Chapter 128: Misunderstanding
Just as Subaru Natsuki, who had been pulled back from the brink of death, was undergoing Felix's forceful treatment, the tide of the battlefield had fully turned—victory was now securely in Crusch's hands.
After the main body of the White Whale had been struck down from the sky, it seemed dazed and disoriented—likely due to the sheer impact of Subaru's heavy and ferocious attack.
Crusch seized the opportunity created by Subaru without hesitation.
Under her orders, the magicians launched a barrage of magical attacks.
Once the bombardment ended, infantry soldiers surged forward to inflict further damage, while another group used hooks and chains to bind the White Whale to the ground.
The pained White Whale began to writhe and thrash, letting out a piercing call to its clones, hoping they would come to its rescue.
But its clones were already tied up in combat with soldiers and had no chance of coming to its aid immediately.
As Crusch issued commands and continued slashing her sword into the White Whale, a sudden voice pierced her peripheral awareness—Rem's voice.
Before Crusch could even get a clear view of Rem's figure, she heard a roar of agony from the White Whale.
In front of Rem, a massive ice lance, far larger than anything seen before, had pierced straight through the White Whale's body. Having unleashed her magic, the now Oni-transformed Rem, filled with rage, swung her morning star in a fury, smashing it into the creature again and again.
Watching this unfold, Crusch's mind was filled with a sudden, deeply unsettling thought.
Although she hadn't spoken much with Rem before, she was well aware that Rem always followed Subaru around like a shadow.
If Subaru wasn't on the battlefield, Rem would normally never leave his side.
And yet now, Rem was attacking with unprecedented fury, utterly lost in rage.
This could only mean one thing:
—Subaru Natsuki might be dead.
Crusch recalled Subaru's earlier battle with Wilhelm.
That fight had proven Subaru's strength, but it had also shown the dangerous side effects of his powers.
At that time, Subaru had clearly not been capable of knocking the White Whale from the sky. That meant he must've been hiding his true strength.
Now that he had brought the White Whale down, he had not appeared again.
And Rem had fallen into a state of uncontrollable fury.
The likelihood that Subaru had died was extremely high.
Realizing this, Crusch couldn't help but tighten her grip on her longsword.
"Full assault! Victory is in our hands!"
Shouting loudly, Crusch led the charge, closing in on the White Whale.
Meanwhile, Wilhelm, seeing that the clone on his side was no longer a threat, turned his gaze to the main body.
Filled with hatred for the beast, he leapt from the clone's back, mounted a land dragon, and charged at the true White Whale.
At this point, victory was only a matter of time.
Even if the White Whale wanted to rise into the air again, it had lost all chances to escape.
As time passed, the fog gradually cleared, and the light of dawn shone upon everyone.
Everyone surrounding the main body of the White Whale turned their eyes toward it. No one attacked—it was clear the White Whale was already doomed.
With the final death cry of the White Whale fading into silence, Wilhelm stood atop its head, raising his sword with one hand.
His mind was filled with memories of his late wife.
As Wilhelm loudly cried out his love and grief for his wife, on the other side, Rem quietly ended her Oni transformation.
Without a word, she leapt down from the White Whale's body and walked toward the giant tree at the base of the battlefield.
After Crusch announced their victory, as the cheers of the soldiers rang out, she turned to look in Rem's direction. After a moment of thought, she followed Rem.
When the two arrived under the great tree, they found Subaru Natsuki lying peacefully in the grass, a cloth covering his body.
They slowly walked toward him.
Rem knelt beside Subaru, her eyes beginning to turn red. She tried her best to maintain a soft and gentle expression.
"Subaru-kun… Rem is back. The White Whale is dead. We won."
Choking back her tears, Rem could no longer suppress her grief. She leaned forward, preparing to sob against Subaru's chest.
But the moment she did so—she felt something she shouldn't have.
A heartbeat.
The heartbeat that was supposed to have vanished... was there.
Rem's eyes filled with disbelief—but no one noticed. Lying across Subaru's chest, she turned her head and looked at his sleeping face.
Tears that could no longer be held back flowed freely. But this time, they were tears of joy.
Rem, still smiling through her tears, simply lay there, crying happily on Subaru's chest.
However, to the others—especially Crusch, who stood nearby—this only confirmed Subaru's death.
She lowered her head and said softly:
"Rest easy. I will carry on our contract."
As Crusch mourned, Wilhelm, now calm, arrived on the scene with Ricardo and several wounded soldiers.
Seeing the scene before them, everyone assumed Subaru had died.
Wilhelm, who had just found peace, felt sorrow wash over him again. He stepped beside Crusch, gazing at Subaru's face with unconcealed sadness.
He had wanted to thank Subaru.
It was because of Subaru that he had achieved revenge. It was because of Subaru that this battle had ended in success—though some lives had still been lost.
Even so, this was still the best possible outcome.
Wilhelm remained silent for a long time, unable to say a word.
Instead, he bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude through action.
The wounded soldiers around him also bowed in silence, paying their respects to their fallen hero.
Even Ricardo, who had barely interacted with Subaru, bowed along with his team. They may not have known Subaru well—but they had seen how he fought.
Ricardo even held down Mimi's head, preventing her from doing anything reckless to spoil the mood.
Mimi pouted, wanting to say something, but was silenced by her younger brother.
While everyone grieved over Subaru, Felix, who had finished treating the wounded, arrived on the scene—his brow furrowed.
He looked at everyone in confusion and asked,
"Lady Crusch? What are you all doing?"
Crusch turned to him and replied,
"Felix, get ready. Once the wounded are treated, bring back Subaru and the others' remains."
"????"
Felix blinked in confusion, looking around the scene carefully.
Once he understood what had happened, he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Felix?"
"Subaru's just exhausted and fell asleep. It's true his heart stopped for a bit, but… he's really lucky—he didn't die. You all misunderstood."
"Huh?! Then why is she—"
"Oh, Rem? She probably thought Subaru had died. But when she got back and found out he was alive, she started crying with joy."
"..."
Mimi finally spoke up:
"See? Mimi said it was weird! Big bro's breath was moving big sis's hair, but you all wouldn't let Mimi talk! So mean!"