12 (part 3)

"He has done a good job by presenting actual benefits and offers to hook her in… Now he just needs to make her believe that he can follow through on these." Otto nodded his head at the historic deal being made infront of him, looking nervous for his brother.

[Subaru looked startled a bit but carried forth with a bit of sweat on his forehead.

"For these past few days, some things have been bothering me. First, the increase in traffic to and from your mansion. It's been just a bit excessive. Also, I heard in the capital that you've been buying up weapons and armor. Plus," Subaru thought back to his previous loop where he heard Russel speaking with Wilhelm.

"If Crusch-sama's goals should be attained, I'm sure that would be pleasant for you, Wilhelm-dono. It seemed as if you were planning something big. Of course, I can't prove that. Maybe I only made the connection because I know the White Whale will be appearing soon."]

"Damn, he managed to bypass your wind protection by cleverly reconstructing the events and everything he's learned from his loops and restarts." Ricardo whistled and laughed in respect at the boy's intellect.

Crusch nodded her head and narrowed her eyes for a bit. "So he couldn't tell me about Return by Death, he decided to lump in a bunch of different information from all of his loops… That ability of his is truly disgusting."

The duchess leaned back in her seat and softly caressed the boy's hand for much-needed comfort.

"It did save us though…" Felix softly looked down as he remembered the massacred bodies of the village.

Rem just clenched her skirt and closed her eyes to stop her gratitude from showing. She would never feel thankful for somebody like the witch.

["I have another question, Natsuki Subaru. On what grounds do you know that the White Whale will appear?" Crusch asked.

The boy slides his flip phone before everyone on the table.

"This."

Crusch leaned down and stared at the weird object. "What in the world is this?"

Subaru smirked…

The moment before that happened.

Subaru remembers back to the moment when the Whale had blown him off the moving carriage, only for Rem to jump and pull him back. When Subaru fell back on the drawn cart, his phone fell beside him.

He managed to read the time for a split second before the whale continued its attacks.

15:13

"It's what you'd call a metia. It tells me when and where the White Whale will appear." Subaru explained as Crusch picked the phone up and fondled with it for a bit before placing it back on the table.]

"Oh…" Petra breathed in awe at her hero's smart trick.

"That's truly a masterful move…" Crusch bit her lip and clenched her eyebrows in upset for a moment. She had been duped. She had been bamboozled.

"A gal lives for moments like this…" Anastasia giggled at the show being given to her. "What a last-second thing for him to remember before the situation escalated with the White Whale of all beings. Natsuki-kun's affinity for trouble is impressive~."

Otto leaned at the edge of his seat from excitement. "Why can't Natuski-san be this well-oriented when he is dealing with his knightly duties…"

"He just hates the paperwork, in fact." Beatrice sighed which made Otto whip his head to her with an outraged look.

"I HAD TO DO THOSE PAPERS BECAUSE HE SAID HE WAS WORKING ON SOMETHING IMPORTANT!"

"Oops…" Beatrice looked away rigidly, whistling while Emilia giggled at her, feeling a lot better.

["I find this a bit hard to believe… " The duchess stared at the boy sternly. "But I see that you aren't lying."

Subaru smirked and met her stern glare with his determined sharp eyes. "I appreciate that, but are you sure you want to believe me so easily?"

"Lies will get you Nyowhere with Crush-sama. She has the divine protection of wind-reading." Felix comments from beside his mistress.

"Uh, say what?" Subaru asked the healer, looking confused.

"When a person lies, a telling wind blows around them. I can see that wind. You did not have that."]

"So he truly didn't know about your divine protection?" Frederica asked in wonder, nodding her head at the boy's loyalty and awesome way of doing things to help this time around.

Crusch shook her head and grumbled softly. "No, I never once mentioned my blessing by name or effect to him in any loop…"

"Which means that he duped you and your blessing without a hitch… " Anastasia mocked and burst out in giggles.

Many oohs and aahs were heard as everyone realized how lucky he got in negating Crusch's Wind Protection without learning about it.

The duchess just decided to take out her frustration by crumbling the boy's hand while she leaned back in her seat.

"He has… Yes…" The green-haired princess grumbled but upturned the corner of her lips slightly.

[Subaru leaned forward in his seat. "Does that mean you'll agree to an alliance in exchange for my information on the White Whale?"

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Natsuki Subaru. Whether or not I agree to the alliance and whether or not I believe you are separate matters. My decision will determine the outcome of the royal selection, if not the future of the kingdom. It cannot be made lightly." Crusch halted his optimism.

The room fell to silence at the duchess's words.]

"Why's it that she has to be such a tough one?" Ricardo grinned as Felix gave him a slight pout.

"You can't expect Lady Crusch to just take the first deal she is proposed, nya!" The healer exclaimed outrageously while Crusch gave him a confident smile in gratitude.

"I know, I know, fella." Ricardo laughed along with Mimi while Anastasia smiled apologetically from the side to Felix.

"They're a handful even in the best of times…" Anastasia drawled and patted Mimi's head affectionately.

["Mind if I listen in on this 'lil chat, too?" A cheerful voice disrupted the room as the doors to the office opened up and a blonde man let himself in.

"Pardon us." He spoke while entering with a purple-haired girl.

"Anastasia Hoshin… Russel Fellow?" Crusch asked in bewilderment.

"Well, y'all asked us to come, and here you are, startin' without us. That's hardly fair. Let us in on this." Anastasia mused, stepping over beside Subaru along with Russel.

"Was it Natsuki Subaru who asked you to come here?" The duchess asked from her seat.

"Well, to be exact, it was this gal he keeps with him. I only heard the gist of it, but if you're really plannin' to subjugate the White Whale, I look forward to it! For us business folk, whether the White Whale's around or not is a life-or-death matter." Anastasia leaned over the chair and beamed at Subaru.

"Of course, our mercenary team will help y'all. In addition to the White Whale, I'm interested in the concession proposed by Natsuki-dono of mining rights to the magic stones. If the alliance is formed magic stones from veins previously untouched will be distributed to the capital through Crusch-sama. As the merchant guild's representative, I cannot let this offer go unheard." Russel Fellow rubbed his chin and smirked at the duchess.

"Natsuki Subaru called you, as well?" Crusch looked at Russel with a hesitant expression.

"I'll say it once more. What I offer in return for this alliance is a share in the magic stone mining rights and information on when and where the White Whale will appear. In other words, the fuel needed to subjugate the mabeast, that's terrorized the world for so long!" Subaru smirked like a badass. "If what I say makes no sense to you, forget I said it. But if your goal and my wish align,"

Subaru stood up and offered his hand to the duchess.

"Then let's defeat the White Whale. Let's go on a hunt!"]

"Watching him in his element is truly a wonder…" Julius was the first to comment as many looked on with their breaths held. "Just how masterfully he planned this…"

"D-Did it take long for him to come up with such a plan, Rem?" Emilia, one of the most amazed but not surprised with her knight, looked at Rem with curiosity.

"It took a few hours for me and Subaru-kun to hash out all of the details… He trusted Rem with many things in order to make good for his negotiations…" Rem's smile was warm and holding a lot of smugness in seeing her hard work pay off a second time with everyone else watching.

"It was a collaborative effort between you and Natuski-san?" Otto looked at the maid with admiration and surprise. "The Deal of Legends was planned by you as well…"

At this, Rem shook her head. "Subaru-kun came up with most of the ideas… Bringing in Anastasia-sama was his call while I focused on Russel Fellow due to Subaru-kun mentioning that he was in the Karsten estate by this time."

Anastasia rubbed her scarf while humming in approval. "The fact that he knew where to find me always rubbed me the wrong way… But I guess he knew I was watching the estate because of the previous loop…"

"Not to mention the fact that he used your words for his own good, in fact!" Beatrice looked at the candidate behind her and Crusch with a little bit of contempt and with a head held high.

The merchant queen didn't give the spirit a reaction she would enjoy, as Anastasia grinned at Beatrice with elegance. "Yeah… The gal's words have been heard and used properly. I give him my highest honors for making use of 'em."

Beatrice blew her tongue in response to the arrogance of the merchant queen, also with elegance. Beatrice is nothing if elegant of course.

[Subaru's mind thought back to the first time he tried to ask her for help. It made him gulp in anxiety.

The duchess stared at him for a moment, unable to determine if he was lying or not.

