1.6

—And two mornings later, Subaru's voice quivered with admiration at the gate of the mansion.

"Whoa, this is—!"

Subaru beamed at the huge carriage parked before him.

Of course, it was a land dragon that drew the carriage, but this one boasted a sheer size that put every other land dragon Subaru had seen to shame.

"He's so huge! And his scales are so hard! And his face is so scary!"

Emilia's lips softened into a slightly exasperated exhale at Subaru's exhilaration.

"He really is worked up like a little kid. Isn't he?"

She shifted her eyes to Rem, standing by her side, in search of agreement. But Rem gazed at the excited Subaru, enthralled.

"Subaru is cute when he gets like this. Do you not think so, Lady Emilia?"

"Well, I do think it's cute, but… Mm, Subaru's been a bad influence on you, hasn't he?"

Emilia exhaled once again.

Subaru, paying no heed to the girls' opinions, reached to touch the land dragon without a second thought and shouted in a strange voice.

"Hot damn! I'm so excited! I'm living the uber-fantasy dream right now, aren't I?!"

The land dragon's tolerance reached its limit around when Subaru lost himself in the moment and his touches turned into taps. A single sweep of its tail sent Subaru flying, spinning sideways.

Several seconds later, Subaru emerged from the foliage, spitting leaves out of his mouth.

"Wh-what happened there?"

"Subaru, land dragons are highly intelligent creatures. Even if they cannot speak, they can express themselves very well. That is why one must treat them with the utmost respect."

"Couldn't you have told me that a little sooner?!"

Brushing the leaves off his body, Subaru observed the shockingly huge land dragon. It narrowed its yellow eyes and let out a long breath, as if saying, That's what you get for running your hands over me.

During the exchange, he finally caught sight of the people he'd been waiting for. Roswaal and Ram were coming out of the mansion.

"Hey there, what's up? You're late, aren't you? You're the one who set up the schedule, Rozchi. The guy who sets the schedule oughta live by it, don't you think, Rem?"

"I agree! Although, I'm the one who woke you up today when you didn't wake up on time… You may praise me for it, if you like."

"Okay, all right, okay, that's enough, Rem."

Subaru stroked Rem while urging her silence after her unnecessary addition. That earned him a sharp stare from Emilia, but he bore it as best he could and dragged the subject back to Roswaal.

"So why were you late? Everything looked in order at breakfast time."

"Ah, so sooorry. You see, with Ram staying behind, I will not be seeing her for a little while, yes? Thaaaat is whyyyy, I siiimply wanted to have a sooomewhat thorough farewell before our departure."

Roswaal adjusted his collar, raising a finger as he excused himself. Beside him, Ram hastened to ensure her hair and clothing were also in order, plainly in high spirits.

"Okay, let's pretend I didn't ask. She's really gonna stay behind, though?"

"It can't be helped. We can't leave the mansion unattended, and Miss Beatrice is here as well, so I must look after her. It's troublesome."

"You put what you really think at the end, huh. Oh well, Beako would have it rough if you weren't there to spoil her."

"I might point out that if Miss Beatrice heard that, she might smash you into little pieces this time."

This trip to the royal capital was for Emilia, a candidate for the royal selection, and Roswaal, her sponsor. Subaru was going along for medical reasons, with Rem serving and guarding the other three. The group totaled four people. That left Ram and Beatrice, who would presumably be holed up in the archive of forbidden books, remaining in the mansion.

"You gonna be okay here by yourself, Big Sis? It's not easy keeping a mansion running all by your lonesome."

"You do not understand, Barusu. People can survive three or four days without food, after all."

"No plans to eat your own food, huh?!"

After Ram's lively, defiant statement provoked Subaru, she abruptly grabbed his collar and pulled him aside. Subaru's breath caught as her immaculate face drew close.

"Understand, Barusu? Keep a firm grip on the reins so that Rem does nothing rash."

"…You're the one who always goes to the royal capital, right? Why is Rem coming this ti…?"

"It is infuriating you're forcing me to state the reason with my own lips."

Ram shoved him in the chest, letting out a hmph as she walked off. By the time she was gone and Subaru looked back at the dragon carriage, Rem was just about finished loading the luggage.

It seemed the time for friendly banter had passed; it was time to get the show on the road.

"Beako didn't come to see us off, though… What a cold-hearted loli."

Subaru glared at the distant entrance to the mansion, cursing the absent girl.

Of course, he had expected as much, leading him to mercilessly tease Beatrice the day before so he could leave without any regrets. Still, without her around to say good-bye, their departure was a bit lonely. But—

"—Oh."

