Chapter 3. The Beginning of the Journey.
Three days after the summer seaside celebration banquet ended.
"Subaru, is this really okay?" Reinhild asked Subaru, who was busy, while stroking Patrasche.
"All the necessary luggage is ready—change of clothes, towels, emergency food… Even if something's missing, the generous reward provided by Lady Crush will more than cover it," Subaru said, tossing the heavy money bag in his hand before putting it into the suitcase. Indeed, the journey belonging to the two of them was about to begin.
"Jewel." Reinhild's tone intensified, not asking about preparation.
"There's nothing wrong. To put it plainly, the reason I pursue status is so that I can become a man worthy of openly marrying you…" Subaru said, confirming the luggage while recounting his thoughts at the time.
"And Otto has already agreed to explain it to Felt, so this is just about the hero—Natsuki Subaru—who, having defeated the Great Sin Priest and vanquished the White Whale and the Giant Rabbit among the Three Great Beasts, needs some time to recover from injuries. Don't worry; Felt provided proof for me. After all, if Reinhild wants to become a Sword Saint again, I want to become someone worthy of you as well."
"Ah~~" Patrasche finally couldn't hold back a cry of pain and shook Reinhild's magical hand away.
"Patrasche? What happened?"
Patrasche looked at Reinhild's smiling face, silently rubbed against Subaru, who was worried about her, and then let out a cheerful chirp.
"Oh, then I leave this part of the journey in your hands." Subaru patted Patrasche's head and then went to the driver's seat at the front of the dragon carriage.
"I'm counting on you for the upcoming period." Reinhild extended her hand.
"I'll make sure you're satisfied." Subaru smiled and grabbed Reinhild's hand, leaping onto the dragon carriage.
"Let's go."
.
.
.
Reinhild felt her shoulder sink—just a moment ago, he had been extremely excited, but now Subaru had already fallen asleep and was leaning on her shoulder.
"Good grief." Reinhild gently shook her shoulder so Subaru's head lifted from it.
0.001 seconds. Reinhild took off her coat.
0.004 seconds. Reinhild gently and swiftly draped the coat over Subaru.
0.007 seconds. Reinhild opened the sunshade on the roof.
0.01 seconds. Reinhild adjusted Subaru into a more comfortable sleeping position and supported him.
"Phew~~" Reinhild let out a sigh of relief, watching Subaru still sound asleep.
"You've worked hard." Reinhild whispered. She, of course, knew how much effort Subaru had put into preparing the luggage the previous night, and also understood how troublesome the paperwork he had casually mentioned was.
Using a mind-link Divine Protection, Reinhild alerted Patrasche that Subaru was asleep. The dragon carriage slowed slightly, and the previously noticeable shaking completely disappeared.
"Let's rest properly for today." Reinhild smoothed Subaru's slightly messy hair and looked at his forehead…
Her left hand pressed to her chest, she could feel her heart pounding violently. She couldn't understand her own thoughts from a moment ago.
—Was that impulsive feeling… love? —Do I like Subaru?
For that instant, Reinhild felt like a different person. This feeling frightened her, but she didn't hate it.
"I will… always… Reinhild…" Using remarkable willpower to keep her body still, Reinhild looked at Subaru, still asleep and startled her, then sighed helplessly.
"Sorry, I need a little more time to confirm my feelings." The girl whispered softly.
.
.
.
In an instant, Subaru sat up, instinctively observing his surroundings. A thin blanket covered him, and beneath it was a soft surface. Luggage surrounded him.
"Strange… shouldn't I be driving the dragon carriage with Reinhild?" He had a vague impression in his mind, but his surroundings told him that he had been sleeping directly inside the carriage.
—Could it be that I spent the first day of the trip asleep?
"Subaru, you're awake! How do you feel?"
"Fully revived. What time is it now, Reinhild? Have I been sleeping here the whole time?"
"Noon." Reinhild recalled herself watching Subaru's sleeping face all the way, her ears turning red.
'No, no, no, I was just confirming whether I like Subaru. Nothing embarrassing about it. This is fine.'
"You've been resting here all this time. Are you okay?"
"Ahhh, I've lost four precious hours of being alone with Reinhild."
"In any case, I'm going to prepare lunch. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
"As long as it's made by Reinhild, it will be top-tier delicious. Even if it was poison, I'd eat it all without leaving a trace."
"I wouldn't use poison!!!"
.
.
. Subaru recalled Reinhild's red face earlier and the deep footprint she left when getting off the carriage.
"Patrasche, do you think I accidentally made Reinhild angry?"
Patrasche turned away from her foolish master.
"This is a forest, huh." Calming down, Subaru finally had time to observe. The tall trees confirmed the environment, and he gathered courage to lean toward Reinhild.
"Sorry about earlier."
"I just mean, the food you made isn't poison. I didn't mean that, so I hope you're not angry."
Reinhild froze and scrutinized Subaru from head to toe.
"Pfft~~~"
"Sorry, sorry, but I didn't—"
Reinhild suddenly realized she wasn't actually angry, but if she said that, what would happen?
[Scene 1] Subaru: Then why was your face so red, and why did you leave that footprint? Me: Because I was shy?
[Scene XXX] Subaru: Not angry… does that mean that reaction… Reinhild, you started liking me! Me: Yeah.
"Reinhild?" Subaru's voice brought her back to reality.
"It's okay. I also overreacted a bit. I now understand what Subaru wanted to express." Once she realized, Reinhild discovered she had lied again.
—Why? I could have just said it directly.
She felt doubt arise in her heart, but looking at Subaru and recalling the images that had flashed wildly in her mind, Reinhild suddenly found herself unable to speak.
Perhaps her defenses and offenses regarding love are unexpectedly low.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting