Chapter 26: Farewell, Bowel Hunter
Time ticked by, second by second.
Since the murders occurred at 9 p.m., Subaru had nearly 10 hours to go, meaning he needed to stay focused.
But this time, he wasn't acting as a servant, so he didn't have to work.
With thorough rest, his mind and body were in peak condition.
"It's fine. The magic beasts in the northwest forest have been dealt with. Reinhild is staying at the mansion. Eileen is periodically using her Poison Detection... This time, I'll definitely make it through easily."
Subaru muttered to himself. Originally, he had intended to leave directly, but the appearance of the old butler—or rather, the true culprit—had shaken that plan.
"Important occasion"… Was it to send him and Heinkel away? Subaru desperately hoped that was the case, but he couldn't discard the minuscule chance that it was a setup for a massacre.
"Damn it, why does it have to be you?!"
Thinking about the old butler being the killer, Subaru couldn't help shouting.
Enraged, he pounded the ground with his fists. Red blood stained the stones, but that pain was nothing compared to the torment in his heart.
Because that man had been his teacher in the first loop.
His friend in the second.
A trusted elder in the third.
His trust had been betrayed. In that lonely corner, Subaru couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
The midday sun scorched the earth. Subaru finally calmed down.
He rummaged through his bag—food Reinhild had prepared, a long rope he brought for escape, an unexpected telescope, a pile of money, and two key items:
"The Barrier Ring and the Genuine Silver Crown! These'll really help."
A ring that could block one attack, and another that could detect poison.
Both were gifts from Otto and Reinhild.
Subaru put on the Barrier Ring and tied the rope tightly between a nearby tree trunk and his waist.
Time continued to pass. The sky darkened.
At first, he watched the mansion's condition with enthusiasm, but gradually he felt fatigue creeping in.
What snapped him out of his drowsy state was the trembling of the earth.
"An earthquake? No, this is—!"
Dust clouds rose in the distance around the mansion.
Subaru hurriedly looked through the telescope.
Riding earth dragons were Leander, Bernie, and Reinhild.
"They spotted me, huh."
In the telescope, Reinhild suddenly looked in his direction.
Knowing how absurdly sharp the girl's senses were, Subaru accepted that as confirmation.
Since she didn't even take a few seconds to come look for him, he understood the urgency of the situation.
He quickly gripped the knife in his hand.
Though originally meant to cut the rope in an emergency escape, now it might have to be turned against an enemy.
And in the worst-case scenario—
"To commit suicide… Ugh… Can I really do something that terrifying…?"
Subaru questioned himself.
While being stabbed was arguably easier than being kicked to death, it still wouldn't be pleasant.
"I don't want to die—nor do I want anyone else to die. That's why this time, I must gather useful information."
The wish slipped out, hoping for safety and a return to the warm daily life like in his first loop.
As if speaking to himself, Subaru thought of the people he'd just parted with.
In order to break free from the loop in the next round, he decided to observe the mansion through the telescope.
Although he hadn't formed concrete bonds with them, his heart still ached at the idea of sacrificing them.
"I won't let your lives go to waste. Focus, focus…"
Whether it was bad luck or fate, "she" chose that exact moment—when Subaru's mindset shifted—to strike.
"——Ugh!"
The moment his eardrums caught a faint, strange sound, Subaru instinctively dodged to the side.
A familiar slicing of air came. His eyes widened in shock.
Her eyes gleamed with bloodlust. A familiar curved blade swung down.
"Elsa!"
Subaru shouted the name of his attacker in disbelief, but he also knew he couldn't possibly dodge her next strike.
However, Elsa suddenly clicked her tongue and leaped back.
The next moment, a massive rock—about one meter in diameter—whizzed by, narrowly missing Subaru and carrying powerful wind pressure that hurled him off the cliff.
"Ahhh—this is bad, this is seriously bad! I'm gonna die from the fall!?"
Tossed by the wind, Subaru spun wildly through the air, unable to tell up from down.
The chaotic motion made him scream involuntarily—just like someone yelling on a roller coaster despite knowing it's safe.
Suddenly, a sharp pain flared from his waist, as if it was about to snap.
His brain went blank from the agony and sheer chaos.
When he finally landed hard on the ground, he sat there, dazed, and looked up at the person now standing at the cliff's edge.
"Thank you… Who are you?"
Subaru looked up at the person who pulled him back from the cliff—a giant over 2.1 meters tall, clad entirely in black heavy armor.
He gripped the rope with one hand, and in the other, he held a massive guandao around three meters long.
"You okay, Subaru? I've got a ton of questions, but now's not the time. The mansion still needs us."
A familiar voice came from the golden armor.
Although he now stood a full head taller than before, Subaru recognized the voice. It was Leander.
"The mansion?!"
Subaru reacted immediately to what Leander said. He hurriedly looked around, then picked up the telescope and gazed toward the mansion.
What he saw was a massacre.
A towering blue giant with eight arms was wielding four massive swords, slaughtering everyone.
Even the elite guards were no match for a single strike.
An elderly man with white hair was entering the mansion under the giant's protection.
"We have to hurry back and help!"
Subaru shouted urgently to Leander.
"Eileen and the others are still inside. It won't fall so easily. Besides, we must first take care of the enemy in front of us. Otherwise, heading back might cause even more damage."
"Wonderful. You're so calm—such a fine prey. I'm thrilled to have a chance to make up for my previous failure."
Elsa toyed with the curved blade in her hand as she spoke.
"Captain of the Guard, Leander Bert."
"Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."
Following a warrior's code, they each declared their names.
Then—an earth-shaking roar rang out.
It was the sound of Leander's charge.
The ground cracked under his feet, creating a crater.
The recoil from his step was so powerful that he seemed to teleport, appearing instantly above Elsa.
Gripping his guandao tightly, Leander roared like a lion as he swung the weapon down toward Elsa—who met the strike with a bloodthirsty smile.