R2. Request
After her attention wandered slightly, the conversation between Crush and Subaru in the distance reached Reinhild's ears.
This wasn't due to a Divine Protection—it was simply the result of the girl's extraordinary physical abilities.
Thanks to that, Reinhild gained a rough understanding of what had happened in the Mathers territory.
So when the three looked toward her, the girl apologized for eavesdropping, then unhesitatingly volunteered to take on the mission to subjugate the Great Rabbit and the Archbishop of Sloth.
But unexpectedly—
"Sorry. Actually, for some reasons, we probably can't rely on your strength right now, Reinhild. If you enter the Mathers territory, some really bad things might happen."
The girl observed the boy who refused her help.
It wasn't like before, when he didn't trust her strength, nor like last time, when he arrogantly wanted to handle everything on his own.
This time, it was a gaze born from serious contemplation of the pros and cons before making a decision.
Reinhild sighed.
If possible, she truly wanted to respect the boy's decision.
However, subjugating a threat to the kingdom was the duty of the Sword Saint.
Moreover, Reinhild didn't believe her involvement would worsen the situation.
Even if a witch were resurrected, she was confident she could force her back into the coffin.
—Most importantly!
Reinhild once again scanned her surroundings.
Wilhelm's body was in a state where he absolutely needed rest.
Julius, who was just arriving, was also in a state of severe exhaustion.
Of the three vice-captains of Iron Fang, two could no longer move... The subjugation team had suffered such heavy losses that the girl simply couldn't rest easy.
"It seems you have your reasons, then. In that case, we'll take it from here."
"Lady Crush…"
"Reinhild, I leave my old friends to you."
Reinhild fell silent.
She looked at Wilhelm's hand placed gently on her shoulder, and at the emotion in his blue eyes. Her father's advice and her grandfather's request echoed simultaneously in her mind.
"All the gravely wounded have been treated. There's no one at death's door—zero, nya~! And the others have been healed up real good too! Ferris-chan's such a good girl. You should praise me, nya."
Suddenly appearing, Ferris broke the heavy atmosphere. He leapt into Crush's arms, enjoying being patted on the head.
"The rest of the wounded can be transported. My job here's done, so I'll go too. After all, there's no way I'm letting Lady Crush fight alone, nya! Rein-chan, with me around, even half a day's enough to get everyone back to peak condition!"
Standing calmly beside Crush, Ferris pointed to Wilhelm and the newly arrived Julius, then waved her hand.
"And if Lady Crush is ever in danger, I'll give a quick nya~ to call you over. At that distance, it should be no problem."
Considering the possibility in Ferris' words, and seeing the determined and confident gazes of the five before her, Reinhild sighed inwardly, then nodded.
"I understand. Be careful, everyone."
"Well then, let's talk strategy over a meal. I didn't eat anything at noon, and now I'm starving in anticipation of tonight's feast."
"Feast?"
Seeing the confused faces around him, Subaru smiled and pointed at the White Whale's corpse.
"Subaru, magical beast meat tastes almost like rotten mud, you know."
"No, no, this one's different. It's edible."
Subaru smiled.
When he'd decided to take down the White Whale, he suddenly remembered what Daphne had once told him in a moment of persuasion—that it was a magical beast created for consumption.
At that time, he'd made up his mind: if he could defeat the White Whale, he'd cook and eat it, as revenge for how many times it had devoured him.
"Wait... You mean they're preparing a meal? That corpse... does it have some other use?"
Subaru pointed at the lightly wounded members of the subjugation team who were slicing up the White Whale with swords. Crush nodded.
"The original plan was to transport the White Whale's corpse back to the royal capital."
"Transport… that enormous corpse?"
Crush nodded again without changing her tone. Confirming he hadn't misheard, Subaru turned his gaze back to the White Whale's 50-meter-long body.
"No way, right?"
"It's difficult, yes. But it has floated through the skies as a calamity for four hundred years.
Its corpse is the ironclad proof that can bring true peace of mind to people. At the very least, we must bring its head back."
"Ohhh. Which means the rest is available for eating."
Subaru muttered as he touched the White Whale's belly, while the native warriors all looked at one another in confusion.
"Come to think of it, people from Subaru's country do seem to love seafood."
"In that case, I shall do the cutting."
With Crush's permission, Wilhelm gave a slight bow, then took a sword from a nearby knight and gave it a gentle swing. He reached out and extracted a neatly cut brick-shaped chunk of meat.
"Lord Subaru?"
"Oh, let Reinhild grill it. It's a one-of-a-kind ingredient, and it'd be a waste if it wasn't cooked properly. Only Reinhild, with her Divine Protections, can bring out its full potential."
Reinhild noticed Subaru wink at her.
Looking at her family member handing her the meat, a long-lost joy and nervousness filled her heart.
Then, she invoked the Divine Protection of Endowment, bestowing upon herself the Divine Protection of Barbecue.
Having also the Divine Protection of Detoxification, Reinhild safely taste-tested the meat, and so the White Whale subjugation celebration barbecue feast began.
In the distance, Crush, Subaru, and the leader of Iron Fang began discussing their next move. Meanwhile, the surviving warriors ate and drank heartily. On Crush's orders, no one disturbed the two who were preparing the food.
With a sword moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, the old man sliced the White Whale meat into various cuts.
Reinhild, using inhuman speed, transformed the meat into mouth-watering, delicious dishes.
Their exchange remained as simple as ever—so much so that it felt more like cooperation between coworkers.
But for the two of them, being able to keep such a dialogue going was already a tremendous step forward.
"Lord Wilhelm, thank you for your efforts."
As the banquet drew to a close, Reinhild summoned her courage and handed a carefully grilled skewer of meat to the old man.
Wilhelm hesitated briefly, then accepted it and slowly ate it all.
"Reinhild."
"Yes."
"It's delicious. Let's do this together."
"Yes!"
The Sword Demon stepped in front of Crush.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh Wilhelm-geezer, no worries, even a bit more chatting would've been fine, nya~."
"This much is enough. Craving more would be greed."
Subaru let out a sigh, then looked at the people behind him—Crush's trio, Julius, Mimi (for some reason sticking with Garfiel), and dozens of warriors.
"Let's go."
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