*This chapter is an edited MTL
Negotiations with Priscilla Barielle had also ended in failure, and this time all roads had collapsed.
Crusch and Priscilla outright refused, and Felt, along with Reinhardt, is absent. There was no way to talk to Julius' camp, who could only be called a mutual enemy, and Subaru had even thrown away his right to depend on the Knight’s Order, of which he only had bad memories.
In other words,
Subaru: “Does that mean I can't secure the fighting power that was my immediate goal…?”
Stricken with a feeling of despair and helplessness, Subaru touched his nose as he grumbled.
Priscilla’s kick had somehow crushed his nose, however the traces of the nosebleed had disappeared without any difficulty. Nonetheless, Rem had given him medical treatment and told Subaru, who was about to immediately begin moving, to, “Rest, please,” and so they were now sitting at this place.
The location has been moved from the Noble District to a commercial street within the Lower Royal Capital.
Crowds of equally talented merchants continue to come and go today, and Subaru was in a light meal shop watching the surging crowd of people brush by.
Chewing a meal of pork-like meat and lettuce-like vegetables sandwiched between bread-like foodstuffs, Subaru silently satisfies his hunger on his own.
The morning hours had been wonderfully wasted at Priscilla's mansion, and it was probably just about noon now. The time limit he had set himself for leaving the capital was about seven or eight hours away, so his surplus of time was continuing to disappear.
Despite this, the situation couldn’t even be said to be seesawing between favorable and unfavorable terms.
The fact that a possible solution had been shot down at least narrowed down the options, although it was not certain if one could say it was a result.
Subaru: “I'm not so naive as to think we're moving forward. Damn that uppity bitch… for forgetting that I saved her…”
When they first met, Subaru mentioned the feat of rescuing her from being surrounded by thugs, and she let out an abhorrence with the corners of her lips twisted in disgust.
It was true that she did not seem to think that she was indebted to him, but he did not think that she would even respond in this way to someone who was clutching at straws and asking for help.
In the end, she kicked Subaru with her foot, abused him with the same incomprehensible theory as Crusch, and roughly threw him out. Al is Al, too. He was a heartless person who didn’t say anything about his master's outburst. What's the point of being a fellow countryman, you useless bastard.
Subaru: “They can all eat shit. You don't know anything, you don't understand anything, you can't protect… anyone or anything, and all you do is get in my way…!”
He grinded his teeth and angrily bit off some bread and meat.
Chewing wildly, his mouth was so full with anger and humiliation that he couldn’t taste it.
He had to think of a plan B, the next plan, but all that occupied Subaru’s mind were bitter words and curses about the people he had come into contact with.
They are the fools who block Subaru’s attempts to protect and rescue everyone, and who are foolishly complicit in the deeds of the vicious Petergius.
Subaru: “Preferably, everyone who’s hindering me, I would rather kill—”
Rem: “Sorry to keep you waiting, Subaru-kun.”
Subaru was about to make a dangerous remark when he was interrupted by a blue-haired girl, her apron dress’s hem shaking—Rem.
She sat down in the chair opposite Subaru, which was empty,
Rem: “You have sauce around your mouth, Subaru-kun.”
She reached over and gently wiped the edge of Subaru's mouth with a cloth in her hand.
While being left to his own devices, Subaru silently asked Rem for a report. There was, of course, a reason why she had separated from Subaru and gone off on her own.
It was,
Rem: “I reported the witch cult’s activity to the Knights Order. I gave Roswaal-sama’s name, so I wasn’t turned away at the door, but…“
As she got to the second half, her wording became weaker and Subaru bit his lip.
Instead of Subaru, who would not have looked good to the knights, he sent Rem to face them as Roswaal’s messenger.
He thought that if they heard the hint about the witch cult’s activity from Rem’s mouth, then it might have been possible that the Knights Order would begin to move.
Subaru: “Not very good, huh?”
Rem: “…It seems that many similar reports have been made. The witch cult’s background is blurry, so any reports they gather are treated with suspicion.”
