"Huh?"
The atmosphere entering his field of vision warped, and the room seemed to lose a step in brightness.
If anything, the temperature — already dropping from the succession of ice magic — fell even further, and an involuntary shiver made Subaru wrap his arms around his own shoulders.
Then— "Eh, hey, wait—"
"Sorry... just, lend me your shoulder for a sec."
The silver-haired girl leaned against him, and Subaru fumbled to catch her in a panic. Her slender frame was burning hot, and he became acutely aware that his own heartbeat was hammering for a different reason than before. But when he saw her expression, that fleeting sentiment was blown away in an instant.
Shallow, rapid breaths — she looked like a patient running a vicious fever.
"What's wrong? Did you suddenly feel sick or something—"
"No. It's mana... you understand, right?"
—He had absolutely no clue.
He wanted to fold his arms and say as much, but the mood wasn't right for that.
More importantly, what silenced Subaru wasn't the weight on his shoulder, but the transformed atmosphere of the room — and the being at its source.
At the center of the room, Reinhard held his hand-and-a-half sword in a low stance.
No — he'd been holding that stance ever since the fight began. That should have been the case, yet every fiber of Subaru's being told him that this was the moment Reinhard truly drew his sword for the first time.
—Yes, the "Sword Saint" Reinhard was, for the first time, taking up his blade.
"The 'Bowel Hunter' —
"—The 'Sword Saint' bloodline.
A crushing sword aura engulfed the room, the fighting will of the two combatants shaking the very air between them.
Elsa licked her lips and announced her name, and Reinhard solemnly nodded in answer.
In this place that had been reduced to near-ruins, a black-clad killer and a lightly equipped hero stood facing each other. The steel that would clash was a blood-dampened knife against a battered hand-and-a-half sword, touched even with rust — yet Subaru held his breath.
Two combatants who had named themselves to one another, now about to engage in a duel.
Their figures shone with a brilliance befitting a passage from a hero's saga.
"——!!"
A breathless scream — whether it came from Elsa, Reinhard, or Subaru himself, no one could say.
But what followed was witnessed by all three.
An aurora tore through the roofless storeroom, slicing space itself clean in two.
The sight was like reality itself had shifted. The released aurora painted the room white for a single, frozen instant, but the moment the light cleared, the world was thrown into upheaval.
As the displaced space tried to snap back into place, the aftershocks of power warped the atmosphere and whipped the room into a howling storm.
The reverse vortex of wind scooped up the stolen goods, the furnishings, the debris, and sent them raging through the air. Subaru threw himself between the carnage and Fake
"Whaaaaaaaat!? What in the hell is that!?"
He didn't understand the force behind it. But he understood the cause.
A single swing. Just one full-powered strike from a sword — and this was the result.
Crying out, he endured the pain and the wind. Eventually the violence subsided, and the cascade of scattered debris and wreckage clattering to the floor, the groaning of stressed timbers, all of it merged into a signal that it was finally over.
Tossing aside a hanging-scroll remnant that had fallen toward his head, Subaru confirmed that the two he had shielded with his body were unharmed. Whether it was a gap in his coverage or not, Old Man Rom seemed a bit soiled with milk or something, but he'd let that slide.
"Who even says 'monster hunting' is my turf? You're plenty monstrous yourself!"
"Hearing you say that stings a little, Subaru."
Reinhard, the cause of all that destruction, turned back with a wry smile. His flame-red hair was disheveled, and even his usually cool expression carried a sheen of sweat. And the hand-and-a-half sword in his grip— "Sorry for pushing you so hard. Rest easy now."
The sword crumbled apart in his hands — its crude construction simply couldn't withstand the force of Reinhard's blow.
A strike so devastating that even the steel blade corroded under it. And the one who had taken that hit head-on— "Not a single scrap of her left behind... Somehow losing the splatter factor makes it worse."
After a slash that cleaved through reality itself, nothing remained in the truest sense of the word.
The destruction had blasted away the storeroom entrance and even the counter, and its shockwave reached the plaza beyond. The tempest had demolished building materials along every surface, and the whole structure looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Elsa had been standing right there — naturally, that was well within the range of the slash. The black-clad figure of the tall woman was nowhere to be seen. Against Reinhard's overwhelming power, not even a comment came to mind.
"But at least now..."
Releasing his body from its rigid tension, Subaru let out a long breath.
Then, as if to confirm a fact that still hadn't quite sunk in, he thought of the person beside him.
The silver-haired girl who had been leaning on his shoulder — she was still breathing shallowly, but noticing his gaze, she turned her deep violet eyes toward him.
"Is it... over safely?"
"Yeah. Over in every sense of the word."
Answering her weak question, Subaru moved to help her to her feet. In doing so, Old Man Rom's head, which had been resting on her lap, tumbled off, but that was a trivial matter.
Standing, the girl ran a hand through her silver hair and left Subaru's shelter on still-unsteady legs.
Fake Satella let go of his hand. Subaru studied her intently.
"What? What are you staring at? That's really rude, you know."
"I just wanna confirm — your arms, legs, and head are all still attached, right?"
"...Obviously? Could you not say something that terrifying?"
Subaru's remark must have been meaningless to her. She glared at him with narrowed eyes, and he gave her a thumbs-up with a toothy grin.
"Yeah, obviously, right? My arms and legs are definitely attached, no knife growing out of my back, and no gaping hole in my stomach!"
"The way you phrased that makes it sound like there was a time when those things happened."
There was. He was truly sorry for all the trouble back then.
Because of his own incompetence, Fake Satella had almost gotten blown away, Old Man Rom had nearly lost his arm and head, and
"Oh right, Reinhard. I never actually thanked you. Seriously, you saved us. Between what happened in that alley earlier and you hearing the cry of my soul — you're my friend, man."
"If I could do that, I'd hold my head up high too, buddy."
Reinhard shrugged with a troubled expression, then jerked his chin toward something.
Subaru looked in that direction.
"Oh."
Seeing who was there, Subaru felt his mouth split into an involuntary grin.
There — just beyond the storeroom's now-destroyed entrance, hiding behind the sole remaining pillar, peering at them hesitantly — was a blonde girl with prominent canine teeth.
"She was desperately running through the alleys. And she came to me for help. That's why I made it here. After that, I simply fulfilled my duty as a knight."
"Your duty as a knight is flattening a wrecked building flat?"
"Ouch, Subaru — that's cold."
Reinhard clutched his chest as though struck in a sore spot.
That he could look so approachable after producing this level of devastation was somehow terrifying. In other words — hot guys are seriously hot.
"That girl..."
Fake Satella, too, had spotted Felt through her unsteady footing.
Subaru stepped around to shield Felt from Fake Satella's line of sight.
"Hold on, hold on! If that kid hadn't called Reinhard, we'd all be dead. In light of my face — spare her the ice sculpture punishment, will you?"
"I wasn't going to do anything that violent! And what do you mean, 'in light of your face'..."
Fake Satella rubbed her brow, exhausted.
Even that small gesture felt somehow endearing to Subaru.
Here they were — both alive, maintaining a reasonable level of friendly rapport, trading barbs. That was putting it far too generously, but it was exactly the kind of development Subaru had been hoping for.
"After that, it all depends on my negotiation... and that's the part I trust the least!"
"What's gotten into you? You're fidgeting like crazy — it's really unseemly."
Her words landed with a sharp point. Subaru clutched his chest in the same gesture as Reinhard — though his was nothing like Reinhard's composed cool, just carefree goofiness with not a shred of dignity.
Watching their exchange, Reinhard let out a soft, genuine laugh. Then, without a word, he raised a hand toward Felt — who had been cautiously watching from the side — and went to meet her.
That dashing back didn't even inspire jealousy. Subaru just let his shoulders droop. That was the difference between those who had it and those who didn't.
Felt watched the approaching Reinhard warily but didn't run. Perhaps she felt some gratitude for his coming to her aid.
Subaru watched the two of them with a slightly bemused smile.
"—Subaru!"
Reinhard, who had suddenly turned back toward him, shouted — and Subaru realized he hadn't escaped the danger yet.
"——!!"
Debris flew upward, and from beneath it, a dark figure emerged.
The shadow surged forward with black hair whipping behind her, blood dripping yet steps powerful and gathering speed.
A mangled kukri knife gripped tight, running forward in silence — it was Elsa, bleeding profusely.
"You damn—!!"
The killer who had slipped through that savage slash and survived her brush with death had pitch-black eyes.
