A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 5 - Part 23

The journey lasted quite a long time, boring me so much that I fell asleep for a moment and was about to fall off Patrasche's back, but Rem caught me and saved me from a painful fall.

There were about five hours left until the appearance of the whale when we arrived at the place that would be our battlefield.

Before my eyes rose the gigantic tree planted by the Sage Flugel. I wondered where the roots of this monstrous plant got their water.

I hadn't seen a river or lake nearby, so the tree's food source remained a mystery to me. Maybe it didn't need water because it was a magical tree or something.

I took a walk around the area with Patrasche and Rem. While enjoying the view, I whistled the Lost Woods melody from the Legend of Zelda video game.

"You look more relaxed now." Rem commented.

"It helps to have two cute girls around." I said, receiving an affectionate grunt from Patrasche and a sigh from Rem.

It was a stark contrast to the scene I remembered, when she and Subaru had been together. Back then, she'd practically told him she loved him so much she'd settle for being his second wife.

Instead, she saw me as a friend, at best.

"Are you aware that you are about to fight a creature that has been terrorizing the world for four hundred years?"

"Yes, yes. I'll face a legendary beast, and I'll defeat it before the sun rises. That's what's going to happen in the end, although it might take several attempts if I'm really unlucky."

Rem fell silent at my firm and confident response. The next few minutes passed in silence as I waited, sitting on a tree root.

Preparations for the battle were completed well before the specified time for the whale's arrival. Many soldiers were holding revolvers or rifles, which attracted the attention of those who had never seen or heard of such weapons.

Anastasia and Russell had been quite insistent on buying a batch of those weapons from me, even offering to process a patent for me so I would be officially recognized as the inventor and be able to control the commercial rights to my weapons, in addition to obtaining royalties from their sale.

Of course, they intended to become the main producers... But I wasn't going to make war possible. I didn't want to increase the guilt that weighed on my shoulders.

"They had little time to practice, but they should be able to hit every shot, given a target as large as the White Whale. Plus, they'll only have to aim at one fixed point."

I had agreed with Crusch to create a fairly simple plan of attack. I would lure the whale toward the large tree, which would then be toppled over and fall on top of it. Once the damned beast was immobilized, everyone would attack it at the same time.

The rifle bullets were of a caliber large enough to penetrate deeply; Nadir also gave the ammunition multiple effects to make them more effective. If my calculations were correct, we could shoot that thing without giving it time to react.

I checked my smartphone. There were less than ten minutes left.

"I'm bored..."

***

The atmosphere was absolutely nervous. No one was capable of joking, not even the most carefree. What was being plotted was an event that, regardless of the outcome, would become a historic event.

Crusch Karsten was strong, not only in combat skills, but also in mental fortitude. She was still too young to compare with veteran experts like the Sword Demon, but she certainly wasn't someone who would be defeated by pressure or fear.