Subaru: “Ah, I see. So they really treat witches like they did in the days of the witch trials and stuff like that. If they really have the nerve to use that as cover, then it’s not funny.“
The phantom witch cult’s movement was built up by the number of people who potentially fear the witch cult.
If the fear that was extracted by the Knights Order when they gathered caused even the value of real information to diminish and vanish, then they really have their priorities backwards.
Rem's shoulders slumped apologetically, but I don't blame her for this.
This is not Rem's fault, but the negligence of the Knights Order and the hideousness of the witch cult. The Knights Order should be doing a thorough examination of the correctness or incorrectness of the information that comes in without cutting any corners, and the witch cult’s very existence is nothing but evil.
As for these inconveniences, while grinding his teeth, Subaru came to a decision.
Subaru: “If it's impossible to gather a force… it's frustrating, but it cannot be helped.”
Rem: “What, should we do?”
Subaru: “I’ve decided. We’ll return to the mansion. Then, we’ll entice Emilia and Ram to leave and turn back. We’ll go to the Royal Capital, or to where Roswaal is, either will be fine. Anyway, that place is dangerous.”
Petelgeuse’s loud laughter crossed his mind, and his fist trembled with regret.
But even if he wanted to pulverize that skeleton-like face, his vital hand cannot reach that far. He only vaguely knew where they were hiding. Even so, he didn’t even have enough troops to surprise them, and even if he were to challenge them with his current forces—he would have to put Rem in the line of fire.
He didn't want to do that.
He couldn't stand that anymore.
It would be unthinkable for Rem to be hurt by Subaru's actions, or as a result of Subaru's ideas, and then be forced into a situation where she could lose her life.
If he couldn’t prepare a force to fight Petelgeuse other than Rem, then he must not even think about having a fight with him.
His guts still seethed with murderous intent, and a never-ending curse of hatred echoed endlessly in his skull. It continued to echo. But,
Subaru: “It's only been a day and a half—if we leave the royal capital now, we can reach the mansion during the third day. Then we'll have enough time to get Emilia and the others out.”
Recalling the first world, Subaru verified the time limit over and over again.
Three days of idleness in the Crusch mansion. Hearing that there was a shadow of unrest in the Roswaal’s territory, he spent a day with Rem, followed by another half-day with Otto, whom he picked up in a village on the way. After that, we headed there on foot and greeted the massacre on the morning of the fifth day.
In other words, there is still an extension of time if he could arrive on the third day.
Subaru: “The second one is… shit! What the heck, how many days was I insane for?”
On the other hand, the second time around the timeline is worthless.
Immediately upon returning to the world, he found that his mind was strange and that he didn’t remember a single thing about the journey back to the mansion with Rem. How many days did Rem spend in Crusch's mansion with Subaru, who had lost his mind, and when did he fall into the hands of Petelgeuse?
Anyway,
Subaru: “The remaining time is too precious to spend thinking. Rem, let's arrange a dragon carriage. We can't rely on Crusch or anyone else this time… In that case, what do we do?”
Rem: “For the basics of preparing a dragon carriage, you have to use a shop that specializes in arranging dragon carriages. But the current situation is that dragon carriages stores are very busy at the moment, so I'm not sure if it can be arranged immediately.”
In response to Rem's reply, which was not very convincing, Subaru shoveled down the rest of his meal, stood up, and urged her, “Anyway, let's go.”
The ideal would be to borrow a fast-footed, long-distance dragon carriage. But in the worst case situation, they would have to think about exchanging the dragon carriage like they did in the first world.
Grabbing his luggage and fed up with the reality that everything was not working out as he wanted, Subaru started walking as fast as he could to spare even a second of valuable time.
Behind him, Rem, whose stride did not match his stride, was walking hard to match his pace. Subaru, who did not even take a glance at her, would never notice this.
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Subaru: ‘It feels a lot more ferocious on the trading street today, doesn't it?’
Leaning his back against the wall of a familiar street, Subaru mentioned the difference in the atmosphere of the passing crowds.
