Chapter 17

Weak Hero

The thick stench of blood and fur clung to the air, an oppressive weight that made Subaru's stomach churn.

They had been chasing the bossgarm for what felt like an eternity when they finally spotted it up ahead, standing still for the first time since the pursuit began. It wasn't alone.

A sea of glowing red eyes blinked from the darkness between the trees.

"Damn! That's too many!"

The number of wolgarms wasn't normal. He wasn't sure why they had gathered like this—was it because of the bossgarm leading them? Because they were intruding too deep into the forest?

Whatever the reason, they were surrounded, and if they lost even a second, Petra and Meili would be gone forever.

Rem, standing beside him, tightened her grip on her morningstar. Puck, hidden inside the crystal, stirred as Subaru whispered under his breath, "Puck, I think we're in deep trouble. Can you come out?"

A soft, cold presence flickered from the crystal as Puck materialized onto Subaru's shoulder, tail flicking with irritation. "Tch. Wolgarms again. This is getting annoying."

Subaru exhaled in relief. "Good. We'll need you." He turned his attention to the lesser spirits hovering nearby, thanking them for guiding them this far.

But just as he did, Puck suddenly stiffened. His small, feline body shivered violently, and before Subaru could react, the spirit collapsed onto the ground.

"Puck?!" Subaru's heart skipped a beat as he rushed forward, scooping up the spirit into his hands. "Oi, what's wrong? Are you okay?!"

No response. Puck's form flickered, growing transparent as if he were being drained of energy.

"What the hell's going on?! It's not even close to five!" Subaru shook him lightly, but Puck barely stirred.

Then, barely above a whisper, Subaru heard him murmur: "…Lia…"

It was a weak, pained sound that sent a shiver down Subaru's spine.

Puck's mind was hazy, the world around him fading. Emilia's mana was out of control. It was burning too bright, too fast. He was already overexerting himself just trying to contain it from a distance.

But even through the haze, his mind replayed Subaru's words. "You're acting like she's some naive little girl —She's not some kind of glass doll! —I trust her that much."

His fur bristled. "You brat!" He wanted to snarl, to lash out, to refute it, but no words could come. His mind was a boiling kettle, but his body was crushed under the sheer power he had to contain.

"You arrogant prick! What exactly do you think you are?! I'm the one who trusts her the most! Me, her father!" What the hell did this parasite know about trust?

Of course Puck trusted Emilia. He trusted her to overcome whatever stood in her way. That was exactly why he wouldn't call her here.

Not because she was weak.

But because he absolutely refused to let her waste her strength saving this leech.

Another tremor ran through his body. Emilia's mana surged again, drowning him in a sea of freezing cold mana. He gasped, his connection flickering dangerously. "Kh—Maybe... maybe I should have called her after all. Not for Subaru, obviously. But for herself."

To be closer. To shield her more directly. Because staying close to her might have let him contain her better. He could have managed the overflow, prevented her from spiraling into this.

Instead, she was alone, dealing with something unknown. Had something happened? Was she already in danger?

That thought twisted inside him. "Did she run into trouble? Had something forced her hand?"

His body flickered again, his strength dwindling further. And that's when another thought slipped into his mind.

A cold, simple, pragmatic thought. "This… is not that bad after all…"

If she was the reason he was weakening, then wasn't this... an opportunity?

Emilia had made him swear to protect Subaru. But... if it was Lia's own actions that made him unable to keep that promise?

Then she couldn't blame him.

If Subaru failed to survive, that wasn't Puck's problem. That would be Emilia's fault. There, his mind wavered. He should feel bad about it. Shouldn't he?

But instead, a quiet, almost soothing clarity settled over him.

He didn't need to do anything. He didn't need to intervene. Of course, Lia will overcome whatever she's facing. And if Subaru failed here, then Emilia would be rid of him. And Puck wouldn't even need to lift a paw.

His consciousness dimmed. He was being pulled back, sealed away into the crystal to save energy and to recover.

And as he slipped away, his last thought rang through his mind, sharp with defiant certainty.

"I trust Lia."

"That's exactly why I won't let her waste herself on you."


The wolgarms around them had noticed Puck's weakness.

