His heart raced, but his steps remained cautious.
Subaru pressed on through the darkness of the forest's depths — following the words Ryuka had mustered with such effort through his hazy consciousness, cutting through the night without rest.
His mouth was parched, his throat tight with tension. He held his breath, killed his footfalls, and advanced through the perpetual darkness of the forest — advancing. There was a faint uncertainty here, yes, but no cowardice, no fear of pressing forward.
There was the matter of the tall order he'd laid on
Just as he'd fallen to ruin for no discernible reason in his original world, the estimation he placed on himself in this one was bottom-tier — with perhaps only a total clown lurking beneath him.
It was precisely because he made that kind of judgment that he avoided the foolishness of wading into hopeless situations. Even in situations where retreat was absolutely impossible, he clung to the pettiness and cowardice of searching for excuses.
And because he was aware of that, he could follow threads so faint they'd normally be overlooked and claw his way toward grasping at an answer.
"Think it through. The current situation. If this beast really is that dog from before..."
People tended to fixate on the terrifying name and the fact that it killed through curses, but when viewed from a broader perspective, a chance of victory did emerge.
No matter how deadly the trap it set, the being responsible was still just a fragile puppy. If the target was that thing — the kind of creature that fit snugly in a child's hand, whose adorable appearance roughly equated to its combat strength— "Surely I wouldn't lose... right?"
A pathetic way to measure his odds, pinning his hopes on the opponent's small size.
But he didn't think the reasoning was entirely off the mark. Subaru had already been freed from its spellwork by
That thin thread — the slight advantage possible if things came to a fight — was what currently propped up Subaru's faltering steps. Of course, he was self-aware enough to know this only held if every condition fell maximally in his favor.
Naturally, he could imagine the worst-case scenario as the inverse of that, but — "No, no, no, stop right there. If I paint the worst-case picture, this world's version of God will gleefully have me walk right through that line and bring back something even worse."
Given the track record so far, he needed to put up a precautionary boundary before he got slapped with a devastating backlash. He knew that. He also knew this world's idea of affection was to mercilessly rip that boundary away and dig into the wound hidden beneath.
"—!"
A sudden sense of wrongness seized him. He held his breath and stopped.
The feeling that the air itself had changed registered clearly against his skin, and the temperature of the sweat beading on his forehead dropped sharply.
The prickling sensation on his skin — like being prodded by needles — was the aftershock of a dense presence projecting unconscious intimidation. The mere fact that something was *there* was enough for his instincts to flood with terror.
As the warmth of the atmosphere shifted and the flow of air was disturbed, it carried a foul stench. Where only the smell of overgrown grass and earth had hung in the forest moments before, a raw, animal reek now drifted in — pungent enough to make him grimace involuntarily.
Unlike Rem's extraordinary sense of smell, Subaru's was ordinary, and even he could tell clearly. It was the distinctive rawness of a living creature — to put it bluntly, the smell of a beast.
Unable to stop the bad premonition from churning inside him, Subaru held his breath and pressed forward.
He peeked through a gap in the trees toward the source of the stench — and realized the thin thread he'd been clinging to had been cleanly severed.
There, cloaked in jet-black fur that merged seamlessly with the forest's deep darkness.
The body might rival that of a large dog. Long limbs planted firmly on the earth, supporting a frame heavy enough to rival Subaru's own.
The developed claws and the fangs that couldn't fit inside its maw — those were the concentrated result of evolution perfectly specialized for tearing through flesh.
Amid the darkness where branches and leaves blocked all light, the one thing that couldn't be missed was those gleaming, twin red eyes. They swept the surroundings in frenzied arcs, looking almost as if they were eagerly awaiting the moment to sink their teeth into prey.
Seeing that figure floating in the darkness, he understood clearly.
That shape — distilled to nothing but pure threat — that was a magical beast.
"Moreover, that thing..."
He studied the figure carefully, touching his chin as he searched his memory.
The magical beast before him — he recognized it.
It bore a striking resemblance to the horned one he'd fought to the death at the end of the last loop. At first glance, no horn could be seen on its forehead. But if it truly was the same one— "Did I actually manage to pull off an unintentional revenge last time?"
That wasn't really any comfort, but knowing he'd struck back at least gave him a small measure of satisfaction.
Still, just as every event from the last loop existed only within Subaru's own memory, that fact couldn't bring about any change in the situation before him.
If there was anything to gain, it was simply knowing that— "Those claws and fangs aren't just for show..."
