...
{3rd Pov}
Subaru finally returned to the Capital.
In fact, now that he thought about it, the literal Witch of Envy had appeared just outside the Capital's boundaries.
Given that it happened outside the city's perimeter, shouldn't someone have noticed her by now?
Especially Rem, whose nose might as well have been equipped with seven different sensors specifically designed to detect a Witch's scent.
But then again, he reminded himself—this was Satella he was dealing with.
The same insane woman who could literally stop time whenever she wanted.
Hiding her presence from the rest of the world would probably be child's play for her.
Hell, Subaru even started to doubt if they were in the same space when she appeared.
Maybe it was something like Beatrice's library—an isolated dimension that existed outside normal reality.
As Subaru crossed the city's outer perimeter, entering the city, still lost in thought, a familiar voice pierced through the noise of the street.
"Subaru!"
He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
That soft yet worried tone belonged only to one person.
He slowly looked over his shoulder and saw Rem running toward him.
Her eyes widened in shock the moment she noticed the blood dripping from his broken fingers and the dry, caked blood smeared across his forehead.
"Subaru-kun! How did you get these injuries... also—" Rem bit her lip before she could finish her sentence.
The Witch's scent on Subaru was stronger than it had ever been before.
In fact, it was so overwhelming that for a brief, terrifying moment, Rem almost suspected that the actual Witch of Envy herself had appeared.
The intensity of that scent was enough to make her entire body tense up in alarm.
But then she looked closely—really looked at him.
It was Subaru standing before her, and there was no visible miasma of the Witch radiating from his body.
At least that much confirmed that it wasn't the Witch disguising herself as Subaru. Even so, that scent was undeniable and deeply unsettling.
Rem couldn't ignore the questions racing through her mind, but she forced herself to push them aside.
Healing Subaru came before anything else.
She knelt beside him, her expression filled with concern and fear.
"Uh, Rem... I'm sorry," Subaru said quietly, his voice trembling slightly.
"I made you worried." His tone carried both guilt and exhaustion, but there was something else there too—something strange.
Rem stared into his face, her brows knitting together in disbelief.
"Subaru... you're smiling? Why are you smiling? You're hurt."
Her words made Subaru blink in confusion.
Instinctively, he raised his hand to his lips and touched them, realizing that she was right. He was smiling.
No—he was grinning.
A faint, almost unsettling grin that didn't belong on someone covered in bruises and dirt.
For a moment, he didn't even understand why he was smiling.
But then, the feeling washed over him—the lightness, the strange relief that seemed to lift the weight off his shoulders.
The countless failures, the despair, the humiliation he suffered in front of the Royal Candidates when they all refused to help him... it all suddenly felt meaningless.
The Witch Cult's looming threat, the overwhelming dread that once consumed him, all of it felt so small now.
Because this time, something had changed.
For the first time since being trapped in this cycle of death and suffering, Subaru felt like he held real power—something beyond luck or desperation.
And it all came down to one thing, one impossible truth that defied everything he knew.
Subaru now had the Witch of Envy under his control.
The literal Satan—the being that once required the combined strength of three legendary heroes, a Divine Dragon, the first red-haired protagonist who was said to be Reinhardt's ancestor, and that so-called Great Sage or whatever the fuck he was—just to barely seal her away.
That was the level of power they were talking about.
The kind of existence that could bring the entire world to its knees if she ever decided to truly unleash herself.
And now?
Right at this very moment, Subaru had that same being—the Witch of Envy, the monster feared by all—under his command.
She wasn't sealed anymore, she wasn't rampaging, and she wasn't whispering from the shadows.
She was his.
That realization sent a chill down his spine.
It wasn't fear—it was something far more dangerous.
It was pride.
A small, dark, yet intoxicating sense of pride that crept into his chest like wildfire.
His heart pounded faster, not from pain but from the sheer thrill of knowing that someone like him, a pathetic loser who once grovelled before nobles and begged for help, now held the power to make the entire world tremble if he wanted to.
The three Royal Candidates who had turned him down—those self-proclaimed leaders who saw him as nothing more than a nuisance—they didn't matter anymore.
Not a single one of them.
In Subaru's eyes, they had lost every bit of importance they once held.
Their arrogance, their dismissive words, their pity—it all meant nothing now.
Slap!
