Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

　--I woke up to the sensation of something rough brushing against my cheek.

　When Subaru realized he had regained consciousness, he felt a fatigue seeping through his entire body. His whole body felt so sluggish that he wondered if lead had been pumped into every blood vessel in his body.

　When I opened my mouth to breathe, my dry, stuck lips tore apart, and the taste of blood seeped into my mouth along with a sharp pain. In my mouth, which had even run dry of saliva, I could feel my tingling tongue crawling about in search of the moisture of blood.

　The limbs are sluggish and the head feels sluggish, as if the patient had a fever.

　Lacking the strength to even push my eyelids open, I managed to open my eyes by rolling my heavy eyeballs.

　and,

"...It's you."

　The moment his vision took on color, Subaru saw before his eyes a jet black of a different color than the one behind his eyelids.

　As it moved, it exhaled the animal-smelling breath typical of an animal, but continued to lick the sleeping Subaru's cheek with its tongue as if to comfort him.

　A sleek, sleek form with a lustrous jet black body, sharp yet somehow endearing reptilian eyes, and knife-like fangs that looked like they would kill anyone in a single bite――Out of the mouth revealing the fangs was a red tongue sticking out and licking Subaru's cheek - it was his beloved dragon, Patrasche.

　When Patrasche noticed that the awakened Subaru had perceived her, she stopped licking him and sat down as if waiting for him to speak. The earth dragon was surprisingly dexterous, able to fold its knees and sit on the spot.

　Seeing Patrasche in front of him, Subaru realized he was leaning against something hard, with his feet stretched out on the ground. Tilting his head to look behind him, he saw a moss-covered stone wall that looked familiar, and he could tell it was the entrance to a tomb.

"I think I was inside... why outside...?"

　As always, when one awakens from the castle of dreams, it is customary to do so from within the tomb.

　Of course, it would be a different story if someone had pulled the unconscious Subaru outside, but currently the only two people in the Sanctuary who could enter the Tomb were Emilia and Garfiel.

　It seemed extremely unrealistic that either of them had taken Subaru outside.

"But I don't think I crawled out by myself, so what on earth..."

　Just as he was about to continue asking who it was, he was suddenly interrupted by a different voice.

　In the distance, beyond Patrasche, a figure came running, shouting, out of breath, tangling as it approached.

「Oi! P-Patrasche-chan, wait a second...! H-h-h-. M-if you manage to escape, I'll be in big trouble... Huh?」

　Spotting Patrasche, a grey-haired young man - Otto - stopped with a look of genuine relief on his face. He took a sigh of relief at seeing Patrasche, then noticed Subaru standing right next to him and tilted his head.

"Isn't that Natsuki? What are you doing here?"

"You can see it, they're bathing in the moonlight. What were you doing out this late at night? Depending on the circumstances, I might even drag you to Garfiel's place."

"I don't know why you're assuming I've done something wrong, but the fact that I'm sweating at this time of night is not something that Natsuki-san has nothing to do with."

　Seeing Otto, Subaru tried to keep up his usual appearance by making light-hearted remarks. Otto shrugged his shoulders in response to Subaru's words and shook his head in exasperation.

"It has nothing to do with me, right?"

"It seemed a bit noisy, so I went to check on the earth dragon's stables, and Patrasche was making a lot of noise. I wondered if there was something going on, and if she'd been kept locked up for a few days and been stressed out, so I decided to take her out for a quick walk, but then… bang."

　Otto clapped his hands together and glared at Patrasche's noble profile, but Patrasche showed no reaction to Otto and simply stared at Subaru.

"It seemed like he didn't pay me any attention at all, but that's okay. He pushed me away and ran out of the stables. I was dizzy for a while, but I got really worried that if he ran away like that, it would be dangerous for my position, and that's how we got to where we are now."

"Since you came to me, I guess that's why you felt at ease."

"Yes, that's right. Natsuki-san, did you give any instructions to Patrasche-chan?"

"I don't have that kind of free time. I haven't been able to show up except to go and cook..."

"Otherwise I would have worried you. I left in such a hurry."

"――――"

　Otto muttered that he was worried, and Subaru was about to retort when his throat choked.

　A sudden thought welled up in his mind that this couldn't be, and Subaru searched his own body for evidence, where he soon found traces of the same thing.

