...
{3rd Pov}
Time continued to move forward, days blending into weeks, weeks stretching into months.
During this time, Subaru, Rem, their children Rigel and Spica, along with their extended family members Zarestia and Halibel, continued living together in peace and stability.
Rem kept working as a teacher, devoting herself to her students and gradually becoming a respected figure in the community.
Subaru, on the other hand, climbed the ranks in his workplace.
Thanks to his ideas and creative innovations, he earned promotion after promotion.
His most notable contribution was the introduction of several new festivals, each carefully designed to entertain the people while also boosting the local economy.
These festivals were a huge success, drawing large crowds, increasing trade, and filling the city with new life.
Because of Subaru's efforts, Banan began to shine as a cultural hub.
His festivals didn't just amuse the locals—they became a phenomenon across the entire nation of Kararagi.
Word spread far and wide, and soon people from distant lands came to witness the unique celebrations.
What started as Subaru's idea eventually transformed Banan into a well-known tourist destination, famous throughout Kararagi for its lively atmosphere and thriving events.
The tourism industry blossomed, strengthening the city's economy and raising its status among other cities.
Behind all of this success stood Subaru, whose genius ideas made the impossible seem achievable.
He played a major role in formally introducing the concept of tourism to his boss, Riften, explaining not only how festivals could enrich the culture but also how they could become a steady source of profit.
People in Banan—and even those beyond—were stunned by Subaru's skills.
His talent for arithmetic, his sharp calculations, his ability to make sound business judgments, and his logical way of thinking were far beyond what anyone had expected of him.
The man who had once been seen as weak, unreliable, and prone to making careless mistakes in his work turned out to have incredible potential.
Riften himself was overjoyed by these results.
Laughing heartily, he proudly declared that his instincts had not failed him.
Investing his trust in Subaru had been one of his best decisions, and he openly praised Subaru as his greatest find.
Meanwhile, Zarestia and Halibel visited the family whenever they could spare time.
Their presence always brought liveliness into Subaru's household.
Zarestia, true to her nature, never missed the opportunity to tease Rigel mercilessly, often making the boy flustered and red-faced.
Though Rigel put on a tsundere act—stubbornly denying any real interest—the truth was that he had slowly started to develop a crush on Zarestia.
He was confused by the unfamiliar feelings her attention stirred in him, and his constant blushing betrayed him, even if he tried to hide it.
Yet no one in the family noticed his inner turmoil, and his attitude only added to the comedy of their interactions.
Despite these peaceful days within their home, the outside world was not standing still.
Sooner or later, troubling news reached them.
The shocking announcement of Anastasia Hoshin's death quickly spread across Kararagi, leaving many in disbelief.
Since Anastasia's main company had its headquarters in Kararagi, and because Subaru's family resided in Banan—one of the nation's key cities—the news traveled quickly and became the talk of the region.
Preparations for her funeral were made, and many distinguished figures received invitations to attend.
Among them was Riften, Subaru's ambitious cougar boss.
Out of respect and perhaps with pride in Subaru's achievements, Riften extended the invitation to Subaru and his family as well.
However, Subaru hesitated.
The thought of attending and potentially encountering people he would rather avoid weighed heavily on him.
Not wishing to expose his family to unnecessary complications or risk, Subaru ultimately made the decision to decline Riften's invitation.
Anastasia Hoshin's funeral was held in Kararagi on a grand scale.
As one of the former Royal Candidates, even though she had lost the Royal Selection, she still carried considerable influence in Lugunica's political circles.
On top of that, her commercial empire in Kararagi was massive and had even expanded operations into Lugunica, which gave her prestige far beyond her title.
Naturally, her passing drew the attention of countless influential people, making the funeral one of the most significant events in recent memory.
When Riften returned from attending the ceremony, he recounted the details to Subaru, speaking of the attendees and the atmosphere.
"Julius Juukulius," Riften mentioned with a sigh. "Even after Anastasia Hoshin lost her chance at the throne, he never abandoned her side. He remained loyal, serving her faithfully until the very end. There are even rumors the two of them were in love. I could see the pain written on his face during the funeral—it was as if his very soul had been torn apart."
