Subaru's Transformation
After once again thanking Ferris, Subaru used the excuse that he needed time to sort out his thoughts after nearly dying, and scheduled his meeting with Reinhild for the afternoon.
Once the door was closed again, Subaru could no longer suppress his emotions.
He grabbed the pillow behind him and beat it repeatedly. This continued until a persistent knocking sounded once more.
"Natsuki Subaru-san, this is your breakfast. We hope it meets your satisfaction."
The one who came in was Matt, one of the guest room attendants.
"Thank you. Oh, and could I get a pen and some blank paper?"
After finishing breakfast, Subaru calmly sat at the desk.
Dying in the fourth and fifth loops had made him realize just how foolish acting on impulse was.
Although the limit of return by death had surpassed his expectations, if the last time had actually been the final chance, the thought alone made Subaru tremble in fear.
"Calm down, Subaru. You have to make the most of every opportunity to return, treat every single time as if it's your last. Alright, let's begin."
Subaru spoke to himself and began to contemplate all the information he'd obtained through the five loops so far.
At last, he wrote familiar Japanese characters on the blank paper—writing that only Subaru himself should be able to read.
[R****n by Death]
Subaru first reviewed his trump cards.
Of course, to avoid any accidents, he didn't write everything on the paper. Organizing the information he currently had, Subaru confirmed that return by death truly could not be told to anyone.
Moreover, he had a strange intuition: if he dared to tell Reinhild about it again, he would truly meet his final death.
"So I really got inexplicably liked by a yandere witch, huh…"
Subaru gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
After confirming the fundamental nature of return by death, Subaru turned to considering his hand of cards.
Naturally, the first person who came to mind was Reinhild.
If this was a poker game, Reinhild would be the ultimate trump card—the king of kings.
At least for now, Subaru hadn't seen or even heard of anyone who could match that girl's strength.
Especially in the previous loop, Reinhild had actually resurrected twice.
Considering that in the fourth loop the girl hadn't mentioned reviving, it meant the attackers hadn't even forced her into her second phase.
"No, no, don't let Bernie and the others affect you. That blind faith in the invincibility of the Sword Saint held by those at the mansion seeped too deeply into me.
That's why I did nothing in the fourth loop, and why I went straight to her for help in the fifth.
Calm down, Natsuki Subaru.
Reinhild's power may be unmatched, but she's still human. So that shortcut is really a dead end."
Subaru suddenly fell silent and then quickly reviewed every detail from the five loops. His memories finally stopped at the third loop.
"One-time use… Right, on the fifth day, after Heinkel returns, Otto tries to send Reinhild away. That's a chance."
Subaru suddenly grew excited.
If he could make use of this opportunity, he might be able to preemptively deal with part of the mansion's crisis.
Yes, Subaru's idea was to resolve it—completely eliminate a threat.
If the Subaru who first arrived in this other world was a walking corpse without purpose, and the Subaru who arrived at the Astrea mansion was just a reckless boy, then now—
"I... no, this is no longer peaceful Japan, but a dangerous other world.
And I already decided long ago... That's right.
If this can save her, then no matter how many sins I bear—it doesn't matter."
In that instant, Subaru made up his mind completely.
At this moment, Subaru had undergone a transformation.
The naïve and foolish Japanese high school student was now gone.
The one sitting at the desk now was a true warrior—a warrior determined to protect the one he loves.
[Enemies include: assassination guild, Witch Cult, magical beasts, Cecilus, and unknown threats.]
Subaru's pen once again began to write.
To this point, he still hadn't figured out the forces behind the two maids.
"Forget it. First, let's sort out the high-end combat forces among the enemies. Let me think… the Sin Archbishop of Lust, Meili, Cecilus, and Ram."
Subaru decisively gave up on pondering the unanswerable, and instead wrote down the known high-end enemy combatants.
Two were villains out of a fairy tale, one a swordsman who directly clashed with Reinhild, and even the seemingly weakest—Ram—was capable of defeating Leander.
"From the looks of it, they should be like the twos in a deck of cards. And considering the 'Master' Ram mentioned might also be strong… is this the classic Four Heavenly Kings actually having five members? Thinking back, I really wasted the third loop."
"The best timing is when Lust takes Meili to the forest. More precisely, that's the morning of the fourth day. At that time, Ram, Lust, and Meili are all in Setia City.
What a shame that Reinhild was stuck in the royal capital with the knight order on the fourth day. Damn it… is this rare opportunity going to be nothing more than a warning?"
"So should I choose the retainer route? No… that path only guarantees I get Eileen's combat power.
That's too little.
And to guide Reinhild to handle the northwest beasts, the necessary condition is warning the Mercenary Guild on day four.
The retainer path is the easiest, but it's not like the other paths can't leave the mansion."
[Winston; Bernie, Eileen; Leander.]
Subaru wrote the top-tier combatants at the mansion in three groups on the paper.
"If we're talking poker, they're the Aces. Meanwhile, the likes of the Bowel Hunter and Meili are like face cards. How should I get their help?"
Subaru once again paused his pen and showed a contemplative expression.
Fortunately, in the fourth loop where he gave up, Reinhild had looked after him throughout.
During that time, she told him many stories about the mansion's staff.
Maybe to Reinhild, these people were treasures of her heart too.
"If they all survive, maybe I can avoid the outcome of the fourth loop?"
Subaru tapped the desk, thinking it over, considering what Bernie said about the casualties in the fourth loop and the creation abilities of the Sin Archbishop of Lust.
"Let's just assume for now that they're all my allies. Otherwise, our fighting power is completely insufficient."
[Winston: originally the second strongest in the West, now the second strongest at the mansion.
Came to the kingdom on a mission and personally saw an 8-year-old Reinhild defeat the West's strongest 'Laudator' and became a follower of the Sword Saint.
A battle maniac by nature, so build a good relationship and just tell him there's a strong enemy.]
[Berni and Eileen: both were rescued by Reinhild from the slums or slave traders. They represent the slums.
Unless Reinhild is in danger, they are absolutely loyal to her.
In other words, if Reinhild orders them to help me, they'll support me with everything they have.]
[Leander and Otto: friends of Reinhild, reportedly saved by her.
Though willing to give their lives for Reinhild, they have their own views and will actively eliminate unstable elements around Reinhild.
Otto has strong authority; in the third loop, he even ordered Bernie to act tough for him.]