Her killing intent radiated more intensely than in any previous encounter — enough to send ice shooting down Subaru's spine.
In the handful of seconds before contact, Subaru's thoughts whirled at dizzying speed.
A mangled knife. A fleeting encounter. She was probably betting everything on a single strike. Reinhard was rushing over but wouldn't make it in time. If he could just survive one hit, Reinhard would handle the rest. Fake Satella didn't have the composure to turn around. Which way was she aiming? He was protecting her for the third time.
Protectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotect—!!
"She's aiming for the stomaaach, she's aiming for the stomaAAAACH!!"
Subaru threw himself in front of Fake Satella as a shield, swung up the club still in his arm, and threw it up to guard his midsection — impact.
The lateral strike's force was less like a slash and more like a heavy blunt instrument slamming home.
The blow to his abdomen lifted him off the ground, and he tasted the sensation of the world spinning a hundred and eighty degrees as blood sprayed from his mouth.
His vision tumbled end over end. His actual body was spinning through the air.
He couldn't even tell how far he'd been sent flying, and without the chance to brace for impact, he slammed into a wall.
"This brat keeps getting in the way—"
Elsa clicked her tongue in frustration as she watched the sent-flying Subaru.
She turned toward Fake Satella, still standing there— "That's enough, Elsa!"
Reinhard charged back, and she recognized the futility of continuing the fight.
Elsa hurled the completely bent kukri knife — ruined from her final strike at Subaru — toward Reinhard. The Divine Protection of Wind Resistance ensured it wouldn't hit, but— "Before long, I'll carve open the bellies of everyone here. Until then — take good care of your intestines."
It bought her enough time to vault away, using the debris as a stepping stone.
She leapt to the roof, and chasing that agile figure as she nimbly cleared the buildings was more trouble than it was worth. With no desire to continue the battle here, Reinhard deliberately chose not to pursue her retreating back.
Watching her disappear into the distance, Reinhard turned and ran to the silver-haired girl.
"Are you unharmed—"
"My well-being doesn't matter! What about..."
Reinhard's composed face was streaked with anxiety. Shaking off his words, Fake Satella commanded her wobbly legs toward the wall — where Subaru lay upside down.
"Hey, are you okay!? That was way too reckless!"
"O-oh... yeah, easy peasy. That situation was basically made for doing something reckless. With me being the only one who couldn't move and her going for the obvious spot on the sly — it was a perfect match."
He raised a hand to Fake Satella, who leaned in with worry, and lightly rubbed his injured abdomen. He lifted his shirt to reveal the bruising underneath — a deep, unnatural purple.
"Ugh, gross—" she stuck out her tongue at the sight. Subaru flipped his upside-down body over and staggered to his feet.
"So this time she's really gone for good, right?"
"I'm sorry, Subaru. That was my carelessness. If you hadn't been there, it would have been dire. If she had hurt you, I would have..."
"Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it! No need to go past that point. I went through all that drama — if you handle that part for someone else, I'll have gotten nothing out of it."
Subaru cut off Reinhard's half-formed apology and directed a smile at the silent knight. Then, slowly, he turned to meet the gaze of the silver-haired girl looking up at him.
She shifted, then stood. The distance between them was two steps — close enough to reach out and touch. What a roundabout path to get here, he thought with deep emotion, recalling the journey that had led to this moment.
Suddenly, Subaru closed his eyes and fell silent. The girl tilted her head, looking like she wanted to say something.
But before she could open her mouth, Subaru's finger was already thrust skyward.
Left hand on his hip, right arm extended to the heavens, he completely tuned out the stunned stares around him and raised his voice high and clear.
"My name is
"Wh-what are you—"
"I'm the guy who just saved your life from a blade — your救命恩人! We're good up to this point!?"
"O-okay...?"
"That means 'is that okay'! So — we good!?"
Subaru made an O and a K with his upper body. The silver-haired girl twitched but managed a hesitant, "O-okay."
Nodding with satisfaction, Subaru pressed on in rapid-fire.
"Life-saving hero — that's me. And the heroine who got saved — that's you. So shouldn't there be a proper reward? No?!"
"...I know already. Within my ability to grant, that is."
"Then here it is — my wish is one of a kind. Just one, that's all."