She relented with a sigh. "I still have several questions, but it was brilliant of you to uncover my plans."

"Then…"

"I have questions, as well as doubts. Many things you say are unclear to me, so I have difficulty agreeing immediately. However,"

Crusch stood up with a grin aimed at the boy. "I will choose to trust your eyes and the spirit that led you to create this situation."

Both, the self-proclaimed knight and the Duchess of house Karsten shook their hands and declared an alliance between Camp Emilia and Camp Crusch.

"Then the deal is made." Russel proclaimed.

Silence….

"Ahh~" Subaru quickly dropped in his seat, exhausted and sweaty.]

"Well done…" Reinhard smiled proudly and looked at his friend with happiness.

"Very well done…" Felt nodded her head with an excited smirk, her body leaning backward with enjoyment itched on her face. "Now things are goin' yer way, Big Bro."

Over to the other seats, Otto was leaning back as well, finding the urge to smile at the exhausted state Subaru was in. He found himself chuckling. "Natsuki-san really isn't made for official stuff…"

"That's why he had you t' make this shit work." Garfiel earned a look of surprise from Otto.

"..." The merchant looked down and hid his face behind his small hat, while Garfiel grinned over him.

"Cap'n's win here will lead to us seeing the White Whale being taken down…" Garfiel spoke with overwhelming passion in his voice, seeing stars in his eyes, Otto smiled. "I want us t' see dis and cheer 'em together…"

"I will try…" Otto turned away with a small smile powering through his attempt to hide.

["There were a few touch-and-go moments, but I'm glad it worked out, Natsuki-dono. I trust the promise we made prior to the negotiation still stands." Russel turned on his heel to Subaru.

Subaru glanced at the blonde man who was smirking at him. "Yeah, you were a big help, Russell-san. Once the subjugation is complete, I'll give you the metia."]

"He gave up a piece of his homeland for this…" Petra looked saddened by this fact but seemed to understand his sacrifice. "Even when things go his way, he's still willing to give up the most…"

Crusch nodded her head as Emilia gave the little maid a small proud smile.

"Anything to win… Huh, Subaru?" Emilia ruffled his hair with a look of gratitude and love. "What a good boy…"

"That's insulting, I suppose. Get your hands off of him, in fact." Beatrice turned around and stood on Subaru's thighs to slap Emilia's hand away with a pout aimed only at the half-elf. "Don't disrespect Betty's contractor!"

Emilia giggled with Rem noticing the situation from behind and also falling into chuckles.

[Crusch sighed and shook her head with an amused smile. "So you did lay some groundwork before coming here. And you were waiting outside the door for your moment to enter?"

At this, Anastasia leaned over Subaru's head. "It was up to us when we'd interrupt, though." She looked down at the glaring boy below her. "Well, as far as negotiations go, I guess that barely gets a passin' mark?"

"Took you long enough! I thought you were never gonna come in!" Subaru whined but she smiled down at him warmly.

The merchant princess winked cheerfully. "When negotiatin', there's always a time to make your move. Well, as you're getting' ready for the subjugation and such, don't forget to patronize the Hoshin Company." The merchant princess waved her hand and walked out of the room.]

"I'm not surprised that you took the chance," Crusch glanced back at Anastasia who was giving her a smug smile. "... I'd bet my estate that anything Subaru Natsuki offered you, you would've still chosen to be a part of the negotiations just to listen in to my camp's affairs."

"Hm… I wouldn't say that…" Anastasia rolled her eyes when Otto let his hat fall from his face and glared back at her from Crusch's side.

"Oh come on. Don't you see that there are people who noticed?" Otto asked with annoyance, earning a glance of attention from Petra to Emilia and Felt.

"Noticed what?" Anastasia asked innocently, making Crusch chuckle as Otto glared with full annoyance at her.

"You were going to leave Natsuki-san out to dry if he didn't manage a good deal on his own accord. That's why you stayed outside for so long. If you felt that he had a good case, you would win by intervening when he needed the most. If he fumbled, you'd just leave from behind the door, gaining relevant information for yourself about the Crusch and Emilia camps." Otto explained plainly to an amazed crowd.

"Damn… That's impressively dirty," Al commented which earned him nods from Heinkel and Schult.

"Seems like Subaru-kun also managed Anastasia-sama's shrewdness al~ooo~ng with Crusch-sama's Divine Protection." Roswaal had to comment with pride as he realized that even a looper could get lucky.

"That's dirty, Anastasia-san!" Emilia looked at the woman with betrayal. "And mean!"

Anastasia scoffed at them as Crusch simply grinned from the sidelines.

"A gal's gotta take what she can from such unsure moments like that. And besides… I had faith in Natuski-kun." Anastasia hummed to herself. "Why would my knight give up his goodwill with the other knights for 'em if he wasn't someone to trust? I just needed to see him take initiative…"

"Ye're just a big softie, boss." Ricardo laughed at Anastasia's attempt at hiding her blush behind a scarf. Julius gave his lady a grateful genuine smile from the side.

Emilia puffed her cheeks and shook her head in a strange unconcerned pout, but she leaned back to sit properly in her chair.

["You paved the way before negotiations began? You are surprisingly shrewd, Natsuki Subaru." The duchess let herself show an impressed smile towards the boy.

"My preparation and review paid off, that's all. To be honest, I couldn't be more relieved."

"Well, that's plain to see." Felix teased from his side of the room. Making everyone chuckle.]

"I would've looked even more terrible knowing exactly what he had to live with to make these negotiations happen… I'm impressed he doesn't resemble Otto when he's drinking." Frederica earned a small chuckle from Petra and a yelp from the boy sitting at the front. She kept her eyes on him this whole time and managed his condition, seeing how far he was falling alone to devise a plan to help him.

But to her delight…

"You guys take care of the paperwork then! Do you know how hard it is to manage an entire estate alone because no one can file a few papers!?" Otto defended himself with outrage after Anastasia started laughing at his expense.

Frederica smiled warmly, seeing the blush on his face and having Garfiel tap his shoulder to make him sit down.

"Sorry, Otto-sama~" She giggled with the heaviness in her chest, relieving itself.

[Subaru turned to the giggling Rem with a smile. "We managed to save face by staying in the capital. Right, Rem?"

The maid beamed warmly at him. "Yes. You are truly wonderful, Subaru-kun."

Scene flashbacks to Subaru and Rem on that hill.

"The Witch's Cult?" Rem asked in surprise.

"Yeah. They're on the move and after Emilia."

"Roswaal-sama feared that might happen, as well."

"I want to stop them, but I don't have the fighting strength. I have to start negotiating now to pull some together. Will you help me?"

The maid smiled and gave a little nod.]

"No need… We're just observin' for now…" Anastasia waved the pointed look Julius and Ricardo gave her as soon as Roswaal's knowledge of the attack was mentioned.

"If the Margrave knew an attack would happen… Where was all the security for the Mathers domain? Is he just an irresponsible landowner?" Tivey asked this on his own, earning looks from his camp members.

"Oh that's right," Anastasia tapped her forehead in remembrance. "Ya weren't' with us during the break before the last viewin'…"

Tivey looked at Anastasia. "No, I was not. I was concerned with the two new people and had a task from the Sword Saint himself."

"Well, whatever it is you were doing, this is a central point of Anastasia-sama's strategy." Julius hushes Mimi and looks at her with a glare to keep quiet.

"Roswaal-sama? You think he's an enemy?" Tivey asked his lady with a little bit of shock seeping onto his calculating expression.

Anastasia stayed silent and winked at her tactician, earning an understanding expression from Tivey that it was their signal to observe.

"Hope it isn't true… Because it would explain too much if it was…" Tivey's words earned him nods from Julius and Ricardo, while Anastasia rubbed her scarf some more and looked up to see what happened next.

[End of flashback.

Subaru and Rem smiled at one another for a moment.

"Subaru-dono." The boy glanced in surprise to find Wilhelm bowing to him.

"I thank you."

"Huh?" The boy stood up in alarm.

"I offer you gratitude equal to that which I offer to my lady, Duchess Crusch Karsten."

"E-Er, that's, um…" Subaru was too shocked for words at the old man's humbleness.

"As perceptive as you are, I am sure you're aware, but if I may introduce myself… My family's name is Astrea. I took the previous Master Swordsman, Theresia van Astrea, as my wife, giving me the honor of the lowest seat in the bloodline. That is who I, Wilhelm van Astrea, am. I thank you for so kindly granting this old man the opportunity to slay the loathsome mabeast that took my wife." The old man bowed once again humbly and gratefully to Subaru.

