human
Subaru:  Making creaking sounds, the land dragon continued moving forward. Subaru’s mind was hazy; leaning deep into the driver’s seat, he was the driver in name only. It was partly fatigue, partly the effects of his wounds, but it was chiefly the wearing down of his spirit. His broken bones and cut forehead had not healed; his dislocated left shoulder was crying out painfully. His broken teeth felt extremely unpleasant; his clothes, filthy from blood, mud, and urine, transferred the chill directly to his skin.
gpt
Subaru:  —Why had he survived? Protected by Rem only to lose her, abandoned by Otto, spurned even by the White Whale that had spared his pathetic life. He’d blundered his way along the highway through the night mist, breaking free of it and thus prolonging his life. Just where would this path lead him and the surviving land dragon? And once he arrived, would there be anything he could do? The desire to protect someone, to save someone—he’d trusted it was that feeling that had spurred him forward. Yet, having seen things he wished he hadn’t, he knew he had simply been consoling himself with pretty words.
human
Subaru:  He’d come to realize that he needed his own life above all else; he was a lump of flesh wrapped up in self-pity. When they’d left Rem to face the White Whale, and Subaru had ordered Otto to turn around, maybe he’d only pretended his heart was broken by Otto’s rebuttal but was actually relieved deep down? If it was an opponent even someone like a Sword Saint could not defeat, going back meant only a dog’s death. Rem wouldn’t want that.
gpt
Subaru:  —So he’d told himself he didn’t need to go back. He didn’t need to die. As a matter of fact, Subaru hadn’t gone back to save Rem; he’d even begged the White Whale, the purported target of his hatred, for his own life. He’d shouted, I don’t wanna die, as he fled in a daze, peeing on himself all the while. At the time, Rem’s safety or lack thereof never entered the back of his mind even once. Rem had done a pretty stupid thing, throwing her life away for a man like him.
human
Subaru:  “But…the stupidest thing is…”
gpt
Subaru:  There was no Rem anymore. Otto was gone, as were all the other traveling merchants. Subaru was alone, save for the land dragon silently continuing to advance along the well-maintained highway in search of human civilization. It didn’t matter where. Subaru just wanted it to bring him somewhere. Subaru grew apathetic, releasing his hand from the reins as he collapsed onto the driver’s seat. As he rolled onto his side, he could see the crucifixes still jabbed into a hard-to-see nook. It was evidence that Otto had been attacked by Witch Cult adherents he’d apparently encountered after slipping past the mist.