13 (part 3)

[Before the red throne, Wilhelm faced Theresia

He slowly-

-unsheathed his weapon and aimed it at the beast.

"This is for my wife, Theresia van Astrea."

The old man dashed forward and swiped his sword at-]

"Everything's for her…" Heinkel growled and watched with tears welling up in his eyes.

Reinhard looked at the screen and then his father with a pained face that couldn't be explained internally much less for Felt and Wilhelm who cared about how he was reacting to this sequence.

[-Theresia but she managed to jump out of his way and swipe at him from above.

Barely blocking her attack he danced in a circle and swiped his sword once again at-

- The beast that had caused him so much grief and pain. He wounded and cut its flesh for every sin he had committed because of his obsession with it.

Wilhelm hacked his sword against-

-Her shinning blade, forcing her to look at him with shock as he smirked and struck her blade with as much force as he could.

He managed to-

-Wound the Whale from every spot on its body as he slashed -

- Against her blade again and again. He forced her back with his insane speed and strength until…

He forced her sword out of her palm.

"I win. As a weaker swordsman, you no longer have any reason to hold a sword."

"If I don't hold it, who will?"

"I'll inherit your reason for wielding the sword. You need only become my reason for wielding it."

Theresia smiled softly and stepped closer to the man. "Hey, do you like flowers?"

"I don't hate them anymore."

"Why do you wield that sword?"

"To protect…"

Wilhelm softly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kiss.

"You."

"Do you love me?"

Wilhelm looked away pouting. "You should know."

Theresia pouted angrily. "I still want to hear you say it sometimes."

"All right… Someday… When I feel like it."

He pulled her in for another kiss.

"RRRAAHHH!"

* SPLLLLAAAAAASSSHHHHHHH!*

Everyone in the army looked on with terrified faces as the old man cut the Whale's neck from its body.

He stood atop the Whale with his sword up in the air.

Whatever was left of power or life force in the beast, it could only use to look up at the old man with fear written on its yellow eye.

"Sleep for all eternity."

Wilhelm van Astrea delivered his sword to the White Whale.

The beast of fog could only let a small whimper out before closing its one eye as it bled to death.

As the original died, the two copies dissipated into thin air as if they weren't there, to begin with.

The sun began rising over the plain field.

"It is finished, Theresia. At last… Theresia, I … " Wilhelm held his face in his hand as he whimpered. "I…"

The image of the red-haired lady gesturing for him to come closer and watch the flowers with her played.

"I love you!" Wilhelm shouted atop the Whale's corpse

"The White Whale has fallen! The mabeast of fog that has terrorized the world for four centuries has been defeated by Wilhelm van Astrea!" Crusch howled to the army.

Everyone around her began cheering and celebrating.

"We have won this battle!"]

Everyone watched politely, without breaking the scene as the Astreas all recounted their love for their missing matriarchal figure.

Reinhard closed his eyes, giving himself time to take a deep breath and open them again. He looked behind him, expecting his grandfather's eyes to be on him.

But Wilhelm's eyes were not on Reinhard anymore. As a matter of fact, the old man wasn't in his seat.

"Heinkel…" Wilhelm looked down at his son, who had chosen to stay kneeling, his forehead pressed against the chair head from the row below him. Priscilla had let go of Heinkel midway through the sequence of memories between Theresia and Wilhelm

"G~~~k… Just… Just go…" Heinkel whispered, keeping his head lowered against the chair head. "Leave me be."

"I have many regrets to work on, Heinkel-dono…" Wilhelm placed a hand on his shoulder. "I haven't forgiven myself for a single day that was left to you alone."

"Such self-pleasing bullshit…" Heinkel's eyes reveal to the Sword Demon, showing the tears being shed by the miserable man. "Fourteen years you left the family without any contact and you finally get your big win… What, I'm now the next objective for you?"

Heinkel's empty chuckle forced a look of pain to cover Wilhelm's face.

"Go say that to the monster you blamed for killing mom… the one that cannot be beaten by some fucker with a suicidal brain like Natsuki Subaru, unlike your White Whale." Heinkel's eyes darkened and looked down at the ground again.

"..."

"If only you were this happy around him and me… But all you saw was her… And your damn sword." Heinkel's voice was hateful to the point Wilhelm closed his eyes and stoned his expression.

"The sword you carry today… What is the name of it?" Wilhelm opened his eyes to look at his son with a glare.

His son needed a moment to answer weakly and unfocused. "Holy Sword Astrea…"

"My old sword," Wilhelm affirmed with a nod, earning a glare from his son.

"Yeah? Do you want that shit back or somethin'? I'll have ya know that it was taken by whoever put us here." Heinkel snorted and began wiping his face with a gloved hand.

