...
{3rd Pov}
When Reina slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that she was lying flat on her back in the middle of a dense forest.
Her body ached all over, and as she tried to get up, she realized that the ground beneath her wasn't normal—it dipped into a massive crater, as if some catastrophic event had taken place right where she had been lying.
The crater itself stretched several meters wide, its edges jagged and uneven, the soil cracked and smoking in places as if the earth itself had been torn apart not long ago.
Holding her head with both hands, Reina groaned in pain, her thoughts sluggish and disorganized. She forced herself to look around despite the throbbing in her skull.
That's when her eyes widened at the sight surrounding her.
Scattered across the forest floor and within the crater itself were countless corpses—mangled bodies of Mabeasts, their twisted forms lying lifeless in pools of dark blood.
The stench of death was everywhere, the metallic tang of it filling her nostrils and making her stomach churn.
"What… where am I? What in the world happened here?" she muttered, her voice trembling with confusion and panic.
Then, as if a sudden bolt of realization struck her, her heart dropped into her stomach. "No… no, no! Subaru!" Reina cried out, her voice breaking with desperation as she jumped to her feet and whipped her head around, scanning the area frantically in search of him.
Her chest tightened with fear, every second that passed without seeing him only fueling her anxiety.
In her desperation, she instinctively tried to activate her Divine Protection to sense or locate him, clinging to that hope as if it were a lifeline.
But… nothing happened. No effect. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Huh…? What's going on?" she whispered, disbelief plastered across her face.
Her hands shook as she tried again—forcing herself to use any of her Divine Protections, even the most insignificant one. "Divine Protection of Good Breath… come on, anything, just work already!"
But no matter how many times she tried, the result was the same—nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was as though the power she had been born with, the protections that had always been a part of her existence, had been completely erased.
Her eyes widened further as reality sank in, her pulse quickening. "No! No, this can't be happening! This isn't possible!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the destroyed forest.
The realization hit her like a crushing weight—she had lost all of her Divine Protections. Every single one of them.
"Damn it!" she yelled, her frustration boiling over. She stomped her foot against the ground in anger, meaning only to vent her emotions.
But the moment her foot connected with the earth, the entire forest seemed to react violently.
The crater, which had only been several meters wide before, suddenly expanded with a deafening rumble, widening until it stretched several hundred meters across.
The ground beneath her feet sank deeply, collapsing further as if struck by an enormous force.
A shockwave burst outward from the point of impact, tearing through the forest like a natural disaster.
The earth quaked violently, splitting open in places, while trees were ripped straight out of the soil, their roots dangling helplessly in the air before being flung dozens of meters away like ragdolls.
The air filled with the sound of breaking wood, crashing debris, and the tremors of an earthquake strong enough to shake the entire landscape.
Reina froze in horror, staring at the destruction she had caused with nothing more than a simple stomp—a stomp she hadn't even put any effort into.
It was just a casual motion, the kind of frustrated kick people gave to a rock or patch of dirt when angry, never something meant to cause real harm.
And yet, the result was devastation on a massive scale.
Her body went cold. She looked down at her hands, her breathing ragged and shallow, before swallowing hard. "I… I lost all my Divine Protections… but then… what the hell is this?!"
Shaking, she quickly turned her gaze away from her trembling hands and started searching the area once more.
Panic clawed at her chest, but determination kept her moving. She ignored the gleaming blade of Reid's sword, lying abandoned on the ground not far away, its edge dripping with the blood of Mabeasts.
She didn't care about that legendary weapon right now.
None of it mattered.
"Come on, there has to be something… anything," she muttered frantically, her eyes scanning the destroyed battlefield.
Ignoring everything else, she began looking for something small, something insignificant, something harmless—a twig, a stick, anything she could test her current strength on, desperate for answers.
Reid, the dragon sword that had been resting quietly on the blood-soaked ground, suddenly reacted the moment it noticed its owner clutching something as insignificant as a twig.
The blade shimmered faintly, then slowly lifted itself into the air, as though it were offended at being ignored.
It floated toward Reina, hovering at her side with a faint hum, moving back and forth insistently, almost like a child tugging at a parent's sleeve, trying desperately to get her attention.
"Shut up already! I'm in the middle of testing something important here!" Reina snapped sharply, not even sparing the legendary weapon a glance.
Her voice was firm, irritated, and filled with the authority of someone who simply wasn't in the mood to be bothered.
At her scolding, the overzealous dragon sword seemed to falter in the air.
Its blade tilted downward ever so slightly, almost sulking, as if it had emotions of its own and was sulking in disappointment at being reprimanded.
It gave off an aura of sadness, as though it couldn't understand why its master would rather hold a mere piece of wood instead of wielding a weapon of unmatched strength.
But Reina completely ignored its pitiful display.
Her focus was solely on the long piece of wood she had picked up—a twig, or rather a thick stick that stretched several meters in length.
Gripping it tightly, she planted her feet firmly on the ground and adjusted her stance.
She wasn't holding it as a casual branch anymore; she was holding it like a sword, her body instinctively slipping into the posture of a seasoned warrior.
Taking in a steady breath, Reina gave the stick a casual swing, putting no real effort or intention behind the motion.
And yet, the result was cataclysmic.
The moment the twig cut through the air, the atmosphere itself seemed to shatter.
A deafening boom echoed across the forest as an immense pressure, impossibly condensed into a thin line, shot forward from her swing.
The effect was instant—the forest that stood before her was sliced apart with terrifying precision. Massive trees that had stood tall for years toppled in unison, cleanly severed in a perfectly straight line.
The ground itself split apart like fragile glass, and a ravine opened where there had been none before.
The cut stretched on endlessly, a scar carved into the earth that ran for several miles, vanishing into the horizon.
The devastation was terrifying not because it was chaotic, but because it was unnaturally neat, as though the world had been cut apart by a blade sharper than anything that should exist.
The twig in her hand, however, could not withstand the power that had been unleashed.
It instantly disintegrated, turning into fine dust that scattered into the wind, leaving nothing behind. Reina exhaled heavily, her chest rising and falling as she steadied herself, trying to process what she had just done with such a meaningless object.
"I see now…" she muttered, her expression shifting from shock to reluctant understanding. "Even though my Divine Protections are gone, the effects of my Divine Protection of Adaptation are still in place. That means I've retained the benefits of all the passive Divine Protections that directly affected my body and abilities, even if the protections themselves have disappeared."
Her eyes narrowed as she thought it through, her words spoken more firmly with each passing second. "For example… the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint. Even if I no longer possess it as an active power, its effects on me haven't vanished. My body still remembers the skills, the techniques, the instincts it granted me. All of that remains."
Finally, Reina let out a long breath of relief, her shoulders loosening as tension drained from her body. She muttered to herself, "So I still have my sword skills… that much hasn't been taken from me. Thank god…"
Reina's gaze shifted toward the devastation she had unintentionally caused earlier with nothing more than a frustrated stomp.
The endless crater, the shattered earth, and the countless trees tossed around like toys were proof of the overwhelming, uncontrollable strength now flowing through her.
She clenched her fists tightly, her jaw grinding as the realization dug deeper into her mind.
"On the other hand…" she muttered to herself, her voice low and bitter, "all of my active Divine Protections are gone… and even the passive ones that influence my surroundings, they're gone too."
Her shoulders slumped as she exhaled heavily, letting out a long and tired sigh that carried frustration and despair in equal measure.
Her eyes then darted toward the dragon sword that still hovered nearby, as though watching her every move.
Without warning, she reached out and grabbed Reid, seizing the blade with both hands and catching it completely off guard.
The sword trembled faintly in surprise, its presence flickering as if it hadn't expected her to take hold of it so suddenly.
Reina didn't hesitate.
She positioned the weapon in front of herself, gripping the sheath tightly… and then, with reckless force, she smashed her forehead directly into the dragon sheath.
BOOM!
The impact rang out like an explosion, and the ground instantly responded.
A massive shockwave burst outward in every direction, cracking the already fractured crater beneath her and tearing the earth apart even further.
The tremor was far more destructive than before; this time, the sheer force uprooted trees not just in the immediate area but across nearly half a mile in radius, sending them crashing down like scattered matchsticks.
Reid shook violently in her hands, trembling as if the weapon itself was in pain.
The dragon sheath, durable beyond reason, bore the brunt of the blow, but even it could not escape unscathed.
Fine cracks spread across its surface, faint yet undeniable.
