[User] "She’s more precious than my life. I have to find her, have to bring her back no matter what.”

[Assistant] "More precious… To hear that not in the song of a songstress but from the lips of a man, I can only assume those are empty words.”

[User] Subaru’s eyes gleamed.

[Assistant] The man seemed to be scoffing at his recklessness. “And yet your eyes are intriguing." The man said, pointing at him.

[User] Subaru recoiled, initially afraid he might get his eye poked out.

[Assistant] The masked man chuckled. “Those eyes speak no falsehoods or lies. I do not know if your life truly hung in the balance, but at least here and now, you speak without deceit.”

[User] "In that case… Actually, what does that mean? If what I’m saying is true, then—”

[Assistant] "—Then I am mildly intrigued. I will lend you my knowledge.” The masked man tapped his temple.

[User] Subaru wanted to yell at the man to quit messing around, but the words never left his mouth. For some strange reason, he didn’t doubt the man. He was beyond suspicious, but there was a persuasiveness to him. His natural charisma, perhaps. “Tell me the details of what happened. I shall devise a way to search for her.”

[Assistant] “…She and I were suddenly sent here.” Subaru had started answering the man without even realizing it. It wasn’t as if he suddenly believed the masked man or trusted him. But any port in a storm, as they say. In moments like this, no matter how untrustworthy someone might be, it was natural to want to cling to something. That was probably all it was.


[User] "You have blundered terribly.” The first thing the masked man said after hearing everything was scathing.

[Assistant] Subaru had answered all of the man’s questions, explaining what had happened with Rem simply and carefully—while leaving out some of the more complicated bits. He’d mentioned how Rem’s memory was messed up, and that she had knocked him out and fled. And that there was a dangerous young girl with her. “I know. I’m a big idiot. But that’s not all you’ve got to say, yeah? I showed you all my dirty laundry, so you’re not just gonna have a laugh and call it a day, right?”

[User] "Fool. You think I would spend my own precious time ridiculing a clown like you? This girl, is she reasonably intelligent?”

[Assistant] “Yeah, you could say that.” Overwhelmed by the masked man’s aura, Subaru answered honestly. Rem showed her skills in all sorts of everyday situations as a maid, but being good at chores didn’t necessarily make her intelligent. That came from her uncanny ability to discover people’s talents, positioning people in the right place at the right time and knowing when to act. In combat, she could read Subaru’s actions and coordinate perfectly with him without saying a word. Rem was clever. Even if she’d lost her memories…

[User] "In that case, it is likely she has beguiled you.”

[Assistant] “B-beguiled?


[User] "You mean she tricked me? What do you…?”

[Assistant] "In this sort of situation, it is not an issue of memory. What matters is whether this girl is aware she is being chased, and whether she has the skill to analyze her pursuer. For example…” The masked man’s eyes looked Subaru up and down.

[User] Subaru’s shoulders hunched a bit; he felt attacked for his lack of foresight.

[Assistant] And watching him, the masked man’s eyes narrowed. “For example, leaving tracks in the meadow intentionally in order to disguise the direction in which she fled."

[Assistant] "After being knocked unconscious, you were undoubtedly flustered upon awaking. When under pressure to find someone right away, how would most people react to seeing obvious tracks?”

[User] They would run off like a bloodhound chasing a scent. That was both the implicit answer in the masked man’s mocking gaze, and what had in fact actually happened. Of course, it was possible to tell him he was wrong, but…

[Assistant] “…True, I couldn’t find any tracks as soon as I entered the jungle. But I assumed it was just the poor footing…”

[User] "Not averting your eyes from an inconvenient truth?”

[Assistant] “Me being an idiot isn’t some big new discovery for me. My redeeming qualities are my flexibility and resolve—is what me and the other me concluded.”

[User] That wasn’t an answer that would make sense to anyone else, but that was how Subaru answered anyway. The masked man’s theory made perfect sense. When Subaru thought about it, the tracks in the meadow had been too obvious. Some wild foxes and rabbits would also intentionally leave tracks and then leap into tall grass to confuse predators. If the tracks Rem had left in the grass were the same—a cunning trap to trick Subaru—then…

[Assistant] "She sent me off on a wild-goose chase to buy time to escape…”

[User] "In such cases, most people would choose to escape in the exact opposite direction. From a psychological perspective, choosing the direction that puts you farthest away from a pursuer is logical. Do you understand?”

[Assistant] “…It’s aggravating, but I get it. Damn it, Rem!” The masked man was right. If she had left those tracks to lure him away, then she’d most likely gone in the other direction. Assuming that was where she was headed, he still had a chance to catch up with her if he went to the other side of the meadow. Though this is really making me feel like the bad guy…

[User] "Whether it’s my face or body odor or whatever, I’m used to leaving a bad first impression. I’m gonna catch you!”

[Assistant] "Quite the spirited response. Here, take this."

[User] “Whoa? !” Subaru stood up and was about to rush off because he couldn’t stand hanging around any longer, when the masked man tossed him something he’d fished out of his bag. Catching it on reflex, Subaru looked down to see a small knife in a leather sheath. His eyes widened, and the masked man simply shrugged.


[User] "This is not a place to challenge with a single whip. Use it well."

[Assistant] "I’m definitely grateful and all, but…you sure? I can’t give you anything in return."

[User] "It matters not. On occasion, even I feel like a spot of charity. Or would you like to try to steal all of my baggage with that knife?" It was clearly a joke, but he had given Subaru the opportunity to do just that.

[Assistant] "My name is Subaru Natsuki. There’s no denying I owe you one for this, and I repay my debts. I won’t forget this." Fastening the knife to his waist, Subaru bowed deeply.

[User] The masked man simply snorted. "The path has been set. You may proceed. Use every means at your disposal and win back the girl’s trust."

[Assistant] "That’s exactly what I’m gonna do. Thanks! Oh, right—almost forgot."

[User] "What?"

[Assistant] Having waved his hand in gratitude, Subaru was about to run into the forest, but then stopped short. "I’m going this way to get back to the meadow I was in before, but I wouldn’t recommend you go in there. There’s a scary hunter somewhere in there. They’ll nail you from a distance with a bow, and I don’t think any number of lives would be enough to survive. If you’re planning on moving, I’d go around it if you can." Subaru pointed at the forest in front of him.

[User] "...I see. I shall keep that in mind."

[Assistant] "Yeah, please do. See you later!" With that, Subaru had avoided the situation of his benefactor getting done in by the hunter. That would have left a bad taste in his mouth.


[User] Subaru rushed into the forest and sprinted at full speed back to the clearing he had originally been in. "This is nice and sharp!"

[Assistant] Fortunately, it was not too much effort to get back there.

[User] "It looked like he had some pretty expensive stuff on him. I wonder who he was…?" Still mystified about that, Subaru hurriedly made his way back to the meadow.

[Assistant] "...Found it. This is the real deal." He’d found some irregular tracks leading in the opposite direction of the original set of tracks.


[User] "I’m finally on your tail, Rem…!" Just as he had noticed before, his words made him sound just like a villain, even as he continued to follow the tracks that would give him a chance to make a second impression.

[Assistant] "I found it! With this…" I can catch up with Rem. Boldly moving forward, Subaru followed the footsteps in the mud.

[User] "—Huh?" Being fully focused on tracking her, he didn’t notice until it was too late. A tied vine snapped beneath his foot. The branch it had been holding in place snapped back with incredible force, slamming into Subaru’s side.

[Assistant] "Gehh? !" Swiped by a branch as thick as his arm, Subaru went flying. Rolling across the muddy ground with a cough, he struggled to get back up after the impact. The unexpected attack made his eyes and head spin like a patrol car’s flashing lights from the shock and the pain.

[User] "W-was that…" After a short while, the pain subsided, and he finally stood up. Subaru could still feel it in his legs, and he could tell he’d been hit hard in his side. But more importantly…

[Assistant] "A trap?" Though she was escaping, Rem wasn’t content to just run away. Even without her memories, she still did everything she could, with all her might. That was what made her so fearsome. And Subaru Natsuki finally realized something.


[User] “Guoowaah! Gaah!” There was a moment’s weightlessness. Then came the pain of hitting a hard surface. Even though he knew he was falling and prepared himself for the landing, it was still quite the impact. The most unexpected thing, however, was that there was another thick branch trap lying in wait for him after he landed. His shoulder blade was hit especially hard, and his eyes watered from the pain.

[Assistant] “Every time… But I gotta say, it’s a good thing these traps have only been followed up with more environmental booby traps. All hail the knife…” Subaru put the knife away again and caught his breath. Turning around and looking up, he saw the trunk of the tree that he had been strung up from just moments ago. There was a long vine extending from one of its thicker branches down to the ground. He had cut it with his knife, but further down the vine was…

[User] “A snare… I’ve seen them in manga before, but I didn’t realize this kind of trap would work in real life,” Subaru murmured to himself as he pulled off the snare made of vines that had snagged him by his right ankle. The trap had been set on the ground, and the moment he’d stepped into it, he had been yanked up into the air. He still wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, and he didn’t have the time to figure it out, either.

[Assistant] “So this is Rem’s knowledge and dexterity at work, even when she doesn’t have her memories… This whole chase just confirms that she’s definitely Big Sis’s little sister no matter what state she’s in.” It was obvious, but this experience was really driving it home. Of course, this wasn’t how he’d wanted to come to this realization, so it was a bittersweet feeling. More than an hour had passed since Subaru had followed Rem into the jungle. Following the advice of the masked man he had met in the other clearing, he’d managed to discover the tracks that Rem had covered up and find the route she had taken with Louis. But he hadn’t caught up with them because of the traps Rem had set out of pure wariness, and the false leads she had left for her pursuer.

[User] “The fact that Rem can make a pitfall big enough for an entire leg with a single punch is a real problem… The gap in our physical prowess is really showing.” And mixed in among the smaller traps were some serious traps like that last one, which were designed to seriously stop him in his tracks. How long would it have taken me to get out of that vine trap if I hadn’t stumbled upon this knife? The thought alone was enough to make him shudder. And what made him feel most impatient was…

[Assistant] “Hiyah!” He swung his whip, striking a suspicious bit of ground.


[User] An instant later, there was a powerful crack as one, two, and then three branches whipped out. If they’d all hit him, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he’d broken an arm or two. The biggest traps were designed to completely rob him of any ability to act—there were not many of them, but the fact that they existed at all significantly slowed his progress. The thick branch attack set right at the entrance to the jungle could also have been considered one of those bigger traps. As he advanced deeper into the jungle, the big traps he discovered grew in both intensity and dangerousness. This was less because Rem was growing crueler, however, and more that she was simply improving.

