Natsuki Subaru's Journey to Strategically Capture Reinhild

Chapter 18: The Boy Who Regained His Courage

"——!!"

Subaru woke up with a scream. The lingering trauma from his recent death had taken an unprecedented toll on his heart.

Now fully conscious, Subaru threw off the blanket, first using both hands to feel his head as if checking a watermelon, then stretched his left hand into the air as if to grasp something.

Finally, he wrapped his right arm around himself to confirm the existence of the left half of his body.

"My head… is still here. My left hand too, my body's all intact."

The head that had been blown apart, the severed left hand, the left side of his body that had flown off—were all still present.

Subaru looked at himself in the mirror: a perfectly unharmed version of himself.

"I came back again… No, I should say, thank goodness I could come back…"

The disappearance of his wounds meant that he had lost to fate.

But the reversal of time meant he still had a chance at revenge.

Raising his head, Subaru realized where and when he was.

According to the rules of "Return by Death," time would reset to his presumed save point—the "First Day at the Astrea Mansion."

Still, he wasn't completely confident; there was always the possibility he'd land on another timeline.

In any case, the priority was to confirm the current date. Just as he thought that—

"You finally noticed, nya? You really gave me a scare, nya! It's my first time seeing someone with such severe near-death aftereffects. But don't worry, you're perfectly fine, nya! Or would you like Ferris to give you a full check-up to be sure?"

"Ah, sorry… I've calmed down now."

Only now did Subaru finally notice Ferris next to him, glowing faintly blue, and Winston, standing beside the bed holding a glass of water.

Subaru gave them both a friendly, sincere smile.

"I see," Ferris replied, staring at Subaru for a moment. Then the blue glow faded.

Fear began to rise in Subaru's heart again.

He suddenly remembered that water-attribute healing magic also had mental effects.

He forcibly suppressed the fear bubbling up inside him.

"Thanks for everything. Sorry for the trouble. Natsuki Subaru, back in action!"

Subaru jumped from the bed to the floor, struck a pose pointing at the ceiling, and shouted:

"By the way, what day and time is it now?"

—Thus began the third "first day" at the Astrea Mansion.

After confirming Subaru was okay, Ferris left the room.

Wanting to sort through his thoughts, Subaru told Winston he'd like to rest before seeing Reinhild.

Once Winston closed the door, leaving Subaru alone, he began rapidly reviewing the past two weeks' worth of memories and piecing the clues together.

"The cause of death the first time was probably weakening during sleep…"

What had attacked Subaru that morning was an overwhelming and sudden wave of drowsiness and cold.

That sensation, which drained all his energy and willpower, worked so effectively that it could cause death in a short time.

Falling asleep meant becoming completely defenseless—he would never have woken from that eternal slumber.

"And as for the origin of that phenomenon… With what I know now, and according to what Bernie said, there's no way it was caused by any known system.

Which means it wasn't magic, a curse, or any other supernatural force.

To put it simply—I was poisoned."

Subaru quickly arrived at his second conclusion.

He was able to do so easily thanks in part to asking Bernie, his most trusted companion, to do a final check in the last loop, eliminating the possibility of magic.

And of course, there was also the killer who appeared at the end—wearing mansion staff clothing—which was definitive proof the estate had been infiltrated.

"And assuming there's an inside man, a lot of things make sense.

The missing swift rabbit was due to information leaks.

It was to lure Reinhild away.

And just like the stolen Insigna incident, this time was clearly a plan to eliminate Felt, the biggest dark horse among the royal candidates.

Also, not everyone was affected, since someone did intervene at the end. So…"

The harvest this time had been massive—identifying the killer's existence, their method, some physical characteristics, and even a list of suspects.

"The next step is to identify them. I remember the feel of their shoes.

The tip was solid—so they're a man. There are 200 men in this mansion. I haven't seen them all even after two loops. So as a servant, I can't reach my goal. I'll need to take a path I haven't explored yet."

The annoying thing about "Return by Death" was that Subaru couldn't explain where he got his information.

One wrong step and others might think he was a spy from an enemy faction.

Moreover, since the culprit was an undercover agent, even if Subaru got Reinhild to believe him and formulate a plan, the enemy might change tactics and hide again.

For guaranteed success, the safest approach was for Subaru to first identify the traitor himself, then call in Reinhild to capture them with overwhelming force.

"If the conditions for 'Return by Death' are the same as last time…"

He had died three times during the capital loop before finally breaking through on the fourth try.

If the same rules applied, he should have one more return left.

That's why Subaru decided he would use this life to find the real mole.

Then, if worst came to worst, he could use Reinhild's power in the fourth loop to clear the game.

Subaru's hand froze on the doorknob.

He had died five times total so far, but he could never get used to it.

In fact, the more he experienced it, the heavier the fear became.

Just imagining having to endure that terror again made his legs shake.

This last death had been far more gruesome than the previous four.

After returning, despair nearly crushed his heart.

If not for Ferris' help, he probably would've broken down completely.

Even now, his courage hadn't yet reached his fingertips or toes.

Restarting with resolve was totally different from trying again after once giving up. Who could blame him?

"Honestly, this isn't just for Reinhild anymore. Reinhild's already so strong that they had to lure her away. In that sense… maybe running from all this mess would be the smartest move."

Subaru thought of Roswaal, who would come to invite him tomorrow.

A few seconds later, he slapped his cheeks hard and gave a wry smile.

"Seems like, without realizing it, I've grown to like the people here… this life here. So don't be afraid. I…"

Subaru recalled the past two weeks—the kind servants; Winston and Bernie who taught him; Felt and the others.

At last, courage began to blaze in his heart again. Subaru raised his hand before him—his fingers no longer trembled.

"Let's go!"

Subaru opened the door to his room and called out to Winston, who was in the corridor.