*This chapter is an edited MTL

　It was about six hours after leaving the Royal Capital when Subaru noticed that the speed of the dragon carriage had begun to slow down.

　As the scenery outside the small window began to slow down, Subaru reached out his hand to touch his chin, raising his eyebrows in wonder. The presence of stubble on his chin proved that the time he had felt was almost exactly the same as the one he had experienced.

　Rubbing his sore bottom from sitting on it, he stood up and went to the front window of the loading platform that leads to the driver's platform. He had never used it while driving at full speed so as not to disturb Rem, but in this case, he had no choice but to use it to question her true intentions.

Subaru: "Rem, why are you moving so slowly? We don't have the time to be slowing down..."

Rem: "It will soon be dark. Traveling at night also increases the chance of encountering night robbers and witchbeasts. —Rem thinks we should stay at a nearby village for the night.

　Rem, who was approached, didn't turn around, but slightly moved herself toward him from the driver's platform and began to speak.

　In response to his opinion, Subaru puts his hand on his chin and raises his eyebrows thoughtfully.

Subaru: "The nearby village ...is one of the two villages Wilhelm mentioned? I believe the one where dragons can be exchanged was called Hanumas or something like that, is that the village?"

　Subaru asks, thinking that it is probably not, but hoping that it is. But Rem shakes his head no and says, "No."

Rem: "It will take another six hours to get to Hanumas. It will take another six hours to get to Hanumas, and soon you will see a village called Fleur, not Hanumas. Sorry."

Subaru: "No, it's not your fault. Can't you just go ...and run for another six hours? If we did, we'd be at the halfway point, right?"

　Subaru lowers the tone of his voice and responds to Rem, suggesting that they continue the march. However, Rem still shakes her head at the suggestion.

Rem: "Sorry, but if we go from here to Hanumas, we might not arrive until after dark. If we do that, we may not be able to get lodging, and in any case, it would be difficult to arrange a dragon carriage in the middle of the night."

Subaru: "Guh...... that's also true. We're not talking about just getting to Hanumas and being OK, are we?"

　For the same amount of time that Subaru was lost in thought, even Rem had time to think. Naturally, she would have considered the measures that Subaru was talking about and made her current proposal.

　With his eyes closed, Subaru pondered over the proposal Rem offered. However, a conclusion was quickly reached.

Subaru: "Let's get lodging in Fleur and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Then we can rest the ground dragon, and perhaps we won't have to look for a replacement dragon in Hanumas."

Rem: "Yes. If we leave early in the morning and can successfully reach Hanumas, we may be able to return to the mansion tomorrow night."

　Perhaps spurred on by Subaru's easy acceptance, the relief in Rem's voice as she held the reins was strong.

　Sensing this from her posture, Subaru suddenly realized that he had left Rem under a lot of strain.

　The mental burden on Rem, who must have sensed this more clearly than Subaru when he learned that a crisis was approaching the mansion in some form, is immeasurable.

　She is already under such a heavy pressure, and if Subaru makes her feel uncomfortable by saying things she doesn't understand, her burden will only increase. Subaru's intention was not to make Rem suffer even more, since he had already rejected her insistence that he should stay behind at the Crusch residence.

　-Fortunately, it was not long before he was able to get lodging when he arrived in Fleur.

　After tying up the ground dragon to a stable (or should it be called a dragon stable in this case?) adjacent to the inn and renting a room, Subaru and his friends were moving toward an early bedtime.

　After forcibly stuffing themselves with a meal that was too meager to be called dinner and taking a light bath to wash off the grime, Subaru snuggled under the covers and tried to get some rest right away.

　But,

Subaru: "I can't sleep..."

　The feeling of concern for Emilia's safety and a sense of urgency to get there. These feelings were mixed together, and his agitated spirit kept him from falling asleep.

　Still, he lay on his bunk and wished for the sun to rise soon.

　He had plenty of time to think.

　And there should be plenty of it during the day tomorrow, too.

　And not only during transportation, but also at Crusch’s mansion, there was an enormous amount of time to think about it. The answer he arrived at was the one he was taking now.

　Therefore, what Subaru needed was not the time to worry and agonize, but only the action to connect his will to the result.

　And,

???: "...Subaru-kun, may I come in?"

　There is a knock at the door of the room, and the sound of the door being opened squeaks hesitantly.

　I turn over and look in its direction to see Rem, who has changed her clothes and is half-inserting herself into the room to look at me. She has taken off her familiar serving clothes and is dressed in a light nightgown that I had seen one day.

