6
“—You don’t look so great, Subaru. Are you all right?”
After leaving the room and walking a few steps, there was a voice at his back.
Stopping, Subaru took a deep breath and then nodded.
“I’m okay. Sorry to worry you. Also, sorry for calling you out over what turned out to be nothing.”
“I don’t mind. What matters most is there not being a problem… Would it be better if I don’t ask about what happened?”
“Yeah, I guess it would probably be best if you pretended not to hear anything?”
Subaru shrugged at Reinhard, who had moved beside him.
Before going to talk to Foxidna, he had asked Reinhard to wait outside in case anything happened.
It was entirely possible that the suspicion he felt about Anastasia was actually because of Capella, so it was only natural to buy the best insurance he could afford before confronting that possibility.
Fortunately, the fight he had been worried about never materialized, but the Sword Saint Reinhard had surely heard the conversation in the room—that Anastasia was currently being inhabited by Foxidna.
Honestly, Subaru would like to keep things quiet in order to not cause a stir, but—
“Unfortunately, I could not hear the conversation inside, so I can’t tell anyone about what was discussed. Even if it was Lady Felt asking me.”
“…Thanks, man…”
He thanked Reinhard, who understood what he was thinking and preempted the discussion.
Thinking back on it, he had constantly been saved by Reinhard’s presence ever since coming to the city. Obviously, there was the whole thing with rescuing Emilia, but it had also been a huge help being able to fall back on him in situations like this.
“If it weren’t for you, there would have been a lot more dangerous situations, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to save Emilia. Seriously, I’m grateful, Reinhard.”
“Allow me to say the same thing to you. On top of that, if I was able to be your strength, then it was an honor to be of service—all the more reason, though, I would ask you to be cautious.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s a long road ahead, and more than anything…”
Subaru narrowed his eyes when Reinhard lowered his voice, and the smile left the Sword Saint’s face. It was clear what was troubling Reinhard. Since—
“…it’s the Auguria Dunes, which even you couldn’t pass.”
“ ”
“Put that way, it does sound pretty daunting.”
He was not trying to make a joke. It was just a heavy truth hanging over the matter.
The Auguria Dunes in the east of Lugunica were supposedly a den of vicious demon beasts, a monster-infested world that the Sword Saint Reinhard had tried, and failed, to cross once before.
And the Sage, Shaura, who was said to know everything, lived at the farthest edge of that desert—
“Two years ago, when the king and the rest of the royal family fell ill, I set out for the Pleiades Watchtower in search of a cure by the order of the council… But I failed.”
There was a powerful sense of embarrassment in Reinhard’s voice as he spoke of his lack of ability.
There was probably no stranger combination than Reinhard and powerlessness, which spoke to just how much he regretted what happened and how hard he took his failure.
“No matter how far you went, the tower never seemed to draw any closer. That’s what you said, right?”
“…Most likely, it was some sort of barrier. And I was unable to overcome it.”
In the end, a way to treat the illness that afflicted the royal family had not been found in time, which was why the selection for the throne that all the royal candidates were taking part in had come about in the first place.
“And now of all times, we finally find a way to get through the desert.”
“If she…if Lady Anastasia is to be believed, then yes.”
He corrected himself in line with his promise to Subaru. Reading between the lines, though, he was asking if they could trust Foxidna’s statement.
“ ”
During the meeting with everyone, Foxidna had confidently stated that she could get them past the barrier. For better and for worse, the fact that “Echidna” was lurking somewhere behind the scenes of it all lent that statement credibility. All that remained was whether Foxidna herself could be trusted or not.
And while he could not feel confident, Subaru had already reached a tentative answer for himself—
“We’ll get results— I’m not gonna make any excuses.”
Subaru smiled away Reinhard’s concern. Reinhard’s eyes widened slightly at that response, but he nodded.
“Also, you be careful, too. Even just thinking of sending Sirius back is crazy. Don’t let Felt do anything reckless.”
“Indeed. She will no doubt complain, but I will be sure that Lady Felt is careful.”
Reinhard’s expression softened as he thought of the lady he was serving. Seeing the smile finally return to Reinhard’s face, Subaru narrowed his gaze at the change in the relationship between the two of them.
Felt and Reinhard seemed totally at odds with each other at first, but now, while they were still not quite working in lockstep, they were undoubtedly moving forward together. And while they were theoretically his opponents, that thought made Subaru oddly happy.
But at the same time—
“Reinhard, are you okay?”
—Subaru was surprised by how easily that faint sense of something being off came to his lips in the form of a question.
Reinhard seemed similarly surprised, but he blinked his blue eyes.
“…That’s a rather vague question.”
“Ah, no, I’m not really sure how to put it, but…I guess a lot happened with your grandmother, huh?”
There was only one thing he could think of to explain the odd feeling he got from Reinhard.
He had heard from Wilhelm that matters had been settled with Reinhard’s grandmother, the previous Sword Saint, who was supposed to have died fifteen years ago. But Wilhelm had not mentioned anything about any pain Reinhard had felt. It was only natural he might have felt a shock that was impossible to put into words when he knew his grandmother had died again.
Reinhard was the strongest Sword Saint, but it wasn’t like his heart was made of steel.
But Reinhard shook his head, brushing off Subaru’s concern.
“I’m okay, Subaru. I finished saying my farewells to Grandmother— So I am fine.”
“I…see… Well, if you say so.”
Subaru withdrew his concern. He could not say for sure what Reinhard was feeling, but if he was going to say he was fine, then there was nothing else for Subaru to do. However…
“If you ever need a shoulder to lean on and can’t talk about it with Felt, just let me know. We’re pals, right?”
“…Got it. If that time ever comes, I shall be sure to do so, pal.”
Subaru raised his hand lightly, leaving that last note while trying not to work Reinhard up too much.
Reinhard paused for a moment, and then he smiled wryly and nodded.
He nodded, so he’s probably okay.
After all, Reinhard was the sort of guy who kept his promises, unlike Subaru.
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