Riften's words carried a weight of respect mixed with pity as he recalled the knight's expression.
"I-I heard he's a famous Spirit Knight," Subaru replied hesitantly.
Almost immediately, he regretted speaking up in such a clumsy way.
To bring up casual facts in the middle of a conversation about grief seemed insensitive, and Subaru silently cursed himself for blurting it out.
"Julius Juukulius? Yes, he's well-known across the continent," Riften nodded, continuing without taking offense. "They say he has contracts with seven quasi-spirits, something only a handful of knights in history have ever achieved."
Subaru silently acknowledged this, memories resurfacing from the first time he had met Julius.
It felt like a lifetime ago, back in the Royal Capital, when he had accompanied Emilia and Rem for the Royal Selection.
Of course, Subaru wasn't officially there to "attend" the Selection—he was merely an extra who had tagged along, his true purpose being to visit Felix in order to have his damaged gate healed.
'I remember how pretentious that bastard was when we first met,' Subaru thought, his lips twitching as he recalled the scene.
He could clearly see Julius taking Emilia's hand and kissing it with elegance and grace, a gesture that infuriated Subaru at the time.
Subaru, still new to the customs of this world, didn't realize that such gestures were perfectly normal in Lugunican nobility.
All he saw was another man laying his lips on the hand of the girl he was deeply in love with.
The jealousy and misunderstanding boiled over instantly, and Subaru had flown into a rage, sparking a bitter fallout with Julius on their very first encounter.
Compared to what happened the following day in the Royal Castle, though, that little argument was nothing.
At worst, Julius had reprimanded him, mocking him slightly and pointing out how he wasn't behaving like a proper servant.
Julius had reminded him bluntly that he wasn't a knight and shouldn't act as though he was one.
'He was right… I wasn't a knight. I should have kept my mouth shut during the Royal Assembly,' Subaru reflected, recalling the humiliation he brought upon himself.
That day, Subaru wasn't even supposed to attend the Assembly in the first place.
Only with the interference of another Royal Candidate—Priscilla Barielle, of all people—did he manage to sneak inside.
Predictably, Emilia was upset with him.
She had specifically instructed him not to involve himself, but Subaru's reckless nature got the better of him once insults started flying.
When the nobles began ridiculing Emilia for her silver hair and her identity as a half-elf, Subaru's self-control broke completely.
Unable to stand by while the woman he loved was mocked and belittled, he erupted in anger, lashing out at everyone present.
He openly insulted them for their prejudice, his voice filled with fury and desperation.
And then, in a reckless attempt to defend her dignity, Subaru made the boldest mistake of all—he loudly proclaimed himself to be Emilia's knight, despite having no training, no title, and no right to say such a thing.
How heroic was he supposed to look? Screw that—FUCK IT!
Not only did Emilia reprimand him in front of everyone, but she also made it painfully clear that he was not her knight.
She even went so far as to apologize to the very nobles and knights who had insulted her, bowing her head before them as though she had been the one in the wrong.
The truth was undeniable—he had overstepped.
He had no right, no position, and no power.
After all, who would seriously listen to the words of a weak, pathetic, powerless boy like him?
To the nobles and knights present, he wasn't worth their time, nothing more than an arrogant outsider making noise in a hall that wasn't meant for him.
The humiliation of that day clung to him like chains.
And when the Assembly finally ended, Julius Juukulius himself sought Subaru out.
The knight hadn't forgotten how Subaru had insulted the Royal Knights by boldly proclaiming himself Emilia's protector.
To put Subaru in his place, to force him to realize the weight of his arrogance, Julius challenged him to a duel.
And Subaru—knowing exactly what he was walking into—accepted.
Of course he accepted.
He wasn't stupid; he knew the outcome.
He knew he would be beaten bloody, that the duel was hopeless from the start.
How could someone like him, a boy without proper training or even basic swordsmanship, possibly stand against a Spirit Knight recognized across the nation?
But still… he accepted.
Not because he thought he could win, but because he wanted to prove something.
He wanted to show that even if they beat him down, even if they laughed at him and insulted him to his face, he would not back away.
He would not run.