The sharp sound echoed through the air as Subaru slapped himself across the face, snapping out of his thoughts.
His cheek stung, but that pain helped him ground himself back to reality.
"Get a grip, Subaru," he muttered under his breath.
"You can be arrogant later... first, you have to save the village."
His inner voice was clear and stern, reminding him that the pride he felt could wait.
People were still in danger, and he couldn't let himself get carried away by this new power.
Meanwhile, Rem had just finished carefully bandaging his fingers with a strip of cloth she had torn from her own maid dress.
Her movements were gentle but quick, her blue eyes full of worry as she tied the last knot.
"Subaru-kun," she said softly but firmly, "we need to go to a healer immediately. You've lost a lot of blood, and your wounds could get worse if we don't treat them properly."
But Subaru raised his hand slightly, stopping her in her tracks.
He looked at her with a strange calmness in his eyes—a calmness that wasn't normal for him.
"No need, Rem," he said, shaking his head.
"I'm fine. Really."
A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"In fact... I feel better than ever. Honestly, this might be the best I've felt since the moment I first got dragged into this world."
There was no sign of weakness in his voice.
Only confidence—unnerving, unfamiliar confidence.
Rem felt something strange about Subaru's behavior and his words, but she chose to ignore it for the moment.
After all, Subaru often did strange things and acted in unpredictable ways—it was almost part of who he was.
Trying to read too deeply into every odd thing he said would get her nowhere.
So instead, she focused on the more pressing issue and asked, "Subaru-kun, about those villagers... I know we weren't able to get any help from the Royal Candidates, but Rem has been thinking of another way to help you."
Subaru tilted his head slightly, the faintest trace of curiosity flickering across his expression.
"Oh? Really now? Then please, enlighten me, Rem," he said, smiling lightly as if trying to sound casual.
Rem took a deep breath before explaining her idea.
"If we cannot gather enough people or soldiers to resist the Witch Cult directly, then... since we already know the timing of their attack in advance, why don't we just evacuate the villagers before they even arrive?"
Her words were simple, logical, and made perfect sense.
For a moment, Subaru's smile froze as he processed her suggestion.
Inside, his mind was already racing.
'This plan... it's actually not bad at all,' he thought.
'Even though I already intend to use the Witch of Envy to completely annihilate the Witch Cultists, there's always a chance that one or two of them might escape my grasp. If we evacuate everyone ahead of time, no one will ever realize that I was the one commanding Satella and prevent people from being hurt.'
'It's a perfect plan.'
He quickly hid his thoughts behind a brighter grin and said with genuine warmth, "Good job, Rem! I knew I could count on you. You really never let me down."
Rem felt a rush of relief seeing his confident smile.
It was the first time she had seen that look on his face since the string of humiliating rejections.
The heavy aura of despair that had surrounded him earlier seemed to fade away, replaced by something that looked almost like hope.
She took a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly, and smiled back.
"I'm happy that Subaru-kun has managed to get over those rejections," she said softly. "It's just... I really hope you don't get hurt next time."
Her eyes drifted down to the cuts and bruises still visible on his hands and face.
Subaru's smile widened even more, almost unnaturally so.
"Don't worry, Rem," he said confidently, his tone filled with an assurance that didn't sound like the Subaru she knew.
"My days of getting hurt are over. From now on, it's not me who'll be bleeding or suffering. It's everyone else who'll have to think twice before they ever dare to cross me."
Rem blinked, slightly taken aback by his words.
There was something off about the way he said it—too cold, too sure of himself.
'Subaru-kun is speaking weirdly... could it be because he hit his head earlier?', she wondered, her brows furrowing slightly.
But then she thought back to everything he had been through—the pain of being rejected three times in a row, the hopelessness of not being able to save anyone, and the endless stress from the looming Witch Cult attack.
Considering all that, she finally came to the conclusion that his sudden shift in attitude, this strange blend of confidence and detachment, was probably just a reaction to the overwhelming shock and exhaustion he had suffered.
So she said nothing more, choosing instead to quietly watch over him, hoping that the Subaru she knew would return once things settled down.
After that, Rem wasted no time and hurriedly took Subaru straight to a local healer.
The old man who ran the place didn't ask too many questions, though the strange scent clinging to Subaru made him visibly uncomfortable.
Still, he did his job—his hands moving with practiced precision as he carefully cleaned the wounds and patched up Subaru's fingers with healing magic.
Once the treatment was done, Rem thanked the healer with a deep bow before dragging Subaru along to their next destination—the merchant group she had previously arranged for the upcoming task.
There they meet with the Otto and some other merchants.
What followed was a short exchange that ended with Subaru bursting into laughter after learning Otto's misfortune.
Apparently, Otto had stocked up on oil, believing the prices would rise soon, only for the market trend to collapse completely.
Now, he was desperately trying to sell it off before going bankrupt—and possibly ending up as a slave to repay his debts.
Subaru found the whole situation both ridiculous and oddly fitting for Otto.
"You really don't have luck with business, do you, Otto?" he said between chuckles, slapping the merchant's back lightly.
Otto just sighed, muttering something about "unpredictable trade winds" and "ungrateful markets," earning another laugh from Subaru.
In the end, Subaru and Rem decided to hire Otto and a few other merchants who were in similarly desperate circumstances.
With the added manpower and transport, their plan to head for Arlam Village could proceed much faster.
Their main goal was clear—to reach the village before the Witch Cult's attack, warn the residents, and start the evacuation as quickly as possible.
The group set off together, a small caravan of carriages moving steadily through the forest roads. The air was calm at first, the rhythmic clatter of wheels and soft conversations filling the air.
But as they began to pass near the enormous, ancient tree known as Flugel's Tree, Subaru suddenly noticed a change in the atmosphere.
A thick, unnatural fog started to roll in across their path.
It came slowly at first, drifting lazily between the trees, but within moments, it thickened—turning into a dense, suffocating wall of white mist.
Subaru's instincts flared immediately.
Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
His body tensed up, and his heartbeat quickened.
"Wait," he muttered, scanning the surroundings.
Then, without warning, a sudden wave of fog surged violently from behind them, sweeping over the rear end of the caravan.
Subaru's eyes widened in shock as he watched in disbelief—the last few wagons were swallowed completely by the fog, vanishing in an instant as if they had never existed.
"Something's happened to the caravans behind us!" Subaru shouted urgently, turning to warn the others.
His voice carried an edge of panic, the kind that came from knowing this wasn't natural.
However, when he looked back at Rem, she was staring at him strangely, her expression filled with confusion.
Otto, too, glanced at him with the same bewildered look, his brows furrowed as if he didn't quite understand what Subaru was talking about.
"Subaru... it's just us," Rem said, her voice filled with confusion as she looked around.
"Which caravan are you talking about?"
Subaru froze completely, his mouth hanging slightly open as he stared at her.
Her expression wasn't playful or teasing—she was genuinely confused.
Her tone, her eyes, even her aura—everything about her told him she was telling the truth.
She truly believed there was no caravan behind them.
His heartbeat thudded heavily in his chest.
The realization hit him like a stone.
'This isn't normal... it's as if they have forgot that the others even existed.'
Subaru's eyes darted to the back of the wagon, but there was nothing there—only the swirling fog that continued to thicken.
Not a single trace of the other carriages, no sound of wheels, no footsteps of ground dragons—just silence.
A cold wave of fear ran through him.
The idea that people—living, breathing people—had simply vanished from existence while he was the only one who noticed was beyond disturbing. It made his skin crawl and his stomach twist.
But as that dread began to grow, Subaru quickly forced himself to breathe and think.
He clenched his fist tightly and reminded himself of the one advantage he now possessed.
'No matter what this thing is, no matter how strange it gets... it's nothing compared to her.'
His mind settled on the image of the Witch of Envy.
'I don't believe whatever this is can even begin to compare to the Witch of Envy,' he told himself.
That thought alone was enough to steady his nerves.
And then, before anyone could speak again, a deep, guttural roar echoed through the fog.
It was loud enough to shake the very air around them, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to come from every direction at once.
The noise made the ground dragons cry out in alarm, their bodies trembling as they tried to keep moving.
Everyone went completely still for a second.
The only sounds were the panicked breaths of the travelers and the creaking of the wagon's wheels.
Then Otto, whose face had turned pale as a sheet, suddenly grabbed the reins and snapped them hard.
The ground dragon responded instantly, accelerating with a sharp cry as the cart lurched forward.
