Arc 5, Chapter 14 – “The Sword Demon Under The Moon”

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All rights belong to Tappei Nagatsuki, the original author of the Re:Zero series. This is an English translation of the free web novel which is available at:

http://ncode.syosetu.com/N2267BE/216

Translated by:

• Nanashi-tan
• Phantaminum

Proofread by:

• Phantaminum
• SSCaide

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The dinner party had been one where everyone had forgotten their political hostilities.

After dinner, Subaru retired to his room, where the staff had already made his bed. Looking at the two futons, placed side by side, Subaru felt his admiration for the hotel increase. It followed the Japanese custom where towels, blankets, futons, and the like were all arranged when the resident had vacated their room.

Although, he had always thought that such a practice left people feeling rather defenseless.

Beatrice: [Subaru. It looks like while we weren’t here, people succeeded in sneaking into our room, in fact——!]

Subaru: [Ah. It looks like the futons and towels you messed up were rearranged or replaced.]

Beatrice: [That…! Yes, it’s definitely a trap to tempt Betty, I suppose. They’re hiding under a guise of thoughtfulness, in fact.]

Subaru: [Sometimes, people just have good intentions. Though, this service isn’t free.]

Beatrice carried herself with an unnecessary level of alertness and diligence, even though she could barely keep her eyes open. Subaru quickly ushered her to bed.

Since officially forming their contract, Subaru and Beatrice had slept in the same room. Although Anastasia had offered Beatrice her own room, she would just have left for Subaru’s room anyway, so they’d respectfully declined.

That wasn’t to say that Beatrice was a child who couldn’t sleep alone. Rather, Beatrice used their nighttime contact with Subaru to sap the excess Mana from his defective gate. Truly considerate of his physical condition.

Beatrice: [So, Betty isn’t here because she wants to be near Subaru, in fact. Don’t misunderstand, I suppose.]

Beatrice, who had originally devised the terms of the contract, had spoken thusly.

But where her intent once laid no longer mattered. Subaru had long since become accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of someone else’s breathing.

Beatrice: […That green stuff was toxic, in fact. It’s unforgivable, I suppose…]

Happy and tired, Beatrice buried herself in the futon and was promptly dragged into a dream, thinking of the wasabi that had traumatized her at dinner. [1]

Touching Beatrice’s frowning forehead, Subaru took in her cute sleeping face until he was satisfied, then climbed to his feet.

Subaru: [Now then. I’m going to take a bath, too. Have a good rest.]

Next to Subaru’s futon laid an unused bathrobe. Had he not known how to wear it, he could’ve easily just asked a staff member. But of course, Subaru had no issue figuring out the garment, and could wear both kimonos and yukatas properly. [2]

If asked why, he would answer that it was because he had gotten bored during his spare time in his original world.

Subaru: [If Ferris and Anastasia aren’t there, I could also go decorate one of the women’s bathrobes.]

He of course wanted to seek out Emilia’s bathrobe. The other Royal Selection candidates were all lovely maidens, but if Subaru could tailor Emilia’s clothing and dress her up, then he could ensure she would never be inferior to them in the slightest.

Subaru: [Well, it can’t be helped. I guess I’ll be satisfied that I got to do Emilia’s three braids after dinner.]

Although she had let her hair down before bed, they had launched a “three braids wave!” as they came undone, just as Subaru had planned. Naturally long, wavy hair, like Anastasia’s, was also beautiful, but Subaru considered Emilia’s long silver hair the most eye-catching.

Subaru: [The three braids and three braid wave are lovely. Emilia is definitely a shrewd woman. I could never do such a thing with Beatrice.]

Beatrice’s hair inexplicably never left its twin-tailed drills. It was probably because she was an Artificial Spirit. Changing her hairstyle was possible, but it always reverted to its original form as soon Subaru’s hands left her hair. It was so fascinating that he had played with it a number of times.

While looking forward to the next morning, Subaru collected his bathrobe and left for the baths, treading carefully on the wooden floor so as not to wake Beatrice. Thinking of the people whom he shared the hotel with, Subaru did not feel the need to be alert. He rather pitied anyone who would dare to launch any type of scheme.

Reinhard: [Although I doubt that anything will happen, I will know if anything is amiss. I hope that everyone can spend the night peacefully.]

Those were Reinhard’s reassuring words as they had left the dining room. The sense of safety was not just limited to the hotel, but extended to the entire region. Knowing Reinhard, even feeling safe in the entire city would not be a stretch.

