Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 7

by Tappei Nagatsuki

  Theresia’s cheeks puffed up at his dismissive demeanor.

  Their smiles were like those they had exchanged during the days they spent gazing at the flowers.

  “Sometimes a woman wants to hear the words.”

  “Er.”

  Scratching his head with a guilty expression on his face, Wilhelm reluctantly looked back at Theresia, drawing his face close to her ear as he whispered, “Someday, when I feel like it.”

  And thus, he glossed over the embarrassing words.

  7

  —He raced like the wind, and the gleaming, treasured sword rent the stone-like hide with ease.

  “Ooooooooooo—!!”

  The shout the aged swordsman raised seemed to trail behind him. Whale blood spewed from the fresh blade wound, dying the sky scarlet.

  He appeared wounded all over his body.

  Then as before, blood seemed to be dripping from his left shoulder, but the blood spatter drenching his entire body had mixed with his own blood, turning its color to black.

  Over such a brief period of time, no more could be expected from healing magic than stopping the bleeding and restoring a small amount of endurance. He was still in a gravely injured state, told he must have complete rest.

  But seeing Wilhelm as he was that moment, none could laugh him off as an old man on death’s door.

  Seeing the gleam in both his eyes, seeing the strength in his steps as he raced, seeing the vividness of the slashes of the sword he wielded, hearing the earsplitting cry echoing forth, and captivated by the glimmer of his soul, none could laugh off the old man’s accumulated life as that of a fool.

  His blade ran, a scream rose, and the White Whale’s enormous, suffering body was wracked with intense pain.

  With the demon beast crushed under the Great Tree, unable to move, the Sword Devil racing along its back did not hesitate to use his blade. The slash begun at the tip of its head ran down its back and reached its tail, and when the Sword Devil stood upon the ground, he turned right around, rending its belly on his way back to the head.

  In one swing—sharp, deep, and very, very long—the single flash of silver cut the White Whale in two.

  With a leap, the Sword Devil came down onto the tip of the unmoving White Whale’s nose once more.

  He shook the blood off his drenched sword as he and the White Whale looked each other eye to eye—their two fates merging together.

  “…I have no intention of speaking ill to you. There is no use explaining good and evil to a beast. Between you and me, there is only the law of life and death: The weak are cut down by the strong.”

  “”

  “Sleep—eternally.”

  Leaving behind one last little murmur, light faded from the White Whale’s eyes.

  Its enormous body went limp, and when it collapsed, the earth shuddered; the droplets of its fresh blood formed a muddy river.

  No one could put the feeling of blood running underfoot into words.

  A silence befell the Liphas Highway. And then—

  “It’s over, Theresia. It’s finally…”

  Atop the head of the immobile White Whale, Wilhelm turned his face skyward.

  When the treasured sword fell from his hand, he brought that hand up to cover his face, and with a quivering voice, the weaponless Sword Devil said, “Theresia, I…”

  The voice was raspy, but there was boundless, undiminished love within it.

  “I love you—!!”

  They were words of love only Wilhelm knew. Things he had never told her.

  They contained feelings accumulated over many years, words he had not spoken even once to the one he loved most, right up to the day he lost her.

  Finally, after the passage of decades, Wilhelm had voiced the words with which he should have answered her question so long ago.

  Atop the corpse of the White Whale, his sword fallen from his grasp, the Sword Devil cried out his love for his departed wife, and he wept.

  8

  “—Here, the White Whale has fallen.”

  Haltingly, the sound of a stirring voice echoed across the silence of the nighttime plain.

  At that voice, the men, lost for words, lifted their faces.

  Their gazes poured over a young woman calmly advancing to the fore on the back of a white land dragon.

  Her long, green hair was frayed, and she was cruelly adorned by wounds suffered at the height of the battle, her face sullied by her own blood, a most sorry state for her to be seen in.

  And yet, in their eyes, the girl had never shone brighter.

  That was natural for those who judged the worth of others by the glimmer of their souls.

  “……”

  With the knights gazing upon her, the gallant young woman lifted her face and took a deep breath.

  Having lent her treasured sword, Crusch’s scabbard was currently empty.

  Accordingly, she thrust her fist toward the heavens, as if to show her closed hand to all present as she announced:

  “The Demon Beast of Mist that menaced the world across four centuries of life—has been slain by Wilhelm van Astrea!!”

  “—Aye!!”

  “In this battle, we are victorious—!!”

  With their lord loudly proclaiming victory, the surviving knights raised shouts of joy.

  With mist clearing over the plains, signs of night returned once more—a proper night, with moonlight illuminating the people on the ground far and wide.

  And there, after four hundred years, the Battle of the White Whale came to an end.

  CHAPTER 6

  THE ROAD TO THE MATHERS DOMAIN

  1

  An elated clamor spread across the moonlight-filled plains.

  The light of the moon reflected off the swords the knights raised high, with the glow of that light making the scene beautiful indeed.

  The White Whale’s enormous body rested on its side beneath the Great Flugel Tree as a zealous throng rushed to surround it. Everyone exulted in victory, with tears of gratitude flowing that their long-cherished wish had been fulfilled.