　He searches his memory for the last time he saw her in it, but before he can recall it, Rem notices that Subaru is awake and walks over to him.

　Subaru sits up and asks Rem, "What's wrong?"

Subaru: “If you can't sleep alone because you're lonely, you're in a bit of a bad situation. If you were a little calmer, I'd give you my best story, but right now it's..."

Rem: "That's a very exciting suggestion, but... that's not the main topic. Before you go to sleep, why don't we continue with the treatment?"

Subaru: "Treatment?"

　With his upper body raised on the bed, Subaru crosses his arms and tilts his head at Rem's words.

　If the word "treatment" has stuck in Subaru's mind recently, the only thing that comes to mind is the "gate restoration" that had been done by Ferris.

　But that was a treatment that had to be done on the premise that there was no one other than Ferris to do it in the first place.

Subaru: "Other than that, I can't think of any other areas of malfunction... Rem, what are you talking about?"

Rem: "As Subaru-kun imagines, Rem is talking about the treatment of the gate. She has been watching Felix-sama's treatment method in my own way, so she’s managed to figure out just how to do it. The effect is probably much weaker than Felix's, though."

　Rem looks up at him and says, “Still, it should be a lot easier than not doing it.” The only other person in the Roswaal mansion who excels in water-based magic, aside from Rem, is Beatrice, although I've never seen her actually use it.

　I suddenly remembered the curly-haired girl I hadn't seen for a while and felt nostalgic for the days when I used to quarrel with her without any kind of hesitation.

Rem: "Subaru-kun?"

Subaru: "Oh, oh, sorry."

　Subaru nodded while hastily covering up his feelings with a cough.

Subaru: "No problem, I'm counting on you. I just couldn't sleep anyway, and if it works, even a little bit, it will lighten my debt to Ferris a little bit."

Rem: "I see. I'm glad."

　Rem smiles, relieved that Subaru has accepted her proposal.

　As Subaru sits on the bunk with his back to her, Rem puts her hands on Subaru's shoulders from behind and touches them.

　Compared to Ferris's, Rem's fingertips are smaller and slender, tickling the nape of his neck, and while feeling itchy at the touch, Subaru surrenders himself to the sensation of heat gradually spreading through him.

　Subaru felt the heat spreading gradually as he surrendered himself to the sensation. This was the overflow of mana that he had experienced many times from Ferris's hands over the past week.

　Although it was a little less than Ferris' actions, there was no sign of the unpleasant feeling that made him feel sick, perhaps due to the difference in the amount of mana being manipulated.

　On the contrary, I began to feel a soft sensation as if I were being rocked in a cradle, or floating in lukewarm water with only my face showing.

Subaru: "Wow, wow. To be honest, it feels a lot better than what Ferris does."

Rem: "Yeah, is it ......?　It requires a lot of concentration, so Rem thought the inexperienced Rem wouldn't be able to satisfy Subaru-kun very well."

Subaru: "That's not true. It feels good, and it kind of makes me feel ...... sleepy ......."

　In fact, a sensation tickles my eyes that makes me feel like I'm going to fall asleep if I'm not careful.

　It is hard to believe that it was my nerves that were keeping me up until a few minutes ago, but considering that bedtime was a must, it was quite a good decision to take Rem’s suggestion.

Rem: "It's okay if you fall asleep, okay? Rem will let you sleep properly, cover you with a quilt, and enjoy your sleeping face before she leaves the room."

Subaru: "I'm not worried about catching a cold from sleeping on my stomach, and there are lots of things I'd like to say about enjoying my sleeping face, but I can't go to sleep while Rem is working so hard."

　I want to be aware that I don't have the insensitivity to be that selfish.

　Subaru's response was met with a small smile from Rem. She moves her hands slightly from touching Subaru's shoulders and touches Subaru's neck as if wrapping it from behind.

　Subaru feels that the amount of warmth transmitted from her palms has increased, and he feels his eyelids grow even heavier. He rubs his eyelids with his hands as if to fight it, and spins words in an attempt to connect with his consciousness.

Subaru: "I know they’d get angry at first..."

Rem: "Maybe... Rem is sure she will also be reprimanded by her sister, saying, 'Why did you come back?'"

Subaru: "I'll explain it to Ram myself. I'll explain to Ram that I forced Rem to come back. But to Emilia-tan, I'll tell her…”

　What should I say? My head was spinning so slowly that I couldn't come up with the right words.

　As Subaru begins to lose his vision under the weight of his eyelids, Rem extends the hand that was on his neck further, as if to embrace us from behind, and says

Rem: "--If you take the time to face her properly and put your feelings into words, Rem is sure she will understand someday. Subaru-kun, with your sincere feelings."

