Day of the Whale

Subaru had seen torture, death and despair, over and over. An endless cycle with nothing except agony at the end of every road, no matter how much he tried.

His schemes and plans, all useless in the face of overwhelming might and brutality.

Whether it be the Witch Cultists or the White Whale, everything was against him.

Even his plans to run away were struck down by Rem when he had finally had enough.

Yet, his gut was screaming that life was about to change. A small part of him felt the winds of fate blowing once more.

With that being said, he was currently sat face to face with someone he had become very familiar with over the past few days.

A Royal Selection Candidate whose care he had been under for the past few days, Crusch Karsten. A beautiful lady with green hair and a dignified poise.

Unlike the starlit drinks of before, this was his second attempt at negotiations, except something was majorly different.

This time an air of confidence drifted around him as he stared down his negotiation partner. While his heart was beating rapidly, his outward visage remained calm as Crusch sipped her tea.

"So what did you want to discuss?"

Finally, Crusch stopped sipping her tea before placing it on the table and questioning Subaru.

Natsuki Subaru smiled wryly at her formal tone. It was much more authoritative than when they conversed normally.

When he was frenzied and at the grips of madness, he never realised how impressive Crusch looked during these meetings. Then again, he had barely any memory from that attempt, all he could remember was the deep desperation etched into his soul and the short memories of his unsightly display when trying to get others to solve his issues.

"I will get straight to the point, the Emilia Camp would like to form an official alliance with the Crusch Camp."

There was no point beating around the bush. Any attempts at lies were easily seen through by the other party, and what Subaru currently possessed was worth nothing in comparison to the assets of the Crusch Camp.

Whether it be Economical, Military or even Influence, the Emilia Camp, let alone Subaru himself, could not compete.

"An alliance? With the Emilia Camp?"

Cruschs expression remained neutral as she reaffirmed Subarus words.

"I assumed it would be something similar. What is in it for us? As brazen as it sounds, from what I know of, your side has nothing that we need. I hope you are not mistaken in thinking that our current relationship is anything beyond a contractual obligation?"

Subaru sighed dejectedly.

Despite already knowing her stance, hearing such a thing said so bluntly was a kin to being turned down by a beautiful girl, truly gut wrenching.

"I know, I know, I wasn't banking on your kindness nor on these past few days. I have something that I am certain you will be interested in."

Subaru maintained a confident smile.

"Oh? You seem to be quite certain of that, I am ready to be surprised."

Despite the condescending words, her tone remained flat. It was evident that her words were not said out of malice but instead hard belief.

"What I have to offer you is... the next location of the White Whale."

As soon as Subaru spoke those words, a murderous intent exploded in the room. Its origin being the respectable attendant Wilhelm.

Without paying it any mind, Crusch carries the conversation on.

"The White Whale? What makes you think our Camp values that information?"

Subaru nodded slightly, with a small bit of sweat on his forehead from the earlier bloodlust.

"Well, since I know the White Whale will be appearing soon, it gave meaning to the constant visitors and the fact that the Karsten family has been buying exorbitant amounts of weaponry and transports. Although, I probably would have remained oblivious if it wasn't for knowing about where the White Whale will be appearing next."

With her eyesbrows raised, a small smile broke onto her lips before she replied.

"That is awfully observant. I am impressed you discerned all of that. It seems we underestimated you a bit, since thats the case, lets open these negotations."

With those words, Subaru and Crusch spent the next hour discussing their deal, alongside letting the other two visitors who had been waiting outside unbeknownst to Crusch, join in.

With negotiations fully settled, Subaru was laid on his bed in the guest room after being told to rest by Ferris.

He knew he was powerless, however that made him more motivated.

He had Rem to thank for his current view, the hope he had grasped in the shadows of despair.

'Not only that... but this time feels different... different from any paths I have taken before..'

He couldn't explain it, something inside him was screaming that he needed to follow this path and if he didn't, it was the end.

"I sure hope this is the GOOD END"

The day of the Whale expedition arrived. While Subaru wants to sprint straight to Emilia and the Villages side straight away, his immediate thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the frightful figure of the white whale. He had only encountered it once, but the impression it left, was eerily similar to the Archbishop of Sloth Petelgeuse.

"Today... Today is the day we end this awful nightmare! The Witch and her games, I will end it all!"

A new motivation welled up in the pit of his stomach.

"But before that... the toilet"

From the moment he opened his eyes, Subaru spent the morning fighting a deathly battle...

"Now that I see it, this is insane..."

Subaru sighed in exasperation as he looked over the giant military force that Crusch had assembled on such shoet notice.

"All of these men for a single whale... Then again, that Whale is a terror which has been wrecking havoc across the continent."

"Subaru-sama, it is time."

Interrupting Subarus monologue, a blue haired maid called out to him.

"Ah Rem! Good morning! I suppose it is time."

A bright smile spread across his face as he gazed upon Rem, his eyes full of affection. It was moments like these that kept his mind stable after the traumatic events he had experienced so far.

"Crusch-sama was looking for you, Subaru-sama. It seems she intends to have you ride alongside her and the mercenary captains at the front."

Subaru nodded as he pulled out an item he had completely forgotten about until a day ago. His mobile phone.

"They probably want to keep an eye on this Meteor, after all, its what will signal us about the Whale"

Rem gazed at the mysterious device Subaru was holding. Despite working alongside him since he had arrived at the Mansion, this is the first time she had seen it on full display. It drove home the fact that despite how much love she has for him, she still did not know everything about him.

Their small army rode along the dirt highway, hills and grasslands surrounded them.

Any bandits stupid enough to approach this group, were no threat to the White Whale Extermination Team.

Subaru gazed up at the ridiculous tree, Flügels Tree.

"What did this guy eat to get this tall?"

Subaru wondered if he needed to adjust his diet as he rode atop his newly tamed Ground Dragon.

"Subaru-sama, how long do we have left until the Whale appears?"

Subaru looked at the digital clock, before answering.

"Roughly an hour and a half."