The boy, put off by the situation, stood up with a nervous smirk in place.

"S-Sure! Of course, I knew that! I figured Crusch-san would accept my offer with that in mind-"

"Natsuki Subaru." The duchess cut him off with a deadpanned stare. "The wind of untruth is blowing from you."

Subaru decided to become invisible by making his body immobile before everyone looked at him. Genius tactics from a genius man.]

As many laughed at the scene, with the girls around Subaru giggling or smirking, the Astreas of the theater had different reactions to contrast everyone else.

Reinhard had a small shy smile of gratitude that he was seeing his grandfather gain some light of movement now that the path to take his revenge had been set, but he also held an infinite amount of negative feelings at the mention of his grandmother.

Wilhelm noticed the small lowering of his grandson's head, and tried to move his hand to comfort him… But a heating glare stopped any move from being made. Wilhelm held his hand back and allowed Felix to nudge him excitedly, leaving Reinhard to his own devices.

All so that Heinkel wouldn't end up ruining the mood that had just turned into one of celebration and happiness, opposing the darkness they had been bombarded with for hours.

[Scene change. (The following is a cut scene from the Light Novel, I replaced the shorter version from the anime because they deleted context. This is the scene from LN volume 7, chapter 2 section 3)

With negotiations concluded, everyone involved acted quickly to make the word hunt a reality. Just as the two merchants Anastasia and Russel had proclaimed, weapons and equipment were scrounged up from all over the royal capital, with Crusch mustering the punitive force she'd prepared beforehand. The rest—arranging dragon carriages to transport the additional people and supplies—was taken care of in short order.

"With so many dragon carriages being hired for this, no wonder I had so much trouble finding one to get back to Roswaal Manor." As Subaru watched people and goods rapidly flow in and out of the mansion, he realized how much had been happening behind the scenes during the loop, completely without his personal involvement.

"Hey, if there's anything I can…"

"Ehh, Subaru-kyun, there's nothing at all you can do, is there, meow?"

"Hey, I said if!"

Subaru, swept up by the busy atmosphere, was on the verge of offering some kind of help, but Felix, concealing a yawn with a hand over his face, foiled Subaru's half-hearted attempt.

"Don't assume other people share your laid-back attitude. Even I must have something I can…"

"Preparing supplies and organizing troops are both outside your areas of expertise, aren't they, Subaru-kyun? And we can't have outsiders running all around, so sit and behave, okay?"

"Well, I can't do that. It's just that I'm the one who said 'let's do this' and everyone else is working into the dead of night while I'm…"

"That's where you're dead wrong!"

With Subaru all worked up, Felix thrust a finger into the tip of his nose, interrupting with some terse words. Forced into silence, Subaru yelped as Felix flicked his nose as he spoke.

"Ferri-chan really doesn't like that it's-my-fault way of thinking. Or rather, I hate it."

"…I really am the reason why they're pulling an all-nighter, though."

It seemed strange for him to blithely sit around and quietly wait for the results.]

"He can't take a break for the life of him, nya…" Felix sighed with a bit of a hidden look that showed he was embarrassed about something.

"I see you're much more charitable to him…" Crusch gave the healer a small grin, one which he hid from. But when he looked away from Crusch, he was met with a sincere look from Emilia and Rem instead.

"What? Subaru-kyun was just doing something useless! I had to stop him!" Felix stuttered, but he couldn't stop his blush.

["—Nowadays everything's all about the royal selection, but way back when, Crusch-sama was just a normal, adorable princess without any thoughts of participating in kingdom politics."

"Huh?"

"Ah, did the princess part throw you off? She's always looked lovely, but Crusch-sama has become so strong and gallant since then that even men can't keep up…"

Subaru, bewildered by the topic's sudden onset, felt left behind as Felix's cheeks flushed. Felix let out a flustered sigh, swooning at the image of the young Crusch in the back of his mind as he continued.]

"You are going to be punished for that!" Felt laughed at Felix as everyone held their gasps and funny faces behind various objects, some went down to hide behind their chair like Petra and Tivey.

Crusch didn't seem embarrassed by the snickers and laughter, seeing it as a sign of goodwill that people don't forget her inner feminine side. "One could say that this treatment surprised my housemaids when I had lost my memories…" She mused to herself and gave Felix a comforting smile. "Thank you for making Natsuki Subaru remember that."

"I hate letting people see you so vulnerable…" Felix muttered under his breath, "But Subaru-kyun needed to hear what I was about to say next…"

Crusch's eyebrow raised with interest.

["Crusch-sama is kind, wonderful, and invincible, earnest and valiant and more forthright than anyone…but the reason Crusch-sama turned into this Crusch-sama, strong enough to aim for the throne, is because she was at a certain someone's side."

"What are you talkin' about? And what do you mean, a certain someone…?"

"—His Highness Fourier Lugunica. This nation's late fourth prince."

Subaru, completely lost in this conversation, drew in his breath just a bit at Ferris's words. But he had more reasons for being at a loss for words than surprise at the name of a dead person he never knew.

"Watching you, Subaru-kyun, makes me remember Prince Fourier just a tiny little bit."

"…Was he someone with a mean-looking face?"

"Nah, he was handsome. You're not even in his league, Subaru-kyun. But the willful personality, the simplicity, the pure, blatant conceit… Well, I won't say any more, since it might insult him."

"I think that's already pretty insulting—and also a backhanded slap at me, too?!"

Apparently, it was their shared character flaws rather than similar faces that had gotten Ferris all sentimental. Sadly, Subaru couldn't deny any of them, but Felix shook his head at Subaru's words.]

"... I'm sorry for your loss, Crusch-sama…" Emilia spoke as silence overwhelmed the room. Everyone understood what had happened between Crusch and her friend immediately upon his relation to the royals who had been wiped out by the plague.

Receiving the small comfort from the half-elf with a gracious nod, Crusch removed her dissonant expression to look more thoughtfully at the hand she was holding.

Felix looked at his knees with his nerves overwhelming him to stay trembling in place. "I'm sorry—"

"You're correct, Ferris…" Crusch's smooth voice earned a look of shock from him. "And you're mistaken at the same time."

Crusch's eyes held a sadness that was uncomfortable enough to earn compassion out of the girls around her, even Anastasia and Beatrice. But the smile she gave her knight as she turned to him showed that she held more than just grief in her heart when sitting there.

"I lost a very dear friend… And I shall avenge that loss with my heart and soul settled on that path." Crusch's words worked to put some pressure on the candidates hearing her. Anastasia, Felt, Priscilla, and Emilia all seemed to be hit in particular. "But what I felt for my late friend wasn't an influence on how I feel for Natsuki Subaru… They are far different… Apart from their kindness and ambition."

"What 'you feel' for Subaru-kyun?" Felix's words earned wide-eyed glances from the crowd around them.

Emilia and Rem looked at one another, remembering that they had talked to Crusch briefly about this too.

The duchess simply let go of Subaru's hand and smiled at Felix. "I don't wish to provoke anyone in the room after Rem had confessed so bravely."

The maid gave a small smile at the Duchess, as Crusch leaned back and looked up to the screen, allowing it to continue the viewing.

Otto and Garfiel secretly fist-bumped with serious faces that gave away nothing.

Julius ended up receiving five coins from Ricardo in the back, also with the most serious of faces on the knight of knights and the beastman mercenary.

Behind everyone, Al tried to get a high five for Subaru's latest win from Heinkel, who just glared at the hand in confusion.

"Fuck do you want?" Heinkel asked, shifting away from Al's one good arm, making the knight sigh.

"You're no fun…" Al's shoulder was tapped and he turned to find Roswaal with his palm stretched out for a high-five.

"Nah bro fuck off." Al moved away from the clown's invitation which made Roswaal wilt in sadness and heartbreak.

["Prince Fourier was a confounding man to deal with, but he tried his very best. He always worried about how to act properly as a royal, and his inspirations caused all kinds of trouble for those around him. The prince wasn't talented, but he was full of drive, and he'd always listen to anything you wanted to ask him, nya."

"…Sounds like a pretty difficult guy to handle."

