Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

But before she could see the expression on the fallen figure's face, the figure vanished as if blown away by the wind.

The black mirror surface returned to its calm state.

Mary sat there motionless for a few seconds.

She looked down at her hands, then touched her cheek.

No webbed feet.

There was no wet skin either.

The mother didn't punish her.

Mary slowly loosened her skirt and let out a long breath.

It was only then that she realized her back was covered in cold sweat.

……

"Lord!"

I'm sorry!

"I'm late!"

Natsuki Subaru suddenly opened his eyes.

The dream is over.

The figure drinking wine under the moon, his sorrow deepening, has also vanished.

I opened my eyes and was met with complete darkness.

Is it dark yet?

Subaru Natsuki's sense of smell was the first thing he regained.

The bitter taste of the herbs filled my nasal cavity.

Then came the pain.

A phantom pain throbbed below my shoulder, as if Elsa's blade was still cutting through my supposedly non-existent left arm.

Natsuki Subaru stared at the unfamiliar yet familiar ceiling for a few seconds.

"No comeback this time...?"

He muttered something to himself, then looked to his left.

Through the dim moonlight, one could see that the severed arm was wrapped in layers of bandages.

The bleeding has stopped.

This is still Roswaal's residence.

It seems there really was no return from death.

Natsuki Subaru breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely worried that his save point might be pinned to the moment his arm was severed. If every time he opened his eyes, all that remained was a sliver of flesh connecting his arm, and he repeatedly bled to death, then it wouldn't just be a matter of life and death being uncertain, but a clear and certain death.

Fortunately, he was rescued.

To be able to save someone who had lost so much blood is truly remarkable; I wonder how many people this doctor has killed in the past.

Natsuki Subaru tried to sit up.

As soon as he exerted force, he immediately lost his balance on the left. He swayed and could only use his right hand to support himself on the bed, slowly leaning his back against the headboard.

Losing an arm was more troublesome than he had imagined.

It's not just pain.

The weight of the body, the habit of sitting up, and even the hand that instinctively reaches out when trying to lift the blanket all need to be readjusted.

A soft sound suddenly came from beside the bed.

Natsuki Subaru looked down.

A blue figure was lying on the edge of the bed.

Rem seemed to have been waiting here for a long time. Her light blue hair looked a little messy in the moonlight, her hands were still clutching the corner of the blanket, and her eyes were slightly red.

Even when asleep, there were still tear stains left in the corners of her eyes.

The sound of Natsuki Subaru sitting up had woken her up.

Rem opened her eyes, initially looking somewhat bewildered.

When she saw Natsuki Subaru sitting up against the headboard, she froze.

"Pleiades?"

Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of waking up from a dream.

"it's me."

Natsuki Subaru raised his right hand and greeted her.

"It seems that today is neither my birthday nor my death anniversary."

Rem's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She stood up abruptly, but stumbled because she had been sitting for too long. She braced herself against the edge of the bed to avoid falling.

"That's great, you're awake..."

"You're finally awake."

She seemed to be confirming something, or perhaps expressing gratitude to God.

The next moment, Rem had already grabbed Subaru Natsuki's right hand.

She held on very tightly.

Natsuki Subaru could feel her hands trembling.

Rem's gaze fell on Subaru Natsuki's empty left side, and the joy in her eyes was quickly overshadowed by a shadow.

"Lady Betty has already used magic to heal Subaru's arm."

"The wound will not worsen for the time being, and the severed arm has been preserved. However, Lady Betty is unable to reattach it directly."

"Lord Roswaal is not at the manor right now. Once Lord Roswaal returns, he will surely come up with other solutions. Perhaps Subaru's arm can be reattached."

Natsuki Subaru glanced down at his left, marveling at the extent to which magic could achieve such a feat, yet his expression remained as calm as ever:

"It's great if you can connect, but it doesn't matter if you can't."

He spoke casually, as if Rem wasn't talking about losing an arm forever, but rather about losing a piece of insignificant luggage.

“I, Natsuki Subaru, can still wield a sword even without one in my hand. Now that I have lost one hand, it’s just that I have lost one sword.”

"Besides, this arm was lost while protecting someone important, so it was a worthy death, and it didn't follow me in vain."

Rem was stunned.

"But that's Subaru's arm..."

"I told you, this is nothing!"

Natsuki Subaru smiled.

He genuinely didn't care whether the arm could be reattached.

The more indifferent Subaru Natsuki appeared, the heavier Rem felt with guilt.

Rem wasn't confused by his strange talk as usual.

She lowered her head, tears falling drop by drop onto the back of Natsuki Subaru's hand.

"sorry."

"It's all because Rem is useless."

"If Rem hadn't suspected Subaru, if Rem hadn't been distracted, Subaru wouldn't have lost his arm."

“Subaru is clearly a benefactor and a guest. As a maid, Rem should have protected Subaru, but instead, Subaru protected Rem with his life and an arm.”

Natsuki Subaru instinctively wanted to wave his hand, but because his hand was being held, he couldn't, so he could only laugh and say:

"Rem, you can't say that!"

"I had lost an arm at the time, and I was already in a desperate situation. As the saying goes, a desperate army is bound to win!"

"If we don't act now, when will we?"

"You saved the village children, defeated those monsters, and even made that little girl who could control monsters too scared to move."

"If you hadn't held the rear, even if I had beaten that heroine to death, I still wouldn't have been able to save those children."

"How can you say this is useless? You are simply my Han Xin, Bai Qi, and Zhou Yafu!"

Natsuki Subaru looked at Rem blankly, as if she didn't understand, and shook his head helplessly.

You can't even understand such high praise.

However, considering the other party's distinguished status, he had no choice but to change his words and say:

"Rem, you've done a great job."

Rem stared at him blankly.

She has heard many opinions since she was a child.

Not as good as my older sister.

pity.

substitute.

It would be better if it didn't exist.

Even when someone praises her, they often look at Ram first, as if Rem's existence is only valuable when she is closer to her sister.

Subaru is different.

He never considered her a substitute for Ram.

It's been like this ever since we first met...

During the time Subaru was unconscious, Rem had already recalled countless times her past with Subaru in her mind.

He would call her a noble maid, clumsily snatch the broom from her hand, and unhesitatingly stand in front of her when the blade fell.

He didn't tell Rem that she was important to him in just a few words.

He proved this with his life.

Rem originally thought that she would live her whole life chasing after her sister's shadow.

But at this moment, she felt that she could no longer take her eyes off Subaru Natsuki.

She wanted to stay here.

He wanted to hear him spout strange things that he couldn't understand at all.

I wanted to tidy his clothes, prepare meals for him, and stay by his bedside when he was injured.

She also wanted the person who risked their life to be in front of her to never have to shed another drop of blood again.

Feeling the emotions surging within her chest, almost bursting forth... Rem finally understood.

She has fallen in love with this man named Natsuki Subaru...

Chapter 41: 041. Blue, the Butterfly's Regret

She had only known the man for a few days when she fell in love with him.

It's not because he's so powerful.

It wasn't just because he saved him; it was more than that.

It was because Rem didn't even think she was important, and that she only had value by constantly striving to do better, that Natsuki Subaru chose to protect her without expecting anything in return.

"Rem?"

Natsuki Subaru waved his hand in front of her.