He hadn't been hoping for some twist where the claws turned out to be fake or the fangs merely decorative, but learning that the threat was genuinely real was about the extent of his consolation.
And upon confirming the presence of a large magical beast, Subaru's resolve began to deflate rapidly. Whatever slim odds he'd had were now completely gone.
Based on his earlier self-assessment, avoiding reckless action was supposed to be his policy.
"For now, just... take it slow..."
He was just about to decide to pull back and wait for Rem to link up when— The magical beast's presence refused to leave his awareness, and still glaring at it, Subaru began to retreat. Then, at the edge of his slightly widened field of vision, something caught his attention.
Deep in the forest where the beast stood, there was a jumble of fallen trees. Nestled among those collapsed trunks, there was likely something like the beast's lair.
And beside those fallen logs, a single girl lay abandoned.
Her clothes were tattered. Her brown hair, neatly arranged earlier, had come undone. Her pale skin was streaked with blood in places, and from this distance, it was impossible to tell how severe the injuries to her prone body truly were.
But then— "—"
A faint sound. Weak, feeble.
It traveled through the air, threaded through the forest, and struck Subaru's eardrums with stubborn insistence.
It shouldn't have reached him at that distance. Or perhaps it was just an auditory hallucination, a trick of his fraying mind.
Looking carefully, the fallen girl hadn't moved so much as a muscle. For such a girl's feeble gasps to reach him — if that counted as a miracle, it was a disappointing one to grant.
The only one here was Subaru. Just
If a miracle was to be wrought, if heaven wished for this girl to be saved, then the one standing here should have been someone more reliable — a strong and valiant hero.
Like Roswaal. Like Beatrice. Like Reinhard.
Any of them, or her, would have cut through this situation effortlessly. The thought of them faltering the way Subaru had, knees trembling as they keeled over, was simply inconceivable.
They would brush aside the beast's threat without effort, rescue the girl from her despair, and guide the story to a perfect, happy ending. Amazing, cool, elegant.
But the one here was Natsuki Subaru.
He had no strength. No magic. No wisdom, no cleverness to speak of. If it came down to seizing a miracle, he'd be the type to shove through the crowd and lunge for that right before anyone else. That was the kind of man he was — the kind who couldn't save anyone.
Subaru was someone who *wanted* miracles. Becoming one himself was simply impossible.
He clenched his back teeth hard to keep them from chattering.
He swallowed, pressing a hand to his chest as if to confirm his heartbeat. It was beating. It was definitely beating, but whether it was fast or slow, he couldn't tell.
The passage of time had become terribly vague. His vision seemed to warp and bend, so he wiped the sweat from his forehead, rubbed his eyes, and recommitted to his original goal — to remain an observer.
And yet — "Hey, stop..."
A weak murmur. The beast had turned its head and was looking toward the fallen girl. Its sharp claws scraped the ground, and with slow, deliberate movements, it began advancing toward her. One step at a time, one step at a time, each one carving away at Subaru's heart.
He couldn't read the beast's intent. It was the one that had dragged her here. It could have killed her at any time. And yet it had kept her alive. It had kept her alive, and now that she'd moved, it was going to stop her. It made no sense. It was unreasonable. Just a few more steps and it would reach her. Wait — something was wrong — it made no sense. What was he supposed to do? The odds, the chances — he couldn't see them. The thread to cling to was... gone. Nothing. Nothing at all. Just — —
" seriously... am I really thinking something that stupid right now?"
He took a deep breath, steadied himself, dug his nails into his trembling knees, and bit down on his lip. He bit hard enough to draw blood, using the pain to yank his consciousness back into focus.
Natsuki Subaru couldn't conjure miracles. The best he could do was scrabble through the mud, flail and struggle, and throw a tantrum in the face of approaching despair — that was his absolute ceiling.
Subaru did not overestimate himself. And because of that, he could see clearly what lay within his capability.
A tiny scratch on the face of fate — that was his limit. And if he could see that limit, if he could see his ceiling, then he should meet it.
He pulled off his jacket and wound the rumpled butler's uniform tightly around his left arm. He cinched it tight so it wouldn't slip, wiped the blood from his hand, turned to face the beast, and — "Come ooooooon!"
He roared, kicked through the brush, and charged straight at the corner where the beast had braced itself.
The sudden shout made the beast flinch violently. It leapt back, lowered its body, and fixed Subaru with a venomous glare.
