Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

She forced herself to steady her breathing and continue the procedure.

"Sigh, with Betty here, it seems I'm not going to die."

Subaru Natsuki's voice was already weak and intermittent.

There was not a trace of worry in his tone, as if he would definitely survive if Betty Ken intervened.

Betty, who was just moments ago extremely nervous and so excited that her hands were trembling, was completely taken aback by this one sentence.

She herself couldn't guarantee she could save someone with a ruptured heart, so how could Natsuki Subaru have such an attitude?

This person didn't seem to have considered that she might fail.

It seems he never considered that he would die after failing.

"Why……"

Why do you trust Betty so much?

Because in the previous reincarnation, I was saved by you.

Subaru Natsuki thought to himself. He didn't know the process, but he knew the outcome.

In the previous cycle, he lost his entire left arm. Although the injury was less severe than this time, he lost a great deal of blood because he did not survive. In fact, he was even closer to death than he was this time.

Betty still managed to pull him back from the brink of death.

This time it will most likely work too.

But unfortunately, there was a shadowy figure preventing him from saying that death meant the return of the world's will.

Therefore, Subaru Natsuki couldn't explain it so clearly.

We had to rephrase it:

"Because there is no other library of forbidden books in the world, nor is there another Beatrice in the human realm."

Natsuki Subaru twitched the corner of his mouth.

"If you can't save me, who else can I turn to?"

"Besides, we haven't made up for today's magic lesson. Since you're determined to heal me, let's continue learning."

Subaru Natsuki remained calm and composed.

Even if Betty really made a mistake in this cycle.

If there's really no way to save them, then we'll try to find a solution in the next cycle.

I successfully tested the "Stagnation" skill at least once, and my proficiency increased, so it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it...

As he pondered, Subaru Natsuki felt his brain grow heavier and his eyelids began to slowly close.

"I'm going to sleep peacefully now... If you're cured... remember to call me... Old Beatrice..."

His hand slid off Betty's face.

Betty's tears flowed again.

"Don't sleep!" Betty shouted anxiously.

Unfortunately, she wasn't a servant, and Natsuki Subaru ignored her and closed his eyes anyway.

Betty quickly accelerated the release of the healing spell and prepared countermeasures for when Subaru's body would instinctively resist her mana.

This is an essential preparation when treating someone.

Everyone's body has an instinctive tendency to reject mana that doesn't belong to them. The more foreign mana there is, the more intense this rejection will be.

For ordinary injuries, mana can be administered gradually, allowing the injured person's body time to adapt.

Subaru's heart was on the verge of collapse, and Beatrice could only administer a large amount of mana at once to forcibly maintain and repair the damaged tissues.

If his body mounts a strong resistance, the treatment will be disrupted. The newly stabilized heart and blood vessels may even tear again.

This rejection is potentially fatal for Subaru Natsuki right now.

However, as a large amount of magic flowed in, Betty quickly noticed the abnormality.

Subaru's body did not reject her magic!

Once her Yin-attribute magic entered Subaru Natsuki's body, it flowed to every wound almost without needing repeated adjustments, following her will.

This means that the two have an amazing magical compatibility.

Even Subaru Natsuki's body instinctively cooperated with her technique. The damaged blood vessels and heart tissue began to heal at a speed far exceeding normal limits.

Betty had never encountered this situation before.

She knew better than anyone what this compatibility might mean.

But she couldn't afford to think about whether Subaru Natsuki was "that person" right now.

All she wanted was to save this awful guy.

Tears streamed down Betty's face, dripping onto Subaru's blood-stained clothes. She didn't have a free hand to wipe them away, nor did she care.

"You're clearly not the person Betty's been waiting for..."

Betty cried as she continued to channel her magic into the broken heart.

"Betty clearly rejected you this morning, and Betty clearly decided she wouldn't bother with you anymore..."

She couldn't understand it.

Why did this person keep thinking about coming back to her to learn magic even when he was on the verge of death?

Why do I still believe there will be a next time between them?

If she can't be saved, her words from this morning, "Betty certainly won't regret it," will be her last reply to Subaru Natsuki.

No matter how many times the door to the forbidden library opens again, this guy who used to call her teacher, touch her head, and invite her to leave with a smile will never come in again.

Four hundred years is too long.

Betty knew better than anyone how long a regret could linger in one's memory.