At the same time, Reina's head split open from the force of the impact, and warm blood poured down her forehead in thick streams, coating her face until it dripped down her chin.
The taste of iron filled her mouth as she bit down on her lips so hard that they split, fresh blood spilling over.
Tears welled in her eyes, but her expression twisted into pure hatred—not directed at anyone else, but at herself.
With her blood-soaked lips trembling, she screamed at her own hands, her voice filled with raw fury and despair.
"FUCKING BITCH! Why do you always have to make things harder for him?! Why can't you ever do one single thing right?!"
Her voice cracked as she continued to shout at herself.
"Why can't you just do your damn job?! Why do you always fail him?! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! I hate myself! I hate this! I HATE IT SO MUCH!"
Her screams tore through the empty forest, echoing into the night like the wailing of a broken soul.
Her vision blurred with tears as she fell forward onto her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She sobbed uncontrollably, her voice raw and loud, spilling every ounce of self-loathing she had bottled inside.
Her cries went on and on, relentless, until the hours passed and her voice finally began to falter.
By the end, her throat was dry, and her screams had devolved into raspy whispers, her voice hoarse and nearly gone.
Despite her wounds, despite the steady flow of blood down her face, she made no attempt to heal herself.
Instead, she deliberately forced her body to stop absorbing mana from the air, cutting herself off from the natural restoration her body should have had.
She denied her own healing, letting the pain linger, as if punishing herself on purpose.
Every second of agony felt deserved in her mind.
Reid, having already mended its sheath through its own natural resilience, floated gently at her side.
The legendary dragon sword, usually filled with confidence and power, now lingered quietly, subdued, as if trying to console its wielder in silence.
It hovered close and lightly brushed its surface against her blood-stained hand in a small, almost affectionate gesture, like a loyal companion trying to offer comfort without words.
But Reina shoved it away instantly, her voice cold and sharp. "Shut up. You're just a stupid sword."
Reid stilled, its energy dimming, as though the rejection had pierced it deeper than the cracks on its sheath.
If Reinhardt had been present to see this moment, he would have surely broken down in tears.
To him, this sight would have been unbearable, cruel even.
The weapon that had never once responded to his will, the weapon he had dedicated his life to wielding, stubbornly ignored him no matter how desperately he tried.
Yet here was another version of the very same sword, so willing to communicate, so eager to console its chosen wielder—even when rejected outright.
The injustice of it all would have crushed him.
After Reina's harsh words, Reid went silent.
Its presence faded as it lowered itself slowly to the ground.
The great dragon sword, which had floated with pride only moments earlier, now lay motionless on the broken earth.
Reina bit down on her already bloodied lips, the metallic taste of iron spreading across her tongue. Her thoughts, however, were not on her injuries or the destruction around her.
Instead, her mind drifted back to the words her Lord had spoken to her only hours ago, words that now echoed relentlessly inside her head.
'He will find me… even if we are separated by worlds. I believe in Zero. I believe in my Subaru.'
Clinging to that belief, Reina reached out and firmly gripped her weapon once more, forcing herself to stand despite the lingering pain in her body.
She turned her gaze toward the vast devastation she had caused.
The massive gash in the earth, the endless crater, the shattered remains of trees—all of it stood as undeniable proof of her overwhelming power, power she always held back or made the surroundings unaffected due to her countless Divine Protections.
Her eyes narrowed as she thought about the consequences of her reckless test.
With a single swing of a worthless twig, she had split the land apart for miles.
The sheer scale of the destruction meant she had almost certainly killed countless animals.
Entire nests, dens, and habitats must have been obliterated without a trace.
And if any unlucky travelers, hunters, or wanderers had been nearby, they too would have been caught in the attack, erased before they even had the chance to scream.
But none of that mattered to her.
She didn't care in the slightest.
That kind of guilt, that kind of concern for strangers, had long since rotted away inside her.
The moment she had become completely obsessed with Subaru, everything else—her morality, her sense of restraint, her empathy toward other lives—had been stripped from her.
Reina's love for Subaru was all-consuming.
It defined her, ruled her, and consumed every other part of her heart.
Nothing else held any meaning compared to him.
She only cared about being with him, no matter the cost, no matter what she had to destroy along the way.
And deep inside, Reina knew just how terrifying she truly was.
She had long accepted the truth about herself.
Even if she bore children with Subaru—children who carried his blood, who represented their bond—she knew she would never love them more than she loved Subaru himself.
They would never hold the same place in her heart that he did.
Her obsession was too deep, too twisted, too absolute.
She understood that she was not normal.
She understood that her love had become warped, unhinged, and dangerous.
She was painfully aware of how twisted a woman she had become.
And yet… Subaru still accepted her.
He knew.
He had seen this side of her, this obsessive, broken part of her heart—and instead of rejecting her, instead of turning away, he had embraced it.
He had embraced her.
That was why she had accepted him in turn, wholly and unconditionally.
If Subaru could take in her madness, then she could take in everything about him.
That was the bond they shared—one that didn't require perfection, only acceptance.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Reina made up her mind.
She needed to move.
Sitting here in the middle of destruction and despair wouldn't help her, and she needed answers.
She needed to find civilization, to discover where exactly she had ended up after everything that had happened.
Thankfully, despite the massive ruckus she had caused—the crater, the earthquakes, the shockwaves, the ravine that cut through miles of forest—no one had come to investigate yet.
That fact alone gave her a small sense of relief.
Either this place was completely isolated, far from towns or villages, or people didn't want to go after the centre of the chaos she had unleashed.
Whatever the case, it worked in her favor.
She knew very well what would happen if others discovered what she had done. People wouldn't just fear her.
They wouldn't simply avoid her.
They would try to kill her, or worse, they would try to capture her, to chain her down and control her.
That was always what rulers and leaders did to anyone with power they couldn't understand or rival.
They feared strength they couldn't command, and so they tried to bind it to their will or snuff it out entirely.
Reina wasn't about to let that happen.
Reina eventually decided to leave the site of destruction behind.
With her weapon secured at her side, she walked for hours through the endless forest until she finally stumbled upon a small, modest village nestled between the trees.
The houses were simple, made of wood and stone, with smoke rising from chimneys and children running around in the dirt roads.
The sight of normalcy after everything she had gone through felt almost surreal.
Despite that, she knew she couldn't just stroll in looking the way she did.
Her Knight's attire, stained with blood and dirt, would immediately raise suspicion.
Worse, the presence of Reid, the unmistakable Dragon Sword, would draw attention if they recognize the weapon.
People might not only become fearful but also report her presence to someone dangerous.
That was the last thing she needed.
So, with a faint sting of reluctance in her chest, Reina acted without hesitation.
She slipped through the village quietly, waiting for the right opportunity, and stole a set of commoner's clothes that had been left out to dry.
It wasn't honorable, it wasn't dignified, and it wasn't the behavior of a Knight—but none of that mattered anymore.
After all, her pride and her code had long since been broken.
She wrapped the Dragon Sword tightly in a cloth, concealing its distinctive form, and quickly ran away before anyone could notice her actions.
Now dressed in plain clothes, her appearance was far more unassuming.
She looked like a peasant, not a Knight or warrior of any kind.
The disguise would save her endless amounts of trouble.
In this state, no one would glance twice at her.
And with Reid hidden under layers of cloth, its identity as the Dragon Sword would remain a secret.
No one would realize the legendary weapon was in her possession.
As she observed the villagers from a distance, however, Reina quickly realized something far more important.
The speech, the customs, even the smallest details in how people behaved—they weren't foreign however considering Od Laguna wasn't responding to her meant she wasn't in past or future of the timeline either.
Her heart sank slightly as she pieced it together.
She was not in her original world anymore.
This was a different timeline.
Her Lord—Zero, or rather his true name, Subaru—had already explained such possibilities to her.
He had told her about the existence of parallel worlds and how they functioned.
Because he had been planning to create a gateway to another world, he had not kept the knowledge hidden from her.
Instead, he shared it openly, teaching her things that no ordinary person in her world could ever hope to know.
He had even provided her with knowledge about "otherworldly" matters that no one else would have believed.
Reina remembered his words vividly.
There were, as Subaru had explained, generally two main types of different worlds.
The first was what he called an alternate world.
These were places where everything could change. The very laws that governed reality could be entirely different.
Concepts like magic, physics, and even the passage of time could operate on rules unrecognizable to her.
Civilization, culture, technology, and even what people considered "common sense" could all vary wildly.