Subaru: "So… I guess. Yes, right, …I'm thinking of you so much…”

　The sound begins to fade into the distance. No, Subaru's consciousness begins to leave reality.

　Sleepiness has already passed the point of comfort to something akin to a curse, and his eyelids have become a stubborn cage of consciousness that can no longer be opened.

　Unable to stay conscious, my neck relaxed and my head fell forward.

　As it is, completely, just before my thoughts diverge from reality--

Subaru: "So, in that little corner of my mind, I also have Rem."

　As I said this, I felt Rem's lips tickle the back of my head.

　After such an overly convenient illusion, Subaru's consciousness fell into darkness.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　―When his consciousness was brought to wakefulness, Subaru felt the heat of the sunlight burning his eyelids.

　He was lying on his bunk in a posture that made him take shelter with a hand that he vaguely lifted up. The sunlight coming in through the room's large window was shining strongly, and the heat was so intense that he felt difficulty sleeping on the futon that was draped over his shoulders.

　When I was deeply moved by these feelings and recognized the current situation, I noticed something strange.

Subaru: "It's time for the sun to shine...!"

　Jumping off the covers with a huff, Subaru jumped down from his bunk and headed for the window. A cool breeze poured into the room through the frustratingly pushed-open window, and as the wind brushed his bangs, he looked up at the sky–there was the sun rising high in the sky.

Subaru: "You're lying, aren't you, oi. Sleeping in at a time like this...?"

　Looking at the sun, which had already risen too high, there was no doubt that it was a difficult time to call it a sunrise. It's noon, or even later if you're not careful.

Subaru: "What's wrong with you, …I’m an idiot!"

　Closing the window as if to slam it shut, Subaru rushes out of the room and into the next room.

　Rem, who rented the room, must be sleeping there, and if she didn't wake Subaru, then of course her consciousness must be in the dark as well.

Subaru: "Rem, Rem, wake up! I slept in sooo much!"

　Calling out, banging on the door, Subaru sincerely cursed his own carelessness that he had been asleep for more than half a day. Rem, who had never overslept before, could be excused for being tired from operating the dragon carriage and other things, but as for Subaru himself, he was completely at fault.

　He was so frustrated by his disappointment and frustration that he could hardly stand it, and his arm naturally tightened to knock on the door.

　Still, there is no response from inside. Is Rem's sleep that deep, or is there some other reason?

Subaru: "Oh, shit, it can't be helped. Rem! I knocked!"

　While saying this, Subaru lightly opens the door and runs his eyes over what's going on inside.

　He was concerned about the possibility that she might be changing clothes or sleeping in a state of undress, but all these concerns ended up being unfounded.

　Because–

Subaru: "...Rem?"

　The room was empty.

　Pushing open the door, Subaru entered the room and looked around.

　There was no sign of anyone sleeping on the empty bed, and in fact, the clean sheets showed no sign that anyone had even laid down on them.

　Feeling a bad premonition running up his spine, Subaru still continued to rummage around 

the room, trying to find any sign of Rem.

　However, no matter how hard he searched, there was no sign that anyone had been there, and the only thing he could find was a china cup on the table that had been used to hold a drink that had barely been touched.

　Subaru felt dizzy at the fact that he could not find even the small amount of baggage he was supposed to have brought with him, and he went downstairs with his blood palpitating.

　At the reception desk of the inn sat the host who had welcomed them last night, and when he saw Subaru running downstairs with a bloodthirsty look on his face, he said

Host: "Well, well, well, good morning. I hope you had a good night's rest last night."

　He rubbed his hands and smiled at me with a strong commercial smile.

　Subaru, however, did not take to his host's attitude and leaned forward, slamming his hand down on the reception desk.

Subaru: "What happened to me and the blue-haired girl I was staying with!"

Host: "Oh, sir, …don't get so excited. You'll surprise the others..."

Subaru: "Answer me! Where's Rem, where's my companion?”

　The host flinched at Subaru's insistence, and then, in a broken, broken voice, he asked, choosing his words carefully, "Where is your companion?

Host: "Oh, if it's your companion, ...well, late last night. Well, using the dragon carriage you rode in, yes..."

Subaru: "I can't hear you! I can't hear you!”

Host: “I'm sorry! So she left in the night! She got on the dragon carriage that came with you and left her luggage and accommodation for her companion… you!”

　Spitting out the answer as he shouted, the host brought out a bag that had been left just below the reception desk. He places it on the receptionist's desk and pushes it out to Subaru.

