"Woob—!"
"Kyaa! Lord Subaru, I'm sorry!"
Soaked by a lavish cascade of water pouring down on his head, Subaru let out a startled shriek as a shrill apology flew his way.
He shook his head and looked up toward the source—a curtain fluttering through an open second-floor window, and a girl peering down at him. Petra. Their gazes crossed.
It seemed Petra had just tossed water out the window from the second floor.
Of course, she wasn't the type to slosh water into the garden without thinking. She must have aimed for the edge of the flower bed to make sure no one was in the line of fire.
"And yet, unlucky me happened to be gardening right there…"
"S-sorry, Lord Subaru! I'll bring a change of clothes right away—"
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. I just got soaked, that's all… Gross! Wait—this isn't just water!?"
"But it was from cleaning the room! Anyway—just wait by the wash area, I'm coming!"
Petra scolded Subaru, who was recoiling at the stench of the filthy water, then pulled back behind the window and went running to fetch his clothes with a flustered flutter of footsteps.
Chuckling at Petra's panic, Subaru deepened his wry smile at his own misfortune and headed, as she instructed, to the wash area in the garden.
"Well, I was planning to change once I finished digging anyway."
He consoled himself that he'd simply jumped the gun a bit.
If Petra was bringing fresh clothes, he should wash off the grime first. Before drawing water from the well, Subaru hastily stripped off his shirt— "—My, my. To strip down so suddenly, Suba-boy, you're quite the bold one."
"Gwah—!?"
"Oh my, what a delicate scream for a boy. …Shouldn't it be the other way around, normally?"
The one watching Subaru's shriek with mild amusement was a pink-haired girl seated on a garden stone beside the wash area—Ryuzu, the old woman of the wind.
She regarded Subaru, who was clutching his shirt against his bare chest in a futile attempt to cover up, her knowing eyes—sharp in stark contrast to her youthful face—glinting with amusement.
"There's no need to hide like that. I've seen plenty of bare boys before. I lived with Garu-boy, you know."
"Sure, that may be true, but I'm still embarrassed!"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, Suba-boy, you've got a rather decent figure. A feast for the eyes, I must say."
"So I was right—it IS embarrassing!? Ryuzu-san, aren't you acting a little out of character!?"
Ryuzu was known for her unhurried, composed way of speaking—a mismatch with her young appearance—but beyond that, she generally gave the impression of faithfully playing the role she'd been assigned.
So hearing her comment on his naked body with a teasing edge caught Subaru off guard.
"So I guess being freed from the heavy responsibility of leading the '
"There's some truth to that, certainly. Though even after leaving the 'Sanctuary,' Roswaal-boy set me up on various parcels of land, and I ended up in a similar position there too. So if my burden has truly lightened…"
Ryuzu trailed off, narrowing her eyes toward the mansion behind her.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't looking at the building itself but at the people living inside it. More precisely, at the brother and sister she doted on like grandchildren.
Garfiel and Frederica had made up. Garfiel had been freed from the cross he'd carried for years—though the result, that he'd turned out to be an even wilder brat than Subaru had imagined, was a surprise in its own right.
"Ryuzu-san, don't you get lonely living apart from Garfiel and Frederica?"
"Hmm… what brought this on, Suba-boy?"
"Was it out of nowhere? But it got me thinking. Sure, having them both at the mansion is a big help for
"It can't be helped. Of course, I—and the other clones, my sisters—there are too many problems with us living in this mansion. I can't imagine we'd be of much use."
"———"
At Ryuzu's quietly murmured answer, Subaru pressed his lips together.
Useful or not—that wasn't what his emotional side wanted to hear. He wanted to scream that it shouldn't matter.
But this wasn't a problem solvable by throwing a child's tantrum.
The Roswaal mansion, in this moment, could only allow those who held a role and could fulfill a responsibility. Times were harsh enough to demand that level of strictness.