[Assistant] "She’s studying and getting better at setting traps the longer I chase her… Damn it, you did always like studying. I’d prefer if you were a little less dedicated right now.” He knew Rem was a hard worker and good at putting in effort, and he was happy that she had not lost that tendency even after losing her memories, but still, he wasn’t super happy about this particular instance of it. Long story short, in the middle of their little battle, Rem was growing. Since Subaru’s growth had pretty much capped out, the already massive difference in their abilities was becoming even starker. I need to get to her before the gap becomes insurmountable…

[User] “There it is.” In the gap between the trees that had been used for a trap, he spotted a tiny spot of peeled bark on a tree. It was a very small mark, like the nicks on a cat’s scratching post. But those little spots of childish play were what had guided Subaru this far. Basically, they were the signs of a hindrance. Ironically, what was slowing Rem down and giving Subaru a trail to follow was the Archbishop she had brought along—Louis Arneb. No matter how carefully Rem tried to cover her tracks, Louis was ruining her efforts.

[Assistant] “That piece of shit…” Subaru’s heart did not feel any lighter despite that lucky break. Of course it didn’t. Even if Louis’s presence was benefiting Subaru, he couldn’t be happy about anything related to that horrible Archbishop. Even if Louis was not the one who’d actually stolen Rem’s name and memory from her, the three Gluttony siblings were equally steeped in sin. None of them was any less guilty than the others. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have a physical body or that she had lived a messed-up life. That had been Subaru’s answer to Louis Arneb, who had been crying and begging in that white world. So even if Louis was the reason he was able to stay on Rem’s tail so closely, even if this led to him eventually explaining things to Rem, he had no intention of changing the way he treated Louis. Not in the slightest.


[User] "Why do I have to chase after Rem like this in the first place…? !" Subaru bit his lip in anger at how unreasonable the situation was.

[Assistant] He had considered the possibility that Rem wouldn’t possess her memories or recall her own name when she woke up.

[User] Obviously, it would have been best if she had come back exactly as she had been, but with the precedent that had been set by Crusch and Julius, he had not gotten his hopes up too much. His hunch had been right on the money. Rem had forgotten both herself and him.

[Assistant] Even so, Subaru thought he could hold on and still support her. With Emilia, Ram, Beatrice, and everyone in their camp helping, they would be able to support Rem. That was why he’d been able to hang on.

[User] But now he was chasing after Rem in a jungle with no one to rely on, while she was doing everything in her power to get away from him.

[Assistant] “Why did it end up like this…? Why is it always…?”

[User] Nothing ever fell neatly into place. Rem could have woken up, remembered everything, been surprised by how much time had passed, and then they could have continued their story together. That would have been fine.

[Assistant] Or even if Rem had been in the same condition as she was now, he wouldn’t have had to suffer like this if his reliable comrades were here. That would have been perfectly fine, too.

[User] Fate always set Subaru Natsuki along the most difficult road. And this wasn’t just true for him. It constantly happened to everyone he cared about, too.

[Assistant] “That’s enough complaining, Subaru Natsuki.” Gritting his teeth, Subaru slapped his cheeks with both hands. The sharp pain startled him, and helped temporarily banish his feelings of self-pity.

[User] It was true—fate always directed him down the most difficult path. That was why, despite feeling the lash of countless difficulties, Subaru Natsuki always stood back up and pressed forward, even as he coughed up blood.

[Assistant] “The man who turned the hardship he faced into a whip. That’s me.”

[User] The Guiltylowe that he’d made into his whip had been less like a wall and more like the lowest hurdle in all the trials and tribulations that had blocked his path, but still.

[Assistant] He got himself fired up, letting his spirits swell and channeling all that heat to his brain so he could come up with a plan. That was how he had always done things.

[User] “Think, think, think, think. Even if I keep up the chase, Rem will realize what Louis is doing at some point, and then there won’t be any more tracks. I have to finish this before that happens.”

[Assistant] Assessing their relative strengths, he tried to weigh his advantages against his opponent’s. At present, Rem’s primary assets were her dexterity and attentiveness, both of which persisted despite her memory loss.


[User] "...She must have realized I’m following her."

[Assistant] The repeated traps made that much obvious, but he realized she must have also sensed him on her trail. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of setting this many traps. The first few might have been set just out of caution, and under other circumstances, she would have prioritized fleeing. The fact that she hadn’t done that and had instead kept setting traps meant she was sure Subaru was pursuing her. And the reason she was sure of this had to be the Witch’s stench.

[User] "How much do I stink right now…?"

[Assistant] In the past, Rem and Beatrice had told him it faded over the course of several days, but it increased sharply right after he died and returned, or whenever he was dying frequently. And in the past half a day, he had lived through all of the doubled-up Subaru Natsuki’s experiences before being teleported into the jungle.

[User] "I must stink more than I ever have before.” While he contemplated that, Subaru dismantled two small traps and then a third medium-sized one, continuing to trace Rem’s footsteps using Louis’s clues. It was like Hansel and Gretel following breadcrumbs. Except Subaru was alone, and the two girls were the ones running away.

[Assistant] “Oh, this time it’s in a pretty obvious place. Next is…” Noticing a torn bit of bark, Subaru set his next course. Louis wasn’t intentionally giving him directions, so the marks didn’t actually provide much in the way of guidance, and more often than not, they were very difficult to notice. Most likely, they’d been made when Louis was left alone while Rem was setting the traps. Most of the previous signs were hard to find, so it was nice to find one that was more obvious.

[User] “These are a huge help. If Rem had noticed and covered them up, I wouldn’t be…” Just as he was about to finish that thought, Subaru froze. Then he went back to the tree he had just passed and looked at where the bark had been scraped away. It was a big, healthy-looking tree, and the mark had been put in a fairly noticeable place. Would Rem really have missed that?

[Assistant] “Knowing Rem…” Given how attentive and perceptive she was, she would have covered any obvious marks.


[User] "...There!" Subaru threw a big clump of plants, mud, and roots at the path he had been about to walk down. The clod arced through the air, fell into the high grass— —and there was a loud crash as the grass sank, swallowed up by a massive hole in the ground.

[Assistant] "Whoa…!" This pit made a mockery of all the other little traps he’d seen so far. As it opened up, nearby trees creaked and also fell in. This was a mega trap. If Subaru had been caught in it, he would have been buried alive and put completely out of commission. Every previous trap had laid the foundation for one big, decisive move. The clues he’d been relying on had been used to lure him into a formidable trap that would have buried him alive. It was a method that suited Rem, and he wanted to compliment her on it, but…

[User] "If I know Rem, then this isn’t the end, either." Setting a trap that would disable her pursuer would have been the ideal outcome. But Rem was far too observant and too diligent and too adorable and earnest and heartwarming, and—

[Assistant] "When she gets impatient, she’ll come and deal with the problem herself. Isn’t that right, Rem? !" Spinning around, Subaru looked up at the tree that had been marked.

[User] "Ngh!! !" Rem flew at Subaru from one of its branches with her teeth set in a snarl.

[Assistant] "...Haaaaah!" …the difference in their combat abilities meant he couldn’t stop her.

[User] "Guooh!" Subaru was sent flying with a groan as Rem’s arm hit him on her way down. Frankly, both the fact that she could move as well as she did without any assistance from her legs and the fact that Subaru had reflexively tried to catch her were both fully unexpected.

[Assistant] "How persistent can one man be? !"

[User] "W-wait, Rem, listen to me…" Subaru pleaded, blood dripping from his nose.

[Assistant] "No!" Crawling across the jungle floor, she glared at Subaru with her blue eyes. "If you had just given up on us there, I had no intention of doing anything else to you. And still, you chased us… Just stop it!"

[User] "It really hurts my feelings when you put it that way…"

[Assistant] "The stench is unbearable! It’s impossible to miss your approach. And it’s even worse than it was in the clearing…"

[User] Keeping pressure on his nose, Subaru staggered to his feet.


[User] He was standing, whereas Rem was crawling on the ground. Carefully gauging the distance between them, Subaru had no option but to try to resolve the misunderstanding. "Rem, please listen to me. Apparently I have a pretty strong smell to you—"

[Assistant] "Yes, you stink."

[User] "Hearing you say that is so nostalgic…! Anyway, I apparently give off a strong smell, and I know it feels evil to you, but I don’t have any bad intentions!" Raising both hands, he tried to demonstrate his lack of animosity. The Witch’s scent kept her guard up.

[Assistant] "There’s the stench, and I know your first impression of me wasn’t good, either. I’ve lived with that for eighteen years now. So would you please let me have a do-over?"

[User] "…A do-over?"

[Assistant] "It was my fault. I was wrong. You’re uneasy and don’t remember anything, and I didn’t explain anything. I got so caught up in my own head, I didn’t consider your feelings at all…" His impatience and anxiety had made him completely ignore how she felt in all this. He needed words to reach Rem and soften her heart. "You’re important to me. I want to protect you. So please listen to me. Please don’t reject me. Please just give me one more chance."

[User] "…Is that it?"

[Assistant] "…Huh?"

[User] "Is that all you have to say to me?" Her voice was quiet, tinted with barely controlled anger.

[Assistant] "R-Rem…?"

[User] "Of course I think you are suspicious and strange, chasing us all around, giving off that wicked stench. But…" Rem glared at Subaru, who was watching her in bewilderment, as if he were the manifestation of evil. "More than anything, that cannot absolve you of attempting to abandon such a little girl. How could anyone trust such a terrible and contemptible person?"

[Assistant] "Ah." Subaru didn’t know what to say in response to her condemnation. As the words sank into his brain, he realized the reason he had failed to earn Rem’s trust had nothing to do with the Witch’s scent. "" He didn’t know how he should respond. Subaru had overcome countless difficulties.


[User] Sometimes, he failed to overcome them and died, forcing him to approach the problem from another angle. But right now, he didn’t have a solution for this. Should he apologize? Make an excuse? Tell the truth? Which should he prioritize? No matter what he picked, he couldn’t see it changing Rem’s distrustful gaze. And all this was the result of a decision he had made that was already locked in, thanks to Return by Death.

[Assistant] "Nothing more to say, I see." While Subaru simply stood in place with eyes darting around and face rigid, unable to speak, Rem reached her limit. She raised her upper body and started to move away from Subaru. It seemed she had no intention of killing him to spare herself any future anxiety. She probably thought Subaru wouldn’t keep following them after having been cornered here. Of course, he knew that couldn’t be any less accurate. Even if she rejected him, Subaru would continue to hold out his hand until she was willing to take it. But…

[User] “…Re—” As she prepared to leave, he started to call to her. He called her name, even without having a clue as to what he should say next. When… “” As he stretched his hand out toward her back, he noticed something. A shadow peeking through the dense foliage—a familiar figure.

[Assistant] “Rem!! !” Before a thought could cross his mind, he immediately leaped toward her. Surprised, Rem froze. The moment he had her small body cradled in his arms, an arrow from that powerful bow passed overhead, and splinters exploded from the tree it slammed into.