It was a scene he had only experienced a few days and some hours of, but the feeling of foreignness was so strong in the trading street today that even Subaru, with so little experience, could feel the difference.
That was,
???: “It's because word of the king's election has spread, and more and more people are finally coming from all over the place.”
Subaru's mutterings were answered with a sigh from a man, Scarface, who rested his strong arms on the counter and squinted his eyes in boredom—he was the fruit shop owner who was completely familiar by now, Kadomon.
He looked across at Subaru, who had stopped in front of his shop as if it were natural to do so,
Kadomon: “When changes occur in the Royal Capital and the people who come change, what sells best also changes. If you stand there, we’ll miss the busy season for our shop, which is finally coming, so get lost.”
Subaru: “The clientele of the Royal Capital is changing too, but if the storekeeper’s appearance stays the same then the number of things sold will stay the same, you know. Anyways, the number of people is increasing, right?”
He reversed Kadomon’s sarcastic complaints, and then piled on another question. The shopkeeper intentionally put on a disgusted face, and then put his finger on the white scar on his face as he replied with an “Ah,”
Kadomon: “Traveling merchants and such are coming in droves from the outside. Well, business opportunities are all about the start. If they join in late, there's not much profit to be gained. Those with a sharp nose will get in quickly, spread their wares, and make a profit, I guess.”
Subaru: “With such a big chance as this right in front of his eyes, I have to wonder what this storekeeper with no business ability is doing lining up unsold ringa right now? Yeah, I don’t get it.”
Kadomon: “You, do you have something against my shop? If you come here, you’ll die if you say hateful things to me.”
With shaper than usual jokes, Subaru once again turned his gaze towards the state of affairs on the street.
It seems that, as Kadomon said, the number of people who are buying goods was increasing as far as the eye can see, and it seemed that there were even more people carrying baggage under their arms while hunting for a place to spread their wares in the commercial district.
Their feet naturally go towards the trading street among other places to open a street stall, however, there are also dragon carriages being pulled towards the noble streets
Subaru: “I can understand traveling merchants opening street stalls, but what's with the dragon carriages heading towards the upper district?”
Kadomon: “They’re going up to the nobles directly to wholesale their goods. If you do well, you can make more money than you can through the Chamber of Commerce, and the higher-ups will remember your face. If you fail, though, you'll get noticed and may not be able to come down.”
Kadmon spoke in an indifferent tone of voice, as if he was not interested in other people's money-making schemes. While being given a suitable answer, Subaru’s eyes gazed at the dragon carriage as it drove away.
At the very least, could he successfully borrow one of those vehicles? In the worst case scenario, if he couldn’t arrange a dragon carriage, he would have to consider stealing one.
If it was a problem that could be solved with money, they should do it because there is no substitute for human life. If it was made into a problem that could not be cleared up by money, then he would still commit a misdemeanor in the name of human life.
It was a different story from stealing a bicycle from a bicycle parking lot, but it could not be helped if it would lead to a clear solution. Seeing Subaru gazing at the dragon carriage, Kadmon seemed to think that Subaru was interested in the cargo it had,
Kadomon: “Because of the Royal Selection the number of people has increased, and so has supply and demand. But what is particularly valuable now are iron things: swords, spears, and other weapons and armor. Not only are they imported from the outside, but they are also bought from the people who set up shop in the capital.”
Subaru: “Iron and weapons… I remember hearing something about that.”
Where was it, he wondered with a hand on his chin, and he remembered the scene when he spoke to Otto in the first world.
In a situation where iron and other products were selling at a high price in the royal capital, Otto, who was carrying a lot of oil, was deciding whether or not to hang himself while drowning in alcohol.
Combined with Kadmon's story, Otto's dire situation was apparently confirmed from this point onwards.
Nevertheless,
Subaru: “Swords and armor. If he's collecting iron, does that mean he's going to make a group of it too? Is the guy collecting them trying to start a war?”
Kadomon: “Well, it's a bit strange that they're fortifying their defenses… If that’s the reason, you’d usually do it in your own territory. If you collect too much stuff in your temporary residence in the Royal Capital, it would be troublesome to move it all.”
