Caelus watched Subaru, who was surrounded by mabeasts. Subaru had originally been prepared to die calmly to obtain the latest information, then try to use his newly acquired power along with the information gained in this loop to achieve a perfect clear in the next one.
Now, however, he was resisting desperately. Even though the longsword in his hand was broken, he fought back with all his might, simply because there were two girls beside him who needed his protection.
Even if these were two people who despised him.
Earlier, Subaru had found the missing children, but he had also been surrounded by mabeasts. Rem, who had just caught up, told Subaru to take the children and retreat quickly. Rem stayed behind to cover them, activated her Oni Transformation, and entered a mindless Berserker mode. Although her combat power increased significantly, her stamina consumption became even more exaggerated.
After sending the children back, Subaru met Ram, who had come along out of worry for her sister. The two finally arrived in the jungle and saw Rem being attacked by mabeasts, discovering her Oni state. Ram told Subaru that if Rem's self-destructive Oni Transformation wasn't deactivated soon, her body would collapse from overusing her power before long.
Ram used wind magic to provide cover for Subaru, while Subaru used the bodies of the mabeasts to leap to a high point. Taking advantage of the moment when Rem was surrounded and the mabeasts' attention was drawn, he struck Rem's Oni Horn from above with his scabbard, stopping her near-suicidal Oni Transformation.
However, it wasn't over yet. Because of her missing horn, Ram couldn't use magic continuously. Continuing to do so would even be life-threatening. Rem had also lost her ability to move due to her previous self-destructive attacks and had fallen unconscious. Now, only Subaru remained on the field.
Relying on the edge of a cliff, Subaru stood alone with his longsword. He didn't have much swordsmanship skill, and his body didn't surpass that of a normal human, but he still used his body as a shield to block attack after attack for Rem and Ram behind him. Although he swung the longsword haphazardly, he managed to barely kill the mabeasts that were biting him.
At this moment, pain and despair were eroding Subaru's heart, but he still didn't give up. Even though he knew that everything could be restarted just by dying, he still didn't give up.
He couldn't accept it. He couldn't imagine it.
If he died here, what would happen to the two powerless twin sisters behind him? What state would they be in after being gnawed on by these mabeasts?
"Ah!"
Flesh was torn from his arms and thighs. Subaru gritted his teeth, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, his expression twisted in extreme agony. Yet he still hadn't given up. He still stood there, swinging his longsword even though it was already broken.
"Subaru..."
Ram, who had little strength left, watched the figure who disregarded his own life, even as much of his flesh was bitten off, to stand before her and her sister.
Death was clearly so close, but why? Why was there such a sense of security?
At first, Subaru had thought of calling for help, and at first, he had thought of giving up. But once the pain had eroded all his consciousness, only the word "persistence" remained in his mind.
Under such intense emotional stimulation, the seed that had already developed cracks completely grew roots and sprouted.
In an instant, Subaru knew he had obtained a new power. The power brought by memory allowed him to wake up from the depths of endless pain and recover part of his thinking.
He used his mangled left arm, where white bone was already visible, to block the pounce of a mabeast, then shouted to Ram behind him, "Ram! Didn't you say you'd be incredible if you hadn't lost your horn? Rem always says so too, so let me see your power!"
"Past, Replayed!"
The power of memory spread through the surroundings in an instant.
The many wounds on Rem's body began to heal rapidly, lost strength surged back into her frame, and even her unconscious mind began to wake up.
As for Ram, she felt a sense of fulfillment as something she had originally lost returned. She could feel the missing horn on her head being filled in.
It was a sense of security she hadn't felt since losing her horn as a child, a sense of satisfaction, a feeling of being filled with unparalleled power.
A green whirlwind swept across the area.
All the mabeasts were quickly eliminated under the onslaught of the gale. Even the tall, commander-like mabeast hiding in the shadows, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to the three of them, was caught in the whirlwind and turned into a bleached white skeleton in an instant.
Ram's body floated in midair, surrounded by a visible green whirlwind.
"Ram, you really weren't lying. You're truly incredible."
Subaru looked at Ram, who controlled the gale like a Goddess of the Wind and easily cleared out the mabeasts. He wore a deliberately cool smile on his face, but then his broken body could no longer support him, and he slowly collapsed toward the ground.
"Subaru!"
Ram reached Subaru's side in an instant. She caught his mangled body. There wasn't a single patch of healthy skin, bone was exposed on his limbs, and even his internal organs were faintly visible.
Feeling the life of the person in her arms fading rapidly, Ram's eyes filled with tears.
"No! Subaru! Use your own ability to save yourself! You can heal Rem, you can heal me, so you must be able to save yourself too! Don't fall asleep, you bastard!"
"I... promised you, and I did it."
Subaru looked at the weeping Ram with a smile of relief on his face.
I did it. I fulfilled my promise to another.
I protected the happiness of others.
I saved someone's life.
Dad, Mom, your son isn't a loser. Your son successfully accomplished something.
I didn't let you down...
With this martyr-like sense of satisfaction, Subaru closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again and saw the familiar ceiling, Subaru didn't feel the usual pain that followed Return by Death. Instead, he felt a sense of relief.
"Ah, the familiar ceiling."
He sighed as he said this, and then the voices of the twin sisters sounded in his ears.
"Sister! Subaru is awake."
"Subaru, how are you feeling? Is there anywhere else your body feels uncomfortable?"
Subaru turned his head in some confusion, looking at the extremely worried Ram and Rem, feeling lost for a moment.
Wait, didn't I die? Logically speaking, this should be after another Return by Death! Why does the scene after opening my eyes seem different from the usual plot?
Seeing Subaru's dazed and foolish expression, Rem asked Ram with concern.
"Sister, has Subaru's brain stopped working?"
"Sister, if that's the case, we can only take on the responsibility of caring for him for the rest of his life. From today on, I will be the one to wash Subaru."
"No, Sister isn't as good at taking care of people as I am. This matter should be left to Rem!"
"Don't just assume I've gone stupid, you two!"
Subaru struggled to sit up from the bed. He finally realized that he hadn't died at all.
But it was strange. His condition back then could be described as wretched. Even if he were sent to a modern hospital, he wouldn't have survived. He had only been holding on by a thread, yet now he was actually alive!
"Why am I still alive? Wait, even my body has fully recovered?"
Subaru looked at his limbs in disbelief. They were completely unscathed.
He knew that much of the flesh on his arms had been torn away, and even his bones had been fractured. To think he could recover under such circumstances!
Is the magic of this other world really this miraculous?
The Royal Capital, the Astrea family estate.
"Caelus, what have you been up to these past few days?"
Reinhard, who hadn't seen his friend for several days, asked with a smile.
"I went to help a friend in need."
Caelus said.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)