"…Still, Garfiel's only fourteen. He's still a kid."
"———. Suba-boy, you're such a kind soul. Worried about Garu-boy?"
"Of course. …Back when I was fourteen, I was nothing but a snotty brat. I'm still a brat now, obviously, but back then I was even worse. If I'd been separated from my parents, I probably would've been disgusted by how useless I was."
By the standards of this other world, Subaru's own days had probably been positively cushy—more like being rocked in a cradle than anything else.
Garfiel was fourteen—an age that put him roughly in middle school back home. But that didn't apply here, and even then, Garfiel was far more mature than Subaru had been at that age.
Even so— "I just think… the kindness I've received, other people deserve to receive too."
"Hehe, listen to you, rephrasing so earnestly. Suba-boy, you're not just kind—you're sweet and naive."
"There's this famous saying I know: a man shouldn't just be strong, he should be kind too… Wait. By that logic, since I'm not strong, does that mean I'm not a man? What am I, then?"
As Subaru failed to defend himself even to his own satisfaction, Ryuzu let out a soft chuckle. Taking his bewildered expression as unwarranted, she wiped the corner of her eye with a finger and said, "Sorry, sorry."
"I understand what you're trying to say. I'll make sure to drop by often so Garu-boy and Frederica don't get too lonely. That should be enough, yes?"
"I feel bad, though, like some outsider barging in and making demands."
"There's nothing bad about it. …But if we're talking about a child being separated from their parents at such a young age—there's someone at this mansion even younger than Garu-boy, isn't there?"
"That would be…"
As Subaru guessed who she meant, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from that direction. He and Ryuzu turned—and Petra came running toward them, Subaru's change of clothes clutched in both hands.
"Lord Subaruuu!" she called out with full energy, dashing closer. But she skidded to a halt just before reaching the wash area.
"Wha—! Kyaa! Subaru, why are you naked!?"
"Ah, right—I was supposed to wash up, but I got caught up in conversation."
Face flushed red, Petra slapped both hands over her eyes at the sight of Subaru's nudity. Of course, she was peeking through the gaps between her fingers—a classic move.
Her face was red all the way to her ears as she let out excited little squeals of "Wow! Wow!"
"See that, Ryuzu-san? That right there is the adorable reaction of a girl her age."
"You want me to act like that too? Suba-boy, you're asking quite a lot… Besides, even if I tried, it wouldn't have the same effect. I'm an old woman, after all."
"Other than the way you talk, I don't really get 'old woman' vibes from you…"
Answering Ryuzu's leisurely words, Subaru hauled the wooden bucket up from the well. He poured the cold water over his head, spat out "Chibete!", and said: "Still, Petra, that was quite the reaction for a little lady."
"Oh, Lord Subaru, you're treating me like a child again! Just so you know, I turned thirteen on my birthday recently! I'm only one year younger than Garf-san!"
"Technically, yes—but the period where Petra and Garfiel are only one year apart is kind of fascinating from my perspective…"
Setting personality aside, Garfiel's combat power and appearance didn't quite scream "fourteen." Meanwhile, Petra, still adorable and youthful in her looks, was gradually blooming from bud to flower.
It went without saying, since the passage of time couldn't be stopped—but growth was a precious thing.
"I'm eighteen myself, and Emilia-tan and Beara-chan don't really change in appearance, so… In that regard, Petra, you've got incredible potential ahead of you…"
"Suba-boy, Suba-boy—is it really appropriate for a teenager to be looking at a girl like that?"
"What can I say… Oh, Petra, thanks for the clothes. When you saw me naked, you dropped them—noticeable little fumble there."
Subaru shook his head vigorously to spray off the water, then picked up the shirt from Petra's feet. He brushed off the dirt and put it on. Only now did Petra realize she'd dropped the clothes, and she let out a "Wah!" of embarrassment.
