Chapter 121: Make Your Choice
Felix's angry shout only made Subaru Natsuki's gaze pause on him for a moment.
He could understand why the other party was so angry.
However, Felix had misunderstood one thing. Even though Subaru hadn't spoken yet, he already knew what Felix was going to say — and what he had misunderstood.
"Don't think of Lady Crusch as weak! And don't underestimate us! We will not lose! Even if we do, Lady Crusch will not die!"
"Felix!"
"It's fine, Crusch. Let him speak."
Crusch glanced at Subaru sitting across from her.
The expression on his face showed no change at all — as if Felix's outburst came as no surprise to him.
Crusch fell silent.
When she heard Subaru say that she would fail — even die — she did not feel there was anything wrong with those words.
In fact, she felt that he was right.
Whether emotionally or rationally, she believed the same.
Rationally, this was a gamble. And since it was a gamble, there could be no 100% guarantee of victory.
No matter how thorough the preparations were, no matter how much had been considered.
Their understanding of the White Whale was limited, so the possibility of losing had been present in her mind from the very beginning.
It was just that she had done her utmost, so she believed the odds of victory were relatively high.
In her camp, no one had truly faced the White Whale before, nor did anyone possess a clear understanding of its abilities… that was supposed to be the case…
Emotionally, there was also the dream from yesterday afternoon… Even though it was just a dream, it had felt abnormally real — real enough that she had decided to temporarily adjust her preparations, even to the point of considering giving up.
But in the end, it was still just a dream.
She couldn't abandon everything she had prepared just because of a dream, no matter how real it felt.
That would have a huge impact on her resolve.
"Don't think that just because you say that to Lady Crusch, I'll be grateful to you! And don't expect me not to be angry! You who know nothing about Lady Crusch! You who know nothing about us! What right do you have to say we'll lose, or that Lady Crusch will die!
"You suddenly came to Lady Crusch proposing a deal, then blurted out the name of the White Whale without even clearly stating your reasons, and just declared we'd lose.
You're clearly throwing cold water on us for your own goals!
"Since you know the time and place of the White Whale's appearance, I refuse to believe you don't also know the movements of the Witch Cult. It's strange how you know this kind of intel, but your real goal must be for Emilia's sake, isn't it?!"
Subaru quietly listened to Felix finish his rant. He glanced at the people across from him — both Crusch and Wilhelm were staring intently at him.
After a pause, Subaru finally opened his mouth.
"The reason I say you'll lose — and possibly die — is simple: I've seen the White Whale."
Everyone's eyes focused on Subaru upon hearing that. Felix and Crusch exchanged a glance, and seeing Crusch shake her head slightly, Felix's expression changed a bit.
"So what if you've seen the White Whale? A lot of people have. That's not enough reason to say we'll lose."
"I know the White Whale's abilities."
"Everyone knows its ability — those who are devoured by the White Whale disappear from everyone's memory. That's already common knowledge."
Subaru shook his head slightly and said:
"That's not the ability I'm talking about. I've read books about the Three Great Mabeasts too, and yes, that memory-erasing ability is one of them. But I'm not sure whether that's its only ability.
"Still, the abilities I mention definitely exist. First: there might be three White Whales. But since there's no record of that, I lean toward the idea that it can create clones."
As he recalled the two encounters he'd had with the White Whale, Subaru slowly shared the intel:
"Second: the White Whale emits a kind of fog. The fog is extremely powerful — just touching it can be fatal. Third: the White Whale has strong defensive capabilities. I noticed the scales on its body.
"And it's not a mindless beast. I can't be certain how intelligent it is, but it definitely doesn't act on instinct alone. It can fly — and once it's airborne, ground forces have almost no way of attacking it.
"There's also one thing I'm not sure counts as another ability: its roar might affect people's mental state."
As Subaru said this, he recalled the moment he had rushed to Crusch's side — he had indeed heard the White Whale's roar, and at that time, he had also heard screams from people inside the fog.
"How do you… how do you prove this?"
"Because I faced the White Whale head-on."
"…"
Subaru looked at the shaken expression on Felix's face, sighed, and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.
"It's exactly because I know all this that I can declare you'll lose, even die. You know far too little about the White Whale, and you're likely underestimating it.
"This lack of intel is enough to cause heavy losses in battle. I've faced the White Whale, which is why I can make this judgment. I'm not fearmongering — I'm stating a very real possibility. And that possibility is not low."
Subaru lowered his hand, weariness showing in his eyes.
"It's true, I also know the Witch Cult will appear around Lord Roswaal's territory and attack the village and mansion. I alone can't handle the threat of the Witch Cult, and Lord Roswaal is occupied due to some other matter.