Subaru: “From the way you’re talking, do you know the name of the guy who’s collecting this stuff?”
Unintentionally, from the conversation with Kadomon it seemed he had heard something, and he folded his arms, cooly nodded his head, and said, “Ah,”
Kadomon: “The Duchess Crusch-Karsten. One of the Royal Selection Candidates.”
Subaru: “Crusch is…?”
Subaru frowned perplexedly as the fact that the name closer to him than he had thought was laid bare. However, thinking about it, it did make sense.
Day after day, Crusch met with many visitors. Subaru had assumed that this was part of her diplomacy to gain connections with influential people, but there may have in fact been negotiations with the merchants who brought in such goods.
In truth, as far as Subaru knew, the last person with whom Crusch had met was a merchant deeply involved in the economy of the Royal Capital, a man called Russell.
Suddenly, he wanted to ask her for more details, but he hesitated to do so because he felt repulsed by the idea of devoting his thoughts to such an unnecessary matter.
And while he was doing so,
Kadomon: “Hey, isn't that your young lady waving over there?”
Kadomon pointed across the street causing Subaru to turn his head, where Rem was half-running towards them while waving her hand. When she made it to Subaru her shoulders heaved as she breathed hard, and her facial expression when she recognized her partner brightened a degree.
Rem: “There is one. Somehow, I think we can borrow one dragon carriage for long-distance travel.”
Subaru: “Really? That's really good news. I didn't expect much with the traffic at the store earlier, but…”
The rental dragon carrage shop was quite prosperous, and negotiations proved difficult, as Rem feared. Deciding that he couldn't do much by being there, Subaru left the negotiations to Rem and visited Kadmon to sort out his thoughts as they talked.
Rem, who seemed to have done well in the negotiations that followed, loosened her cheeks with a bit of pride,
Rem: “Yes. He was quite stubborn, but we agreed to pay a little more. I'm sorry I took the liberty of dipping into our traveling funds.”
Subaru: “No, nice decision. At this point, we shouldn't spare any money for the sake of our purpose.”
He had heard that the system of the dragon carriage store is that a person from the shop will bring you to the entrance of the Royal Capital.
They had been told that the rendezvous time was very soon, so they had to start hurriedly moving.
Subaru: “So that's it then. It was only for a short while, but thank you for taking care of me, old man.”
Kadomon: “You're leaving the Royal Capital? I'm not worried for you, but I'm sorry for you, young lady.”
Despite the nasty things he said, Kadomon does seem to seriously be reluctant, probably because Rem had replaced him in tending the store, and each time the amount sold tremendously increased.
Her good nature and achievements are also the reason why he doesn't rashly drive away Subaru, who treats him with arrogance and disrespect. Anyway,
Rem: “Thank you for your hospitality, Kadmon-sama. I will be sure to stop by again when I visit the Royal Capital.”
Kadomon: “Thank you very much for your kindness… and, I’m sure you and the girl are attendants of someone of a high social status, so I’m sorry I was so rude to you.”
Rem: “No. Up to now Rem was Roswaal-sama’s servant, but now I serve Subaru-kun. Thank you for everything up until now.”
Kadomon: “…I hate you more and more, you know.”
Hearing Rem’s reply Kadomon grimaced splendidly, he touched his scar and said, “Here,” before presenting a paper bag to Rem. She accepted it, and Subaru peered into it from Rem’s side. Inside the bag were various multicolored fruits,
Kadomon: “It's a contribution to sales and a thank you for your patronage. Be careful on the road.”
Subaru: “…Old man. You're not making any sales if you keep doing this. Your wife and daughter are going to give up on you.”
Kadomon: “I didn't give it to you, I gave it to Rem-chan! Get the fuck out of here!”
Driven away by violent good intentions, Subaru and Rem leave the place impatiently.
Until the very end, there was nothing to be included in the exchange with Kadmon. The only thing that saved his heart was the fact that he had been able to tighten his cheeks.
