It felt like about six hours had passed since they had departed from the Royal Capital when Subaru noticed the carriage's speed starting to slow down.
As the scenery outside the small window slowed down, Subaru raised his hand to his chin, furrowing his brows in suspicion. The feeling of stubble he could sense from his touch confirmed that the time he was sensing was almost accurate.
Rubbing his buttocks, which were sore from sitting for so long, he stood up and went to the window at the front of the loading platform that led to the driver's seat. He hadn't used it while driving at full speed, so as not to get in Rem's way, but now he had no choice but to use it to question her true intentions.
"Rem, why are you driving so slowly? We don't have time to waste..."
"The sun will soon be setting. Traveling at night also increases the chance of encountering thieves or magical beasts. Rem thinks we should find a place to stay in a nearby village tonight."
Rem didn't turn around when someone called out to her, but instead moved slightly from the driver's seat towards me and began speaking.
Hearing that opinion, Subaru put his hand to his chin and furrowed his brow thoughtfully,
"A nearby village… so that's one of the two villages Wilhelm-san mentioned. If I remember correctly, the one where you can exchange lizards is called Hanumas or something, is it that village?"
Subaru asked, hoping that it was probably not so, but Rem shook her head and said, "No."
"It will take another six hours to get to Hanumas. What you see soon is not Hanumas, but a village called Fleur. Sorry."
"Well, it's not your fault... But can't we just keep driving for another six hours? That means we're at the halfway point, right?"
Subaru responded to Rem, who was lowering her voice, by suggesting that they continue marching. However, Rem still shook her head at the suggestion,
"Unfortunately, if we go from here to Hanumas, we might not arrive until around midnight. If that happens, we might not be able to find lodging, and in any case, it's difficult to arrange a dragon carriage in the middle of the night."
"Hmm... I see. It's not like we'll be okay if we just get to Hanumas."
Rem had had the same amount of time to think that Subaru had been lost in thought. Naturally, the plan Subaru was proposing now was one that he had carefully considered.
Closing his eyes, Subaru pondered the idea Rem had presented to him, but he soon came to a decision.
"Let's get some lodging in Fleur and leave first thing tomorrow morning. That way the earth dragon can rest, and maybe we won't need to search for a replacement dragon in Hanumas."
"Yes. If we leave early in the morning and successfully relay Hanumas, we might be able to return to the mansion by tomorrow night."
Perhaps taken aback by how easily Subaru had accepted it, Rem's voice carried a strong sense of relief as she held the reins.
Sensing her state from behind, Subaru suddenly realised that he was putting a lot of strain on Rem as well.
The feelings of caring for her master - when she learned that the mansion was facing some kind of crisis, the mental burden on Rem, who should have felt it more clearly than Subaru, was immeasurable.
She was already under such pressure, and Subaru's refusal to listen to her would only increase the burden. At Crusch's mansion, he had rejected Rem's insistence that she stay, so Subaru had no intention of making Rem suffer any more.
--Luckily, finding lodging was a snap once they arrived in Fleur.
After tying up the earth dragon in the stables (or should they call them dragon stables in this case?) adjacent to the inn and renting a room, Subaru and the others were off to bed way too early.
Subaru forced himself to eat a meal that was far too simple to be called dinner, then took a quick shower to wash off the dirt, then crawled into bed, trying to get his body to rest as soon as possible.
but,
"I can't fall asleep..."
Worrying about Emilia and the urge to rush there... These emotions mixed together, and my excited mind somehow managed to keep me from feeling sleepy.
But even so, I can't help but lie down in bed and wish that the sun would rise quickly.
There was plenty of time to think.
And there will surely be plenty of them by tomorrow daytime too.
Moreover, it wasn't just during travel, he had a huge amount of time at Crusch's mansion as well. During that time, he had thought about it countless times, and the answer he had arrived at was what he was doing now.
Therefore, what Subaru needed was not time to worry or agonize, but simply action to translate his will into results.
and,
"...Subaru-kun, is that okay?"
There was a knock on the door, and then the sound of the door hesitantly opening creaked.
I turned in my sleep and looked in that direction, and saw a fully dressed Rem leaning in and peering at me. She had taken off her familiar waitress uniform and was wearing the thin nightgown I'd seen her in before.