So, for now, Subaru could wander the hotel without taking any precautions. Although it was regrettable that the hotel lacked an open-air bath, Subaru was still excited because he found bathing the most enjoyable part of any hotel stay.

Subaru: [————]

Subaru came to a stop, his relaxed expression shifting as he looked through a corridor into the courtyard, where Reinhard and Garfiel’s battle had taken place. In the evening, its atmosphere was different, and rather pleasing.

A round moon floated in the dark sky, blanketed by thick clouds which gave the scene a glamorous charm. A cool wind blew through the garden, where a lone figure stood.

Subaru: [——Wilhelm-san?]

A sturdy back, and long white hair.

At a glance, Subaru could tell that the yukata-clad figure was elderly, and there was only one man he knew who fit the profile.

Wilhelm: [Is it Subaru-dono? Did I surprise you?]

Probably having been long aware of the movement behind him, Wilhelm turned to greet Subaru, a soft look in his eyes. He stood with his hands tucked in the sleeves of the bathrobe. His posture, combined with the Japanese-style garden… Why was the image so perfectly natural?

Wilhelm: [Are you going to the baths next?]

Subaru: [Yes, that’s what I was planning on doing. By the way, I came here to see the garden in the evening, not because I got lost since I’m unfamiliar with the hotel.]

Wilhelm: [That would not happen to Subaru-dono. I also came to indulge in the beauty of the garden, so I believe that I can understand Subaru-dono’s mood.]

Subaru: […It’s still embarrassing to be spoken of so highly.]

Subaru turned away, scratching his cheek in embarrassment as Wilhelm, without any trace of exaggeration, spoke of him with unflinching trust.

Wilhelm was the person Subaru had grown to respect the most since coming to this world. There were people who he wanted to stand alongside, and people who he wanted to compete with, but the only person who Subaru looked at with nothing but respect was Wilhelm.

Both as a person and as a man, Wilhelm was Subaru’s role model.

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono probably came here searching for the peace and solemnity of the garden at night. My presence here must be very frustrating.]

Subaru: [Not at all. Rather, seeing the Sword Demon in this windy garden is so perfect that I want to forever engrave this image in my heart. I like seeing people who shine in the moonlight.]

As far as Subaru was concerned, Emilia’s beauty was undoubtedly the most commensurate with that of the moonlit night. Her long silver hair was different from the glow of the sun. Emilia’s beauty was like the illusory of the moonlight, and Subaru wanted to be the stars hovering around the moon.

Even so, the Sword Demon standing under a moonlit night was a sight that Subaru had been longing to see.

Wilhelm: […Subaru-dono should not waste such heartfelt words on an old man like me. If you whispered them to the woman you love, you would surely capture her attention.]

Subaru: [Putting on those airs would just be an insecticide to all the lovely butterflies I’ve attracted. And at the moment, those words are completely incomprehensible to the one whose heart I want to reach the most.]

Wilhelm: [Trying to bring out her flawless smile, searching for the perfect words… That anxious feeling is one of the pleasures of love, Subaru-dono.]

Hearing Wilhelm’s light tone, Subaru gave a relaxed shrug of his shoulders.

Subaru: [Oh? You seem to be referencing your faraway love story. Did you ever go through that, Wilhelm-san?]

Wilhelm: [Would you like to hear it?]

Subaru: [Be sure to tell me every detail.]

Subaru gave a ceremonious, respectful bow, and Wilhelm’s attitude was tinged with a look of joy, as he said “Then, it cannot be helped”.

Wilhelm: [When I was a young man, I was just as terrible with words as I am now. I never wanted to discuss anything other than swords, since I had no interests aside from swordplay. I must have bored my wife to no end when we first met.]

Subaru: [But, your wife didn’t dislike talking to that Wilhelm-san, right?]

Wilhelm: [She was an open-minded woman. Whether it be the loss of a heavy responsibility which burdened her heart, or escaping a duty, neglecting the thoughts of others, we never discussed any of those in our conversations. She was born a gentle, warm person, and it was probably because of that innate kindness that she kept exchanging words with me.]

Wilhelm closed his eyes with a wistful smile.

Subaru bent silently over the corridor, listening to the old man’s memories.

Wilhelm: [Because I was such an unsociable person, my wife always supplied the topics during our conversations. On top of that, I initially failed to notice how drawn I was to her. Whenever I spoke with her, I avoided facing the abominable agitation in my heart.]

Subaru: [Wilhelm-san was really bad at talking to women, huh.]