To laugh, or to be at peace, such things are not needed right now.
After everything is settled, he won't have to hold back and will laugh.
To do that, we don't need those emotions now.
They are not necessary.
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The ground dragon pulling the dragon carriage that Rem had borrowed was the largest ground dragon he had seen up to this point, and its powerful hind legs made the earth tremble as it ran through the grassy field.
Its legs were so strong that a cloud of sand would not disappear from view for a while, increasing its speed but blurring its vision. Sitting next to Rem on the coach’s bench, Subaru squinted his eyes at the dust while saying,
Subaru: “Being fast… is good, but can't you do something about this?”
Rem: “It was originally a ground dragon for transporting heavy loads. So the way it runs is not passenger-friendly, and while it’s fast, it cannot specialize in quiet running, or so I was told.”
Subaru: “We were lucky enough to borrow it and run it without a break, so we can't say anything about luxury, can we? …But still, as expected this sand is tough. Is there anything we can do about it?”
After rummaging and feeling around in their luggage with teary eyes, the results were unsatisfactory.
Reluctantly, he tied a thin hand towel as impromptu sand-blocking cloth around his mouth, similarly, he tied one around Rem’s mouth, who was holding the reins.
Subaru: “Alright, it's done. Now you won't have anything gritty in your mouth, and it's a little better, right?”
Rem: “Yes. It’s better than enduring the sand.”
The style of covering their mouths made them look like gangsters from any era, but we don't have the luxury of making fun of it and talking light-heartedly now.
When there are fewer obstacles to watch over the driving, Subaru naturally chose to immerse himself in his thoughts. The grasslands spread out as far as the eye can see, and change does not even come that often in this world of only green. What did change was the position of the clouds in the sky and the angle of the sun, which shifted slowly but surely—it meant the passage of time, and Subaru's mind was slowly burning away.
The advantage of the time allotment was stirring.
The day and a half spent in the royal capital could be said to have been a time of idleness with no clear results, but it was significant that we were able to set out on the second day with the dragon carriage in our possession.
Based on the starting point of the Sun, which had begun to tilt, it would be early tomorrow morning when they reach the residence after half a day of running along the road. If it was early morning on the third day, that was half a day earlier than the time of departure from the Crusch Estate in the first world.
There should be plenty of time to get Emilia and the others out of the mansion and escape.
If there was a problem—,
Subaru: “There's a chance we'll encounter the Witch Cult on the way, like last time…”
His memories of the second world were not clear, but if the cave he had woken up in was their hideout, then if they were to meet them it would be on the route back to the mansion.
While driving the dragon carriage back, the two were attacked by the Witch Cult, as a result, Subaru was captured, and Rem would come to rescue him, and be murdered—that was natural.
After that, Subaru’s shackles were removed and he broke out of the cave. Although it didn’t feel like it, it must have taken around a day.
Subaru: “If that’s the case, the that means those guys have been hanging around the mansion for a few days”
He didn't know exactly what that date was.
If the time schedule in the second world is identical to the first, the mansion and village tragedy was on the morning of the fifth day. And if we calculate that Subaru was held captive for only a day and a half, then the encounter with them was between the third and fourth day. In other words,
Subaru: “As long as they are scheduled to arrive in the early hours of tomorrow morning, the possibility of encountering them isn’t none…!”
He involuntarily gnashed his teeth and his blood ran cold for what must have been the umpteenth time.
If the departure had been yesterday, this concern would have been considerably lessened. But with their current travel time, they were well into the danger zone. He was not optimistic.
Subaru: “——”
With a sideways glance, Subaru looked at Rem, who was holding the reins and concentrated on driving.
If, hypothetically, they ended up encountering the Witch Cult, he would obviously have to rely on Rem again. Or perhaps he could avoid making the same mistake as last time if he told her in advance about the possibility of an encounter with the Witch Cult and urged her to be on the lookout for them.
When it came time to speak, Subaru found himself unable to.
