This sight had become all too familiar ever since Tanaka arrived in this world.
No—more precisely, it happened every time he came into contact with the unpredictable, alien nature of mana and magic. A force he had yet to fully grasp or control.
Blood trickled from his nose in thin crimson lines, staining his upper lip as a sharp, nauseating pressure bloomed inside his skull. His head pounded violently, as if something were trying to claw its way out from within. His vision blurred, colors swirling and bleeding into one another. His upper body gave way falling forward.
He collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a heavy thud, limp and unmoving. The cool surface beneath him did little to ease the firestorm in his head. His breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps.
It had happened again.
And like always, the fault was his own.
"Tanaka!!" Rem's voice cut through the haze, high and frantic, filled with panic. "Master Felix, stop this!"
Felix, or Ferris as many called him, was caught off guard. Just moments earlier, his usual calm demeanor had been shattered—his eyes wide, fixated on something he had sensed or seen during the treatment. Something that left him completely dumbfounded.
Rem's desperate cry snapped him back to reality. His hand jerked away from Tanaka's back as if burned.
Ferris stood frozen for a second, then looked down at his own palm—trembling slightly—before shifting his gaze back to the boy now coughing blood at his feet.
"You…" he muttered.
Tanaka, barely conscious, turned his head slightly to meet Ferris's gaze. He clutched at his mouth, trying in vain to suppress the wet coughs wracking his body. Crimson droplets slipped between his fingers. His eyes were dull, sunken, dark rings forming underneath, but still—there was awareness. A flicker of exhaustion. And something else. Indifference.
Ferris stepped forward slowly, his ears twitching slightly. He stared at Tanaka, not as a healer tending to a patient, but as someone staring at a puzzle missing half its pieces.
"…How did you end up like this?" he asked, voice unusually quiet.
Then, more sharply—more gravely—he added,
"No… Who in the world are you?"
*********************************************************************************************************
--A bright, blue sky spread out above Subaru, who was lying face-up.
In that time, how many times had he found himself staring up at the sky like this? Towering cumulus clouds partially blocked the sunlight, but the midday sun still shone fiercely through their thick cover, pouring down on him.
His eyelids burned from the dazzling brightness. Reflexively narrowing his eyes, Subaru felt tears welling up deep in his gaze, and he suddenly thought, without much coherence.
"Now that I think about it... I've never encountered a rainy day in this world yet."
He hadn't yet experienced a full day of steady rain in this world.
There were a few times when a light drizzle fell late at night, leaving the trees and grass damp by morning. But he hadn't gone through a proper downpour here.
"Shall we bring this to an end soon?"
That calm voice interrupted Subaru's aimless musings.
Tilting his head slightly without getting up from his supine position, Subaru glanced toward the voice—an elderly man stood a few meters away.
He was a little taller than Subaru, with a full head of carefully groomed white hair, impressive for someone of his age. Dressed in a pitch-black butler's uniform, the man exuded a composed and dignified air that matched his crisply pressed outfit.
His posture was straight and graceful, yet his expression was gentle and relaxed, deep wrinkles etched into his kind face.
However, in the elderly gentleman's hand, he held a wooden sword with an unusually long blade.
"Nah, not yet. I was just having a little philosophical moment."
"Oh? That sounds intriguing. What were you pondering?"
"The sky's on fire, the ground is flooding... What am I?"
Nearby, sitting cross-legged on the grass with a faint breeze ruffling his jacket, Tanaka watched the scene unfold in silence. A half-burned cigarette rested between his fingers, curling smoke drifting lazily upward as his gaze followed the sparring pair.
He spoke flatly, "A volcano erupting?"
"Good guess," Subaru grinned, "but wrong."
Subaru swung both legs up and pushed himself upright in one motion.
There was a dull weight lingering in his core, but the non-damaging blows had left only minor discomfort. As he got to his feet, he rolled his joints to check for pain, then spun the wooden sword he'd been holding and pointed it at Wilhelm.