"I'll make you a man who deserves that sword." Wilhelm's words caused the miserable drunk to choke on his spit.

"You…! Grk….!" Heinkel glared at his father with disbelief.

Wilhelm looked at Subaru for a moment, seeing his sleeping form, and looked at his son the next. "I saw one go from the lowest of lows to earning the respect of the whole world around them… I'm not going to let my own son sink after that conviction was shown to me."

"What the hell…" Heinkel glared at his father as Wilhelm walked away from him. "What could you have watched in this room to spout such nonsense?!"

"I watched nonsense," Wilhelm dared to give his miserable son a small smile as he turned back and patted Reinhard's shoulder, widening the eyes of the youth who'd been emotionlessly watching the entire affair from his seat at the bottom row.

The old man sighed, seeing the two males look away from one another due to his own faults and misgivings, he vowed to change things between his family after seeing his youth, seeing his wife.

"Give me the strength to do so, Theresia…" Wilhelm looked at the window with a pure emotion that reminded the old man of the significance of this moment. "I love you…"

"The White Whale's dead… Just like that…" Anastasia breathed in relief earning a nod from a somber Crusch.

"What a journey it was to get 'ere…" Felt grumbled begrudgingly, happy that the beast was finally gone.

"I wish Otto-kun would've seen this…" Emilia hugged Subaru's arm and looked toward the other side of the front row. "He's worked so hard to fight it off even though he was supposed to be safe in this room… It hurt Wilhelm-sama's family too…"

"Betty's happy that thing's gone for good, I suppose." The spirit had some droplets in her eyes after seeing the beautiful story told through the window. "Good riddance, in fact."

"Good riddance indeed… Crusch-sama…" Julius nodded and gave the Duchess a small notebook that she received with curiosity.

"What would this be?" Crusch raised a brow.

"Ain't this my notebook?" Tivey muttered with a glare. "You said you wanted it for something important."

Julius nodded his head, having the front row look at him curiously.

"It's a description of every soldier I could note down. Features, height, age, hair color, mannerisms…" Julius earned wide eyes from everyone who was listening to him.

"This is…" Crusch held on to the notebook with her hands trembling as if it were a fragile treasure.

"For us to have an idea of the victims who were forgotten by the White Whale's elimination." Tivey perked with an impressed look aimed at the knight.

"Yer just a softie, Julius-kun." Anastasia's proud grin never shined brighter as she patted his hand.

Crusch looked at the knight for a moment and bowed her head, putting the notebook under her chest. "I thank you on behalf of their families… I'll be sure to put names to their memory while I'm here since I remember some."

Julius nodded his head, bowing in turn out of politeness and moving back into his seat.

"Congratulations, Wilhelm-sama. May your wife rest in peace." Emilia bowed her head to the old man in respect and gratitude.

"Thank you, Emilia-sama. I appreciate your kindness." The old man covered his emotion with a respectful expression as he bowed to the candidate back.

[Scene change…

(Added scene from the novels.)

As the wounded were being rounded up, Crusch was looking around at the numbers of injured people and the ones who were still in good shape.

She suddenly heard a young man raising his voice just a little removed from the White Whale.

"Rem! Rem, open your eyes…!"

"Are you all right, Natsuki Subaru?" Subaru lifted the girl in his arms, his face pale as he desperately called out to Rem.

The land dragon came right up to them, nuzzling them with its black nose in an act of concern.

"This… is no good… Please, Rem… if… you're not here…!" Before his eyes, Rem calmly rested with her eyes closed, completely unresponsive to Subaru's voice.

"...Suba...ru…"

"Rem-?!"

The maid slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the boy with a weak fading glint of light.

"I'm so g… Yeah, it's me. You know, Subaru. Rem, your body…"

"Subaru… I'm so glad… you are safe… "

Subaru choked as he held the maid in his arms. The maid was smiling at the boy with a worried and soft smile that paid no head to her own injuries.

"What happened to… the demon beast…?"

"It went down. We nailed it. It worked out. Everything worked out! I'm… not hurt, either… It's all… thanks to you…"

"Is that… so? Then, Master Roswaal and… Lady Emilia… shall… surely be all right…"

"It'll work out. Leave it to me. So, Rem, you don't have to say anything right now, just rest… No, don't… close your eyes… Aw, crap, what should I do…?"

Subaru struggled to keep the girl awake as she closed her eyes and faded away from him. Not knowing what else he should do, he held her hand as tightly as he could.]

As Rem and Felix both began to chuckle beside each other in the second row, many in the theater decided not to panic at the scene just yet.

Emilia had a curious expression though she was more apprehensive than the others. "What are you doing, Rem?"

The maid held on to Subaru's form instead of answering the suspicious half-elf.