"Mm, I'm sorry. The clothes, and the water earlier…"
"Don't worry about it—cute mistake, both of them. The clothes aside, the water was just my bad luck. Thanks to that, I ended up putting on a full show for two maidens."
"Call me a maiden, will you… My, my, Suba-boy, you certainly know how to flatter an old woman."
Ryuzu shook her head with her usual unhurried ease, and Subaru gave a wry laugh. He then patted Petra's head gently and smiled reassuringly.
"Everyone makes mistakes, and nobody got hurt. No harm done."
"…Yes, I understand. I'll make sure to write it all down in today's diary."
"Oh, you keep a diary? Good for you. I'm actually pretty good at sticking to daily routines—daily workouts, jogging, all that—but for some reason, I just can't keep a diary going."
He could turn daily exercise and jogging into habits, but a diary eluded him. Probably because there was no set content to write about each day. Plus, back when he'd been skipping school, every day was so monotonous there was nothing worth recording.
"The Beara-chan Love Diary is still going, though…"
"Are you going to show that to
"Yeah, I want to show her just how much I adore Beara-chan day in and day out."
Also, Beatrice's reactions were exaggerated and adorable. Subaru was willing to overcome his diary weakness if it meant doting on Beatrice.
Anyway— "So, Lord Subaru, what were you and Ryuzu-sama talking about?"
"Ah, just chatting? Whether Garfiel gets lonely being away, stuff like that. …But Petra, you're separated from your parents too, right? No homesickness or anything?"
"Homesick… You mean, missing home?"
Petra pressed a finger to her lip, working through Subaru's words with a furrowed brow. She murmured "Well…" and thought for a moment.
"I do feel lonely sometimes. But this is something I decided I wanted to do, and I'm right in the middle of it. I can't afford to show weakness."
"Wow, so mature… Ryuzu-san, did you hear that?"
"Oh, I heard. Honestly, look at that proud little face."
Subaru turned to face Ryuzu, beaming with pride at Petra's answer, and Ryuzu nodded in agreement.
Petra was exactly right.
She'd decided what she wanted to do and was in the very process of making it happen.
So she couldn't give in to despair—she had to keep smiling and hold her head high, even through the hard times.
"Lord Subaru, was my answer okay?"
"———. Of course it was. That's my Petra! Exactly the answer I wanted to hear!"
"Kyaa!"
At Petra's tentative question, Subaru lifted her up in a hug.
It was the same feeling he usually had when holding Beatrice, but Petra was heavier by comparison—which meant she'd grown that much.
"Geez, you're getting too old for this, seriously…"
"Nonsense! …But since you look so lonely, I'll indulge you a little longer."
"Oh—thanks."
Petra turned her face away with a slight pout, but she allowed Subaru his whim. Leveraging her kindness, Subaru savored a few more moments of Petra's lingering childhood.
Watching Subaru and Petra together, Ryuzu sighed softly.
"My, my, I can't even tell which one's the child anymore."
And so, the old woman—wizened in voice, young in face—murmured with a world-weary smile.
△▼△▼△▼△ —SPLASH. Doused in dark, murky blood from above, the reel of Subaru's life flashing before his eyes cut short.
The common thread was being doused with liquid from above, but if he tried to bring this up later, Petra would probably be furious.
Still, even facing that scolding, Subaru couldn't afford to stop here.
"Why would a hunter's arrow hit the giant serpent…!?"
Fleeing with Louis slung over his shoulder had been bad enough—only to be cut off by a massive serpent lurking in the forest.
Just as its gaping maw was about to swallow Subaru whole, a devastating strike hammered into the beast, and Subaru snatched his life back from the brink.
"———"
Piercing the serpent's body—thick enough to fit three Subarus inside—was an arrow loosed by the very same hunter who'd been pestering them moments ago.
He might have misfired, but the arrow had struck dead center in the serpent's torso. The odds of that being an accident seemed vanishingly small.
Which meant— "Saved me…!?"