"That's why he entrusted me with everything. While this falls under the scope of our trade, I feel the need to make this clear: I didn't say all that just for my own goal. I said it because I want to fight the White Whale with you. That's why I made this proposal."
"You are…"
"?"
"Nothing."
Subaru looked confused as Crusch shook her head. Though he found it odd, he didn't probe further, and continued:
"Let me explain my proposal and my thoughts. First, as for the trade: my side will offer partial mining rights for magic ore in the Elior Forest, the time and location of the White Whale's appearance, intel on the White Whale's abilities, and the honor of defeating it.
"What I want in return is for you to lend me people after defeating the White Whale so we can deal with the Witch Cult. That's all I ask.
"As for my thinking — before coming to you, I had already approached someone else to participate. Because relying solely on the strength of the Crusch camp would be too dangerous.
"Even with the intel I provided, there's no guarantee of success. So I went to Anastasia and made a deal. That means she'll be supporting the battle against the White Whale. I also approached Russell Fellow and asked him to provide logistical support.
"To clarify: the honor of defeating the White Whale will be shared between you and Anastasia, while the honor of fighting the Witch Cult will belong solely to Anastasia."
"If that's the case, your bargaining chip is insufficient. The rewards my side gets don't compare to Anastasia's."
Crusch looked at Subaru seriously and voiced a thinly-veiled refusal. Subaru sighed again upon hearing it.
"You're right. If we're being strict, she does get more out of it. But now you have only two choices: one, accept my deal. That way, you can minimize unnecessary sacrifices. Even if you gain less, at least not too many of you will die.
"Two, reject my proposal and go face the White Whale on your own. The result will only be failure. Honestly, I'd rather you gave up on fighting the White Whale. That way, I could just take Anastasia's people straight to Lord Roswaal's territory to face the Witch Cult.
"Even if we don't intend anything malicious… once you fail, how many factions will take the opportunity to target you?"
Subaru's expression turned cold. He looked Crusch in the eye and spoke slowly, coldly:
"Honestly, I don't even need to talk this much with you. I could just give you all the intel on the White Whale, and then have you hold it off for us while we eliminate the Witch Cult. Maybe we could even come back later and pick off what's left."
"…"
The room fell into silence. Felix, Crusch, Wilhelm — all of them were quiet.
"Because I know the exact time and location of the White Whale's appearance. You probably know roughly when and where, but you can't be certain. That means my intel is superior to yours.
"If we coordinate with another faction and come in once you're exhausted to land the final blow, we could wipe you all out. That's actually the most tempting option for us."
"You…"
"We're friends."
"…"
"That's why I'm helping you — even if I'm misunderstood, even if you don't believe me. I really want to help you.
No matter what you think of me, the deal I'm offering has no downside for you. I have enough intel to put you in check. Yet I came here and told you all this."
"So now you have only two choices: accept the deal or give up on hunting the White Whale. There's no third option."
"Natsuki Subaru… You've once again surprised me. My evaluation of you and the threat level of Emilia's camp must be revised upward."
Just as Subaru was about to respond to the expression on Crusch's face, a voice came from behind.
"Honestly, Subaru, you're so biased. With such an enticing plan, why didn't you tell me sooner? If I hadn't rushed here a little early, I might not have known you were hiding such important intel."
Everyone turned to look and saw Anastasia and Russell Fellow walk in.
"Anastasia…"
"Don't play dumb. When we made our deal, you'd already obtained my intel. You'd already considered this possibility."
"Oh~~ Subaru, you really can't judge a book by its cover."
"That's right. If I'd judged Lord Subaru only by appearances, I wouldn't have known such talent existed. I'm even starting to feel like recruiting you."
Subaru turned his head away from the two behind him and calmly replied to Russell:
"You're just interested in what I have — and my sources. You crafty old fox."
"That's a misunderstanding. To me, Lord Subaru himself is more valuable than anything else. Your rare commercial knowledge alone proves your worth — and that's just the beginning."
"No need for flattery. I'll give you what you want after the White Whale is defeated — assuming Crusch agrees."
At that, Subaru took a flip phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"This is a magical device that allows me to track the White Whale's location and time of appearance. It's thanks to this that I know so much about it."
Crusch looked at Subaru, whose expression hadn't changed at all.
She didn't say what she had intended. She watched as Subaru stood up and extended his hand.
"Choose: take my hand and fight the White Whale with the least risk, or give up on it.
As for hunting the White Whale — that possibility is no longer on the table. If you refuse, my deal with Anastasia will be voided, and I can't guarantee what she might do then.
"Plus, I'll lose my leverage against the Witch Cult. So choose, Crusch."