Chapter 130: Completely Unaware of What Was to Come
When Subaru Natsuki opened his eyes once again, what he saw was a sky tinged with a bit of red—and Rem, who had entered his line of sight.
"Good morning, Subaru-kun."
Subaru blinked in surprise, then smiled back at Rem and responded,
"Good morning, Rem."
With Rem's help, Subaru sat up and looked around, noticing that the White Whale's head had been mounted onto a wooden cart pulled by an earth dragon.
The surrounding people had already finished dealing with the aftermath of the battle.
To be honest, when he first heard Rem's "Good morning," Subaru almost thought he had simply woken up from a regular training nap at the Crusch mansion. Now, seeing the White Whale's corpse made everything feel surreal. However, that surreal feeling disappeared when he saw a white cloth draped over something on one of the carts.
"Rem, help me go see Crusch."
Rem shook her head firmly and looked at Subaru with a serious expression.
"No. Subaru-kun should rest a bit more. Later, we'll take the dragon carriage back to the royal capital with Lady Crusch. Subaru-kun's body hasn't fully recovered yet."
As she looked at Subaru's face, though he was trying his best to hide it, the subtle expressions and movements clearly indicated that he was far from fine.
When she helped him sit up, she noticed the slight furrow of his brow, a momentary pause in his breathing. His hand, supporting himself on the ground, was trembling slightly.
Everything pointed to the fact that Subaru was still not alright. The side effects of using two abilities simultaneously weren't something that could be recovered from with just one night of sleep.
After all, sometimes one plus one doesn't equal two.
To use a metaphor, Subaru's body was like a bucket that could only hold the side effects of one level-one advanced ability at most.
But what he had unleashed was of level two intensity, completely surpassing his body's capacity. Just using the overdraw burst had nearly killed him. Combined with the passively activated Bullet Time and the active use of Full Power Strike—
Subaru's body simply couldn't handle all that power.
It was like compressing all the power inside and releasing it in one strike—his life could have ended then and there. If not for his "Battle Continuation" ability, he probably would've had to fight the White Whale all over again.
Seeing the look on Rem's face, Subaru understood that there was no way she would agree to his request.
To reassure her, all he could do was sit obediently in place, regulate his breathing, and adapt to the pain wracking his body.
"By the way, Rem, when you said just now that I should ride with Crusch and the others back to the royal capital... that was a joke, right?"
Subaru turned to look at Rem—only to belatedly realize she wasn't joking. She truly meant it.
"That's not funny at all, Rem. I might not know a lot about the Witch Cult, but I can still do something. And besides, I was the one who suggested this operation in the first place. How could the initiator not be present?"
"It's fine. Rem will do what Subaru-kun would have done. So all Subaru-kun has to do is rest in the royal capital."
"You two better listen to Ferris and obediently head back to the capital."
A voice from nearby caused both of them to turn their heads toward Felix.
He walked over slowly, knelt down beside them, and rested a hand on his forehead, shaking his head slightly.
"Stop arguing already, you two. Whether it's Subaru or Rem, both of you are complete burdens right now.
Don't rush to argue back. Let's start with Subaru.
As the most renowned healer in the royal capital, I can say with confidence—you need to rest. No strenuous activity allowed. So obediently head back to the capital.
Now for Rem. When you thought Subaru was dead, you fought the White Whale, didn't you? At that time, you used way too much mana, endangering your life.
So even if you two stayed, you'd be of no help. Just listen to the instructions of the capital's top healer."
At this point, Felix noticed Subaru was about to speak and cut him off.
"I know what you're about to say. Something along the lines of, 'If I'm there, I can do this or that.' But given your current physical state, no matter how much you act tough, I won't let you take the risk. Subaru, you're a big hero now.
If you die, it would be a huge loss. There are still so many people waiting to thank you. Right now, surviving brings the greatest reward.
Besides, all your intel on the Witch Cult has already been shared. You won't be of much more help. With the information we have, we can handle things. Our forces are strong enough to take care of the Witch Cult."
After hearing Felix's words, Subaru knew he was right—logically and convincingly. Whether it was about his physical condition, his usefulness, or the operation's planning, there was no argument to be made.
Listening to Felix was the most reasonable choice here. But Subaru wouldn't accept that.
"No! I must go with them. This isn't about whether I can be useful or not—there are things I must be there for. Call it arrogance or immaturity, but if I'm there, things might turn out better."
"You really don't listen, do you? Always acting tough. Can't you think about the people around you for once? If you're not sure who to think of, then look at Rem's expression and say what you just said again!"
Subaru froze. He didn't look at Rem right away. Some things—he already understood... He clearly understood.
If at first he didn't think anyone would care too deeply about him, over time, in this world, he had met many people.
He knew now just how deeply Rem cared about him, with feelings entirely unhidden.
He realized there were people who worried about him, who cared for him.
He smiled.
But understanding wasn't always enough. There were things only he could do. It wasn't arrogance... it was just that his abilities were suited for it.
And he did treasure his own life. He never saw it as a disposable tool.
After a brief silence, Subaru turned to look at Rem. Their eyes met in the air. Rem's gaze was filled with worry, and yet Subaru, seeing that, gently placed a hand on her head and softly stroked her hair.
"I know it's selfish, but... Rem, do you believe in me?"
"Rem believes in Subaru-kun. Even if everyone else doesn't, Rem will always believe in you!"
"Thank you, Rem. I have to go. If I don't, I won't be able to relax."
"...Subaru-kun, you're so unfair."
Looking at Rem, who had lowered her head, Subaru pulled back his hand and spoke softly,
"It's not that I don't trust them to save the people at the mansion.
It's just that... I really don't have much intel on the Witch Cult. Asking others to handle something I feel responsible for—makes me uneasy.
Just like you worry about me, I'm worried about what dangerous things might be within the Witch Cult. So I must go. Even if something dangerous does appear, I know I probably won't be able to help much...
But some things really can only be done by me. I can't explain it—but that's just how it is."
"Then I'll go with Subaru-kun too."
"No! Your safety is more important than mine! That's one thing I absolutely won't compromise on!"
Rem froze. She looked up and saw Subaru turn his blushing face away, avoiding eye contact. The corners of her mouth curved slightly.
"Then... Subaru-kun, promise me one thing."
"Okay."
"Don't push yourself. When I see you again, I want you to be energetic and healthy."
"Mm. I promise."
"Well, since you've both made up your minds, there's not much else for me to say. I'll be watching you! Hmph!"
Watching Felix walk away in a huff, Subaru finally let out a sigh of relief. Now, he could join the mission to fight the Witch Cult.
But what he didn't know was...
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