Chapter 109: Unable to Sense Goodwill
Subaru Natsuki, having returned to his room, did not go to sleep right away. Even though he sat at his desk intending to read a book, none of the contents entered his mind—especially if the book was about the Witch Cult or the White Whale.
If it had been, he would certainly have been eager to learn about the two enemies he was destined to face. Closing the book with a sigh, Subaru leaned back in his chair and began to think.
He had been rejected. Crush, whom he considered a friend, had refused him.
Though he felt disappointed, Subaru did not blame her. Both emotionally and logically, it made sense that she wouldn't help. His own incompetence was not something he could blame on Crush.
If he had to blame someone, it would only be Roswaal, who was never around when anything happened.
Subaru had thought of Crush as a friend, but in reality, not everyone was like Kamijou, who could become a friend from the moment they met.
Before leaving, Subaru had said that if Crush ever needed his help, she should come find him—not only to repay her for her hospitality, even if she had said it was just part of her deal with Emilia. But that deal was between her and Emilia, and had nothing to do with him.
So Subaru left those words as his personal expression of gratitude—and because, in his heart, he still saw Crush as a friend.
Rubbing his temples, Subaru began to think about who he should approach tomorrow after leaving this place.
The most likely people who might help were Felt and the Sword Saint Reinhard.
Beyond them, there were no other reliable options.
He wasn't familiar with the other two royal candidate factions, and therefore had the lowest chance of receiving their help.
But at this point, he had no other choice. If Felt's faction didn't help, he'd have to shamelessly beg them.
There really were no other options...
As Subaru seriously pondered what to do tomorrow, there was a knock on his door. Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned toward the door.
"Come in, it's not locked."
The door opened, and Rem walked in. At the sight of her, Subaru's expression softened.
"Is there something you need, Rem?"
"Subaru-kun, you're troubled by something, aren't you?"
"So you saw right through me, huh? Though I wasn't really trying to hide it from you."
Saying that, Subaru got up and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him. Rem hesitated for a moment, then smiled and sat down beside him.
"Rem, the mansion is in danger. The Witch Cult will attack both the mansion and the village. Even knowing that, the two of us returning won't be much help. That's why I originally wanted Crush to help us."
"But she refused. So tomorrow, we'll be leaving here and going around the capital looking for someone willing to help us... Rem, I don't want to lie to you. After Crush rejected my request, the odds of anyone else helping are very low.
The royal selection has already started, and the candidates see each other as enemies. In that situation, no one will want to help us."
"But even so, I still want to try. No matter what the result is, I have to do something."
After listening quietly, Rem looked into Subaru's eyes and smiled.
"No matter what Subaru-kun wants to do, Rem will follow you. So please go ahead and do what you must."
"I know. It's just… I had to tell you these things. Now go get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll do what we need to do. And if in the end... Never mind. Go get some sleep."
Rem saw the seriousness on Subaru's face. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and walked toward the door. At the doorway, she turned back and softly said:
"Rem believes in Subaru-kun."
Leaving those words behind, Rem shut the door. Alone now, Subaru stared at the closed door with a bitter smile.
"I don't believe in myself…"
.
.
.
Early the next morning, Subaru and Rem met up and, under Felix's guidance, arrived at the mansion's front gate.
"Subaru-kun, please stay here."
Subaru said nothing and simply looked at Felix in silence. After a moment, Felix raised his voice in exasperation.
"I know, nya! You're not going to stay, Subaru. But if you and Rem go back together, you'll die, nya!"
"Felix, if I don't go back, then I'm no longer myself. So... thank you for your concern." Subaru glanced at Rem, already seated in the dragon carriage, and the supplies stacked nearby.
Then he looked back at Felix and continued.
"Thank Crush for me. She's the one who arranged all this, right? Also, pass on a message from me."
"What message?"
"If she ever runs into trouble and needs help, she should come find me. I'll help her."
"Got it..."
Subaru turned, boarded the dragon carriage, waved at Felix, and left the mansion with Rem.
Fortunately, having wandered around the royal capital with Rem many times, Subaru had become familiar with the layout of the city.
When they arrived at the Sword Saint's residence, Subaru asked the gatekeeper about Reinhard's whereabouts, but as with the last visit, he was not home.
Apparently, he had gone out with Felt. Although disappointed, Subaru understood.
After all, among the royal candidates, Emilia and Felt were the weakest.
After leaving the Sword Saint's home, Subaru and Rem secured the dragon carriage and split up. Subaru went to search for the other two candidates, while Rem headed to the knights' headquarters to report the Witch Cult threat.
Walking down the main street, Subaru had just finished speaking with a guard and gotten the addresses of the remaining two candidates.
As he made his way toward Anastasia Hoshin's residence, he saw a cheerful little girl with orange hair running happily in his direction.
Originally, this wouldn't have been notable, but the girl suddenly turned around and started walking backwards—right into Subaru.
Subaru quickly crouched down and caught the lively and adorable girl.
"Walking backwards is dangerous, you know."
"Eh? It's fine! Mimi is super strong—any danger gets dealt with in a flash!"
Subaru let out a wry smile, released her, and crouched to look her in the eyes, gently patting her head.
"I meant it's dangerous because you might bump into someone. Anyway, be careful next time and don't walk backwards."
"Hmm~~ Mimi understands. But mister, are you upset about something?"
Subaru blinked in surprise at the girl, who had introduced herself as Mimi.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because your eyes look angry."
"Uh... even if my eyes look angry, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm upset, right? Though yeah, I guess my eyes are a bit intense."
"Hmm~~ but Mimi feels like mister is sad."
Subaru let out a helpless laugh and patted her head again.
"Well, I did run into a few troubles, so I'm a little upset. But don't worry about me. I'll be on my way now."
"Mimi! Don't run off like that!"
Hearing the voice, Subaru looked up and saw a woman in a white dress, with long purple hair and a white hat, approaching.
"Oh my, isn't this Subaru? I'm terribly sorry if Mimi caused any trouble."
"Anastasia Hoshin? This child is yours?"
"Yes. My Mimi didn't bother you too much, did she?"
"No, not really. But there are some things I'd like to talk to you about—if you can spare the time."
"Of course. After all, your performance at the royal castle was quite surprising."
Anastasia had been smiling at Subaru ever since she arrived—but for some reason, Subaru couldn't sense any goodwill in that smile.