"Damnit! You've got to be kidding me!" Otto shouted, his voice shaking with disbelief and terror.
"How can that thing even be here!?" His tone was desperate, and the veins on his neck were visible as he pulled at the reins to keep the dragon from swerving.
Rem turned around to look behind the carriage, and her breath caught in her throat the instant her eyes met the sight in the fog.
Her whole body froze.
Emerging from the thick mist was a massive creature—a monstrosity so large it made the trees look like twigs.
Its enormous, whale-like body was pure white, glimmering faintly under the dim light filtering through the fog.
A single, curved horn jutted from its forehead, and above its head floated a faintly glowing halo, radiating an eerie light that pierced through the mist.
Its enormous eyes locked directly onto their wagon, filled with pure, unfiltered hostility.
The weight of its gaze alone was suffocating, as if its hatred could crush them without it even needing to move.
Then, to Subaru's horror, the beast's eyes shifted specifically—directly—toward him.
For a long, frozen moment, Subaru could feel its murderous intent pressing against him, like a predator singling out its prey.
The creature's glare wasn't just random rage—it was personal.
It was looking straight at him.
Rem and Otto were visibly shaking with fear.
In a flash, Rem reached behind her maid skirt and pulled out the morning star she'd been hiding, the heavy spiked weapon gleaming faintly in the fog.
Without hesitation she barked, "Sir Otto! Take Subaru-kun and get him to safety! I'll hold the white whale off!"
Her voice was steady despite the tremor in her hands.
Subaru snapped back instantly, his voice booming so loudly that it startled them both.
"REM!" he shouted, the single name cutting through the fog like a knife.
"Don't you you dare die on me! Do you think I'll let you die to some pesky monster?!" The anger in his tone was sharp and raw, every syllable charged with panic and something darker beneath it.
Images of Rem's deaths from previous loops flashed across his mind—those helpless, awful scenes that had driven him to the edge more than once.
Subaru grabbed her face roughly, not to hurt her but because he needed something real and solid to anchor himself to.
For a moment his glare was pure fury, then his eyes shifted; the anger melted into a softer sadness and finally hardened into grim resolve.
"I won't let you die," he said quietly, the words more to himself than to her.
"Rem—no one's going to take you from me. Not to anything, and definitely not to a giant whale sushi"
He squeezed her cheek once, then looked up toward the white whale closing the distance.
"I'll kill it. I'll destroy it for even daring to lay eyes on us."
The promise left no room for doubt.
Rem gripped his hand where it rested on her cheek; her fingers were trembling.
Moisture gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she pressed a faint, determined smile to her face.
"I know," she whispered back, voice thick.
"I know Rem's hero will end this monster… One day. Rem believes that. So I will not die—I will save my hero."
Her faith was steady, almost defiant, and it seemed to help steady Subaru a little.
Subaru let out a long sigh, equal parts frustration and relief, realizing that she still needed reassurance.
He glanced at Rem once more to make sure she truly meant it, then turned his attention back to the whale.
It was closing in fast, its massive form cutting through the fog like a wall.
"You know... I've done a lot of stupid things in my life," Subaru said suddenly, his tone calm but edged with bitterness.
A crooked, weary smile spread across his face, one that spoke of exhaustion more than humor.
His gaze was distant, like he was talking as much to himself as to anyone else.
"I kinda hate Emilia's face right now," he added casually, almost as an afterthought.
Rem, who had just been preparing to leap into battle, froze mid-step.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
'Did Subaru-kun just say he hated Emilia?'
The words didn't register at first—her mind refused to accept them.
This was Subaru, the same man who would risk his life, time and time again, for Emilia and even because of her, he made that mistake in the Royal Selection Ceremony.
Even as much as Rem loved him, she knew deep down that the top spot in his heart belonged to that half-elf girl.
Rem had already made peace with that painful truth long ago.
She didn't need to be number one; she just wanted to be someone important to him.
If she could be his second, his other woman—his second wife, even—she would have been content.
But now... Subaru had just said he hated Emilia.
The shock made her grip on her weapon falter for a second.
The words echoed in her head, repeating over and over again as she stared at him, not sure what to believe.
Subaru turned his head and looked at her.
This time, there was no anger or madness in his expression.
His smile wasn't forced or strained—it was calm, warm, and strangely pure.
"There's a lot I still want to do with you, Rem," he said softly.
