Reunion
The sun hung high in the sky, and a gentle breeze brushed softly against the skin.
On the bustling main street, pedestrians weaved past one another.
Just moments ago, another lizard-drawn carriage had passed by.
"All right, with this much evidence of the situation, I have no choice but to admit it. Though it's a bit hard to believe..."
All the frostbite on his body had vanished; there was no dust or bloodstain anywhere on his tracksuit; and the cellphone that had disappeared had appeared again in his pocket.
"That's just it."
His hand, which had been stroking his chin, reached out, and Subaru snapped his fingers at the pedestrians on the street.
"Every time I die, I return to the initial state. That's how it is."
Although he kept cursing himself for being utterly foolish, he came to this conclusion anyway.
"I'll call it 'Return by Death'... an ability premised on defeat, it suits me perfectly."
This was the first time the ability had triggered after death.
If pulling off a great reversal from a hopeless situation was the classic way, then gaining the chance to start over after defeat was a twisted, uncanny function.
"More accurately... it should be called 'Time Rewind'."
A phenomenon of looping and repetition under limited conditions.
In terms of a game, this has nothing to do with Subaru's will; upon death, he returns automatically to a saved checkpoint.
Although still somewhat unbelievable—after all, time rewind is generally regarded as a dreamlike, impossible ability.
But then again, being summoned to another world already defies common sense.
"But applying the term 'Return by Death' explains all the unnatural phenomena I've experienced so far."
Recalling everything that happened since arriving in this other world, Subaru estimated that he had died three times.
The first and third times, he froze to death.
The second time, he was sacrificed under Elsa's deadly blade along with Rom, Felt, and Emilia.
"Still, dying three times in half a day is awfully fast."
A normal person dies only once in a lifetime, so dying three times in just half a day overturns common sense.
He had lived a perfectly ordinary life for seventeen years in his original world.
The survival difficulty between his original world and this one was just too different.
When life was on the line, too many obstacles blocked Subaru's future.
"To sum it up: Emilia's Insigna was stolen, then the stolen goods warehouse was found, which housed Elsa—the battle-crazed murderer.
Elsa would kill Emilia.
Finally, that ice giant beast, considering how it called its 'daughter' and its ice abilities, must be Puck.
According to Julius and Ricardo's remarks, after Emilia's death it took some time absorbing the magic in the air before revealing its true form.
Whether intentional or not, its appearance would freeze the entire capital."
Speaking in a light, playful tone, Subaru tried to ease his fear of death.
"If that's the case, then let's act quickly.
Luckily, now I know the phone can be sold for money.
I'll sell it and use the funds for military expenses, then leave the capital and find somewhere to live a happy life using modern knowledge.
My dreams are expanding, right, old man?"
"I was just thinking about what you'd been mumbling earlier. I have no idea what you're talking about now."
Subaru asked the nearby vendor for his opinion.
The man responded with a puzzled look.
The cold reaction slightly hurt Subaru's pure heart.
The attitude of random people, no matter which world, made little difference.
"However, there are some overly kind people who help even at critical moments."
Like the sun-like Reinhild, the kind and innocent Emilia, and even Julius, who used the fire spirit's power to protect himself but lost the chance to retreat.
"After dying three times, I've learned a lot. No, if I still didn't understand after this, my head would be truly pitiful. But it's only a little pitiful."
"What are you babbling about now?"
"There must be a pattern. Among the inevitabilities—events that always happen no matter how many times you restart. These events have strong compulsive force. For example..."
From the first to the third death, Felt always stole Emilia's Insigna; Emilia always found the stolen goods warehouse; Elsa always defeated Emilia; and Puck always destroyed the capital to avenge Emilia.
"So the key problem really is how to defeat Elsa."
Subaru thought about that woman wielding a curved blade, the vampire identity the second time, and the scattered Iron Fang the third time.
His mind only held the thought of being unable to win, and his rational side urged him to escape the capital and avoid this problem.
"But I really... can't just abandon Reinhild."
Indeed, things now involved the young girl.
Although she wasn't weak, Puck was no longer something human strength could defeat.
At least Subaru didn't think the seemingly low-magical Reinhild could win against that embodiment of the end.
Moreover, Reinhild's own strength was still unknown; as a sword saint, it seemed to run in the family, but Reinhild himself said he wasn't mature yet.
Although Subaru, who returned to the past via 'Return by Death,' had already discarded Reinhild's favor in the first vanished world, the gratitude in his heart wouldn't disappear.
Also, the final conversation in the third world—the commission from Reinhild—showed how Subaru might unknowingly have been helped by the girl repeatedly.
Stretching and cracking his bones to revitalize himself, Subaru's strange behavior surprised the vendor.
Subaru raised his hand and said:
"A man must do what he has to do, right, old man?"
"Right, right, exactly, so hurry up and go."
Pushed away with a perfunctory gesture, Subaru quickly left. After pushing through the crowd and walking about two hundred meters, he stopped.
"Next, where should I go to find Reinhild?"
Thinking carefully, his contact with Reinhild had only been in the first loop.
Recalling those details, Subaru veered off the main street and entered an alley.
Soon after, Subaru met his target.
"As expected, you've come. I'm sick of seeing your faces. Aton, Ajin, Ahan."
Full of energy, Subaru turned around.
Standing before him were the familiar trio of thugs.
Their aura, clothes, and appearance were all identical; their weapons were the same.
No progress at all, though the three robberies had only been separated by tens of minutes.
Aton and Ajin's conversation followed the predetermined script, but Subaru no longer had the time to care.
"Help! Guards! Knights! Someone please save me!"
Without any preparation, Subaru shouted for help.
The trio was startled and jumped back at the sudden trick.
Breaking the silence of the alley, his volume was loud enough to cut through the noise of the main street.
Training in Kendo had accustomed him to loud shouts, and he no longer felt shame in yelling.
And for Subaru, who regarded his life as that of a loser, shouting for help did not damage his dignity in the slightest.
"Someone! Police! Guards!!"
Ignoring the threats of the three thugs, Subaru kept shouting, but the girl's figure still hadn't appeared.
Watching the trio draw weapons, a cold sweat broke out inside Subaru.
The three showed murderous intent.
Having died three times, he knew death was something you never get used to no matter how many times it comes.
"...I've failed after all."
On guard, Subaru watched the three approaching, preparing to run away.
After all, he was not foolish enough to believe 'Return by Death' was infinite.
As the saying goes, 'things never happen more than three times.' If this ability was a mercy from Buddha, Subaru's playthrough had already ended.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed through the alley.
"—This ends here."