Wilhelm: [Really, I devoted everything in my being to the sword. When I gripped my sword, I forgot about everything else, as if merely swinging my sword would give me a way of survival—— The one who reminded me of the reason I had taken it up was my wife.]

Subaru: [Is that when you realized you loved her?]

Wilhelm: […You seem to have seen through me, Subaru-dono.]

Wilhelm fell silent, and Subaru followed suit.

Wilhelm was surely unaware of the expression he currently wore. Subaru, however, felt a strong wave of pride wash over him as he saw it. The look in Wilhelm’s eyes, the wrinkles on his face, the tone of his voice, were all legendary. The wife he loved just as strongly now as he had then, Theresia van Astrea.

The old man’s expression, attitude, and very existence all generously sang of the love he still held for his wife.

No matter who, anyone who saw him would, without doubt, instantly see that he was in love. Even if everything in the world were to wither and fade, not a single person would fail to understand the depth of that emotion.

That was the depth of Wilhelm’s love, clearly something that should be worn with pride.

Subaru: [————]

As Subaru gazed upon Wilhelm’s face, his eyes unconsciously welled with tears.

Unbearable feelings arose spontaneously and gathered as heat in his eyes. He did not know why it had touched him so much. Why did his heart feel so warm upon seeing someone in love?

Crying in such a situation would only serve to bother Wilhelm.

Wilhelm: [Like Subaru-dono said, that was when I realized my feelings for my wife.]

Subaru lowered his face, pretending to scratch his head as he hid his tears. Although he should have noticed that Subaru had started crying, Wilhelm continued talking.

Was he just immersed in the past, or was he pretending not to notice Subaru’s reaction? Subaru had no way of knowing, so he kept silent and continued to listen.

Wilhelm: [The sword was everything to me, but it was only one part of who I was. It was my wife who made me realize this obvious truth, and so, every time I swing my sword, I am reminded of her.]

Subaru: [Is that, true even now?]

Wilhelm: [——That is truer now than it ever was.]

Wilhelm took a moment to formulate a response.

Finally, turning his back to the moonlight, Wilhelm faced Subaru. The feelings flashing across the old man’s face were so complex that Subaru could not quite read them all.

Pride. Remorse. Hesitation. Enthusiasm. Shame. Courage.

——But those all stemmed from his love.

Wilhelm: [I try my best to keep holding my sword, so that I will continue to be reminded of my wife. Even death could not take her from my memory, and, when my time comes, I want to die with a sword in hand. I would be with her forever.]

Subaru: [————]

This was Wilhelm’s awkward, straight-forward way of expressing the love that he could not otherwise.

Subaru swallowed, repeatedly taking deep breaths to loosen the pressure in his heart and the numbness in his tongue, until he finally judged himself as being able to speak again.

Subaru: [When I die and what-not, please don’t talk about such things that have no sign whatsoever of happening. Wilhelm-san is definitely surely completely absolutely totally entirely even younger than super young, and so even thinking about your retirement is certainly going to trouble people.]

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono?]

Subaru: [Crusch and Ferris both are very dependent on Wilhelm-san. Crusch’s memory loss is a very serious issue, and Ferris who is supporting her hasn’t said anything about it, but I’m sure he’s completely spent himself. So they’ll be a mess if Wilhelm-san doesn’t help! And, I too!]

Wilhelm: [————]

Subaru: [I also have many, many things I’d like to consult with Wilhelm-san. We’re obviously in opposite factions, so maybe that’s just naivety, but I…]

Subaru truly liked Wilhelm.

Wilhelm, who had buried in his heart of hearts his love for his wife, and sought vengeance for her, was someone who Subaru truly respected. Even if that had not happened, even if their relationship had remained just as a ten-day mentorship, then Subaru would still have deeply respected Wilhelm’s strength and fortitude.

Hearing the Wilhelm that he respected so much speak of death was terrifying to Subaru.

Subaru was far more sensitive to the notion of the people he cared about dying. This was due both to his contract with Roswaal and to Subaru’s own views on Return by Death shifting. There was also a part of him who was always secretly worried about Emilia and Beatrice.

Wilhelm: […I am the just same as before, truly terrible with words.]

Upon hearing Subaru’s stubborn, desperate words, Wilhelm smiled.

The old man directed a warm look at Subaru, whose breaths were still shallow, and spoke.

Wilhelm: [It was terrible of me to have you worry so much. Despite my earlier words, I am not always thinking of death. Although it is an inevitable truth, I have struggled through the hardest challenge already.]