Subaru searches his memory for the last time he saw it, but before he can remember, Rem notices that he is awake and approaches him.
Subaru sat up and asked Rem, "What's wrong?"
"If you're so lonely you can't sleep alone, then the situation isn't so good. If you were a little more calm, I'd respond with my best joke, but for now…"
"That's a very exciting suggestion, but... that's not the main topic. Would you like to continue your treatment before you go to sleep?"
"Treatment?"
Sitting up in his bed, Subaru crossed his arms and tilted his head at Rem's words.
If the word "treatment" had caught Subaru's attention recently, the only thing that came to mind was the "Gate Recovery" that had been performed by Ferris.
However, that was a treatment that was performed under the prerequisite that there was no one else who could do it other than Ferris.
"Other than that, I can't think of anything else that's wrong... Rem, what are you talking about?"
"Just as you might imagine, Subaru, it's about treating the gate. Rem has observed Felix's treatment, so I think I'll be able to figure out how to do it. The effect is probably much weaker than Felix's, though."
"Still, it should be much easier than not doing it," Rem said, glancing up at me. Apart from Rem, the only other person in the Roswaal Mansion who specializes in water-based magic is Beatrice, although I've never actually seen her use it.
Suddenly, I remembered the curly-haired girl whom I hadn't seen in a while, and felt nostalgic for the days when we used to argue without any hard feelings.
"Subaru-kun?"
"Oh, oh, sorry."
Rem called out to Subaru, who was overcome with homesickness and nostalgia, and he nodded while hastily clearing his throat to hide his feelings.
"Yes, please. I was just having trouble falling asleep anyway, so if this helps even a little, then I'll feel a little less guilty towards Ferris."
"Is that so? That's good to hear."
Rem smiled in relief that Subaru had accepted her proposal.
As Subaru sat on the bed with his back to her, Rem placed both hands on his shoulders from behind.
Smaller and more delicate than Ferris's, her fingertips tickled his nape, making Subaru feel an tingly sensation as he surrendered to the warmth that slowly spread across him.
Over the past week or so, he had tasted the overflow of mana from Ferris' palm countless times.
Compared to Ferris's actions it was a little disappointing, but perhaps due to the difference in the amount of mana being manipulated, there was no sign of any nauseating discomfort.
On the contrary, you begin to feel enveloped in a soft sensation, as if you were being rocked in a cradle or floating in warm water with only your face sticking out.
"Wow, that's amazing. Honestly, it's a lot better than what Ferris does."
"Really?… Since it requires concentration, I thought that an inexperienced Rem wouldn't be able to satisfy you, Subaru-kun."
"That's not true. It feels good, and somehow... it makes me feel sleepy..."
In fact, if I let my guard down for a moment, I get the feeling that I might doze off, which tickles my eyes.
It was hard to believe how nervous he was after not being able to fall asleep just a moment ago, but considering that getting to sleep was a necessity, going along with Rem's suggestion was the right decision.
"It's okay if you fall asleep, okay? I'll let you sleep properly, cover you with the futon, and enjoy your sleeping face before leaving the room."
"I'm not worried about catching a cold if I sleep with my stomach exposed or anything, and there are plenty of things I want to point out, like enjoying your sleeping face, but Rem is doing her best, so I don't think I'm going to be able to fall asleep in the middle of it all."
I want to be aware that I am not so insensitive as to be so selfish.
Rem seemed to chuckle softly at Subaru's response. She slightly moved the hands that had been touching Subaru's shoulders, and then wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.
Subaru felt the warmth coming from his palm increase, and his eyelids grew heavier. But he rubbed his eyelids with his hand as if to resist, and spoke in an attempt to stay conscious.
"I guess I'll get scolded at first..."
"...Maybe. Rem might be scolded by her sister, asking, 'Why did you come back?'"
Subaru: "I'll explain to Ram myself. That I asked for too much and dragged Rem along. But, what about Emilia-tan…"
What can I say? My mind is so slow, I can't find the right words.
As Subaru began to lose sight of the weight of his eyelids, Rem stretched out the hand she had placed around his neck even further, and embraced him from behind,
"---If you take your time, face it properly, and properly put your feelings into words, I'm sure one day they'll understand. With your sincere feelings, Subaru-kun."