Even as the thought made no sense, no other explanation came to mind.
He doubted the hunter had simply changed his mind, or that this was turning into some shōnen-manga scenario where the villain proclaimed, "Killing you is my privilege."
But regardless of the reasoning, Subaru had been saved. And the impact of that single shot went far beyond just halting the serpent's fangs in this instant.
"———!!"
The serpent, its torso skewered and bleeding from the arrow, let out a sound like the sky itself tearing apart.
Then, instead of pursuing the fleeing Subaru, it wheeled toward the source of the arrow—the archer who had wounded it—and surged through the forest.
A ten-meter serpent crawling across the ground, homing in on its prey—the sight was overwhelming.
Despite its massive bulk, it moved with no sense of heaviness, sliding across the earth as though the forest floor itself were alive and moving with it.
The hunter fired again, but the arrow missed.
"———!!"
The serpent bared its dripping fangs and lunged at the hunter.
The hunter leapt aside, then loosed an arrow at point-blank range, determined to finish the beast.
Beyond the trees, a titanic battle between man and monster raged on.
Amid the thunderous impacts of a fight where neither side gave an inch, Subaru clutched Louis tight and bolted back toward the great hole where
And— "Rem, lend me a hand! Let's get out of here now!"
"—Is that child safe?"
"Yeah, the brat's sleeping like a log, annoying as that is! Come on, move!"
Subaru extended his hand to Rem, who had her back pressed against the wall of the pit. But Rem looked at his hand, then shook her head and grabbed the rim of the pit under her own power.
She was refusing his help—stubborn to the end. Subaru pulled his hand back, then used the whip he'd drawn to lash Louis's body to his own back.
If he just tossed the girl down again, Rem would start another argument. He wanted to avoid that.
"On top of that—up we go!"
"Hey—"
With Louis's body secured tightly against his back and a quick check to make sure she wouldn't fall, Subaru forcibly scooped up Rem, who had just climbed out of the pit.
Rem's face stiffened in surprise at being swept up in a princess carry.
But— "Right now, pick which is least terrible: me, the hunter, or the snake!"
"…If it has to be something that understands words, then you."
"It can't, so just put up with second-best! Let's go!"
Subaru turned away from Rem's expression—which still betrayed a hint of reluctance despite her pragmatic choice—and bolted from the battlefield, not looking back at the hunter and serpent still locked in combat.
Whichever side won, they'd likely come after Subaru's group next. He didn't know whether the outcome would come quickly or drag on, but he wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.
"—What should we do?"
"Both of them know the forest way better than we do…! We need some way to shake their trail, but my body reek of the
He wanted to pray that the hunter would be the one left standing.
If the pursuer had nothing to do with the Witch's lingering scent around Subaru, there were ways to throw them off.
"We pick a route that won't leave footprints, erase whatever traces we can, and then…"
"Create false trails in a different direction!" Rem finished.
As she spoke, Rem snapped a nearby branch and hurled it off to one side—away from the direction they were running—scoring a mark on a distant tree.
With broken branches and scratches scattered in two different directions, maybe the pursuer would be thrown off.
"———"
Running with Rem in his arms, Subaru was struck by an incongruous sense of déjà vu. This wasn't the first time he'd fled through a forest with a monster at his heels.
The difference was that last time, the person in his arms hadn't been Rem—it had been
"Ram's forgotten everything too, and I'm the only one who—hah—remembers at this point…"
"You're breathing hard. At this rate, you'll be caught."
"I know! Geez, sisters the both of them… hah… no mercy whatsoever…"
Different person being carried, same brand of sharp-tongued ruthlessness.
Buoyed by that bittersweet memory, Subaru chided himself for his labored breathing and put Rem on rear guard as he pushed himself to run harder.
Anyway, today had been nothing but nonstop exertion.
He was wrecked, body and soul—ready to throw himself on the ground and collapse if he could. No, once he'd shaken the pursuit, he absolutely would. Eight hours of sleep.