From above, Ram was chuckling as well. "I can recognize an overplayed prank because I'm her sister, but the look on Barusu's face is one I shan't forget." She nodded approvingly, earning a curious look from Roswaal.

["*Sniff *

"That… hurts, Subaru…"

"Sorry, my bad. But if I don't do this, you'll go off somewh…"

"I shall not go anywhere…. I shall be at… your side, Subaru…"

Subaru's eyes widened as he let the tears fall. Rem's body grew soft in his hands.

"Rem…? Rem! Please, Rem… open… your eyes…"

"Somehow, I'm very… sleepy… I'm sorry. Let me sleep just a little, and when I wake… soon, for your sake, I shall be…"

"Never mind all that! You don't need to do anything. It's fine if you're just together with me… so please, Rem…!"

Subaru held her as his voice grew wry. The maid could only smile and whisper hoarsely.

"May I say something… Selfish?"

"…! Say it, say something! I'll listen to anything, I'll do anything, so…!"

"I want you to say… that you… love me."

Tears willed up forced Subaru's eyes open as he shook his head from side to side. Then, he drew his face close to hers and told her:

"I love you."

"…"

"I really love you. Of course, I do… I can't… manage without you."

"Ah… I'm so happy." Rem's cheeks suddenly reddened as she happily accepted his words.

Subaru felt her strength getting weaker.

"Wait…"

"I love you, Subaru."

"Don't kid around-Stay with me! Am I gonna have… nothing but regrets again?!" Subaru sobbed and held the maid close.

"I don't wanna… laugh and talk about the future without you…!"

"In that future, can I be by your side?"

"Of course. I won't let you be anywhere else."

Closing his eyes, Subaru wiped away the rising tears before staring straight at Rem, and then, he stated firmly, "You're mine. I won't… hand you to anyone."

"-I shall take that as a commitment."

"Huh?"

Abruptly, Subaru let out his voice like an idiot at the highly intellectual reply.

As he did so, Rem slowly opened the eyes she had kept closed all that time, proceeding to sit up inside his arms. Then, with Subaru dumbfounded, unable to grasp the situation, she tilted her head and smiled at him.

"You have promised I shall be at your side, Subaru… You cannot take it back now."

Where had the sight of her dying gone…?

In a teasing, toying way, Rem closed one eye and gently touched Subaru's lips.

Crestfallen, Subaru's strength gave out from his shoulders down as he sank to the ground.

"Why you…you, you…youuuu!"]

"Sorry, Subaru-kun~" The blue-haired giggled and felt unusual warmth fill her as she relived that wonderful moment once again.

"He really cares about you." Frederica cooed and giggled at the blushing maid.

"Subaru's never living this down! Ever!" Petra giggled from her seat as well, feeling happy that he was being fooled by such bad acting.

"Oh, now that is truly mischievous." Anastasia giggled as Ricardo, Al, and Garfiel laughed hysterically along with Felix, Felt, and the not snickering Julius.

Emilia pouted and tightened her shaking hold on Subaru's hand as she felt that ever-increasing feeling in her gut. "This would be sweet… If it didn't stink of tomfoolery!" Emilia snapped with a stern pout on her face, making Rem giggle.

"Tomfoolery?" Schult tilted his head, but smiled nonetheless, enjoying the people around him being happy at the amazing ending that they were shown.

["Yes, I am Subaru's Rem. In name and fact."

Hearing her trademark reply, now even more brazen, Subaru could not follow up his words.

"We've both aired our true feelings, so that's really overkill…"

"Girls are strong when they become honest about love, Subaru."]

Emilia had to stop herself from pouting once she heard this. Allowing a sigh to escape her lips.

"I'm sorry, Emilia-sama… I just wanted to hear him say it…" Rem giggled from the sidelines, nuzzling her cheek with the back of his head and letting Emilia look at her begrudgingly.

"It's cheeky but… I respect you for it, Rem…" Emilia shook her head and gave a small grin of her own. "At least I can hear it when I remember your confession~"

Rem's outraged face earned a delighted giggle from the teasing half-elf at Subaru's side.

Crusch was looking at the two with a raised eyebrow, remembering how they were supposed to talk about being two wives for the same boy again. "You two already look far into the lifestyle, if I'm being honest."

"Huh?" "Pardon?" Both girls looked at the Duchess with confused faces, but Crusch shook her head instead of answering them.

All three gave each other smiles that were not obstructed by any other emotion from the love they were feeling after seeing the bittersweet ending and hearing Rem's conviction about her love for Subaru.

[Embarrassed than anything else, Subaru's face reddened as he let out a small breath and confessed, "…If you'd died, I was about to die, too."]

The girls' moods suddenly turned sour as each of them took the opportunity to slap the sleeping boy on the head.

