Chapter 12. Love (4)
Something hit him, and Subaru groggily woke up.
"Is this… a fish?"
He quickly caught the object falling from the air and realized it was a fish that had awakened him. His eyes gradually adjusted to the faint light emanating from his belt. Subaru gratefully touched the belt—it was the keepsake Reinhild had given him when they left Valse Stone Town (their second stop).
"Right, Reinhild must be worried about me. I should get moving quickly."
Seeing the writhing walls of flesh around him, Subaru instantly understood his situation and started searching for his sword.
"Is this… stomach acid?"
He cried out as he watched the fish melt rapidly in the liquid at his feet after slipping from his hands. He glanced down at his body, worried, but soon noticed he was unharmed. His gaze then fell on the bracelet on his right hand—a commemorative piece Reinhild had made from a toxic dragon horn.
"Speaking of which, a toxic dragon horn should resist poison… but I guess this counts too."
Subaru gently touched the bracelet and noticed cracks on it.
"It seems there's a limit… maybe dying and returning through death would be better for both of us, but sorry, Reinhild, I'm not giving you this life you saved so easily."
He picked up his sword and slashed heavily at the walls of flesh.
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Afternoon, August 21st:
The red seawater in the sunset looked beautiful, but even a small approach revealed the heavy stench of blood, showing that the red color came not from the sunset, but from the blood of countless slain mabeasts.
A flicker of fear appeared in Reinhild's eyes—not because of the endless deep-sea mabeasts drawn by her Divine Protections and the scent of blood, but because the [Divine Protection of Rescue] indicated that inside the body of a whale mabeast lay a human corpse.
"~~"
Her voice trembled slightly.
This is a gift for me… thank you… something to show off for a lifetime… no, no, no, this is the first gift Reinhild ever gave me. Giving it to a child would be a waste… I'll keep it… even at sixty, I wouldn't need to return it…
The memory of Subaru receiving his first keepsake surfaced in her mind. Her gaze hardened.
——Right, Subaru isn't going to die that easily.
The sword slashed through the whale mabeast, and Reinhild caught a half-digested female corpse, exhaling in relief but filling her heart with anxiety.
"Subaru… you must still be alive."
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.
.
"I didn't expect this guy's flesh to be so tough… but at least I'm safe for now."
Subaru shouted excitedly and collapsed to the ground. His broken sword fell nearby, bubbles appeared on the water, and the bracelet made of toxic dragon horn dropped as well.
——Has it reached the limit? ——I should have eaten a few fish earlier, but if I wasted time, the dragon bracelet might not have survived when I pierced the stomach wall. ——Humans can survive three days without food and seven days without water… so this is the third day? Does this guy eat once every three days?
Subaru felt a whirlwind of thoughts, vaguely realizing he was in a near-death, "last flash of life" state, filled with deep reluctance.
——I want to see Reinhild one more time.
This simple thought became his pillar. He thought desperately, then suddenly remembered something. Subaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silk pouch.
——Sorry.
He silently said to himself, then used his broken sword to cut open the pouch Reinhild had given him at the southern fortress. Inside were several small black balls.
"Putting something like compressed biscuits in a safety pouch… the wisdom of the ancients saved me. Well, even if they're expired and upset my stomach, it's better than dying outright."
Subaru put one of the balls in his mouth.
"It's explosively delicious… and—"
He suddenly jumped up and moved his hands in surprise.
"What material did Reinhild use for this? But… this works."
Subaru smiled, then continued moving forward in the dark.
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Morning, August 24th:
The storm had forced everyone in the city indoors. The deep red seawater had lightened to a pale red—not because Reinhild had given up, but simply because the mabeasts in this area had been almost completely slain yesterday.
Reinhild stood silently on the sea, her eyes flickering with struggle.
——Should I continue?
She looked at the countless corpses in the water, with thousands of whale mabeasts among them. Every time she sensed a human corpse inside a mabeast, despair filled her heart; each time it wasn't Subaru, she felt joy.
——It's already the sixth day… Subaru couldn't possibly have survived.
This thought entered her mind again. Reinhild understood it was an avoidance thought—but also a correct one.
——Perhaps some of the unrecognizable corpses are Subaru.
Looking at the beach, there were hundreds of bodies, about sixty percent of which were unidentifiable.
Reinhild watched the distant ocean, where intelligent, powerful mabeasts hesitated. They were drawn by the scent, but aware of her strength, they dared not act.
——If I fight them, I might not protect the city. I should give up… but this is the sixth day… am I doing this for one person? You don't really believe that fairy tale, do you?
Her rational mind warned her. Memories from over two months of travel flooded back, returning her to the starting point of that dreamlike journey.
Sorry for talking to myself for so long… I'm just really afraid of missing this chance. I wouldn't have another chance to confess. Honestly, the moment I saw you just now, I felt like you could vanish from my sight at any moment.
——Yes… I am Natsuki Subaru, the boy who loves watching over you.
Recalling his confession, Reinhild suddenly understood something.
——Back then, you were searching for me with the same feelings?
She paused, then her gaze hardened once more.
——I truly can't imagine a day without Subaru by my side, so…
Understanding her own feelings, Reinhild finally made her decision. She activated the [Bestow Blessing] to gain a new "lure mabeasts" Divine Protection, then transformed her universal Divine Protection into another lure Divine Protection. With her own Divine Protection already active, the combined effect of three lure Divine Protections finally shattered the last shred of reason in the powerful mabeasts.
They churned the sea into towering waves, rushing toward her. And the girl, holding her blue sword, unleashed a strike capable of destroying heaven and earth.