“—Subaru?”
It was Rem. She had arranged for them to meet at that place, and now she rushed over to Subaru.
“Subaru, what’s wrong? Did something happ—”
“—It’s nothing, Rem. How about on your end?”
Subaru interrupted Rem’s concerned voice, covering up his current humiliation with all his might. Even if he told Rem about how Anastasia had gotten the better of him, it would change nothing. Faced with Subaru’s stiff demeanor, Rem closed her mouth, then she politely reported the results of her activities.
“I reported the covert maneuverings of the Witch Cult to the Knights’ garrison. By invoking Master Roswaal’s name, I was not dismissed immediately at the gate, but…”
The awkward wording and frail tone of her voice for the latter half pretty much told Subaru how that had gone down. Rem, Roswaal’s servant, was more likely to be successful in spurring the Knights to action than Subaru, who had a grudge against them. Trying to exploit that was his final act of resistance, but…
“They didn’t give you a good answer?”
“…It would seem that the Knights have a jumble of similar reports. Few concrete details are known about the Witch Cult’s underpinnings, and apparently an endless stream of tips constantly flows in with no practical way to verify it.”
“Ahh, I get it now. This is seriously like back when they had real witch trials… It ain’t much of a joke if that’s how the Witch Cult actually hides itself.”
The sheer number of people afraid of the Witch Cult lurking nearby gave birth to imaginary phantoms in every corner of the land. Those fears took form as tips to the Knights, dragging down the value of any real leads as a result. That seemed backward somehow.
Both the arrogance of the Knights and the vileness of the Witch Cult were at fault. The Knights should have been rigorously checking out any and all potential leads related to the Witch Cult, considering how they were a blight to all.
With that, Subaru understood that all his plays had failed.
“If gathering reinforcements isn’t possible… I hate it, but there’s no avoiding it.”
“What will you do?”
“Goes without saying. We head back to the mansion and get Emilia and Ram out of there. We’ll bring them here to the capital or wherever Roswaal went off to—the destination doesn’t matter. Anyway, where they are now is dangerous.”
Petelgeuse’s loud laughter came back to life in the back of his head. Subaru’s fist trembled in frustration. Even if he wanted nothing more than to pulverize that bastard’s skeletal face, he didn’t have the means. Even if he did choose to take on the enemy with his current resources, it would invariably entail putting Rem at the tip of the spear.
—He would avoid that at all costs. Getting Rem hurt because of Subaru’s thoughts and actions was unthinkable. He couldn’t bear it.
If he couldn’t drum up the strength to battle Petelgeuse, taking them on was unthinkable. Any option that meant losing Rem was out.
Even then, bloodlust made his insides seethe. The inexhaustible hatred was like a curse echoing over and over inside his skull.
“Excuse me, Subaru. Actually, about the dragon carriage needed to return to the mansion…”
“—It’s tough to get one, you mean? In that case…”
While Subaru’s blood boiled, Rem broached a topic that seemed difficult for her to bring up. He nodded at her concern and revealed the paper Anastasia had handed him. As promised, it had the name of the store and her signature. It was Subaru’s consolation prize for his ignominious defeat during negotiations.
“If we go to this place and talk to them, they should treat us all right… I’m sure of that much.”
“Really? Where in the world did you… Just as I’d expect of you, Subaru!”
“‘As you’d expect.’ Expect, huh… Ha-ha, you’re funny, Rem.”
“—?”
Rem, having no idea how he’d gotten a hold of it, couldn’t have meant anything malicious or ironic by it. Even so, Subaru couldn’t stop a dry laugh from coming out.
“There’s no time. Let’s get moving.”
Pulling the bewildered Rem along behind him, Subaru walked out onto Main Street, heading for the indicated store. Annoyed by the jarring, disorganized noises, he clicked his tongue as he walked along.
“If we can get out of the capital within half a day, we can be back to the mansion by the third day. If we do that, we should have time to rescue Emilia and them.”
Subaru had gone over his memories of the first time around again and again to make sure of that. The reason he couldn’t state it with absolute certainty was because he couldn’t rely on his memories from the second time around. Subaru Natsuki had frittered away the time that would have allowed him to compare and be on surer footing.
“The second time… Shit! How many days was I not in my right mind…?!”
He scratched at his head, berating his useless memories and his useless self as he continued to walk. Behind Subaru, Rem, whose strides were a different length from Subaru’s, worked earnestly to match her speed to his.
But Subaru never noticed Rem doing that, for he had forgotten to look back.
CHAPTER 3
THE MAW OF THE WHITE WHALE
1
Anastasia’s introduction had led him to borrow the largest dragon carriage he had yet seen.
Boasting a huge size, the land dragon’s hind legs thudded along, making the ground shudder as it raced across the grassy plain.
“It’s as fast as it is huge… That’s great, but could it do something about kicking up all this dirt?”
The dust dancing upward clouded his field of vision, making Subaru squint in the driver’s seat.
“This appears to be a land dragon normally used to haul freight. Therefore, its manner of running has no consideration for passengers, and since it is specialized for speedy travel, it has not been trained in running quietly…”
“It was the last one, and it’s running without a break. Beggars can’t be choosers, but…this is still kinda tough.”
Fortunately, thanks to the land dragon’s blessing—a special power belonging to particular individuals and species of that world—the dust did not directly affect them, though Subaru could not help but be annoyed at the poor visibility.
Subaru wound up looking at the sky, hoping for any change. The clouds flowed overhead as the sun gradually changed its angle. These signs meant the passage of time, and thus, Subaru’s heart smoldered little by little.
—Surely they were moving far quicker than they had during the previous iterations of the loop.
They had not been able to gain reinforcements, but departing by dragon carriage on the second day was a major departure from before. They would be able to make it over the highway in half a day, arriving at the mansion on the dawn of the third day. They were gaining more than half a day over the first time around—surely enough time to get Emilia and the others out of the mansion and to flee from the Witch Cult.
“The problem is…the possibility of encountering the Witch Cult along the way like last time.”
According to his vague memories of the second time around, he’d been inside a cave when he truly regained consciousness. If he had been en route back to the mansion, it was possible that the same thing could happen this time, too.
When he thought of how Rem had been killed, and how he had spent nearly an entire day pulling her along before they left the cave: “It means they must have infiltrated the area outside the mansion days in advance.”
But he didn’t know exactly which day that was. The tragedy would fall the morning of the fifth day. The second time around, Subaru’s deduction that it had taken him a day’s worth of time to get out of the cave put his encounter with the Witch Cult between the third and the fourth day.
“In other words, even if we arrive tomorrow morning, that doesn’t mean that we’re any less likely to bump into them…!”
Not know
ing what they could expect made him grind his teeth hard enough that blood seeped into his mouth.
Subaru glanced to the side at Rem, who was holding the reins and concentrating on driving. Once again, were they to encounter the Witch Cult, he’d have no choice but to rely on Rem.
Subaru had thought of making clear beforehand that they might encounter the Witch Cult, but when he tried to speak the words, he realized that his voice simply wouldn’t come out.
It was not fear of the penalty for divulging information gained via Return by Death.
Certainly, he was terrified of that pain. No sane person could endure the agony of that squeezing on the heart. He didn’t even want to think about tasting it again.
But that pain was not the reason Subaru hesitated to speak of the Witch Cult. He had another reason, one he could not escape.
—Would Rem really believe what Subaru told her?
“—!”
Just thinking about it sent a chill running up Subaru’s spine. Unable to endure it, he hugged his own shoulders.
His heart rate quickened to a stupid degree. The urge to vomit seized his innards. The stress of his extreme situation had kept him from getting a wink of sleep. The physical fatigue was rotting his mind and body alike.
At that moment, Rem was the person he could trust most in that entire world. Even Emilia had cast him aside. After Crusch, Priscilla, and Anastasia had rejected him one after another, Subaru had fallen into paranoia, doubting anything and everything.
In that moment, Rem was all Subaru had.
Rem was the only one he could call an ally beyond suspicion, someone in whom he could unwaveringly place all his trust.
If he revealed things about the Witch Cult to her, and her face became clouded with suspicion, what would it do to him? It frightened Subaru to even think of it.
“This isn’t the time to get cold feet…!”
Venting in a hoarse voice was the only thing he could do to drive away his cowardly emotions. The land dragon drowned out his voice, fainter than a whisper and reaching only Subaru’s ears.
Afraid as he was, he couldn’t keep it to himself. Now that the possibility of encountering the Cult remained, keeping his silence was nothing less than a betrayal.
After all, Subaru had lost his life and returned to take hold of the best possible future.
“R-Rem… I need to talk to you ab—”
“Subaru—there is a gathering of people on the road ahead of us.”
“Eh?”
As Rem glared to the front, Subaru followed her gaze to see a number of silhouettes hovering in the cloud of dust. He gaped openly. Was it really the Witch Cult lying in ambush?
Though Subaru had lost his voice at the too-soon turn of events, the contours of one of the vague silhouettes gradually grew more distinct, finally becoming a clear figure. This figure stood right in the middle of the road, waving both arms and loudly calling for the dragon carriage to halt.
“Heyyyyyyyy! Can you stop your land dragon so we can trade information?!”
The man, with a delicate face and gray hair, was Otto Suwen, traveling merchant.
2
“Ahh, I’m so glad. These days, most people are heading to the royal capital, and there’s precious few coming out of it. So I thought I’d ask you a couple of things if possible.”
With the dragon carriage stopped, Otto came to greet Rem and Subaru with a handshake and a smile as he spoke. He seemed neither drunk with wine nor in sorrows about the world. He didn’t strike Subaru as a wounded man. Rather, Otto the peddler felt alive and well.
The memory he’d expunged of Otto desperately trying to stop him the first time around returned. Subaru tried to wash away the bitter taste of it while surveying the people behind Otto.
“Is everyone in this whole group a traveling merchant?”
“Indeed they are, every last one. We’re headed to the capital with a yearning for profits in our hearts.”
Otto replied to Subaru’s question with an amiable smile.