Even if he was weak, even if he had no talent, even if every strike of the blade shattered him—he was going to crawl through hell itself if that was what it took to become Emilia's knight.
Emilia's knight, no one else's.
He wanted them all to see it.
He wanted to expose the hypocrisy of those so-called nobles and knights.
They stood tall, claiming to be defenders of justice, yet when Emilia was insulted right in front of their eyes, they had done nothing.
They hadn't defended her, they hadn't spoken for her.
And yet he, a powerless fool, had.
But reality was cruel.
He wasn't able to prove anything.
His fists, his stubbornness, his defiance—they all crumbled in the face of Julius's skill.
Blow after blow landed, bruises covering his body, blood filling his mouth.
A tooth cracked and broke under the force.
Every strike drove the truth deeper: he was weak, far weaker than he ever wanted to admit.
To the audience watching, the duel only confirmed what they already believed—that Subaru was arrogant, overstepping his boundaries.
That Julius's merciless beating was not only justified, but also the rightful punishment.
To them, this was justice being delivered on a loudmouthed fool who had dared to reach above his station.
Still, Subaru fought.
Even when he was battered beyond recognition, even when his body screamed in agony, when his lungs begged for air and his vision blurred, he continued.
He stood up again and again, swinging, charging forward recklessly until finally… both his body and his mind gave out.
When he woke up later, battered and broken, he didn't hear a word of gratitude.
He didn't hear a single "thank you" from Emilia.
Instead, the words that left her lips pierced him deeper than any wound Julius had inflicted.
She called him selfish.
She told him outright that he hadn't done any of it for her sake—that it was all for himself, for his own self-satisfaction.
That she didn't need his help.
Those words crushed him more than the duel itself.
'Hahaha… she didn't need my help, huh?' Subaru had thought at time bitterly.
But how could he possibly believe those words?
How could he take them at face value when he had seen her die with his own eyes?
Again, and again, and again—across countless loops, he had watched Emilia's life slip away.
No matter what she said, no matter how harshly she rejected him, he could never believe she didn't need him. Not when he knew what awaited her if he did nothing.
In the end, he had been right all along—she did die.
Emilia died, and this time, he wasn't able to save her.
No, that wasn't quite it.
It wasn't that he simply failed to save her… it was that he gave up on saving her.
He made the conscious choice to stop.
He knew the cycle all too well—if he tried again, he would only die, over and over, dragging everyone else into endless death with him.
Or he could run.
Run away, take the only person who had truly believed in him, and choose a different path.
And so he ran.
He chose Rem.
Rem—the only one who stood by his side no matter what, the only one who trusted him when everyone else doubted, the one who believed in him when even he couldn't believe in himself.
For her sake, and for his own fragile sanity, he turned his back on that endless spiral of despair.
Because of that decision, he now had something he never thought possible.
A family.
A home.
A peaceful life where the shadow of death didn't hang over every moment.
With Rem by his side, he was safe, happy, and far away from the chaos, the bloodshed, and the despair that had once consumed his world.
Yes. Because of that choice—because of that one decision—he had everything he held dear now.
"SUBARU!"
His whole body jolted as though lightning had struck him.
He nearly jumped out of his seat before his eyes shot toward the source of the voice.
Riften was staring at him with a mix of irritation and concern.
They were in a bar, a simple, cozy one where people came to drink away their troubles.
Subaru had been sitting across from Riften, but somewhere along the way he had stopped paying attention.
His mind had drifted far, far away into memories he thought he had buried.
"Seriously? What were you thinking just now? Your expression changed like three different times in the last minute! You've been sitting there, completely blank, for who knows how long." Riften leaned in, his brows knitting together.
Then his tone softened slightly as he added, "You're not feeling sick, are you?"
Subaru forced a smile onto his face, shaking his head. "Sorry, Riften! It's nothing like that. I just… fell into deep thought, that's all." He waved his hand dismissively, as if to brush the entire matter aside.
But inside, his chest tightened.
He had to keep it buried.
'The past is the past… For me, it's over. What matters now is the present I've built… and the future I'll protect. That's all that matters.' Subaru thought firmly, clenching his hand under the table where no one could see.
To be continued...
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