"So until then, just hold on—my body's got to—!"
"—Wait!"
"Ow ow ow ow!? What!?"
Rem, cradled in his arms, yanked hard on Subaru's ear. Wincing in pain, he looked down at her as she pointed off to one side.
"I hear water. Flowing… a river? Wouldn't that wash away our trail? Besides, you said water was what we needed!"
"You were listening that whole time… Forget being impressed—we can deal with that later. If there's a river, that's a huge help! We cross it, and they can't easily follow—!"
Subaru's own heartbeat and ragged breathing had drowned out the sound of water, but he had no reason to doubt Rem's hearing. Following her pointed finger, he veered off course and raced toward the river.
They pushed through a thicket of trees, leaped over a patch of undergrowth, and burst into open ground— "A river! …But—!?"
The moment the forest parted and the view opened up, Subaru finally heard it—the roar of rushing water. A powerful, thundering roar.
And no wonder: the sound came from a massive river, flowing ten meters below them at the base of a near-vertical cliff.
So much for "wade across and wash away the traces."
"This is… way too much…"
Rem, still in Subaru's arms, went breathless at the sight of the river below.
Given the violent current and the sheer height, her speechlessness was justified. She was probably blaming herself for having trusted his instincts and led them here.
But there was no time to reproach her—and no time to comfort her either.
"—Damn it—did it finish already!?"
Deep in the forest behind them, a tremendous roar shook the sky.
It sounded like the serpent's cry, laced with some powerful emotion. Whether it had won or lost, the survivor was heading their way.
"Before it gets here, we need to—"
"—Please. Leave me behind."
As Subaru was thinking they had to go, Rem spoke from his chest.
At her taut voice, Subaru let out a short breath.
"…What?"
"Leave me. I'm the one who made you take this detour. There's no time to spare. I'll try to buy some time against that thing…"
"Don't say something that stupid! I'm not leaving you behind—"
"Then what are you going to do!? You can barely walk as it is—with a woman whose legs won't move and a child on your back—what else can you possibly do!?"
"———"
Up close, Rem's face flushed with emotion as she challenged him. The force of it wasn't what silenced Subaru—he just couldn't think of an answer.
He wasn't clever enough to produce an alternative plan on the spot.
But precisely because he wasn't clever, he could give the one answer that didn't require cleverness.
"—No. I'm not leaving you."
"—You're so stubborn…"
"Which one of us is really being stubborn!? I get it—you feel responsible! But listen—your sense of responsibility is pointed in the wrong direction! Who could ever leave you behind!?"
"Wh—"
"It wouldn't mean anything without you! If it's between you dying or me dying, I'd rather be the one! Why can't you understand that!?"
No joke—pure honesty, raw and unfiltered. Subaru tried to force Rem to stand down.
He meant it. Of course, Subaru didn't want to die either. Even if 'Return by Death' gave him chances, he didn't want to die. This was a choice between the worst option and the slightly-less-worst option, and that was all.
Even so— "We both pick a way to not die."
"…And what about the child on your back?"
"If you're okay with using her as bait, I'll do it—but I'd get an earful for that. So right now, we're carrying her along with us."
One way or another, Louis kept inserting herself into Subaru and Rem's business, and it was infuriating.
But if Subaru abandoned her now, his relationship with Rem would be irreparable. That option didn't exist. So even with resentment, he'd hold on.
"———"
Hearing the iron conviction in Subaru's voice, Rem fell silent, eyes wide.
Inside her, the conflict was still visible—the struggle over how to judge Subaru, wrapped as he was in the Witch's malodorous scent she couldn't accept.
Keeping that struggle in the corner of his eye, Subaru scanned the surroundings for an escape route.
But survival paths didn't appear on command. No wonder Rem was driven to suggest using herself as bait.
Then the only remaining option was— "—We jump."