He was afraid of being tormented by the intense pain from the black haze appearing and clutching his heart in that frozen world—only he was not. He did indeed fear that pain. It was a pain that pinched his whole body to the point that every time he remembered it, every time he tasted it, he wondered if his hair would turn white. It was not something sane people could bear. Even when he used that thing, he was only able to do it because of some unexplainable emotional explosion. If you asked him to do it again he would shake his head.
But it was not that pain that made Subaru hesitate to talk about the Witch Cult now.
—So what was it?
Will Rem really believe his story?
Subaru: “——hk!”
Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine, and Subaru hugged his shoulder as if he couldn’t bear it.
His heart was beating ridiculously fast and the feeling of vomiting was rising up and pressing down on his internal organs. The stress of the extreme mental state and the physical exhaustion of not having slept at all are eating away at Subaru's energy and strength as a debt.
For Subaru now, the most trustworthy person in the world was none other than Rem.
Having been abandoned even by Emilia, and having been treated with such disregard by Crusch and Priscilla in rapid succession, Subaru's psyche had fallen into a world of doubt and suspicion, and he could not help but doubt everything.
It was impossible to imagine a situation in which his trust in Crusch and Priscilla was restored, and he could not even imagine a scenario where he and Emilia could laugh and talk to each other again until he had killed Petelgeuse and saved her.
That's why the only person Subaru now had was Rem.
She was the only one to whom he could fully entrust everything, and freely call a friend.
What if, hypothetically speaking, he confided in her about the Witch Cult, and her expression clouded with doubt? —It was terrifying to even think about.
Subaru: “I'm scared, this is not the time…”
He tried to speak to ward off the feeling of timidity, but the sound was more like a breath than a voice. His voice was less of a reverberation and more of a whisper, it was so quiet that the rumbling of the Ground Dragon drowned it out, and it did not even reach himself.
Still, he had to confide in her.
As long as there was the possibility of clashing with the Witch Cult, if he didn’t confide he would just be following the last world. Subaru had lost his life and had come back to seize fate in order to get the best out of it.
So—
Subaru: “Re, Rem… about that story,“
Rem: “Subaru-kun—up ahead, people are gathering.”
However, the voice he had shaken out with all of his determination was interrupted by Rem’s sharp voice.
”Huh?” Subaru asked as he followed Rem’s gaze, and there he found that many foreign bodies had emerged where there had previously just been the dragon highway.
—No way, an ambush by the Witch Cult?!!
Subaru's heart nearly leaped out of his mouth at the untimely situation, but as the shadow gradually began to approach, he discovered the true identity of the shadow, which had a definite outline.
It was—,
Shadow: “—Heey! Why don't we stop the ground dragons for a moment and exchange some information!”
In the middle of the street, waving his hands in the air and shouting loudly, calling for a halt—the merchant Otto was there.
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Otto: “Oh no, sorry. Thank you for stopping. At this time of year, there are a lot of people heading towards the Royal Capital, but not many coming out of the Royal Capital. We were hoping to speak to those kinds of people.”
Greeting them after they stopped the carriage, the young man—Otto—greets them with a smiling face.
He is neither drunk nor does he look like he has lost all hope. Unlike last time, the merchant Otto here gave the impression that he was alive and well.
The fact that he left him behind in the first world, and that he was desperate to stop him, was a slight thorn in Subaru's side. However, considering the devastation of the village afterwards, it was probably a good decision for him to leave Subaru behind.
Anyway,
Subaru: “All the people gathered here, are they all traveling merchants or something?”
Otto: “Yes, they're all traveling merchants. They're all greedy and want to have a shot at the capital, which is now the center of attention.”
Subaru asked about the scene behind Otto, who rubbed his hands together and gave a polite smile.
As for the scene behind Otto—there were a number of dragon carriages stopped by the dragon highway, and each of their owners, who all seemed to be men, were gathered around them. The number of men in the group was no more than ten, but they ranged in age from those young, like Otto, to those in their forties or so. Among them is the skinny man who introduced Otto to me in the first world.