"Alright then, I'm ready for another round. Teach me, master!"
"By the way, what's the answer to your riddle?"
"Oh—wet the bed and then got mad about it."
With a grin, Subaru lunged forward, swinging his sword in a rising half-arc from below in a low stance.
The blade sliced through the air with bone-shattering force, completely lacking restraint. However...
"Hmph!"
"Too much tension. Your hands, feet, neck, waist… and your face too."
Wilhelm smoothly inserted his wooden sword into the path of Subaru's swing, diverting the circular motion with practiced ease. Subaru's would-be strike to the head passed harmlessly over the tall man's scalp, and in that moment of imbalance, Wilhelm spun gracefully and retaliated.
His wooden sword flicked precisely across Subaru's chin, throat, solar plexus, and groin—each a vital point along the body's centerline. A mere touch on each was enough to send Subaru flying backward.
The force was light—it was just his own momentum being turned against him. But even so, the impact to his vital spots knocked the air out of him, and pain burst across his vision in a red haze.
Tumbling backwards, Subaru was sent flying the same distance he had charged in, collapsing once more onto the ground in a spread-eagle position. The red-tinted sky above loomed overhead again, looking down and laughing at him.
"Shall we bring this to an end soon?"
Wilhelm's voice was calm, devoid of sarcasm or mockery.
Subaru had already heard that line so many times—
"That's a no for the 23rd time."
"Oh my, you've kept count so diligently."
"Damn right. I may forget the times I made others miserable, but I never forget when someone did me dirty… That's the kind of man I am."
Boasting about something that clearly wasn't worth bragging over, Subaru slowly sat up.
His body had only suffered minor damage—Wilhelm's control and restraint were as masterful as ever.
"One more bout, please."
"As many as you'd like. This time, shall we try something a little different?"
The moment Wilhelm agreed, Subaru didn't wait to hear more—he charged in.
Seconds later, his twenty-fourth face-first reunion with the grasslands commenced.
There was a thud—followed by a groan—as Subaru once again became one with the dirt, arms and legs sprawled in undignified defeat.
"I only heard the sounds, but you seem to be training quite earnestly."
Wilhelm, now glancing upward toward a stone terrace that overlooked the garden, gave a slight bow.
"Oh, Lady Crusch, I hope I haven't disturbed your work?"
The green-haired woman—Crusch—rested her cheek in her hand against the railing. Seeing her, Wilhelm, who had also been looking up at her from the ground like Subaru, replied with a hint of deference in his voice. However, that deference didn't seem genuine, and Crusch simply waved her hand casually.
"No," she said lightly, "I was thinking of taking a short break anyway."
Her amber eyes drifted from Wilhelm to the sidelines—toward a patch of grass where another figure lay, his back propped against a tree, a thin trail of smoke curling from between his fingers.
Tanaka exhaled slowly, watching the sky as if it might offer him something more interesting than swords or sweat. His posture was casual—almost lazy—but the way he observed the world around him suggested a quiet alertness.
"Are you not joining in the training?" Crusch asked, smiling as she shifted her attention to him.
Tanaka didn't even look in her direction. "Not interested," he said bluntly. "I hate swords."
"Oh?" Crusch tilted her head, clearly surprised. "I didn't expect that. Ah—now that I recall, you used spirits back at the castle. That would explain it. You're a spirit arts user, aren't you?"
Tanaka flicked the ash from his cigarette, his expression unchanged.
"I'm not."
Crusch blinked, clearly puzzled. "You're not?"
"I don't have a contract with any spirit. Either way, I hate conflict."
His voice was quiet but firm, final. The kind that didn't invite follow-up questions.
Crusch watched him for a moment longer, her earlier amusement replaced by something quieter. Her smile faded, lips pressed gently together, and she said nothing more.
Then, she turned her gaze toward Wilhelm.