From Emilia to Rem, to Crusch, the slapping stopped just as Anastasia wanted to join in for the giggles but was cordially stopped by Julius.

"Stupid Subaru!" Emilia pouted as she oversaw the girls taking turns to slap the sleeping boy for his stupidity.

Rem slapped him harder than any of them as she had tears in her eyes. She didn't know how truly disturbing those words were.

["I am a lucky woman that you think so much of me."

"I'm not kidding, either."

Rem replied with a little smile, but Subaru had answered with his true and sincere feelings.

"I absolutely must not die, then."

"Darn right. I won't let you die, even if it kills me."]

"I never took those words in any other meaning…" Rem sighed to herself, bringing the mood around her down. "It's… A lot… What he hides behind those words as he says them…"

"Perhaps that's the one way he feels less alone, Rem." Emilia hugged the arm she held with both hands and looked at the maid with a scared look. "Maybe it's the only way he can sense relief from everything he's been through…"

Beatrice looked away from Emilia and stared towards Subaru's sleeve, the one being held by Crusch with a forlorn expression. "He has more than that way, in fact… Much more disgusting." She whispered chillingly but no one could hear.

[Subaru drew his face to hers, and their foreheads touched as they looked at each other from so very close.

Rem gazed adoringly at Subaru's gesture, and it was hard for Subaru to just stay there with her close enough that their breaths touched. Naturally, his gaze was drawn in by her pink lips, and he felt his heartbeat just a little faster—

"—Could you two wrap it up already, meow ?"

Ferris, looking exasperated from having watched from a distance as the two flirted, butted in to break things up at the most important juncture. Apparently, he'd been watching the whole time.

Subaru was sure he'd done it on purpose.]

"Ye're a dumbass man!" Garfiel pointed at Felix furiously.

"The fuck's yer problem?!" Heinkel looked at Felix with annoyance which surprised everyone around him.

Felix himself hummed softly and glanced smugly at the boys. His smug look turned horrified as soon as he saw the pissed-looking Julius glaring at him.

"You've taken what could've been an amazing moment for Rem-sama and stomped on it for some sick and twisted pleasure you have against heartwarming scenes!" The knight's eyes seemed to demand retribution.

"Are you seriously mad because you didn't get to see Rem-sama kissing Subaru-kyun?!" Felix asked in a frightened voice.

"You leave him be! He's a hero!"

Felix looked behind him gratefully… but then turned horrified as soon as he recognized his savor's demonic face.

"Barusu has not earned my blessings to kiss my sister! Felix-sama shall be respected for his decency to remind him of this fact." Ram proclaimed with a finality as Rem giggled at the second row.

"I find myself in agreement. It's not a good look for Subaru to make any moves on Rem without asking her older sister first." Emilia gave a small nod herself, holding on to Subaru's hand with an innocent responsible expression.

Rem's expression turned into a deep scowl immediately.

"You're just mad because I was going to be the first!"

If Crusch had glasses, she would've fixed them on her eyes as she replied to Rem with a simple. "The key wording to focus on is 'going to be'."

Rem's scowl turned on the Duchess as well, who looked just as innocent as Emilia was.

"Ferris shall be rewarded splendidly for being a perfect knight who respects people's boundaries." Crusch nodded her head along with Emilia and Ram.

Felix meanwhile tried to hide from the heated glares of Julius, and Garfiel, and he could feel it from Heinkel as well.

[Scene change…

As everyone began treating their wounds and sitting the injured in the carriages, the lone boy stood atop a hill watching the sunrise.

He turned to find the armored duchess and the leader of the army herself walking towards him.

"Somehow or other… I'm glad you're safe, too, Crusch-san."

"I am, yes." The lady looked down saddened."But our losses are not few. With the White Whale defeated, those who have vanished will not return."]

Crusch's eyes turned to the notebook in her hands, feeling a lot more gratitude for Julius being there in the theater as she recalled every name from the army she could.

"Before we went to fight the White Whale, I had forced all of them to write their names on a scroll and let me have it." She explained to the people around her, earning their ears and attention. "I memorized what I could… And I knew that I would forget them if it was the White Whale but on the off chance I didn't…"

"You'd still remember," Rem continued somberly.

"Indeed… But with this notebook and the prison's negation of the White Whale… I'm happy to say that I can remember victims who weren't there during the celebration ceremony…" Crusch seemed to lose her earlier teasing edge and become emotional while holding the notebook in her hand.

"I wish you the best in making things work, Crusch-sama." Emilia looked happy for the Duchess and felt overwhelmingly giddy that some sort of consolation would be achieved for their forgotten souls.

["I think you did great, Crusch-san." Subaru smirked. "Your popularity should shoot through the- Wait, did I just give you a boost in the royal selection that I shouldn't have?!" Subaru held his head in his hands.]