"A lot I want to see, a lot I want to experience... with you."
His voice carried an honesty that made her heart skip a beat.
For a brief moment, Rem forgot the raging danger around them, forgot the monster in the sky, forgot everything except the boy in front of her.
"That's why..." Subaru said, his tone suddenly shifting as his expression hardened.
The gentle warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold determination.
He lifted his hand slowly and snapped his fingers.
"I won't let you end it."
The air around them trembled as if reality itself had been struck.
In an instant, everything changed.
The white whale, which had been charging toward them with unstoppable force, suddenly froze mid-air, its massive body locked in place as though the world itself had stopped acknowledging its existence.
The flapping fog around it halted too, forming a still curtain of white.
Rem's figure, poised in mid-step, didn't move.
Otto, gripping the reins, was frozen with his mouth open mid-shout.
The ground dragons stopped, the wheels of the carriage stopped, even the drifting leaves in the wind stopped.
The entire world had fallen completely silent.
Everything—every sound, every movement, every breath—had ceased.
Because time itself had stopped moving.
And Subaru stood there in the middle of it all, the only one still able to move, his cold gaze fixed on the frozen form of the white whale before him.
"Kill it," Subaru ordered, his voice low and devoid of any emotion.
His eyes were cold—completely cold—like all traces of compassion or hesitation had been stripped away.
There was no fear left, no shock, no restraint. Just pure, merciless intent.
The instant the command left his lips, Subaru's shadow began to ripple unnaturally beneath him.
It shifted and twisted as if it had come alive, stretching outward in impossible ways.
Then, from that writhing darkness, a shape began to rise—a tall, slender, feminine figure emerging from the shadow itself.
It was her.
Satella—the Witch of Envy.
Her outline was hazy at first, but as the shadow stabilized, her form grew clearer, her long hair flowing like liquid darkness.
And then, without a single word spoken, the shadows beneath her body erupted violently.
At first, only a dozen black hands burst out, snaking their way across the ground.
Then more appeared—hundreds, then thousands—until the air itself seemed filled with writhing tendrils of darkness.
They surged upward, clawing toward the frozen white whale hanging motionless in the air.
In an instant, those countless shadow hands wrapped around the enormous beast, coiling tightly around its neck, body, and tail.
For a brief moment, time itself seemed to strain under the force being exerted.
And then—snap!
The entire cervical region of the white whale twisted grotesquely, turning a full 180 degrees before its massive head tore away from its body with a sickening crunch.
The monstrous creature, feared across generations, was dead in a heartbeat—destroyed effortlessly by the Witch obeying Subaru's will.
Subaru's gaze didn't waver.
He looked at the corpse of the monster, then frowned slightly.
"Also," he said calmly, "get rid of this fog. It's obscuring my vision."
The Witch of Envy, still hovering beside him, paused for only a second before obeying.
She didn't need to speak—she simply raised her pale hand, and the world around them dimmed.
The light faded until only darkness remained.
The very air seemed to tremble as the thick fog that had once engulfed the forest was pulled inward, sucked into Satella's body as though reality itself was being consumed.
And then, just as quickly as it began, it was over.
The suffocating mist was gone, leaving behind a clear, open world once more.
Satella turned her gaze toward Subaru.
The terrifying presence she radiated moments ago faded away, replaced by something completely different—almost human.
Her expression softened, and her dark eyes shimmered faintly, filled with emotion that looked dangerously close to longing.
Slowly, almost timidly, she began to move toward him, her steps silent and her movements hesitant, like a lovesick puppy approaching its master.
Her eyes, dark and deep, trembled with hope as they locked onto Subaru—the one who commanded her, the one she could never stop loving.
Subaru looked at her—at Satella—and for a fleeting moment, a clear trace of disgust flashed across his eyes.
It was a raw, instinctive reaction, one born from everything she represented: death, madness, and the endless suffering she had brought into his life.
But the emotion faded almost as quickly as it appeared. He exhaled slowly, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he muttered, "You saved me... and you saved Rem too. I guess that means you deserve a reward."
He lifted his hand and slowly reached out toward her.
Satella stood still, unmoving, her dark form trembling slightly in anticipation.
Subaru's palm stopped just inches from her face before settling gently on her head.
He began to pat her—slowly, carefully—as if testing how real she felt under his touch.