From a short distance away, Meili kept her head low, watching the scene unfold. Her pulse had steadied now. She was a little surprised at how they'd managed to find her so quickly, but she was no longer panicking.

The spirit was down. The blue-haired maid was still standing, but that wasn't enough.

Her sharp blue eyes flickered toward the bossgarm. It had noticed too.

Slowly, its massive body turned—no longer running, no longer retreating. Instead, a low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat as it lifted its head toward the night sky.

A long, piercing howl shattered the silence. And then, all at once, the wolgarms moved.

Subaru barely had time to register the sudden shift before the forest erupted into chaos.

Then, a blur of blue surged forward. Followed by a bone-crunching impact.

A wolgarm exploded as Rem's morningstar crushed it with inhuman force, the ground shaking beneath her feet.

Subaru turned to her—and froze. Her movements became inhumanly fast, crushing three other wolgarms in a single blow. Blood and flesh splattered the ground, but she didn't stop.

Her horn had grown, pulsing with raw power. Her usually bright eyes were now tinged crimson, a predator's gaze locked onto him.

"A… demon?" Intimidated, his pulse pounded in his ears as he stiffened.

"Was this it? Was this the moment?"

Their situation was at its worst. No more Puck. No more advantage. Just her.

"Had she been waiting for this?"

Had she been pretending all this time? Playing along until the perfect moment arrived?

Now, she had an excuse. She could kill him right here and now, let the wolves tear him apart, and say she was just "caught in the heat of battle."

No one would question it. No one would even know.

"Wait, Rem…" Instinct screamed at him to move, but then, another wolgarm lunged between them. She tore it apart. The beast barely had time to yelp before Rem's hands gripped its skull and crushed it like dry twigs.

Her gaze, her movements, her bestiality… she was just lashing out at whatever moved. She wasn't hunting him; she was hunting everything.

"I'm an idiot, huh…" Subaru mused to himself, the sight of Rem moving frantically, screaming and laughing being enough to jolt his mind into action.

He had been wrong—this wasn't Rem making a choice. This was Rem losing control.

"Hehe… Jeez, Puck, and now Rem… do you guys know what good timing even means?" Subaru chuckled softly.

He gritted his teeth. His brain was screaming at him to run, to get away from her, but he couldn't afford to think like that. "That means I can use this—"

Suddenly—Agonizing, sharp pain. He felt the familiar sensation of something sinking its fangs into his flesh. A wolgarm had bitten his calf.

He immediately seized a stone, and crashed it into the canine's skull, but nothing but more pain came out as a result.

Still, even despite the pain, his mind was as clear as before. He took a sharpened branch, and tried to pierce through its flank—the wood broke off, and the beast wasn't loosening his jaw.

Subaru's vision flashed white from sheer pain, but he didn't stop.

"Move it!" he screamed.

This time, he violently embedded the broken shard of wood right in the beast's eye, making it yelp and free him immediately.

"Heh! It hurts, right?! Right!" shouted Subaru, rising quickly to his feet. The intense pain no longer bothered him as he assessed the situation, adrenaline pumping through him.

He took off his vest, and wrapped it around his dominant arm, facing whatever is coming.

The bossgarm wasn't running away anymore. It was just standing there, still holding the children hostage, and sending them wolgarms in waves. So, new priorities slammed into focus.

First, survive. Second, gain time for Emilia to come. He had faith.

Even if Puck wouldn't call her, he knew she was coming. All he had to do was buy time. So he did the only thing that made sense for him.

Turning towards the raging, rampaging oni, he smirked. "Alright, Rem… let's see if I can turn this into an advantage."


The battlefield was chaos.

Wolgarms snarled and lunged from all sides. The bossgarm stood at a distance, watching, waiting.

And in the center of it all—Rem, lost to her oni blood.

Subaru's breath came in ragged gasps. He kept darting across the battlefield, tanking, dodging and repelling multiple claws and fangs through the pain.

And then, a realization hit him. "The wolgarms are attacking me first!"

They ignored Puck—he was out cold, and went back in his crystal. They ignored Rem—too dangerous. But Subaru? He was their main target.

Was it because he was the weakest? Or was it the Witch's miasma clinging to his skin? Or was it both? He wasn't sure yet, but he could use that.

He moved—angled himself carefully—placing Rem between him and the approaching wolgarms.