"I... guess so. That's right... I feel that way so much..."
The sound began to fade away. No, Subaru's consciousness began to drift away from reality.
The sleepiness had gone beyond being pleasant; it felt more like a curse, and my eyelids had become a stubborn cage of consciousness that would no longer allow me to open them.
Unable to maintain consciousness, the neck gives way and the head falls forward.
Just before his thoughts completely detached from realityーー,
"So in that little corner, there's also Rem."
As he spoke, he felt Rem's lips tickling the back of his head.
With that convenient illusion as his last, Subaru's consciousness fell into darkness.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
--As Subaru's consciousness awoke, he felt the heat of the sunlight burning his eyelids.
Lying on the bed, he absentmindedly raised his hands to protect his head. The sunlight streaming in through the large window in the room was strong, and the futon draped over his shoulders made it difficult to sleep, bringing with it a lot of heat.
As I was lost in these thoughts and took stock of the current situation, I noticed something was off.
"A time when the sun is shining brightly...?!"
Suddenly, Subaru threw the covers off his feet and jumped off the bed, heading for the window. Impatiently pushing the window open, a cool breeze poured into the room, and with the wind caressing his bangs, he looked up to the sky - and there, in front of him, was the sun, high in the sky.
"You've got to be kidding me, dude. Oversleeping at a time like this...?"
The sun has already risen so high that it's hard to call it a sunrise. It must be midday, or even later than that.
"What's wrong with me... Am I an idiot?"
Slamming the window shut, Subaru hurriedly ran out of the room and into the next door.
Rem, who had rented the room, should be sleeping there, and if she hadn't woken up Subaru, it was obvious that her mind was also in the dark.
"Rem, Rem, wake up! I totally overslept!"
Knocking on the door and calling out to her, Subaru cursed his own carelessness for having been asleep for over half a day. Rem, who had never overslept even once before, could make the excuse that it was because she was tired from operating the dragon carriage and other things, but as for Subaru, it was entirely and simply his own fault.
Unable to contain his frustration and helplessness, he naturally puts more strength into his arms as he knocks on the door.
There was still no reaction from within. Was Rem in a deep sleep, or was there some other reason?
"Oh shit, I can't help it. Rem! I didn't knock!"
As he spoke, Subaru opened the door lightly and scanned the inside.
This was done out of consideration for the possibility that she might be in the middle of changing clothes or sleeping in an indecent position, but all of these concerns turned out to be unfounded.
because--,
"...Rem?"
The room was empty.
Pushing the door open, Subaru stepped inside and looked around.
The flat bed showed no signs of anyone sleeping on it, and the untouched sheets showed no sign of anyone having even slept on it.
Feeling a bad feeling run up his spine, Subaru still desperately continued to search the room for any trace of Rem.
However, no matter how hard they searched, there was no sign of anyone having been there, and the only thing they could find on the table was a ceramic vessel that appeared to have contained a drink, with some hand on it.
The little baggage he should have brought with him - Subaru felt dizzy upon discovering that even that was nowhere to be found, and with his heart beating faster and his blood fading, he headed downstairs.
The innkeeper who had welcomed them the previous night was sitting at the reception desk, and when he saw Subaru rushing downstairs with a pale face,
"Oh my, good morning. It seems you had a good night's sleep last night."
" " she said, massaging my hands and giving me a salesy smile.
However, Subaru paid no attention to his master's attitude, and leaned forward, slamming his hand on the reception desk,
"What happened to me and the blue-haired girl who was staying with me?!"
"Oh, customer... don't get too excited. The others will be surprised too..."
"Answer me! Rem, where did your companion go?!"
The master flinched at Subaru's anger, refusing to listen, and then, carefully choosing his words, spoke in halting bursts,
"If you were accompanying her... well, late last night. Umm, we used the dragon carriage we came in on, yes..."
"I can't hear you! What is it?"
"So! He left during the night! He got on the dragon carriage he came in on, and left your companion's... accommodation fees and luggage with us!"
The owner shouted the answer and picked up the bag that was just below the reception desk. He placed it on the desk and pushed it towards Subaru.
"Here is your luggage. I paid the accommodation fee in advance, and I received quite a bit more than that, so there is no problem..."
