A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 5 - Part 24

I pointed to the path that led to the capital.

Crusch and Felix's expressions darkened.

"Gluttony? If he wants a fight, he'll have a fight. We don't back down from the enemy," Crusch declared firmly."

"The problem isn't him. There's a good chance he'll run into the Archbishop of Greed, and if they team up, we have no chance of winning."

Crusch sighed, thinking about what she knew about them.

"I see, Greed too, huh..."

"Yes, you know how dangerous that guy is. Listen to me, I know those archbishops very well, and I assure you that the best course of action is to avoid a premature confrontation."

In fact, it wouldn't be impossible to defeat Lye Batenkaitos, but Regulus Corneas was a different story. I didn't know the location of his wives, and I wasn't willing to kill them just to make him vulnerable.

"It's fine, Leandro. You've proven yourself more than trustworthy; I think I'd be ungrateful and arrogant if I refused to listen to you."

"About the whale, I imagine you intend to cut off its head and take it to the capital as proof of its death, right?"

"That's how it is."

"You can leave it for later. We should stay together to avoid an ambush. I also suggest traveling to Roswaal territory as soon as possible. You know, a terrorist attack still needs to be stopped."

***

A little while later, reinforcements arrived, the other half of the Steel Fangs. Julius led the group; we both smiled as our gaze met.

"It's been a while, huh!" I shook his hand cheerfully.

"Only a few days, which is considered a short time." Julius said, a twinkle in his eye. "That only makes it more amazing that you've accomplished an incredible series of feats since then. When we crossed swords, I knew there was potential in you, but I didn't expect it to be so much."

"You're giving me a lot of credit. Today was a collaborative effort."

"Even if you didn't kill the White Whale with your own hands, you're still the one who made this expedition possible."

I scratched the back of my neck, acting modest despite the pride I felt. In my far from humble or objective opinion, the White Whale speedrun wasn't bad at all. It would be ideal to defeat Petelgeuse with the same ease.

After a few minutes, the members of the subjugation army sat around me for a strategic meeting that I was in charge of.

After thinking a bit about what I would say, I spoke.

"First and foremost, I want to thank you for taking part in this expedition. I'm very happy that we've put an end to the terror posed by one of the three great mabeasts. I know you were expecting an extremely difficult battle, and while it's a relief to have zero casualties, it's a fact that everyone had mentally prepared for something very different from what they encountered tonight."

I got quite a few nods of confirmation. Some particularly violent or passionate soldiers had expressions of dissatisfaction.

"Since you've come to deal with such a powerful enemy, I'm sure none of you are tired. I even dare say that many of you are not satisfied, as warriors."

That was more of a shot in the dark, but to my surprise, there were several voices raised in enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I wanna kick some ass!"

"My sword needs to drink some blood!"

"I don't care, but my wife is furious with me and I still don't want to go home!"