"Wilhelm."
"Yes."
"I feel like moving a little. I'll go up to put on my gear, but I'll be joining the training today."
"Understood. Please, don't rush on my account."
"Given my current state of mind, that's a difficult request."
Crusch gave a faint smile as she stepped back from the railing, then turned on her heel with the same composed grace she always carried.
Wilhelm remained silent for a few heartbeats, his eyes lingering on the space where she'd stood.
Then he turned to Subaru, who was still lying on the grass, arms splayed out, chest rising and falling with exaggerated exhaustion.
"Shall we bring this to an end?"
Subaru groaned dramatically, covering his face with one arm. "Judging by the fact that wasn't a question… I'm guessing you already decided."
Before Wilhelm could reply, a cheerful voice rang out from the garden entrance.
"Let's gooo, Subaru-kyun, Tanaka-kyun—it's treatment time~!"
Ferris strolled in, ears twitching, his bright eyes scanning the field. Beside him walked Rem, her pace more composed but her concern plain.
She approached Tanaka, who still hadn't moved from beneath the tree.
"Come on, Tanaka-Kun," she said gently. "You heard Master Felix."
Tanaka let out a long, exaggerated sigh, lifting his cigarette just enough to take another drag. "…Do I really have to?"
Rem crossed her arms, her tone sharpening just a little. "Stop messing around, Tanaka-Kun. Your condition might be serious."
"…"
"You promised Emilia-Sama," she added softly, "that you would get treated."
There was a pause. A beat of silence broken only by the rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Then, Tanaka sighed again—more defeated this time—and rose slowly to his feet, brushing grass from his shirt.
"…Hah… fine."
_______
______
_____
The scene shifted to the interior of Subaru's bedroom—quiet, softly lit. The room was modest in decoration but comfortable enough, with a large bed that sat low against the wall and a couple of cushioned chairs near a writing desk.
"Alright, Tanaka-kyun~ Take a seat. Let's start with you."
But Tanaka shook his head slowly and jerked his thumb at Subaru.
"Start with him," he said. "you already know what's going on with him to some extent."
Subaru, in the middle of dusting off his pants before sitting down, blinked in confusion. "Huh? How the hell would he know?"
Tanaka finally sat down, one leg lazily propped over the other.
"he examined you the moment we met. Back at the mansion."
Subaru stared at him, unsure whether to feel violated or impressed. Subaru slowly turned toward Ferris, whose feline ears twitched in mischief. He gave him a playful wink and put a hand on his cheek with mock embarrassment.
"Looks like I've been found out~."
Subaru let out a long, theatrical sigh as he flopped onto the bed.
Ferris didn't miss a beat. She bounced onto the bed beside him like a feather, landing with a soft pomf that made the mattress dip slightly. Then, rolling to his side, he leaned on her elbow and looked up at Subaru from a sideways angle, one leg swinging playfully over the other.
"Did your heart skip a beat?"
"Nope, it twitched. Too bad for you, but I'm not into that. My preferences are perfectly normal—only girls for me."
No matter how cute someone looked, Subaru wasn't crossing the gender line. He sighed at Ferris, who pretended to be heartbroken, and continued,
"Besides, I can't think of any reason why you'd trust me. It's not like we've bonded or anything. Am I just giving off some sort of dangerous pheromones or something?"
"Ah, well that's simple. —Because you're definitely weaker than Ferri-chan. Since you're so weak, I feel safe."
Hearing Ferris say that so nonchalantly while propping her chin up with her hand, Subaru was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Wow, you've got a nasty personality."
"Oh my, what a surprise. I thought you'd get angrier than that~"
"Facts are facts. No use getting worked up about it."
Being reminded of his weakness was nothing new. Since coming to this world, Subaru had been crushed by his own powerlessness countless times. If the peak of that experience was facing off with that annoying knight in the training ground, then being knocked flat by Wilhelm in the Karsten household was the most frequent occurrence.
