Chapter 97: Safely Returning to the Mansion
"Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. However, I'm a little worried about the mansion. After all, only Ram-senpai is managing it by herself. The more I thought about it, the more I felt I should return as soon as possible."
Standing by the dragon carriage, Subaru Natsuki explained his urgency to leave to the group that came to see him off—Felix, Wilhelm, and Crusch.
"I see… Even though Subaru seemed to be doing pretty well these past few days. Well, I won't ask further. Just be careful about your health, okay? Don't show up covered in new wounds the next time we meet," Felix said.
"Hahaha, of course, I'll be careful." Subaru could only laugh awkwardly in response, steering the conversation away.
"If you're in such a rush to return, then I won't keep you. I look forward to meeting again," Crusch said.
Subaru nodded silently at Crusch.
Then, shifting his gaze to Wilhelm, a smile formed on Subaru's face.
"Thank you, Mr. Wilhelm, for your guidance these past few days. I hope I can continue to learn from you in the future."
"Yes. Until next time, sir."
After saying a brief goodbye to everyone, Subaru boarded the dragon carriage and waved as he and Rem began their journey home.
As Subaru sat beside Rem, deep in thought about how to overcome the coming crisis, Rem suddenly spoke.
"Subaru-kun is lying, right? You're not actually worried about whether my sister can manage the mansion well, are you?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Subaru turned to look at Rem's profile. With a small smile, he turned back to the road ahead and answered.
"Even though Ram-senpai usually slacks off in front of me, I believe she can take care of the mansion while we're away. We'd already handled most things before we left. A few weeks shouldn't be a problem."
"Then why do you want to go back, Subaru-kun?"
Subaru fell silent for a moment, then looked back toward the capital city disappearing into the distance. He sighed helplessly and said:
"Because the White Whale will appear tomorrow night."
"The White Whale?!"
"As for how I know that information… I can't tell you. That's why I want to hurry back and move the villagers and everyone at the mansion to a safe place.
"I originally wanted to gather people to help me defeat the White Whale, but that's not realistic. Crusch and her people are preparing for something big and have no reason—or time—to help me.
"As for Reinhard, he's now Felt's knight. While I get along with Felt, even with Reinhard's backing, she doesn't have the power to lend me support.
"I don't know anyone else in the capital who could help. The other royal candidates have no reason to get involved. After thinking it through, I decided not to waste time in the capital and just focus on evacuating the mansion and the village."
Subaru sighed again. He understood clearly that all he could do now was help people avoid the danger—eliminating the threat was far beyond his means.
"I see. It's okay, Subaru-kun. No matter what decision you make, Rem will always support you."
"...Thank you..."
"You don't need to thank Rem. Supporting Subaru-kun is what Rem is supposed to do."
Subaru didn't respond, only turning his gaze forward, lost in thought.
Rem also shifted her eyes away from his face and focused on driving the dragon carriage.
As the carriage sped forward, they reached the spot where thick fog had previously blocked the road just as night fell.
This time, the fog had not yet appeared, meaning the White Whale had not shown up at this hour. It was already late, and both Subaru and Rem should have stopped to rest.
Subaru, however, hadn't rested at all since dying at the hands of the White Whale. Even after returning to a past point (his "save"), he hadn't had any time to rest.
Rem could tell Subaru's mental state wasn't good.
But she also knew that no matter how much she tried to convince him to rest, he wouldn't listen. So neither of them stopped the carriage.
Subaru didn't even try to rest in the carriage. He simply endured the fatigue. By the time dawn broke, he and Rem could already see familiar roads.
As daylight fully arrived, the dragon carriage finally stopped in front of the mansion's main gate.
On their way, they had passed through the village—it looked the same as always.
After stepping off the carriage, Subaru slapped his cheeks to force himself to focus.
"Subaru-kun... The mansion and the village are both fine. Do you want to rest a little?"
Looking back at Rem, Subaru replied:
"No need. It's just one night without sleep. A young guy like me can survive two nights without sleeping. Don't worry about me, Rem. Let's go inside together."
Rem nodded, and the two of them opened the mansion's doors. Standing at the entrance, they both gazed into the familiar hall with a sense of nostalgia.
Even though they hadn't been gone long, the mansion held a deep connection for both of them.
After the Witch Cult destroyed her village, Rem had lived in the mansion ever since. As for Subaru, it was the place where he had spent the longest time since arriving in this world.
"Rem? Barusu? Why are you two back?"
Hearing the voice, the two turned to see Ram walking toward them with a tray of breakfast.
"Of course it's because I was worried about leaving Ram-senpai to manage the mansion alone. I couldn't stop worrying, so I rushed back."
"Is that so? If that's the case, then Ram can take it a bit easier now. Barusu, the greenery outside needs tending. Or maybe clean the kitchen. There's a thick layer of dust in the mansion already.
"I'll leave all those tasks to you. Oh, and this is Emilia-sama's breakfast. Deliver it to her. Ram is going to catch up with Rem."
As Ram's endless instructions flowed and she shoved the tray into Subaru's hands, his smile froze on his face. He glanced down at the breakfast and then looked up again—Rem had already been whisked away by Ram.
Unable to even complain, Subaru sighed in resignation and walked toward Emilia's room.
After all, he needed to speak with Puck about the White Whale.
In this mansion, only Roswaal and Puck were people he could consult.
But Roswaal wasn't currently at the mansion.
If he was, breakfast would definitely be shared by Roswaal, Emilia, Puck, and Beatrice.