Host: "Here is the luggage. We have paid for your accommodation in advance, and we have received quite a lot of money, so there is no problem..."

Subaru: "No problem...?"

　The host seemed to be careful not to provoke Subaru, whose emotions were running high, but the reply, which he should have chosen his words carefully, made Subaru furious once again.

Subaru: "There's no problem ...with that!"

　Subaru's head was in his hands as he shouted angrily and slammed his arms down on the luggage on the desk.

　The questions, doubts, anger, sadness, and unreasonableness that rose up inside his skull were all jostled together, and Subaru looked up at the ceiling, scratching his black hair.

Subaru: "What… are you thinking, Rem...!"

　Subaru's exclamations were hollow and wooden in the sky as even those who understood him forced their incomprehension on him. 

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

"Dear Subaru-kun

When Subaru-kun is reading this letter, Rem is sure he is very upset with her.

Rem doesn't ask you to forgive her for going to the palace without Subaru-kun. But please understand.

Rem doesn't think it's right to send Subaru-kun back to the mansion now. Subaru-kun is not allowed to go back to the mansion, considering the situation of his parents and his body.

So, Subaru-kun, please stay in this village and wait for Rem's return in Fleur. After everything is settled, Rem will definitely come back for you.

Rem will leave all my money here, but she has already given enough money to the owner so that he can stay as long as he wants.

Please be patient with Rem. Please wait until Rem comes back. –Please.” 

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　After reading the letter that was mixed in with the luggage that had been entrusted to him, Subaru held his head deeply in his hands and let out a long, long sigh.

　The place was the common room on the first floor of the inn, and there was no one around Subaru as he sat on the sofa.

　The host seemed to be wary of Subaru's agitated state, and had not come within sight of his face since he had led him to the common room.

　In the midst of fighting the waves of unbearable emotions in this way, he found a letter in his luggage and took his time to finish reading it, which is what he is doing now.

Subaru: "Rem's an asshole..."

　It was a letter written in careful script, all in i-glyph characters.

　The fact that Subaru is in the process of learning to read and write, and can only read and write in the "i" alphabet, is well known to the people in the mansion, especially the twin sisters who often act as instructors.

　The compassion etched into the letterhead was too deep to assume with too much paranoia that this was a conspiracy by the hand of someone who had taken Rem away.

　In other words, it must have been Rem who wrote the letter, and there is no doubt that the contents left behind were also her intention.

　She had left Subaru in the village and returned to the mansion on her own.

　In the letter, she expressed her concern for Subaru, who was still far from perfect, and her assurance for his future, but Subaru's heart was too full to accept such concern.

　For him, there was only one emotion that he could read from the letter Rem left behind.

Subaru: "Rem… you also say that I am a useless person who lacks strength..."

　He was left behind, an unworthy evaluation of himself that expressed that one point in a nutshell.

　He read the letter over and over again, searching hard for some hidden agenda. Or perhaps there was something written in the letter that only Subaru could understand.

　However, no matter how many times he reread the letter, the text did not give Subaru a different interpretation than the first time.

Subaru: "Oh, really? If it's... then forget it. I understand. If you say you're going to leave me, then... I won't rely on you either."

　Saying this through gritted teeth, Subaru stands up.

　On the desk, in a bag with an open mouth looking down, was stuffed a considerable amount of gold and silver coins, just as the letter had stated.

　The roadside silver had been managed by Rem, but had probably been entrusted to her from Roswaal's hands when she remained in Royal Capital. Even Subaru, whose sense of monetary value is not quite otherworldly, could tell that the money was large enough to last him more than a year if he just spent it normally.

　In other words, it is a kind of power that can easily fulfill its purpose if used well.

Subaru: "I can hire a dragon carriage and a coach for the money and get to the Roswaal Mansion. I don't know what the price is, but… we'll have to make it work."

　If the worst happens and they get there, they don't care if they end up being poor.

　Once you've decided how you're going to spend the money, all you have to do is act.

　Subaru grabbed his bag, left the common room, and went to the reception desk with heavy footsteps. There, the owner of the house was sitting down with a small body, and when he saw Subaru approaching, he shrugged his shoulders as if he was frightened.

Host: "What can I do for you, sir...?"

Subaru: "I'd like to ask you a few questions, from here to the, ...uh, Mathers' estate in the Count of Roswaal’s territory. How long would it take to get there if I hired a dragon carriage?"

Host: "A dragon carriage, is it...?"