"No problem... what?"
His master seemed to be careful not to provoke Subaru, whose emotions had run wild, but his carefully chosen reply had enraged Subaru once again.
「There's no problem… there isn't!!」
Subaru yelled angrily, slammed his arm into the luggage on the desk, and clutched his head.
Doubts, suspicions, anger, sadness, and conflict over the injustice all crowded together inside his skull, and Subaru looked up at the ceiling, tearing at his black hair.
"What… what are you thinking, Rem…!!"
Subaru's screams echoed in the air in vain, as even those who understood him forced their lack of understanding upon him.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
"To Subaru-kun"
"When Subaru-kun is reading this letter, I'm sure he is very angry at Rem."
"I'm not asking you to forgive Rem for leaving Subaru-kun and heading to the palace. But please understand."
"It would be very dangerous to bring Subaru-kun back to the castle in his current state. This is both considering the castle's conditions and Subaru-kun's health."
"So Subaru-kun, please stay in this village and wait for Rem to return with Fleur. Once everything has been settled, I will definitely come and pick you up."
"I'll leave all my money here. I've given the landlord enough money so that I can stay there as long as I like."
"Please, please treat me well. Please wait until Rem returns. --Please."
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
Deciphering the letter that had been mixed in with his checked luggage, Subaru clutched his head and let out a long, long sigh.
The location was a lounge on the first floor of the inn, and there was no one around Subaru, who was sitting on the sofa.
There weren't many guests to begin with, and the innkeeper seemed wary of Subaru's angry state earlier, so he hasn't been seen anywhere since he was shown to the lounge.
And so, in the midst of fighting the unbearable waves of emotion, I found a letter in my luggage and took my time to read it through.
"You idiot Rem..."
The letter was written in neat handwriting and was written entirely in ``I'' characters.
The fact that Subaru is still learning to read and write, and can only read and write the "I" alphabet, is well known to everyone in the mansion, especially the twin sisters who often act as his instructors.
The thoughtfulness engraved on the letter paper was far too profound for him to be led to the overly paranoid conclusion that this was a plot by someone to kidnap Rem.
In other words, there is no doubt that it was Rem who wrote the letter, and the contents left behind are also her own will.
Of her own accord, she left Subaru behind in the village and returned to the mansion alone.
The letter expressed concern for Subaru, who was still far from fully recovered, and assured him of his future, but Subaru's heart was currently too weak to accept such concern.
To him, there was only one emotion he could glean from the letter that Rem left behind.
"Rem... Are you saying that I'm useless because I don't have enough power...?"
It was a disappointing assessment of himself that succinctly illustrated the fact that he had been left behind.
He read the letter over and over again, desperately searching for some hidden meaning within it. Or perhaps there was something written there that only Subaru could understand.
But no matter how many times Subaru reread the letter, the words never gave him any different interpretation than the first time.
"Is that so... Then that's fine. I get it. If you're going to leave me behind... then I won't rely on you either."
Subaru gritted his teeth and stood up.
Looking down at the open bag on the desk, just as the letter said, it was filled with a considerable amount of gold and silver coins.
The travel money was in the care of Rem, and was likely entrusted to her by Roswaal when he remained in the royal capital. Even Subaru, whose monetary values were not entirely otherworldly, could tell that it was a large sum of money that would last him over a year if he just lived normally.
In other words, it is a kind of power that, if used properly, can make it easier to achieve one's goals.
"We can hire a dragon carriage and a driver and take it to Roswaal's mansion. I don't know the going rate though... we'll just have to do it well."
At worst, I don't care if I end up penniless as long as I can get there.
Once you have decided how to spend the money, all that's left is to take action.
Grabbing his bag, Subaru left the lounge and made his way to the reception desk, his footsteps clanging. There, the owner was sitting, shrunk in size, and when he saw Subaru approaching, he shrugged his shoulders as if he was frightened.
"Wh-what may I do for you, sir?"
"I just wanted to ask, how far is it from here to Margrave Roswaal's...ah, the Mathers territory? How long would it take to hire a dragon carriage to get there?"
"A dragon carriage, is it...?"
At first, his master had a somewhat probing attitude, but once he judged that Subaru had regained some of his composure, he immediately began to examine the content of the question.
