Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

"--You won't even give me time to think about it!"

　Behind him as he thought, Subaru heard the death throes of the beast that had been dealt a decisive blow.

　The demonic beast that had been fighting unintentionally to buy time had probably now been killed by Elsa's shadow.

　Shaking his head, Subaru jumped into the hidden passage.

　Subaru was greeted by a long spiral staircase that led all the way to the basement of the mansion, but it seemed the fire had reached this far, and the heat and smoke made it impossible for anyone to move around.

　Placing his hand on his chest as if to endure the throbbing, Subaru steeled himself and ran down the stairs in one go. Immediately after going up, he went back downstairs again. Fueled by the trapped heat, Subaru was already terrified to imagine what color his exposed skin might be.

　Eventually they reached the floor below, and Subaru, breathing heavily, peered into the darkness at the end of the corridor.

　The smoke seemed to have been streaming in through a gap in the wall halfway up the spiral staircase, and there was no sign of fire in the underground passage, where heat still lingered.

　Without the worry of being burned, Subaru pressed on, groping his way through the darkness, now without any light source.

　Then, after walking about 10 meters, he came to a slightly spacious space and stopped in his tracks as he spotted the door to the small room he was looking for.

"Th-Th-"

　Subaru has never reached any further than this door in this secret passage, so it is unknown whether there is another door beyond it.

　In other words, for Subaru, this might be the last door that could possibly lead to Beatrice. If this was indeed functioning as a secret passageway――

"――――"

　Shaking his head as if to forget his weakness, Subaru reached for the door handle.

　If Beatrice's desire to keep Subaru alive had led him here, then it was a gamble that would be a bad one. Fearing this, Subaru touched the handle,

"Zuah! This door again...!"

　Subaru cried out in pain as his palms were burned, grimacing and glaring at the door.

　The door's response seemed to reflect Subaru's thoughts as he was getting results, and a sense of impatience welled up inside him - and he realized.

"The doorknob is hot...?"

　Although the air was hot, there was no sign of flames in the underground passage.

　The smoke and heat were likely seeping in through gaps in the stonework that made up the stairs. If Subaru's guess was correct, it was hard to imagine that the door to the room would be this hot.

　The door was so hot that it seemed as if it was actually being roasted by flames.

"...Beatrice. If you can hear me, please listen."

　While trying not to touch the door, Subaru tilted his head slightly up and muttered.

　Believing that her voice was reaching a girl who was not here.

"You led me here? If you knew there was no way to escape other than through the secret passage, then I honestly have no words for you at your cunning."

　The way he had guided Subaru this far was impressive.

　The shadow of Elsa and the monsters along the way were likely unrelated to Beatrice, but Subaru had no choice but to be lured here.

　If they could open the door and reach the mountain hut, Beatrice's plan would come true.

"But it seems things aren't going so smoothly... Even if I open this door, I can't let you run away as you wish. It's not like I'm insisting that I don't want to run away because of some gut feeling or something, you know? I'm sure I do feel that way about half the time, but... there's something more pressing."

　Subaru continued speaking absentmindedly to the person, who he wasn't sure if they were listening.

　Subaru lightly kicked the door blocking his way with the tip of his toe and let out a sigh.

"If I open this door, I'll probably die. You and everyone else may not understand, but that's what's happening on the other side of this door right now. It's hard to explain in words, but... I, who understand the essence of science, understand it."

　Putting the incident at the cafeteria aside, Subaru's modern knowledge was roaring.

　The door in front of Subaru right now was in the same condition as those doors that should not be touched, which are common at fire scenes.

　Seriously, Subaru's life is in danger.

　The question now is whether this voice reaches Beatrice, and if it does, whether she will believe what Subaru is saying.

"Beatrice. I'm going to open the door now. —I'll leave it up to you to decide what to make of my words."

　Subaru knew that there was something life-threatening in front of him, yet his heart was somehow calm.

　It's not that I've made up my mind or that I've made up my mind.

　You can simply and calmly entrust your life to them.

　Because, isn't that so?

"--Beatrice. I believe in you."

　As he spoke, Subaru opened the door, feeling the pain of his palms burning.

　and--.

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　Rather than descending the spiral staircase, the shadow seemed to fall down to reach the basement.

"――――"

　The blood that flows out is muddy like sludge, and the figure dragging its crushed leg is a demonic figure that seems like something from another world. In its right arm it holds a vicious black blade, and in its left arm it holds the heart of a slain demonic beast, crushing it as if to test its texture, as the shadow advances further down the passage.

　The creeping shadow had a human shape, but even the shadow itself no longer knew if it had a human will of its own.