And just like that, they had to go through her to get to him.

A wolgarm lunged; Rem ripped it apart. Another tried to leap past her; she intercepted, tearing through its skull.

One after another, they charged, and she crushed them down, all while Subaru maneuvered, using her as a shield.

But it wasn't foolproof. Rem turned on him suddenly, eyes burning with bloodlust.

Chains sliced through the air, and Subaru ducked, barely avoiding her strike. "Shit! Rem, calm down—!"

But before she could attack again, another wolgarm charged him. Her attention snapped toward it immediately, and she killed it in a blink.

Subaru exhaled sharply. "Gotcha."

The bossgarm snarled, clearly annoyed that its forces weren't overwhelming them fast enough.

Rem's movements were feral yet precise, crushing down anything in her way. But Subaru had already noticed—the bossgarm itself wasn't attacking her.

It was keeping its distance. But why?

A wolgarm lunged at her flank. The bossgarm growled—and suddenly, the earth beneath Rem swelled and buckled, like a bubble inflating from underground.

An earth explosion.

The terrain burst apart, trying to throw Rem off balance—but she didn't even flinch.

With a sharp snarl, she stomped down, shattering the unstable ground beneath her feet with brute strength alone. Dirt and rock scattered like broken glass.

"You… you're strong! So strong—eh?" Subaru screamed, and stopped himself when her ferocious gaze snapped at him.

"Uh… sorry?"

She moved herself towards him, ignoring his weak plea. But then, the bossgarm tried something different.

Another tremor. The earth swelled again, this time under a wolgarm.

The moment the explosion triggered, the beast was launched high into the air—right at Rem's back.

Subaru barely had time to react—but it didn't matter. The wolgarm was dead before it even reached her. Rem's arm snapped out like a whip, fingers sinking into its throat.

She didn't even look at it. Just ripped through it, dropped the corpse, and turned to her next target.

And Subaru's eyes widened. He had done the exact same thing against Ram. "They're trying to slow her down!"

That's why they weren't attacking her directly. That's why the bossgarm was sending other wolgarms instead of fighting her itself.

Because even in this state—Rem was a serious threat.

"Hehe! So even the big guy's scared of her, huh?" Subaru muttered under his breath. "Good news."

The bossgarm—Meili—had figured it out. She had noticed Subaru's desperate maneuvering. Using Rem's rampage as a shield, forcing the wolgarms to attack him first, and it was working.

So she changed the rules. What if they were only Subaru and Rem?

She only needed to create such a situation. That said, she couldn't simply make all wolgarms retreat, as it would give Rem enough margin to directly attack the bossgarm. So—

Growling a command, the massive beast's eyes sparkled, and another earth explosion triggered—right under Subaru this time.

Before Subaru could react—he was airborne, propelled directly toward Rem. No wolgarms, no distractions, just him, alone with an enraged oni.

Her eyes locked onto him the second he entered her range.

Subaru swallowed hard. "Oh, shit! I need—"

Rem's arm whipped back. She was going for a full-force, body-shattering mace strike.

His instincts screamed at him. He needed anything—any split-second window.

His arms flailed and his fingers scraped against the dirt midair—he grabbed a handful, and flung it directly into Rem's face.

Rem's reaction was instant. A strangled, furious snarl—her movements jerking mid-swing.

For just a moment—her body locked up.

The dirt didn't blind her entirely, but it messed with her reflexes—and reflexes were what she was fighting with. Rem's swing still came, but that moment of pause allowed Subaru to land on ground.

He couldn't avoid any attack coming. Not in his state. No—

In the first place, as a less-than-average human by this world's standards, it was impossible for him to avoid anything that massive in mid-air.

He could only work with a foothold, which he gained from Rem's brief hesitation. And he avoided by inches the morningstar from Rem losing accuracy, getting out alive using a literal dirty trick.

Pain burned up his calf, but he didn't stop running. He couldn't stop. He has to gain time. Emilia will come. She'll definitely—

A sharp chill ran through the air.

Subaru barely had time to register the cold before an ice spike speared through the bossgarm's flank. The beast let out a pained yelp, stumbling back as frost crystallized around the wound.

Its tail released Petra and Meili, the two girls tumbling to the ground in shock.