Subaru: […Ah.]

Subaru relaxed slightly as he came to a realization. Wilhelm was speaking of the battle with the White Whale.

Wilhelm had been prepared to fight his fated enemy even at the cost of his life. At that time, surely, he had been prepared for the possibility of dying in battle. But, in the end, he had prevailed, and——

Wilhelm: [I think I am in good condition. I have fulfilled my dearest wish and survived, and now I can live free of shame.]

Subaru: [Wilhelm-san…]

Wilhelm: [I did what I needed to do, and I think there is nothing more honorable than that. Then and now, aside from merely swinging my sword, my chest is shaking with the pursuit of happiness. I have people who I have pledged my support to, and I have visited my wife’s grave. I have received so many blessings.]

Yes, that was it.

That was right. Wilhelm would not do anything unreasonable.

The steady, calm smile of the old man. Subaru, as someone who was young and superficial, had no way of seeing through it. But that smile was by no means a fake or ironic one.

Wilhelm was not unreasonable. And even in the unlikely event that this was the case, he would not have spilled a long-held burden to Subaru.

However, from the beginning, did Subaru’s attempts to have Wilhelm reveal his thoughts not amount to naught but arrogance?

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono—— This is a virtue, but also a weakness.]

Subaru: […]

Seeing Subaru’s anxiety, Wilhelm spoke quietly.

There was no smile in the voice, but there was no criticism either. Rather, the way he spoke was reminiscent of how an older person would caution a younger one.

Speaking more frankly, it was the tone a grandfather would take with his grandson.

Wilhelm: [My wife did this too, the bad habit of neglecting and shoving aside one’s own feelings while focusing on those of the surrounding people.]

Subaru: [Bad habit, is it… No, I’m hardly such a good person. I don’t want anything like everyone’s happiness. I only wish for the happiness of people I’m close to.]

Wilhelm: [The range of the people who you consider close to you is also a problem. While it was not what my wife desired, she held a great amount of power for a woman, and could reach far more people than she ever wanted to.]

Wilhelm’s wife, Theresia, had been the previous Sword Saint.

Despite lacking common knowledge, Subaru had heard plenty about her in the past year. The civil unrest that took place in the Kingdom of Lugunica, which came to be known as the Demi-Human War, had been single-handedly ended by the woman who took the moniker of Sword Saint, in a few years.

What she had accomplished with her undue strength was the salvation of the country’s stability. Natsuki Subaru would never be able to compare with such a hero.

Subaru: [I understand, about your wife, but I can’t match up to her in any way.]

Wilhelm: [In peacetime, my wife was just an ordinary woman who admired flowers. Even if she is a hero of legend, she did not always act as such. And Subaru-dono, your reputation is good, and your influence is wide. In the future, your range will surely increase, and you will be able to do more and more.]

Subaru: [This kind of thing…]

Wilhelm: [I am convinced that Subaru-dono is a person who will surely accomplish what he cannot achieve alone, by gathering those who likewise cannot achieve it by their lonesome.]

Subaru: [————]

Speechless. Wilhelm had overestimated him by so much, and that had struck Subaru speechless.

That he was someone who could do such great things, could Subaru really believe this?

He was fragile and weak, his intellect was lacking, and his ideas were often poor and baseless. Because he was a person who could not do anything by himself, all he could ever do was rely on others to solve his problems.

That method would surely show its flaws, one day. For now, he was barely struggling along, but eventually he could certainly face failure. When that time inevitably arrived, Subaru had so many people to disappoint.

Wilhelm: [I apologize for bringing up the same things. It must trouble you to hear them over and over relentlessly.]

Subaru: [Wilhelm-san, I…]

Wilhelm: [There may not be many people conscious of it, but it is something that everyone will come to understand one day.]

Subaru: [I’m just an immature little child who is clumsy at everything I do.]

Wilhelm: [Well, this immature little child who is clumsy at everything he does is one who I’m very fond of.]

After a moment, Wilhelm nodded in satisfaction.

Wilhelm: [And the people who think like this will surely increase from now on.]

As if deeply touched by Wilhelm’s words, Subaru again fell silent.

Part of him was overwhelmed, and wanted to cast the notion from his mind. However, because the idea had come from none other than Wilhelm, Subaru could not give it up so easily.

In the depths of his heart, he could not believe in himself to that extent. But he also could not discard Wilhelm’s belief in him.

Subaru decided to keep the feelings he had felt within him, until he had fully digested them.