There were various dragon carriages stopped on the side of the highway, and the men, presumably the dragon carriage owners, were gathered together. There were more than ten of them, ranging from the young to men in their forties.
Judging that Otto, Subaru, and Rem had concluded their pleasantries, they congregated around the latter two, introducing themselves by name as they began establishing the topic of conversation. The contents mostly concerned the current situation in the royal capital and changes thereof. Furthermore, the merchants spoke mainly of things like trends in coinage prices and the atmosphere in the marketplace.
Put bluntly, every minute wasted there was precious. Now that he had confirmed Otto was safe, he would have been happier to pass on such mundane conversation and leave. But…
“You’d head out now…? Isn’t that dangerous? It’s night already. We plan to camp here tonight. You could remain with us if you like.”
Just as Otto said, the sun was already sinking in the west, with night creeping over the highway. The Liphas Highway would soon be subsumed by night. They would have only the light of a magic crystal lamp and the stars to rely upon.
The traveling merchants had already begun preparing to camp, lighting a brilliant fire in the center of the group. With this many people, even wild beasts and bandits appearing along the highway could surely do little. But even time spent in safety was time Subaru could hardly afford.
“So you say, Otto. You’re just trying to pawn off some of that oil you bought at the wrong time, aren’t you? Don’t pull that oh-so-friendly face on me!”
The instant Subaru declined the invitation, a chorus of voices started needling Otto, and raucous laughter spread through the group. Otto, the butt of the joke, pursed his lips and made a sour face.
“That is not my motive at all. This is purely well intentioned. Well…you’ll need food and lanterns. Though I grant you…if I could interest you in even a small bit of oil, I would like that very much.”
As Otto lowered his shoulders and voiced his obvious dismay, Rem inquired, “What is this about oil?”
“Oh, I simply wound up getting something of a short straw. At present, the merchandise I am carrying is a somewhat large quantity of oil. I’d really meant to trade it in Gusteko for a large sum, but now, my very life hangs in the balance, and I must mitigate the loss as much as possible…”
It was plain as day that he was seeking sympathy for his plight…and a buyer for his oil. No doubt Rem understood this full well. Sympathetic as she might be, she would offer him nothing beyond perfunctory condolences.
“I do not know if I will be able to sell all this oil even if I go to the royal capital. If I sell it for the price of dirt, I will be bankrupt—bankrupt!”
Repeating himself for emphasis, he opened the door wide for a highly generous person to take all the oil off his hands. Though the man had helped him during the first time around, it was precisely why Subaru sought to avoid getting deeply entangled now. He could pray for Otto’s prospects, but at that moment, Subaru and Rem’s futures came first.
To get to the Mathers domain as soon as humanly possible, they could not avoid rushing along the highway at night. But just as Subaru was about to say his good-byes, he suddenly realized something.
If trust wasn’t enough to put things into motion, maybe he should move them with money…
“Otto, there’s something I… No, I have a business proposal.”
Otto’s eyes opened at how the expression on Subaru’s face vanished, and the air around him changed. But perhaps sensing from Subaru’s voice that he wasn’t joking, he immediately adopted the posture of a salesman.
“If it is business, I will listen to anything you have to say. Dear customer—how may I be of service?”
“I’ll buy every drop of oil in your dragon carriage. In return, give me a hand.”
Subaru pointed to Otto’s land dragon, which he remembered, and then opened his arms wide, shouting in a voice loud
enough for all the merchants setting up camp to hear.
“Every merchant with a land dragon here… If your services are for sale, let me buy everything you have!”
3
At first, the merchants looked at one another and laughed at Subaru’s “business proposal.” But when Rem, sensing what Subaru had in mind, lifted up her sack and showed everyone the coinage within, the expressions of all the men who’d dismissed it as a joke changed in an instant. After that, Otto acted as the ringleader and recruited those willing to participate.
As a result, of the fourteen traveling merchants in that place, ten decided to go along. The conversation had a rocky start, but Otto’s proposed split of the profits neatly resolved the issue.
“Everyone will entrust their cargo to the four with the largest dragon carriages. The net proceeds from joint sales in the royal capital will be distributed at a later date. The sales will offset the freight cost of accompanying Mr. Natsuki.”
Thanks to Otto’s skill in bringing everyone to a consensus—no doubt an effect of his desperation when faced with the chance of a lifetime—he was unanimously voted to represent the group.
Seeing Subaru with his arms folded, concerned about their departure time as he watched fellow peddlers transferring their cargo, Otto asked him, “I’m pleased that you’re buying up my oil, but what do you intend to use all these dragon carriages for?”
Subaru touched his chin as he mulled over the question.
“We’re on our way to the Mathers domain. I happen to be a manservant working for Marquis Mathers, you see.”
“I’m aware of him. Marquis Roswaal L. Mathers, with his ‘penchant’ for demi-humans. They say that he is an eccentric, even by the standards of Lugunica nobility.”
Had Ram overheard that appraisal, she would have no doubt been indignant. Subaru’s shoulders sank at Otto’s description.
“Well, no denying that. It’s true he comes off as a perv.”
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 6 Page 8