Chapter 28 28: “Starting Life in Another World from Arrogance (3)”

[Before Natsuki Subaru now was Elsa — barely clinging to life.

Having tanked a furious blow from Reinhard head-on, even her extraordinary regenerative ability had momentarily stopped functioning.

She might still be able to move.

But there was absolutely no escaping the cordon of Royal Capital soldiers conducting a full, all-out sweep of the area.

Elsa had probably worked that out herself — Subaru spotted her curled up in a shadow-drenched corner.

Her black dress was torn to shreds, long past the point of covering her body, though the gruesome web of wounds and bloodstains across her skin made the exposure almost beside the point.

Hair loose and spilling around her, Elsa was utterly silent — seemingly waiting for death to come for her.

Or perhaps quietly gathering what strength she had left.

"Excuse me, sir — have you seen a woman pass through here? Covered in blood, wearing a black dress?"

At almost the exact same moment Subaru found Elsa, the Royal Capital soldiers' search swept to this very spot.

Politely, they addressed the upstanding citizen Natsuki Subaru.

Subaru cast a quick glance at Elsa — white-knuckled on her curved blade, every muscle coiled tight — then, with perfectly natural composure, pointed the soldiers in exactly the opposite direction.

And as he did, he made a point of raising his voice just a little.

All so that Elsa would know exactly what he'd done — and owe him for it.

In Subaru's eyes, this other world was, without question, a garbage game.

High difficulty, high danger, and his only real capability was dying over and over until he found the correct route to clear it.

That said, "game" wasn't entirely the wrong frame.

Because if it was a game, then there was inevitably a collection and character-building mechanic to exploit.

By that standard, Elsa was unquestionably an SSR card — exceptional combat ability, exceptional regeneration.

Wasn't it a waste to just let her slip away like this?

That was the thought forming in Subaru's mind.

He could retry as many times as it took, after all. Bringing a heavily wounded Elsa to heel wasn't that tall an order.

The one thing that might have given him pause was the hostility festering inside him — the raw, uncontrollable urge to just kill her.

But that... didn't matter anymore.

As long as Elsa had value as a tool, he could set aside his principles and his grudges.

"Those soldiers are out there hunting for you with murder in their eyes, Elsa."

Watching the soldiers march further and further in the wrong direction, Subaru walked slowly over to where Elsa was huddled and spoke in a flat, unhurried tone.

"But I sent them the wrong way."

At that, Elsa raised her head slightly. One eye was completely obscured by the blood still flowing freely across her face.

She studied Subaru with the one eye still working — her gaze tired, and puzzled, as though she were quietly trying to work out why he'd helped her.

"How are you holding up? How long before you recover?"

Subaru kept his expression in check, his tone even and as natural as he could make it as he voiced his concern.

But then, seeming to feel that even that was a bit too conspicuous, he added an explanation:

"You're the legendary Elsa Granhiert. A favor from you isn't easy to come by — might come in handy someday."

"Is that so?"

The loose curtain of her hair cast a shadow over Elsa's expression, leaving it unreadable. She gave a cryptic little reply and laughed — low and quiet.

"A favor, hm. You really are a strange one~"

"Your eyes, your scent — they've been telling me this whole time that you're absolutely dying to kill me."

Elsa narrowed her eyes with evident pleasure. Even with someone who wanted her dead standing right in front of her, she made no move whatsoever — as though she was actually looking forward to being killed.

That was probably true. But Subaru wasn't going to act on it.

Setting aside the fact that he'd lose even against a badly wounded Elsa — he hadn't forgotten the reason he'd come here in the first place.

Meeting Elsa's gaze of amused curiosity without flinching, Subaru spoke his mind with startling honesty.

"I do want to kill you. I will kill you — someday. Just not today."

Anyone else who heard those words would have killed Subaru on the spot, just to eliminate a future threat.

But not Elsa.

This was a decision Subaru had reached after eighty-eight rounds of dealing with Elsa — after coming to understand her character down to the bone.

Elsa was an absolute, utter lunatic.

But as it happened — so was he.

And between two lunatics, a strange kind of resonance tends to emerge.

Like right now.

Elsa's eyes — carrying their cold, composed smile — seemed to pierce straight through Subaru's surface and see what lay beneath.

Madness. And an obsession that would not end until death.

"Wonderful. Magnificent. The two of us, brought together by mutual hatred."

"And someday, without fail, you will absolutely, certainly keep your promise and come to kill me — that is just... so utterly, heart-stoppingly thrilling."

A flush of color rose in Elsa's pale cheeks. Her bloodstained lips parted into an excited smile — the smile of a girl utterly smitten.]

"What on earth are you saying?"

"Hm? You witch."

Emilia turned and fixed Elsa with a look of absolute, murderous fury — the kind that could cut a person to ribbons.

"Didn't you just hear what Subaru told you? He's going to kill you. So why are you still shamelessly throwing yourself at him?"

Emilia tilted her head slightly, something cracking at the edges of her composure.

Eighty-eight loops. She didn't blame Subaru for the choices he'd made under that crushing weight of pressure.

Killing the thugs — fine. Directing the soldiers to their deaths — fine. Hating Reinhard — fine.

But there was one thing.

How could Subaru choose Elsa — for the sake of power?

"The person he should have chosen... should have been me."

The violet of Emilia's irises was slowly being swallowed by a creeping, deep black. The emotion called "envy" fermented and took root inside her, growing with every passing second.

"My~ that expression of yours is absolutely delicious, little half-elf... oh, or should I say Lady Emilia?"

Elsa paid no attention to what Emilia had said before, just covering her mouth and teasing her with gleeful provocation.

Yes — this was exactly what she wanted to see.

In this moment Elsa felt nothing but satisfaction. So what if you were the one Subaru loved?

"I can step aside for you. But I absolutely cannot turn a blind eye to that arrogance of yours — that attitude that treats Subaru as yours and yours alone."

"Subaru's choices... are not limited to just you."

Elsa delivered her parting shot, standing her ground completely unfazed against Emilia's terrifying glare.

She was a lunatic herself, after all. Something like that didn't scare her.

[Time was pressing. Natsuki Subaru hauled the heavily wounded Elsa to her feet and immediately set off toward a house in the Slums to the southeast.

Waiting there was Elsa's 'little sister' — Meili, a beast handler with deep blue hair, a small girl still young in years.

Meili tended to Elsa's wounds with swift, practiced ease, then immediately began making preparations to flee the Royal Capital.

"Bye-bye then, big brother~ Thank you for saving Elsa!"]

____

👻🔥Read More: Walnut-chan🔥👻

🔥 New history: All My Employees Are Naughty Girls

Help us hit our community goals:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone