Roswaal Manor.
The morning sun streamed through the curtains into the room.
Natsuki Subaru slowly opened his heavy eyelids, the first thing that met his eyes was the soft white light emanating from the artificial crystal lamp.
"This is... Roswaal Manor? I'm still alive?"
Natsuki Subaru blinked, his vision gradually focusing on the ceiling of the spacious room, where a hanging crystal chandelier emitted a faint glow.
Memories flooded back like a tide. The last image was of Emilia and Ram appearing in time to repel Elsa.
Suddenly, a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance drifted to his nose.
Natsuki Subaru turned his head slightly and saw the silver-haired girl sitting on a wooden chair beside the bed, her head bowed in sleep.
"Emi... Emilia?"
There was no response to his call.
The sleeping silver-haired girl breathed evenly and peacefully, her usually impeccably styled silver hair now slightly disheveled.
More importantly, her clothes were stained with dark marks of blood and mud.
"Emilia must have carried me back... and stayed here all night..."
He, injured, lay in bed greeting the morning, while Emilia slept beside him. From her appearance, even the slow-witted Natsuki Subaru could immediately grasp the situation.
"You guessed right." A familiar voice suddenly sounded. "Lia carried you back to the manor all by herself and watched over you all night."
"Hmm?" Natsuki Subaru followed the voice and saw Puck emerging from Emilia's scattered silver hair, floating lightly to the bedside.
"Puck..."
"Morning, Subaru." The great spirit Puck circled Natsuki Subaru with concern, then spoke, "How are you feeling? Anything uncomfortable?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, nothing uncomfortable, guess I cheated death..." Natsuki Subaru slowly sat up in bed, looking down to check his condition and moving his limbs.
"My arms and legs are still here, looks like there's no major damage."
Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, then remembered Rem and the others' condition and turned to Puck, asking,
"By the way, how are Rem and the others?"
"That blue-haired maid was also in a sorry state." Puck waved his fluffy paws, making a clapping motion, but the soft pads made no sound.
"But compared to you, who almost died, her curse has already been lifted."
Seeing Puck's adorable appearance, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but show a slight smile, but his expression quickly turned serious again:
"What about the children from the village? Have their curses been lifted too?"
"You can rest assured about that." Puck confidently puffed out his small, fluffy chest, giving his assurance,
"Because they regained some stamina with magic, and Betty and I dispelled the curses, the process was very smooth, no problem. The children's curses have all been properly lifted."
"Is that so."
Hearing this assurance, Natsuki Subaru finally let out a long sigh, the stone in his heart finally lifted. He then turned to look at the sleeping Emilia and asked Puck in a low voice,
"So Emilia... she stayed here all night?"
"Sigh, I told Lia to just wait patiently, but she just wouldn't listen." Puck helplessly flicked his tail, looking up at Natsuki Subaru and saying, "To treat you, Subaru, she even went as far as to consume her Od... Let her sleep well for a while."
"Od?"
Natsuki Subaru was puzzled by this unfamiliar term.
"The magical power pervading the atmosphere is called Mana, while Od is the inherent magical power within living beings. Although it varies from person to person, the total amount is fixed..." Puck twitched his whiskers, his expression becoming serious.
"To put it bluntly, she's consuming her life force. I clearly warned her not to use it unless absolutely necessary..."
"I see..."
From Puck's hesitant tone, Natsuki Subaru could already imagine how desperately Emilia had pushed herself. Emilia had disregarded her own safety and forcibly summoned Puck in the middle of the night, even though it was outside their contract, all to treat him and dispel the curses on Rem and the children in time.
"Even though she herself was so exhausted, she still chose to help others without hesitation."
Natsuki Subaru gazed at Emilia's tired yet still beautiful sleeping face, a warm current surging in his chest.
This was Emilia.
Cute, gentle, and kind-hearted, always putting others first, even if it meant getting hurt or suffering losses herself.
"Now, I owe her another huge debt of gratitude..."
Natsuki Subaru thought silently to himself.
Just then.
"—Subaru, you're awake!"
Emilia slightly lifted her head, her sleepy purple-blue eyes instantly blooming with surprised delight.