The Witch of Envy reacted instantly.
Her body relaxed, her form shuddering with visible emotion.
Her head tilted upward into his palm, and she pressed herself closer, rubbing her cheek softly against his hand like a cat desperate for affection.
The way she moved was eerily human, almost pitiful.
It was hard to tell whether it was affection or obsession that drove her, but she melted completely under his touch, trembling with joy.
"That's enough," Subaru said flatly, withdrawing his hand.
"Get back into my shadow."
But Satella didn't move immediately.
She just stood there, her head slightly tilted, staring at him with an almost childlike expression.
Her voice came out soft, repetitive, and unsettling, echoing around them like a broken melody.
"Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy? Happy?"
Each repetition grew quieter, more desperate, as if she was pleading for an answer—begging for reassurance.
Subaru's eyes narrowed.
His tone was calm, but his words were as sharp as ice.
"I'm happy," he said finally, his voice low and controlled.
"But not enough to forgive you."
For a brief second, Satella froze completely.
Then something in her eyes softened, almost glowing faintly with emotion.
Hearing his words—those exact words—was enough.
Forgiveness didn't matter much for now, as long as she had hope for it till, she gets it one day.
His happiness, however small, was all she had ever wanted.
For her, that alone made the endless pain in her heart worth it.
A faint, trembling smile crossed her shadowed face as she began to dissolve.
Her body melted away, fragment by fragment, until only the black mist of her essence remained, sinking silently back into Subaru's shadow.
Once she vanished completely, Subaru lowered his hand again, exhaling slowly.
His expression hardened as his fingers snapped.
The world instantly lurched back into motion.
The deafening crack of the white whale's neck twisting echoed through the clearing like an explosion.
Time had resumed, and reality caught up all at once.
The colossal body of the whale slumped forward mid-air, collapsing lifelessly.
The sound of the impact reverberated through the forest, shaking the carriages, the ground, and the hearts of everyone present.
Rem froze in place.
All she had heard was the sharp, echoing snap of Subaru's fingers—and then, without warning, the world shifted.
A loud, thunderous boom followed as she turned her head, her eyes widening in disbelief.
The massive form of the White Whale was no longer soaring in the sky.
It had plummeted violently into the earth, crashing with such force that the ground trembled beneath their carriage.
Its colossal body skidded across the dirt, tearing through grass field and sending dust and debris into the air before finally coming to a halt not far from them.
"Stop!" Rem shouted instinctively, her voice trembling with urgency.
Otto, though shaken and confused, reacted at once.
He yanked the reins hard, and the ground dragons screeched as their claws dug into the earth, their bodies sliding several feet before finally managing to stop the carriage.
The wheels creaked and shuddered as the vehicle came to a jerking halt.
Breathing heavily, Otto turned toward Rem, his voice filled with panic and disbelief.
"What happened just now?! Don't tell me the White Whale is flying over us!" He quickly glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see the monster soaring back into the air.
But what met his eyes instead nearly stopped his heart.
In the distance, through the thinning dust, he could clearly see the massive corpse of the White Whale sprawled across the ground.
Its enormous white body lay motionless, half-buried in the dirt, and a dark red pool of blood was rapidly spreading around it—staining the earth like a crimson lake.
The once-feared creature that had terrorized travelers for centuries now looked like nothing more than a fallen mountain.
Otto's mouth hung open in shock.
His mind couldn't process what he was seeing.
"It… it's not moving…" he muttered, eyes wide with disbelief.
"That can't be real… How—How did this even happen?! It was flying just a second ago!"
Subaru, sitting inside the carriage, didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
His face was calm—eerily calm—as he looked out toward the massive corpse.
His tone was composed, almost detached, when he finally spoke.
"There's no need to worry about the Whale any longer," he said, his voice steady but heavy with finality.
Rem and Otto both turned toward him, still trying to comprehend his words.
Subaru held their gaze for a moment before finishing in a cold, matter-of-fact tone—
"Because…" he paused briefly, his eyes narrowing as if delivering a verdict.
"…It's dead."
The air fell silent.
No one spoke for several seconds, the only sound being the faint rustle of wind and the distant drip of the monster's blood hitting the dirt.
The realization settled in slowly—whatever had just happened, however it had happened—Subaru had killed the White Whale.
To be continued...