His eyes met those of someone covertly watching them from the entrance to the foyer, open just a tiny crack. For a split second, the person in the dress recoiled at meeting Subaru's eyes, but she immediately reopened the door so he could see her more properly. It was as if she was trying to hide her sullen, forlorn expression.

Subaru waved at her with little smile thanks to her typical behavior. In response, the pale-faced girl waved at him like she was shooing him away. She returned inside a moment later, having fulfilled her duty to see him off with minimal effort.

When he turned back, Emilia was looking down at him as she leaned out of the dragon carriage's passenger cab.

"—Subaru? What is it?"

The others had begun to get aboard without him realizing it. Subaru hurried over and reached for the doorframe. But white fingers reached out to him right before he could take hold of it.

"Here."

Subaru hesitated for a moment before taking her hand. She pulled him up as he entered the cab.

Now that Subaru was aboard, Rem nodded from her perch on the box seat toward Ram, standing alone on the ground. She took hold of the reins. The land dragon began to gently tread forward and pulled the carriage along.

Subaru poked his head out of the window to give Ram one final wave.

"Well, we're off! Let's both take care now!"

"At least try to evade the blows if something happens, Barusu. I do acknowledge your talent…as a decoy."

"I'm good for a little more than that, right?!"

Such was their clumsy early morning farewell.

The land dragon accelerated, and their speed began to rise quite suddenly. The mansion grew distant in moments, and Ram's figure beside the front gate quickly shrank. A moment before Subaru lost sight of her, she held the edges of her skirt and slightly curtsied. It was an exceptionally maid-like way to see someone off.

"…I suppose that's picture-perfect for how a cute maid should do her job, huh…?"

When they entered a dip in the road, Subaru was no longer able to see Ram at all, and he finally sat down on his seat in the carriage and exhaled. He finally felt at ease enough to begin enjoying the comfort of riding the dragon carriage. The seat had a high-class feel appropriate to the expensive design of the vehicle, making for a surprisingly enjoyable ride given that the road was not an especially well-maintained one.

Judging from how fast the scenery was scrolling past the window and his experience with cars from his own world, he guessed he was traveling close to sixty miles per hour. And yet the vibrations felt far lighter than one would expect, on par with a typical sedan.

Roswaal laughed as Subaru turned this way and that, seat creaking under him.

"My myyy, are dragon carriages such a raaarity?"

"Hey, is Rem fine all exposed on the box seat with us going this fast? It's not like I'm worried about her falling off… But won't her hair and clothes be a huge mess by the time we get to the royal capital?"

Emilia cut in to reply.

"There's no need to worry, since the dragon carriage is protected by a blessing."

"Blessing?"

"Yes, blessing. Gospel granted by the world itself when a life is born. There are numerous kinds so there is no universal rule for them, but some species always receive one particular blessing. The 'wind repel' blessing land dragons receive is one example."

"Wind repel blessing, huh?"

"When a land dragon gallops, the wind doesn't affect it whatsoever. The blessing extends to the carriage connected to it, so it isn't affected by the wind, either."

"And that goes for Rem sitting outside, too?"

When Subaru indicated he understood, Emilia replied with a satisfied look, "Very good."

Then Subaru asked, "So, Emilia-tan, what about me? Do I have a blessing?"

Being summoned to another world was supposed to provide cheat abilities. Certainly, Return by Death was a special power without compare, but Subaru still hadn't lost his craving for something special that was a lot less…painful.

"Mm, I don't like to say this, but a majority of people are born without blessings. Also, everyone with a blessing is aware of it to my knowledge, so…"

"Damn it, no good, huh… Nah, I get it. Meeting Emilia-tan was the miracle granted to me by the world, huh?"

"Yes, yes. It'll be six hours until we get to the royal capital, so be a good boy and behave."

"Emilia-tan's so cooold!"

Emilia and Roswaal let Subaru sulk as they began to discuss what they would do upon arrival. It was serious business; naturally, Subaru couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Unable to get involved in the conversation, he soon began to get bored out of his skull. "Emilia-tan, Emilia-tan, let me sit by the window!"

"What's wrong? Ah, motion sickness, huh? It happens a lot to people who aren't used to riding. I understand. I'll lend you Puck, so…"

"I'm happy for the concern, but it's not that. And I'm not sure why you'd give me Puck for motion sickness. What, am I supposed to use him as my emergency barf bag?"

"If it goes that far, even Puck might get upset…"

Emilia sank into thought, murmuring to herself, when Subaru shook his head.

