Chapter 7: The Mountain Arc (Part 2)
Reinhild— With a sharp cry, countless afterimages flashed through the air in an instant. The girl used hand strikes to split five centuries-old giant trees into innumerable wooden planks of various sizes. Then, with simple punches, she bored holes into each piece, and at an astonishing speed, assembled them into a wooden cabin.
"Sorry, time was a bit tight, so this is a rough job."
"No, no, no—this is way better than the tent we'd originally prepared."
Subaru sat on a wooden chair, gazing at the cabin. Though only one floor, it had two rooms and a living area, complete with wooden beds, a table, and chairs.
"This is basically a house! A love nest built together by me and Reinhild… though I didn't actually do anything."
"But it was built for you, Subaru. Anyway, you should rest now. With the mana disturbance earlier, this place should be safe. I'll go look for food and water."
Reinhild sat Subaru down on a chair, then left the cabin.
Fifteen minutes later—
"May I come in?"
Subaru quickly agreed, and Reinhild entered, carrying a bear's paw in her left hand and a massive wooden basin full of water in her right.
"Sorry, the animals all fled because of the noise, so it took me a while. Subaru… you should wipe yourself down."
She set the basin in front of Subaru. Noticing his awkwardness, the girl realized and handed him a towel before leaving the room.
So warm…!
Subaru glanced toward Reinhild, who was already making food in the other room (though she'd forgotten to close the door after spreading his bedding).
'If we were married… wouldn't I end up completely useless, being taken care of like this?'
"Subaru?"
"Ah, nothing! I just finished washing. Do you need help with anything?"
He hurried to his feet, but staggered, falling right into Reinhild's arms.
"Honestly… be careful. Just call me if you need something. The food is already cooking. Let me give you a massage."
She laid Subaru on the bed.
[Divine protection of Massage (Temporary)] [Divine protection of the Physician]
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"How does it feel?"
"Mm, much better."
Subaru flexed his foot—it still hurt a bit, but the pain had mostly faded.
"That's good. Still, don't push yourself. Stay here a moment."
Reinhild placed Subaru outside on a chair, then quickly set the table with a feast. The sunset cast an orange glow over her figure.
"…Beautiful."
Reinhild blinked, glancing toward the sunset. Honestly, it was far less impressive than the ones she'd seen above the clouds, yet for some reason, her heart felt full of joy.
"Yes, it really is beautiful."
She spoke without thinking, eyes shifting to Subaru.
"Thanks to you, Subaru, I was able to see such a beautiful sight."
—And only with Subaru by my side would such beauty appear.
But she kept that thought in her heart.
"Yeah. But if it weren't for Reinhild, I never would've seen this beauty either." Subaru replied. Reinhild froze for a moment, then quickly picked up some food and hid her face behind the bowl.
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.
Moonlight spilled into the little cabin. Their magic lamp had broken, so Reinhild had simply dismantled part of the roof.
"Reinhild, you don't seem to have laid out your own bed?"
Just before sleeping, Subaru noticed something odd and asked casually.
(—)
"Reinhild… don't tell me?"
Subaru immediately sensed something was wrong. His tone carried a hint of anger.
"This isn't the city. I'll take the night watch."
Reinhild explained quickly.
"On the mountaintop? Setting aside everything else—weren't all the animals scared off when someone chopped down those trees? I'm not a goldfish with a seven-second memory."
His tone grew sharper.
"There's an old saying—'better safe than sorry.'"
"Then I'll take the watch too."
Subaru walked over and sat down beside her. Thanks to the massage, he could now walk slowly.
"Subaru, you're injured! Go rest!"
Reinhild's tone carried unusual force. But Subaru, understanding the situation, didn't yield.
"Then you rest too! Be honest—isn't this just because of me? Is that why you feel you must stay on guard?"
"…No. I intended to keep watch from the start. That's why I didn't bring bedding."
"The mountaintop night is cold—as you reminded me when we set out."
Subaru exhaled, his breath visible.
"Then you go rest before you catch cold. I have a Divine protection that lets me regulate the temperature around me, so I'll be fine."
"The girl I love, sitting on a mountain peak, shivering in the cold wind, while I sleep snug in a bed? That's not what a man should do."
"I'm Reinhild."
"No—you're not the Sword Saint in my eyes. You're the girl I love. If you insist on keeping watch, then I'll stay right here with you. The truth is, Reinhild, you don't take care of yourself enough."
Subaru's voice rose in anger. But this, in turn, left Reinhild a little frustrated.
—I was only doing this for you…
She took a deep breath, calming herself.
"Subaru, you're being unreasonable. There's only one bed. Letting the injured one sit out here in the cold while I sleep in warmth—that's not what a knight should do."
Their eyes met, sparks flying between them.
For Subaru, this situation was his own fault—because of his mistake, Reinhild was forced to spend the night on a freezing mountaintop while he took the bed. He couldn't accept that.
For Reinhild, she knew she could've handled everything better earlier. While carrying Subaru, she'd thought countless times that if she had just brought all the luggage up from the start, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. While laying the bedding, she reflected again—if only she'd taken 0.01 seconds to set down the pack properly, everything would've been fine.
She never made excuses. In her eyes, the current situation was the result of her own carelessness. She had lost the bedding, and now Subaru, who was injured, was paying the price. That violated everything she believed in.
"Anyway, if you won't rest, then I won't either. Don't underestimate how well modern people can pull an all-nighter."
"I'm a knight. I can go ten days, half a month without sleep."
Both had reasons they absolutely couldn't compromise on. Both held fast to what they believed was right. The quarrel grew more heated, their tempers flaring higher and higher.
"…Then we'll just sleep together."
The cabin fell silent.