Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (LN) - Volume 26 - Chapter 4.03

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“Ngh! Wait! What are you doing to him?!”

Rem grabbed the iron bars of her cell, her eyes flaring in anger as she shouted at them.

The location of this scene was the imperial army camp. Having heard Subaru’s sniveling pleas, Todd and Jamal had begun marching him over to an area away from the camp.

As she remained inside her cell, Rem’s gaze had sharpened when she’d spotted Subaru being marched away.

Subaru looked completely battered and broken.

His body had been pummeled from leaping into the river and being washed away, and he’d received only the barest minimum of first aid for the knife wound on his right shoulder. His broken fingers had been left untreated. The bindings on his legs were undone, but his hands were still tied.

Subaru Natsuki was being led from the campgrounds, looking like a slave.

Rem must have been confused and shocked. Of course, Subaru couldn’t explain the situation to her. After he’d died and come back, what little progress he might have made with her had been reset, too, and everything had to be redone.

She thought him an enemy because of the Witch’s lingering scent, and he hadn’t been given any time or opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding, and on top of that…

“Ngh?! The stench is even worse than before… What is going on?”

Picking up the miasma that grew thicker with each reset, Rem’s wariness had gone up another level.

Subaru Natsuki was like devil spawn to her. And there was no point in correcting her impression, other than that it hurt his heart not to do so, and so he would simply do nothing.

“…You must have a pretty complicated relationship. She’s reacting like that, even though she’s with you.”

“She…both of them… ”

“Both of them?”

“…They’re both just tools I bought in order to make contact with you.”

Unsure how to respond for a moment, Subaru decided to feign cruelty.

He was supposed to be a cold-blooded guy who would sell out his comrades to save his own skin. Of course he wouldn’t feel anything for Rem or Louis. Everything had to be secondary to his own survival.

He had to avoid the two of them—or at least Rem—being taken as hostages.

“They don’t know anything. Interrogating them would just be a waste of time…but it looks like you already knew that.”

“Well, it didn’t seem like they were putting on an act. The little one, her head’s probably seriously messed up, and that other one wasn’t lying, either. Going on a rampage when you don’t even know why is dangerous in its own right, though.”

Todd scratched his cheek with a wry chuckle, and Jamal snorted in annoyance.

The two of them were leading a group of around twenty imperial soldiers out of the camp, accompanied by Subaru. He was supposed to be leading them into the jungle to the Shudrak settlement.

Subaru would guide them to its location, doing his part for the empire’s victory, and in return, he’d get to live to see another day. That was the general idea here.

It was a passable success story for a craven coward.

If you’re willing to overlook the impossibility of it.

“If they’re in your way, I can take them off your hands once I’m free…”

“That’s a little hasty. Positivity is all well and good, but don’t forget that what happens to you next depends on the information you give us. You should worry about your own predicament first.”

“Heh-heh, right, right. Just got a little ahead of myself, thinking about when all this is over.”

If he focused on that now, it would just reveal his fixation with Rem, so he immediately changed tack.

As his hands were tied up, he couldn’t rub them together greedily, but he answered Todd while doing his best to evoke that sort of feeling. Fortunately, Todd did not push any further, just giving Rem in her cell a little wave.

“Just behave yourself, miss. For now, we won’t do anything if no one starts anything.”

“Do you think you saying that would be even slightly convincing?”

“I couldn’t say. Whether you choose to believe me or not is your problem.”

Rem bitterly fell silent.

All Subaru could do was regret his inability to provide supporting fire or even say anything as he engraved her figure and voice into his mind, turning them into fuel to ignite his heart.

I have to get her out of here, no matter what it takes.

He no longer had any thoughts of building a friendly relationship with Todd and the others, or getting them to protect him and Rem. They were dangerous as enemy or as ally.

I should avoid getting any closer than necessary to any Volakian.

This was an incredibly complicated situation, and if he wasn’t careful, it could well turn into more than just a personal problem.

As Subaru strengthened his resolve, Todd called out to his allies.

“All right, we’re heading out. None of you let down your guard.”

“I give the orders here!”

And as the soldiers responded, Jamal snapped back angrily.