Chapter 102: The Village
Early the next morning, Natsuki Subaru woke up suddenly from his bed.
After sitting up and looking around, his wildly beating heart finally calmed a bit.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Subaru recalled the events of last night.
He got out of bed, put on his shoes, stretched, and reached for the long sword placed by the door.
Only after grasping the sword did Subaru feel reassured.
Remembering the tragic scenes from his dream, where he was powerless and could only watch familiar people die one by one, he clenched the sword tightly in his hand.
After calming his emotions, Subaru took the sword and stepped outside to wash up.
Once finished, Subaru left the mansion and was about to go check on the village when he met Ram at the door.
"Senpai, thank you."
"Ram doesn't remember doing anything that would make Barusu thank her."
Seeing Ram's expression, Subaru smiled and said, "You might not remember, but I do. Anyway, I'm going to the village now. I'll leave breakfast in your and Rem's hands."
"Hmph, a mere junior like Barusu thinking about slacking off. Fine, this time I'll let you slack off a little. But there is something I need your help with."
"What is it?"
Ram's expression turned serious as she looked into Subaru's eyes.
"The villagers trust you very much. So, Subaru, you need to bring the villagers to the mansion."
Upon hearing this, Subaru's expression darkened. Before he could ask anything, Ram's next words confirmed his bad premonition.
"There were some unusual events in the forest yesterday, and this morning there are more. If I'm not mistaken, the Witch's Cult is about to act."
Ram said she reported this immediately to Lady Emilia. Emilia went to the village to ask the villagers to evacuate to the mansion, but they refused.
"...It's not just a simple refusal, is it..."
Ram's silence confirmed Subaru's thoughts.
Back in the royal capital, he already understood what kind of existence Emilia's identity meant for this world.
Recalling how Emilia had deliberately avoided the villagers during the snowy season made the answer clear.
"I understand. I'll get everyone in the village to evacuate to the mansion. Senpai, please prepare for it."
With that, Subaru passed by Ram and ran as fast as he could toward the village. When he arrived, everything in the village seemed as usual.
The villagers greeted Subaru as always, and the children clung to him wanting to play.
Subaru declined the children's attention and sought out the village chief to gather everyone.
After a while, when everyone had assembled, Subaru stood by the well in the village center and looked at the villagers.
Worry showed on their faces. Even the normally lively children were quiet due to the tense atmosphere.
Since Emilia had already visited once, the villagers had guessed why Subaru was gathering them.
Taking in their expressions, Subaru took a deep breath and began to speak:
"You all probably understand why I had the village chief gather everyone."
"It's the Witch's Cult, right? This morning, the half-elf from the mansion already came here once."
Subaru's gaze fell on the man who spoke.
This middle-aged man had high prestige in the village and was the likely successor to the village chief.
"Yes. I don't want to deceive you.
Since many of you already know, the Witch's Cult has begun to move.
Staying in the village is dangerous, so I want everyone to evacuate to the mansion with me. Once the Witch's Cult problem is resolved, you can return."
"If it's Subaru-sama's command, the village will evacuate to the mansion. But the Witch's Cult's target is the half-elf, isn't it? Going to the mansion is like delivering ourselves to the Witch's Cult!"
"Though we trust Subaru-sama, this all happened because the lord appointed the half-elf to participate in the royal selection. Before this, we had no dealings with the Witch's Cult."
"Besides, even if we evacuate to the mansion, will it really be safe?"
Listening to this representative's words, Subaru knew they were true.
The villagers murmured among themselves.
In this chaotic moment, Subaru drew his sword. The sound of the blade sliding from its sheath silenced all the talking.
"This sword was given to me by all of you. I don't want to say much, nor try to explain what kind of person the half-elf you speak of is, because many things I say don't matter—you must see for yourselves."
"The Witch's Cult is indeed targeting Emilia. Whether it's you or me, we are all innocent people caught in this. No matter how much we discuss, we cannot change this fact or what has happened."
"But what I want to say is, I want to protect all of you! Emilia in the mansion wants to protect you too! No matter the prejudices against Emilia, it doesn't matter! The village is dangerous now!"
"I can't protect both the village and the mansion alone, so please come to the mansion to evacuate! Let me protect you with this sword! No—please let us protect you! I beg you!"
The villagers looked at Subaru, who was bowing deeply.
After exchanging glances, their worry and unease vanished.
"Since Subaru-sama says so, we have nothing more to say. We will evacuate to the mansion with Subaru-sama."
"But there is one thing to make clear: we will fight alongside Subaru-sama. Lift your heads, Subaru-sama. Let us overcome this crisis together."
"Everyone... thank you..."
"You should be the one thanked. As Subaru-sama said, we are innocent people caught up in this. Actually, we all know... this cannot be entirely blamed on Lady Emilia..."
"We trust Subaru-sama, so we will follow him."