Chapter 22. After the Disaster
Familiar pain, familiar chaotic atmosphere, a dirty ceiling, and the smell of rust. The moment he woke up, Subaru instantly realized he was lying on a makeshift hospital bed. Then, hair as red as flames appeared in his line of sight.
"Subaru, you're awake. How do you feel?"
Subaru surveyed his surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was the blood transfusion setup on his hand, and then the several wounds stitched up with needle and thread. Of course, the wounds showed absolutely no sign of healing. Next to him was Reinhild, whose face expressed worry, guilt, and happiness all at once.
"So, I was lucky enough to survive?"
"Of course. You were too reckless. I clearly told you to wait for me…"
Subaru touched his chest. The huge scar made him realize how lucky he was. If he hadn't trained regularly with Wilhelm, if he hadn't personally witnessed the scene of Geuse accidentally killing Fortuna, if Reinhild hadn't fully upgraded his equipment after the Water City incident... then he would surely have died once.
"Subaru, are you listening?"
"Sorry. What's the situation now? Does Reinhild being here mean 'Greed' has been dealt with?"
Subaru spoke while preparing to pull out the IV tube.
"Subaru!!!"
Reinhild grabbed Subaru's hand, a hint of anger in her voice. Subaru placed his other hand on Reinhild's, quietly looking at her.
Creak, creak~~
The iron bars under the bed gradually deformed. Reinhild's gaze shifted back and forth between Subaru's eyes and the back of his neck. Her left hand lifted several times but finally settled back onto the bed.
"Miss Reinhild, everyone is calling you for the war council. Ah, are you getting all lovey-dovey right after waking up? I apologize for interrupting, but the city is a mess, and even 'Gluttony' appeared. It's truly wonderful that you woke up at a time like this. Perhaps I should perform a dance for Subaru's awakening."
Lilianna, the 'Diva' of the Water Gate City, clearly did not notice the tense atmosphere.
"Miss Lilianna, I will be right there. Could I trouble you to wait outside for a moment?"
Reinhild's calm words were filled with unimaginable power, immediately stopping Lilianna's dance steps, and she carefully backed out of the room.
"The Archbishop of Sin 'Gluttony' also appeared. He's there…"
"Subaru, I already know the weakness of 'Greed'. I also understand 'Wrath''s ability. 'Gluttony' also cannot defeat me. So, can you please leave everything to me to solve?"
Looking into Reinhild's azure eyes, Subaru understood that there was no falsehood in what the girl said; she genuinely had the confidence to solve the problem. But Subaru also noticed the hidden emotion deep within Reinhild's eyes.
Subaru knew that what Reinhild was about to do was not what she personally wanted to do.
"Reinhild, let me work with you to perfectly resolve this incident."
Hesitation, struggle, and finally, a helpless sigh.
"You truly can't be fooled, Subaru. But promise me this: do not put yourself in danger, and if you encounter peril, fire the signal flare into the air. I will arrive within five seconds."
Reinhild said this as she carefully removed the IV tube from Subaru, then handed him a magical tool with a firework effect that she had obtained from Anastasia.
.
.
.
The reception hall of the Water Plumage Inn—
"Yo! Kid, thanks for taking care of my people."
Ricardo, sitting next to Anastasia, expressed his gratitude in a bold manner.
"Does the dead brat still have any fighting strength? If not, get your ass back and lie down."
Heinkel said impatiently.
"Heinkel!!!"
Wilhelm glared at Heinkel, then stood up straight and walked directly to Subaru. He knelt on the ground and heavily knocked his head on the floor.
"This old man was blinded by rage due to matters concerning my wife and caused Lord Subaru to sustain such injuries. I am truly sorry."
"It's fine. I'm clearly alive and well."
"That's right, Wilhelm. As a warrior, use your sword to atone for the mistakes you've made. That's acceptable, right, Sir Subaru?"
A clear voice rang out from behind him.
"That's the way it is. I'll be counting on you later."
Subaru hastily said, and Wilhelm bowed his head again, saying in a strong, resonant voice:
"I understand."
Subaru nodded and turned around. Crusch, whose face was pale, half of her body bandaged, and who was still receiving a blood transfusion, and Ferris, pushing her wheelchair, came into Subaru's view.
"Crusch, you…"
"It's nothing. Just some minor injuries. It is a sign that my training was insufficient."
"I'm also just used to facing high-intensity attacks."
Subaru looked at Reinhild beside him. Unlike Crusch's sword skills, which considered defeating the enemy, Subaru's mindset while sparring with Reinhild was always about how not to get knocked down too quickly—in other words, the art of survival against a top-tier swordsman.
"Seeing you alive is better than anything, Subaru-kun~~~"
Roswaal said with a smile. Next to him were Ram, whose right hand was wrapped in bandages, Geuse, who was in a state of negativity, and Emilia, who was in a state of distress.
"It looks like you all have been through a lot! Did you happen to run into the Archbishop of Sin Gluttony? But is that Gluttony guy that strong?"
"It seems there's some misunderstanding. It wasn't Gluttony who defeated us."
"Let Ram explain. We were ambushed by the Archbishop of Sin 'Greed', then we found a hidden shelter for a brief rest. During the broadcast, Ram used her Clairvoyance to confirm that Subaru and the others were heading to the City Hall, so we didn't take action… Then we encountered the severely injured bandage-wrapped monster… Finally, Ram used her Clairvoyance to find you and brought you back to the City Hall."
"Those bastards actually opened the water gates!"
Subaru subconsciously looked outside.
"At least the 'Metia' was destroyed. The manually detonated magic stones are now set to be detonated at a fixed time. That's all thanks to Crusch and Subaru's efforts."
Anastasia's cheerful statement largely dispelled the heavy atmosphere. Just then, the door opened again.
"I apologize for the slight delay due to the shelter arrangements; things are stable now."
Kiritaka walked in carrying Beatrice and accompanied by Lilianna. He set Beatrice down, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead before sitting down.
"Now everyone is here. Let's start the meeting."
"Wait a minute, where are your people, Anastasia? Where are the Julius brothers? And where are Mimi and the other two?"
Subaru looked at Anastasia, who was speaking. She only had Ricardo by her side. The relief he had felt when Ricardo greeted him instantly vanished.
"Mimi and the others have been frozen with Emilia's help. As for the Julius brothers, that is the first matter I wish to discuss. Come in."
The door opened once more, and a haggard-looking Julius appeared in the doorway with a wry smile.
"Subaru, is this man the Julius you were talking about?"
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