"That's right! He'd say, 'When everyone is working so hard, I simply cannot bear to be the only one standing still!' Exactly like you are now, Subaru-kyun. But His Highness would never, ever say anything like, ''Tis my fault.' He wasn't someone to consider it, or even to think it at all."

The strained smile Felix wore as his reminiscing words trailed off showed how much he cared for the prince.

"So this Prince Fourier and Crusch were…close?"

"They were similar in age, and Prince Fourier visited Crusch-sama's mansion a great deal. He'd drop in here and there, making an excuse every time, but he was bad at hiding things, so his real goal was obvious."]

"He sounds like a wonderful person." Emilia smiled at Crusch, giving her some sympathy as well as a heartfelt connection that Subaru was being compared to someone so close to Crusch's childhood wonderfully.

"It seems I had been blessed with an amazing friendship back then… Every day was an exciting affair…" Crusch's voice was present yet distant as she recalled many memories she wished she would never forget. "I cannot overstate how thankful I am to receive you all back… A year without you was like swimming in a dark tunnel."

Emilia and Rem nodded and gave the woman privacy as she enjoyed recalling what had been taken away from her due to the attack by the Witch Cult.

[Felix made a little smile as he cast his thoughts back in time, clueing Subaru into how Fourier felt.

"Ninety-five percent of the Ferri-chan you see now is all because of Crusch-sama. But the most important part of that remaining five percent is thanks to Prince Fourier… That, I'm sure of."

"But what, you feel friendliness from me that's the same as what you felt from this Fourier person?" Subaru asked the healer, looking struck by the information.

"Hah? Why does that make Subaru-kyun and Fourier the same? I'll kill you."

"That's so mean it's scary!"

The sharp, impaling voice and dangerous look in his eyes made Subaru retreat a step, unnerved. Seeing this, Felix cleared his throat.

"That's not how I meant it… I'm not going out of my way to talk to you about this right now because of that, Subaru-kyun… Aw, sheesh! Why don't you understand already, idiot!"

"Hey, that's not even the tiniest bit reasonable! The conversation jumped everywhere, so I didn't get it! What do you want from me, anyway?!"

Felix stomped his foot on the floor in annoyance, with Subaru still cringing as a loud voice responded:

"Subaru-kun, Felix-sama, you are both speaking rather loudly, is something wrong?"

Rem, ostensibly packing luggage in the guest room, heard the ruckus and came down the stairs. Seeing the worried look on Rem's face, Subaru scratched his head, unsure how he ought to explain things.

"Er, I was thinking that maybe I could help out with something, but Felix was saying I'd be in the way, and now I'm not even sure what he was trying to tell me."

"Subaru-kyun, you're just awful at putting things together. Sheesh, I tried to tell you… It's all because you tried to get in the way of everyone's work…"

"Don't call it 'getting in the way'! I wanna help. I mean, all this started because of me…"

"It's that!" Felix lifted his face, powerfully interrupting Subaru's meandering words. Then, the cat ears on his head made a little twitch as he poked a finger into Subaru's chest.

"Subaru-kyun, I hate how you say 'because of.' It's not 'because of,' it's 'thanks to.' That's why everyone's pulling an all-nighter and why Old Man Wil finally has a chance to fight the White Whale."

"Thanks to me…?"

Subaru quizzically tilted his head at words that didn't seem real to him. But Rem, standing close by, smiled at Subaru, agreeing with Felix's satisfaction.

"Competing in the royal selection, fighting the White Whale… It's not really for Crusch-sama's own benefit. It's for everyone."

"It's not your fault or thanks to you, it's just a way to pay you back. That's what Ferri-chan was trying to tell you."

Subaru let Felix's comment sink in, a slight silence following. Subaru quietly rubbed his finger under his nose, pondering what he'd just been told.

"…If you're all willing to say that, it's probably best I shut up and accept your kindness."

"You sure took your time getting there. I can't bear to think that His Highness might've been just as bad, though."

"Prince Fourier sounds like a handful…"

Seeing Subaru hang his head, his shoulders dropping, Felix let out a long breath before turning around with a slightly stronger look in his eyes.

"Well, anyway, your job is to keep quiet and stay on standby. But just to be sure, I'd better double-check. What you're about to do really is what you want, isn't it?"

As Subaru was taken aback by Felix's suddenly probing eyes, he pointed toward him with a finger.

"Your actions are outrageous, annoying, and as subtle as a stampeding herd of dragons! I can tell that you're trying to act tough, but if you're not sure of what you want… I'm gonna stop you, no matter what it takes, nya."]

"He was indeed a handful…" Felix muttered under his breath, earning a chuckle from Crusch.

Reinhard and Wilhelm didn't say anything out of respect to the fallen royalty they couldn't have saved.

"That guy's attitude is one I liked." Felt huffed with a look of enjoyment when hearing the details of the prince's lifestyle. It made Reinhard smile at her with recognition.

"What is it?" Felt asked him but the knight shook his head.

"You're a lot more alike than you think, my lady…" Reinhard said knowingly but Felt rolled her eyes at him.

"Is that why you gave Subaru-kun such a hard time, Felix-sama?" Rem asked the healer, bringing eyes on him suddenly to the point the ears on his head flew up in alarm. "Because you thought he had the potential to be like the late prince?"

"Ferris…" Crusch's eyes widened in realization as well. "You didn't…"

Felix looked at his knees with shame. "Ferri-chan always liked Subaru-kyun… It's just… He was so weak… And so hot-headed… I didn't want the memory of the prince to be lost for nothing…"

"What does Natsuki-san have to do with that memory?" Otto questioned with an astonished expression towards the mental gymnastics taking place in the healer's mind. "They are literally worlds apart."

"Ferri-chan thought about the prince whenever he saw Subaru-kyun… So seeing him lose to Julius-kun… Seeing his attempts at running away from responsibility to make himself feel better with Old Man Wil when he was staying with us… Nya…" Felix hid his face out of embarrassment as people started realizing the logic behind Felix's earlier hostility toward Subaru.

"That makes sense but you're still wrong to think in such a straightforward and unfair way." Emilia's voice was firm on Felix as he bowed his head to apologize. "Rise, I don't want to hear an apology from you until Subaru's awake, okay?" Giving him leeway with a kind smile, Emilia looked to Crusch for anything she could add.

"I'd like to be there when you apologize to him myself, Ferris… But considering that this is because of your feelings for someone we both cared for… And not you trying to blame your loyalty to me… I must say that I am proud of you changing yourself since we last spoke…" Crusch gave the healer a most heartfelt smile.

"I… Crusch-sama…" Felix trembled and held back some tears as he kept his head bowed. "Thank you… Emilia-sama… Crusch-sama…"

Emilia and Crusch gave him pleased expressions, with Emilia even moving to pat his head lightly to touch his cat ears, secretly curious how they would feel.

"Soft…" She continued to ruffle his hair a bit, messing it up in the process but she gave him a satisfied grin once she pulled her arm back and turned to Crusch. "You've been touching my knight for sooo long… I'm not entitled to have my own fun?"

"No… By all means, he seemed to enjoy it." Crusch snorted at the dazed expression her knight had on his face. "Traitor."

"I'm only looooyaaaal… to Crusch-sama…~~~~" Felix's eyes were in the back of his head due to the drugging feeling of the headpat he had received. Emilia giggled alongside Rem and Petra who were watching him lean back into his seat.

[It was now morning and Subaru was standing at a line of multi-colored ground dragons.

"I'm supposed to pick whichever of them I want?" Subaru asked while looking at the dragon's unsure.

"What is it nyow? You don't like them?" Felix asked from behind.

"It's not that! I'm glad you're letting me borrow one but I can't tell anything about their quality!"

Subaru walked along the line of ground dragons. "Do I look like a veteran who's studied nothing but ground dragons for decades… Wait… "

Subaru slowly turned to see a certain best girl.

He stepped before the majestic black-scaled dragon with proud yellow sharp eyes.

"Are you that one from… " He remembered the time when he and Emilia went back from their last date and found it waiting at the front of the mansion with Wilhelm.]

"Ah, it's 'er!" Garfiel chuckled, remembering Patrasche and how she had helped his captain time and again. "That's how he met with that gal… I see I see…"

Otto laughed nervously, "What a thing to remember her from…"

"That moment feels like ages ago…" Tivey sighed on Ricardo's knee. "It's such an amazing feat to remember the tiny detail of a ground dragon like this."

"I'd say it's destiny," Wilhelm muttered to break the silence. "That lady will be his loyal steed for a glory that the world will remember from here on."

[Subaru slowly extended his hand to the noble dragon.

The creature slowly leaned into the boy's touch and stroked its cheeks against his palm.

Subaru smiled brightly. "Looks like this is the one." He said while caressing the dragon softly.

Rem and Felix stood beside him with wide eyes.

"I'm surprised. This ground dragon is a type known for being extremely proud." Rem said in astonishment.

"Felix, I'll take this one. It's love at first sight!" Subaru says while turning to the two, still patting the black dragon's cheek.

"Sure thing! But don't say love at first sight. You're making Rem-chan pout." Felix gestured with his eyes towards the maid teasingly.

"I'm not pouting! I'll be nice to it! I can do it!"

Rem glanced at the dragon as it looked at her. The two were glaring at one another so hard that sparks began flying between them.]

Emilia giggled at the scene as Rem blushed and gave the floor a pout. Many were laughing at the jealousy on Rem's face, including her own sister.

"That's just embarrassing, sister…" Ram shook her head with a smirk.

"Betty's contractor would attract only the troublesome kind of girls, in fact." Beatrice sighed, remembering the many times Patrasche had to bite on her hair out of jealousy.

[The scene changes to Subaru and Rem standing inside a royal hall built on Karsten's estate. The hall was filled with both magic users and knights of all kinds.

Subaru was observing the sheer number of troops with an amazed expression before a giant fur-covered hand landed on his head and forced him to turn.

"Wha?!" Subaru turned with a startled gaze at the giant dogman that towered over him.

"My lady was just telling me about you. You're the star of this little show, aren't ya?"

"That logo, and a Kararagi accent from a demihuman… So you're with Anastasia?"

The dogman leaned down and smirked to the boy's close face.

"What, ya knew? I'm Ricardo, head of her mercenary team." The dogman smiled at Rem while playing with Subaru's head.]

"In comes the star of the whole show!" Ricardo laughed with his chest raised with pride. Mimi jumped up and down on his thigh in celebration.

"FINALLY THE BOSS IS 'ERE!"

"Mimi, would you stop jumping on him, I'm almost falling off!" Tivey sighed with exasperation.

["Nice to meet you, too, li'l lady!"

"Keep it down! Also, you're huge! You'll snap my neck!" The dogman quickly pushed Subaru away and walked toward a purple-haired girl.

"Hey! My lady!"

"Hey!" Subaru held a hand to his neck and looked at the demihuman wearily. "Ow…"

"So that is the pride of Anastasia and the Hoshins, the Iron Fang… I see. They all look quite strong." Subaru and Rem turned to find a fully armored Crusch smiling beside them. "Did you rest well last night?"

"I nearly died a second ago… oh, so I guess you're fighting too, then?" Subaru looked at her armor with a gaze of interest.

"Do you think I'm capable of just sitting in a chair and waiting for good news? I'm more surprised that you're participating. Can you fight?" Crusch raises a brow at him.

Subaru smirked at her nervously. "Nope, I can't. But even if I can't fight, I think this human here will be pretty useful against the White Whale."

"I must ask: on what grounds?" Crusch seemed unconvinced.]

"Subaru did more than just watch from the sidelines, right?" Emilia tilted her head as she asked around. "I always heard the stories of him bringing the Whale down for Wilhelm-san's final blow. But I didn't hear from him much about it."

"He never told you, Emilia-sama?" Rem, who was in a coma at the time, showed surprise at that fact. "Subaru-kun never told any of you?" She asked Otto and Garfiel as well, who shook their heads.

Crusch and Rem turned to Beatrice finally, who took pride in her knowledge of Subaru's tales, only to have the spirit also shake her head.

"No dice, I suppose."

"Subaru would always tell us that everyone else was amazing and go on about how Crusch-sama would lead everyone to save him, or how Wilhelm-sama danced with the Whale in the air," Petra said from the sidelines, allowing the Duchess to cough in embarrassment and endearment.

"I say… Wait for him to tell ya right now…" Felix grinned, regaining his ability to think after the euphoria.

["I'm not all that happy about it myself, but I seem to be the type of guy that attracts mabeasts." Subaru grinned cautiously.

The duchess blinked in surprise. "What?" she looked to Rem.

The maid bowed her head with a smile. "It's true. Subaru-kun has saved my life before, thanks to that."

"So I'll run around under the White Whale's nose on my borrowed ground dragon and draw its attention, while you guys launch an all-out attack! That's the tactic I'd recommend, anyway."

"Under the White Whale's… nose?" Crusch sighed wearily. "Shockingly, I sense no lies in that statement. I never thought I'd doubt my divine protection as often as I have in the past half day."

Subaru and Rem just smiled sheepishly.]

"That's so fuckin' stupid…" Heinkel blanched in horror at the very idea. "Had his power not worked the way it did, I'd say the kid has a death wish."

"I think everyone can agree with that statement," Julius rolled his hair back with a wave. "It's a typical plan for someone like him…"

"Detest it as much as I may, it's a decent strategy." Reinhard also nodded his head, feeling a little excited about this plan.

"Subaru…" Emilia looked concerned suddenly, looking at Rem and Beatrice. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Don't worry, Emilia-sama… Rem would never let him get hurt… This loop." The maid flinched harshly at the failure to comfort the half-elf.

"I reeeally don't like this…" Emilia's frown deepened along with Petra and Frederica.

Otto shook his head from the sidelines.

[Suddenly the doors to the big hall opened…

A group of armored old men stomped their way in with hardened faces.

"They're here." Crusch declared in an astonished voice.

The group of old men stomped their way toward her. They placed their palms over their hearts as they bowed before the lady.

"Crusch-sama, we have arrived." An old man from the group standing in the middle spoke. He raised his head and glanced at Subaru.

"Is this the boy… "

Crusch smiled and turned to Subaru. "Yes, he is."

The old man placed his hands on Subaru's shoulders and smiled at him. "Thank you, young man. Thanks to you, our wish may come true. We could not be happier. Thank you." The old man said with gratitude filling his voice.

Subaru could only look at the man starstruck and unable to form words.

The man smiled and patted his shoulder before retreating into formation with the rest of the old men. Bowing to Crusch, they walked into a secluded corner of the marvelous hall.

"It seems they're all people who have a history with the White Whale," Crusch told him as he gazed at the old men with bewilderment.

"So they're like Wilhelm-san, then?"

"Yes, many are men who have retired from the front lines. They've joined our subjugation force at Wilhelm's invitation. Their morale and experience is comparable to those of the capital's active knights."

Subaru looked at the old man crying while patting Wilhelm's shoulder with a thoughtful look.]

Garfiel nodded his head in respect to the old knights as he recognized the look of loss on their battle-hardened faces. "Awesome old men." The blonde commented with a salute, something his captain taught him.

"And many more have suffered from the calamity's free reign over all of our beloved world. It's thanks to Natsuki's actions that those knights along with the people who've been lost to the old Laguna could finally get some peace of mind." Julius nodded his head in respect to the tragedies these fellow knights had undergone. Thankful to his friend for freeing them.

Heinkel was the only one in the room who didn't share the same respect. He glared at the old man with deeply unsettling hatred that scared even Schult away from his friend.

"Heinkel-sama… Are you okay?"

"... No I'm not kid… Not at all…" The drunkard grumbled and looked away from the screen to stop himself from lashing out. "Fuck these guys… Fuck all of them…"

Schult flinched at the words he heard, but chose not to comment.

["Crush-sama, it's time," Felix said as he stepped toward them with a smile.

"Right."

The entire hall gathered in lines with heavy faces as Crusch stood before them.

"Four hundred years. Since the White Whale created by the Jealous Witch made the world its hunting ground, trampling the weak and dominating the land as if it were its owner, four hundred years have passed. Countless lives have been lost in that time. Given, as well, the unscrupulous nature of its fog, the number of graves we cannot even inscribe with names will only rise."

Subaru stared at a man who was so angry his fist was bleeding from how hard he was clenching it.]

"That tenacity on the battlefield wasn't just out of pure loyalty to the kingdom…" Crusch explained what everyone was seeing.

"They were related to previous victims…" Emilia had a look of respect for the soldiers she was watching.

["But those days of sitting idle end today! Those of us here today will end it! We will strike down the White Whale and stop further tragedy from arising! We will give the sorrow that fell short of true sorrow a chance to shed overdue tears!"