[User] The big tree cracked and split from the terrible impact. It was so powerful he could feel it from a distance. He also felt Rem’s warm, soft body in his arms. Then he quickly confirmed his limbs were all still attached. That was good enough for now.

[Assistant] “Wh-what are you—?”

[User] “Don’t talk, you’ll bite your tongue!” Rem was slow to react, but he didn’t have time to listen to her complaints. He stumbled forward, reaching out and seizing her in his arms, then rolled backward while holding her tightly. He could feel Rem stifling a scream, but it was drowned out by something louder—the thunderous crash of the broken tree falling to the ground. They rolled, rolled, and rolled some more, until the ground suddenly disappeared.

[Assistant] “Gah!”

[User] “Kyah? !”

[Assistant] After a moment of weightlessness, they both hit the ground. It was the big hole filled with collapsed trees and dirt—the pitfall Rem had set for Subaru. Subaru had rolled into it on purpose to block the enemy’s line of sight. His plan had succeeded. But it had come at a price.

[User] “Gah, gh… Yeah, that’s broken…!” He had unconsciously pulled Rem close with his left arm, and she had broken the fingers that held on to her. The middle finger, ring finger, and pinky of his left hand were all badly broken.


[User] Subaru groaned, doing his best not to look too closely at the fingers, which were pointing in the wrong direction, as Rem crawled away from him.

[Assistant] “Of course! You came at me so suddenly… What in the world is happening? !”

[User] “I didn’t get a chance to mention it, but there’s a dangerous hunter hiding in the trees. The odds they’re out hunting deer and just shot at us by accident are pretty much zero at this point… Ghhhhh.” Cold sweat breaking out on his brow, Subaru made a splint of wood and a handkerchief for his broken fingers. The only silver lining was that the broken fingers were on his left hand. If they had been on his dominant hand, Subaru would have been about as helpful as a kindergartner going forward.

[Assistant] “A dangerous hunter… Not your ally?”

[User] “You think an ally would provide supporting fire like that? And how would that even be… Whoa? !” The moment he poked his head out of the hole to check out the situation, the felled tree right in front of him exploded. It seemed the hunter was intent on getting a clean shot at them. It was probably quite obvious they had no means of retaliating from a distance.

[Assistant] “You know, ordinarily a sniper would change position after their location has been revealed. That’s what you’re supposed to do… That ass is definitely looking down on us. Not that I can do anything about it.”

[User] “…That was an arrow? Unbelievable. That’s ridiculous!”

[Assistant] “Yeah! Exactly! It’ll leave a big gaping hole in your chest if it hits you!” He had already died once, pinned to a tree like an insect in a science experiment. But there was something odd about this. The last time Subaru had ventured into the jungle, he’d gone in the opposite direction.

[User] “What are you doing over here, you asshole…?” The pain from his fingers was hammering away inside his head. He gritted his teeth until it felt like they might crack and desperately tried to think. It seemed highly unlikely this hunter was someone other than the culprit who’d murdered him before. Both attacks had come from the same powerful bow. The question was, why were they proactively targeting him? Maybe this is private property, and they’re a little too aggressive about driving out trespassers. The hunter is insanely accurate—but maybe they just suck at holding back?

[Assistant] “Maybe we can talk this through! Hey! I don’t want to fight! It was just by chance that we ended up in this jungle…”

[User] “Wait a moment! Are you including me and that girl when you say that? I refuse to be put in the same group as you!”

[Assistant] “Is this really the time— Whoa? !” The answer to Subaru’s request for a ceasefire was an arrow that left a giant gouge in the ground. The powerful impact also silenced his argument with Rem.


[User] "It would appear this is not someone who’s willing to talk…"

[Assistant] "If they’re using arrows, we have to watch out for arcing shots, too… If this hunter was a real sniper, they could wait hours… But with a bow and arrow, it’s not like staring through the lens of a scope and sitting still, so they probably can’t wait forever."

[User] "They’re trying to end this quickly." Expecting the enemy to try something in the not-too-distant future, Subaru decided he did not have the time to think for long. If they weren’t willing to talk, then there was no avoiding a fight. And he didn’t have many cards to play in a fight.

[Assistant] "The only choice is running away, like Teach taught me." Subaru looked at Rem, who seemed to be waiting with bated breath.

[User] “…? Why did you suddenly stop talking? Did you come up with a plan to flee?”

[Assistant] “…It is an emergency, after all, so I guess you are at least willing to listen to me.”

[User] Pouted in annoyance, seated neatly there on the ground.

[Assistant] "Rem, listen. I’ll jump out and get their attention. You climb out the other side of the hole and get to safety."

[User] "Huh…?"

[Assistant] "After you’ve gotten away, I’ll make a run for it, too. But I don’t want to get too far from you after this, so I’d appreciate it if you could leave me some sort of markers. It might not make a ton of sense, but in my homeland, arrows are a sort of sign you can use to indicate direction—"

[User] "Don’t tell me that.” Rem interrupted him with a sharp glare.

[Assistant] "Deciding everything by yourself… And to top it off, you are telling me to run away?


[User] “Me? The person who is furious at you already for attempting to abandon a child?” She rejected Subaru’s plan for the exact same reason she had rejected Subaru at first.

[Assistant] "That’s… But I…”

[User] “I’ve had enough of your excuses. There is no time. But I refuse to run away alone. I will not leave that child behind.”

[Assistant] Subaru couldn’t contain his surprise as Rem turned her attention to what was outside the hole.

[User] “I wondered where she was. So you hid her there? How is she staying quiet while all this is going on…?”

[Assistant] “…It was difficult carrying her around, so I knocked her unconscious. She shouldn’t wake up for a while.”

[User] “You…”

[Assistant] Subaru was on the verge of exploding, but Rem’s incredibly typical response made his frustration crumble.

[User] “…I don’t think it was a good choice, either.”

[Assistant] “No, it was a spectacular play. Just to check, you aren’t willing to just leave her while the two of us escape together?”

[User] “I do not know who I am, but I would bite my tongue and kill myself before doing such a thing.”

[Assistant] “Damn it, me. You just had to suddenly decide to be a merciful Buddha when the shadow swallowed us…”

[User] “What are you going to do?”

[Assistant] “…I’ll do it. I’ll bring her, too. That tree, right?”

[User] “…Yes. In the hollow of the tree. Is there any chance of winning?”

[Assistant] “My Teach taught me to run without hesitation when a powerful enemy shows up.”

[User] “Gotta use anything you can. Rem, I know you don’t like it, but lend me a hand.”

[Assistant] “…If it’s for the sake of helping her.” She looked right at his outstretched hand and refused to take it.


[User] He swung his left arm forcefully once, checking the condition of his broken fingers. There was…a fair amount of pain. A throbbing sensation clawed at the back of his skull, but he steeled his nerves so they wouldn’t distract him while he was running.

[Assistant] "Hiiyah!" He pushed a smaller tree trunk out of the hole.

[User] "Uoooooh!! !" Ignoring that, Subaru climbed out of the hole and stepped onto the rough ground.

[Assistant] "—It’s coming!" Subaru heard those words right as he took his first step after having climbed out of the hole.

[User] "Ngh!" Right after he’d heard Rem’s voice, the ground behind him erupted.

[Assistant] "I don’t think so…!"

[User] Sitting with her back against the side of the hole, with a muddy stone in hand, Rem had hurled a missile—or more like a cannonball.

[Assistant] "It’d be better if she remembered how to use magic…!"

[User] "A cornered rat can still bite back! Hope you enjoy the feeling!! !" Evading the shock wave from the arrow’s impact, Subaru shouted these words as he watched Rem’s big rock fly in the direction where the arrow had come from.

[Assistant] "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!! !"


[User] The rocks he had gathered just in case they might be useful now transformed into deadly projectiles in her dainty hands.

[Assistant] "And while Rem is buying me time…"

[User] Now that the sniper had been momentarily silenced by artillery fire, Subaru reached the tree. Circling around it, he peered inside a hollowed-out cavity and saw Louis sleeping in a blanket of her own blond hair.

[Assistant] "Please do not stop moving!! !"

[User] "Ngh!" Noticing his moment of hesitation, Rem shouted and put an end to Subaru’s indecisiveness.

[Assistant] Somehow managing to tamp down on the fierce reluctance he felt, Subaru picked up Louis and jumped from the tree.

[User] "Huh?" Just as he leaped out and was about to start heading back to Rem, however, a black shadow suddenly appeared, blocking his path. The plan had been to go back to the hole in the ground the same way he’d come. There wasn’t anything here before. Then, looking up at the shadow, he was struck speechless.

[Assistant] "!! !" The enormous shadow that had slipped silently through the rainforest and appeared right in his path was a giant snake, maybe thirty feet long. The creature had yellow eyes and green scales. Then Subaru noticed a twisted, white horn on its forehead, and realized what it was.

[User] "A demon beast…!" Subaru regretted overlooking such an obvious danger. He should have known. He was currently emitting the scent of the Witch more strongly than he had at any other point since he’d arrived in this world. That meant demon beasts would surely be drawn to him, just like in the Auguria dunes and so many other places before. This dark, deserted jungle was the perfect place for them.

[Assistant] Opening its big mouth, the snake took aim at Subaru. It was big enough to swallow him whole, and Louis with him. Seeing it up close and personal, he felt time slow down. Hmm, that’s not good. It almost felt like it was happening to someone else. As he cursed himself for reflexively trying to protect Louis, the snake’s mouth—

[Assistant] "Uwah? !" Subaru had instinctively closed his eyes, so when something wet dripped on him from above, he panicked. At first, he’d assumed the snake was the type of monster that sprayed its prey with digestive fluids before eating them, but that wasn’t it. What had drenched him was pitch-black blood spilling from the mouth of a snake that had been pierced through the torso with a sharp arrow.

[User] "Ngh!" Subaru gasped in surprise, seeing the black blood pouring out of the snake’s mouth. But his shock had nothing to do with the big snake or the blood covering his body.

[Assistant] "Why did the hunter…? !" The attack had saved Subaru and Louis, who were about to be swallowed whole by the snake.


[User] “They saved me…? !” He didn’t understand, but that was the only answer he could come up with.

[Assistant] “!! !” The snake let out an earsplitting shriek.

[User] The thirty-foot-long snake slithered across the ground, bearing down on its new prey.

[Assistant] “!! !” The snake bared its fangs and attacked.


[User] Subaru raced back to the hole where Rem was waiting, with Louis in his arms.

[Assistant] “Rem, give me a hand! We need to run now!”

[User] “—! Is the child safe?”

[Assistant] “Yeah, she’s annoyingly fast asleep! C’mon, let’s go!” Subaru reached out to Rem, who was still leaning against the back of the hole.

[User] Rem looked at his hand, then shook her head, putting her hand on the edge of the hole.

[Assistant] Subaru withdrew his outstretched hand, then took out his whip and tied Louis to his back.