He was very conscious of his own deficits. So any feelings, encouragement, or words, he had decided to carry within him.

And that was how he decided to treat Wilhelm’s words.

Subaru, who was desperately but resolutely sorting his feelings out, failed to notice Wilhelm’s tender gaze.

Wilhelm: […I spoke too much and kept you here for a long time, my apologies.]

Estimating that Subaru was done grappling with himself, Wilhelm spoke up. Accepting it, Subaru judged that tonight’s scene would end soon.

Subaru: [Me too, I’m sorry for asking so much, but I really wanted to hear your love story with your wife.]

Wilhelm: [No, it’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of talking about my wife. Lately, both Crusch-sama and Felix have been busy.]

Subaru: [In addition to hearing a love story, I’ve also gotten insight into how another faction operates!]

Wilhelm: [I was a little bit excessively sentimental. Listening to an old man’s long ramble must have been incredibly boring.]

Wilhelm’s blue eyes lit up with affection as he smiled lightly. Subaru did not notice the fleeting emotion and instead focused on what was just happening.

Initially, Wilhelm had stood alone in the garden.

He had told Subaru that he had come to appreciate the garden at night. The best location for enjoying the view of the garden was the corridor where Subaru was currently standing. In fact, standing where Wilhelm stood meant that much of the garden’s moonlit landscape would be hidden.

Of course, Subaru may very well have been overthinking. But, if there were something else that would bring Wilhelm to the garden, then it would be,

Subaru: […That’s where Reinhard stood.]

Wilhelm: [————]

Wilhelm’s location, where he had been standing all along, was the absolute territory that Reinhard had continuously defended against Garfiel. That patch of gravel was where the handsome red-haired swordsman had stood, the very picture of unflinching immobility.

That Wilhelm had felt that sense of disturbance and had gone to confirm it would have been perfectly natural. However, only Wilhelm knew the reason that he had yet to leave that spot.

Subaru: [Wilhelm-san. I don’t want to nose into another family’s affairs, and I’ve graduated from being the lively character who insists on hearing everything that’s happened just to satisfy my own curiosity, but…]

Wilhelm: [Ah, feel free to ask.]

Subaru: [Do you not get along with Reinhard? Even though you’re obviously family?]

The grandfather and grandson, and the complex relationships in the Astrea Family.

Even understanding that he may have been undermining the trust that had built up between him and Wilhelm, Subaru still breached the subject.

He might have chosen not to do so had he not just spoken with Wilhelm in the garden. He watched Wilhelm’s profile, which overlooked his grandson’s footsteps.

After their exchange, how could he refrain from asking?

Wilhelm: [While speaking with Subaru-dono, I thought of it.]

Subaru: […]

Wilhelm: [Why am I unable to speak these words to my own grandson?]

Those distressed words came straight from Wilhelm’s heart.

Wilhelm’s face fell flat. He was expressionless, but certainly not emotionless. He was suppressing his feelings to hide his lament behind a hard shell.

What Wilhelm now possessed was pure, unmistakable regret.

Wilhelm: [I am a man with a lot of remorse, but there are three regrets in particular that I can raise no excuses for. One of them is the cause of the distance between me and my grandson.]

Subaru: [But, doesn’t Wilhelm-san regret it?]

Wilhelm: [Even regretting it should not be allowed. The criticisms I spoke to my grandson… to Reinhard, were so harsh. It was something unforgivable, so unforgivable, and stupid, that it cannot be fixed anymore.]

Wilhelm, who was still hiding his feelings under a guise of expressionlessness, seemed to be burning with an emotion, a flame, that had consumed Wilhelm for years. It was one of both anger and regret, one that he had always clung to.

Wilhelm: [I used the crusade against my wife’s murderer as an excuse to avoid facing that remorse, and, after successfully crushing the enemy, I recognize that I should begin to search for a way to reconcile.]

Subaru: [But you lack the courage?]

Wilhelm: [I am honestly so shameful. My grandson certainly resents me even now. Thinking of this, I cannot take a step forward.]

Wilhelm issued a deep sigh of disappointment. Subaru was dumbstruck seeing an old man who seemed to have shrunk rapidly. And, finally, inadvertently leaked a laugh.

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono?]

Subaru: [I am sorry, I did not mean to laugh, that was inappropriate.]

Wilhelm cast a disbelieving look at Subaru, but Subaru felt similarly disbelieving. Really, this old man, how many times would he surprise Subaru in one night?