"Wh—wait! That's madness! Look at the situation!"
"With three broken fingers, cracked ribs, and completely exhausted—plus you can't walk, and there's a weight strapped to my back…"
"My fingers are… Anyway! You'd be throwing your life away! At this height, the moment you hit the water, you'd lose consciousness and drown!"
Rem pointed at the river below and laid out her objections.
Ten meters high, two people who could barely move, one of them injured—it would take a miracle to survive the violent current and make it to the other side. It might as well be suicide.
"But it's not suicide. And even if it were—we die together."
"Absolutely not!"
Smack!
Subaru's toothy grin was met with a resounding slap across the cheek from Rem. The force of it twisted his neck, and Subaru rubbed his reddened face with a pained "Ow ow."
"Fine. Since you say so—I won't die."
"———"
"I'll fulfill whatever you want. —Because I'm your hero."
Rem's eyes went wide.
It wasn't that her memories ached—she was shocked that the dubious claim he'd spouted the moment she'd woken up was being repeated without a shred of embarrassment.
But that was fine.
He hadn't said it for Rem's benefit. He'd said it because he wanted to work a little magic on the man reflected in her pale blue eyes—the one masking his helplessness with bravado.
"Hold on tight."
Sensing danger closing in, Subaru exhaled and spoke.
Rem tried to resist, but while he was choosing words to dissuade her, his legs were already kicking off the ground. The sensation of falling—and Rem's hands gripping his clothes tight.
And— "If you die, I won't forgive you!"
Yeah, guess that settles it—I can't die then, Subaru thought with a wry smile as he drove his foot hard against the cliff face.
△▼△▼△▼△ The impact sent a geyser of water skyward, and the violent force swallowed him whole, spinning him around and around.
He'd managed to hit the water feet-first, which kept the damage to a minimum.
But "minimum" was still plenty devastating. His stamina gauge was already deep in the red, and he could only clench what little grit he had left to endure the punishment.
Not that there was any need to wipe away that impression.
"Bwah."
Even before he could reflect on it, his entire body was drenched. Like a rag being tossed around inside a washing machine, he was at the mercy of the current.
He needed to surface, needed to breathe. But he couldn't move freely. He tried thrashing his limbs to rise, but his arms were occupied holding something precious, making even that impossible.
"———"
Tumbled and battered by the water, he could still feel two things: love against his chest, and the object of hatred strapped to his back. Neither the whip binding them nor his arms had come loose.
"Bwah. Bwah."
The impact of the jump had expelled most of the air he'd inhaled.
He wasn't swimming, exactly—but to stay conscious he needed both stamina and oxygen. Both were nearly depleted, and he couldn't afford to dawdle.
"Bwah. Bwah."
Water flooded in through his nose and mouth, and it felt like it was seeping into his eyes and ears too.
His flailing hands and feet paddled uselessly against the current, being carried along the gullet of this colossal living creature—the great river—toward its stomach. If he reached 'there,' it would be over.
He had to do something before that happened.
"Bwah. Bwah."
Desperately fighting the current, all manner of stray thoughts swarmed through his mind.
Just as the blood had reminded him of Petra and Ryuzu, and running through the forest had reminded him of carrying Ram—all sorts of images flickered past.
Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, Melty—were they safe? Julius, Anastasia,
Everyone, and— △▼△▼▼△ "—Ghk!"
He reached out with everything he had and caught a branch, dragging himself toward it. His left hand was the one gripping the branch, and his three broken fingers screamed, but he didn't care.
His entire body had gone numb with cold, his senses dull and distant. Possibly it wasn't just three fingers—maybe all the fingers on his left hand were broken. But that was a problem for later.
"Bweh—puhweh—"
He coughed violently, spewing out the water that had filled his stomach.
Working to haul the weight of Rem's body in his right arm and raise her face above the surface, he stared at her limp, unconscious profile and desperately hauled himself toward shore with his one good hand.
"Ghk—ohh—"
On shore at last, he gave in to the nausea and vomited up a torrent of water. Then, fighting the sensation that water still remained inside his body, he laid the girl on the ground.
"———"
He pressed his ear to her mouth. No breathing. Biting his lip, he placed his hand on her chest and pressed down—CPR.
But the breath wouldn't come. He leaned in, ready to give rescue breaths, and she coughed up water in his face. He tilted her head to the side and let it drain.
"Hah… hah…"
Enduring the exhaustion that threatened to pull him under, he untied the whip binding her to him and removed the weight from his back. The fact that it had weakly risen and fallen with breath the entire time was, in a sense, a mercy.
In other words—everyone was, safe— "…safe…"
His head swayed enormously, then he collapsed onto the ground.
He needed to get away from the riverbank, needed to hide in the underbrush—but his body refused to obey. He was completely and utterly spent.
Unable to move a single finger, consciousness sank into a murky darkness.
Like falling into an antlion pit—falling and falling, deeper into the dark.
In the last instant before consciousness faded, his wish was not for himself—not for the hunter or the serpent—but for someone else entirely— "…protect… Rem…"
At the very least, he hoped she would be saved.
That wish was all he had left.
△▼△▼△▼△ ……
………
…………
"—Ah."
Slowly, consciousness was drawn up from the bottom of the cold, dark void.
Quietly, forgotten breath returned, and Subaru drew air into his hollow body. More, more—he craved oxygen like a drowning man, mouth gaping wide— "—You're breathing like a damn animal, y'know."
"Glp!"
Something was jammed into his open mouth, accompanied by a string of curses.
He snapped his eyes open but couldn't see a thing. Apparently his face had been covered and his eyes blindfolded. But he could feel whoever it was—rough and heavy-handed—forcing something between his teeth.
The taste of dirt and grass, and a hard, firm texture—boots, he realized quickly.
Someone was jamming the toe of a boot into his mouth.
"Ogh! Puh—what—ghk!"
"What're you resisting for? You don't know what position you're in?"
"Ghk—ghk—"
The moment he spat out the boot, the toe cracked him in the solar plexus. Gasping, Subaru looked up through his haze to see a brutish man spitting at him.
Even as this was happening, Subaru's mind was reeling.
Blindfolded, no idea what was going on, suddenly beaten.
He wanted to clutch his aching chest, but his arms were bound behind his back. His legs seemed tied too—no chance of standing and running.
"W-what… is…"
"Huh? You still playing around? Don't you know—"
"Now, now, calm down! He doesn't know what's going on! It can't be helped! Besides—hey, let's take the blindfold off!"
"Tch."
As Subaru crouched, retching, two men argued in front of him. The second arrival talked the brutish one down, and the harsh presence retreated with a muttered curse.
Then a calm voice said, "Well, well."
"Sorry about the rough welcome. I'm sure you've got no idea what's happening, but let's get that blindfold off, at least. Can't untie your hands and feet, though—sorry about that."
"———"
When Subaru didn't answer, the man slowly reached for his head and undid the blindfold. A slight sting of pain followed by a rush of relief. Subaru drew a deep breath, enduring the pain in his chest, and waited quietly for his vision to return.
And— "What… is this place?"
His restored vision took in a sprawling camp—rows of tents, crackling campfires. Men in rough attire milling about, clad in swords and armor.
Stripped of words, the image that best captured the scene in Subaru's mind was— "…I've seen something like this in a historical drama."
Not because he'd just been looking at a river, but because what unfolded before him looked exactly like a scene from a period epic—the bustle of a military encampment on the eve of battle.
An exact reproduction of—no, not quite.
"Found you while out fetching water from the river, is all. Sorry, but you're our prisoner now."
The man who circled around to face him was probably the one who'd removed the blindfold.
Hands on his hips, he regarded Subaru with a kind but weary expression.
—