[User] “Also…!”

[Assistant] “Wai—!”

[User] After making sure Louis was tied tight and wouldn’t fall, he reached down and lifted Rem into his arms.

[Assistant] Rem's expression immediately grew tense.

[User] “Your only choices are me, the hunter, or the snake!”

[Assistant] “…The snake, if it can be talked to.”

[User] “It can’t, so just put up with me as second-best! Let’s go!” Subaru quickly turned and ran from where the hunter and snake were having a fierce battle.


[User] “Hah, hah…” And as he ran while holding Rem, he couldn’t help being struck by a nostalgic feeling. He had run around a forest being chased by demon beasts like this once before. But he had been carrying Ram in his arms that time, not Rem. “Big Sis doesn’t remember that, either…hah… I’m the only one who still remembers that one…”

[Assistant] "You are breathing heavily. We’ll be caught at this rate.”

[User] “I know! Both of you sisters…hah…no mercy at all…!” Even though he was carrying a different person, the commentary was just as scathing. Subaru pushed himself even as he grew breathless, running through the forest desperately while leaving Rem to watch their back. I’ve been running all over today. His body and mind were battered and worn out. He would have loved to just throw everything aside and take a nap if he could. If we shake off our pursuer, I definitely will. Eight straight hours, even. “I just gotta hold out until then…!”

[Assistant] “…Ah, wait!”

[User] “Ow, ow, ow, ow?! What? !” As he shouted encouragement to himself, Rem pulled his ear roughly. Grimacing in pain, Subaru saw Rem point in another direction.

[Assistant] “I hear the sound of flowing water…a river? That would cover our tracks, no?”

[User] “That would definitely help! If we can cross the river, it would make it harder to follow us…!” Unfortunately, between his hoarse breathing and the pulse hammering in his chest, Subaru couldn’t hear the sound of water, but he had no reason to doubt Rem’s hearing.

[Assistant] “That way,” Rem said, pointing. Following her guidance, Subaru changed direction and rushed forward in search of a river. And as he broke through a cluster of trees and out into a clearing…

[User] “It is a river! But…” As they made it out of the trees and the clearing spread out before him, Subaru could finally hear the tremendous crash of water, too—because it was a massive, rumbling river. Flowing about ten yards below them, over the side of a cliff. As if making a mockery of their idea to cover their tracks by crossing it.

[Assistant] “This is too much…” Rem gulped, seeing the big river below them. Considering the raging torrent of water and how high up they were, her reaction was natural. And she seemed to be blaming herself for having led them here.

[User] But there was no time for regret, or blame, or apologies. “Damn it—did they finish fighting? !” An awesome roar thundered deep in the jungle behind them. It sounded like the snake’s cry was filled with some sort of emotion. Whether it had experienced victory or defeat, the survivor of that battle was probably coming for them now. “Before that, we need to—”

[Assistant] “—Leave me here.” Subaru was about to say it was time for them to hightail it out of there when Rem interrupted him. Subaru gasped at the tension in her voice.

[User] “What?”

[Assistant] “Please leave me here. It is my fault that we took an unnecessary diversion.


[User] "There is no time to delay. I will stop the enemy somehow, so—"

[Assistant] "D-don’t be stupid! I’m not leaving yo—"

[User] "Then what will you do?! Continue carrying two girls who can’t move on their own when you are already out of breath and your knees are quivering? What more can you do?!"

[Assistant] Rem went red in the face as she argued with him.

[User] He didn’t let her intensity overwhelm him, but he didn’t have an immediate answer to what she’d said, either. Subaru was not smart enough to instantly think of a backup plan on the spot. But at the same time, he quickly came to a decision that didn’t require any intelligence. "No. I’m not going to leave you."

[Assistant] "Ngh! You stubborn—"

[User] "Who’s the one being stubborn here?! I know you feel responsible! But that has nothing to do with this! You think I could ever leave you behind?!"

[Assistant] "Wha—?"

[User] "There’s no point if you’re gone! If you’re going to die, it would be better for me to die instead. What do I have to do to get you to understand that?!" Subaru tried to get her to take back her suggestion with his complete and honest feelings. He meant every word of what he’d said. Of course he didn’t want to die. Even if Return by Death gave him more opportunities, he didn’t want to die. It was simply a matter of picking the least bad option. But even so… "I’ll choose a way where neither of us has to die."

[Assistant] "…What about the girl on your back?"

[User] "If I could use her as bait, I’d do it, but it would be a problem if you complained about it. So for now, I’ll bring her with us, too." It was aggravating how Louis was constantly getting mixed up with their other problems, but if he tossed Louis aside now, it would be impossible to patch up his relations with Rem. That was not an option, so as much as he hated Louis, he wouldn’t abandon her here.

[Assistant] Rem’s eyes widened, and she fell silent. He could almost see her confusion as she tried to decide what to do about the person shrouded in a repulsive odor.

[User] As he kept an eye on her, Subaru looked around them, searching for a way out. Sadly, there wasn’t a path to survival conveniently lying there, waiting to be found. The situation was dire enough that Rem had suggested using herself as a decoy. In which case… "Guess we have to jump."

[Assistant] "Wha…? W-wait a moment! That is beyond reckless! In this situation?!"

[User] "You can’t move your legs, and I’ve got a millstone tied to my back, and three broken fingers, and an iffy rib or two…"

[Assistant] "Your fingers are… No, look! It’s absurd! From this height… If we jump, we’ll just pass out and drown!" As she pointed down at the river, Rem listed very practical objections.


[User] "It isn’t suicidal. And worst-case scenario, at least we’ll die together." Subaru flashed a toothy smile, only for Rem to slap him.

[Assistant] "Absolutely not!"

[User] "Argh!" His neck twisted from the impact, and he groaned in pain as his cheek turned red. "Fine, I get it. Then I’ll make sure we won’t die."

[Assistant] "I’ll make your wish come true. Because I’m your hero."

[User] Her eyes opened wide. Not because these words had brought back a memory, but because she was surprised to hear him still repeating that same suspicious line he’d said right after she’d woken up.

[Assistant] Sensing danger approaching, Subaru exhaled. "Hold on tight."

[User] Rem was still trying to resist, but Subaru stepped toward the edge before she could say anything else to try to stop him. Anticipating their fall, Rem clutched tightly on to his clothes. "I won’t forgive you if we die!"

[Assistant] Well, I suppose I can’t die, then. Subaru smiled to himself and kicked off the edge of the cliff.


[User] There was a crash and a spout of water. Then a powerful current spun his body around. He’d just managed to land feetfirst in the water, minimizing the impact on them, but it was still a hard landing, and with Subaru’s HP already flashing red, it was hard to shake the feeling that he was just barely hanging on through sheer determination.

[Assistant] "Gahgh." His whole body was being thoroughly rinsed and scoured by water, like a towel in a washing machine. I need to get to the surface and breathe. But I can’t move. Even if he tried to kick his way up, he had something important in his arms, so he couldn’t make it. The powerful current kept crashing into him, but he could still feel the object of his affection in his arms and the object of his hatred on his back. Neither the whip he had tied around himself nor his arms were going to let go.

[User] "Gagh." Water entered his nose and mouth, and it felt like it was getting in his eyes and ears, too. He moved his arms and legs in vain, struggling as he was carried down the throat of the massive creature that was the river. But if they reached the point where all this water emptied out of the river, there would be no hope of survival. He had to do something before that happened.


[User] "Gah, gurgh." He kicked at the water as random thoughts bounced around his head. Is Emilia safe? What about Beatrice? Ram and Meili? Julius, Anastasia, and Echidna are probably managing okay. Everyone will be safe if Patlash is around. It would have been a huge help if Patlash was here. If Patlash was here, she would have saved us. Saving and being saved. And the person I most wanted to save broke my fingers. It’s a bit late, but that really hurt, and I did a good job not crying when it happened. I don’t want to look lame in front of Rem. Ram or Beatrice, either, or Petra or Garfiel. Otto, Clind, and Frederica already know I’m pathetic, though, so they’re fine. It would be scary if Roswaal found out, so I have to make sure to hide it from him. I need to get back to Pristella to help those people, and the royal selection, and tomorrow, everyone— "Gagh, gahh." Everyone was…

[Assistant] "Geugh." Subaru managed to latch on to a branch and pull himself in, grabbing it with his left hand. His three broken fingers cried out in protest, but he ignored them. "Ugh, bgh." All the water he had inhaled came back up as he heaved, holding the weight in his right arm close and pulled her face out of the water. While looking at her unconscious face, he desperately pulled himself up the river’s bank with the help of the branch. "Geh, ugh." Somehow managing to get up the side of the bank, he gave in to the nausea and vomited up more water, still struggling against the feeling of water sloshing around inside him as he laid the girl down on the ground.

[User] He checked to see if she was breathing by putting his ear near her mouth, but there was no response. Biting his lip, he pushed on her chest and started doing CPR, but she still wasn’t breathing. He leaned down to see if he needed to do rescue breathing, but just as his face got close to hers, she coughed up water. Tilting her head to the side, he helped her eject the water. As a fresh wave of exhaustion washed over his body, he undid the whip that lashed the millstone to his back and set her down. Maybe it was thanks to her being unconscious to begin with, but she was still breathing weakly with no apparent problems. Meaning everyone was safe… "Safe…" A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, and he collapsed on the spot. He felt like they needed to get away from the riverbank and at least hide in the brush line, but his body wouldn’t listen. His stamina was completely spent, not managing to move another finger as he started slipping into darkness.

[Assistant] "R…em…" He prayed that she, at least, would be saved as he passed out.


[User] “…Ah.” Slowly, his consciousness was drawn back up from the cold, dark depths. Quietly, he remembered to breathe, and air filled his empty body. More, more. He sought oxygen as if he was drowning.

[Assistant] He opened his mouth wide.

[User] “Pipe down, asshole.”

[Assistant] “Mgh.” Something was shoved into his mouth quite brusquely. He opened his eyes to see what had happened but couldn’t see anything. Apparently, something was wrapped around his face and was covering his eyes. But he could tell someone had shoved something into his mouth. The taste of dirt and grass, something big and solid… Subaru quickly realized it was a shoe. Someone had shoved the toe of their shoe into his mouth.

[User] “Ugh! Blgh! Wh-what are…? Agh!”

[Assistant] “What do you think you’re doing? Do you not get the situation you’re in?”

[User] “Geh, pwah.” Right after he’d spit it out, the shoe landed right in his stomach.

[Assistant] The man bent down as Subaru gasped and sputtered, and then he spit on Subaru. As all of this happened, Subaru’s head was still spinning. He couldn’t see, he did not know what was going on, and all of a sudden, he was being beaten up.

[User] When he tried to rub his aching chest, he found his arms were tied behind his back. His legs seemed to be tied as well, so standing or running away was out of the question. “Wh-what…?”

[Assistant] “Ah? How long are you gonna keep—”

[User] “C’mon now, calm down! He doesn’t know anything. Let’s at least undo the blindfold.”

[Assistant] “Tch.”

[User] Subaru writhed, drool dripping from his mouth, while the two men argued over something.

[Assistant] The second one pacified the violent one a bit, who then grumbled and seemed to move away in annoyance. “Sheesh, sorry about all that. I’m sure you can’t really tell what’s going on, but I’m going to take off the blindfold for now. Sorry, but I can’t untie your hands or feet.” "" Though Subaru did not answer, the man slowly reached for his head and undid the tightly tied blindfold. There was a little bit of pain, then a sense of release.

[User] Subaru took a deep breath, enduring the pain in his chest, and waited quietly for his vision to return. “—What is this place…?” When he could see again, he saw a bunch of tents and campfires. And then he saw men busily moving all around, equipped with swords and armor. The best description that came to his mind in that moment was— “…This looks just like a Taiga drama.” It had nothing to do with the biome he was in. No—it was like a scene straight from a lavishly produced period piece. A camp busy preparing for a battle that was just about to begin. It was almost like a historical recreation. No, that’s not it.

[Assistant] “We found you when we went to fetch some water.


[User] Subaru gulped in massive confusion. "" Subaru was a captive in a camp that seemed like a set built for a historical drama. There were dozens of tents set up, and a mixed army of humans and demi-humans were going about their business wearing armor, carrying weapons, and generally looking dangerous. Subaru was sitting on the hard ground, in a place with a simple tent serving as a windbreak. His hands were tied behind his back, and his feet were bound, too. However, what was more important to him than his lack of freedom was…

[Assistant] "Rem… There should have been a girl with me. What happened to her?" Subaru asked quietly.

[User] "Oh—the first thing you’re worried about after finding out you’re a prisoner is a girl? I guess it would be safe to assume those girls are pretty important to you?" The guy squatting in front of Subaru, who had bright-orange hair, raised an eyebrow.

[Assistant] “…I’ll ask again. What about the girl who was with me?”

[User] “You’re pretty stubborn… They’re both safe. A little too spirited, even.”

[Assistant] “Ngh, really?! Then tell me sooner, damn it! As long as the blue-haired girl is safe, that’s good enough.”

[User] “That’s a pretty cruel thing to say!” The guy scratched his cheek and flashed a wry smile as Subaru suddenly leaned forward.

[Assistant] "Being captured is a bit hard to swallow, but putting that aside for the moment… What about Re…the girls?"

[User] “If you want to see them, I’ll let you. As long as you answer my questions honestly. To be clear, the two of them are locked up at the moment.”

[Assistant] “Locked up?! Why would you…guah!” His immediate assumption was that Rem was in a terrible situation.


[User] As Subaru started to complain, a man with an eye patch stomped on his hands, which were tied behind his back, grinding against the broken fingers specifically.

[Assistant] Subaru gritted his teeth and groaned in pain.

[User] “Shitstain," the man with the eye patch grumbled. "Looks like you don’t understand what it means to be a prisoner. You should only talk when we ask a question!”

[Assistant] “Jamal, stop it! He’s gonna pass out again!”

[User] The man stepping on Subaru’s hand had a wicked grin on his face. “Let him learn a little. It’s fine as long as I don’t mess up his head, right? Hell, might as well just break the rest of—”

[Assistant] “Jamal.” The younger man said his name again in a quiet voice.

[User] Jamal’s breath caught in his throat, and he reluctantly withdrew his foot. “Fine, fine.”

[Assistant] “Gah, gh…”

[User] “Tch. Be grateful to Todd. You piss me off.” Jamal spat at Subaru and left, seemingly annoyed with everything.

[Assistant] Subaru could finally breathe again now that his broken fingers were not being stepped on.

[User] “Phew. Sorry about that. He’s short-tempered and on edge. It was his unit that found you at the edge of the water, but…”

[Assistant] “But…?”

[User] “Apparently the girl who was with you put up quite the fight. Half of his squad got wrecked, and that doesn’t exactly reflect well on him as their leader.”

[Assistant] After Todd had delivered that explanation, Subaru understood Jamal’s anger a little better. That must have happened after Subaru had climbed out of the river. Rem had woken up first and had then beaten the stuffing out of Jamal and his crew. It made sense why Jamal would want to take out his anger on Subaru, who was that girl’s companion. “Still, I hate that guy…”

[User] “Ha-ha, what a coincidence. I don’t particularly like him, either.” Todd shrugged with an easy smile. It was an answer that held no malice. It was not exactly what Subaru wanted to hear after his broken fingers had been stomped on, but enduring it for the moment, he exhaled. And, clearing his head of the pain, he looked up at Todd, who seemed like someone who could be reasoned with. “So you’re Todd, right?”

[Assistant] “Oh, good ears. That’s right, I’m Todd. And as for my questions…”

[User] “Just answer honestly, right…? What do you want to know?” I’m just an unimportant guy from another world. Just plain old Subaru Natsuki. I don’t know how to cross between worlds, and I’m not a specialist in any field like the protagonists in these kinds of stories usually are. Just lacking in every single way, and the more I delve into it, the more I want to cry. “What can someone in my position even answer for you?”

[Assistant] “Where does that withering self-pity even come from? Anyway, I don’t really have my hopes up, but we’ll start with one thing I’d like to ask.


[User] "Are you one of the Shudrak people?” Todd asked the question kind of showily, but it was not a word Subaru had heard before.

[Assistant] “‘Shudrak’…?”

[User] "See, knew it." Todd put his hand to his forehead. "I can already tell. You have no connection with them at all.”

[Assistant] “Okay, wait a sec. I haven’t even answered yet. Isn’t that a little quick—”

[User] "Nope. There isn’t anyone who would lie about their clan if someone asked. And no one would fail to recognize the name of their own clan, either. No one would believe you if you tried to claim you were Shudrak after that.” Todd said this with finality, and it didn’t sound like a bluff, either.

[Assistant] “So who are the Shudrak, then?”

[User] “The people we’re looking for. They’re somewhere in that giant place…the Badheim Jungle.”

[Assistant] “Badheim Jungle.”

[User] “This area we’re in is all jungle. It would take years to search the place.” There was a tinge of annoyance in Todd’s voice, and following his gaze, Subaru could understand why. It was a giant, enormous jungle, big enough to make anyone want to cry. Looking at the camp where he was being held, the sea of green continued all the way to the horizon on both the left and right.

[Assistant] “…Searching for people here? To put it mildly, isn’t that impossible?”

[User] “You think so, too? Yeah, this ain’t great. If I take years to get back, my fiancée is gonna leave me.”

[Assistant] “Hey, Todd. I think I’ve answered your questions honestly. So I’d appreciate it if you kept your word.”

[User] “A guy’s telling you how he can’t see his fiancée, and you’re asking him to hook you up with your woman? Talk about a heart of stone.”

[Assistant] “I don’t want to hear that from a guy whose buddy just stomped on my broken fingers.”

[User] “Ha-ha, yeah, you got me there.” Subaru’s response was brazen, but instead of getting angry, Todd just laughed. And then he loosened the rope around Subaru’s ankles, giving him enough freedom to walk.

[Assistant] "You can manage small steps. I’ll take you to the cells.”

[User] “Yeah, looks like it. Lead the way.”

[Assistant] “Bold. You a noble or something?” Todd chuckled wryly and slapped Subaru on the back.


[User] As he stepped out of the prisoner tent with mincing steps, Subaru could feel the men around him watching curiously. It really does look like an army camp. A hastily erected wooden fence surrounded the camp and some basic stables where he could see several slender land dragons tied up. There were tents of different colors all lined up, and it looked like more than a hundred people were milling about the camp. It was a sizable group…but even so, there weren’t nearly enough of them to search the entire jungle. He could understand why Todd would groan at the thought of a never-ending job. And just as Subaru was sympathizing with Todd and the fiancée he couldn’t meet…

[Assistant] "Ah, that reminds me… We found a knife in your stuff. Where’d you get that?"

[User] Subaru’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment at the question, and then he realized what the man was referring to. The knife he had gotten from the masked man in the jungle. The one that had done so much for him in helping him get through the jungle and break out of Rem’s traps. It was a bit late to think of it now, but maybe he was part of the Shudrak. Would talking about the guy be betraying him?

[Assistant] "What is it?" Subaru’s silence was making Todd dubious, which forced Subaru to make a difficult choice. This man had treated Subaru fairly, albeit while still keeping him as a prisoner. It was hard to call theirs an amicable relationship. Meanwhile, it was likely he would never meet the masked man again, but he had given Subaru useful advice in searching for Rem, and also given him that knife. A fairly high-level benefactor, in the balance of things. Meaning…

[User] “…It’s my family’s knife. A family heirloom."

[Assistant] "Really? Damn, you must be something, then."

[User] "Eh?" After thinking it through, Subaru decided to cover for his benefactor and lie. But his response made Todd’s voice rise ever so slightly. Subaru couldn’t understand why, but Todd continued.

[Assistant] "I mean, it’s a knife with the swordwolf crest on it. From what I’ve heard, those are presented by the emperor directly to his retainers. That must mean you’re from some famous family."

[User] “…Wait a second.” Hearing Todd’s voice change, Subaru gulped. The history of the knife he had been given was surprising enough in its own right, but he had to set that aside for the moment. The problem was the other words he’d said. The swordwolf crest and emperor.


[Assistant] “” Pursing his lips, Subaru stopped and looked around again. There were tents and campfires and men laughing at him, and a massive jungle—and beside a particularly large tent, flapping in the wind, was a blue flag.

[User] —And in the middle of the blue flag was an image of a wolf’s head run through with swords. "*No way…*" Subaru had been in this world for more than a year now.


[User] He had been introduced as Emilia’s knight on several occasions, and he couldn’t be an outsider forever, so he had been studying all sorts of things that were considered common knowledge in this world. And thanks to that education, he recognized the emblem on the flag—the swordwolf crest.

[Assistant] “The Holy Volakian Empire.” The crest of the empire on Lugunica’s southern border. For the first time, Subaru realized they had been sent flying across the border all the way into another country.


[User] The Holy Volakian Empire. That was the name of the country where Subaru was currently being held prisoner. The impression Subaru had from his studies of this world mostly amounted to Empires tend to be sources of evil, like in games, right?

[Assistant] “The Holy Volakian Empire.” Seeing the martial banner fluttering next to the tent, the words slipped from his lips.

[User] Hearing Subaru’s dumbfounded murmur, Todd cocked an eyebrow slightly. “Hail Volakia!”

[Assistant] “Whoa? !” Subaru jumped in surprise at the sudden shout that went up behind him.

[User] Todd laughed. “What’s with that reaction? You’re the one who started it.”

[Assistant] “Hail Volakia?”

[User] “Hail Volakia.”