Subaru: [Wilhelm-san seems to be thinking that he’s unqualified to call himself Reinhard’s grandfather…]

Wilhelm: [Yes, that is correct. Compared to my grandson, I came to a standstill after realizing my mistakes. He is far too kind to the cowardly person that I am…]

Subaru: [If you put it that way, then I can only see a grandfather who’s afraid of being hated by his grandson.]

Wilhelm: […Huh?]

Wilhelm shook off his gloom and looked Subaru in the face. Subaru waved his hand, still fighting an impulse to laugh.

Subaru: [I don’t fully understand the reasons for the poor relationship between Wilhelm-san and Reinhard, so I might be misunderstanding. But to the eyes of an outsider, Wilhelm-san wants to reconcile with Reinhard and looks to be seriously trying to apologize, so making an apology would be a good idea.]

Wilhelm: [But Reinhard will not forgive me.]

Subaru: [If he doesn’t forgive you at first, keep apologizing until he does. You’re not apologizing to be forgiven, you’re apologizing because you want to apologize, right? The person making the apology has nothing to worry about, because they’re not a bad person.]

Wilhelm: [————]

This time, it was Wilhelm’s turn to fall speechless at Subaru’s extreme theory.

Of course, Subaru understood that his words were very headstrong. Even so, he believed it was necessary to keep insisting.

In order to motivate Wilhelm. In order to let him face Reinhard.

Subaru: [Of course, after being alienated for so many years, a sudden apology would initially be thought of as “What’s going on with this guy?”. However, if many apologies were made, then “What’s going on with this guy?” would give way to either “There’s no helping it, then” or “Ugh, this guy’s too annoying”.]

Wilhelm: [I think things would deteriorate.]

Subaru: [But at least they will change. Don’t you think that any change is better than being stuck in the worst-case scenario your situation seems to be in?]

It was universally acknowledged that Subaru had presented an awful initial impression to many people. Breaking through interpersonal barriers was nothing to Subaru.

Subaru: [After a few years, if you give him some pocket money, you could immediately soften his attitude toward you. Although his impression of you may be poor, if you do something nice for him, won’t he come to think of you as a nice person? Reinhard is incredible to deal with, and even I unexpectedly became his friend right away.]

Wilhelm: [But… it won’t be that simple with Reinhard…]

Subaru: [——Reinhard said he wanted to hear about the battle with the White Whale.]

Subaru spoke in a humorous tone, and, bit by bit, Wilhelm seemed to relax.

Subaru told Wilhelm of what Reinhard had said outside the tearoom, immediately after meeting Subaru. Upon hearing that, Wilhelm suddenly opened his blue eyes.

Subaru: [I don’t know if the White Whale is related to your poor relationship, but if it is, then Reinhard’s definitely concerned about it. Of course, he’s certainly heard of how Wilhelm-san crushed the White Whale, and I’m sure he wants to know about how you avenged his grandmother after ten years.]

Wilhelm: [————]

Subaru: [That guy is surely also looking forward to the moment your frozen relationship starts moving.]

Subaru had no way of knowing Reinhard’s intentions.

Subaru had always seen Reinhard as a man who was ridiculously perfect beyond perfect, and had never associated him with powerlessness or ignorance before.

But those were flawed ideas. Reinhard was also human. He had worries just like anyone else.

Even the man Subaru had regarded as superhuman, Wilhelm, was, beneath the surface, an ordinary man and ordinary grandfather, filled with ordinary troubles and shortcomings. It would be no surprise if the same held true for Reinhard.

Subaru’s words just now had surprised Wilhelm, who closed his eyes as if he were meditating on them, examining them. Time seemed to be flowing by with the still wind.

Then, after a moment of silence between the two, Wilhelm reopened his eyes.

Wilhelm: [My grandson… Reinhard would listen to me.]

Subaru: [Annoy him with a hello first and bounce back if he rejects you. That’s happened to me with every girl I’ve met aside from Emilia-tan.]

Wilhelm: [Really——]

After hearing Subaru’s reply, Wilhelm shook his head.

Then, the old man looked up, leaning his head back and fixing his eyes on the moon hanging in the sky.

Wilhelm: [Subaru-dono is invincible.]

The words were spoken with the hint of a smile.

Translation Notes:

[1] – A plant that is used to make a paste that is used as a condiment for sushi. Very bitter.

[2] – Kimonos are a traditional Japanese garment, which have sub-types for different situations (the yukata is an example of such). For more information, see here.