She has been tormented by some regrets for over four hundred years.

She didn't want to spend every day afterward thinking about that morning when Subaru Natsuki reached out his hand and questioning herself why she chose to refuse.

"So... wake Betty up..."

Betty bit her lip, and the magical light emanating from her hands grew even stronger.

"At least tell Betty yourself why you were thinking of coming back to find her even as you died!"

"You mustn't die..."

Betty bit her lip and sent more magic into Subaru's body.

Betty hasn't given you permission to die!

……

During her treatment, Ram learned about the situation in the village from Rem, who had returned the magic crystal.

After confirming that Subaru Natsuki was not in immediate danger, she went to the village alone, took the still unconscious Elsa back to the mansion, and locked her in the underground cell.

The gut hunter's hands and feet were bound by chains, and Ram had left magic near the wounds to suppress his regenerative abilities.

The treatment continued until dusk, when the sky gradually darkened.

When the last ruptured blood vessel closed, Betty finally withdrew her hands.

Natsuki Subaru still bore the gruesome wound on his chest, though his damaged heart had barely begun to heal. His breathing gradually became steady, and his life force ceased to weaken.

Successful.

Emilia's shoulders, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed.

She bent down and carefully tidied Subaru Natsuki's sweat-soaked hair. Only after confirming that he was really alive did a smile appear in her eyes.

Rem covered her mouth, and the tears she had been holding back for so long welled up again.

This should have been something everyone was happy about.

Betty stood by the bed, staring blankly at her blood-stained hands.

Subaru Natsuki and she have an extraordinary compatibility.

This compatibility gave her an answer she had been waiting for for a long time, but dared not truly believe.

But that guy is about to leave.

The words she had repeatedly uttered during treatment were now weighing heavily on Betty's mind.

She could no longer treat Subaru Natsuki as a passerby with whom she could cut ties at any time.

She didn't know if she would still be able to refuse when Subaru Natsuki woke up and called her "Beatles-sensei" again, asking her to teach him magic.

Betty didn't dare stay there to wait for that answer.

Betty didn't speak to anyone, and walked out of the room alone with her head down.

Parker watched her retreating figure, a hint of worry creeping into his eyes.

“Betty…”

He wanted to chase after them to ask, but the last ray of sunlight outside the window had already sunk below the horizon.

Parker's body then became transparent.

"Time's up. Lia, it's up to you now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a speck of light and returned to the crystal.

Only Subaru Natsuki, Rem, and Emilia remained in the room.

Rem turns on the lights.

Emilia originally wanted to stay in the room with Subaru Natsuki.

She sat on the edge of the bed for a long time without getting up, her fingers still gently pinching the corner of Subaru Natsuki's blanket.

In the end, Rem spoke up first:

"Lady Emilia has also used up a lot of magic power, please go and rest. Rem will stay by Subaru's side. If anything changes, Rem will inform you immediately."

Emilia hesitated for a long time; she also wanted to stay with Subaru.

But seeing the determination in Rem's eyes, he instinctively backed down.

Before leaving, she tucked the blanket around Subaru Natsuki and moved the water glass by the bedside to a position where he could easily reach it.

"Subaru, see you tomorrow."

She finished speaking softly and left the room, turning back every few steps.

The door closed.

Only Subaru and Rem remained in the room.

Rem sat on the edge of the bed, holding Subaru Natsuki's hand tightly, and prayed for him in her heart.

Natsuki Subaru had actually already woken up.

Just like in the last time he was in this cycle, he opened his eyes and found that Rem was still holding his hand.

The difference is that, because he woke up earlier this time, Rem didn't fall asleep next to him.

"Pleiades."

Upon seeing Subaru Natsuki awaken, Rem's tense brows finally relaxed, and the corners of her lips lifted in a smile.

That smile held a sense of relief and joy, yet also a hint of shyness.

But then, as if she remembered something, her expression fell, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet Subaru's gaze.

"sorry."

"Rem just smelled your scent and remembered that you left the manor late at night a few days ago. After discovering that monsters had been lurking in the village, she identified you as an enemy and even swung her flail at you."

"If Rem were as smart and strong as her older sister, or if Rem hadn't been affected by the past, you wouldn't be hurt like this..."

She gripped Subaru's hand tighter and tighter.

"Rem really can't do anything right."