[Assistant] That confusing response was enough for him to figure things out. Whenever someone invoked the name of the Holy Volakian Empire, the standard response was to say “Hail Volakia.” That was a custom cultivated in the empire’s citizens. The other thing Subaru had figured out was…

[User] “…Now I can’t let it slip that I’m from Lugunica.” This was actually a bad situation for Subaru. He was the knight of a candidate participating in the royal selection currently taking place in Lugunica. Under Roswaal’s guardianship, Subaru had received an official knighthood, granting him a noninheritable, lowest-tier title of peerage. And even without that title, there was no one in Lugunica who didn’t know about the royal selection. Because of that, if they had still been in Lugunica, he could have gotten some accommodations by revealing his identity. At the very least, after making sure Rem was safe, he had considered bringing it up with Todd, who seemed like a man who could be reasoned with. But if this was Volakia, that was a different story.

[Assistant] "" Even Subaru could tell from reading the history books of this world that Lugunica and Volakia did not get along great. Four hundred years ago, they had fought repeated, major wars that spanned both of their territories, but there hadn’t been a major war since Lugunica had sworn its covenant with the Holy Dragon. But there had been plenty of smaller border conflicts, and there was no question that both countries were currently in a cold war. He had heard that before the royal selection was announced, they had reached an agreement that the empire wouldn’t use the opportunity to start a war.


[User] "Not a chance." Meaning he had to be careful with his identity. Looks like there’s a silver lining to Rem forgetting everything. The tiniest, micron-thick silver lining.

[Assistant] "Hey, what happened? Your legs bad, too?"

[User] "Nah, it’s not that. Just the reverence welling up in my heart after hearing ‘Hail Volakia’…"

[Assistant] "I see. Can’t help that. I wasn’t considerate enough." Subaru put on the best fake smile he could manage, hoping that cheap excuse would convince Todd.

[User] "The odds are a bit low for a gamble."

[Assistant] "What are you muttering about? C’mon, this is the meeting you wanted so bad." A slap on Subaru’s shoulder pushed him forward as he continued taking small steps.

[User] "Ah."


[Assistant] Looking up, he found he had been brought to metal cages set up on the edge of the camp. And among the cages sat a girl—

[User] "Rem!"

[Assistant] "Ngh! You’re…" Seeing the girl he had been looking for, Subaru reached out to the cage. Having noticed him, she furrowed her eyebrows and stared at him with the same hostility as before.

[User] "Thank goodness! They didn’t do anything to you, did they? Are you hur—? Gh!" Because he was hurrying while taking small steps, his feet got tangled up and he toppled forward. Slamming headfirst into the metal cage and slumped down with a groan.

[Assistant] "Wh-what was that? !" Seeing such a shocking display, that even Rem’s wariness lost out to her surprise.

[User] "Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you."

[Assistant] "I am not scared! Don’t belittle me… Are your nose and teeth all right?"

[User] "Eh?! You’re worried about me?" Subaru sniffled while wriggling himself up like a worm.

[Assistant] "Huh? Of course not."

[User] But when he looked into her blue eyes, Subaru let out a little joyful sigh.

[Assistant] Rem’s expression stiffened even more. "Anyway, if you’re all right, that’s what matters. Nothing strange happened, right? Can you move your legs now? You must’ve gotten soaked, but you didn’t catch a cold or anything, did you? Just tell me if there’s anything."

[User] "Please stop clinging to me and acting so devoted."


[User] "I cooperated with you in the jungle because I had no choice, but that has not changed anything about your—”

[Assistant] “Actually, since you were asleep for so long, your immune system might not be one hundred percent yet. Hey, Todd! It would be really bad if Rem caught a cold. Could you give her a blanket?”

[User] “Don’t just ignore me and move the conversation along!” She was trying to improve Rem’s situation, but she was furiously fighting him on it. Looks like she isn’t any less suspicious of me after all we went through getting away from the hunter and that demon beast.

[Assistant] Subaru was scratching his cheek with almost amused exasperation when Todd clapped his hands.

[User] “All right, I get that it’s an emotional reunion, but you two don’t seem to be on the same page. Now then, is it safe to say you’re Ms. Rem?”

[Assistant] “…I wonder.”

[User] “Well, that’s a problem. There’s gotta be a limit to your stubbornness.” Todd grimaced at Subaru and Rem’s awful communication.

[Assistant] Rem turned away in a huff, but apparently her cold reception was not reserved for just Subaru. It was apparently dispensed freely for everyone in this camp—Todd included. Every dog is a lion at home was an apt description for Rem’s personality.

[User] “If you snap at everyone, people will think you’re a mad dog.”

[Assistant] “There’s no need for that. Calling me a dog? Not only do you have an awful odor, but you are also rude.”

[User] “What, you think someone with body odor has to have bad manners? Like cleanliness is next to godliness or something?” There was a saying that went something like hate the priest, hate the vestments, and that was pretty much exactly how Rem was reacting to Subaru. The bad first impression I made is really not going away. Knowing it would be difficult to get Rem to back down, Subaru turned to Todd.

[Assistant] “Anyway, she’s Rem. Thank you for helping her…though when I see her in a cage like that, it’s hard to be too grateful.”

[User] “I told you, didn’t I? Jamal and his unit got walloped. He has a reputation to uphold. He won’t hurt her, though.”

[Assistant] “…Can I trust that?”

[User] “I wouldn’t lie to a noble. Even Jamal won’t grumble too much.” Todd reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the knife. Subaru’s eyes opened wide as Todd used the knife to cut the rope tying Subaru’s hands and legs together.

[Assistant] “Ohhh… Are you letting us go?”

[User] “Just take her and go…is what I would like to say, but I can’t, sadly.”

[User] “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not malicious. As you can see, we’ve set up camp here to fight the Shudrak in the jungle. But we’re not the only ones out here. If you go wandering around, you’ll get caught by guys from another camp.” That meant there were other encampments also here to search the jungle.


[User] It was a warning that if they ended up wandering into the territory of another camp, there was a danger they would be captured and interrogated again.

[Assistant] “Meaning the chance to eat my fill of boots in a camp full of Jamals.”

[User] “I don’t like pain much myself, so I try to resolve things with words where I can. I’m not really one to talk, but I’m a bit of an outlier when it comes to imperial soldiers.”

[Assistant] “In other words, most of your comrades are as overbearing as that rude man.” Rem’s voice was dripping with loathing.

[User] “Pretty much. And I guess that’s what made you angry, so they brought it on themselves.” Subaru did not exactly have any love lost between him and Jamal, but Rem’s first encounter with Jamal must have been awful. That Todd did not try to protest meant that, even though they were allies, he couldn’t really defend Jamal’s actions.

[Assistant] “I get that you’re worried about us, Todd. But what should we do, then? You were bemoaning your fate and all earlier, too, but we can’t exactly just wait for you guys to finish clearing out this jungle.”

[User] “Of course not, and we’d never hear the end of it for letting an outsider kick around our base forever. You don’t have to worry; a supply unit is going to the nearby town in a few days. You can leave the camp with them.”

[Assistant] “I see—a supply unit.” It was obvious, but a massive amount of food and water was needed to support a large number of active people. And there was no way of providing that solely with what they could procure locally, so supply units were just as important to an army as combat troops were. There was a logistics unit attached to this camp, and Todd was recommending that Rem and Subaru accompany them.

[User] “Then it’s all right for us to crash with you…I guess?”

[Assistant] “Why not? The fighting shouldn’t start that quickly… But you should probably stay away from Jamal. Unless you feel like chowing down on another boot.”

[User] “I’ll take that to heart… You all right with that plan, Rem?” Rem was still looking away coldly, not responding. But if she wasn’t actively arguing with him about it, that meant she did not have an argument or a better suggestion. I’ll just think of it as an adorable rebelliousness. No—a super cute and adorable rebelliousness.

[Assistant] “You two sure have an odd relationship. What’s between you two?”

[User] “Just think of us as travelers. Rem is precious to me, and I don’t know the other girl—”

[Assistant] “After all this, you still…” As she listened to his words, Rem’s disbelief seemed to grow. Subaru knew that he had messed up, but he just couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge that Louis was with them. Honestly, if they’re willing to take her off my hands, I’d love for them to do that.

[User] “Oh yeah—she’s not in the cage with Rem.


[User] “…That girl was taken for healing,” Rem said, looking away from him.

[Assistant] “Where’d she go?”

[User] “When you recklessly jumped into the river, her face was cut somewhere along the way.”

[Assistant] “Healing… Healing?” Subaru was confused for a moment, and then his expression became serious.

[User] “Did you say ‘healing’? !”

[Assistant] “Wh-what? That’s right. Healing. Or are you saying you’d try to stop her from being healed because you hate her?”

[User] “I mean, you aren’t wrong there, but that’s not the problem. Hey, Todd! Where’s Louis getting healed? Which tent? !”

[Assistant] Todd looked surprised by the sudden change in Subaru’s attitude. The man clearly didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation.

[User] Subaru gripped his shoulders and asked again. “Where?”

[Assistant] “If she’s getting healing, then she’ll be at the tent over there with the red banner. But what’s the big deal?”

[User] “Everyone’s life is in danger!” Pushing Todd back, Subaru hurried over to the tent with the red banner.

[Assistant] Rem and Todd looked at each other, confused by Subaru’s sudden change in demeanor. “What was that? Anyway, I’m gonna follow him, but…”

[User] “Please go. If you don’t stop him, he might do something absurd.”

[Assistant] “Why do I have to be the one being told that, though…?” Todd scratched his head and chased after Subaru, who had suddenly raced off.

[User] “…What is with him? Everything he does perplexes me.” Rem murmured softly, unheard by anyone.


[Assistant] Subaru’s eyes were scanning the camp, looking for the red tent. The moment he’d heard that Louis was being healed, the worst possible outcome had crossed his mind.

[User] I can’t let that happen. It has to be stopped. And facing the red tent that caught his eye, he charged inside. "Sorry! Is there a scary, blond kid—"

[Assistant] “Aauuuaaah!! !” Just as he started to push past the tent flap, a blond bullet shot forward. It landed on his upper lip, right under his nose. He recoiled with a grunt and fell backward.

[User] Subaru reflexively stopped his fall with his left hand. The same hand that sported three broken fingers. “Ghgyaaaaaaa!! !”

[Assistant] “Aaa! Aaa! Uuaaah!”

[User] Subaru almost passed out from the pain. And as he writhed in agony, there was an imp standing over him and dancing almost joyously: Louis. This was just like when she had woken him up in the meadow. She wore an innocent, abominable smile and kept clinging to his chest. He wanted to knock her away, but the almost blinding pain stopped him. “Gh, kh, aaah, aaah…”

[Assistant] "Oof, you land on your left hand?