　However, his body has been destroyed to the point where he is unable to function, and his life has been drained to the point where he is beyond resurrection, so his life force as a shadow has already run out.

　If you ask why the shadow can still continue to move forward despite this, it could be because the personality it had before it became a shadow was supported by such an intense sense of attachment.

　Eventually, the shadow reached the very end of the passage without saying a word.

　A mindless shadow with no other purpose than to hunt down anything that moves and take its life. Sensing the presence of the being it was pursuing up ahead, the shadow slowly moved and flashed its vicious blade.

"――――"

　With a dull thud, the door was torn apart right in front of the shadow.

　Kicking the remains of the door, it rolled to the side, and moved to peer into the darkness beyond.

"――――"

　A gentle breeze blew by, and the shadows seemed as if they were being sucked into the darkness before their eyes.

　White smoke overflows from deep in the darkness, causing the front of the shadow to smoke slightly.

　Immediately afterwards, oxygen flowed into the room where incomplete combustion had been occurring, and combining with the fire, it instantly became scorching hot and erupted.

　Backdraft.

　There was no way that a shadow, a mass of irrational destructive impulses, could have detected that explosion.

"――――"

　The fiery hand erupts and engulfs the shadow, its flesh being burned to ashes by the flames.

　Losing both the ability to revive and recover, the body that had been only decaying was engulfed in flames that reduced everything to ash, passing through carbonization and bursting into flames in an instant - burned up.

　The flames didn't stop when they engulfed the shadow, they continued through the underground passage, turning the spiral staircase into a scorching hot sea, and then blew away the office, exploding into flames.

　--This time, the Roswaal Mansion had finally collapsed, and its demise was drawing to a close.

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　Subaru gasped when he saw how the Forbidden Library had changed after being invited inside.

　There was a crack in the floor near the entrance, and a hole that looked like it could lead to a subspace was still there. The collapsed bookshelves had no prospect of being repaired, and in fact, flames were rising from part of the room.

　The final situation at the Roswaal Mansion has finally begun to affect the Forbidden Archive.

"――――"

　However, when Subaru noticed a pair of gazes staring at him as he entered the room, he suppressed his shock and changed his focus.

　For now, let's just focus on one girl.

　--This is probably my last chance.

"You're an idiot..."

"That's the first thing you say?"

"Well, I wonder. Betty did everything she could to help him escape, but he wasted every opportunity and came back. …I wonder if there are any doors left in the mansion. The Forbidden Library is starting to catch fire, too."

　It was true.

　The flames spread to part of the fallen bookshelf, and one by one the treasured books were reduced to ashes.

　There is everything flammable here, so it will burn up very quickly.

"If that's the case, then it's the end for both you and me."

"…That's right. I guess it's over. Betty doesn't want much anymore. The knowledge that was supposed to be given to 'that person' caught fire, and the promise has completely gone wrong."

"I see. In that case, please listen to my last story."

"..."

　Beatrice's hollow eyes stare at Subaru.

　There was no affirmative or negative response, but that response at the very least indicated that she was willing to listen. Seeing Beatrice's reaction, Subaru drew his chin in and took a small breath.

　The words I wasn't able to say when we parted ways earlier.

　And now, let's get the message across.

"Beatrice. ーーPlease, help me."

"...Huh?"

　He puffed out his chest and declared with certainty.

　Subaru spoke with a soot-covered face, and a look of shock flashed through Beatrice's eyes.

　I'm sure he was trying to imagine what he would say.

　As the inevitable end approached, Beatrice must have simulated many of the words Subaru would say.

　I want to help you. I won't let you be alone. Perhaps he was waiting for such manly words, the cool words of encouragement he expected from "that person."

　But when it came to conveying his true feelings, Subaru found it impossible.

Subaru: "Like, I'll take you out of your loneliness, or I'll rescue you. I've been thinking of all sorts of cool things to say, but…But it all just seemed like a temporary impulse. I thought about what I really think of you. What do I feel about you, and what do I want to tell you?"

　Subaru pours out his true feelings to the speechless Beatrice.

　He set aside his cowardly self and left it up to Beatrice to decide how to respond to that.

"I won't help you or anything. The truth is, you don't need my help. You're strong, smart, cute... You could have done anything if you wanted to, and become anything if you wanted to."

"――――"

"You had enough strength to survive on your own. Of course you did. Otherwise you wouldn't have lasted four hundred years. So even if I offered to lend you my strength or help you, it wouldn't have had any effect on you."