The lady slammed the tip of her sheath on the ground.

"We move out! Our destination is Flugel's Tree, on the Lifaus Highway. Tonight, we will slay the White Whale with our own hands!"

The duchess unsheathed her sword and pointed it upwards as the crowd of fighters roared and cheered.]

"You truly are a magnificent leader, Crusch-sama." Emilia smiled at the girl sitting parallel to her beside the knight.

The green-haired princess smirked confidently while holding the boy's hand in her own. "Thank you, Emilia-sama. But I think you would make a much more effective leader. You have powerful allies loyal to you."

(Copypaster:-...)

[Scene change…

Subaru and Rem are shown riding the black dragon as they head toward their destination.

"Hi! I'm Mimi! Glad to know ya!"

"My name's Hetaro. Nice to meet you."

Subaru smiled at the two demihuman twins riding alongside him.

"Yep, nice to meet you. Anyway, not that I doubted it, but… You really are the second-in-command, huh?" He asked the catgirl riding alongside him and Rem.

"Huh? Have we met somewhere before? Hmm… I totally can't remember at all!" The girl leaned back in thought and slowly fell over.

"C-Come on, sister you have to sit up properly." Her brother groaned while catching his sister.]

"That should've been concerning to the girl if she cared about espionage…" Heinkel snorted, remembering why Subaru knew her. "She should open her mind."

"I think her mind is more open than you realize." Julius placed a finger on his lips to silence the man he detested as he patted the heads of the twins.

Heinkel noticed the two kids looking at the screen with tears in their eyes. "Hm? What's wrong with them?"

Schult tapped his shoulder and pointed upward at the screen. "I don't see that guy… he looks different, Heinkel-sama… perhaps…"

Heinkel's eyes widened in realization. "Shit… Sorry…"

"I miss Hetaro… I miss him so much!" Mimi shed a few tears and hugged her twin as Tivey removed his glass to hug her back and sniffle into her neck.

Anastasia and Julius looked at the two with pained expressions, also missing the third of the triplets.

[Subaru chuckled softly. "Don't worry about it. Just talking to myself. I'm Natsuki Subaru. So you two are brother and sister, huh?"

"Yes, my big sister and I will do our-"

"When Mimi and Hetaro are together, we're the strongest! And the captain's here too, so we're the super strongest!"

"Um, my sister and the captain tend to be hasty, so I usually give the orders." Hetaro smiled, still holding his sister upward so she doesn't fall.

"I see…" Subaru had a sympathetic smile. "Must be rough… "]

"He's amazing… Super duper amazing!" Mimi cried into Tivey's shoulder and tightened her hug. The boy seemed to struggle but kept holding on to his sister, letting her abuse his white robes in her grief.

"He's not dead, Mimi…"

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" She screamed at her brother, pulling back. "You're not out there with him!"

Tivey smirked and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "He's the toughest one out of us, remember? No way is he going to lose to whatever is out there… Trust me…"

"You promise?" Mimi looked hopeful for her brother. Tivey could see that many held their breath in anticipation.

"A promise is very important, Tivey-chan…" Emilia warned from the side, looking down at the two with a small smile of sympathy.

Tivey gave the most confident smirk back to his sister. "I promise… He will be okay, I've seen him survive worse."

Mimi jumped to hug her brother once again. Tivey looked around and saw proud faces from Wilhelm to Anastasia and Julius. He had to nudge his sister to the side to hide his blush.

["What'sa matter, bro? Ya look awful gloomy!" A voice spoke from behind them all.

Subaru turned to find the dogman riding alongside him.

"Whose fault is that? A captain shouldn't make trouble for his men."

"Hey, that's a nice ground dragon ya got there." The man ignored him and looked at the black dina.

"Hey!" Subaru slowly turned and looked at the dragon in thought. "Is it? I borrowed this one because it seemed to like me, but… come to think of it, the ones you guys are riding look kinda different." Subaru asked as he observed the giant fierce-looking wolves.

"They're called rigers. Ya don't see 'em too often in these parts, though. They ain't as strong as ground dragons, but they're much more agile. If it comes to a brawl against the Whale, that's where they really shine, so watch close."]

"They look so cute!" Petra and Emilia gushed at the big fluffy creatures.

"Priscilla-sama… I would like to touch one if we ever get the chance…" Schult looked at his lady with a small pleading look. "I will work super hard—!"

Priscilla waved the boy off with an amused smirk. Earning a celebration by the butler as he cocked a fist.

[Subaru looked back to find many rigers pulling heavy-looking carts around.

"Shouldn't you have had ground dragons pull the cargo, then?"

"We've gotta manage our luggage on our own. If ya think the White Whale's our only enemy, you'll get the rug pulled out from under ya."

Subaru's mind raced to Betelgeuse's twisted smiling face.

"Ain't no guarantee we won't run into thieves on the road, after all."

"If anyone's got the guts to take on a fully armed group like this, they wouldn't settle for being thieves." Subaru sighed and turned away.

"Haha! Good point!"

Subaru watched as the dogman raced upfront towards another group of soldiers to chat with them.

"It looks like Ricardo-sama is trying to ease everyone's nerves. Subaru-kun?" Rem smiled at the captain as he was seen laughing alongside the other soldiers.

The boy slumped his shoulders with an uneasy smile. "I thought I'd prepare myself for this… You can tell the hero inside to awaken, but it really isn't as easy as it sounds."

Rem smiled softly and carried on leading the dina along with the soldiers.]

"What an absolute bull…" Heinkel couldn't keep his glare contained. "Just fucking turn 'round ya prick… Don't fuck yourself over…"

"He's still a random kid that got pulled into all of this," Felix muttered in sympathy.

Emilia and her camp looked down in guilt for all the hardships they had caused him.

"Had he been another man, he wouldn't have persevered through the madness to help us." Wilhelm nodded his head in respect to the sleeping knight.

Heinkel's glare was moved over to his father.

[Scene change…

The screen shows the many groups of the army camping at the bottom of the great tree.

It was now nighttime.

Subaru and Rem were standing on the tree trunk, gazing upwards toward the colossal plant.]

Many lost their breath at the sight of the tree.

"It's soooo big…" Emilia whispered with an astonished face. "What a pretty sky too."

"I wanna see it!" Garfiel grits his teeth with a pained expression.

"I think that will be very hard after the stories of how the Whale got trapped beneath it…" Otto dared to grin at Garfiel's despaired expression.

["It's huge!"

"You sound happy, Subaru-kun."

The boy chuckled and gazed at the trunk, overlooking many inscriptions that showed names of history and different eras.

One of those inscriptions was different from all the others.

"Flugel Was Here!" written in perfect Japanese.

"Oh, looks like people have carved their names into the trunk. We're not on some field trip. That's just bad manners. Rem, get me a chisel!"

"Even you should know that will get you in trouble, Subaru-kun. With me, for starters."]

"Hmmm… That name is not written in our language…" Reinhard tilted his head, noticing what many had as well.

"That's just Subaru's language!" Petra pointed at the screen in shock, earning a surprised look from Heinkel.

"The fuck is this about the kid havin' another language?" He asked but gained no answer even though Schult seemed to want to understand as well.

"It says 'Flugel was here'..." Al read out loud for the others, letting people look at the tree in wonder.

"Hang on… That means… The Wanderer…" Otto's eyes widened in realization as everyone else looked between Subaru and the tree.

"He was like me and pal…" Al earned looks of sympathy from the Emilia camp and astonishment from Anastasia's.

"That's interesting…" Anastasia nodded her head with intrigue. "So very interesting…"

"Where are you from, Al-sama? How is this significant to how the Wanderer planted the tree?" Schult tilted his head in confusion.

Al sighed and patted the kid's hair over Priscilla's lap. "I'll tell ya later, alright pal?"

"Ok!" Schult respected the boundary being placed and gave the knight a trustful smile.

[The two fell into silence and gazed at the moon.

"So the White Whale is coming here? Honestly, I'm opposed to using the witch's scent to draw the White Whale here. It's too dangerous."

"I'll use whatever I can. If it gives us even a slightly better chance of winning, it's worth it. For a guy who's lacking in every way, this is the only way I can compensate."

Rem pouted in heartbreak. "You are wonderful, Subaru-kun."

Subaru just chuckled and opened his phone to check the time.]