Subaru's eyes widened. He knew that magic. His lips curled into a grin, despite the chaos. "We've won."

The bossgarm let out a guttural snarl, struggling to recover. It had no idea what hit it. Subaru took advantage of the confusion, sprinting toward the fallen girls. His body ached from earlier wounds, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

"Petra! Meili! Can you stand?" he called, but no response, Petra being out cold and Meili acting unconscious.

Before Subaru could process anything else—he saw her.

Emilia. She stood somewhere in the woods, silver hair whipping in the frozen air, violet eyes wide, filled with relief—until she saw him.

Until she saw the wolgarms, the bossgarm, and finally, Rem's rampage. Something in her uncontrollably snapped.

The air turned razor-sharp with frost.

The bossgarm growled low, raising an earth wall to shield itself from the oncoming assault, but the temperature plummeted even further.

A cold, far beyond anything Subaru had ever felt, settled into the clearing.

Puck's voice trembled, barely a whisper in his head. "Subaru, you need to run. Now."

Subaru blinked. "Huh?"

"I mean it, Subaru. She—"

SPLURT.

The bossgarm collapsed with a pained howl. Frost erupted from its open wound, growing, blooming.

Meili continued to play her role perfectly, testament of a strong willpower, considering her inner turmoil. "The half-elf reached us! But it's fine. They don't see me as a menace–Kh!"

An ice flower—glistening, delicate, and utterly lethal—blossomed from inside the beast, its petals spreading wide before exploding outward in a violent burst of frozen shards.

Subaru stood, mesmerized. "What the—? Ack!"

Pain. Sharp. Cold. Expanding.

He barely had time to react before he felt something burn through his arm—not heat, but unbearable cold. His heart pounded in sheer panic as he looked down.

Ice. Ice was slowly growing out of his wounds, pumping his blood.

Frost spread, slowly seeping into his veins, digging deep into his flesh like living thorns. The pain was unbearable, like glass shards burrowing under his skin.

Similar ice shards grew from Petra's small cuts on the arm, and from Meili's scratches on the knee.

Two screams—Subaru and Meili's—tore through the woods, imbued with sheer pain. That was when Emilia's rage vanished.

She turned sharply toward him, her expression shifting from cold fury to absolute horror.

"No… No, no, no…" she whispered.

Her body trembled, her outstretched hands twitching as if trying to grasp something she couldn't hold onto. The realization hit her all at once—this was her doing.

"I-I didn't mean to— No! SUBARUUU! NOOO!"

Her horrified screams made Subaru focus on something else than what he was going through.

She tried pulling her magic back, but it was like stopping a flood after a dam had already broken. Her emotions were too unstable. The ice continued to spread, slow but unrelenting.

"Subaru!" His telepathic voice was getting weaker. "I can't contain her magic anymore. I don't have the mana…"

Subaru barely heard him through the pain, but he forced himself to focus.

"There has to be something," he hissed, clutching his arm. "Can you drain mana? Like Beako does?"

"I can, but you don't have enough," Puck admitted. "Even if I take yours, it won't be enough to stop her."

Subaru's eyes darted toward Rem, still lost in her oni rampage, slaughtering the remaining wolgarms like a demon possessed.

"Then we take hers!"

"Are you INSANE?! You'll have to touch her, idiot! While she's like that—"

"NO TIME TO ARGUE!" Subaru snapped. He took off in a sprint—his vision blurred from pain, but his body still moved, and his mind was clear.

Rem had just finished crushing another wolgarm's skull, standing in the aftermath of her slaughter. She stood still for only a moment, panting heavily, blood-soaked and wild-eyed.

It was now or never.

Subaru pushed forward; every step sent sharp, tearing pain through his body, but he clenched his jaw and sprinted.

"SUBARUUUU!"

A silver-bell voice sounded in the woods. It was filled with terror and despair, but for the raven-haired boy who grinned, it was akin to a source of strength and power.

Three steps.

Rem's horns glowed with mana, her body still in a frenzied battle stance.

Two steps.

Puck's voice resonated calmly in his head. "You have completely lost it."

One step. And he lunged forward.

"You guys are not the only ones fired up here!" he shouted midair. "I'm demonically inspired too!"

His fingers slammed against her arm, pressing Puck's stone against her skin, and a blinding light burst outward.