　The host's attitude was somewhat probing at first, but as soon as he determined that Subaru had regained some of his composure, he immediately examined the questions posed to him.

　He looked at the bag in Subaru's hand, took into account the advance payment for lodging given to him by Rem, and asked, "What do you think about renting a dragon carriage purely for the sake of it?

Host: "If it is purely to rent a dragon cart, four gold coins should be enough. If you want a good quality dragon and cart, it will depend on that. It also depends on whether it's a round trip or not, and how long you want to rent it out for."

Subaru: "I don't know if it's like that... It's totally acceptable. By the way, what if it comes with a driver’s compartment?"

Host: "With a driver’s compartment attached, the period of time is more clearly treated as a short term. If instead you don't use the dragon carriage for the return trip, then the amount will change and… yes, I think you can borrow the entire dragon carriage for five gold coins if you only want to go on the outward trip."

　The host adds, "I'm not a specialist, so I can't be sure," and Subaru expresses his gratitude, saying that at least that gives him a rough idea of the market price.

　Considering the amount of money in the bag Rem left behind, he can afford to spend that much in change. Subaru's mouth loosened as he realized that he had misjudged Rem's persistence in carrying out his intention, but this was shattered by his host's next words.

　The host prefaced his answer to Subaru, who had decided that he was ready to go after Rem, with the word "but," then looked down as if he was having trouble saying it.

Host: "The dragon carriage you requested, however, there are no stores in Fleur that rent them. You have to wait for a shared dragon carriage and go out to the Royal Capital or Hanumas to..."

Subaru: "What… …seriously? Not a single store where you can rent a dragon carriage?"

Host: "Sorry for the inconvenience. What's more, I hate to say it, but it will be more than two days before the next rideshare dragon carriage comes, and the... 'fog' is very strong this time of year."

　When the apologetic host tells him the shocking truth, Subaru withdraws his earlier thought - he is breathless at Rem's hardcore circumspection.

　Perhaps her plotting had begun yesterday when she had suggested that they take lodging here in Fleur. She had left Subaru in a village where she could not easily arrange a dragon carriage, and where he would have difficulty getting to his feet by any legitimate means.

　Subaru, who did not have the means to operate a dragon carriage, could not even resort to criminal acts such as stealing a land dragon from somewhere and riding it around as a worst-case scenario.

　All of this is a measure to keep Subaru in this village and keep him out of the situation.

Host: "Sir, are you all right?"

　The owner of the restaurant, who had his hand on his forehead and his brow furrowed in concern, asked Subaru as he leaned back against the receptionist's desk.

　Subaru barely manages to respond to this concern, "I'm fine," he says, and his thoughts race to the next step.

　If a dragon carriage cannot be arranged, the worst-case scenario is to go on foot. But Subaru alone would not be able to deal with the bandits and witchbeasts that Rem was concerned about, and above all, he would have no way to properly grasp the path.

　What Subaru regrets now is the fact that he has not even tried to see the map of this world with his own eyes until now.

　He has no idea where the royal capital is located on the map of this world, how far away from the capital the territory of Roswaal is, and how large the territory is.

　All of this is the price of ignorance. It is the price of uneducation. The excuse that this world is a different world for Subaru is no longer valid. Although Subaru has had opportunities to learn and to know, he has missed all of them, and this is the cause and effect that has befallen him.

Subaru: "Walking is rejected. There is no place to rent a dragon car. Think of a way to get there…"

　I have mobilized everything I have seen, known and learned in this world so far. Or even from the seventeen years of laziness in the original world.

　Subaru is trying his hardest to find an idea that he can use.

　From the very beginning, there was no choice but to follow Rem's instructions and throw everything away and spend time here in idleness. If he had to make that choice, he would not have left the Crusch residence in the first place.

　Subaru would have trampled on the consideration that Emilia had put into Subaru and would have rushed to her even if he had done so. If this was the case, then any further disrespect would have been out of the question.

　At this moment, Subaru's brain began to spin at a searing speed.

　　Today, at this moment, all the resentments and hardships that had accumulated up to this moment - a mixture of memories and humiliations, and facing an end from which there might be no recovery, it was turning around with a sound like a fire.

　Subaru found a hint in his recollections of the past days that might help him to break out of this situation. It was,

Subaru: "I'd like to ask you something."

Host: "Y-Yes, what is it?"

　The host was silent, his eyes bloodshot as he pondered the question. Subaru, however, does not care about his reaction and looks at him with bloodshot eyes.

Subaru: "There are merchants with their own dragon carriages in this village, right? I want to negotiate with them. Can you act as an intermediary?"