"No, I just meant, Emilia-tan's too busy for me, so maybe seeing the scenery would take the edge off my solitude?"

At that point, a new voice cut in. Rem peered in through the small front window to the box seat.

"—Well, if that's the case, you should come to the front here, Subaru. There's nothing to do inside the carriage if you're bored, right? Here, you can see the sights, and I'll be glad to talk with you."

"Th-that is a very tempting suggestion… Emilia-tan, you won't be lonely with me over there?"

"To put it plainly, I'll be completely, absolutely all right."

"Do you have to be that all right with it?!"

Though the lack of effort to stop him gnawed at Subaru, he did have Emilia's permission to go. Since Subaru didn't mind, Rem, holding the reins, checked with Roswaal to confirm.

"May I stop temporarily, then? The land dragon will not be able to run again for a short time, however."

"Why's it gonna take time?" wondered Subaru.

Roswaal replied, "Because blessings are not omnipotent eiiither. A land dragon's wind repel blessing, once suspended, cannot be reactivated for a brief period. Shall we stop for an early meal?"

"Well, I don't wanna ask you to do that… If I open the door while we're moving, it won't slow down, right?"

As Subaru rose and reached toward the door, Roswaal smiled as he inferred Subaru's intent.

"If you have a certain degree of athletic ability, there is no proooblem, but if you fall, you will die."

"Eh, a little detour's no big deal. Wait up, Rem, and don't make an acrobat out of me here."

"I am concerned, but I understand. I shall wait. Come soon, come soon!"

At first, Rem looked worried at Subaru's suggestion, but very quickly sounded like she couldn't wait.

Smiling thinly, Subaru rose to circle around the carriage to the box seat. But Emilia called out to stop him, handing over a belt attached to the wall of the carriage.

"Wait a moment, Subaru.—Here you go. It's not that dangerous, so I won't stop you, but keep a good hold on this."

"If this is connected to the wall of the carriage… It's kind of like a seatbelt?"

"The belts are for when the dragon carriage tilts to the side. Use it as a lifeline. I'll take it back when you get to the box seat."

Subaru gracefully acknowledged Emilia's concern and wrapped the belt around his right wrist. As a worried-looking Emilia saw him off, Subaru opened the carriage door and embarked on his short outing.

It was strange how the scenery passed so quickly, yet he didn't feel any wind whatsoever. Like he was traveling inside a glass bottle. Careful to not let the uncanny sensation get the best of him, Subaru gingerly grabbed hold of the carriage's rail and wound his way toward the box seat.

If nothing else, he had good spatial awareness. The footing felt precarious, but his movements themselves were smooth.

"This is really something. So this is what having a blessing is like."

Subaru took in the mysterious phenomenon of his current world as he suddenly regarded the whole situation objectively. The wind repel blessing affected the dragon carriage and everyone inside it. What would happen if something under the effect of the blessing touched something that wasn't?

Feeling the desire to test his largely meaningless hypothesis, Subaru stretched his fingers up. Then, Emilia remembered something.

"Ah, that's right. Subaru, I forgot to mention, please don't put any part of your body too far from the dragon carriage. You'll end up outside of the blessing."

"—No way."

The moment after his fingers grazed the air, wind slammed into Subaru's entire body so hard he thought his hand would be ripped off at the wrist. The unexpected impact loosened his grip on the railing, and thus his support, blowing him straight to the side.

—Off the dragon carriage, obviously.

"Ahbuhbuhbuh—?! This is bad, seriously bad, oh man!"

The wind buffeted him until he lost all sense of up and down. He would have smashed straight into the ground, but the belt around his right wrist snapped taut. Subaru's body floated parallel to the dragon carriage. Pain wracked his wrist until it seemed like it would tear off. His life was literally linked to Emilia's lifeline.

The fierce strain and the unlucky turn had already blanked out Subaru's mind, but head snapped up amid the ferocious wind when the high-pitched sound of a chain reached his ears. Right in front of him, he could see a silver-colored snake with large, round, spiked head.

"—I'm gonna have nightmares again."

A moment later, the snake wrapped around Subaru's body. He raised a pathetic cry at how much tighter it was than he expected. But his body was hoisted up just before he became roadkill. He floated up and over the dragon carriage with ease; at the apex of his arc, the chain released him and tossed him forward.

Subaru saw Rem at the bottom of his revolving world. She held the reins and her morning star with one hand, extending the other to Subaru to guide him down.

As he realized that his life had somehow been spared, Subaru reflected, "I'll live a slightly quieter life from now on…"

Subaru, saved from a messy landing, promptly blacked out.