Re:Zero: Starting from the Great Transformation

"That's it."

Sarah nodded thoughtfully.

But she didn't reach out to take the earrings I handed her.

"that……"

"As for the earrings, keep them. They may not look impressive, but they're magical extras. Just pierce the enemy with the tip of the feathers, and they'll temporarily chase the phantom."

Sarah explained, touching her ear.

She was hit by a snow buffalo in a blizzard and suffered a broken thigh bone.

In the end, she still relied on earrings to escape.

But even if she escaped the attack of the snow buffalo, the broken bones left her unable to move, and she couldn't see clearly because of the blizzard.

To resist the cold, Sarah dug a hole in the snow to hide, tied arrows together as a splint, took emergency measures, and waited anxiously for rescue.

As a result, the Ice Demon Tree appeared again.

In the end, both the man and the snow cave were crushed by the ice and then captured.

This is Sarah's experience.

"Please accept these earrings as a token of my gratitude for coming to save me."

"A thank you gift or something..."

"Why, do you want me to pledge my love to you?"

Sarah said with a slight smile.

I twitched my lips.

This is...

It makes people wonder how to respond.

Just as I was about to take back the earrings, Sarah suddenly stood up and snatched them from my hands.

Then he came closer to me.

"Sarah..."

"I'll put it on for you."

Sarah put her hands around my cheeks and practically hugged me.

My gaze uncontrollably passed through the gaps in her clothes and fell on the fair and tender ravines on her chest. For some reason, my throat became a little dry.

So white...

When I came to my senses, Sarah had sat down again.

I touched the feather earring near my earlobe, which seemed to still carry Sarah's body temperature.

An inexplicable burning emotion began to spread in my chest, like a bonfire burning between Sarah and me, burning more and more vigorously along my limbs and bones.

The more it burns, the more prosperous it becomes.

Adventurer: 39, Escape and Response

Although we wanted to go back quickly, neither my physical strength nor Sarah's condition allowed us to do so.

Add to that the harsh surrounding environment and the blizzard that never stopped.

Finally decided to take a break.

We spent the night in a cave.

Just like when we were working together on a commission.

Take turns to stand guard at night to prevent monsters from attacking.

That being said.

Because we had sprinkled some monster-repelling powder in advance, the whole night was peaceful.

Then at dawn the next day.

The snowstorm that was expected to last for several days suddenly stopped in an extremely abrupt manner.

The sky covered with dark clouds seemed to be torn open.

The clear sky appeared before us without any warning.

The blizzard just stopped.

Such a messy way...

I guess the only person around here who can do that is Rudeus.

I guess after returning to the city, they learned that I had entered the forest alone to search for Sarah, and they helped to dispel the wind and snow to the best of their ability.

Although it's a bit late, it's better than never.

Thanks to this.

The journey back to the city was much smoother than the journey here.

When we were halfway there, we ran into Rudeus who was searching for us.

It seemed that after he learned that I was here to rescue Sarah, he immediately dispelled the wind and snow and came to support me.

He was relieved to see that Sarah and I were fine.

Anyway.

This incident finally came to a successful conclusion...

……

……

However, it does not.

Since that day.

My relationship with Sarah changed again.

Sarah's attitude towards me began to warm up.

Some time ago, because I said I wanted to leave, he started to hardly talk to me. It seemed that he wanted to forget this relationship by treating it coldly.

However, after this incident.

Sarah started greeting me again.

Occasionally when we meet at the union, he would wave and say hello to me and ask how I was doing recently.

Occasionally they would invite me to their cocktail parties.

It seems that things are no different from before.

I can understand her thinking a little bit.

I guess she felt that she had been treating me coldly, but I still went to save her alone, so she felt that she had gone too far and tried hard to make our relationship go back to the way it was.

Even if we can't be lovers, we can still be friends.

That's probably something like this.

In other words.

Sarah hasn't changed much.

The one who changed...

it's me.

That snowstorm night in the forest, I truly felt the long-lost throbbing from Sarah.

This is the first time I've felt this way since I came into this world.

I like Sarah...

It's no longer just love between friends.

But he really likes her as a woman.

I can't explain why my mindset changed.

But there is no doubt about it.

At that moment, I saw Sarah as a woman.

Is this a self-guided strategy?

I also thought about whether I should imitate Sarah's previous behavior and deal with my feelings for her with a cold attitude. But every time I saw Sarah smiling and greeting me, I couldn't help but respond.

If you don't respond, you'll feel guilty.

I feel guilty for lying to myself.

But I also know that I will leave one day, and I am not someone Sarah can entrust her life to.

She deserves someone better, a man who is willing to protect her for life.

I was in pain because of this.

……

……

Maybe I should leave.

That’s what I think.

There is no need to stay here any longer.

There was no way Sarah and I could make any progress in our relationship, and staying here would only cause more pain.

It’s better to go farther away and let space and time dilute this feeling.

And on the other hand.

Ever since I mastered the Sword of Light, the monsters around here are basically no match for me.

If you want to challenge more difficult commissions or go further.

Then it's time to keep moving forward.

I heard that there is a stray dragon appearing near the Red Dragon Mountains.

Oh, right, Red Dragon.

I once overestimated my own abilities and wanted to challenge the Red Dragon, but after realizing the gap in strength, I chose to give up.

But now, maybe...

No.

Yes, we will definitely win.

I've longed to challenge the Red Dragon, and for some reason, the thought has only grown stronger. Perhaps it's pointless to stay here any longer, so I desperately want to leave this city.

I made up my mind to set off.

So I went to find Rudius and prepared to say goodbye to him before leaving.

……

……

"Really? You're planning to leave."