Rem, who had been in front.
When fighting magical beasts before, the attacks had all been focused on him. That same feeling of being watched was still present.
"What happened?! The White Whale attacked? Damn it all! I was hoping we could scatter and run!"
"Just focus on driving. Rem will protect Subaru-kun."
As she said this, Rem pulled out her morning star from who knows where.
Seeing this, Subaru really wanted to make a sarcastic comment—but it wasn't the right time.
"Am I just a bonus?! Then again, I guess I'm just some guy you've only known for a short while…"
Subaru glanced at Rem's serious expression.
He understood—no matter how undefeatable the being in the fog might be, Rem would never abandon him.
He felt the same. But the current situation was that he had clearly been marked.
If he stayed with Otto and Rem, there was a high chance they would all be wiped out together.
Subaru opened his mouth, wanting to tell them to leave him behind and run—but he couldn't say it.
He did have the ability to return by death, but even now, he didn't know how many times he could use it.
Without a clear understanding, Subaru would never gamble with others' lives.
Even if Return by Death was unlimited, he couldn't bear to watch others die in front of him. He would rather die alone.
There was only one thing he could do now.
He had no weapons, no mobility-based attacks.
His legs wouldn't carry him far, and his empty hands couldn't harm the monster in the fog.
But so what? If he could give them even the smallest chance to escape, then this life of his—take it.
Subaru walked behind Rem and slowly raised his right hand. "Sorry, Rem… just sleep for a bit."
Before Rem could turn around, Subaru used the knockout technique he'd learned from Wilhelm to strike and knock her unconscious.
Her morning star dropped onto the wooden dragon carriage, cracking the floorboards.
As Otto turned his head to look, he heard Subaru's voice.
"Otto, I'm entrusting Rem to you. I'll buy you time. Please, get away with her."
"Mr. Natsuki?! Don't joke around—this carriage is moving at high speed, and you look like—"
Otto turned around and stared blankly at the back of the carriage.
Subaru was already gone. Only a blue-haired maid and a morning star lay there.
Otto bit his lip hard, opened his mouth, and made a strange sound.
The dragon carriage accelerated rapidly.
He felt a deep sense of guilt.
When the White Whale appeared, his first thought had been about his own safety.
When Subaru's carriage was destroyed, his plan had been to cut off the cargo and flee.
And yet it was Subaru—the one who had helped him—who had leapt off the fast-moving dragon carriage alone to buy them time.
As for the possibility of Subaru escaping on his own—it was zero.
Even though they hadn't known each other long, Otto could see the bond between Rem and Subaru.
"I'm such a bastard! Faster! Even faster!"
.
.
.
Cough "…That speed really was something… but at least I achieved my goal…"
Subaru stood up from the ground and silently thanked whichever god had protected him.
Without any defensive gear, jumping off a fast-moving dragon carriage would normally leave him seriously injured.
Even with a sense of self-preservation, it was a miracle he was mostly unharmed.
He didn't immediately turn to run.
Instead, he stood still, looking completely unguarded. But his eyes scanned the area constantly—he could feel it.
The monster in the fog was watching him.
"I don't know if you can understand me, but I know I'm your target.
It really feels like you magical beasts have some kind of deep grudge against me. But now that I've achieved my goal, even if I get killed here, I've got no regrets."
He took a deep breath, raised both hands, and his gaze turned sharp.
"But! To just stand here and be killed by a monster like you without doing anything—that's something I'll never accept! Come on, show me your true face!"
Whether it was because the White Whale understood his words, or because it no longer needed the fog, the mist around him began to clear slightly.
What Subaru saw next was a giant eye, staring straight at him.
He froze for a second—honestly, the pressure was overwhelming.
It reminded him of a nine-tailed red fox from a manga that could level a battlefield with a single energy orb.
"Still not quite used to this… Well then, since you showed up, let me give you a little gift!"
With that, Subaru leapt toward the massive eye, swinging his right hand with all his strength and striking it.
For the first time, he heard the White Whale's cry.
Subaru's hand dug into the whale's pupil. The next moment, he felt intense vibrations. His body was being lifted. The pressure in the air was overwhelming—he couldn't move.
He clung with both hands, trying not to be thrown off the White Whale's body.
Then suddenly, he felt something crash into his back.
The weight pressed down on him.
His consciousness slipped into darkness…
And as he fell into that dark void, he heard the White Whale's pained wail—and a smile formed on his face.
"That little gift… wasn't too bad, right?"