"Mm, Emilia..."
Natsuki Subaru looked at the silver-haired girl worried about him, and a wave of emotion washed over him.
"It's so good to see you're okay, Subaru."
Emilia let out a sigh of relief, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.
"Speaking of which." Natsuki Subaru looked at Emilia sincerely, "It was Emilia who healed my wounds, right? You not only saved me, but also Rem and those children, and lifted the curse."
Honestly, if Emilia and Ram hadn't appeared in time last night, he would definitely have died at Elsa's hands. Besides, with such severe injuries, if he hadn't received timely treatment, he probably would have triggered Return by Death again.
"No, it's not like that." Emilia gently shook her head, her silver hair swaying like water with the movement, and continued to explain,
"This is all thanks to Subaru. Beatrice said that once a curse is fully activated, it cannot be stopped, that's what makes it so terrifying. When Rem and those children were found in the forest, they were already very weak, which means the curse had indeed activated. But the only reason they survived is because the Mabeasts that cast the curse were already dead."
"So as long as the Mabeasts that cast the curse are killed, the curse will automatically be lifted?"
Natsuki Subaru suddenly slapped his forehead, a look of realization dawning on him.
Recalling the bloody battle in the forest last night, he had indeed slain many Mabeasts. Among those hundred or so fallen Mabeasts, there must have been a few that were the culprits who cursed Rem and the children.
"That's right." Emilia nodded gently, her silver hair swaying slightly with the movement,
"After the caster dies, the curse becomes a mere ritual, allowing Beatrice to dispel it. The number of Mabeasts that died in the forest last night was quite astonishing."
"So that's how it was..." Natsuki Subaru muttered in a low voice.
"It was Subaru who saved them." Emilia looked at Natsuki Subaru gently, her purple eyes shimmering with complex emotions, as if wanting to say something but hesitating,
"For Rem and those children, you went into such a dangerous Mabeast forest all alone, truly..."
"Hmm..." Facing Emilia's gentle gaze, Natsuki Subaru felt a little uncomfortable and looked away.
"Subaru, you were truly too reckless!" Emilia's purple-blue eyes showed an indescribable emotion, a mixture of reprimand and deep concern,
"Going into the Mabeast forest alone like that... What if something had happened..."
"But the outcome was good, wasn't it?" Natsuki Subaru scratched his head, giving Emilia a bright smile, "The children are all safe, and Rem was saved, that's enough."
To be honest, in that critical situation, he didn't have time to think much. There was only one thought in his mind: he had to save Rem and the children. Looking back now, his actions were indeed too reckless. If Emilia and the others hadn't arrived in time later, it would have been all over.
"But..." Emilia suddenly bit her tender lip, her slender fingers tightly clenching her skirt, "Do you know how scared I was... when I saw you covered in blood?"
"Uh..."
Natsuki Subaru's smile froze on his face. He hadn't expected to hear such direct concern from Emilia, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
"I... I just did what I had to do." Natsuki Subaru said in a low voice, his gaze unconsciously avoiding Emilia's intense stare, "I couldn't just... stand by and watch Rem and the children in danger, and not save them."
"I know." Emilia suddenly interrupted Natsuki Subaru, "That's what's most amazing about Subaru... But next time, please let me face it with you, okay?"
"Ah?"
Natsuki Subaru was a little stunned. He hadn't expected Emilia to express her desire to fight alongside him so directly.
"And..." Emilia's purple-blue eyes stared intently at Natsuki Subaru, filled with concern, "You always take everything on yourself like this, it makes me... it makes everyone very worried."
"Emilia." Natsuki Subaru felt a warmth spread through his chest, took a deep breath, and looked at Emilia, saying,
"I promise you, but you also have to promise me, don't casually consume your Od anymore. Puck said that's consuming your own life force."
"This isn't something to bargain about." Emilia said seriously, then her gaze fixed on Natsuki Subaru, her tone softening again,
"I understand, but... thank you so much, Subaru. Not only for saving Rem, but for saving everyone."
"Ehehe—Since Emilia-chan is thanking me so sincerely..." Natsuki Subaru suddenly made an exaggerated gesture of opening his arms and said half-jokingly,
"Then as a reward, how about considering giving me a loving hug? Of course, if it's a lap pillow, I wouldn't refuse either～"
"Pfft... Subaru, really, you're not serious as soon as you wake up."
Emilia was amused by Natsuki Subaru and laughed.
"Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding." Natsuki Subaru said as he got out of bed and stretched his limbs, changing the subject,
"But seriously, I feel full of strength right now. Never mind an earth dragon, I'd even dare to arm-wrestle a giant dragon if one came along!"
He first rotated his shoulders, then kicked his legs, confirming that his limbs could move flexibly, before casually lifting his shirt to check the wound on his chest.
That gruesome wound left by Elsa had now completely vanished, without even a scar.
"Hmm... Not a single scar, this is too amazing." Natsuki Subaru poked the original wound location with his finger in disbelief. "Healing magic is really incredible."
"Speaking of which, Subaru's situation is a bit special. Beatrice said that even the highest-tier healing magic couldn't completely erase a wound of that severity..." Emilia looked at Natsuki Subaru thoughtfully and said,
"Unless, Subaru's self-healing ability has surpassed that of an ordinary demi-human..."
Could it be because of the system...
Natsuki Subaru muttered inwardly, but on the surface, he acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
.........
.........
After Emilia left, the room suddenly became quiet.
"System panel."
Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath and called up the system panel. The familiar blue light screen immediately unfolded before his eyes.
A system prompt with a flashing golden border was particularly conspicuous, clearly having been there for some time but ignored by him.
"Reward for completing the emergency quest, the Blessing of the Great Witch God Kandiaru?" Natsuki Subaru read the prompt content softly. "Speaking of which, the situation was urgent then, I didn't even have time to confirm this information..."
As he confirmed, a detailed information panel slowly unfolded:
[Blessing of the Great Witch God Kandiaru:
Health and Longevity.
Enhance physical regeneration ability, heal all physical damage.
Nullify toxins and abnormal statuses.]
"Health and longevity... This blessing... is too powerful?!" Natsuki Subaru's eyes widened, his voice unconsciously rising a few decibels,
"Wait... Enhance physical regeneration ability, does that mean even severed limbs can regenerate? No wonder my wounds recovered so quickly!"
"And, complete immunity to toxins and abnormal statuses... This means I now have absolute resistance to negative effects like petrification and stun. This ability is truly too practical."
Natsuki Subaru said this as he opened the attribute panel again, carefully examining the changes in the status bar.
The level display had risen to level 8, and the most conspicuous was the Agility attribute. It had jumped from the original 34 points to 44 points. This was the result of him investing all 10 attribute points previously rewarded by the system. His other basic attributes remained unchanged.
"But, it's strange, why is the class column still blank?" Natsuki Subaru scratched his hair in confusion,
"Logically, in a game, I should have chosen a class direction by now, like warrior, mage, or assassin... Why hasn't this system shown any class information yet?"
"Could it be because my level isn't high enough? Indeed, I'm only level 8 now, which is still the novice stage in most games."
Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but sigh softly.
Although he was much stronger than the helpless self he was when he first transmigrated, compared to the true powerhouses of this world.
It was still far from enough!
For example, the world's favored son, Sword Saint Reinhard, who possessed hundreds of desperate Divine Protections; Roswaal, with his unfathomable magical attainments accumulated over four hundred years; Puck, the Great Spirit of Fire, also known as the Beast of the End of the Permanent Tundra, with his terrifying power to freeze the world...
In short, each of them was an existence far beyond his current reach.
"My strength is still far too lacking... far, far from enough."
Natsuki Subaru clenched his fists tightly, Elsa's murderous eyes seemingly appearing before him again.
"Next time we meet, I'll definitely make that perverted woman pay! And Roswaal, that old schemer..."
At this moment, Natsuki Subaru's gaze fell on an item in his system inventory.
It was a dungeon key emitting a faint blue glow.
It was the reward for completing the hidden quest previously, which he had not yet used.
"Looks like, it's time to improve my strength."
Natsuki Subaru muttered to himself.
______
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