For a moment, everything was still.

Then, all at once—the frost creeping up Subaru's limbs cracked, splintered, and shattered into harmless ice dust.

The overwhelming cold quickly receded. Emilia's unstable magic got contained. Rem's rampage halted as her horn retracted.

And Subaru, collapsing onto his knees, let out a weak chuckle. "Ha… I really need to stop doing crazy shit like this."


Subaru's plan had worked.

Rem's body collapsed onto the ground, her horn retracting as she fell exhausted. Emilia dropped beside them, panting heavily, hands trembling.

Meili fell unconscious a long time ago, along with Petra, who got spared from unbearable pain by being knocked out cold from the start.

And the bossgarm… was dead. But Subaru didn't feel relieved. The battlefield should have fallen silent, but they were still in a den of wolgarms.

A low growl rumbled in the distance. The sounds of shifting paws on dirt reached Subaru's ears, sending a chill up his spine. They weren't safe yet.

Emilia stirred weakly, lifting her gaze to meet his. And the moment she did, her entire body tensed. Her violet eyes widened, locking onto him with pure, naked fear and guilt.

Her hands shot toward him, but stopped inches away, hovering over his wounds. She saw remnants of ice still lingering over his skin. Her ice.

Her breathing hitched. She couldn't handle it.

"I…, I—I hurt you—I didn't want to… Subaru— I…so—sorry—"

Her voice trembled, breaking apart just like she was.

"I'm sorry— I'm sooo sorry!"

Her hands were shaking as she started healing his wounds, pouring everything she had left into her magic.

"Please f–forgive— Please forgive me…"

Subaru's answer was gentle. "Don't worry, Emilia-tan. Thanks for the healing–"

But he got cut by Emilia's frantic breathing. Tears slipped down her cheeks, unbidden, as she apologized, begged, whimpered.

"I'm sorry! Please! Forgive me! I didn't want to! Please!"

Her hands moved frantically, as if fixing his injuries would fix the feeling eating away at her. Her magic pulsed, warm, desperate, almost frantic.

"Please, Subaru," she whispered. "Please don't hate me." Her voice broke entirely at the last words.

She flinched when Subaru grabbed her hands, stopping her movements. "Hate you? I could never, come on!"

He forced a grin, though it barely masked the ache spreading through his body. "Also, it's not as bad as you think."

That was a lie. A huge lie. But right now, it didn't matter. Emilia swallowed hard, her entire frame trembling. She wasn't convinced.

Subaru exhaled and softened his voice. "Emilia, look at me." Hesitantly, she did.

"You lost control of your magic, didn't you?" he said, with a soft, but unwavering gaze. "Because you were trying to protect me, because you wanted to help me. That's what happened, right?"

Her lips parted slightly, but she couldn't deny it.

"Then why would I hate you for that?" His grip tightened slightly.

He nodded toward Rem, her unconscious body lying beside them. "Rem did the same thing. She went berserk trying to keep us safe."

The blue-haired oni, stirring from unconsciousness, opened her eyes slowly as she heard Subaru's voice and Emilia's sobs. "What… happened…"

He exhales and shakes his head. "I'm not going to hate either of you for it. In fact, I'm very grateful to both of you, Emilia, Rem... Thank you. For wanting to protect me."

Both of the girls flinched at that, staring at him. Then—

"You're lying," Emilia spat, her voice rising. "You're definitely afraid of me now. Just like everyone else."

Subaru's breath caught. Her violet eyes were wide, shimmering with anger, sorrow, and something deeper—something breaking.

"I saw your face," she continued, voice shaking. "I saw how you looked hurt. I heard your screams! You're just—you're too nice to say it out loud."

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "You should just admit it. You should just say you hate me."

Subaru stared at her, speechless. She meant it, she really wanted him to say it.

"…Emilia—"

"You HAVE to hate me!" she suddenly shouted, her voice cracking. "You SHOULD despise me! You should loathe me, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DESERVE!"

Her breath came in uneven gasps, her body shaking, her shoulders curled inward as if bracing for impact.

As if she was preparing herself to be abandoned.

Instead of seeing Emilia, Subaru saw himself when he stopped talking to his parents… And something inside him snapped because, before he even thought about it—He headbutted her.