He looked at the bag Subaru was holding, and the advance payment for the lodging that Rem had given him――Taking that information into consideration,
"If you're simply renting a dragon carriage, four gold coins should be enough. If you want a high-quality earth dragon or cart, the price will go up or down depending on that. It also depends on whether it's a round trip or the period of rental."
"Is that so?... It's totally within the acceptable range. By the way, what happens if you have a coachman?"
"If you are accompanied by a driver, the period will be clearly considered short-term. In exchange, if you are not using the dragon carriage on the return journey, that will change… well, I think you can rent the dragon carriage for just the outward journey for five gold coins."
"I'm not an expert so I can't be certain," his master added, and Subaru expressed his gratitude, as that at least gave him a rough idea of the going rate.
Considering the amount of money in the bag Rem had left behind, there would be plenty of change left over for such an expense. Subaru thought it was a careless move and thought he had misjudged Rem's determination to carry out her will, but that was dashed by a single word from his next master.
Subaru had decided that he had made the necessary arrangements to pursue them, but the innkeeper lowered his eyes and said, "However," as if he had difficulty speaking,
"The customer requested a dragon carriage, but there are no shops in Fleur that rent them out. We'll have to wait for a shared dragon carriage and go to the royal capital or Hanumas…"
"Wha... Seriously? There isn't even one store where you can rent a dragon carriage?"
"I apologize for the inconvenience. What's more, I find it difficult to say this, but the next shared dragon carriage is more than two days away... and the influence of the 'Fog' is very strong at the moment."
After hearing this shocking truth from his apologetic master, Subaru retracts his previous thoughts - he is astounded by Rem's dogged thoroughness.
Her plan had probably begun the moment she'd suggested staying at Fleur's inn yesterday. She'd left Subaru behind in a village where it was difficult to arrange a dragon carriage, and it was even harder to get there by legitimate means.
Subaru has no way of controlling a dragon carriage, so he cannot resort to the worst-case scenario of stealing an earth dragon from somewhere and riding it around.
All of this was a plan to keep Subaru in the village and keep him out of the situation.
"Are you okay, sir?"
The owner, unable to bear seeing Subaru leaning against the desk with his hand on his forehead, called out to him with a worried look on his face.
Subaru barely managed to respond to her concern with a "It's fine," and began to think hard about what to do next.
If it was not possible to arrange a dragon carriage, then in the worst case scenario, they could set out on foot. However, Subaru alone would not be able to deal with the thieves and magical beasts that Rem was worried about, and most importantly, he would have no way of properly figuring out the route.
What Subaru regrets now, however late, is the realization that up until now he had never even attempted to see a map of this world with his own eyes.
He had no idea where the capital was located on the world map, how far Roswaal's territory was from the capital, or how large it was.
It was all the result of ignorance. The price of ignorance. The excuse that this world was a different world to Subaru was no longer valid. Despite having opportunities to learn and know, Subaru had missed them all, and this was the karma that had befallen him.
"Walking is rejected. There is no store that rents a dragon carriage. …Is there any way? Think about it…"
He would use everything he had seen, learned, and learned in this world up until now. Or even the 17 years he had wasted away lazily in his former world.
Subaru racked his brains frantically, trying to come up with some useful idea.
From the start, there was no choice to abandon everything and follow Rem's orders and waste time here. If that was the choice he had to make, he would never have left Crusch's mansion in the first place.
Subaru was going to trample on the kindness that Emilia had shown him and rush to her side, so there was no way he could make a more embarrassing mistake than this.
At this moment, Subaru's brain was spinning so fast it felt like it was going to burn out.
All the resentment and hardships that had built up up until this very moment - all those memories and shame were mixed together, and it was spinning around like a fire, making a noise as it faced an end that may never be able to be recovered from.
As Subaru reminisces about his past days, he finds a clue that might help him overcome this situation.
"I want to ask my husband."
"Uh, huh, what is it?"
Subaru was silent, his eyes bloodshot as he thought deeply, and his master was put off by this. However, Subaru paid no attention to his master's reaction, and looked at him with bloodshot eyes,
"There are merchants in this village who have their own dragon carriages, right? I'd like to negotiate with them. Can you act as an intermediary?"