"He only thinks about that now?" Anastasia snorts mockingly.

"We can't blame him, he was too focused on keeping everyone alive to think about the politics," Felt argued with an eye roll.

Some more people laughed and giggled at his silliness, especially Emilia who was already good friends with Crusch.

[Crusch smiled with amusement. "That's quite a gloomy look on your face. You don't look like the hero who brought down the White Whale."]

"Most people don't expect my lady's morals to be strong like this… It's always a treat to see her prove them all wrong, nyan!" Felix cheered from the back with a fist up in delight. Crusch smiled warmly at the window.

["The first thing Emilia-tan's gonna do is call me a traitor… huh? What did you call me?"

"The hero who brought down the White Whale. I don't want to be so shameless as to claim your achievements for my own." Crusch smiled sincerely at the boy.

"No, I really didn't do anything… " The boy shook his head in denial but the lady kept her smile true.

Subaru let his arms fall and sighed.

"It sounds like your opinion of me has improved a lot. I'm surprised."]

"More than that, and it's well deserved." The duchess smiled warmly at the youth beside her. She also squeezed his hand tighter just to punish him for his low self-worth.

["There's no reason to be modest. In truth, I'd love to welcome you into my household and reward your accomplishments."]

"OOOOOOHHHHHH!" Ricardo and Al both howled while pointing at the screen.

Heinkel had to hold his head in his hand and utter a small chuckle at the sheer ridiculousness of what he was seeing.

"He got 'nother one! Otto! Cap'n got 'nother one!" Garfiel shook his brother while Otto just remained asleep, missing the moment when he should've had a single fatherly tear running down his cheek with pride.

"I didn't mean anything inappropriate." The noble lady sternly pouted as everyone around her either shouted in outrage for trying to take away Subaru (Rem, Beatrice, Petra, and Felt.) or laughed at how she was falling for him. (Reinhard, Felix, Anastasia, and Frederica.)

Emilia just hugged Subaru's arm tightly and stared coldly at the duchess.

"Thank you for the invitation, Cursch-sama… It was very 'cordial' of you." The half-elf whispered while glaring at how the two of them looked at the screen.

She hated how good Subaru and Crusch looked together.

["Please don't ask that of me! It's not really about loyalty or allegiance, but my faith already lies exactly where it should."

Subaru stared at Crusch with determination and confidence.

"I'm going to make Emilia the ruler. Not for anyone's sake. It's just what I want to do"]

Emilia's eyes softened at hearing this. Crusch smirked at the half-elf.

"Natsuki-sama's love really flows strongly for you." The duchess commented making the half-elf princess smile warmly at her.

"Thank you for understanding, Crusch-sama." Emilia smiled gratefully at the lady… but kept her hold on her knight tight.

Crusch also smiled warmly at the princess… and leaned a little closer on his shoulder.

[Crusch's smiled turned soft and disappointed.

"I was already aware of that, but it still stings a bit."

"Honestly, I think you're an amazing person. If I'd been on my own, I'm pretty sure I would've accepted your offer." Subaru smiled sheepishly. "I'll be counting on you to uphold the alliance. Even if we end up as enemies, I believe we can get along until then."]

"I wonder what it would've been like… To have Subaru-kyun in our camp." Felix seemed to like the idea of having the black-haired young man.

"I would've loved to have him with us, but his heart is already set on a lady." Crusch sternly commented.

"Maybe even two ladies now." Frederica snorted and teased remembering how much he confessed to Rem.

The blue-haired maid blushed deep red and hugged the boy tightly.

Emilia frowned a bit at the thought of Subaru being in another's camp.

"You guys should look 'round the room if ya think that's an original thought," Felt growled as she glared at a sheepish, guilty Reinhard. "We could've had him first!"

"Sorry, my lady…" Reinhard whispered pleadingly.

["Natsuki Subaru, allow me to correct one idea you have. Even if we do find ourselves in conflict one day, I will remain friendly toward you. Even if the day comes that we must settle things, I will not forget the debt I have incurred to you this day. Therefore, even if we do become enemies, I will respect you and show you favor until the end."

Subaru's bewildered expression turned to one of exasperation. "If I didn't already have a #1 and #2 in my heart, that would've been a close call."

"I haven't gone so far as to think of you the way a woman might. I don't deny there were occasions where my heartstrings felt a pull, but my heart lies at the end of my dream." Crusch smiled and extended her arm to the boy.

He smiled wide and shook her hand firmly.

The two remained standing beneath the sunrise, smiling at one another.]

"I guess that's changed…" Beatrice muttered bitterly with annoyance.

Having all kinds of people look at her, from the glances coming out of Rem and Emilia to the proud smiles from Felix and Wilhelm to even the curious glares by Felt and Anastasia, all kinds of people gave their approval and disapproval of Crusch's change of heart after seeing Subaru's journey.

The Duchess chuckled, waving all of them away from her mind but decided to answer Beatrice only.

"That remains to be seen if Natsuki Subaru and I are compatible with each other… But I can fully say that my heart's been somewhat swayed to the same rhythm as Rem and Emilia-sama…" Crusch smiled at Beatrice brightly.

"I DIDN'T MEAN YOUR CHANGE!" Beatrice bites at the Duchess who leans back in surprise. "BETTY'S THE ONE WHO WILL TAKE NUMBER 3 IN SUBARU'S HEART. HE SAID SO HIMSELF! BETTY IS HIS SPIRIT, IN FACT!"

Crusch held up her hands to sue for peace but the spirit held on to Subaru's waist and glared at Crusch protectively.

["Now… I'll be leaving to take our wounded and the White Whale's carcass to the capital, but it would seem you still have a duty to attend to."]

"Wasn't this when…" Felix bit his tongue, bringing some panic into his eyes.

"It is, Ferris-sama…" Rem whispered to him as well, giving a small frown at Subaru's head.

["Yeah. It may sound rude, but in a sense, that's what this whale hunt was really about."

"Subjugating the White Whale was secondary? Intriguing." Crusch smiled knowingly. "Do you need assistance?"

"I do." Subaru looked at the carts of wounded and injured men.]

"Of course he does." Frederica winced along with Ram as they remembered what had happened to the people of the village.

"Make no mistake that I'd have gone along with Subaru-sama if I knew what he was about to fight next." Crusch sternly commented while gripping his hand to refresh her frustration as she remembered his painful loops.

"He never told you in this loop? During the deal?" Emilia raised an eyebrow at the surprising news.

"I suppose his previous loop allowed him to understand how the Witch's Cult is treated in our world." Crusch sighed and grimaced at the memory. "He knew I wouldn't have believed him and kept it to himself."

"He used the White Whale as a disguise and only made it seem like he was on a 'hunt' after the subjugation was finished." Reinhard looked impressed as he turned to the screen above them and Subaru more than once. "Very ticky… The way he does things."

"It's Betty's favorite way to do things if it's from Subaru, in fact." Beatrice hummed in place.

["But… Frankly, I didn't think it would take this kind of toll on us. On top of that-"

"In that case, why not make use of this old man?"

Subaru looked up to find Wilhelm stepping toward them and kneeling before the boy.

"Natsuki Subaru-dono." Wilhelm looked up at the young man with a peaceful smile. "With this subjugation, it was because of you that I was able to carry out my reason for living all this time. I thank you…"

The old man bowed his head and uttered again. "I thank you. I thank you with all that I am!"

Subaru smiled softly at the old man. "It was your own strength that made it possible, Wilhelm-san.

The reason I thought to defeat the White Whale, and could fight without giving up… I don't know if it's okay to say it like this, but… Congratulations. And thank you for your service. I believe you were able to do this because you loved your wife like crazy."

The old man simply looked up at the young man. "I thank you." Wilhelm stood up with a sincere smile.]

The old butler smiled softly at the boy in gratitude.

"Thank you, Subaru." Reinhard also thanked his friend warmly while understanding how much respect his grandfather held for Subaru. Reinhard held the same amount of respect and gratitude in his heart for the boy who had finally avenged their family's tragedy.

"..." Heinkel's glare seethed on Subaru from the back but he couldn't voice any words against the boy for no good reason.

["You should hold on to that treasured sword for a while. In the days to come, being unarmed will do you little good."

"Yes, my lady. Thank you."

Crusch smiled at Subaru. "Take Ferris and half of the uninjured. They should number about twenty."

"Are you sure?"

"I told you, I don't want to be shameless. And that I would respect you."

Subaru teared up and could only bow down deeply to the lady.

"Thank you."]

Emilia also bowed her head to the lady. "Thank you for helping Subaru save us. For not making him suffer any more horrible deaths."

"Think nothing of it, Emilia-sama. It was Subaru who had faced a lot of hardships and done a lot of work to keep the army motivated to fight the Whale and the Witch's Cult. Had it not been for him, we couldn't have won against the three Whales." Crusch bowed intern to Emilia...both girls kept their grips on the boy's hands while smiling at one another.

[Scene change…

"Why?" Rem protested from the side as Felix looked at her sternly.

"Well, nya can't move, right? As a healing magic user, I can't let you push yourself any further. You'll stay behind-"

"But-!" The maid couldn't continue her protest as she suddenly fell in Subaru's lap.

"H-Hey, careful! Please, do as Felix says, and don't overdo it."