Not hard enough to actually hurt, but just enough to shock her back to her senses.

"You IDIOT!" Subaru barked.

Emilia gasped, her hands flying to her forehead as she blinked up at him in pure, stunned disbelief.

Subaru leaned closer, scowling. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why the hell are you deliberately trying to make people hate you?"

Her lips parted slightly, but he didn't let her speak.

"What kind of twisted logic is that? 'I hurt someone, so I should be hated'? That's not how it works!" His voice rose. "You want me to hate you? Then do something worth hating first, you moron!"

She stared at him, utterly frozen. She hadn't expected this.

Her breath hitched, her lips trembling slightly. Her fingers curled into fists, as if trying to hold onto something, anything.

She wanted to argue. Wanted to say something, anything, back. But no words came.

"…I—"

Subaru exhaled sharply. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking the thoughts forming in his head. "I guess I was an idiot as well, right? Dad…Mom…"

"But we don't have time for this," he muttered. A low, guttural growl echoed through the trees. The wolgarms had returned.

Subaru's stomach dropped. Dark shapes began creeping into view, eyes gleaming hungrily from the shadows. They moved slowly, cautiously, their bodies low to the ground.

They were afraid. Not of Subaru. Not of Rem. They were still wary of Emilia. And for good reason.

Puck finally materialized out of his cristal, still weakened, but he had regained some energy through Rem. "I trust Lia, but I won't let her alone against those monsters," he thought.

Emilia pushed herself to her feet, her violet eyes turning cold once more. Subaru saw the shift—the moment her sorrow hardened into something fiercer, stronger, determined.

She lifted a hand, her fingers trembling slightly. "El Huma."

Nothing happened.

Emilia's expression barely changed. She tried again, louder this time. "El Huma!" But, still nothing.

The wolgarms inched forward.

Emilia's breath hitched. Confusion flashed across her face, quickly replaced by panic. Her other hand came up as she tried again.

"El Huma! El Huma!"

Nothing. No ice spikes. No mist.

She stared at her outstretched hand, expecting frost, as she could still feel the familiar pulse of mana through her veins. But the spell wouldn't come to life. There was nothing at all.

"I—what's—what's happening?" she whispered. She staggered back, her breathing growing erratic. "Why can't I—? My magic—"

Subaru saw her hands trembling, fingers curling in and out of a fist. She wasn't just confused; she was scared.

Puck's fur bristled as he finally lifted his head. "That's… that's not possible," he muttered, his ears flattening. "There's no reason you should be unable to cast… You have no mana issues, no injuries that could block your gate—"

But Emilia wasn't listening. Her shoulders shook slightly as she clenched her hands at her sides. "Not now… Not now, please…"

Her cat spirit started to panic as well, at the prospect of her daughter being unable to defend herself. At himself eventually failing to defend her in his weakened state. "Lia…please calm down! Just run away! Lia!"

She was spiraling, and the wolgarms understood it, as if they could sense their fear oozing around.

They stopped hesitating. One sniffed the air, its ears twitching. Another bared its fangs, stepping forward.

Puck too felt the vortex of terror and anxiety raging in Emilia's mind, but all he could say was a weak "Lia…"

Fear crept up her spine. "No. No, no, no… I can't… I have to—"

A shadow stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the encroaching beasts.

Subaru, standing tall before her. His stance was steady, his back straight, his head high.

For a moment, Emilia wasn't in the forest anymore. She was back in that dark alleyway of the capital, standing in front of Elsa's blade. Helpless. Desperate. Trembling with fear.

That time, Subaru had stepped in front of her just like this. But he, too, had been trembling then, his hands shaking, his breath uneven. He had been terrified, his words unconvincing. "Don't worry, Emilia! I'll protect you!"

Here, in that forest, against those monstrous beasts, he stepped in front of her as well. But there was no fear, no hesitation.

Only resolve, as he shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone!"

Something in her chest twisted.

"Subaru… When did you become so strong?"

"Emilia!" Subaru turned his head slightly, just enough for her to see the determination in his eyes.

"Forget magic," he said firmly, his voice cutting through her panic like steel. "You don't need it."

Her breath caught.