　There was a faint indentation on the right shoulder of his jacket, along with traces of saliva and teeth marks. And the back of Subaru's body was heavily soiled with dust, as if he had been dragged.

"Patrasche..."

"――――"

　Her round eyes were directed at Subaru.

　Subaru held his breath as the earth dragon silently waited for his master to speak,

Did you pull me out of the tomb?

　Of course, there was no way that Patrasche would respond to Subaru's question with words, but after becoming aware of the dirt on his own body, Subaru looked over at the earth dragon and noticed what appeared to be multiple lacerations on its jet-black skin.

　It was no easy task to inflict damage on the tough, scaled skin of an earth dragon, even with the use of tools. And above all, to Subaru, the damage looked as if it had come from inside the body.

　Suddenly, I remember.

　--The Graveyard has the power to repel those who are not worthy to take the Trials.

　Roswaal's injuries, as he recuperates in his bed, are a sign of where they began. If anyone unqualified were to set foot inside, the Tomb would bare its fangs at the intruder - in other words,

"You even got injured like that just to get me out..."

"――――"

Subaru: "Why did you do something so stupid… When I woke up, I would have just come out normally, and then… that was it. There was no need for you to rush out like that and get hurt…"

　The lacerations on Patrasche's skin were so sharp that the red flesh beneath the black skin was faintly visible, and the sight of the blood oozing out was so painful it made him wince.

　And the fact that Patrasche had taken Subaru outside even though he had been so injured - to put it bluntly, it was a waste of time.

　Not understanding the true meaning of what Patrasche had done for him, Subaru lowered his eyes and the earth dragon nuzzled in. Subaru's legs were still stretched out limply, and the dragon's hard, rough texture rubbed against his neck again and again.

　They are unable to exchange words, and the occasional communication they think they are able to do is actually one-sided, and their relationship is one in which they are constantly being considerate of each other in various situations.

"Otto."

「Um, what is it? Right now, the atmosphere seems to be good, so if that's the case, I'll go somewhere so as not to get in the way...」

"Why did Patrasche try to help me... please listen."

　Otto possesses the 『Divine Protection of the Spirit of Words』, and should be able to converse with creatures of different ecology, such as animals and insects. Naturally, he should also be able to communicate with Patrasche.

　What was Patrasche thinking, trying to take Subaru out even at the risk of getting injured? That very reason was on his mind right now.

　However, Otto frowned and made a displeased face at Subaru's request.

"Honestly, I'm not keen, Natsuki-san."

"Don't say that, please."

"Based on what you just muttered to Patrasche, Natsuki-san, you were in this tomb where this 'Trial' took place, weren't you? I had a vague idea from what you said earlier and this afternoon that you were qualified to take the 'Trial', but judging by the state you're in, you must have failed, right?"

"...Ah, that's right."

　The impact of his interaction with the witches was so strong that his memory is starting to blur, but in this loop, Subaru doesn't tell anyone that he passed the first "trial." He tells only Garfiel, and then goes straight into the tomb to begin the second "trial," the witches' tea party.

　The "Trials" weren't the only reason he was overwhelmed, but he couldn't think of a way to correct Otto's misunderstanding, so Subaru simply tucked his chin in and did as he was asked.

　Seeing Subaru, Otto dropped his shoulders and sighed in obvious exasperation.

"I can imagine why you did that, but… it was really stupid, Natsuki-san. On top of that, you suffered a painful experience inside, and to top it off, you caused your beloved dragon to worry, which is how it is now. Patrasche-chan has good intuition, so she must have noticed that something had happened to Natsuki-san. Then she blew me away and rushed over here… the wound must have been related to that, too."

"――――"

　Otto follows the same flow as Subaru's earlier imagination and reaches a conclusion.

　Subaru had come this far. The question was, why did Patrasche go to such lengths? He wanted Otto to find out, but

"What's with that look? Don't tell me you were serious about what you just said?"

"So, on the other hand, does it look like I'm in a position to make a joke right now?"

"I feel like Natsuki-san had the nerve to tell a lame joke even when she was in tatters, and in the current situation I think it would be funnier if she was told it was a joke. --Really, don't you understand?"