Getting all riled up and trying to argue against his own weakness would just be foolish. Before coming to this world, Subaru had deluded himself, thinking, "Hey, I work out, so I might actually be pretty decent!" But once he saw how wide the world really was, he understood just how much of a big frog in a small pond he'd been.
Which is exactly why what caught his attention was the opposite:
"So, if you're calling me weak, then what about you? Sure, you're a knight, so you must have some training, but..."
"Hmm, Ferri-chan? I'm terrible with a sword. I only wear one at my hip 'cause my parents insisted on it. If I try to swing it, it just tosses me around."
Subaru gave an exasperated look as Ferris giggled and kicked her legs playfully. There was a strange sort of honesty in how openly she admitted her weakness, and yet, she didn't seem to let it be a vulnerability. That was suspicious in its own way.
Ferris must have caught that look in his eyes, because she met his gaze with a sidelong glance and said, dragging out her words,
"Buuut~ Ferri-chan's strengths lie elsewhere. That's why I don't mind being a lousy knight one bit."
"If you're satisfied with that, then more power to you. —Good for you."
Then, Ferris suddenly rolled over behind Subaru on the bed and reached out toward his shoulders—as if to give him a shoulder massage.
When he felt fingers touch the back of his hair, Subaru flinched. But soon, a warm sensation began to spread from where her palms touched, and he stopped moving.
What began to circulate through Subaru's body from his shoulders was a flow of water mana, emitted from Ferris's hands. It was far more tangible than blood flow—an energy current he could clearly feel. Subaru closed his eyes and gave in to the sensation.
"Slooowly~ gently~ oh my, split ends," Ferris cooed playfully. "Looks like you've been through a lot, Subaru-kyun."
Subaru's eye twitched.
"Could you maybe stop chatting while working? Honestly, this sensation of mana surging through my body feels gross. If I don't stay focused, I'll get dizzy."
Ferris only giggled, clearly unfazed.
"The issue lay with Subaru-Kyun's damaged gate—the portal for mana flow. Forcing mana through a depleted gate had caused residue buildup."
Tanaka chimed in, his hand resting on his chin, "So the treatment was meant to repair the gate using water magic while flushing out the solidified junk."
Subaru groaned, half to himself. "Basically, you're patching up the leaky spots in a hose with bad water flow, while forcing out all the mold and gunk inside the tube..."
"I dunno what you mean exactly, but I feel like that was kind of an offensive metaphor~?"
"It's self-deprecating. I'm the busted hose." Subaru grumbled. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna puke..."
His head drooped as he groaned toward Ferris, barely resisting the nausea that was building in his gut.
Then, at last, the glow in Ferris's hands faded, and she pulled back with a flourish.
"Aand~ we're done! Thank you for your hard work, Subaru-kyun."
Without another word, Subaru sprang up from the bed. One hand clamped over his mouth as he stumbled toward the door, making a valiant effort not to vomit all over the floor.
Ferris watched him go, unconcerned. "Well, yeah, the first day is always rough. I went right for the worst spot, and he was basically running empty when we started. His body couldn't handle the shock."
"You just love poking at people's sore spots, don't you?"
"In any case..." Ferris tapped the bed's surface with her palm and looked at Tanaka with a mischievous smile. "Come on, it's your turn now."
Tanaka's eye twitched. After seeing Subaru's pale face and hasty retreat, a very real part of him wanted to run the other way. But just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt something—a presence. He turned slightly.
Rem was staring at him.
Quiet. Intense. Unblinking.
The silent pressure of her gaze settled like a weight on his shoulders.
Tanaka let out a long, resigned sigh and got up.
"...Fine."
His legs moved reluctantly, dragging across the wooden floor as if they resented every step. When he finally sat on the edge of the bed, his body tensed with quiet dread. He already knew this would not end well.