As soon as Otto and him had finished greeting each other, they all began to gather around the two of them and begin to introduce themselves and talk about various topics.
The main topics were the current situation in the capital and the changes that had taken place before and after the Royal Selection. They also talked about the change in the value of the currency—naturally, these were all points that the merchants were concerned about.
In honesty, he didn't have time to stop and have a conversation, but as soon as he confirmed Otto's presence, the option of ignoring him and passing by disappeared.
Fortunately, he was able to confirm that he was safe (as was normal in the third world), so he intended to leave as soon as the conversation was over.
Otto: “Are you leaving now? It's nighttime, so isn’t it dangerous? We're going to camp here tonight… so if you want to join us.”
After the one-sided exchange of information, Otto stopped Subaru and Rem as they were about to leave.
As he had said, even the remnants of the sun were already fading from the sky, and night was beginning to overshadow the meadows from beyond the orange-tinted sky.
In a short time, Lifaus Highway will be completely encroached upon by night, and visibility will be dependent on the lights produced by the crystal lamps.
The merchants who have gathered have already begun setting up camp, and a fire has already been prepared in the center of the area where the dragon carriages are gathered.
Wild dogs, bandits, and the like that might appear on the roads would probably judge that it was too difficult to touch them if so many people were gathered here. The wisdom of the traveling merchants was admirable, but even that safe time was too precious right now.
Subaru: “Or so you say, Otto. You just want to reduce the amount of that out of season oil you have in stock, don't you? Don't be nice”’
Just as he said no, he heard a cheer. A burst of laughter erupted behind him at the sound of the his voice, and Otto, who has been singled out as the culprit, had a frown on his face,
Otto: “I didn't mean it like that. It was purely out of the goodness of my heart. Well, food and lanterns. If you could take a bit of oil for those, I'm not without a desire to…”
Rem: “Is something wrong with your oil?”
Rem asked Otto, who slumped his shoulders and spoke in a defeated tone. He raised his eyebrows at her question, and awkwardly shrugged his shoulders,
Otto: “No, nothing is wrong with it. I've apparently messed up this business opportunity. I'm holding a large quantity of oil that is of delicate value for sale. It was supposed to make a lot of money in Gusteko in the north…I wonder how much of the deficit I can make up in Lugnica at this time of year.”
His look of distress is probably his way of inviting our sympathy.
Otto may not have judged them as a business partner who would take advantage of this, and it was clear that if he could sell the oil at a reasonable price, even just a somewhat reasonable price, he would make a profit—that was the extent of his thinking.
Rem must have understood this. She looked at him in sympathy, and furthermore took her impressions and turned them into formal words of comfort, “Is that so? That’s terrible.”
Otto: “Even if I go to the Royal Capital I don’t know if I can sell all this oil. If I have to sell it all for dirt cheap, I'll be bankrupt. —I'll be bankrupt.”
He seems to have said it twice because it's important, but Subaru doesn't have a bold enough goodwill to say he'll buy all the oil.
In the first world, they had a relationship where they took care of each other, but this time their relationship was thin. He wished him all the best for the future, but their future came first.
For now, they are running down the streets at night as quickly as possible to enter Mather's territory.
The possibility of encountering the Witch Cult, and the plan to get Emilia and the others to safety. As his thoughts were focused on these, and he was about to spin the words to say goodbye—Subaru suddenly realized.
If he could change something with money, why should he not do so?
Subaru: “Otto, I need to talk… no, I need to have a business discussion with you.”
Otto's eyes widened at Subaru, who suddenly wiped his expression and whispered in a low voice. Recognizing by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t joking, Otto straightened his back.
Otto: “If it's business, I'm ready to listen. Sir—what can I do for you?”
Subaru: “I'll buy all the oil you have in your dragon carriage. In exchange, I need your legs.”
Pointing at Otto’s ground dragon—Subaru opened his arms wide and spoke loud enough to be heard by everyone preparing the campground.
Subaru: “All the merchants and dragon carriages here—all those who are willing to sell their legs for money, I’ll buy them from you!”