Subaru's eyelids slowly fluttered open as a sharp headache assaulted him the moment consciousness returned.
"Aargh…"
A groan escaped his lips while he pressed a hand against his forehead, trying to endure the pounding pain reverberating through his skull. His entire body felt unbearably heavy, as though every muscle had been drained of strength.
He had used Ultimate transformations before, so he already understood how exhausting they could be. Even then, this time had been different. Using an Ultimate form immediately after two consecutive transformations had pushed his body far beyond its limits, and he hadn't even gone all out during the fight.
'Does that count as a win or a draw…?'
His thoughts drifted toward the violet-haired knight lying unconscious after their battle.
'Whatever. I just hope Julius is okay.'
Subaru exhaled slowly and stared blankly at the ceiling above him. The memory of Ultimate Echo Echo unleashing that devastating sonic attack replayed vividly in his mind, making his expression stiffen slightly.
'That attack was stronger than I expected…'
He clenched his fist weakly against the blanket.
'I didn't mean to go that far.'
The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts.
Subaru turned his head toward the entrance and immediately saw two familiar figures rushing into the room.
"Subaru!"
"Subaru-kun!"
Rem and Emilia entered almost at the same time, relief instantly flooding their faces the moment they realized he was awake.
Rem hurried to his bedside without hesitation and suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around him.
"Subaru-kun…!"
Her voice trembled with worry as she held onto him.
"You were unconscious for an entire day… Rem was very worried…"
Subaru blinked in surprise before awkwardly patting her back with a strained smile.
"S-Sorry…"
Only after a few seconds did Rem seem to remember Emilia was still standing nearby. Her face instantly turned bright red and she quickly stepped away from him.
"S-Sorry…"
Emilia, however, didn't seem bothered by it at all. Instead, she moved closer to Subaru's bed, concern clearly visible in her eyes.
"Subaru, are you okay now? Do you feel dizzy? Is there any pain anywhere?" she asked quickly. "If something feels wrong, I'll call the healers immediately."
Seeing both of them this worried about him made Subaru feel strangely warm inside despite the lingering exhaustion.
Trying to lighten the atmosphere, he gave them a reassuring grin and flexed his arm dramatically.
"Relax, guys. I'm completely fine. Honestly, I feel like I can fight Julius one more time already."
He expected Emilia to scold him lightly for joking around in his condition, or maybe Rem to laugh softly in relief.
Instead, the atmosphere in the room instantly turned heavy.
Both Emilia and Rem stiffened the moment Julius's name left his mouth, their expressions darkening almost immediately. Subaru's smile slowly faded as he noticed the sudden tension.
"…What?"
Rem hesitated before answering carefully.
"Subaru-kun… Master Julius is currently in a coma."
"…Huh?"
The casual expression vanished completely from Subaru's face.
Emilia looked away slightly before continuing in a quieter voice.
"Not only that… your attack severely damaged his hearing."
Subaru's eyes widened.
"For a while, he became completely deaf."
The room suddenly felt suffocatingly silent.
Emilia lowered her gaze slightly before continuing.
"If Felix-sama hadn't treated him immediately… he might have remained like that for the rest of his life."
Subaru stared at them blankly, unable to process the words properly.
"…What?"
He genuinely hadn't realized the extent of the damage.
Yes, Ultimate Echo Echo's scream was powerful. He had known that much already.
But he never thought—
No.
He never wanted to think—
That it could permanently cripple someone.
His stomach twisted painfully as the image of Julius coughing blood flashed through his mind again.
Subaru lowered his gaze toward the blanket covering him.
"…I…"
For once, words completely failed him.
Rem immediately noticed the guilt beginning to appear on his face and tried to comfort him.
"Subaru-kun did not intend—"
"But I still did it."
Subaru interrupted quietly, his voice hollow and exhausted.
"I lost control."
No matter how angry he had been at the knights…
No matter how frustrated he felt watching everyone insult Emilia…
That still didn't justify what happened.
Silence lingered throughout the room for several long moments before Emilia finally spoke again.
"…Why did you go that far, Subaru?"
Subaru slowly looked up at her.
There wasn't any anger in her voice, and somehow that hurt even more.
"I already told you," he muttered bitterly. "Because nobody else would."
Emilia looked confused for a moment, prompting Subaru to continue.
"In that throne room, everyone was mocking you. Looking down on you and whispering behind your back because of your resemblance to the Witch." His fists slowly tightened over the blanket again. "And what did the so-called honorable knights do? Nothing."
Rem flinched slightly at the sharpness in his voice.
Subaru let out a bitter laugh before continuing.