Emilia and Beatrice glared at the wording.

"Cap'n…" Garfiel shook his head in disappointment that his hero didn't see how awesome he truly was.

"He shouldn't think like that…" Crusch frowned in sadness and found it comforting to pat the boy's head and rub his hair a little bit.

Many others from the knights to the male members of the Emilia camp brought glares on their faces to what they had heard from Subaru. But one man was riding high on his hatred for the boy as it increased.

"So just fuckin' run… Lackin' in every way and still tryina go through with your suicide…" Heinkel seemed more agitated than before after hearing Subaru speak his weakness into the open air.

["The metia will tell you when the White Whale is coming?" Rem asked as she inspected the phone with wonder.

"Yeah. I set it to make noise when it's time. To be honest, without this-"

"That's a lie."

Subaru quickly turned to the maid in surprise as she cut him off with a sincere look.

"Wh-What are ya saying? If it's a lie, then how'm I gonna… "

"You're speaking in something like the Kararagi dialect. It doesn't suit you at all."

"No, no, no! I mean, there's no way I could be lying! Even Crusch-san said-"

"It's all right, Subaru-kun. I can always tell when you're lying. So there's no need to try to convince me, or wrap everything in lies, or try to take the blame upon yourself like that." Rem turned underneath the moonlight and smiled at the boy. "Because I have complete faith in you, Subaru-kun."

Subaru stood underneath the shadow of the tree and trembled as his eyes welled up with tears.

He quickly turned and looked up at the huge tree, trying to keep the tears in.

"Man! Looking up at this huge tree really gets you fired up, huh?"

"Yes, it does." Rem smiled and stepped closer to him.

"I can't relax if I don't look at it for a long time! I won't be able to look down for a while!"

Rem just smiled and stood beside him. "Yes, you're right."

"I should say thank you instead of sorry right now, huh?" Subaru smiled and tried to keep the tears from streaming down his cheek.

Rem smirked. "You're welcome. Besides, I'm far more grateful to you, Subaru-kun. So we're even."]

Crusch, Felix, and Whilhelm nodded their heads as they remembered when they learned about the alarm built into his phone during the interlude between Arc 2 and this one.

"Hmm, needs some work, but I hafta rough him up a couple of times if he tried to lower his self-confidence infront of me."

"Eh?! Boss, are ya truly rooting for the lad?!" Ricardo looked at his boss in shock.

Anastasia winked and shrugged innocently.

"As if Barusu can do anything to fight off my sister's charm." Ram scoffed but had a smile of deep enjoyment at the private moment her sister was having under the great tree.

Emilia seemed to not want to stare anymore, in fear of trampling something so private, even if it burned her to know what more these two talked about together.

She had a tap on the shoulder from a smiling Rem. "Can you please pay attention, Emilia-sama? This is the part Subaru and I wanted to tell you before I had been… Attacked on my way to the capital."

She turned to Crusch who was giving them some space and smiled to the Duchess knowingly. "This might also involve you too, Crusch-sama…"

Crusch raised an eyebrow curiously, looking up with more attention and apprehensiveness in her heart.

[(A cut scene from the Web Novel this time. Added it because canon is gay and You're all here to enjoy me messing with it.)

Subaru looked down and frowned a bit. "To me, it feels pretty clear that the amount of things I've been able to do for you is extremely light in comparison to how much you've given me."

"That's not true," Rem said looking downward and shaking her head.

Subaru barely had time to get a word of denial in,

"It's actually selfish of me to even continue this conversation because it is only bringing pain to Subaru-kun."

"I don't think of it like that. It's my fault for hiding things from you."

"But it really is selfish of me, thus, sorry."

Rem looked up with a bright smile and spoke in a contradictory tone. "I want to be he person to bear even just a bit of the burden Subaru-kun carries on his back. Not being able to be the person to do that, hurts me more than I can bear."

"I…" Subaru leaned his back against the huge tree, feeling the heaviness of Rem's feelings.

"I… I love Emilia."

"Yes."

"But…"

"…"

"But… when I look at you, my heart flutters. …You can think of me as a terrible guy."

Rem reacted to his words with a timid 'hohh' as she sighed as she caught a fever. "You really are a terrible person, Subaru-kun."

"I know…"

"That was a lie. I love you."

"I… get that." Subaru turned deep red. Trying to hide himself, he walked.

"It's about time we head back. Up until the moment the white whale appears, we need to thoroughly prepare our bodies and hearts."

Before passing by Rem on his side, he took her dangling right hand. Rem let out a small 'ah' as Subaru took her hand, and as she abruptly began to match Subaru's quick pace, with a playful look in her eyes, she gazed at the face of a boy who seldom looked at himself.

"Subaru-kun."

"What is it?"

"I'm okay with being your second wife."

Subaru stopped immediately and looked at Rem. She was wearing the expression of a cat as she anticipated his answer.

"I-If Emilia-tan is someone who tolerates polygamy then ok."

"Well then, I guess once we get back I'll need to persuade Emilia-sama. I'll do my best."

The maid formed her empty hand into a fist and smiled a smile full of spirit.

(End of Webnovel scene)]

The reactions were immediate as Emilia recoiled in her seat.

"Lucky son of a bitch!" Heinkel had to stop glaring for a moment and coughed into his fist.

"Ehyyyyyyhhhhhh~" Ricardo sounded from the back as Rem grew blushing blood red.

"Cap'n… Please teach me…" Garfiel grinned at the screen's showing of the private scene between the two.

"Lucky bro…" Al whispered under his helmet, not trying to allow Priscilla to hear it. She still tapped his helmet to the floor with effortless ease.

"Rem-san… How scandalous." Crusch smirked slyly at the blushing hard maid who wanted the earth to swallow her whole.

"Ohhh, that's so sweet!" Frederica gushed for her friend's love life, while patting a little girl's head to calm her down as she pouted in jealousy.

"Has he no shame…" Julius shook his head at Subaru's selfishness as to hold these two girls for himself.

"Ow, come oyn! You like the three together as well, admit it!" Felix teased with a knowing smirk.

"I have no obligation to answer such an obvious question. I'm a proud man before I'm a proud knight."

As the knight answered sternly with his arms crossed, Otto simply had a deadpanned expression as he pointed his thumb toward Julius.

"The translation here means that Julius-san is upset that Rem-san couldn't have Subaru for herself."

The twins and Ricardo chuckled at Julius's outraged face while Felix was on the floor laughing his ass off. Even Reinhard had to hold his laughter in.

The blushing maid was struggling to look up at the half-elf as she whimpered. "I-I wanted to really impress you and have your blessing, Emilia-sama… "

The half-elf herself was blushing beet red from the thought.

"I-I… I never thought about marrying him…" The princess looked at the boy with a of reluctance and hesitation.

"It's okay, Emilia-sama… I can wait until you make up your mind… Subaru-kun loved you first after all." Rem smiled happily towards the half-elf.

"Rem…" Emilia whispered in amazement and gratitude. "Thank you… It's… Comforting to know you would wait… I know it's selfish…"

"It's alright," Rem shook her head and gave a slightly less embarrassed smirk. "I can wait as long as you allow it. But please… Make sure not to toy with Rem's heart, Emilia-sama. I can't take it when it comes to Subaru-kun."

Emilia nodded her head before Rem continued.

"And besides," Rem glanced at the Duchess who looked surprised to be at the center of attention. "It seems like we had another addition Subaru-kun didn't tell us about…"

Emilia and Crusch both blushed a beet more red than Rem at that moment.

"Buffoons." Priscilla's silence was broken just to say that one word with deep annoyance that made her knight back away from her foot, still on the floor from when she pushed him.

[Scene change…

Subaru and Rem turned around the tree and found Wilhelm standing alone under the moonlight, gazing at a patch of lily's expressionlessly.

"Uh… Wilhelm-san?" Subaru stepped closer to the man. "I heard a bit of the story from Felix. That you've been seeking revenge on the White Whale ever since it took your wife."

"Please forget that. It was all time idly spent in an old man's delusions."

Rem smiled softly. "You truly love your wife, don't you?"

Wilhelm turned to the two. "Yes. I love my wife. More than anyone, and no matter how much time passes. My wife was a woman who loved to look at flowers."]

At this, both Reinhard and Heinkel seemed to grow more uncomfortable watching the screen.

"Loves her 'more than anyone' is fuckin' right… What a bastard…" Heinkel's voice surprised many who heard him speak.