"――――"

"But even though you're strong and smart and capable of many things, living alone was scary. It was painful. It was lonely. So no one can blame you for clinging to that existence of 'that person'."

"You rejected Betty's feelings without her permission, and now what do you know about her?"

　Biting her lip, Beatrice glared at Subaru with a feeling similar to hatred.

　However, the trembling emotion had not yet fully transformed into hatred. Subaru shook his head at Beatrice, who was desperately trying to hold on to the rage that seemed likely to dissipate at any moment.

"I know you're a kind person. If someone was having a nightmare, you'd take them by the hand and try to reassure them. If someone was facing an unsolvable problem, you'd reach out to them and show them the way. Even if you really dislike someone, you'll grieve when they lose someone close to you."

"Speaking like you know everything..."

"I have no power, so I can't help you. But I don't want to leave you alone, so the only thing I can do is cling to you and beg you."

　As Beatrice widened her eyes, Subaru held out his right hand.

　His right hand was burned and inflamed, a pitiful sight. Still, it was better than his left hand, which had sustained repeated damage and was unbearable to look at.

　Wipe it down, smooth it down, make it clean enough to take the girl's hand,

"Beatrice. Help me."

"――――"

"I can't live without you, I'm lonely. Please help me."

　If he had been listening nearby, what a shameful and pathetic threat it must have been.

　He's threatening me to take his hand because he can't live without me.

　Because they don't know what they can do for others, they teach them that others can do something for them and force themselves to live based on that.

　It was such a selfish, unreasonable and hopeless threat.

"That's not fair... that's not fair."

"..."

"Such a way of speaking... and then, like that... you rejected Betty now... because you said you weren't 'the one'... and yet..."

　Stammering, unsure of what to say, hesitant to speak, her feelings tangled, Beatrice is in anguish.

　Unable to take her eyes off the outstretched hand, Beatrice clutched the book in her arms tightly.

　Tears spill from his eyes.

"I've been alone for four hundred years...! I've spent all my time alone, and even if I were to take your hand here... you'd die soon anyway! A human's lifespan is as brief as the blink of an eye to Betty... but now! Why are you clinging to something like that...!"

"I can't even imagine the four hundred years you've spent. I can't act like I understand. Not to mention four hundred years, I haven't even lived a twentieth of that yet. I don't know how you feel about the time after I die, either."

"In that case! In that case... your words won't solve anything...!"

"But I can hold your hand tomorrow."

"――――"

"Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. Even if I can't do it for 400 years to come, I can spend those days with you. Even if we can't be together forever, I can cherish you tomorrow, and the present."

"----!"

Subaru: "So, Beatrice. ーーChoose me."

　Subaru has already made its choice.

　And so, he presented the options to Beatrice. Now it was up to her to decide.

　Will he follow his mother's words faithfully and be engulfed in flames here, bringing an end to these 400 years?

　Would she forget the promise she made with her mother, give up on meeting "that person", and take Natsuki Subaru's hand?

"You're... 'that person'..."

"No. Don't lump me in with that other guy you had in your mind. I am me. Natsuki Subaru. Forget all about your four hundred years of unrequited love for some bastard whose face you've never even seen."

"――――"

"Rather than fearing the time of separation that may come someday, let's live each day with the tomorrow that will surely come. I'm weak, and yet I have high hopes… If you're with me, you'll be so busy that you won't have time to think about boredom or loneliness."

"...Ugh."

"Choose me, Beatrice."

　Keep repeating the words until your message gets across.

　Because I can truly understand the girl's wavering feelings.

　So that the selfishness of the human called Natsuki Subaru could shoulder the guilt she felt for wavering, the shame for breaking her promise.

　I hope this little girl never has to cry alone again.

"You're going to disappear..."

"There's no such thing as eternity. The future you're scared of will surely come someday. The time will surely come when I have to leave you, who will live forever, behind. But to only think about the fear of separation and throw away the fun of being together, there are too many aspects of life that you and I have not experienced."

"You left me behind, but..."

"Let's stay together. Let's live together. Let's do it together. Let's pile up memories so that we can blow away the fear of separation, so that we can laugh and hold our heads high about how much fun we had. Let's make up for the lonely 400 years you spent here, and have some left over."

"Even if you did that...! One day, I'll be alone!"

　Move forward. Close the distance.

　He saw his own reflection in the trembling girl's eyes.

　It was shabby and pathetic, and far from the Prince Charming we had been waiting for 400 years.

　Just the usual Natsuki Subaru there.

"To you, who lives forever, the time you spend with me may be just a fleeting moment. In that case, I'll engrave my moment into your soul."

