Chapter 129: Preparing to Subjugate the Witch Cult
When the misunderstanding was cleared up, everyone present exchanged embarrassed glances—then tacitly agreed to forget the whole thing.
Compared to the shame, the fact that the subjugation of the White Whale ended with Subaru alive brought far greater joy.
Everyone quietly moved away from the scene, leaving space for the true hero, who was now resting, and for Rem, who sat beside him.
Although the White Whale had indeed been defeated, there was still much to do—for example, transporting its head back to the capital, to let the entire Kingdom know that one of the Three Great Mabeasts that had long endangered the world had ceased to exist from this day onward.
Crusch looked at the busy soldiers, a smile spreading across her face.
With the White Whale defeated, she had taken a step closer to her dream.
This battle hadn't come without sacrifice—some brave warriors had vanished from this world, some had closed their eyes forever during the fight.
But their deaths were not in vain.
Preparations had been made before the campaign began to honor every fallen warrior, even those whose names had already faded from memory.
Even if the world no longer remembered them, Crusch would ensure that people understood these warriors had used their lives and the traces of their existence to bring peace to this world.
She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Wilhelm standing beside her, watching the group still operating on the White Whale's massive body.
Moving her gaze away from Wilhelm, Crusch looked again at the massive corpse before them—a source of pride for everyone who had taken part in the battle.
"Congratulations. I'm sure your wife heard your voice."
"It was only thanks to you, Lady Crusch, that this old set of bones had the chance." Wilhelm paused here and looked toward the direction of the great tree.
"But the battle isn't over. Lady Crusch, what do you intend to do next?" Wilhelm's hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
For years, his only purpose had been to live on and eventually take revenge against the White Whale.
Now that he had killed it with his own hands, that revenge was complete.
After standing atop the White Whale's corpse and declaring his love to his long-lost wife, he had felt a moment of emptiness.
And when he believed Subaru Natsuki had died, Wilhelm had finally understood what he needed to do next.
There was still something important that he must finish. Now was not the time to feel lost.
As long as this old body of his could still be of use, he would raise his sword for the sake of his benefactor. As long as he still had time to say what he needed to say—he would live on.
"Lady Crusch, I wish to—"
"Go ahead. After all, that was part of our original agreement."
Wilhelm's expression shifted slightly at those words, but after hearing Crusch's next sentence, the emotion disappeared.
"But even if it wasn't part of the deal, I would still want to help him.
He's not just your benefactor—he's a benefactor to all of us. Without his information, without his efforts… no one knows what this battle could have turned into."
Crusch fell silent for a moment. Her gaze drifted toward the base of the tree, and her expression turned slightly guilty.
"Actually, I owe all of you an apology."
"Lady Crusch, why do you say that?"
Crusch sighed and looked Wilhelm in the face.
"Before we set out, I had a dream—a very vivid one. It felt so real that I believed it could become reality. And now, seeing the scene before me, I realize just how much I still lack. I was overconfident.
Even with Subaru's intel, his contributions, and Anastasia's mercenaries helping us... even then, people died in this subjugation battle."
"So when I think back to that incredibly realistic dream, I start to think—maybe that dream was our true ending. I'm still immature. I must continue to grow."
Hearing this, Wilhelm didn't even need to ask what kind of dream she had. He knew—it must have been nothing good.
"Our losses weren't too great, but we do need reinforcements.
And the Royal Capital also has its hands full. So please, take everyone who still wishes to fight, and go swing your sword for the sake of our mutual benefactor."
"Because in his current state, if no one helps Subaru, he might once again do something completely beyond expectations. And of course… if you can convince him to join our camp during the battle, that would be even better."
As Crusch said this with a smile, Wilhelm also smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for the permission. I will go gather the team."
As Wilhelm turned to leave, Crusch called after him:
"Let Felix know, too. With her there, your safety will be much better guaranteed."
"Understood. Then I'll take my leave."
.
.
.
On the other side, not far from where Subaru lay resting, the werewolf Ricardo sat polishing his blade. Around him were members of his mercenary group.
While most of the soldiers were resting and waiting for another unit to come in and rotate shifts, the mercenaries still had to summarize the aftermath of the battle.
Among all of them, there was one small girl who still seemed to have boundless energy, jumping around without rest.
"Sis, could you please calm down a little?"
"Hmph! Hetaro, you're too weak! Done already?"
Sitting off to the side, Ricardo set down his giant blade and reached out to grab Mimi, who was about to sneak over to Subaru.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Hmm~~~ Mimi's just super curious! That big bro looked so weak, but he went boom! And then bang! And dropped that giant beast from the sky!"
"Hmm… yeah, he really did look weak."
"Captain, sis is talking way too loud. What if someone hears?"
"It's fine. I'm just stating a fact. And besides, it's not like I look down on the guy at all. I actually want to chat more with him."
**"Me too!" Mimi chimed in.
"Heh, as expected of my vice-captain. Keep that up. But for now, let's leave him and that little maid alone for a while."
Saying that, Ricardo patted Mimi on the head, then looked off in the other direction.
In his line of sight, he saw Wilhelm gathering new soldiers.
"Next up is the Witch Cult, huh… doesn't look like we're getting any rest."
Ricardo picked up his giant sword again, a bloodthirsty grin spreading across his face.
"We chopped up the White Whale, now it's the Witch Cult's turn—this is getting exciting!"
"Captain… that's terrifying..."
"Hetaro, you're too soft. You should be more like me!" Mimi shouted as she jumped onto Ricardo's lap and raised her wand high, grinning innocently.
"Let's smash the Witch Cult to pieces with a big boom!"
"Now you're talking! Keep that spirit up! Let's go beat those lunatics down in a heated battle!"
Hetaro looked at his mercenary group's captain and vice-captain and let out a long, helpless sigh.