Chapter 7: Some Great Reward


He left the suit alone, catching back up to Emilia without a word.

In his head were various machinations involving a very limited understanding of clockwork, pulleys and gears, and how one could try to plausibly fit it all in a gauntlet.

After all, if magic was to be of no help, then perhaps a mechanical solution would exist?

Perhaps with some ingenuity, the same kind that would turn steel and iron into a powerful locomotive.

But alas, an engineer he was not, finding he hadn't the slightest idea where to start, he realized that he wouldn't get very far in the pursuit with his lack of experience or knowledge in that field.

He shook his head, the gauntlet idea seemed to be just a pipedream.

"Are you well, Erik?" Emilia asked, who had been watching him make strange expressions while deep in thought.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine, just tried thinking of something that wouldn't work."

She shook her head, as they came to a stop before a large doorway.

"Well, don't get too carried away, the dining room is just behind the door, now if you could wait a bit, I need to-"

His stomach rumbled, loudly, enough for both to hear.

"Sorry, but I can't wait anymore..."

He burst through the door, much to Emilia's surprise.

She sighed, "Alright, I'll be back..."

The dining room was just as elegantly decorative as the rest of the mansion, with a large table in the center that was absent of any dishes, much to Erik's ravenous impatience.

"What's your rush, I suppose?" A voice asked, sending chills down his spine.

"Oh no…" What he thought was just a dream, also turned out to be reality, much to his chagrin.

He grimaced, recognizing the source of the voice, slowly turning to the direction of it only to find the wicked little librarian in person, standing in the room as though waiting for someone.

A flash of tension sparked between their gazes, as they glared at each other in disdain.

"So… You were real after all." He broke the brief silence.

"What a profoundly stupid observation, I suppose." She lashed out.

"Whatever you say, Goldilocks." He scoffed.

She sneered, steadily becoming annoyed.

"That is not my name even in the slightest, I suppose…"

"I really don't care, I suppose." He imitated her, pinching his nose in a high voice.

She began to grumble "I do not sound like that! You are really getting on my nerves, I su-!"

"You suppose?" He smiled.

Immediately she puffed up, beat red in the face, irritated beyond belief.

Her curls almost sprang upright in pure anger.

"Why you tiresome, loathsome, and unmannered cur!" She screeched.

By then Emilia had finally returned, looking concerned after having heard the commotion from outside the dining room.

As she entered, she looked between Erik, who had a dubious look on his face of feigned innocence, and the blonde girl who simmered silently.

She was about to ask what had happened, but Puck had floated in and took over.

"Hey, long time no see Betty!" The cat greeted cheerfully, overlooking her clearly visible irritated mood.

But just as unexpectedly, her demeanor swapped quickly to that of pure bliss.

"Bubby!" She called out, catching the cat in an embrace. "I haven't seen you in so long! Will you spend the day with me, I suppose?"

"You bet, Betty, just you and me today." The two cheerfully ran off, leaving Erik thoroughly bewildered.

"I see you've met Beatrice already, but…"

"But?"

"I know she can be a bit reclusive, but I've never seen her like that! What did you do?"

Erik shrugged, "Just messed with her a little bit, serves her right with that attitude of hers and all…"

"You are just a foul nuisance, I suppose!" Beatrice yelled from across the room, overhearing him.

"See what I mean? Where's her parents? I got a few harsh words to say to them."

"W-well, I don't think she-" Emilia awkwardly began, unsure of how to put it.

Before she could finish, another individual entered the room.

"Myyyyyy~, what a rare sight to see you here Beatrice!"

Erik looked over to see the man, caught off guard by the exaggerated intonation, and immediately struggled to maintain his composure.

The man in question, between the unusual choice of attire, clad in purple, and the thick layer of plaster-white makeup, it was an unexpected sight for Erik.

He watched with dubious amazement, looking at Emilia to see if she was just as confused at this stranger.

She was not, it seemed surreal.

"So, uh... Is the circus in town?" He chuckled.

Emilia covered her mouth "E-Erik! That's…"

"Look at all that paint, imagine all the turpentine it'd take to get all that off!" He joked, still chuckling.

"Oh, gooooooodnessss, no! Turpentine would be dreeeeeaaaaadful~ for my complexion!" the flamboyant jester replied, in a dramatic tone.

Between the response, the way he talked, or his overall appearance, it was just all so surreal.

It was more than Erik could take in, evidently, as he broke into a fit of laughter.

In truth, it was an exaggerated laugh, with him hunched over, but it had been a while for him.

"Oh no…" Emilia hid her face, blushing red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry!" He wheezed mid laugh, looking up at the stranger expecting a scowl.

Instead, the Pierrot seemed highly amused, and approached with a wide smile.

"Yesss! Let it aaaaallll~ out, dear boy!" He slapped his back, turning to Emilia "Nooothiiing~ to worry about, Lady Emilia, I quite like this guest already!"

Erik wiped his eye, "Mister, you nearly bust my gut!"

The jester approached, "Ahh~, t'would be a shame for that to happen agaaaain! I see that yooouuu~ are in good health?"

"Haha, well sure, mister…?" Erik motioned his hand, expecting a name.

"That's Margrave to you, Roswaal L. Mathers, loooorrrd~ of this is estate!"

"Oh…" Erik's smile was wiped off his face.

"I uh… Apologize sincerely… I don't know what came over me." He stumbled to apologize, now concerned as the reality settled that the man was, indeed, the lord.

The lord of the estate he had just made fun of.

