Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

Are you going to make excuses for him again?

Reinhard paused for a moment and said, "This must be the result of Capella's mind control over Subaru."

“Yes, that’s right!” Reinhardt’s tone was more firm than before.

“Once Subaru breaks free from Capela’s control, he won’t be like this now.”

“What mind control?” Felix looked at him coldly, her pretty face covered in dust. “I think he would have done the same to you even without Capela.”

“Reinhard, it’s your mistake to expect someone who’s mentally unstable and has distorted values ​​to treat you as an ordinary friend.”

"Just accept it. He never considered you a friend. There's no need for us to risk our lives in this desert sandstorm for him."

Every word Felix spoke was like a nail, piercing Reinhard's heart.

He still stood ramrod straight, but his fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword.

Does Natsuki Subaru really consider himself a friend?

He had never doubted this question before.

But now, he has been walking in the desert for so long.

After Subaru entered the Tower of the Sages, he never came back to find him, nor did he leave any message.

What if Felix is ​​telling the truth?

Maybe Subaru no longer considers me a friend...

Reinhard did not refute this, not because he did not believe Subaru was a good friend.

He couldn't believe that someone could truly treat him as a lifelong best friend...

During his interactions with Subaru Natsuki, he always felt that he hadn't done enough in some ways, and it was Subaru's tolerance that allowed their friendship to continue.

But what if Subaru stops tolerating him one day?

Reinhardt's eyes became somewhat downcast.

"Reinhard?"

Felix looked at his unusually unsettled profile and softened his voice.

“You’ve done enough. Leave here and rest for a while. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll figure out a way to get into the Sage’s Tower.”

Reinhard remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"No, Subaru must still be waiting for us."

“Felix, if you need a rest, I’ll take you away from the sand time now.”

Felix's expression immediately changed.

He certainly didn't want to be sent out alone.

If Reinhard led the others into the Sage's Tower, leaving himself outside, he would have no way to explain himself when he returned to Crusch's side.

"I don't need you to deliver it!"

He gritted his teeth, and his voice became shrill again.

"Reinhard, stop being so stubborn! He never considered you a friend!"

Reinhard did not answer.

His silence made Felix even more anxious. Just as he was about to speak again, the sandstorm in front of him suddenly began to move in an unusual direction.

The yellow sand parted to both sides.

A figure with black hair emerged from the depths of the sandstorm, not a single grain of sand clinging to his clothes, as if the sea of ​​sand that had trapped them for days was merely an unguarded gate.

Reinhardt's smile faltered for a moment.

Then, those pale blue eyes suddenly lit up.

"Pleiades?"

Subaru Natsuki raised his hand and waved at Reinhard.

“Yo, Reinhard.”

He glanced at the haggard faces of the crowd, then looked at Reinhard, who was battered and bruised by the wind and sand, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.

"You really look pathetic."

Felix stared at him in disbelief. He had always thought that Subaru Natsuki had died in the sandstorm, but he had actually crossed this sea of ​​sand.

Subaru Natsuki pointed at Reinhard, as if announcing a matter of course in military affairs.

“I see you all well-versed in chivalry, yet you don’t know how to read a map. How can you get lost in a sandy area for so long?”

“We were actually planning to try to get through this sandstorm by just moving forward,” Reinhardt explained.

“Good strategy, but I’d like to make some modifications.” Natsuki Subaru waved his hand.

"You don't need to keep struggling with the sand here."

"We'll show you the way."

Natsuki Subaru looked at Reinhard, who was still standing in the sandstorm, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Natsuki Subaru looked up into the depths of the sandstorm, as if announcing the outcome to this world that had trapped everyone for so many days.

From this moment on, history underwent a dramatic change.

Natsuki Subaru raised his hand and patted Reinhard on the shoulder.

"Subaru, why?" Reinhard stared at him blankly. The last time they met, he was stopping Subaru's actions, but now Subaru was willing to help him.

“Because there is a second Sword Saint in the world, but there is no second Reinhard in the human realm,” Natsuki Subaru answered truthfully.

Reinhard closed his eyes, his right hand covering his chest, a deep emotion welling up within him.

Although he couldn't understand what the other person was saying, he could sense the importance the other person placed on him. Great, he and that person were still friends.

Felix's aggressive words were still ringing in his ears.

But by this point, the attack had already crumbled on its own.

Natsuki Subaru did not leave him outside the tower.

Subaru Natsuki personally crossed the desert and returned to find them.

"?" Natsuki Subaru looked at Reinhard in confusion.

Why did Reinhardt's Benevolence Gauge increase a little just now?

But thinking about it, it's understandable. He's already come out to help his friend. If Reinhard still can't appreciate it at all, then he's really a hypocrite.

Subaru Natsuki continued speaking with a blank expression.

"As for when you two were whispering, I happened to overhear you. You just said that I don't consider Reinhard a friend..." Natsuki Subaru turned to look at Felix, with a puzzled expression on his face.

Why don't you think about it the other way around?

"If we didn't consider him a friend, why would we have gone to all the way back to pick him up?"

Before Felix could retort, Subaru Natsuki had already raised a finger.

"As for your claim that our family member is mentally unstable..."

He nodded seriously.

"Amazing, he speaks the absolute truth from the moment he opens his mouth."

"However, there's something I need to remind you of!"

"Being mentally unstable and not treating friends as friends are two different things."

"Besides, our family is perfectly mentally sound. Is there anyone in this world more normal than our family?"

"I think you, who's always dressed in women's clothing, are the more like a god!"

"You!" Felix was furious and embarrassed: "I wear women's clothing to balance out Lord Crusch's masculinity!"

"So what? Does this make your thought process different from others? You can even come up with such a reason to make wearing women's clothes seem reasonable!"

"You!" Felix's cat ears stood up straight. If he didn't know he was no match for Natsuki Subaru, he would have definitely gone up and fought him!

Seeing Felix speechless, Natsuki Subaru was pleased that his tongue had once again slain a major enemy.

They burst into laughter on the spot.

Julius's favorability +20

Natsuki Subaru:?

Natsuki Subaru, who was in the midst of his ecstatic outburst, turned his head in confusion to look at Julius, who stood silently to the side, his expression equally impeccable...

What did I do? Why did Julius's virtue value increase?