"They stood there silently while nobles insulted a royal candidate right in front of them. They call themselves protectors of the kingdom, symbols of justice and honor, but none of them said a single thing."
"Subaru…" Emilia called softly, but he continued anyway.
"But the moment I call them out for it, suddenly I'm the problem?" Subaru snapped. "The moment I say their precious knights are useless for allowing that to happen, everyone loses their minds!"
Emilia frowned slightly.
"Julius challenged you because you insulted the knights."
"And was I wrong?" Subaru shot back immediately. "He kept talking about pride and honor while everyone in that room openly disrespected you!"
"That still doesn't justify hurting him that badly."
The anger in Subaru's expression faltered slightly.
"I know that," he admitted, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I know I went too far, okay?!"
His breathing became uneven as the emotions he had been suppressing finally started surfacing properly.
"But someone had to say it! Someone had to stand up for you! Even when you refuse to stand up for yourself!"
Emilia's expression softened slightly at the outburst, though the sadness in her eyes never faded.
"And why do you feel like you have to do that for me?" she asked quietly.
Subaru frowned as though the answer should have been obvious.
"Because I need to protect you."
"Why?"
The question stopped him for a moment.
Emilia held his gaze calmly as she continued.
"I never asked you to carry that burden for me."
Those words struck Subaru far harder than he expected.
He stared at her blankly for a moment.
"…What?"
"I appreciate that you wanted to protect me," Emilia replied quietly. "But insulting everyone and starting a fight wasn't necessary."
Subaru clenched his jaw tightly.
"So, I should've just stayed quiet? Watched everyone insult you and pretend it was normal?"
"That's not what I'm saying—"
"You didn't even try to fight back!" Subaru interrupted sharply. "You just stood there and took it while everyone looked down on you!"
Rem's eyes widened slightly at the harshness in his tone.
"Subaru-kun…"
But Subaru kept going, emotions spilling out faster than he could control them now.
"You're way too soft, Emilia! Those people insult you openly and you still keep acting nice to them like eventually they'll change!"
Emilia's expression slowly stiffened.
"And because you won't protect yourself…" Subaru continued bitterly, "someone had to do it for you."
The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room changed completely.
Rem looked horrified. Even Subaru himself realized too late how arrogant that sounded.
As though Emilia was helpless.
As though she needed him to decide things for her.
As though he alone knew what was best for her.
Emilia stared at him silently for several seconds.
Then—
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the room.
Subaru blinked.
Only then did he realize Emilia had unconsciously crushed the edge of the wooden chair she was gripping. Frost spread faintly across the surface beneath her fingers before disappearing just as quickly.
Her expression trembled slightly.
Not with anger.
With hurt.
"…So that's how you see me?"
Subaru immediately stiffened.
"Emilia, I didn't mean—"
"You think I can't protect myself?" she interrupted quietly.
That calm tone felt far worse than shouting.
"You think I need you to fight my battles for me because I'm too weak to do it myself?"
"No, that's not what I—"
"Then what did you mean?"
For the first time since entering the room, genuine emotion rose in Emilia's voice.
"I know people hate me, Subaru!" she snapped. "I know what they whisper behind my back! I know what they think when they look at me!"
Subaru froze.
Emilia's breathing became uneven as years of buried pain surfaced all at once.
"But despite that, I still wanted to face this properly. I wanted people to judge me for who I am, not because someone stronger forced them to shut up!"
The room fell completely silent.
Rem looked stunned.
Subaru could only stare at Emilia as she continued.
"And instead…" Emilia's voice trembled slightly now, "you decided I couldn't handle it myself."
The guilt in Subaru's chest twisted violently.
Because hearing it from her perspective—
He finally understood how insulting his words sounded.
Emilia lowered her gaze briefly before looking back at him again.
"…You didn't protect me, Subaru."
Her silver eyes looked painfully sad.
"You ignored what I wanted and decided your feelings mattered more."
Rem nervously stepped between them, sensing the conversation spiralling completely out of control.
"Subaru-kun, please calm down…"
But Subaru barely even heard her anymore.
The guilt, frustration, embarrassment, and anger twisting inside him had already reached a breaking point.
Emilia took a slow breath, trying to steady herself despite the hurt still visible on her face.
"You don't understand, Subaru."
"No," Subaru interrupted bitterly. "I understand perfectly."
He pointed angrily toward the door, his voice rising again.
"That entire kingdom already decided what you are before even giving you a chance! Everyone in that room looked at you like you were some monster, and nobody cared enough to stop it!"
Emilia's expression tightened.
"But that still doesn't give you the right to hurt people for my sake!"
"I didn't mean to hurt him like that!"
The words came out louder than Subaru intended.