An alternate world was essentially a reality shaped by completely different principles.
The second type, as Subaru had explained, was what he called a parallel world.
These were not alien or foreign realities with new laws, but rather diverging timelines of the same world.
In a parallel world, the foundation—the laws of nature, the flow of mana, the basic concepts of life—remained the same as the original.
However, the history and the events that occurred within it could differ.
Small changes in the past could branch off into entirely new futures.
Decisions, accidents, victories, and tragedies—all of these could cause new timelines to be born.
By carefully observing her surroundings, Reina began comparing this world to her own. The first thing she noticed was the mana in the air.
The density of magic was roughly the same as what she was used to, which immediately eliminated the possibility of this being an alternate world with different laws.
On top of that, in the village where she had stolen the clothes, she had seen demi-humans—species familiar to her and common in her own world.
This gave her enough information to reach a solid conclusion: this was not an alternate reality with foreign concepts, but instead a parallel world.
With that much confirmed, the next important question became clear—how exactly did this particular timeline differ from her own?
Reina pushed forward, traveling further until she finally reached a proper town. It was larger than the village, with trade, carriages, and people moving in and out of the gates.
There she began asking around, listening in on conversations, and picking up bits of news. From the chatter of merchants and residents, she learned something shocking.
This was indeed the Kingdom of Lugunica, but the Royal Family had already died out completely.
There was no monarch ruling, and no heir apparent to take the throne.
More importantly, there was not even a single mention of a Royal Selection.
For Reina, this detail stood out more than anything else.
In her own world, the Royal Selection was a key event, unavoidable and central to the kingdom's future.
Its absence in this timeline practically screamed that either the time period was different or history here had diverged in a significant way.
That was the confirmation she needed.
Reina decided to stay in the town for a while, listening closely for more rumors and news, but nothing substantial changed the picture she had already formed.
Once she was satisfied, she prepared to leave.
Her next destination was obvious—the Capital.
Only there would she be able to gather the information she needed to fully understand the state of this world.
Money, however, was a problem.
She had none.
She wasn't interested in earning it either, not through honest work or dishonest means.
The very idea of wasting time on such trivial matters annoyed her.
Taking a carriage was an option, but one that felt useless—there was no chance of it being faster than what she could achieve on her own feet.
With her current strength and speed, traveling by carriage would only slow her down.
So Reina ran.
She pushed her body forward across the long roads and open plains, moving at a speed no ordinary human could match.
Hours that would have taken days for common travelers passed swiftly beneath her feet.
By the time she reached the Capital, the sun had only shifted slightly in the sky.
Once inside the city, she immediately began searching for information.
Again, she confirmed it—no one spoke of the Royal Selection, no posters, no rumors, no nobles campaigning for the throne.
It was as though the very concept hadn't been introduced yet.
The only thing she did manage to obtain was a date, which allowed her to confirm that time period was different by several months.
This was past compared to her timeline.
And so, with all of this in mind, Reina headed to the slums.
She had someone specific in mind, someone who had to exist here as well, regardless of how the timeline had branched.
She searched the filth-ridden streets, moving past beggars and thieves, until finally, after a long search, she found him.
"Who are you?" the old half-giant barked out with a grunt, his deep voice carrying suspicion. His eyes narrowed as he studied the cloaked stranger standing before him.
Reina, standing tall despite his intimidating size, slowly raised her hands to her hood.
With a calm yet deliberate motion, she pulled it back, revealing her striking features.
Her long, crimson-red hair spilled out like a curtain, and her piercing blue eyes gleamed in the dim light.
Rom froze for a moment, his expression twisting from surprise to pure rage in an instant.
Recognition flared in his eyes as his massive hand shot forward.
He grabbed her collar with crushing force and yanked her closer, his face looming dangerously close to hers.
"Where is Felt?!" he demanded, his tone filled with fury. His grip tightened as his glare bore into her.
"You're definitely an Astrea, aren't you?!"
Reina's eyes narrowed sharply at his words.
So he recognized her—not as the Sword Saint, but rather as a member of the Astrea family.
Her unique red hair and blue eyes were unmistakable traits of that bloodline.
To him, that was proof enough.
Her voice came out firm but not hostile. "Please, let go of my collar. I didn't come here to fight you. In fact… I came here to ask about Felt."
For a moment Rom kept his grip, his large hand trembling with anger.
But after hearing her words, his expression softened ever so slightly.
With a heavy grunt, he slowly released her, though his eyes never stopped glaring with suspicion.
"Fine. Let's talk inside," he muttered. Turning around, he gestured toward the door of his dwelling.
The two of them entered his cabin, which doubled as a makeshift bar.
The place was cramped, smelling faintly of alcohol and wood smoke.
Rom sat down heavily, the floor creaking under his weight, while Reina remained standing, her gaze sharp and unrelenting.
She wasted no time. "Tell me what happened to Felt."
Rom let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before he began. "A few days ago, we were attacked. It was that damned assassin, Elsa the Gut Hunter. She nearly killed me, would've finished the both of us off if not for some interference. A black-haired boy and a half-elf girl showed up and got involved."
His voice grew heavier, tinged with bitterness as he recalled the events.
At the mention of a black-haired boy, Reina's heart skipped a beat.
Her entire body tensed as she leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with barely contained excitement.
"What was the name of that boy?!" she asked, her voice rising in urgency.
Rom studied her suspiciously before replying with a slow, careful tone.
"His name was Subaru Natsuki, I think. That's what I remember hearing."
He grunted and continued, "After everything went down, I blacked out. When I woke up, I'd been healed somehow, but… Felt was gone. Disappeared. I later heard the Sword Saint himself had taken her away."
The moment Rom casually spoke Subaru's name, Reina's eyes dimmed.
The thrill she had felt seconds earlier collapsed into disappointment, her shoulders stiffening as she processed it.
Inside her thoughts churned bitterly.
'So… this isn't the past. I suspected it from the way he reacted to me earlier, but hearing Subaru's name like this… it still leaves me disappointed.'
In her own timeline, Subaru had never revealed his true name so casually.
He had guarded it carefully, keeping it hidden even from allies.
Only later, much further into their struggle, had he revealed his real name, and only to the core members of Emilia's camp.
That was the Subaru she knew. This world's Subaru was different.
Still unsettled, she forced herself to move on.
There was something else she needed to confirm.
"Tell me about the Sword Saint. Or at least… tell me what you know," she pressed, her voice steady despite her inner turmoil.
Rom's expression hardened immediately.
His eyes narrowed into a strong, piercing look as he studied her closely.
"Why are you asking me that?" he asked gruffly.
"Aren't you from the Astrea family yourself?"
"No," Reina answered firmly, her tone steady but cold. "I may look like one of them, but I do not belong to their family."
Rom squinted at her, his suspicion only deepening.
He studied her features again, the bright red hair, the piercing blue eyes, her tall and athletic frame.
After a long pause, he finally sighed, shaking his head.
"You're as clueless as that black-haired boy," he muttered with a grunt. "Asking me about the Sword Saint like you don't know anything."
Leaning back slightly, Rom spoke more clearly, though there was still caution in his tone.
"Listen well. The Sword Saint is a man. He's got the same red hair and blue eyes you do, and there's no mistaking his identity. He's the current generation's Sword Saint, the strongest alive. In fact…"
Rom tilted his head slightly, squinting at her again.
"Now that I look at you properly, your height isn't much different from his either. If it weren't for your face being so obviously feminine, I would've honestly thought you were Reinhardt Astrea disguised in women's clothes."
The words hit Reina like a strike to the chest.
Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. 'A man? The Sword Saint of this world is male?!'
For a moment, she froze in stunned silence, her mind racing.
This was a sharp, undeniable difference between her timeline and this one.
Gathering herself, she forced her thoughts back to the matter at hand. She offered Rom her thanks, then revealed what she knew, explaining the reason Reinhardt had taken Felt away.
Rom's entire body stiffened as the truth sank in.
His teeth clenched, and his fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.
The air around him grew tense as his voice rumbled with barely contained fury.
"Damn it! Felt doesn't belong in that kind of world! I can't let her get tangled in politics! The nobles, the officials… they'll tear her apart! They'll use her, crush her, and destroy her!" His anger was raw and loud, echoing inside the small cabin-bar.
He had no desire whatsoever to see Felt thrown into the heart of royal schemes and power struggles.
To him, she was family, someone he needed to protect from that kind of cruel world.
The very thought of her being dragged into the Royal Selection made his stomach churn with rage.
