Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 7

by Tappei Nagatsuki

  “I’m treating gravely wounded people, but I can clearly say the number in peril is zero. Other people’s field dressings were excellent, and I’m a capable kitty, so it’s okay to praise me, meow.”

  With Ferris flirtingly touching a finger to his cheek, Subaru put a hand to his chest in relief. At the very least, Rem didn’t seem to be in any serious danger. The exchange after the battle had been decided had put him at ease, but hearing all over again that she was safe was a relief nonetheless.

  In the meantime, Crusch nodded as she stroked Ferris’s head. “Understood. So the remaining wounded can be transported. Ferris, you can leave the existing healing as it is, then. Afterward, you will accompany Subaru Natsuki and fulfill the role of his ally.”

  “—Eh?!”

  It was Subaru who raised his voice in surprise at the order Crusch issued.

  She was splitting Ferris off and making him accompany Subaru. That order meant nothing less than prioritizing her ally, Subaru, over her own camp’s wounded.

  Of course, Ferris would object to Crusch’s decision to split him off from the Crusch ca—

  “Understood. Ferri will accompany Subawu from here. I’ll have to heal Old Man Wil on the road anyway, meow.”

  “Quite the trouble for you.”

  “Old Man Wil’s the one swinging his sword, so that makes it about even, meow?”

  There was no beating these people.

  Ferris accepted the order like it was a matter of course, and Wilhelm betrayed no expression of surprise at the order, either. Subaru couldn’t conceal his bewilderment at the interplay between the two servants and their master.

  With Subaru in such disarray, Ferris glided his eyes over to him and said, “So that means half of the people left in the expeditionary force look all right…? About twenty people, give or take? They’ll be coming to cooperate with you, Subawu. Take good care of us.”

  “That’s putting it pretty lightly! You’re okay with this…?”

  “Okay with what, meow?”

  “Whaddaya mean, what…? Lots of things. Can you trust my judgment…?”

  As far as he could remember, back in the royal capital, there had been none he’d come into contact with that had acted to gouge more wounds in him than Ferris. No matter how friendly a smile came over his face, no matter how adorable the attitude he dressed it up in, Subaru somehow understood that he harbored a deep disdain for Subaru’s weakness.

  Subaru naturally thought that he’d feel reluctant to follow such a person, but…

  “It’s not that I trust you, Subawu. It’s that I have faith in Lady Crusch’s decision that Subawu is to be trusted. It’s not like she’s wrong, meow?”

  “O-oh…thanks.”

  Ferris laughed loudly, as if rubbing Subaru’s thoughts into his face. That behavior made Subaru feel guilty, and while his words caught in his throat, he somehow expressed his thanks. Ferris’s smile deepened when he added in a little voice, “…It’s a bit like…you’re disgusted by the one most like yourself.”

  “—? Did you…say something just now?”

  “Not reawwy? Nothing— Ah, that’s right.” Leaving the unclear statement hazy, Ferris deliberately clapped his hands together and said, “I forgot to mention this, but Rem’s holding the fort—or rather, she’ll go back to the capital with Lady Crusch and get some rest. Understand, meow?”

  “—Why?!”

  When Ferris made that declaration with a wink, a strong voice of protest arose. It came from a line of wounded, from which Rem had overheard the exchange. She glared powerfully at Ferris as she asserted:

  “I—I will be all right. Why, why would I not be with Subaru when he is heading into such danger from here on…?”

  “That’s what you say, but your body won’t move, meow? You pretty much took out one White Whale all by yourself, and you fired off high-end magic back-to-back on top of that… Rem, your body’s really depleted right now, scraping the bottom of the barrel, meow. As a healer, I cannot allow you to push yourself any further. Understand?”

  “But!”

  I cannot accept it, Rem surely meant to get up and protest. But when she tried to even sit up, she could put no strength into her arm, and with it unable to support her shaking body, she threatened to tumble over on the spot. Subaru hurried close and gently supported her shoulder.

  “It’s too dangerous… I’m begging you, do as Ferris says. Don’t do anything crazy.”

  “But—I do not want this. It hurts. I cannot bear it.”

  As Rem looked back at Subaru, now beside her, large tears filled her blue eyes. It was not being left behind that she feared. No, what she feared more than anything was—

  “When you are in distress, Subaru, I want to be the one offering my hand faster than anyone. When you hesitate along your path, I want to be the one pushing on your back. When you challenge something, I want to be at your side, stopping you from shaking. That is—that is all I wish for. So please…”

  “You don’t need to worry ’bout any of that stuff.”

  “Eh?”

  Naturally, Rem’s tearful-sounding voice weaving those lovely words brought a bashful expression to Subaru’s face. Supporting her shoulder, he gently stroked her head as he said, “You’ve been holding my hand nonstop, and you’ve pushed my back lots of times. When I’m shaking, just thinking of you lets me manage somehow—you’ve been saving me all this time.”

  “…Ah…”

  “It’s all right, Rem. I’ll manage somehow, all of it. I’m your hero. I decided this was the first step toward that. So you don’t need to worry.”

  When her quivering eyes looked up at Subaru, her cheeks grew red and hot. With her like that, Subaru turned a smiling face toward her, baring his teeth as he smiled ferociously.

  “The whale hunt’s done already. Your hero’s super-bedeviled, I guess.”

  “Suba…ru…”

  Unable to restrain the emotions welling up inside her, Rem’s call of Subaru’s name faltered midway. From there, she seemed to anguish, as if restraining her impulses over and over, and after breathing in several times, the tears she could not hold back trickled from the corners of her eyes.

  “—Yes. My hero is…the greatest in the whole world.”

  She cried with a smile on her face.

  4

  Crusch gathered up the wounded, Rem included, and the head of the White Whale, and departed for the royal capital.

  Half of the remaining expeditionary force escorted Crusch and the others, and the other half went with Subaru, heading for the Mathers domain.

  Headed by Wilhelm and Ferris, the expeditionary force accompanying Subaru amounted to twenty-four souls. It was somewhat below the numbers Subaru had hoped for, but it was reassuring fighting strength nonetheless.

  Besides, it was not just people from the expeditionary force accompanying him but also—

  “Captain! Mimi! Mimi worked hard, too! Worked incredibly super-hard!”

  Two beast people were riding ligers as they quarreled loudly.

  One was Ricardo, recovered after withdrawing from the battle lines after being wounded shielding Subaru. The other was Mimi, who had not lost any of her childish extravagance, even amid a battle with her life on the line.

  It was not only the two of them joining the battle but also the ten-odd surviving members of the beast-man mercenary band, the Iron Fangs. Apparently, the other lieutenant, Hetaro, had taken command of the wounded, returning to the capital with Crusch.

  “Come to think of it, how’d your little bro get that wiped out when you’re that full of energy?”

  “Hetaro’s a little weakling! Goodness, so pathetic!”

  Mimi cackled, laughing loudly as she made sport of her little brother’s weakness. But Subaru judged that it was probably just the older sister’s stupid amount of endurance.

  She was the berserker type who couldn’t help laughing in battle—or more precisely, an extremely positive thinker who saw fun in everything. Subaru co
uldn’t help being envious.

  “Welp, I didn’t do much for the last half of the whale butt kickin’, but don’t worry. The Lady Anastasia asked nice an’ proper. I’ll be doin’ plenty for the real job comin’ up.”

  “The real job— Wait, you know what I’m trying to do…?” Subaru said.

  “Tangle with the Witch Cult, right?”

  The words Ricardo quietly spoke made Subaru’s throat tighten.

  Naturally, when he strongly gripped the reins of Patlash, the land dragon bearing his weight, he heard the pitch-black dragon make a little sound of concern for him.

  Seeing the side of Subaru’s tense face like that, Ricardo bared his sharp fangs and smiled.

  “Go ahead an’ look surprised. To merchants, fresh info comes number one, and the miss has us on the payroll for a reason. We don’t have these ears for nothin’. They pick up lots of things, not just ’bout you.”

  “That’s right! Mimi’s awesome!”

  “I wasn’t talkin’ ’bout you, runt.”

  Mimi’s reaction threw Ricardo’s joke off on a tangent, earning a strained smile from him. While standing on the side, Subaru scratched his head, feeling surprised at Anastasia’s poor actions.

  That said, now that they were sticking together thereafter, sharing info with Ricardo and the other Iron Fangs was inevitable. If possible, he’d love to sit everyone down, expeditionary force included, and properly talk things over. And along with them, the insurance Subaru had arranged before departure, though he didn’t know if it would work, or—

  “Oh, looks like we can link up.”

  “Ah?”

  Beside Subaru, sunk in thought, Ricardo’s eyes faced forward when he suddenly spoke those words. Subaru’s gaze quickly followed suit, but he could see nothing through the darkness of the plains at night. Unable to see what Ricardo did, all he could do was tilt his head.

  “You don’t hafta strain like that; I can tell they’re waitin’ for us. Relax.”

  “So says the guy who can tell, sheesh. Showing off and all.”

  “Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. —They’re a bit far, but comin’ from thataway is the other half of our band of mercs.”

  “Half?”

  Subaru knotted his brows at Ricardo’s words. The other half of the Iron Fangs ought to have meant the wounded withdrawing to the royal capital, but…

  “By half, I mean exactly that. We put only half the members o’ the Iron Fangs on bringin’ down the White Whale. The other half had the other half to do.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Had to make sure no other humans on the highway got involved in the fight, right? So they were shuttin’ off the highway from the other side. They set out durin’ last night, so ya never had a chance to meet any of ’em.”

  Hearing Ricardo’s explanation, Subaru accepted it, drawing in his chin.

  He wasn’t exactly thrilled they hadn’t devoted all their forces to subduing the White Whale, but they had lent Ricardo and Mimi, their main combat strength. Considering that the subjugation failing might have meant complete annihilation, Anastasia wasn’t wrong to hedge against that risk. He just didn’t have to like it.

  It was Subaru’s envy at work, for he had few cards in his hand and no options save tossing fastballs full force.

  “So the ones coming now are the rest of your buddies. Who’s leading ’em?”

  “Mimi’s younger brother TB! He can do combo boomies with Mimi just like Hetaro! Incredible!”

  Mimi stuck her chest out as she proudly replied to Subaru’s inquiry. Just from hearing her vague, energetic reply, he had some concerns about their remaining comrades.

  “Er, but that younger brother was a straight shooter. Does this younger brother take after the sis, the bro, or is it fifty-fifty…?”

  “I get why yer worried, but TB’s the smartest o’ the bunch. He handles our accountin’ and negotiations, and he’s the lady’s right-hand man. He’s an expert at handlin’ Mimi, so he’s a step up over Hetaro there!”

  “Don’t say that, I’m gonna feel bad for Hetaro…”

  The various rankings the older sister and the captain had issued made Hetaro something of a tragic figure.

  Either way, setting pity for him aside, Iron Fangs reinforcements was good news. It was surely best to link up with them, then talk to everyone and think about what was to come. A strategy session aimed at the awaiting Witch Cult—Wilhelm and the others from the Crusch camp had likely surmised the circumstances. The problem was how Subaru would explain it.

  Just like with the White Whale, he had to explain things without touching upon Return by Death.

  “But that’s not an easy thing to do…mm?”

  As Subaru’s brain agonized, he saw a pack of ligers kicking up a dust cloud up ahead. Just as Ricardo had said, this was the other Iron Fangs group linking up with them. However, Subaru felt unease.

  “”

  With a corner of his head giving off an uneasy feeling, Subaru’s eyes strained, and then, he discovered the source.

  Among the pack of ligers, there was a single figure to the fore with characteristics differing from those around it. As the distance closed, and as those vague contours became better defined, Subaru understood that those characteristics were that of a land dragon.

  And mounted atop that blue land dragon was…

  “—Why are you here?”

  “That is quite a thing to say to one’s reinforcements. Most typical of you.”

  Both groups stopped, and Subaru, still on his land dragon, faced the individual.

  His pale-violet hair was meticulously combed, his body was clad in the solemn, white armor of a Knight of the Royal Guard, and the corners of his handsome mouth were curled up in a thin smile.

  Subaru stared at the elegant figure before him, connected to him by karma—Julius Juukulius.

  5

  As Patlash furled the folds of its nose, the blue land dragon before it screeched with a sharp glare. Subaru stroked its neck, trying to pacify the comrade that felt the same way he did.

  Though they had not yet been together long, the bond between Subaru and Patlash had been strengthened by escaping the edge of death together. Subaru felt like Patlash’s thoughts were conveyed straight through the reins.

  “This might trouble you at an inopportune moment, but could you stop soliciting my land dragon? Your land dragon seems quite fine as well, but such invitation goes too far.”

  “Hey, Patlash! Why, you— You’re flirting?! I go thinking we feel the same way and you betray me?! Chasing tail before a do-or-die battle?!”

  “Hey, bro, that land dragon don’t wanna hear that from ya. You were checkin’ it out so much before we left and all. Besides, bro…your land dragon’s female.”

  “Wait, you’re a lady?!”

  Patlash, the center of discussion, looked annoyed at Subaru’s surprise over his partner’s gender.

  Seeing Julius shrug his shoulders at the exchange, his statement just earlier seemed to be an unfunny joke. Subaru was about to yell at him for it, but before he could, Ferris cut in.

  “Why, it’s quite something to meet you in a place like this, Julius. We were fighting for our lives until just a few hours ago, meow.”

  “I have nothing I can say in my defense. However, I must correct you, Ferris. I am not the individual known as Julius. Let us see… I shall call myself Juli.”

  When Ferris stared and offered sarcasm, Julius toyed back with a serious face. Everyone was giving him cold looks for his meaningless use of an alias, but he accepted their gazes with a slight, serene smile and said, “If, for argument’s sake, an individual of knightly rank were to join a band of hirelings, it could only mean he had fallen to the station of mercenary. Thus, it is untrue that the knight named Julius Juukulius has joined the Iron Fangs, but rather the lone man before you named Juli.”

  “I see, meow. Typical, families with proper chivalry are so much twouble. Ferri’s so glad to be from fallen nobility.”


  “I do not think of being a knight as troublesome at all. I believe the only problem lies in the willingness to help out a friend—coincidentally, I should also declare that the punishment by house arrest received by Julius Juukulius was last night, so whereupon the day has changed, it has been lifted.”

  “Puttin’ up all those stupid distractions… Is there even a point to an alias, then?”

  Listening to the conversation between Ferris and Julius, Subaru clicked his tongue and levied abuse. Averting his gaze with a twist of his lips, it felt like he was pouting, but given that this was actually the case, he could make no excuse for it.

  Hearing such abuse from Subaru, Julius abruptly looked his way, advancing his land dragon forward to take a position directly facing Subaru when he remarked, “It is good you are in better spirits than I expected—I wondered about the condition of your body.”

  “—!”

  Julius’s statement of concern for his physical condition made something in Subaru’s brain audibly snap.

  Although Subaru’s humiliation was nearly two weeks ago from his perspective, if only a few days from Julius’s, the question, which could only come off as some kind of dry sarcasm, was more than enough to make him remember.

  As a slap in the face, the statement delivered like nothing else could, and Subaru just barely managed to lock his jeers in his own throat, holding his anger in.

  He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, put on a calm face, and gave his short forelocks a little flick.

  “Yeah, well, it was just a scratch, right? Like, a little spit and polish and I was all better? Anyway, aren’t you a little late to think of yourself as reinforcements? What? Were you busy writing apologies to the higher-ups because you got serious against an amateur?”

  Subaru countered with his specialty, fanning the flames, using a guess based on the house arrest punishment he’d previously heard discussed. As he did so, Julius’s face grew sterner, ever so slightly daunted.

  “I did not wish to speak of that but rather, the valiant wounds sustained from the subjugation of the White Whale…but it is good that those scrapes have healed as well. In the first place, the wounds should not have been as severe as they appeared…though you rolled around in exaggerated pain, specializing in earning sympathy as you are.”