  As if to pour water over their joy…

  “!!”

  …two powerful roars made the air over the Liphas Highway shake, as if to paint over everyone’s pleasure.

  Separate from the White Whale that had been slain, there were two White Whale offshoots that had lost the main body.

  Acknowledging the death of the main body, the offshoots above the ground writhed around, and their vastness and solidity began to diminish.

  With their supply of mana from the main body severed, they were increasingly unable to maintain their flesh. They looked pathetic; left to their own devices, they would surely dissipate within minutes.

  “Crude.”

  With that one disparaging word cutting them off, an arm swung, unleashing an invisible blade.

  Accompanied by a gale, the slicing wind entered one whale through its head, slicing the agonized White Whale’s outer hide in half with ease—and with its giant body neatly divided into left and right, the being literally dissipated.

  With a single blow of an expeditionary force magic crystal cannon, the remaining whale broke into the mist from whence it came, its mana blown away, melting into the wind, whereupon its enormous body vanished completely.

  That told them, in a true sense, the battle to subjugate the White Whale was at an end.

  However—

  “We cannot simply exult in this.”

  Touching a hand to her breast, Crusch was aware of the jubilation inside herself, but she shook her head, refusing to let the deep emotions show on her face.

  With everyone’s cooperation, they defeated the evil demon beast, and everyone lived happily ever after, the end.

  In reality, the tale would not end so neatly.

  Such an ending was only permitted in fairy tales. Reality continued after the end of the tale, with a never-ending supply of things that had to be done.

  They had to provide relief for the
wounded survivors and courteous burials for the dead, leaving no corpses behind.

  And when Crusch thought of such follow-up, she realized…

  At a place a little removed from the White Whale, a man who had served with distinction was desperately raising his voice.

  2

  “Rem! Rem, open your eyes…!”

  Subaru lifted the girl in his arms, his face pale as he desperately called out to her.

  The land dragon came right up to them, nuzzling them with its black nose in an act of concern. But at that moment, Subaru harbored a sense of nervousness so great that he did not respond to even that land dragon’s consideration.

  —Subaru’s plan to make the White Whale chase his scent and crush it under the Great Tree was a splendid success.

  Some had raised their voices in objection, reluctant to cut down a historical tree. But the beast-man mercenaries were rationalists with no such compunctions, and when even Crusch deemed it necessary, opinion easily shifted to his favor.

  Accordingly, Subaru, drafter of the plan, saw the operation through, shouldering no small risk in the process, resulting in achievement in battle that one might call second to none.

  But if this was the price he had to pay, it was the smallest of small comforts.

  “This…is no good… Please, Rem…if…you’re not here…!”

  Before his eyes, Rem calmly rested with her eyes closed, completely unresponsive to Subaru’s voice.

  There was no sign that conscious will was conveyed to her limp limbs, and the tearful voice calling her name seemed to pass right through her ears, a cry into empty space.

  —Under ferocious pursuit by the White Whale, they’d raced as the falling trunk of the Great Tree loomed near.

  The heavy weight of the Great Tree struck the demon beast squarely, with a loud crash to earth and a shock wave that flew indiscriminately throughout the area—and amid it was the sight of Subaru and Rem, running right alongside.

  They were engulfed by the shock wave, losing track of which way was up, and Subaru recalled that he was protected by a warm sensation during that. The instant he grasped that feeling, there was a roaring sound from an incredible impact as he, and the sensation, were slammed onto the ground.

  Slipping through the gaps of Subaru’s vague consciousness was the realization that he was lying on the ground. And lifting his head, he realized who had embraced him—and that it was her body that had embraced his to the very end.

  “…Suba…ru…”

  “Rem—?!”

  With a twitch, her eyelids shuddered, and Subaru was reflected in the dim gleam beneath them.

  Reflected in her eyes, he looked so very weak, almost as if he was subconsciously recognizing the reality of what was unfolding before his eyes, when he said, “I’m so g… Yeah, it’s me. You know, Subaru. Rem, your body…”

  “Subaru…I’m so glad…you are safe…”

  His throat choked up. For Rem, seeing Subaru unable to even get out the tearful words of concern for her the way he wanted, was smiling at him in visible relief—as if taking no heed of her own injuries, happy so long as Subaru was safe.

  “What happened to…the demon beast…?”

  “…It went down. We nailed it. It worked out. Everything worked out! I’m…not hurt, either… It’s all…thanks to you…”

  “Is that…so? Then, Master Roswaal and…Lady Emilia…shall…surely be all right…”

  “It’ll work out. Leave it to me. So, Rem, you don’t have to say anything right now, just rest… No, don’t…close your eyes… Aw, crap, what should I do…?”

  She didn’t need to force herself to speak. But if Rem spoke no words, he couldn’t wipe away his own unease. Subaru was nervous, almost as if the relentless coercive power of Fate might yet snatch her life from his hand.

  He didn’t know what he ought to do. He didn’t know what was best to do.

  Not knowing what to do, Subaru couldn’t help holding her hand and embracing her with his other arm as strongly as he could.

