The world was spinning.
She was thrown high into the air, then fell heavily. The smell of earth mixed with blood filled her nostrils. She struggled to prop herself up, her vision blurred as she looked towards the White Whale.
The monster was dying.
The sword plunged into its skull erupted with a blinding white light, like an exploding supernova, the light instantly engulfing the White Whale's massive body. The White Whale's wail abruptly ceased, replaced by a terrifying shockwave!
Boom!!!
Subaru didn't even have time to cover her ears before she was thrown back by the violent air current. Intense pain accompanied by darkness swept over her... After the white light dissipated, a huge crater, fifty meters in diameter, appeared on the plain.
Elsewhere on the plain, Otto stood on his Dragon Carriage, staring in disbelief at the scene before him. For the first time tonight, the moonlight shone so brightly on this plain. The mist that had once shrouded the plain, a symbol of disaster, had vanished.
"The White Whale... is it gone?" he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, he shook his head violently. "No! This isn't the time to be spaced out! Where is Subaru?"
"Over there? Thank you!"
He shouted at a flying insect in the air, and the Dragon Carriage immediately changed direction, its wheels rolling over the grass, speeding towards Subaru's location.
——————
"Where... is this?"
Subaru's eyelashes trembled slightly, her blurry vision gradually focused, and what came into view was the familiar ceiling. It was her own room in the Mansion.
No!
She abruptly propped herself up, the bedding slipping from her shoulders, a dull ache throbbing at the back of her head, but what startled her more was this:
She should have been on the plain!
After witnessing Carlisle being swallowed by that grey mist... "Carlisle!"
The moment the name escaped her lips, Subaru was already out of bed, preparing to head to the corridor.
What happened to him in the end?
Would that mist...
"Has Subaru finally decided to wake up?"
Opening the door, a concerned voice reached her. Ram stood outside the door, holding a steaming bowl of medicinal soup, her pink hair swaying slightly in the morning light. Her tone was still tinged with her usual sharpness, but there was concern in her eyes.
"If you had been half an hour later, Ram would have personally force-fed you the medicine."
Subaru ignored her sharp tongue, asking urgently:
"Ram, how did I get back here?"
Ram's tone was calm. "A guy covered in green brought you over. Ram thought you had been kidnapped by him at the time."
She stepped aside, gesturing towards a closed door at the end of the corridor.
"Now he's locked up by Ram. Do you know that suspicious guy?"
Subaru immediately nodded. "Yes! His name is Otto, he's not a bad person! I need to see him!"
Just then, a miserable wail came from the end of the corridor-
"Why is the door locked! I'm really not a suspicious person!"
Ram shrugged, her tone completely unperturbed:
"It seems he really isn't a bad person, but this is also for the safety of the Mansion."
She paused, then added. "Although it's a bit rude, Ram believes she did the right thing."
Subaru no longer paid attention to her words, rushing towards the source of the sound and opening the door with the key from the outside.
"Subaru! You're awake! That's great!"
As soon as Otto saw her, he immediately clutched at her like a drowning man grasping a straw, his face filled with grievance. "Please, quickly explain to that Maid, I'm really not a bad person!"
Subaru quickly comforted him. "I know! Butwhere's Carlisle?"
Her voice suddenly tensed, "He was swallowed by the White Whale's mist! Is he injured? Did you bring him back?"
Otto's expression instantly froze.
"That..."
He scratched his head, his gaze wandering, as if weighing his words.
"I know Subaru might be a little confused mentally because she just went through that..."
His voice grew softer and softer, eventually becoming almost a murmur.
"But... I only found Subaru alone on the plain..."
Subaru's pupils suddenly contracted.
"What?!"
Her voice abruptly rose.
"Is he still on the plain?!"
She suddenly grabbed Otto's shoulders. "Quick! We have to go back and find him immediately!"
Otto was startled by her sudden agitation and took half a step back, his face filled with bewilderment.
"But..."
He hesitated, then finally asked cautiously:
"Carlisle... who is that?"
"Huh?!"
Subaru's voice caught in her throat. For a moment, she even suspected she had misheard.
"What kind of joke are you playing?!"
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, her voice filled with incredulous anger.
"He just saved our lives!"
Otto waved his hands frantically, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Woah, woah, woah! I really don't know who this Mr. Carlisle you're talking about is!"
There was a sincerity in his eyes that sent shivers down Subaru's spine, a genuine confusion.
Subaru's breathing almost stopped. She stared intently into Otto's eyes, saying each word distinctly.
"The blue-haired knight! He stopped the White Whale for us!"
Otto's expression grew even more bewildered.
He tilted his head, as if trying hard to recall something, but in the end, he just shook his head in confusion.
"But... wasn't it an unknown wandering knight who stopped the White Whale?"
"Whoa! Why did your face suddenly turn so pale!"
Otto was startled by Subaru's instantly pale face and quickly turned to look at Ram, who was walking over, explaining in a panic.
"Wait! Maid! I didn't do anything!"
Subaru abruptly turned to Ram, her heart pounding, an ominous premonition spreading wildly within her.
"Ram... Carlisle might still be on the plain, we need to go find him..."
Then, she saw the emotion she least wanted to see in Ram's eyesconfusion.
Ram frowned slightly, her tone calm. "Carlisle? Who is that?"
——————
"Subaru, you're really annoying right now."
Ram crossed her arms, her pink eyes filled with impatience.
"Ram has already said it several times."
Her Fingers lightly tapped her arm, her tone carrying an undeniable certainty. "There has never been anyone named 'Carlisle' here."
Subaru's throat felt as if it were being choked by an invisible hand. But she still explained.
"That's impossible!"
Her voice began to tremble.
"He's Emilia's knight! And... that night in the forest... he saved us from the demon beasts! And Rem! He clearly"
Ram's frown deepened.
She tilted her head, her hair swaying gently with the movement, her eyes filled with pure confusion. "When did Emilia ever have a knight?"
This sentence was like a heavy hammer, striking Subaru's chest fiercely.
No... this isn't right... Her Fingers began to tingle, a terrible realization forming in her mind
Ram wouldn't joke about something like this... That mist that swallowed Carlisle... "Subaru! So you're here!"
A familiar voice came from behind her. Subaru spun around abruptly, seeing Rem jogging closer. The blue-haired Maid's face showed obvious worry, her skirt hem slightly lifted by her hurried movements.
"Why did you come back from the capital without telling Rem? Rem was very worried about you."
Rem came too... At this moment, Subaru felt like she had grasped her last straw of hope. She practically pounced to grab Rem's shoulders, with such force that Rem let out a soft "hiss."
"Rem..."
Her voice was hoarse beyond recognition, her eyes burning with pain.
"Do you still remember Carlisle?"
Time seemed to freeze in that second.
Rem blinked, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, and she spoke the answer Subaru least wanted to hear.
"Carlisle... who is that?"
Subaru's knees suddenly lost strength. She stumbled back two steps, her back hitting the wall heavily.
Vanished... all traces of his existence... Her vision began to blur, and all she could hear was the violent pounding of her own heart.
...
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