His voice cracked slightly as the guilt he had been desperately trying to suppress resurfaced again.
"I just… lost control."
The anger drained from his expression almost immediately afterward, leaving behind only exhaustion and frustration with himself.
"I never wanted things to go that far." He looked away bitterly. "I just wanted someone to finally shut them up…"
Nobody spoke for several moments after that.
For a brief instant, Emilia's expression softened again. She understood Subaru hadn't intended for Julius to end up in a coma. She could see the genuine remorse on his face.
But that still didn't erase what had happened.
"Even so…" Emilia said quietly, "if standing up for me means people getting hurt like this… then I don't want it."
Subaru's chest tightened painfully.
"And blaming me because things didn't go the way you wanted…" she continued sadly, "that isn't fair either."
Subaru immediately looked away.
Part of him knew she was right.
But another part of him still burned with frustration toward her willingness to quietly endure everyone's hatred without fighting back.
Emilia lowered her gaze for a moment before speaking again.
"Subaru… maybe you should stop involving yourself with me."
Subaru's eyes widened instantly.
"Emilia—"
"I'm returning to Roswaal Manor."
Rem looked alarmed.
"Emilia-sama!"
But Emilia gently shook her head before looking at Subaru one last time.
"From now on… there's no need for you to force yourself to stand up for me anymore."
With that, she turned and quietly walked out of the room.
The sound of the closing door echoed heavily throughout the silence she left behind, while Subaru remained frozen in place, staring blankly ahead as the weight of everything finally began crashing down on him.
For several long seconds, nobody spoke.
Rem looked toward the closed door worriedly before turning back toward Subaru, only to freeze at the sight of his expression. He remained completely motionless on the bed, staring blankly ahead as though his thoughts had stopped functioning altogether.
"…Subaru-kun…"
He didn't respond.
The frustration from earlier had already faded from his face. What remained instead was exhaustion. Not physical exhaustion from overusing the Omnitrix, but the hollow look of someone realizing too late that things had spiralled beyond their control.
Rem hesitated before slowly sitting beside him.
"Emilia-sama does not hate Subaru-kun," she said softly. "She is simply confused and hurt right now."
Subaru laughed weakly at that.
"Yeah… and I'm the reason for it."
His voice sounded empty.
Rem lowered her eyes sadly. She wanted to comfort him, but even she didn't know what to say anymore. Subaru had stood up for Emilia when nobody else would. Rem understood that better than anyone.
But the consequences of his actions had become impossible to ignore.
Julius was lying unconscious. The Royal Selection had descended into chaos, and now Emilia had walked away from him.
Subaru leaned back against the bed and covered his eyes with one arm.
"…How bad is it?"
Rem immediately understood what he meant.
The aftermath. The reactions of everyone present at the palace.
She remained quiet for a moment before answering carefully.
"The knights are furious."
Subaru let out another weak laugh.
"Yeah. Figured."
"Many of them already disliked you after what happened in the throne room," Rem continued. "But after defeating Julius-sama… people have become afraid of you."
Subaru slowly lowered his arm.
"…Afraid?"
Rem nodded reluctantly.
"Subaru-kun displayed power beyond what anyone expected. Even the Royal Candidates were shocked."
The memory of the arena battle resurfaced in Subaru's mind again.
Ultimate Echo Echo.
The sonic bombardment.
Julius being blown through stone walls.
Subaru grimaced slightly.
"…I really messed up."
Rem gently shook her head.
"You did not fight dishonorably. Even Crusch-sama acknowledged that you deliberately held back once you gained the advantage."
Subaru blinked slightly at that.
"Crusch said that?"
Rem nodded.
"After the duel ended, several knights demanded your immediate arrest for attacking Julius-sama so severely. But Crusch-sama opposed them."
Subaru frowned slightly in confusion.
"Why?"
"Because she believed Subaru-kun never intended to kill him."
Rem paused briefly before continuing.
"She also pointed out that Julius-sama was the one who escalated the duel after Subaru-kun tried to withdraw earlier."
Subaru leaned back silently.
That… was true.
Reinhard had de-escalated the situation at first. He almost walked away. Then Julius provoked him again.
Still…
That didn't erase what happened afterward.
-------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, elsewhere inside Crusch Manor—
The atmosphere inside the meeting room remained heavy after the events at the arena.
Crusch stood near the window silently with her arms crossed while Wilhelm remained seated nearby, calmly drinking tea as though the destruction at the palace had merely been an interesting afternoon exercise.
The younger knights present, however, looked far less composed.
"That power is dangerous," one of them finally said. "With all due respect, Crusch-sama, allowing someone like him near the Royal Selection could become a serious threat."