"You're strong, Emilia. Super strong!" His lips curved into a grin. "That blade you got from Elsa, use it! Even I managed to take down a wolgarm with that thing. It'll be child's play for you!"

She blinked, startled. He believed in her.

Emilia hadn't even processed her own fear yet, but Subaru, he already had faith in her strength.

Her fingers curled around the handle of the blade at her hip. "Hm! Alright!"

Puck was as stunned as he could be when he sensed Emilia's fears dissipating like steam in air.

He was so afraid for her, that he was almost convinced she might not make it, not without his help and her own magic. But this boy, Subaru, was not thinking like that.

Here, Puck was forced to realize: this boy truly believed in her daughter more than himself. He gritted his fangs, because for the first time—at least as far as he could remember, he felt ashamed of himself.

"Rem!" Subaru's eyes flicked to the maid, who was still silent and frozen, staring at him as if seeing him for the first time.

"Listen up!" he commanded. "I need you to go to the barrier and grab a stone. Right now!"

Rem flinched, her grip tightening on her morningstar. "The… The barrier?" she repeated, still shaken.

Subaru nodded. "You can move, right? We got the children! We just have to leave those damn woods, but look at their numbers!"

The wolgarms growled low in their throats, their patience wearing thin.

"While we defend Petra and Meili and retreat with them, you go there alone and come back as soon as possible with a magic stone! We'll cover you!" Subaru's voice turned sharp and urgent.

"But—"

"Rem, I trust you!" Subaru cut her off, voice strong and unwavering. "So, please, trust me!"

She sucked in a breath. Trust? She had spent so long convinced that he was evil. That he was a threat. That he was lying.

Yet here he was, risking his life for innocent children, throwing himself into the fire without hesitation, even lending her his life—because he trusted her.

He had entrusted Rem, the useless of the twin onis, such a crucial task.

The sting behind her eyes was unbearable. And before she could even process it, a wave of wolgarms lunged.

Emilia, gripping her blade tightly, threw herself into the fight. "Iyaa!"

The first wolf went down easily, the second one nearly took her by surprise, but she managed to tear through its belly, his insides spilling out as she got splashed with darkened red blood.

But she didn't lose her focus. "Eii! Ihyaaaa!"

A third, then a fourth—Emilia eliminated them with instinctive moves. No technique, but still efficient and precise. Then the fifth—her blade lodged into its skull, stuck. "No…"

Her heart leapt to her throat as she had realized her mistake; and another wolgarm lunged for Subaru.

Teeth sank into his arm. Pain seared through him.

"Subaru!" "Subaru-kun!"

Rem, Emilia, and even Puck gasped in horror, but Subaru didn't even hesitate. His voice cut through the battlefield like a blade.

"Puck! SPIKE!"

Puck's eyes widened. But in a flash, he instinctively understood.

A small, but sharp ice spike erupted from the ground beside Subaru's arm. And before anyone could process what he was doing—Subaru twisted his entire body, slamming the wolgarm onto the stalactite.

The beast shrieked as it was impaled, thrashing for only a second before falling limp.

Subaru, panting heavily, grinned through the pain, blood dripping down his arm. "Hah… hah… bet you didn't expect that, you oversized mutt."

For a second—just a second—Puck forgot to breathe, momentarily impressed despite himself.

More wolgarms emerged, creeping closer. Subaru didn't move from his spot. His teeth clenched. His vision wavered. But still, he stood.

"Doesn't matter. I'll protect them." He glances at Rem, Petra, and Meili.

Emilia reached toward him, desperate to heal him, but Subaru shook his head. "We don't have time," he said, voice rough but firm. "Focus on the fight."

Even wounded, bleeding, outnumbered—he was still standing. And Rem watched, eyes wide.

"Why?"

"Why is he doing this?"

This man was nothing like the monsters who took everything from her. She had been wrong.

Her throat tightened, her vision blurred. She didn't even realize she was crying. But she knew one thing.

He wasn't evil.

"…I'll come back," Rem whispered. Then, louder:

"I'll DEFINITELY come back! So you HAVE to survive!"

Subaru grinned. "That's the plan."

And then, a smirk spread across Puck's face. "No, actually, you won't need to go anywhere," he murmured.

Rem turned. "What—?"

Puck's ears twitched. "Relax, kids. We've already won. Look up."