Subaru, too, bolstered himself with his own scream, stomping the ground to posture aggressively.
"Yeah! Over here! Come on, look! What's the matter, scared?!"
He spat and snarled. His heart was sending pain through his entire body as though it might explode.
Face to face, the beast's frame loomed larger than he'd imagined. That was partly because he'd been observing from a distance before, but being confronted with its overwhelming hostility was a major factor as well.
What he'd learned from the previous encounter was that even beings grandly labeled "magical beasts" fought within the bounds of the animal kingdom he knew well.
Of course, Subaru had never had occasion to cross spears with a four-legged creature in his original world, but he'd watched humans vs. beasts play out countless times in manga and anime.
Among the strategies he'd absorbed, the most effective against an opponent whose primary weapon was its bite was exactly what Subaru was doing now — wrapping his arm in thick fabric.
Given his poverty of equipment, this was the only countermeasure he could muster.
He shouted, roared, and postured while thrusting his left arm forward in a feint.
The best-case scenario was that the beast was cowardly and would flee under his aggression. But just like last time, these creatures never let go of prey they'd marked.
In contrast to Subaru's roar shattering the forest's silence, the beast didn't even let out a growl. It simply held its body low, limbs coiled, eyes locked on Subaru — as though measuring the precise moment to unleash its spring.
Which of them was the prey? Its posture made that abundantly clear, and Subaru's voltage climbed further. Riding that momentum, he took another step forward — "What's with the composure?! Come on!! Come here! Coo—"
It vanished.
In an instant, the beast that had been right in front of him dissolved into the darkness and disappeared.
His throat froze with shock. Through the twitch of his spasming eyelids, through a stolen blink, he realized his critical error. The beast had been waiting for even the slightest moment when Subaru lost sight of it.
The fact that a wild creature had executed such a high-level gambit — waiting for its opponent's single moment of vulnerability — sent a chill down Subaru's spine. He threw his gaze in the direction the vanished beast had gone — The instant that image flashed through his mind, Subaru was already springing backward, pulling his right foot away.
"——!!"
"Too bad! Now you see iiiiit!"
Where his right foot had been, the beast's fangs clamped down with a piercing crack. Had he been even slightly slower, that strike would have bored straight to the nerve. Subaru had dodged it, and now, from directly above, he drove his foot with everything he had into the beast's exposed torso.
A front kick from a collapsed stance was far from his best effort. But the beast yelped like a puppy and tumbled away — damage had been dealt.
Perhaps humiliated by that pathetic cry, the beast recovered its footing, fixed Subaru with a murderous glare, and finally bared its fangs with savage ferocity.
Its twin red eyes blazed with rage, and within its drooling maw, fangs clacked against each other again and again.
That first strike had been a fluke. Last time, the beast had gone for the legs on its initial attack, so he'd simply gambled on the same pattern.
"Come on! Come on, come on! You've gotta be pretty pissed too, but nothing compared to what I've got right here — you hear me?!"
—Coming!
It was a conviction with no basis whatsoever, but at the same instant, the beast vanished again.
When it reappeared, it was already directly before him, having circled to his left — and its long fangs were burying themselves in the arm he'd extended forward as a guard.
The sharp fangs pierced through the thick fabric and sank deep into the flesh beneath.
"GAhh—!!"
An involuntary, near-tears agony — sharp pain hammering directly into his brain.
But — "You think... that's gonna do it?!"
Subaru tensed the muscles in his left arm, hardening them. Naturally, this made it harder for the fangs to withdraw, and combined with the jacket wound around it, the beast's movement was completely locked down.
Red eyes and Subaru's gaze locked together. Even as he felt himself being swallowed by that overwhelming hostility — "You bit me, you — you brainless mutt—!!"
Clutching the beast's body against his left arm, Subaru threw his whole frame into a spin. Centrifugal force lifted the beast's body off the ground, and with the momentum of the rotation, he slammed it back-first into the massive tree behind him.
He thought he heard a pained yelp, but Subaru didn't stop. Not letting go of the weapon that was its fangs, he swung and swung, frantically hammering the creature in his arms against the tree, against the ground, again and again and again.
And finally — "That's — a — WRAP!"
He swung down from overhead, driving the beast's face into the fallen log.
A satisfying impact reverberated back through his arm, and the beast — which had been struggling against his grip the entire time — suddenly went limp.
Panting hard at the anticlimactic response, Subaru collapsed to his knees.