　Questioned in a low voice, Subaru was overwhelmed by Otto's gaze before he could respond.

　Otto was looking down at Subaru as if he was looking at something unbelievable, or to put it bluntly, as if he was looking at an idiot. Was he saying that Subaru had made some kind of grand oversight?

　However, Subaru was still motionless and couldn't think of anything to explain it, so he just furrowed his brow in confusion. His impatience even made sweat form on his forehead, but no thoughts came to mind.

　Seeing this, Otto sighed for the second time,

"My blessing is not as omnipotent as you think, Natsuki. Even though I can communicate with you, it's not like it's translated. I can understand it clearly, but trying to convey it to someone else through me is a matter of nuance and it's difficult."

"――――"

"But you still look like you want me to do it. That's fine, but… I wonder if there's any point in doing this."

　Despite grumbling and complaining, Otto reluctantly listens to Subaru's request.

　Otto walked up to Patrasche, who was still sniffling at Subaru, and gently stroked her black back,

『――――』

　Otto opened his mouth and a high-pitched, raspy voice came out from his throat.

　It was an impossible call in human language, and as a result of the 『Divine Protection of Words』 at work, it had been transformed into the most suitable form for communicating with the earth dragon.

　Patrasche looked up and responded by whining in the same way. Hearing this, Otto spoke again, and so the two exchanged whining sounds several times.

"It's over, but… well, it's really difficult to explain it well. The way they express their emotions is different from humans, so how can I explain the things that only I understand…"

"Don't make me wait. Please, just tell me."

"I'm not trying to make you wait... ah, this is really troubling! I mean, it's really weird to tell you this."

　Scratching his head, Otto thought for a moment, then looked up, then looked down again, lost in thought again. Just as Subaru began to fidget as he sat there, he finally let out a sigh,

"Yes, that's right. Well, I chose the word that was probably closest."

"Ah... what about Patrasche?"

"Well, I guess it's 'don't make me say that'."

"--a?"

　Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Subaru's eyes widened at what Otto had just said.

　He waited, hoping that he would say something else, but nothing else seemed to come out. Otto replied to the stunned Subaru, "So..."

"Patrasche-chan says, 'Don't make me say such things.' Well, I guess that's what she's thinking."

"Don't make me say that... What do you mean..."

"Whatever you want to say, it's just as it is. If I were to add my own opinion, it would be like, "You wouldn't know unless I told you, would you?"

　Subaru's expression of confusion only deepened as Otto held up one finger and said, "Is it okay?" before saying,

"As soon as they find out that that person is in a difficult situation, they can't help but rush out and lend a hand even if it means getting hurt themselves, and then stay by their side until they wake up, and then smile with relief when they see them awake - I think that how someone feels about someone who does this kind of thing is the same whether they're a human or an earth dragon."

"a--"

"Well, anyone, even if they weren't Patrasche, would be like, 'Don't make me say that'. Aren't you beyond insensitive to not notice when she shows you that sort of attitude? You must be lucky."

　Hearing Otto's astonished reply, Subaru realized just how stupid he had been.

　Next, looking at Patrasche nearby, the earth dragon was gazing at Subaru with the same calm gaze as always, and as if it had noticed the change in his mood, it rose to its feet, shaking its long tail,

"――――"

　As Patrasche leaned closer to him again, Subaru's hand naturally moved to stroke her.

　Stroking the hard, rock-like skin with his palm, Subaru spoke in a trembling voice,

"So... you like me?"

"――――"

"You like me and you'll stay with me, I see."

　I felt as if something blocked inside my chest had suddenly fallen away.

　Patrasche neighed at what Subaru said, and as if to hide her embarrassment, she filed his palm furiously with her nose. Subaru was about to open his mouth when, frowning at the sensation of his skin being scraped,

"Oh, ah..."

"Natsuki-san?"

　Suddenly, a hot drop ran down Subaru's cheek.

　They were tears. Before I knew it, something had been welling up inside me and was suddenly spilling out. I quickly put my hand over my face to wipe them away, but it was too late to hide it. Otto had seen them.

"You're crying after realizing that the earth dragon has grown fond of you, Natsuki-san..."

"No... that was different just now... It's just that the timing just clicked... damn, just when I was starting to lose track of it, the answer suddenly jumped in, so I wasn't mentally prepared..."