A massive portal suddenly yawned open in the sky above. A spiraling abyss of interdimensional darkness— It stretched endlessly beyond the tear in reality, cold and suffocating, its depth unknowable. The air itself seemed too heavy, too silent, as if all sound had been swallowed into that void.

And from it—they emerged.

Descending like a falling star, a figure floated above the battlefield— Roswaal L. Mathers. Cradled in his arms princess-style was Ram, her expression calm and unbothered, as if this were a daily occurrence.

With a flicker of his wrist, the margrave rained clusters of fire onto them, each one swallowing the surrounding wolgarms in pillars of hellish red and gold

Even as flames engulfed the battlefield, Ram barely blinked. "Roswaal-sama, you're being excessive again," she said coolly.

"Ohhh? But, my dear Ram~!" Roswaal's voice practically sang as he twirled midair, letting another Ul Goa incinerate a cluster of wolgarms below. "Wouldn't you say I'm siiimply being thorough~?"

"Damn, Ros-chi… This dude just won't stop to surprise me…" Subaru muttered, a smirk drawing on his face.

And from above—descending in the portal of shadows, arms crossed, looking entirely unimpressed—was Beatrice. She floated downward, as if weightless.

"Honestly, I turn my back for one night, and you nearly die, I suppose."

Subaru momentarily forgot the pain, seeing her cute frame. "Hah… I knew you'd come, it was part of my perfect plan," he wheezed.

Beatrice huffed, floating closer. "That's nonsense, in fact."

Puck chimed in. "Betty! Subaru's lying!"

Subaru, in mock hurt, retorted, "Don't sell me out!" He then added, "Thanks for coming, Beako! You really saved us."

Beatrice scoffed. "Hmph. I simply found your struggles too pathetic to ignore, I suppose."

Rem, still breathing heavily, snapped her head up. "Nee-sama…?"

Ram, now standing on solid ground after being gracefully placed down by Roswaal, dusted off her dress.

"I sensed your turmoil and distress through synesthesia," she started to explain, her tone neutral as ever. "Beatrice-sama then informed us about Barusu's baseless suspicions from last night. She found you through Puck's..."

She paused. "...Not that any of you are even listening."

Because Emilia and Rem, utterly ignoring her, were frantically trying to heal Subaru.

"Subaru! Stay still!" Emilia pleaded, her voice trembling.

"You idiot!" Rem scolded, her tone cracking. "Stop moving, or you'll make it worse!"

Subaru blinked sluggishly, looking between the two of them.

"Huh…? What's with the double healing service? I must be special~," he murmured, lips quirking in a lopsided grin.

"Subaru, shut up and let us heal you!" Emilia huffed, barely holding back tears.

"Agreed!" Rem snapped.

And then, his legs buckled. The exhaustion, the blood loss, the pain, it all hit at once.

His body gave out. And as consciousness slipped away, he collapsed onto Emilia and Rem.

As if hugging them.

== END OF CHAPTER 17 ==

Author's Notes :

Did you notice? Puck is unironically the MVP of each final loop haha — First with Elsa, and now with Rem & Emilia.

BY THE WAY: How did they manage to reach Meili in the forest even with her gaining time with that booby trap?

Simple, really… As Subaru theorized in the last chapter, she had often stopped running away to create fake footprints (through bossgarm's Earth magic) to lead them to some other booby traps.

Bro's IQ gets a massive buff when death is looming. I always found that funny as hell.

Tappei once said If Emilia was involved in the children's rescue, they would've solved everything much easier… (source: trust me bro)

Well I hope I managed to properly avoid it in a coherent, logical way, even if Emilia is involved. Also, Emilia is not the only one to have experienced a growth spurt, Subaru too.

Emilia's trauma with Ice Flowers caused her to get the "yips"... Frankly, I hope "magic yips" is a thing in ReZero, and if not, I personally think it should. For me, it's a given, that's a psychological drama story ain't it? Ain't magic similar to muscular memory too?

Don't worry; she's still a freakin' powerhouse.

Next : Arc 2's Curtain's close.

DISCLAIMER : I don't own Re:Zero, it belongs to Tappei Nagatsuki the GOAT, but when tf will bro update Arc 9 WN tho? Pls tell me if you know.