"I won't!" Rem clenched the boy's shirt and hid her face into his chest. "It hurts too much! I can't bear it! When you're in trouble, I want to be the first to reach out to you. That's all I want! So please… "

"In that case, you don't have to worry."

The maid looked up at the boy with surprise. The boy held her hand tightly as he smiled confidently at her.

"You've already saved me so many times. Don't you realize how much you've done for me up to this point? I want you to help me from now on, too. So leave everything to me this time."

His eyes shown with hope and confidence. "Trust me, Rem. I'll find a way to take care of everything! I'm your hero. I've made up my mind to take that first step. So you don't have to worry! I managed to pull off the whale hunt. Your hero is demonically inspired right now."]

Rem's eyes watered once again, feeling nothing but pleasure and pain which intermixed in a cruel abomonition within her heart that served her nothing but anguish. "I wish I would've never left…"

"It's Ferri-chan who made you go with Crusch-sama… So be angry at me if you wish, Rem-sama, nyan." The healer looked at his knees with guilt.

"..." Rem patted the boy's head and gave him a smile through her tears which began to fall.

"I have nothing to be angry for… Today's viewings have been a gift I shall cherish… But I wish I would've stayed longer… Knowing what will happen after this last time between me and Subaru-kun."

Many in the theater looked down in remembrance of where the Duchess and the maid will end up after this scene.

"I wonder if we will see that scoundrel." Ram hummed, disguising her distaste and hatred with a professional facade. "That Archbishop of Gluttony bastard…"

["Subaru-kun…"

The young man held the crying maid close as the sun shone over them.

"Right!" Rem smiled while trembling. "My hero is the greatest in the world!"

Subaru touched his forehead with hers once again as the rainbow shown above them.]

Emilia smiled warmly at the scene… But clutched her knight's hand tighter just to ease the slight pinch her heart gave at the sight of the two. It was heartwarming and yet infuriating to watch because of how useless and horrible she felt when she remembered how much pain and despair her knight suffered and how she couldn't even help him as Rem and Crusch had.

[Scene change…

Crusch is shown leading the carriages carrying the injured men and Rem as well as the head of the Whale corpse.

Subaru and the rest of the army were left behind.]

"Are we going to see who was it that attacked Crusch-sama?!" Felix asked as he glared at the screen.

"I doubt we could do anything about it now, but the way things have been shown, the screen must show us the most important events relating to Subaru's life in our world." Reinhard lamented with a narrowed look.

"But at least we could see what actually happened to the other part of Crusch's army that hadn't been fightin' Sloth and The cult," Anastasia commented while looking infuriated.

"Crusch-sama, before Emilia's camp arrived here, you told us that the ones who attacked you and Rem were the Archbishops of Greed and Gluttony." Reinhard inquired from his seat.

The green-haired princess nodded her head and glared intently at the screen as she remembered the way the white-haired sin completely demolished the entire battalion including the injured and wounded soldiers.

"For now, I'm sure that the viewings will reach that point if it follows Subaru Natsuki… I advise you to continue watching normally." Crusch said with determined focus.

"As if we could do things differently from this," Heinkel snorted, earning a smile of amusement from Priscilla who rolled her eyes every time Crusch spoke.

["Man, you really got all the good parts back there, y'know?" A newly healed Ricardo loudly proclaimed.

"Captain! Mimi, too! Mimi, too! I did super-duper good!"

"Didn't you almost die? Also, your brother was exhausted. How do you have so much energy?"

"Hetaro's just a baby. He's weak. Honestly, it's so pathetic."]

"He honestly is!" Mimi shouted while nodding in agreement.

"Don't diss on Hetaro!" Tivey shouted while dodging the stick his sister was lunging at him.

["I didn't get much done later on in the battle with the whale, but don't you worry. My lady asked me for a favor, after all. I'll show ya what I've got in the real battle comin' up!"

"The real battle? What're you trying to do here?" Subaru asked suspiciously.

"You're takin' on the Witch's Cult, right?"

Subaru's eyes widened.

"Never underestimate the merchant information network." Ricardo moved his head to the side. "Ah, here they come."]

Crusch would've had things to say had she not been the one most victorious during their battles with that very same network and its connections.

"Otto would probably have some bites to say right about now," Frederica giggled while fixing the sleeping minister's hair.

"Hmph, let 'em rest his behind for a while, that boy doesn't let anythin' escape 'em." Anastasia huffed, glaring towards the merchant, not willing to admit this in front of him if he was awake.

[Subaru looked to the side of the road.

Many figures of robed men were shown treading towards Subaru and the army behind him.

"That's half of our mercenary team."

"Half?"

"Half of 'em were sent to block the road instead of fightin' the whale."

"They're going to help us, too? Who's leading them?"