[User] "That’s rough…but the girl looks pretty normal from here. Looks like she got the cut on her forehead checked out, too.” Catching up to Subaru, Todd lifted Louis up off his chest, where she had been playing. She swung her arms and legs, but Todd paid this no mind.

[Assistant] There was a bandage on her head. She had been given treatment, but it was just simple first aid, not magic.

[User] “Kh, gah… R-right. That’s what you meant by treatment for her head…”

[Assistant] Subaru had been mainly concerned about magical treatment, which could potentially heal things he didn’t want healed. But apparently he had been worried for nothing.

[User] “Treating this affectionate kid like you don’t know her, and having the girl you like be so cold… I can’t say I understand, but looks like you’ve got it rough.”

[Assistant] “…I won’t deny it. There aren’t a lot of people who have had it as rough as me.”

[User] If there was a limit to how much suffering someone could experience in a lifetime, then Subaru was just racking up lifetimes’ worth of suffering at this point. On the other hand, if the count reset with each death, then maybe he would never know peace. The thought alone is terrifying, but…

[Assistant] “For now, just live. That’s the important part.”

[User] “That feels like a low bar… So what are you going to do? Am I safe to assume you’ll wait for the supply caravan and go with them in a few days?”

[Assistant] “Hmm? Ah, right. Yes, please. Sorry for having to count on you for everything.”

[User] “Hmm? You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t plan to let you freeload.”

[Assistant] Subaru looked up in confusion.

[User] Todd set Louis down and put his hand on his hip, then gestured to the imperial camp behind him.

[Assistant] “Look at this camp. There’s never enough hands. We’ve got lots of jobs to do, so you’ll have plenty of work.”

[User] “…What, so he who does not work shall not eat?” Subaru muttered.

[Assistant] Hearing that, Todd started rolling the proverb around in his mouth. “Yeah, exactly. That’s a nice turn of phrase.” Todd nodded, and beside him Louis started nodding, too, copying him.

[User] Looking up at both of them, Subaru cracked his neck loudly.

[Assistant] “…It’s better than being told not to do anything or having to eat more boots, I guess.”


[User] “C’mon, bite on a stick if you need to. This is gonna sting,” Todd said, wrapping a bandage soaked in a pungent medicine around the splint on Subaru’s broken fingers before tying it off tightly.

[Assistant] “The last thing is to drink this medicine. It should help with the pain some, at least.” Subaru was covered in a cold sweat as Todd gave him a bottle of medicine.

[User] Inside was a viscous, green liquid, and steeling himself, Subaru downed the bottle.

[Assistant] “Bleh! Nasty! I-I can feel it clinging to my throat…!”

[User] “It’s famous for being hard to drink. It’s rare and works like a charm, though.


[User] "It’ll help you heal faster.” Todd smiled as he picked up the empty bottle.

[Assistant] Subaru wiped his mouth, then… “Sorry,” he said as he bowed slightly to Todd. “You wasted valuable medicine on someone like me.”

[User] “It’s fine. Honestly, if you’d left it any longer, those fingers would have started rotting off. Can’t exactly call in a favor from a swordwolf knife bearer like that.” Todd laughed magnanimously.

[Assistant] Subaru bit his lip. The reason Todd was being so friendly was that he thought Subaru was connected to high Volakian nobility. He felt bad deceiving someone who was treating him well, and his heart twinged. “Still, though, at times like this, it makes you think. I could get it fixed in no time with healing magic.” To mask his guilt, Subaru changed the subject. He was acting like it was no big deal, but it was something he had been wondering about—the treatments that seemed available here had been pretty lacking in fantasy vibes.

[User] “Oh? Now that’s extravagant. Healing magic isn’t something you run into every day.”

[Assistant] “…I guess that’s just how it is?”

[User] “Well, yeah. Of course, it would be useful if you could heal wounds or sickness as easily as lighting a fire or making a breeze,” Todd said with a shrug. “It’d heal your hand in no time, too.”

[Assistant] Subaru looked down. He felt both uneasy and relieved that his supposition had been on the mark. In the past, back before he had found out about Roswaal’s plot and thought the man was just some easygoing jester noble, Roswaal had told Subaru about the rarity of healing magic. How magic was influenced by talent, and that people who could use healing magic were incredibly precious. Add to that the fact that this camp’s medical tent was filled with poultices and bottles of medicine and stocked with medical instruments of all kinds instead of magic items. And the fact that Todd had not relied on anything magical while taking care of Subaru’s hand—just medicine and a splint. There was no mistaking it… “Healing magic really is rare.”

[User] “At the very least, I’ve never seen it before. From what I’ve heard, everyone who can use it is kept holed up in the capital. Either way, for regular folks, it might as well be in a different world entirely.”

[User] “If anything, I’m surprised to hear you even mention it. It wouldn’t even have occurred to me as being an option.” It was something so unfamiliar, it was like it didn’t even exist. That was how little the people in the empire, or at least Todd, interacted with healing magic.

[Assistant] And so, having expected that response, Subaru just shook his head. “No—I mentioned we were travelers, right? We’ve been around, and we happened to run into someone who could use healing magic before, is all.”

[User] “I see. I thought your clothing was odd. Your outfits didn’t seem suitable for the heat around here.” Todd looked Subaru up and down.


[User] The clothes Subaru was wearing were the ones he had worn to get through the desert and take on the Pleiades Watchtower. Despite the desert vibes, the Auguria dunes had not been that hot, but in order to deal with the sandstorms, pretty much every bit of his skin was covered. Because of that, here in hot, humid Volakia, he was wearing an outfit that could only be described as out of season. "So you ran into a healer during your journeys and were corrupted by the convenience."

[Assistant] "Phrasing! It is definitely convenient, though." Subaru had actually been helped out by healing magic a few times…or maybe a lot of times. From the very start of his time in this world, surviving his very first major hurdle had required Beatrice’s healing magic. If it had not been for her, Subaru’s stomach would have stayed split, and he would have had to live with his insides hanging out. "I don’t want to have to trip over my own guts again." While Subaru was remembering a fairly unique experience, Todd exhaled quietly.

[User] "Healing magic, huh?"

[Assistant] "—? Todd?" Subaru furrowed his brow at the sudden change in mood.

[User] "Nah." Todd closed an eye. "I was just thinking healing magic’s a brutal thing, and I’m glad I don’t see it much."

[Assistant] "Brutal? …Why? Isn’t it the opposite?" Subaru struggled to understand what Todd was trying to say.

[User] "I mean," Todd said, one eye still closed, "healing wounds means not dying. No pulling back because you’re wounded, either. Get your wounds healed, and get back in the fight. That’s what it means to be able to heal wounds."

[Assistant] "It’s a scary thing. How much did whoever thought of the first healing magic love fighting? Can’t say I wanna see it up close, either."

[User] Subaru couldn’t formulate a reply. He wouldn’t say it was an even-handed perspective. It was not like healing magic could only be used on the battlefield. It had a role day-to-day, saving people who got sick or had accidents. But Todd’s perspective wasn’t wrong, either. Healing someone who was wounded on the battlefield, then sending them back in to keep fighting. There was no denying that possibility, and no denying Todd’s fear of it, either. But if Todd’s reaction was the same as the average person’s in Volakia, then Subaru would have to keep another thing in mind on his road back to Lugunica. That was…

[Assistant] "...I gotta keep it a secret that Rem can use healing magic." Subaru might just have been overthinking it, but it needed to be taken seriously. Right now, Rem had forgotten how to use her magic, and in all likelihood she had also forgotten how to transform into an oni and manifest her horn. But there was no fundamental reason to assume she couldn’t do what she had been able to do before.


[User] If, for some reason, she was able to activate her healing magic, and someone here saw… “At the very least, it will make the road back home a lot longer.” Whether it was for good or ill, they would definitely be stopped. And Subaru needed to avoid that. Of course, if lives were on the line then perhaps, but…

[Assistant] “Sorry, I got off track there. Wasn’t trying to give you any more wrinkles.” Seeing Subaru fall silent, Todd tried to reset the mood.

[User] “It’s fine.” Subaru nodded at a perspective he had not really considered before.

[Assistant] Then, changing the topic, Todd looked out of the tent. “But that means that missy out there is your partner on this trip, right? So why is she snapping at you so much?”

[User] “…An unforeseen accident is probably how I’d put it. We got along well before, but for now it’s all one-way communication, in more ways than one. Gotta take the long view on it, I guess,” Subaru said wistfully.

[Assistant] “I mean, it’s no skin off my nose, but it looks pretty rough on you… But in that case—” Not probing into their relationship any further, Todd touched his chin while looking away. His gaze moved toward Subaru’s right arm, which Subaru had been rather intentionally ignoring.

[User] “Aaah?” Clinging to it, like she had been for a while now—was Louis, vacantly looking up at him while making a silly noise. She was beaming as if enjoying herself as she clung to his arm, sometimes playing with his fingers and wrapping her hair around them, and just sort of having the time of her life.

[Assistant] “Given the ages here, she’s not your kid. What’s your relationship to her?”

[User] “I already said, she’s no one I know. But she’s nothing good, that’s for sure.”

[Assistant] “That’s pretty harsh… The girl in the cage sure seemed to care about her, though?”

[User] “That’s the problem…” With Todd pointing it out to him again, Subaru couldn’t help sighing at the complicated situation he had gotten himself into. Currently, Subaru was striking out with Rem, and a big part of why she was so cold with him was because he ignored Louis. But even knowing that, he couldn’t bring himself to accept Louis. Of course he couldn’t. She was an Archbishop of the Witch Cult. Pure evil, with whom he couldn’t coexist.

[Assistant] “How did things end up like this? What are you planning, and what is it you want?”

[User] “Uuh? Aah, aaooh.” Louis just smiled at his question and did not answer. Everything about her was annoying. Of course, if she’d answered with the same viciousness as she had shown in the corridors of memory, that would have been a problem, too, but at least he wouldn’t have had any trouble writing her off as an enemy. It was better than her acting like a baby or a little child like she was doing now, where only he could recognize how dangerous she was.


[User] "Well, you’re on the road together. Wherever you go, you should at least try to get along a bit better."

[Assistant] “…Who exactly is that FYI for?”

[User] "Huh? Well, you can interpret it however you want.” Todd cocks his head at the unfamiliar acronym and stood up. This was a medical tent, so hanging around chatting any longer than they already had would probably be frowned on.

[Assistant] Subaru stood up as well, Louis still clinging to his right hand. “Now then, we got your hand looked at… Ready to take care of a chore?”

[User] “Hmm? Ah, yeah, it’s better than feeling guilty and sitting around doing nothing. Give me whatever job you want. I’ll take any job other than eating boots.”

[Assistant] “Guess Jamal’s boot really didn’t sit well with you… Fine, fine, I won’t let that happen. For now…”

[User] Todd glanced at a group of tents with black banners, thinking to himself.

[Assistant] Subaru followed his gaze. “That is…?”

[User] “Gear for the camp. A bunch of general stuff we needed to bring, but it’s difficult dealing with it all piece by piece. So that’s where you come in, my tidy friend.”

[Assistant] “…Did I ever say anything about being tidy?”

[User] “Nope. But I was just thinking it would sure be nice if you were. And even if you didn’t happen to be, I had a feeling you’d do your best anyway, since you’re grateful for being saved and all.”

[Assistant] “…Gee, thanks, Todd. Anyone ever tell you that you have a shining personality?” Todd was saying something pretty nasty with an amiable smile on his face. Subaru’s cheeks twitched a bit, and he looked over at the bunch of black tents. At a glance, there were around twenty of them; they were all filled with supplies; and as Todd had said, they were very much not in order. “This isn’t a one- or even two-day job…”

[User] “Don’t worry about that; just get it done before the resupply wagon leaves. Ha-ha-ha.”

[Assistant] “Ha-ha…” In other words, “hop to it.” Considering the state of his left hand, it was a difficult request, but that was just how things went. “This is for today’s bread, in order to get back to Emilia-tan together with Rem…”

[User] “Uuuh!”

[Assistant] While Subaru clenched his fist and prepared to face the difficult job before him, Louis cheered. Lowering his arm, Subaru grimaced. The Archbishop was adding to Subaru’s mental, emotional, and physical burdens without even seeming to realize it. She was just as vicious as she was before, but even harder to deal with now. “After Shaula, too. Too many people I don’t know have been clinging to me lately…”

[User] “Aah, uuiuh.”

[Assistant] Dragging Louis, who seemed cheerful regardless of whether she understood what was going on or not, Subaru headed toward the black tents. Thinking to himself that—unlike with Shaula, with whom he’d eventually come to an understanding—coexistence with Louis was impossible.


[User] “…I kept cleaning up until it was dark, but…”

[Assistant] Coming back after his hard labor, Subaru was greeted by Rem, who was sitting on the ground with her legs extended out to the side. She had the same grim expression and stiff voice, but it looked like she had left the fierce animosity on the shelf for now.

[User] This made Subaru’s expression soften, but seeing that, she glared at him. "I did not greet you.”

[Assistant] “Don’t read my mind… But they let you out of the cell, right?”

[User] “…At the very least, it seems the people here are not hostile to me.” The way she averted her eyes was presumably due to the guilt she felt about the bad encounter—or rather, sudden encounter battle—she’d had with Jamal and his squad at the riverside. Generally speaking, Rem was prickly with people she did not trust. She had become pretty gentle after coming to trust Subaru, but having forgotten all that, her mistrustful tendencies were starting to show again. And it looked like she was beginning to reflect on that.

[Assistant] “Being able to reflect on your choices is great, Rem. You get a gold star.”

[User] “…Who are you to speak to me like that? Being complimented by you is not even slightly endearing. Also…” Rem answered Subaru’s smile with a verbal backhand, then looked up.

[Assistant] Following her gaze, he saw the coned ceiling of the tent. Subaru cocked his head, and Rem scoffed in annoyance.

[User] “Why do the three of us have to share the same tent? I am aware we are in no position to be asking for too many favors, but a little consideration would have been…”

[Assistant] “No, I think this is already plenty considerate of them. I told Todd we were partners on a trip, so… Owwwwwwww!”

[User] “What right did you have? !” Just as Subaru sat down next to Rem, one of her hands grabbed the area around his hip bone fiercely. Subaru writhed as his lower back creaked, and Rem’s gaze sharpened.

[Assistant] Pushed against Rem’s hand, fighting with all her strength. "You again…"

[User] "Uuh!”

[Assistant] Sighing in resignation and broke off scolding Subaru. Instead, she pulled Louis toward her knees. Laying Louis on the legs she struggled to move, she gently patted her. "Tch.”

[User] “…Why are you scoffing now? I cannot understand how you can be so cruel to her when she is so attached to you.” Rem’s reaction was not exactly great, given that Subaru had such a bad attitude. Subaru had no choice but to watch Louis carefully as she lay on Rem’s lap, trying to be ready if she ever showed her true nature. At Todd’s instruction, Subaru had started cleaning up the black tents. As he had figured at the start, it was not a job that would be finished in a short time.


[User] Part of it was that his left hand was not exactly in top condition, but Volakians were way less tidy than Subaru had expected, and also…

[Assistant] “She got in the way of my work the whole time. There I was, trying to clean up, but she kept undoing my work and making a mess of things. Thanks to her, I didn’t make any progress.”

[User] “She doesn’t understand anything, so it can’t be helped.”

[Assistant] “It’s the same for you, too. But you don’t do that. Quod erat demonstrandum! I rest my case!”

[User] “You are speaking meaningless babble again!” She’s the reason you’re being so testy with me, so why do I have to not be testy with her? Subaru, Rem, and Louis would only be in camp for a few days, but Todd had given them this tent to share.

[Assistant] He had said that some of their comrades had gone into the jungle and not come back while they’d originally been setting up camp, so this tent did not have an owner, and they were free to use it. “It’s not funny, though.”

[User] Still, receiving a spare tent to use was a huge help. He was less worried about himself, but leaving Rem in a camp filled with gruff men was concerning.

[Assistant] Todd had said they would be treated like guests, but it was hard to know how far that hospitality would go. And Rem already had an enemy in Jamal.

[User] If possible, he would have preferred having her around so he could watch her even while he was working, but…

[Assistant] “When she hates me this much, anything I say would be pointless…”

[User] “What are you grumbling about? I have yet to even accept this tent situation…”

[Assistant] “Hey, Rem, about your memory…” As Subaru touched upon that subject, Rem’s face tensed up. Still letting Louis rest on her lap, she looked up at Subaru with rage in her eyes. It was a powerful anger, the likes of which he had not seen since they’d ended up in this camp.

[User] “…I get why you’re uneasy. But you are Rem. At least accept that much.”

[Assistant] “…I do not know if even that much is true.” Rem said, the anger still clear in her eyes.

[User] “If you can’t even accept that much, there’s not much more I can say…” Subaru answered, with one eye closed.

[Assistant] It would have been easy to say she was just being stubborn and blockheaded. But Subaru couldn’t do that. And not just because he cared so much about her. Subaru could genuinely understand her feelings.

[User] She was extremely wary. Wary of Subaru filling her emptiness with falsehoods. “It’s natural when you have nothing. I can understand the feeling.”

[Assistant] “You cannot understand at all how it feels to forget everything and be totally empty.”

[User] “No, actually, I was amnesiac just yesterday, so—”

[Assistant] “Huh? If you are going to lie, please pick something more believable.”

[User] It was actually true, but of course Rem wouldn’t believe him.


[User] Of course, that was baked in. But Subaru wanted to get a measure.

[Assistant] A measure of just how far apart they were. Whether she would be willing to accept him telling her everything he knew. And judging by their distance…

[User] "I’ll wait for your heart to be ready."

[Assistant] "...Oh." At his answer, Rem’s eyes widened.

[User] Subaru smiled at her surprise. "I would love to hurry things along, and I definitely feel impatient. But there would be no point if I ignored your feelings or hurt you in doing it. So…"

[Assistant] "...You will wait? Until I have a change of heart?"

[User] "No, no. What I’m waiting for is for your heart to be ready, not for it to change. Of course, I’m going to do my best so that you might be willing to see me in a new light, too."

[Assistant] Rem had her hands full dealing with herself. It was arrogant to want her to compromise with him, too. What she needed was to do her best for her own sake, and to bridge the gap between their hearts, Subaru himself had to build up a trust with her that did not pale in comparison to the Witch’s stench.

[User] Hearing the resolution in his voice, Rem’s lips trembled quietly, and then she deftly slid away, turning her back on him. I guess I upset her… Subaru was just reflecting on his poor choice of words, when—


[Assistant] "—Have some."

[User] "Eh?" While he was looking down, Rem turned back around to face him and pushed something out at him.

[Assistant] Subaru was shocked for a moment, and then his eyes focused, and he saw it was a skewer of grilled meat.

[User] "Umm…what’s this?"

[Assistant] "Food. Or so I was told. It was given out to everyone in the camp, and I received some… Even if it is gradual, I must work on walking." Rem rubbed her legs with her free hand.

[User] Like Subaru had thought earlier, Rem had her hands full dealing with her lost memory and the legs that wouldn’t move—So then what is this consideration for? I thought I had managed to break all communication between us with that last exchange.

[Assistant] "...Will you take it already? My arm is tired."

[User] "R-right away! Understood!" Subaru reflexively straightened up.

[Assistant] "...So, um, you already ate, then?"

[User] "Huh? Why would I eat when this child hasn’t eaten yet? Of course I wouldn’t do something so selfish." Rem answered him coldly and glanced at the plate set at the edge of the tent. She took the cloth off it, took a skewer of meat, and brought it to Louis’s mouth.

[Assistant] Letting Rem take care of her, Louis nibbled at the meat like a baby bird picking at seeds.

[User] "...She’s like a baby."

[Assistant] Rem watched her with a pleasant smile. Looking at them, Subaru also hesitantly began to eat.

[User] The meat had only been skewered and grilled, nothing more, and he couldn’t tell what sort of meat it was.


[User] "Hard and bland… About on par with Emilia-tan or Beako’s cooking…" Subaru worked to digest his surprise at Rem’s behavior, struggling with the rubbery texture.

[Assistant] "What are you muttering…? Ah." Subaru was losing himself in memories.

[User] "—?" Rem’s eyes suddenly widened. She was looking at Subaru.

[Assistant] "What is it? Please don’t say something sad, like this is your first time actually looking at my face."

[User] "It is not…that…but, umm…tears."

[Assistant] "Tears?"

[User] "…You’re crying. Did you not notice?"

[Assistant] Subaru’s breath caught in his throat as Rem slowly, carefully said those words. Subaru touched his cheek, his hand came away hot and wet.

[User] "Huh? I’m crying?"

[Assistant] "Y-you are. Why? Umm, do your fingers hurt, or…?"

[User] Subaru wiped away the tears that dripped down his face, confused by the wave of emotion that had overwhelmed him.

[Assistant] "…Being able to talk to you like this…eating together…it makes me happy."

[User] "S-sorry. It probably doesn’t mean anything to you. Just another weird thing I’m saying. It’s natural it would feel disgusting to you… But it’s just how I really feel." Giving up on holding back his tears, Subaru just let them fall, sniffling as he looked at Rem.

[Assistant] "I’ve wanted to be able to spend a simple moment like this with you for so long." Putting the skewer down on his lap, Subaru managed to wrest out that much of an explanation. His sniffling filled the tent as he wiped his tears with his sleeve.

[User] "…I do not understand what you are saying." Rem’s voice was soft, like a faint breath.

[Assistant] Still wiping his tears, Subaru thought that was a natural answer from her.