"――――"

Subaru: "--That the man called Natsuki Subaru was such a vivid man that even in the time of eternity he would not turn sepia-colored!"

　With a sound like glass cracking, the world of the Forbidden Archives began to crumble.

　Before they knew it, Subaru and Beatrice were surrounded by spatial cracks and flames.

　But now I feel neither fever nor fear.

　Right now, the only person inside Subaru is Beatrice.

　And so, right now, Subaru is the only thing Beatrice can think of.

　Beatrice's trembling arms were clutching the book her mother had given her.

　Subaru reaches out his hand, believing that releasing those fingers will heal his 400 years of loneliness.

　He shouted.

"Choose me, Beatrice!!"

"--ah"

"I need someone to take me outside! Aren't you always sitting in front of the door?"

　With a decisive sound, the world truly comes to an end.

　The girl's lonely cage, the Forbidden Library, disappears as the world peels away and is engulfed in flames.

　It was just before that.

　--A book fell to the floor of the Forbidden Library with a loud noise.

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　After passing through a hidden passage and reaching the mountain hut, Otto and his companions watched the mansion burn to the ground from the top of a small hill.

"――――"

　Otto, Petra, Frederica, and Rem, who was being carried by Frederica, had all safely evacuated to the mountain behind the building through a secret passage.

　The mountain behind the lodge, especially the area around it, seems to have been carefully constructed with barriers to keep out magical beasts, and there were no wild magical beasts or the magical beasts used in the attack to be seen anywhere.

　However, no one had the time to celebrate or speak fondly of their survival.

　Everyone looked at the mansion with prayerful feelings, waiting for a visible change to occur there, trusting that Subaru, who had remained inside, and Garfiel would be safe.

"――――"

　Putting the treatment of his wounds on hold, Otto looked around the mansion without even blinking. He noticed Petra, who was right next to him, grabbing his arm with a strength unimaginable from someone so young.

　She must be extremely worried. It was a well-known fact that the young girl had strong feelings for Subaru. Thinking of her worries, he couldn't help but pray for her safety.

"――――"

　As if to reassure Petra, he gently placed his hand on her brown hair.

　Smiling at the girl who looked at him in surprise, Otto turned his gaze back to the mansion.

　And then I realize.

"...that is."

　Is it in the middle of the main building of the burning mansion?

　Flames erupted with incredible force from the area where the secret passage through which Otto and the others had escaped was located.

　The windows burst and the flames spread rapidly to the surrounding areas, until the mansion lost its original shape and collapsed.

"ah..."

　Witnessing this, Petra let out a cry of despair.

　Otto, too, faces the same reality that Petra has realized, and tries his best to resist the urge to scream that it's a lie. If he loses his cool, he will end up ruining the heart of the girl, who will likely want to cry even more than he does.

　However, Otto's idea was quickly rejected.

"Otto-san, look!"

"Ahhh!?"

　Just as Otto was about to lower his eyes, Petra slapped him on the side of his face with her small palm.

　Otto was shocked by the impact of the sparks flying in front of his eyes, and his eyes widened. However, he soon saw Petra pointing at the mansion with an expression of joy on her face, and he quickly turned in that direction and understood.

"Ha, haha..."

　--From the collapsing mansion, a single white light stretches up into the sky.

　The light changes angle like a rainbow high in the sky, stretching out towards the far east as if to say that that was its destination.

　Otto knew what was in that direction.

　So, as I watched Petra exclaim with delight, "That was it! That was it!", I relaxed my cheeks,

"I left the rest to you. --Really, I'm exhausted."

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　At the same time, Garfiel, half-naked with only a cloth wrapped around his waist, looked up at the same light that had Otto's shoulders slumping in relief, gnawing his fangs.

"Ha! Looks like you did it, General! That's why you said, 'Hoshin kept his verbal promise even at the death'!"

　Escaping the burning mansion and running into the forest, Garfiel put his hands on his hips and laughed like an idiot.

　Beside Garfiel was a girl whose hands and feet were bound with the same cloth as her loincloth - Meili, lying unconscious.

　I have no intention of lying about it being loot, but as a living witness to the raid, there are many things I need to find out.

　And above all else, Garfiel's beliefs do not permit him to kill a girl.

"That being said, that black woman got burnt to perfection."

　Looking at the mansion collapsing, Garfiel sighed.

　Throwing a demonic beast and crushing it - although it was an indirect act that left no tactile feeling in the hand, it was a fact that Garfiel had chosen to slaughter a being similar to the human race.

　My fingers are trembling slightly and I can feel a tightening pain in my stomach.