Another knight frowned.
"He publicly insulted the Order of Knights in front of the Sage Council and then nearly destroyed the arena fighting Julius-sama. His abilities are completely unpredictable."
Crusch listened quietly without interrupting them immediately.
The image of Subaru's transformations replayed through her mind again.
Goop.
Echo Echo.
Ultimate Echo Echo.
Each form possessed entirely different abilities, strengths, and fighting styles. There was no consistency to analyze, no proper way to predict what he might do next.
That uncertainty alone made Subaru dangerous.
But—
"He restrained himself."
The room quieted slightly after Crusch spoke. Several knights looked unconvinced.
"Crusch-sama, Julius-sama is still unconscious."
"And alive," Crusch replied calmly.
Her sharp gaze swept across the room.
"That boy had multiple opportunities to kill Julius during the duel, yet he repeatedly warned him to surrender instead."
The knights hesitated. Because that part was true.
Subaru could have melted Julius directly with Goop's corrosive body. He could have crushed him immediately after immobilizing him. Even after gaining overwhelming power with his final transformation, he attacked Julius directly instead of targeting the spectators or causing indiscriminate destruction.
Wilhelm finally spoke from nearby.
"Subaru-dono lacks experience controlling his strength. However, I do not believe he possesses cruelty within him."
The room fell silent again.
The Sword Demon's opinion carried immense weight.
Crusch slowly narrowed her eyes toward the dark night outside the window.
"More importantly," she said quietly, "that boy has now become impossible for the kingdom to ignore."
No one argued with her after that.
Because everyone understood the truth behind those words.
Natsuki Subaru was no longer merely Emilia's strange attendant.
After today—
He had become a political factor.
-----------------------------------------------
Elsewhere—
"THAT WAS AWESOME!"
Felt slammed both hands against the table excitedly while Old Man Rom nearly spilled his drink beside her.
"Oi, brat! Stop yellin' in my ears!"
"But did you SEE that?!" Felt shouted while pointing dramatically. "Big bro literally blasted that fancy knight through a wall!"
Rom scratched his beard with a complicated expression. He had once attempted to break Felt out of the Astrea mansion himself after Reinhard brought her there, only to get caught almost immediately by the Sword Saint. In the end, Felt agreed to participate in the Royal Selection to spare him from punishment, and from that day onward, Rom had become part of her camp.
Still, even he had to admit the spectacle at the arena had been absurd.
"…Yeah," Rom muttered while shaking his head slowly. "And half the capital probably felt that explosion too."
Nearby, Reinhard stood silently with his arms crossed.
Felt immediately pointed toward him.
"And you knights totally deserved getting called out too."
Reinhard sighed helplessly.
"Felt-sama…"
"No seriously!" Felt continued. "Big sis Emilia was getting insulted by all those old idiots and nobody said anything! Big bro was the only one who actually stood up for her!"
Rom grunted in agreement.
"…Kid's got guts, I'll give him that."
Reinhard closed his eyes briefly.
He couldn't even deny it.
Subaru's methods had been reckless beyond belief, but the frustration behind his words wasn't entirely wrong either. The throne room had allowed prejudice against Emilia to continue openly.
"But he still went too far," Reinhard said quietly.
Felt crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Maybe. But that Julius guy kept pushing him too."
Reinhard remained silent after that.
Because that part was true as well.
Subaru had almost walked away from the duel before Julius provoked him again.
Felt leaned back in her chair with a huge grin.
"Still though… big bro's seriously insane." Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Turning into monsters and blowing up arenas? That's cool as hell."
Rom snorted.
"Kid's trouble."
"…Yep," Felt replied proudly. "But he's our kind of trouble."
A faint smile finally appeared on Reinhard's face despite himself.
"…He certainly is remarkable."
----------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, inside another carriage moving through the capital—
Priscilla rested her cheek lazily against one hand while Al sat across from her awkwardly.
"Hm."
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly as Subaru's duel resurfaced in her mind.
"That commoner continues to entertain me."
Al scratched the back of his helmet nervously.
"Princess… the guy nearly blew up the entire arena."
"And?" Priscilla replied dismissively. "The strong crushing the weak is simply the natural order of the world."
She closed her fan slightly before continuing.
"Still… he lacks refinement."
Al tilted his head.
"Huh?"
"He hesitated."
Priscilla's voice carried faint disappointment.
"He possessed complete victory yet still restrained himself. A man who cannot fully commit to his convictions will inevitably suffer because of it."
Priscilla smirked faintly.
"How pathetic."
Yet despite her criticism—
Her interest in Natsuki Subaru had clearly deepened.