Chapter 48: Arc 2 Main story ended
[ [ "It'd be meaningless if Sister and Subaru came along. Rem… Rem has to do it alone… One injured person is enough, and that's Rem."
"It's too late to say that now, Ram and I are both covered in wounds! We might even be more seriously injured than you! Look, my right shoulder is dislocated."
Subaru said to Rem.
"It's Rem's, Rem's fault. Because Rem hesitated last night… So Rem must take responsibility… Otherwise, Rem won't have the face to see Sister, won't have the face to see Subaru…"
As Rem spoke, tears dripped down her face. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Mmm, little Rem is truly a very responsible girl, nya."
Ferris chuckled.
"However, one also needs to consider whether they can fully bear the responsibility. If you can't slaughter all the mabeasts by yourself, then ask for help. Otherwise, if you die, you'll only owe more."
Julius said.
"Rem was too foolish at the time, only thinking of such a simple and crude method…"
Both Rems lowered their heads.
"Truly."
Ram smiled, stroking the heads of both Rems with her hands.
—
[ [ "Though I don't quite understand what you mean. But are you trying to resolve everything on your own as atonement?"
Subaru asked Rem.
And Rem nodded gently.
"…Rem."
"Yes." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Is Subaru going to scold that child, Rem, next?"
Puck said.
"Rem was already prepared to be scolded at the time, and believed that being scolded was only natural. But Subaru…"
—
[ [ "I bump."
"…Huh?!"
Subaru bumped his head against Rem's head.
"Are you, by any chance, an idiot? No, you are an idiot."
"Barusu, your injured forehead is bleeding again."
"I'm an idiot too, I know that! But your sister is even more of an idiot!"
Subaru replied to Ram, then continued to speak to Rem:
"Listen, there's a proverb in my hometown that goes, 'Three heads are better than one.' It's easier for three people to solve a problem than to think alone. Don't get stuck in a rut by yourself; rely more on the people around you."
"Subaru…"
Just then— ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Here they come again."
Julius, outside the screen, said in a deep voice.
"So many?!"
Otto was surprised.
—
[ [ More Wolgarms appeared from behind.
"Ram, which way should we run to get outside the barrier?"
"Running left with all your might should do it. What are you planning to do?"
"I'll throw Rem to Ram, and then I'll ruthlessly cross the barrier myself. How's that idea?"
"You're going to be a decoy to attract the Wolgarms' attention, so Ram can take this opportunity to escape with Rem, right? Understood."
"Can you not casually expose my inner thoughts? It's embarrassing!" ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Natsuki-san is going to lure away such a large group of mabeasts by himself? How is that possible?!"
Otto was shocked.
Natsuki Subaru was the weakest one in this scene, yet he was going to sacrifice himself to save everyone.
"Too reckless… Or does Subaru have another plan?"
Julius said.
"Hmph, Barusu really is…"
Due to Ram's memories being altered, this memory, which had a strong connection with Rem, had disappeared.
But…
"I have to admit, Ram was moved by Barusu's dedication."
Ram chuckled softly.
"However, Rem was truly scared at the time, afraid of losing Subaru-kun because of this."
Now, she could see how Subaru-kun defeated the pack of Wolgarms.
—
[ [ "How could Subaru be saved that way… Please, please don't do that. If you do, Rem will…"
Rem clearly disagreed with Subaru's plan.
"Don't let her fall to the ground."
Subaru ignored Rem's objections and handed Rem to Ram.
"Subaru, why can you do this much?"
Rem asked Subaru, seemingly confused.
Then Subaru thought for a moment and said:
"You were my first date in my life. I can't just heartlessly leave you to die."
Subaru stroked Rem's head, then ran to the right.
And the Wolgarms, as expected, chased after Subaru together.
"…Sister! Subaru, he, Subaru, he…"
"Don't look back, Rem. That would be a waste of Barusu's resolve."
"…"
Rem was silent for a moment, but then she shouted loudly:
"Sister!"
"…Ugh."
Rem reached out to Subaru—
"…Subaru!" ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"He really… went."
Otto swallowed.
"But even so… I still don't agree with Subaru's actions, it's too reckless. Subaru is always so reckless."
Emilia was very worried.
"In Subaru's current state… rather than brave, it truly seems more like recklessness…"
Julius looked worriedly at Subaru's terrible state on the screen.
—
[ [ "It hurts… It hurts so much. It hurts, Mom, Dad, Emilia-tan…"
Even if he was slightly stronger than an average person, Subaru was still an average person.
And he was covered in wounds, his body full of pain, his dominant hand… No, his entire right arm was unusable, and his only weapon was a broken sword.
There was no way he could win, no matter how you looked at it.
To put it bluntly, the current Subaru was half a cripple.
Subaru ran in front of the little dog—
"What?!"
He exclaimed.
The little dog let out a "roar" and grew incredibly large. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"How did Barusu win?"
Ram was puzzled.
"Subaru-kun…"
Rem's heart pounded.
"Oh—I see."
Beatrice seemed to understand something, and then…
—
[ [ "Shamak!" Subaru stuffed something into his mouth and chanted loudly.
A black cloud appeared. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Oh right, how could I forget about that?"
Julius said.
In previous scenes, Subaru learned about his magic affinity from Roswaal and learned how to use magic from Puck.
Perhaps because this affinity was so rare, and because Subaru hadn't cast it many times, everyone had forgotten about it.
"…No, how could I forget this?"
He remembered that Subaru had used this move on him in the training grounds.
"And, Subaru definitely ate a Bocco fruit, right?"
Emilia said.
The Bocco fruit, a fruit that can activate mana in the body.
In Al's words, it was an item to restore mana.
—
[ [ "…Oh!" Subaru took advantage of Shamak's effect and rushed forward, thrusting his broken sword into the giant mabeast's body.
However, as if to even the score, the giant mabeast's claw struck Subaru, then grabbed Subaru's head with its claw and lifted him up. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Subaru-kun! Ah, Rem remembers now, next is…"
"What should we do next?"
Otto said worriedly.
"If memory serves, next should be Roswaal-sama's dashing rescue."
Ram spoke.
—
[ [ "Ul Goa." A fireball descending from above instantly annihilated the giant mabeast.
"What in the… world happened…"
Subaru slumped to the ground, not knowing what had happened.
Then—
"My—oh—my, but you really are clever—aren't you? To intentionally use the Shamak, which is meant for concealment, as a signal—ah."
Roswaal L. Mathers descended from the sky, flying down. ] ]
.....