  “That…hurts, Subaru…”

  “Sorry, my bad. But if I don’t do this, you’ll go off somewh…”

  “I shall not go…anywhere… I shall be at…your side, Subaru…”

  Rem gave Subaru a little smile, like that of a mother consoling an unreasonable child in tears, when strength suddenly left her body.

  Subaru’s throat froze in fear as he felt her body go soft in his arms.

  Inside his ears, he heard the sound of blood draining, of anything and everything leaving him behind.

  “Rem…? Rem! Please, Rem…open…your eyes…”

  “Somehow, I’m very…sleepy… I’m sorry. Let me sleep just a little, and when I wake…soon, for your sake, I shall be…”

  “Never mind all that! You don’t need to do anything. It’s fine if you’re just together with me…so please, Rem…!”

  Even though she was right within his arms, Subaru wrung out his voice, desperately trying to hold fast to her as she began gradually slipping away. And yet, though Rem was right before his eyes, his voice did not reach.

  “May I say something…selfish?”

  “…! Say it, say anything! I’ll listen to anything, I’ll do anything, so…!”

  In a broken voice, in a frail tone, Rem looked up at Subaru and made a little murmur.

  “I want you to say…that you…love me.”

  Tears welling up forced Subaru’s eyes open as he shook his head side to side. Then, he drew his face close to hers and told her:

  “I love you.”

  “……”

  “I really love you. Of course I do… I can’t…manage without you.”

  They were words from his heart of hearts.

  Subaru poured all his unembellished true feelings into the words he spoke that instant.

  He couldn’t have made it that far without her. He couldn’t live without her.

  “Ah…I’m so happy…”

  Receiving Subaru’s confession, tears came out through her closed eyes.

  Rem’s cheeks suddenly reddened as she happily accepted the words tossed toward her. With that, Subaru felt that the last of her strength had truly left her.

  “Wait…”

  “I love you, Subaru.”

  “Don’t kid around—stay with me! Am I gonna have…nothing but regrets again?!”

  He could not bear a future that did not have her in it.

  He understood that well before, and now, her existence loomed far, far larger. That was why…

  “I don’t wanna…laugh and talk about the future without you…!”

  “In that future, can I be by your side?”

  “…Of course. I won’t let you be anywhere else.”

  Closing his eyes, Subaru wiped away the rising tears before staring straight at Rem.

  And then, he stated firmly, “You’re mine. I won’t…hand you to anyone.”

  “—I shall take that…as a commitment.”

  “Huh?”

  Abruptly, Subaru let out his voice like an idiot at the highly intellectual reply.

  As he did so, Rem slowly opened the eyes she had kept closed all that time, proceeding to sit up inside his arms. Then, with Subaru dumbfounded, unable to grasp the situation, she tilted her head and smiled at him.

  “You have promised I shall be at your side, Subaru… You cannot take it back now.”

  Where had the sight of her dying gone…?

  In a teasing, toying way, Rem closed one eye and gently touched Subaru’s lips.

  Crestfallen, Subaru’s strength gave out from his shoulders down as he sank to the ground.

  “Why you…you, you…youuuu!”

  “Yes, I am Subaru’s Rem. In name and fact.”

  Hearing her trademark reply, now even more brazen, Subaru could not follow up his words.

  Even so, even if by rights it was a scene where he ought to be shaking with anger, the fact that the girl before his eyes was safe took precedence, leaving him to
o happy to do so.

  “We’ve both aired our true feelings, so that’s really overkill…”

  “Girls are strong when they become honest about love, Subaru.”

  Subaru was flustered by how Rem no longer had any intention of hiding her love for him. More embarrassed than anything else, Subaru’s face reddened as he let out a small breath and confessed, “…If you’d died, I was about to die, too.”

  “I am a lucky woman that you think so much of me.”

  “I’m not kidding, either.”

  Rem replied with a little smile, but Subaru had answered with his true and sincere feelings.

  If Subaru had lost Rem, he would have most certainly attempted to do it all over again. Even if the chance to do things over was not granted to him, there was no doubt he’d have tried anyway.

  That was how large a place Rem’s existence now occupied in Subaru’s heart.

  “I absolutely must not die, then.”

  “Darn right. I won’t let you die, even if it kills me.”

  Subaru drew his face to hers, and their foreheads touched as they looked at each other from so very close.

  Rem gazed adoringly at Subaru’s gesture, and it was hard for Subaru to just stay there with her close enough that their breaths touched. Naturally, his gaze was drawn in by her pink lips, and he felt his heart beat just a little faster—

  “—Could you two wrap it up already, meow?”

  Ferris, looking exasperated from having watched from a distance as the two flirted, butted in to break things up at the most important juncture. Apparently, he’d been watching the whole time.

  Subaru was sure he’d done it on purpose.

  3

  “You’re so cute, Subawu, calling out to her so desperately, meow…I can’t live…without you…!”

  “Shut up, you’re annoying! You should reflect on your bad taste of staring so much!”

  “In the first place, if you thought about it calmly you’d have understood, meow. Ferri has to go around treating the wounded immediately, so that meant Rem’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, meow!”