　Subaru struggles to contain the rising emotions that are building up inside him at this unfairly timely turn of events.

　At the witch's tea party, Subaru realized his true feelings: "I don't want to die." Just as much as he wanted to protect those he cares about, he also wanted to be with them.

　And I had just vowed to examine this difficult feeling of self-awareness to see whether I was worthy of being missed by those I care about.

　And then there's Patrasche's unconditional loyalty.

　What are we supposed to do when they do this before we even have a chance to take any action?

　When Subaru woke up, Patrasche brought him the answer to the question that had been bothering him and making him rack his brains over what he should do.

　At the very least, Subaru had such a big influence on Patrasche that if she noticed that he was having a nightmare, she would want to take him out even if it meant hurting herself.

"I never thought I'd be taught by you first. Thank you, Patrasche."

　As if responding to the affection shown to her, Subaru also stroked Patrasche with emotion. Savoring the sensation of his touch, Patrasche stood tall and resolute. Although, the swaying of her tail casually indicated that she was in a good mood.

"Now that you've reaffirmed your bond with Patrasche-chan, are you okay, Natsuki-san?"

"Ah, thank you for your help. Are you okay?"

"Well, it's the body and the mind. The 'Trials' inside must be pretty tough, right? To the point where you cry from loneliness, and seeing as Emilia-sama was like that too."

　Subaru wanted to argue against the mocking remark, but he was certain that his weakness had been exposed, so he didn't mention it. Instead, he thought of Emilia's expression as Otto lowered his voice,

Subaru: "It won't be easy. But it's probably better for me to take it than for Emilia to take it. Even so, even you're worried about me… do you by any chance like me too?"

"Could you please stop saying such disgusting things?! What, you must be lonely to some extent. You're not going to be satisfied with just Patrasche and go around asking that question to everyone you meet, are you?"

"Is that okay? To be honest, I'm at the crossroads right now of whether I can accept myself or not, so I'd really like to receive as many encouraging messages as possible."

"Yes, yes, I'm glad to see you're back to your usual tone… I'm only concerned about you, Natsuki, because I'm concerned about our future relationship, so please don't get the wrong idea."

　Otto said this while raising his hands in the direction of Subaru's warning of his strange behavior.

　"Consideration for the relationship" sounds like a very pretentious way of putting it, but it's probably a necessary statement for him, as he wants to clarify his position as a merchant.

"The reason I'm associating with you, Natsuki, is because I want to maintain a good relationship with Margrave Mathers. If any problems arise, or if I myself am in any danger, I will run away as fast as I can. Please remember that."

　It was a cold-hearted remark, but rather than being harsh, it was more of a tacit understanding between the two of them. The fact that he was willing to say it out loud showed how kind-hearted Otto was, even if it was a little late now.

"Yeah, well. You're... no."

　Hearing Otto's realistic statement, Subaru was about to nod, but stopped.

　Hearing his introduction just now, a feeling of unease touched the back of my mind.

　The answer immediately came to Subaru's mind and he sighed.

"...What is it?"

"Nnn, I remembered. Ah, that's right."

　Subaru nodded repeatedly at Otto, who had a puzzled look on his face, then put his hand to his head and looked up at the sky.

　During the loop that began in this Sanctuary, Subaru had acted alongside Otto many times. And each time, Subaru had seen something.

　So, Subaru looked at Otto,

"If your life is in danger, then you should just get out of here..."

"Yes, of course. Isn't that obvious? I have no reason to feel so obligated to Natsuki-san and the others. Life is all that matters…"

"You won't run away."

"--picture"

　Subaru muttered to himself as Otto tried to pretend to be a realist by speaking in a light-hearted tone.

　Then, seeing Otto with wide eyes, Subaru turned directly to face him and said.

"--You won't leave me behind, Otto."

　In the past, he had sneaked into Garfiel's hideout, where he had been prepared to use violence, in order to save Subaru.

　And how he fought alongside the villagers to stop Garfiel from transforming into a beast and protect Subaru from the threat.

　Even though he pretends to be a villain and speaks cruel words, Subaru knows that this is not the case.

　that's why,

"Otto. --You're my friend, after all."