The beast's eyes, still clamped onto his left arm, were lifeless. Its crushed skull leaked rivers of blood, and a wooden branch from one of the many impacts jutted from its back.
Slowly, Subaru pried open its jaw to extract the fangs. Its tongue lolled out limply. He could tell that all life had ceased, and he drew in a deep, shuddering breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Did... did I win?"
He stared blankly, murmured those words, and pulled the blood- and saliva-soaked jacket from his left arm. The skin beneath was in terrible condition — the fangs had torn through the flesh, and beneath that, he could just barely see the white of bone.
The pain he'd forgotten in his adrenaline haze came roaring back as he looked directly at the wound. He grimaced hard against the searing, burn-like agony.
"Anyway — ow. Damn it, that girl..."
He crawled, moving at a painfully slow pace, until he finally reached the girl beside the fallen logs.
For all that it had been a life-or-death struggle, there was not a shred of accomplishment or conviction in his victory. All he felt was the crushing weight of exhaustion settling into his body, and a desperate revulsion — the need to banish the exchange of killing intent from his mind as quickly as possible.
Neither euphoria nor the afterglow of victory was needed now. What dominated everything was the urgent need to confirm that what he'd sought at the end of that struggle had actually been recovered.
"It... wasn't for nothing, then."
Leaning his back against the fallen log with his left arm cradled to his chest, Subaru let out a long breath of profound relief.
Because the girl beside him — her body faintly soiled with dirt and blood — still carried the breath of life. In fact, her complexion was healthier than the children's he'd seen earlier, and aside from minor superficial wounds, the damage was negligible. Subaru, with a left arm that was practically down to the bone, was in far worse shape.
"Scaring me like that... well, I guess it's fine. If a girl ends up with scars on her body, I'd have to take responsibility and marry her, wouldn't I? Emilia-tan doesn't exactly seem like the polygamy type, though."
When relief washed over him in a flood, what came back to maintain his mental stability were wisecracks.
He'd told Rem he was buying time, but as it turned out, he'd actually eliminated the threat entirely. He figured he'd earned the right to be a little proud without the universe smacking him down for it.
"Buying time was the goal, but I don't think there's any rule that says I *can't* take the thing out while I'm at it."
Quite the achievement — fulfilling a wish that the original version of this scenario had never managed.
To distract from the pain of his wounds, his rambling thoughts continued on and on. He wanted to get the girl back to the village, but he didn't have the strength left for that.
The smart move was to stay put and wait for Rem to find him. This time, there was no time limit. At worst, he'd doze off here and figure something out.
"That said, I can't exactly just lie here and take a nap..."
He retied the jacket around his arm, using it as a makeshift tourniquet, and exhaled.
Then — Subaru's ears caught the sound of brush rustling in the distance.
He raised his head. Had he mistaken it for wind? But almost immediately, he heard the same sound again, coming straight ahead — from the direction he'd charged out of.
The direction he'd charged out of was, in turn, the direction he'd parted ways with Rem. Which meant the one pushing through the brush had to be that spirited blue-haired girl.
"I've been waiting... sorry, but there's nothing left for you to fight."
He had that kind of line prepared — the sort he'd always wanted to say once. He waited, ready for the girl at their rendezvous point to come bounding through.
The grass swayed. Something stopped just beyond the brush. He could feel a gaze sizing him up, and Subaru managed a rueful smile.
There were no threats left to worry about anymore — or so he was about to say as he raised his right hand — — A thick, suffocating wave of bestial presence washed over his entire body once more.
The brush rustled. Something stepped through from the other side. A low, four-legged shadow.
And then — "Come on... you've got to be kidding me..."
Twin red eyes, blazing through the night forest — and beyond the cluster of trees ahead, countless more points of light peeked out.
There were so many he didn't even want to count. Probably more than he could tally even using every finger on both hands.
He rose to his feet, one hand still clamped over his left arm, and surveyed the points of light floating in the darkness. He let out a deep breath.
Absently, he touched his own cheek with his right hand and realized it had been pulled into a grimace. The corner of his mouth was tugging upward, forming the shape of a smile.
Ah — right. Of course. This was — he couldn't help it. He was smiling.
"Well... I'm dead."
The overwhelming killing intent in those two words detonated, and the silent forest was swallowed by madness.
All Subaru could do was shield the still-unconscious girl behind him, spread both arms wide, and plant himself there — a gesture of sheer defiance.
His scream soared high, high into the forest sky, trailing behind it.