The night ended. The stars faded one by one, swallowed by the gray light of morning, and the camp stirred back to life. Soldiers emerged from their tents, stretching and yawning and rubbing sleep from their eyes. The fires that had burned through the darkness were reduced to piles of ash and glowing ember. The smell of smoke hung in the air, mixed with the sharper scent of dew and cold earth.
The day of departure came.
Subaru and Übel stood outside the commander's tent, waiting to be called in. The canvas walls flapped gently in the morning breeze, and voices murmured inside, too low to make out. Subaru shifted from foot to foot, her hand reaching up to check her turban, a habit she could not break. Übel stood beside her, calm and still, her staff resting against her shoulder.
A soldier emerged and nodded to them. "The commander will see you now."
They stepped inside.
The tent was larger than Subaru had expected. A wooden table sat in the center, covered with maps and papers and small figurines that represented troops and positions. Chairs were arranged around the table, though most of them were empty. A brazier burned in the corner, casting warm light across the space.
Wirt sat in a chair near the back of the tent, eating from a plate of bread and cheese. He looked tired, the kind of tired that came from too little sleep and too much responsibility, but there was a lightness in his expression that had not been there before. The weight of the battle had lifted from his shoulders, and he seemed younger somehow, more like the man Subaru had met in the sparring circle than the commander who had sent soldiers to die.
True to his word, a bag of coins sat on the table beside him. It was quite a fat bag, bulging at the seams, the leather straining to contain all the metal inside. Subaru's eyes locked onto it. She felt a strange sensation in her mouth, almost like salivating, and she had to force herself to look away before she did something embarrassing.
Wirt set down his bread and wiped his hands on a cloth. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for my city."
Subaru waved her hand. "It was nothing."
It was actually a lot of things. It was dying multiple times, five times by her count, though the numbers blurred together after a while. It was learning Rivale's patterns, his strengths, his weaknesses. It was pouring almost all her mana into a single attack and hoping it would be enough. It was watching half his body disappear and still being afraid that he would get back up. But she could not tell anyone about that. The loops were her secret, her burden, her endless cycle of death and rebirth.
So she smiled and said it was nothing.
Wirt shook his head. "Killing Rivale is no small feat. In fact, it is something on the level of the hero's party. The stories that will be told about this day, the songs that will be sung." He paused, his expression growing serious. "You have done something that warriors have dreamed of for generations."
Subaru scratched the back of her turbaned head. The cloth was rough against her fingers, and she felt the shape of her horns beneath it, hidden but present. "I just got lucky," she said.
Wirt laughed. "Luck does not create a crater the size of a house."
Übel stepped forward, her voice calm and practical. "We should be heading out soon. We will stop at the city for a moment to restock our supplies, then leave the next day. We still have a long journey ahead of us."
Wirt's expression shifted. Something flickered behind his eyes, hesitation or uncertainty or maybe both. He looked at the table, then at the bag of coins, then at Subaru.
"Actually," he said, "I was hoping you might stay for a few days."
Subaru blinked. "What?"
Wirt leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together. "There is going to be a huge feast. A celebration for winning the war. It will last for several days, with music and dancing and food enough for everyone. The whole city will be there."
Subaru tilted her head. "A celebration? For winning the war?"
"Yes." Wirt's voice grew more animated, more excited. "That demon you killed, Rivale, he was not an ordinary one. According to history, he is the strongest demon. The Bloody God of War. He was known for destroying warrior centric cities and villages, searching for worthy opponents wherever he went. He has been doing this for centuries, leaving behind a trail of ruins and broken armies."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"But with him dead, the war is officially over. There is no one left to lead the demons in this region. No one strong enough to rally them. The fighting that was supposed to continue for years, that we had prepared ourselves to endure for generations, has ended in a single day." He looked at Subaru, his eyes bright. "Thanks to you, we have won."
Subaru did not know what to say. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. No sound came out.
Wirt continued. "So I would like to formally invite you to the celebration that will be held in the city. Not because it is mandatory for you to be there. You have already done more than enough, and no one would blame you if you wanted to leave. But I believe that you should be there." He placed his hand over his heart. "You are the one responsible for this. The people should see you. They should know who saved them."
Subaru looked at Übel. Her companion stood with her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. She shrugged.
"You are the star of the show," Übel said. "Not me."
Subaru turned back to Wirt. He was looking at her with an expression that she could not quite name. His face was slightly flushed, his eyes earnest, his posture almost nervous. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"I am asking you not as a representative of the city," he said, his voice softer now, less formal. "But as... as..." He stumbled over the words, searching for the right phrase. "As a man. I mean, as a friend. Uh."
Subaru's eyebrows rose. She looked at Übel again, but Übel was staring at the ceiling of the tent, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"Well," Subaru said slowly, "I suppose I could stay for a few days."
Wirt's face transformed. The nervous uncertainty vanished, replaced by something bright and eager. He looked like a child who had been given the most expensive item from the toy store, his eyes wide, his grin spreading from ear to ear.
"Really?" he asked.
Subaru nodded. "OK. I shall accept your invitation."
Wirt jumped to his feet. He caught himself almost immediately, straightening his posture, clearing his throat. But the grin did not fade. It stayed on his face, bright and genuine, as if he could not quite believe his luck.
"Excellent," he said. "Excellent. I will make sure you have the best rooms in the manor. And the best food. And anything else you need." He was rambling now, his words tumbling over each other. "The feast will begin tomorrow evening, but there will be preparations today, and I can show you around the city, if you like, and—"
Subaru held up her hand. "Easy."
"Right, right,"
He looked at the bag of coins on the table, then back at Subaru. "That is your payment, by the way. The full amount. Ten times the advance, as promised."
Subaru's eyes drifted to the bag again. It was even fatter than she remembered. She could almost hear the coins clinking together, calling to her, singing a song of security and comfort and not having to worry about money for a while.
"Thank you," she said.
Wirt shook his head. "Thank you. Both of you." He looked at Übel, then back at Subaru. "I will not forget what you have done. None of us will."
The tent was quiet for a moment. The brazier crackled. The canvas walls flapped in the breeze.
Then Übel pushed herself off the wall and walked toward the entrance. "Well," she said, "if we are staying, I am going to find something to eat. All this talking has made me hungry."
She ducked through the flap and disappeared outside.
Subaru lingered for a moment, looking at Wirt, at the bag of coins, at the maps on the table. The weight of the past few days pressed against her shoulders, heavy and unfamiliar.
"I should go too," she said.
Wirt nodded. "Of course. I will send someone to find you when everything is ready."
Subaru turned and walked toward the entrance. She paused with her hand on the canvas flap, looking back at him over her shoulder.
"For what it is worth," she said, "I am glad I could help."
Wirt smiled. "So am I."
Subaru stepped outside. The morning air was cool against her face, and the sun was rising over the trees, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. The camp was already busy with activity, soldiers packing and loading and preparing for the journey back to the city.
Regardless, the day went by. The sun rose and fell, tracing its familiar arc across the sky, and the camp transformed into a procession. Wagons were loaded with supplies. Soldiers gathered their belongings and formed into columns. The wounded were placed in carts padded with blankets, their groans and laughter mixing together in a strange harmony. By the time the afternoon light began to soften, the army was ready to move.