Meanwhile, Rom still didn't even know Reina's name.
He didn't know who she truly was or why she had such sensitive information.
To him, she was a suspicious outsider who had appeared out of nowhere, a woman who carried dangerous knowledge and a striking resemblance to the Astrea family.
Under normal circumstances, he would've pressed harder, demanded answers, maybe even driven her away.
But after the discussion they had just shared—after hearing her words, her calm demeanor, and the truths she had spoken—Rom decided against questioning her any further.
Her behavior was strange, even unsettling, but he couldn't deny the value of the information she had provided.
Reina reached for her hood once more and pulled it over her head, hiding her identity again.
With a small bow of her head, she addressed him one last time. "I thank you for your hospitality. I'll only ask for one thing in return—don't tell anyone about me. If word spreads, I'll be suspected, whether it's because of my resemblance to the Astreas or because of the sensitive knowledge I've shared with you. Either way, it would cause unnecessary trouble."
Rom's large frame shifted as he let out a heavy grunt. "I won't say a word," he replied seriously.
Then, softer but with resolve, he added, "At the very least, thanks to you, I now know what must be done."
Reina gave him a final nod of gratitude, acknowledging his words, and turned to leave.
With her hood pulled low and her steps steady, she disappeared out of the cabin, leaving Rom alone with his thoughts and his anger.
Her next destination? Roswaal's domain.
She set out without hesitation, traveling on foot once more.
When hunger crept in during the journey, she satisfied herself with whatever the forest provided—berries, fruits, and the occasional edible root she happened to recognize.
It was a crude way of sustaining herself, but it was enough for someone like her, who had endured worse things before.
(A/N: I blame Heinkel for her childhood.)
After only a few hours of steady running, the tall silhouette of Roswaal's mansion finally came into view.
Truthfully, if she hadn't been restraining herself, she could have arrived far sooner.
With her speed, reaching the estate in just a few minutes would have been trivial, and if she stopped caring about the environment around her, she could've crossed the distance in mere seconds.
But running at full power would've created multiple sonic booms, shattering the ground and shaking the air with deafening force.
Doing something so reckless would've alerted not only the entire domain but possibly the whole nation to her presence.
And that was a mistake she could not afford.
Recklessness meant exposure. Exposure meant making enemies, and enemies on this scale could mean facing the entire nation—or worse, the entire world.
That was the last thing she wanted.
Although her strength was still nearly the same as before, the loss of her Divine Protections had stripped her of much of her versatility.
She no longer had countless tools at her disposal.
Her offensive and defensive power remained monstrous, yes, but gone was her safety net, her ability to resurrect through the Divine Protection of the Phoenix.
That one fact alone forced her to be far more careful than she was used to.
What troubled her even more was the uncertainty about this world's Sword Saint.
In her own timeline, she had been recognized as the strongest Sword Saint since the first one.
But here, things were different.
Here, the Sword Saint was a man—and from what Rom had said, his reputation was already comparable to hers.
If he truly was considered the strongest since the First Sword Saint, then she understood full well that provoking him would be nothing short of suicidal.
That was why she had already made a decision: she would stay in this world quietly and avoid drawing unnecessary attention until her Subaru—her Lord—found a way to reach her.
She believed in him, and she was certain he would come.
Still, despite that conviction, she wasn't satisfied with simply sitting around and waiting.
Doing nothing went against her very nature.
If there was even the smallest chance to reach him faster, to find a method of contacting him before he crossed over, she wanted to seize it.
And when she considered her options, only one path stood out in her mind.
If she wanted help, if she wanted to test the possibility of a connection, the first person she needed to seek out was obvious—this world's Subaru.
So when it came to seeking help, naturally the first person that came to her mind was Subaru—this world's Subaru.
However, once she arrived in Arlam Village and spent time secretly observing him from the shadows, the reality crushed her expectations.
What she found was nothing short of disappointing.
This Subaru, the Subaru of this timeline, had chosen to lower himself to the position of a mere servant working under Roswaal.
Instead of demanding money as compensation for saving Emilia or living comfortably as an honored guest, he willingly became a lowly servant in some eccentric noble's mansion.
To Reina, it was pathetic.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
And the more she watched, the more her frustration grew.
His strength—or rather, his complete lack of it—was plain to see.
Compared to her Subaru, the one she loved and served in her own world, this version was nothing more than a weakling fumbling through chores.
The difference was so vast that it almost made her angry.
She remembered vividly how unusual her Subaru's growth had been since the first day they met.
Back then, he had been no stronger than an average soldier—barely able to swing a sword, far from remarkable in terms of skill or strength.
But he grew. He grew at a pace that was beyond reason, beyond imagination.
Step by step, fight by fight, he surpassed warriors and monsters alike, until eventually he reached a point where even someone as monstrously powerful as Cecilus Segmunt couldn't compare to him, she had battled that person and spared with Subaru so she knew who was superior.
Of course, she had always ignored the strange and unnatural nature of his growth.
Love blinded her, and she chose not to question it too deeply.
And when the day came that he revealed himself to be a Sage Candidate, she simply attributed everything to that identity.
To her, it made sense—he was the successor of one of the three Great Heroes, so naturally his growth was extraordinary.
That was what she told herself, and she was content with that explanation.
But now, standing in this world, staring at a Subaru who didn't even show a fraction of that same strength, she couldn't ignore the possibility anymore.
His weakness wasn't normal.
It wasn't random.
It had to be connected to something deeper, something hidden.
Her mind went back to the warning he had once given her—the cryptic words about a contract, about a taboo that could never be broken or even spoken about.
She had never pressed him for details, out of respect and trust, but now she wondered if what she was seeing was the result of that very taboo.
She let out a long sigh, the weight of disappointment pressing down on her chest.
The hope she had carried with her, the dream that she might use this Subaru as a bridge to reach her own, was gone.
Completely gone.
Her plans of relying on this world's Subaru drowned in the drain, leaving nothing but frustration in their place.
She still lingered around for several days, unwilling to completely give up right away.
During that time, she continued to secretly observe Subaru, clinging to the faint hope that he would suddenly awaken the power of the Great Sage, that some spark of her Subaru's brilliance would show itself.
But no matter how long she waited, no matter how carefully she watched, nothing changed.
Aside from his occasional and completely unreliable moments of precognition, he gained no new abilities, no growth, nothing even remotely worth her attention.
Instead, what she saw only fueled her frustration.
The way everyone around him treated him was unbearable to watch.
He was the reason Emilia was still a candidate in the first place, the one who had secured her path toward the throne.
And what did he receive in return for that?
Not wealth. Not recognition. Not even gratitude.
He was forced into the role of a servant, reduced to cleaning floors and running errands like some worthless lackey.
To make matters worse, that red-haired oni girl insulted him almost every single day.
Her words cut deep, laced with disdain and mockery, and Subaru simply endured it like some pitiful fool.
Yes, Rem grew closer to him after a series of events, and yes, their bond seemed to deepen, but to Reina, that meant almost nothing.
A handful of kind gestures did not erase the humiliation he was constantly subjected to.
And yet, despite her irritation, she never once stepped in to help him.
Not even when he had nearly been killed by Wolgrams.
She just watched. The only reason his suffering got under her skin at all was because of one simple fact—he wore the same face, carried the same history, and bore the same name as her Subaru.
If not for that connection, if not for the fact that he was some alternate version of the man she loved, she wouldn't have cared in the slightest.
Even if he looked identical to her Zero, it would not have mattered.
Without the weight of that bond, he would've been just another weakling wasting her time.
Eventually, fed up with the sight of him and disgusted with how pointless her waiting had been, she decided to leave.
Before departing, however, she made sure to claim some "compensation."
Quietly slipping into Roswaal's mansion, she stole a sum of money, justifying it in her own mind as rightful payment for her "mental damages."
Ahem.
With the stolen funds tucked away, she set out once again, this time heading toward a village closer to the Capital.
Staying nearer to the center of the kingdom would allow her to get news more easily and keep track of important events as they unfolded.
And just like that… time continued to pass.
To be continued...
Happy New Year! I hope the year 2026 is as amazing as your best year was!
For those who are lost, they may find their path.
For those who are broken, they may get born anew.
For those who have lost their love may find a new one.
For those who have lost their jobs, may find a better one.
For those who are ill, may recover by grace of the God.
For those are depressed may find happiness.
For those who are dead may find rest!
And for those who are in Heavens, please it is time for your new life!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!🥳