"My younger brother, Tivey!"

"You have another younger brother? I'm really curious to know whether he's more like you or Hetaro."]

"Please, I'm an intellectual, no need to insult me twice like that." Tivey arrogantly fixed his monocle and dodged a strike from his sister.

[Subaru looked back at the mercenary team that was now closer to him.

And the pettiest expression covered his face immediately as he glared at the head of the oncoming mercenary team.

Why is he with them?

Subaru glared hatefully at the figure of the purple-haired handsome knight.

Julius smiled at him from the distance.]

"Makes sense…" Julius sighed and withheld a small smirk from covering his face.

[Title card:

A Wager That Defies Despair

Ending Theme: Stay Alive .

Episode 11 Director's Cut. End.]

"So that was the great White Whale subjugation." Schult held his hands together and smiled warmly at the window as it shut down. "That was amazing… I'm so grateful to have watched it."

"Thank the heavens the boss didn't die in this one." Everyone flinched and glared at Mimi for her brutish comment.

"Crusch-sama…"

Slowly turning and facing Emilia, Crusch stopped her walk from the front rows of the theater towards the hallway of rooms.

The half-elf walked towards the duchess and surprised her with a hug.

"Thank you for helping Subaru and protecting him, Crusch-sama." Emilia pulled back with a grateful smile.

The green-haired maiden just looked at the girl with shock. "Um, You're welcome. But Subaru is the one who arranged everything and led us all to victory." Crusch looked guilty as she remembered the time she turned her back on him and abandoned him to fight on his own to save the innocent of the village just to get a favorable spot in the royal selection.

"I don't think he will hold any affection towards me anyways… After I abandoned him." Crusch sternly refuted and bowed her head in shame. It was never something to do, showing your shame to your political rival, but Emilia's eyes eased her nerves.

"It's okay to feel that way, Crusch-sama. We haven't been good to Subaru either." Rem suddenly walked beside Emilia and smiled at the noble lady.

Emilia nodded her head and winced a bit remembering her guilt and shame for all the wrongs she had committed towards the boy's psyche.

Rem also gripped her hands tighter in the guilt of all the pain she had caused.

"I also think he was really worried about you when we were resting at your mansion after...um … the attack," Emilia said while looking at the two girls in sympathy.

Crusch remembered the way Subaru would always turn away from her when she would speak with him at her mansion. So sad, his head to the ground as he winced in shame and anguish as if he was… guilty of having seen her in her amnesiac state.

"While he was worried for Rem, Ferris would always check up on him from time to time. I spoke with your knight and… He told me that Subaru always questioned about how you were doing with a guilt-ridden face." Emilia felt really uncomfortable admitting this but she really didn't want Crusch to be sad.

"Subaru-kun cares about you as well." Rem smiled softly as her heart warmed at the mention of how worried her hero was when she was in a coma.

"So… He was guilty because he was blaming himself for my injury." Crusch glared sternly at the boy for a moment, clenching her hand into a fist, wishing she held his hand to punish him for his guilt and low self-worth.

"Why would he blame himself so much?" Crusch muttered, annoyed.

"I know, right!" Emilia glared at him sternly. "He is too hard on himself sometimes."

"And he always does these silly jokes so that he could distract you from asking about his health." Rem hummed from their side.

"It's reeeeally annoying!"

"I do agree with that."

"And he always likes to act cool as if he needs to keep an image that impresses everyone around him." Rem held the sides of her dress while giggling.

"He doesn't see how wonderful he already is."

"I agree."

"What an idiot."

"Totally annoying."

"Silly dunderhead."

Emilia, Rem, and Crusch giggled historically as they conversed about Subaru, ignoring a grumbling Beatrice who glared at them as she passed by the hallway.

The girls looked at him warmly and noticed how his hands were being magically healed.

Crusch and Emilia instantly looked away while coughing nervously, both blushing nervously.

"I-I believe we must talk… to each other? Inside?" Emilia stuttered, red to her pointy ears.

"Yes indeed… We have much to talk about…" Crusch nodded, taking stride to continue her way into the hall with Emilia following in toe.

Rem giggled at them both and glanced at Subaru one final time. She made sure Heinkel was pushed by Al inside.

"I'll watch 'em, don't worry miss," Al said as he passed Rem.

She smiled gratefully and decided to not trust him.

"I suppose you'll forgive me, Subaru… But I want to know how it feels after seeing Emilia-sama do it before the last two viewings!" Rem carried Subaru's body with ease and walked towards the two ladies who were still stuttering about which room they should sit in.

Rem sighed. "If this is what it will take to own a place in your heart, Subaru-kun… Then I better get my kiss next time!"

[Episode 12… Arc 3's continuation…

On pause.]

-x-X-x-