Chapter 66 66: Heading to the Village

It took quite a while for Ram to recover, and Subaru helped restore her mana in the meantime, so she came around soon enough.

"I'm sorry, Master. You've seen Ram in such a wretched state — let me tidy this up at once."

Ram looked at the fresh disaster she had made of the bed and immediately flustered. She was already moving to climb off and deal with it, when Subaru caught her by the hand.

"There's nowhere good to put any of this — just burn it all. That'll take care of the smell too."

With that, Subaru borrowed Betty's magic to handle the room — but that's a detail best left unremarked upon.

Once the two of them had erased every last trace of what had happened, they made their way together to the dining hall.

As on the day before, Subaru ate breakfast with Rem and Emilia attending him. Ram stood quietly to one side throughout, just as she always did — playing her usual part, giving every impression that her relationship with Subaru was nothing out of the ordinary.

Breakfast wrapped up quickly, and they moved on to the matter at hand.

"Emilia-tan, I'm going with Ram to pick up some supplies from the nearby village. I'll be back by noon, and after lunch I'll take you out — just the two of us." Subaru said with a smile.

The decision had come from practical caution. Elsa was probably nothing to worry too much about, but Meili's presence was still a potential threat. His outing with Emilia-tan had to go without a hitch.

"...? Mm... alright. Just be careful, okay." Emilia blinked in brief surprise, then didn't overthink it — she simply nodded and went along with what Subaru had said.

Rem's gaze drifted back and forth between Subaru and Ram a few times. Then she stepped forward.

"Subaru, Rem wants to come with you — to make sure you stay safe..."

"Absolutely not. Then who looks after Lady Emilia?" Ram's brow furrowed sharply at the request, and she cut Rem off before she could finish.

"Rem, you stay here at the manor. You're not going anywhere." Ram crossed her arms and spoke with a firmness that left little room for argument.

Rem asking to go out with Subaru had stirred up an unpleasant memory in Ram. In her recollection, that was precisely how every tragedy had begun — Rem had gone out to the village alone, been caught unawares, had a curse planted on her, and died. Whatever happened, she would not let history repeat itself.

And besides... if she was being honest with herself, there was a touch of selfishness in it too. Moments like this — being alone with Barusu — were rare and precious. She intended to make the most of it.

"But, Sister! The village..." Rem's voice turned urgent.

She had no objection whatsoever to her sister and Subaru going out together. In fact, the chance for the two of them to spend time alone and ease the tension between them was a good thing — after all, once she and Subaru married, Ram and Subaru would be family anyway.

It was just — knowing that the village beyond the manor walls currently harbored someone with ill intentions, Rem was genuinely worried about their safety on the road. The barrier crystal could be destroyed at any moment, and her sister couldn't sustain a prolonged fight.

Rem's heart was in knots, but she couldn't explain the real reasons why. All she could do was fix her gaze on Subaru, silently pleading for him to understand and agree.

Ram closed the distance to Subaru immediately, stepping forward to plant herself squarely between him and Rem, her tone brooking no debate.

"Rem, I'm here to protect Barusu. Isn't my strength enough for you?"

As she spoke, Ram quietly reached behind her and took Subaru's hand — a small, concealed gesture, almost like she was steadying herself.

What she had overlooked, however, was Betty, currently nestled in Subaru's arms the whole time.

Betty's lips pursed. What an unbelievably brazen maid.

As far as Betty was concerned, she had a very simple rule: aside from herself, nobody was allowed to touch Subaru without his permission. She wasn't about to let that slide.

So without ceremony, she slapped Ram's sneaking hand away with one small palm, then put on her sweetest expression and took Subaru's hand herself.

"Subaru, Betty wants to come with you too." Betty tilted her face up, her large eyes fixed on Subaru in a completely unguarded, expectant look.

Subaru had felt the odd sensation on his hand and glanced down — and found Betty's utterly guileless expression gazing back up at him, big eyes and all. His heart practically melted on the spot.

"Alright, Betty can come." He lifted his head and gave Rem and Ram an apologetic look.

"Since Rem's worried about my safety — with Bea-ko along, there's nothing to worry about, right?" He paused. "Ram, what do you think?"

At that, both sisters fell quiet.

Rem was thinking back to her own memories — the first time she and Subaru had gone to the village together, nothing bad had happened then. It was only later, when someone kidnapped the village children and destroyed the barrier crystal, that they had found themselves in danger — because they hadn't had the strength or numbers to handle it. Now, with Lady Betty — who shared a Companion Contract with Subaru — going along, there was no reason to worry.

As for Ram, she had even less to say. After all, last night, Betty had more or less saved her life. And she would never sacrifice Subaru's safety for her own selfish reasons. If Betty was coming, then fine — Betty was... Ram glanced at the small girl. She sensed no threat from her whatsoever. Besides, as the person who knew Subaru best, she could already tell, in a vague but certain way, that his feelings for Betty were something closer to a father's love for a daughter.

So — no problem at all.

With that decided, Ram spoke up at once.

"No objections. With Lady Betty along, our safety is all the more assured."

"Then Rem — that's how it is. We're counting on you to look after Lady Emilia." Ram turned to her sister and said it plainly, with quiet gravity.

Rem didn't say anything more. She gave a small nod, and watched with worried eyes as the three of them — her sister Ram, Subaru, and Betty — gradually disappeared from sight.

But beneath that look of worry, there was something else too — a faint, lingering unease she couldn't quite name.

That thing her sister had just said... why did it feel so strangely familiar?

It was almost identical to what had been said that night — the night the barrier crystal was destroyed, when her sister had ordered her to go with Subaru to the village to look for the children.

Except now, it was her sister and Subaru going to the village, while she stayed behind at the manor to protect Lady Emilia.

What kind of coincidence was that...?

And another thing.

Rem had noticed it from the moment they first saw each other this morning — her sister Ram's appearance had completely changed. The two of them had always kept matching looks, and yet her sister had gone and changed hers on her own, without a word to Rem about it.

What on earth had happened?

Lost in that puzzled haze, Rem caught a glimpse of Subaru's retreating back — and a sudden flash of intuition struck her like lightning.

Last night... she hadn't heard her sister come back to her room.

An entire night. Where in the world had her sister been?

Rem's expression went very still. She closed her eyes and stood motionless for a long moment. When she finally opened them again, she brought her hands together and quietly prayed for the three of them.

Whatever happened — please let Sister and Subaru come home safe.

As for everything else... she could talk it over with her sister later.

____

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