Behind him, Felix's hands began to glow, a soft aqua light blooming from his fingertips—calm, serene, deceptively gentle. The room dimmed slightly under the radiance of the spell.
"Alright, Tanaka-kyun, I'll start with a quick examination~ just relax for me, okay?" Felix chirped, his usual playful tone laced with a healer's practiced professionalism.
Tanaka didn't respond.
Felix reached forward and pressed his glowing hands lightly against Tanaka's back, channeling his mana carefully toward the gate. But then—he blinked.
Nothing.
A strange resistance pushed back at him. Like a locked vault.
"Huh…?" Felix murmured, his smile faltering. He concentrated harder, tried again—this time more delicately, feeling around the edges of the gate. But it remained sealed, shut tighter than anything he'd encountered before. Not naturally closed… intentionally closed. Or perhaps, always that way.
"That's odd… It's like it's shut off entirely…" he muttered.
Still, Felix wasn't one to back down.
He pressed forward, working his mana into the cracks, seeking any sign of internal flow.
That's when it started.
Tanaka's breathing grew heavier. His eyelids drooped. A pounding, dull pressure began to bloom behind his eyes like thunderclouds forming in his skull. Sweat beaded at his brow. He tried to speak, to move—but his limbs felt heavy, distant, like they belonged to someone else.
Felix's brow creased. The glowing light flickered. His confident expression wavered.
"This can't be right…" he whispered, almost to himself.
The pressure surged.
Blood trickled from Tanaka's nose in thin crimson streams, staining his upper lip. His vision swam—colors bleeding together in nauseating spirals. Pain clawed through his skull, as if something inside him was trying to burst free.
He collapsed.His upper body pitched forward, falling off the bed with a lifeless thud. The cold floor did nothing to quell the firestorm raging inside his head. His breaths were shallow, ragged, his fingers twitching against the wood.
"Tanaka!!" Rem's voice split through the silence, panicked and raw. "Master Felix, stop this!"
Felix jerked back as if burned, his hands recoiling from Tanaka's back. His eyes were wide—shocked, even shaken.
Just moments ago, he had been confident, composed, half-teasing. But now he stood frozen, staring at Tanaka's crumpled form, his own hands trembling slightly. Something he had sensed—no, something he had seen—had shaken him to the core.
He looked down at his open palm, fingers still faintly glowing, before slowly turning his gaze back to the boy coughing blood at his feet.
Tanaka's eyes, dim and ringed with exhaustion, barely opened. His hand clutched at his mouth, trying and failing to suppress the deep, wet coughs that racked his body. Crimson splattered between his fingers and onto the floor.
And yet, in those half-lidded eyes, there was no panic.No fear.Only weariness.
And something else.
Indifference.
Felix stepped forward slowly, his expression unreadable. His ears twitched. His eyes scanned Tanaka—not just seeing him as a patient, but now as a question.
"…How did you end up like this?" he asked quietly.
Then, more gravely, voice low and sharp:
"No… Who in the world are you?"
Tanaka barely managed to rasp out a reply, voice hoarse and strained:
"I'm not in the mood for riddles."
"Master Felix?" Rem's voice was softer now, confused and afraid. "What's wrong?"
Felix hesitated before answering. The room felt colder somehow.
"His Odd is completely gone."
Rem's eyes widened in horror. "Is it… was it drained? That time… in the forest?"
Felix shook his head."No. If it had been consumed, there'd be traces—remnants of its existence, residue at the very least. But this…" He stared down at Tanaka, brows furrowing."…It's as if it was never there to begin with."
A pause. A beat. Felix's eyes widened slightly—he had seen this before.
"It's the same as—"
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
Something had clicked. Something deep. A memory. A fear.
Without another word, he stood abruptly, his boots scraping the wooden floor. His expression hardened.
"I'm sorry. I'll be right back."
He turned swiftly on his heel, heading toward the door. His voice was sharp, final.
"I have to inform Crusch-Sama."