Chapter 50: Subaru-sama
"Hmph, you barged in again without knocking. Get Betty out here quickly."
A harsh remark as usual, but it had no real effect on Subaru.
If he had to say who he interacted with the most and was closest to in the mansion, it would definitely be Beatrice.
Although he didn't fully understand her yet, during this period of time together—
Subaru considered himself to understand Beatrice better than anyone else in the mansion.
"Well, don't say it like that, Beatrice. I came to see you because I need something."
Subaru didn't have time to waste chatting here; after tonight's events, there would be plenty of time for that.
After all, one of his goals was to get Beatrice out of this library.
Even though Beatrice didn't know when the last time they talked was, Subaru would never forget it.
"If you're here for Betty to teach you letters, my answer is only one thing: no."
"You're so blunt. You always end up teaching me anyway. But this time I'm not here for your lessons."
"Hm? Not here to have Betty teach you?"
Subaru stepped in front of Beatrice, his face serious as he said,
"I might be cursed. So Beatrice, could you help me lift the curse?"
"Hah? Are you crazy? Or are you slacking off on your work—"
Beatrice didn't finish her sentence.
Her expression changed from disbelief to surprise.
She looked at Subaru seriously and said,
"It really is there. If I hadn't looked closely, the stench from you would have covered it up, and I wouldn't have noticed."
"So it's from the village, huh."
"What are you talking about the village for? Aren't you scared? You've been cursed and won't survive past tonight."
Seeing Beatrice's serious face, Subaru smiled.
There was no fear or hesitation in his eyes or expression.
"I'm not going to die that easily. After all, Beatrice, you're going to help me, right?"
"Hah?! Why would Betty help you? Don't be so full of yourself."
Beatrice said this, but after seeing Subaru's smile and the trust in his eyes, she was silent for a moment, then turned away and said,
"Hmph, just this once. I don't want you crying and begging me, though that would be quite amusing but also disgusting."
After saying this, Beatrice beckoned Subaru with a wave.
"Give me your hand."
Subaru raised his hand toward Beatrice.
He felt the warmth and softness of her small hand.
But he didn't have time to appreciate that feeling—he saw black smoke rising from his hand. Beatrice grabbed the smoke and gently pinched it, and the black smoke vanished instantly without a trace.
"All done. The curse is lifted. You can leave now."
But she didn't get a response from Subaru. Puzzled, she looked over and saw Subaru staring at his hand.
"What's wrong? Still worried?"
Subaru shook his head, lowered his hand, and looked at Beatrice as he said,
"Can you do me a favor? Could you open the door near the main entrance?"
"Hmph, such a demanding request. Fine, consider it Betty's great mercy."
"Ah, thank you, Beatrice. I'll come personally to thank you tomorrow."
Without waiting for Beatrice's reply, Subaru immediately ran toward the door.
When he opened it, he saw that his position was no longer in the hallway where he was before.
This meant he could escape Rem's surveillance and do his own things.
As soon as Subaru stepped outside, he sprinted toward the village.
Earlier, he had already figured out who cursed him—one of the puppies—and this puppy was clearly very loved by the children.
Also, tonight, he didn't know when the wild beasts would attack the village, so he had to hurry to the village to stop anything from happening.
The moon was bright enough tonight that Subaru could see clearly despite the darkness. Running at a speed beyond his usual, he soon reached the village outskirts.
When he saw villagers wandering around holding torches as if searching for something, Subaru quickly ran up and grabbed one.
"Hey, sir, what's going on? Why is everyone still awake so late?"
"Oh, it's Subaru. What are you doing here? Well, that's not important now. The village children have disappeared somewhere, and we're all looking for them."
Hearing this, Subaru's expression darkened immediately. He realized he was too late. If he had known, he wouldn't have bothered with Rem but would have gone directly to Pack or Beatrice to find out earlier!
"I'll help you look for them, but Lord Roswaal gave an order. Please pass it along."
"What order?"
"Lord Roswaal said the wild beasts around the village might riot tonight. You'd better evacuate the village or prepare defenses. Lord Roswaal will take care of the beasts."
Subaru said something Roswaal never actually said. But so what?
"What! Wild beasts might riot around the village? I'll notify everyone right now. But what about those children?"
"Don't worry. I roughly know where they ran off to."
"Where? Go get them back now."
"It's near the fence on the east side of the village. I'll find the children and bring them back. You hurry and notify the villagers. Come back to support me once you're done."
"Alright."
"No more 'alright.' Time's urgent! Trust me!"
The man saw Subaru's determined expression and made up his mind.
"I understand, Subaru-sama. It's entrusted to you."
Subaru watched the villager leave, then without hesitation ran to the place he went earlier that afternoon.
When he arrived, he saw children's footprints outside the fence.
Looking into the dark forest, Subaru didn't hesitate.
He climbed over the fence and ran into the woods.
Not long after Subaru left, another person arrived in the village.
It was Rem, wielding a flail.
She noticed the stench on Subaru had disappeared since he left the mansion.
Immediately suspicious, she tracked Subaru with murderous intent.
When she saw the fires in the village, her killing intent intensified.
She quickened her pace into the village but found all the villagers gathered, some holding farming tools, looking like they were preparing for something.
"What are you all doing?"