"What's wrong with your lousy excuse for a dad?" Felt asked Reinhard, who looked at the floor without emotion. "What's with this deep drama in yer family…"

"I'm sorry, I'd rather not talk about things like that so openly…" Reinhard said and kept his gaze on the floor.

Wilhelm couldn't face either of the two as one glared at the walls from above and the other looked at the floor without any indication of life in his eyes.

[The old man looked at the patch of lily's. "She never wished to wield a sword, but the sword loved her more than anyone. With no choice but to live for the sword, my wife accepted her fate. I took the sword from her and forced her to abandon the title of Master Swordsman when I married her."

"But the sword would not allow her to do that."]

"So that part of the songs was true." Frederica shook her head and teared up softly at the sweet old man. The story of the sword demon was known to all who heard the songs about the man.

"Such a sad story…" Petra sniffled her heart breaking for the old man.

Reinhard watched with tears of sadness in his eyes. Never before had his grandfather been this honest to speak about his grandmother, and it was to someone other than his grandson.

"Fuck the sword. And fuck that song…" Heinkel's grunt forced a flinch out of the old man, having two of his most cherished things spat on by the drunkard above.

Everyone began sensing the tension between the unconnected reactions of the Astreas to what was supposed to be a somber story.

[The man slowly turned and bowed his head to the boy. "Subaru-dono, I thank you again. In this battle, I can find answers in my own sword. And perhaps I will finally be able to visit my wife's grave. At last, I can go and see her."

Subaru stared at the man with respect and admiration. The boy extended his closed fist to him.

"Let's work together to beat the hell out of that damn whale. I'll help with everything I've got, too."

Wilhelm grinned softly and bumped his fist against Subaru's.

The two smiled at one another underneath the moonlight.]

"You've taken a liking to him," Reinhard whispered in a sad tone as he watched how quickly his friend managed to make the cold distant man that Reinhard called grandfather smile.

"He has a certain effect on those who need him…" Wilhelm explained with a guilty expression as he noticed that Reinhard wasn't turning to look at him.

"At least now you have an actual son to look up to ya, eh?" Heinkel earned another jabbed expression from the old man. The Deputy Commander's rage could be felt by any who heard him speak with his sarcasm on display to poisonous effect. "Your wife will enjoy hearin' how much you obsessed over a fuckin' beast over what she loved most. For sure."

"If you think I am silent because I feel due to my temperament or loyalty to Crusch-sama, then you are mistaken, Heinkel." Wilhelm turned to look his son in the eyes. "Bring yourself some comfort in knowing that I am ashamed and guilty of everything you must feel."

"Fuck off with that horse shit…" Heinkel seethed in his seat as the theater felt like it was boiling because of the fire in his eyes. "You're forty years too late for any of that humble guilty bullshit."

Reinhard kept his eyes on the floor, not looking at his family behind him and worrying Felt the sheer submissiveness he displayed.

"Rein… What the fuck's goin' on?" Felt demanded while patting his arm.

He didn't answer her.

[Scene change…

"Only a short time remains," Crusch commented, making Felix nod his head.

The screen shows the entire army formed into battle lines on dragon and riger backs with heavy and hardened faces.]

Wilhelm sighed and turned back with a tired expression, allowing the others to feel some ease as Heinkel huffed and stopped his anger from rising even more to the point of regret.

The men didn't speak but ignored each other's existence with Reinhard having been still since the beginning of their clash in order to be more nonexistent the woman this whole fight started over.

"I think we should stay out of it and focus on what's in front of us… This is the takedown of the White Whale…" Otto's words earned some nods as people began looking away from the broken trio of House Astrea to see the next events.

[Everyone was waiting with rapid focus, in silence, beneath the moonshine and the shadow of the giant tree.

Crusch caressed the emblem of a lion on her sword with devotion.

Everyone waited in silence…

Subaru's alarm began to play.

"Troops, be on guard!" Crusch ordered as the noise from Subaru's phone echoed through the grassy fields.

Everyone prepared their weapons and spirit.

The knights looked around in the sky and across the distance for their prey.

"I don't see it…"

As Subaru's phone rang its tone, the soldiers all looked around to find…

nothing…

Crusch looked at the boy and then looked down in disappointment.

Is it not coming?]

"Hold for it… That monster's comin'..." Garfiel leaned forward with excitement.

Emilia and Beatrice looked on with widened eyes because of the sheer tension of the moment.

Felt looked away from Reinhard and towards the screen, keeping hold of his hand assertively to wake him from his revere.

"Come on, ya idiot." Felt didn't know to whom she said this, to her knight or Subaru.

[A soldier turned around and looked up. "Is that…" He shouted in shock as he pointed to the sky.

Everyone looked up.

Crusch's eyes widened as did the soldiers as they witnessed…

A giant shadow moving across the colossal tree.

Slowly…

All of the soldiers turned to see where the shadow was coming from…

Only one place…

Up in the night sky, illuminated by the shining moon…

A flying figure could be seen approaching.

Wilhelm's eyes narrowed dangerously.

The soldiers looked on slack-jawed.

Crusch's face twisted to one of shock and disbelief.

As the ringtone played… slowly… from the distance in the sky…

The White Whale flew down towards the plains.

Its enormous form swam directly over the soldiers as it emitted the sound of a groan that echoed across the world.

It was taunting them…

Crusch hesitated for a second as she felt the same astonishment and maybe even fear all of her soldiers had as the Whale towered over them.]

"Did you feel hesitation because of fear?" Anastasia asked the Duchess as everyone kept their eyes glued to the window above. Nobody wanted to say anything because of the sheer mystical sight of the mabeast before them.

"It was terror." Crusch answered without looking back, "one that I feel even from within this room…"

"H-How did you gain your nerves to lead that thing… Like Subaru said…" Emilia stuttered in shock, keeping her eyes on the window like everyone around her.

"... We already established something, Emilia-sama…" Crusch's voice took on a slightly amused tone as she watched like the rest.

[She gritted her teeth and readied herself. "Troops-"

But before she could issue her command…

A brave dumbass of a boy shouted at the top of his lungs.]

"Subaru wildly embellished his retelling of this event to make others seem more favored than he is." Crusch's words sent a spiral of widened eyes as people watched Subaru take the lead from her on the screen.

"Holy shit…" Heinkel facepalmed from the back.

["LET HIM HAVE IT!"

"AL HUMA!"

Subaru shouted with his fist up in the air and rode his black dragon as it dashed underneath the monster. Rem began shooting ice crystals towards the frightening beast of fog.

And as the crystals stabbed themselves into the floating monster's belly, blood sputtered across the grass fields.

Crusch and the rest of the army looked on as the lone boy and maid rode on their dragon to face the monster alone.

The beautiful bastard held his fist up and smirked daringly at all of them.

Crusch's disturbed expression turned to a confident grin.

"Troops! Follow those two fools!"

And the army let out its war cries as they charged behind Natsuki Subaru, toward the floating beast of mist and fog.

Title card:

Battle Against the White Whale

Ending Theme: Stay Alive.

Episode 10 Director's Cut. End.]

"He fired the first shot…" Otto stuttered in shock, earning a cough of amazement from the knight behind him.

"Technically it was the maid, I suppose…" Beatrice closed her jaw as it was hanging for too long. "Betty's Subaru is amazing, in fact."

"It was my sister who shined the most in my eyes but Barusu is only making her operate at a satisfying level to impress him so I commend that move." Ram crossed her arms as she said nothing of importance at all to anyone.

"That is amazing…" Petra was breathless at the sight of Subaru's leadership. "He helped Crusch-sama from so far away… Did he even know?"

"I think he always intended to strike first," Frederica smiled to the little girl.

"He's still amazing…" She said to her mentor with a small smile of relief.

"He's a fuckin' moron…" Heinkel kept his head in his hands and allowed the others to celebrate as he diminished what he saw. "Jumpin' into his death like that… Right after dyin' the first couple of times too… Fuckin' hell…"

It was Garfiel who stood over everyone's chatting to shout in the dark room.

"OI! WE DON'T NEED A BREAK! I WANNA SEE THIS WHALE GET IT!"

"I do not think that will work." Julius snorted from behind the blonde boy with crossed arms.

The screen immediately lit upon command. Leading to a very displeased look on Julius' face.

[Episode 11… Arc 3's continuation…

Start.]