He held up a single finger and thrust it at her, emphasizing it to the point of being obnoxious. Then he wiggled his finger around, making the girl visibly anxious. When she swallowed hard and nodded with a look of solemn resolve, Subaru flashed her a lewd grin.
"That's right — my wish is—"
"Mm."
He showed his teeth, snapped his fingers, gave a thumbs-up, and struck his pose.
"I want you to tell me your name."
The girl's violet eyes went wide in stunned disbelief.
A brief silence dominated the surroundings. Subaru maintained his pose, trembling ever so slightly in the stillness.
The sense that he'd whiffed hard was flooding in as acute embarrassment, but in a situation like this, clamming up before anyone could react was the worst possible move.
So he stayed silent and waited for her action.
Ice blocks, ice pillars, freeze beams — anything, bring it on. Actually, scratch the freeze beam.
"Pfft."
His desperately high-speed train of thought was cut short by a soft burst of laughter.
The girl was laughing — one hand over her mouth, her white cheeks flushed pink, her silver hair swaying gently.
It wasn't a resigned smile, nor a wistful one, nor a grimly resolved expression. She was simply, purely laughing because she was having fun. That was all.
"—
"Huh..."
Following the laughter, she spoke a single word, and Subaru could only manage a small exhale.
She straightened her posture in response to his reaction, pressed a finger to her lips with a mischievous grin, and said: "My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. Thank you, Subaru — for saving me."
She extended her hand.
He looked down at that offered white hand, then hesitantly reached for it. Her fingers were slender, her palm small, delicate — and warm, the hand of a living, breathing girl.
—Thank you for saving me.
She wasn't the only one who wanted to say that. Subaru was. Subaru had been in her debt first. So this — this was simply returning what was owed.
Three times, counting them up — three times he had died by the blade and arrived at this outcome.
So wounded, so anguished, in such pain, having fought with everything on the line — and the reward for all of it was her name and a single smile.
Ah, how— "Ah, man, that was so not worth it."
He said it while smiling, and firmly grasped the girl's — Emilia's hand in return.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ —If only it had ended right there.
"Still, Subaru — I'm genuinely amazed you survived."
Reinhard had apparently been waiting for the right moment after Subaru's exchange with Emilia was complete.
The knight — who had been forcibly silenced until now — expressed his astonishment at Subaru's safety in few words. Even from someone of his caliber, Elsa's final strike must have been something else.
Subaru lightly pressed his aching stomach, then pointed to the club lying on the floor.
The spiked club had served as a splendid shield, exactly as its thick, sturdy appearance suggested. Different from its original purpose, sure, but he hoped they'd overlook that.
"I used that thing to guard in the nick of time. Without it, I'd be split in two right now."
"Indeed. If not for that—"
BAD END 4 would have been unavoidable, Subaru said with a carefree grin. Reinhard laughed along, then casually picked up the club— "Huh."
In his hand, the club slipped along its clean-cut surface and clattered to the floor in two pieces.
Sliced perfectly down the middle. Its role was thoroughly finished.
Slowly, Reinhard turned to Subaru with a pained expression.
Subaru followed his gaze, and despite a bad feeling, rolled up the hem of his track pants. His abdomen was the same as before — deep purple bruising, utterly discolored — but something had changed.
—There was suddenly a fresh red line cutting straight across it.
"Oh no, I can see where this is going."
A sharp pain arrived as the advance messenger.
And the next instant — Subaru's abdomen split open in a horizontal line, and a torrent of fresh blood sprayed outward.
"W-wait, Subaru!?"
From nearby, he heard Emilia's desperate voice.
Ah, he'd finally gotten to hear her real name, and if this went south, it was game over again.
—Even if that was the case, he'd come back here once more.
His vision tilted sharply. He must have collapsed.
Reinhard's face was taut with alarm, and Emilia, who had rushed over and leaned in close, wore a look of anguish on her refined features.
—Man, she's seriously adorable even when she's panicking. Isekai fantasy, I gotta hand it to you.
With that same thought as always, the last thing he felt, agony and shock swept his consciousness away like a crashing wave.
At long last... Chapter One comes to an end.
Next I'll post the interlude, and then it's on to Chapter Two.
I've caught up with my backlog, so daily uploads are probably going to be tough...
I'll aim for every other day for now!