　But Garfiel brushed her off with a shake of his head, sat down next to the sleeping Meili, and leaned against a tree.

"The afterglow of victory and the feeling of killing can all be put on hold for now. No matter how hard I try, there's no way I can reach it with my own hands... I'm counting on you, General."

　Thrusting his fist, Garfiel glared at the trail of white light that was reaching out, and said.

"Once everything's settled, there's a guy we'll have to play cross-face with!"

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　--I was caught.

　Even though I knew it, I still grabbed it.

　I had known for a long time that if I took your hand, if I clung to your warmth, I would never be able to go back to another lonely night.

　I should have told myself that living on a warmth that would eventually be lost was insanely foolish.

　That voice called out to me.

　Being stared at with those eyes.

　Needed by those hands.

　I should have known there was no way I could refuse.

　-Subaru.

"Yes, that's right."

　--Subaru, Subaru.

"Yes. That's my name."

　--Subaru, Subaru, Subaru.

　--Subaru!!

"Finally, you called me."

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　--A fierce snowstorm was raging.

　A white curtain is deployed, blocking out all vision, and it's an extremely cold world where your breath freezes the moment it comes into contact with the outside air.

　The wind was cold, and the flakes of snow blowing towards us were sharp and cutting.

　Even under such fierce attack, the girl with flowing silver hair looked ahead with strong willpower in her amethyst eyes.

"I absolutely, absolutely won't let anyone lose anything!!"

　Stretching out her arms, which were tinged with a faint glow, the silver-haired girl unleashed an immense amount of magical power.

　The freezing magic intensified in the blizzard and took on a light, a pale blue glow that cut across the world like a sword of light, slicing through the white magical beasts that passed by in its path one after another.

　There was a chain of unpleasant sounds of short fangs biting together.

　The embodiment of appetite - an ancient scourge that is beyond salvation and specialises in the sole function of devouring prey, with which it is impossible for any to coexist.

　The silver-haired girl doesn't back down even in the face of the murderous intent of her appetite, which keeps increasing.

　However, the girl's breathing was rough, and some of the enormous amount of mana she still couldn't handle was going out of control, and white crystals began to cover half of the girl's body.

　If things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before his magic would transform the girl into an ice statue.

　But even knowing that, the girl can't back down.

"――――"

The girl glances back.

　There was everything she needed to protect from the wrath of the white magical beasts.

　Dilapidated ruins and many lives entrusting their wishes to the young girl's small back.

　And instead of entering the ruins, there was a man who was watching the girls' fight in a daze, and the pink-haired girl was motionless in the man's arms, as if dead.

　Her body was frozen to death, but still, an unquenchable fire was lit in the girl's heart.

　Who could possibly complain here after seeing that?

　Why am I standing here, and who has entrusted me with this?

"I won't let anyone... decide anyone's fate! Everyone joined hands like that... I will protect that! I made that promise to Mother, after all!"

　A torrent of pale light crashes into the horde of demonic beasts charging forward.

　The beast didn't even let out a death cry, it was motionless in the white glow. Witnessing the pitiful death of its comrade, the beast immediately assumed a cannibalistic stance and began gnawing at the ice.

　It's a terrible sight to behold.

　However, it may also be possible to see the image of people clinging to hope in this way.

　Even if that's the case, even if that's the case.

"As long as I can remember my mother, Juice, and everyone else today... and the words that he wrote to me, I won't give up."

　So even if my body is wrapped in ice, I will never regret it.

　Pushing through the blizzard, the beast's wrath gradually narrows in scope, cornering the girl and those who rely on her.

　If the worst comes to the worst, the girl is prepared to sacrifice her life.

　However, just as the girl was becoming overwhelmed like this, she heard a voice.

"You don't have to push yourself like that, it's fine, Emilia-tan."

"――――"

　I heard a noise and realized someone had landed next to me from high up.

　I look next to me. The blizzard is so strong that the white curtain blocks my view of the person's face.

　But the girl knew exactly who it was.

　His voice, his attitude, and above all, there's no way he wouldn't be there when I needed him most.

"I'll leave the rest to you, you can stay back. --You'll get the first battle bonus after all."

"Sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."

　There was a hint of a wry smile.

　The figure stepped out, accompanied by another, smaller figure beside it.

　And then, two voices are heard.

　It was a voice with a certain bounce to it, as if it had been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.

"I don't know what's going to happen anymore."

「Yeah, let's do something about it. ――You and I!!」

　The first battle between the spirit Beatrice and her contractor Natsuki Subaru, who would from now on fight hand in hand again and again, had begun.