He could only imagine how his parents would've reacted, had they known he laughed at a noble, regardless of how ridiculous they appeared.

Nonetheless, he was certain he messed up.

"My deeeaaar~ boy…" He grabbed his shoulder, with a wink of his eye, prompting him to squirm a bit.

Though funny he may have appeared, there was something offsetting about his chronic cheerfulness.

"An entertaining guest is aaalwaaays~ welcome in my home, and you are no exception."

"Uh… Good to know?" He replied, nervously.

Shortly, the lord took his seat at the end of the table, promptly followed by Emilia.

"Pleeeaaase, join us." He beckoned to Erik, gesturing towards the seats.

Quietly, he pulled the chair next to where Emilia was seated, just as the maids returned finally.

This time, pushing carts, making their rounds around the table distributing cutlery and plates just as Erik was settled in.

As the plates piled up before him, his eyes glowed with glee, each dish was garnished and varied, more than any he'd seen before.

For only breakfast, it was rather luxurious, nothing he would complain about.

It was only when the cutlery was placed did, he notice a slight issue.

He grabbed the fork in one hand, only to put it down and grab the knife, it dawned on him he would not be able to follow typical dining etiquette, if he could not hold a fork and knife at the same time.

Ram watched him cluelessly switch between the two, as she stood by the wall with Rem, smirking.

"Would the you like us to cut your food for you, dear guest?" She called out loudly, calling everyone's attention to him.

He turned to her in subdued embarrassment.

"No, thank you." He sighed.

"Are you sure, Erik? It wouldn't be an issue for them." Emilia asked, oblivious to the jab, but with a typical look of concern.

"Just… No, please, I'll manage by myself." He turned back, resorting to use the edge of the fork to cut.

He dug in with everyone else, with minimal chit-chat, only after the first bite did his eye go wide.

It was much, much better than he'd thought.

After years of low-quality culinary experiences, some of it being downright slop, it was a well appreciated change.

Evidentially seen as his pace quickened, without him noticing until he realized everyone was looking at him.

He paused, just about to take a chunk out of a sausage he'd impaled on the fork, as the others watched.

Perhaps he was going a little too fast?

"My, my, I take it you are enaaaammmooouured~ with Rem's cooking." Roswaal remarked.

Erik blinked, "It's pretty darn good, I'll give you that, I take it Rem is the one with blue hair?"

Rem herself nodded, "Correct, sir."

"And the other is- "

"Ram, at your service, sir." Ram finished for her.

"Rem and Ram…" He dwelled on their names, how particular they sounded, as though they could be short for something else.

He snickered to himself, "Remington and Ramrod, heh!"

Overhearing him, the two maids did not find it humorous.

Roswaal smirked, finding the guest even more curious "If introductions are iiiiinnn~ order, may we learn more about you, my dear guest? Your name is 'Erik', I believe?"

"Yessir, Erik von Fahren, to be exact… But just Erik is fine."

"Spleeeendid! Tou bear a particle of nobility in your surname, yet the name is unfamiliar to me… Might you be of a Noble family?"

"No, not in any official stretch… My grandfather was a count, if I recall, but my family lost that status years ago."

"I seeeeeee~, and what is your occupation?"

He blew air from his lips at the question, the truth was certainly out of the question.

"That's a good question."

"Oh? You don't know?" the lord raised an eyebrow.

"… Rather, I didn't have a name for it, I guess I'm something like a wanderer." He lied.

"Then, it was veeeerrryy~ fortunate for you to wander into Lady Emilia's circumstance."

"Glad to help… May I ask, what the relations are here, though?" He turned to Emilia.

"Are you, uh… Related by chance?" He asked her, hoping to clarify a dubious suspicion he had.

It seemed unlikely that the two were espoused, a horrifying prospect to him, but it seemed curious she held title of Lady with a Lord present.

"Oh no, not at all! Roswaal is actually just my sponsor." She replied, waving him off, apparently the thought of being related to him seemed absurd to even her.

'Thank God…' he thought.

"Sponsor?"

Roswaal cleared his throat, "Pardon my presumption, but peeeerhaaapps you are a foreigner? How familiar are you in the ongoing events of Lugnica?"

"You're right on that, actually…. I think I pretty well arrived just yesterday, I had to ask what country I was in, if that tells you anything."

"Curious… You have travelled veeeeerrrry far, into the heart of Lugnica, to the capital, all without aaaannnnyyy clue as to where you are?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm wondering how I managed that myself, too… I can't seem to remember, it's all been a blur since my 'accident', you see…"

"Ooooof cooouuurse, pardon my prying then… I shall tell you then that the state of things is… Less than agreeable, you see, we are currently a Kingdom without a King."

Erik put his fork down, "Sounds rather serious, what happened? Was the King murdered?"

"Noooooot quuuuiiiite… An epidemic, that seemingly only affected those of royal blood, traaaagicaally~ took their lives."

"That's, uh… One hell of a disease then, so there's no heir?"

"Indeeeeeeeed~, the country is currently ruled by the Sage Council, however, a new ruler must be selected soon… That is where Lady Emilia come's in, in fact."

He raised his own brow, "Emilia?"

"I am actually candidate for 42nd in line for the throne." Emilia revealed candidly.

He leaned back in his chair, incredulous at the revelation.

'Oh boy…'

It seemed hard to believe, the girl sitting next to him was nothing short of a princess.

He had just rescued a princess in distress, did that make him a knight in shining armor?

'Yeah, right…' he thought, he just couldn't see himself as that, unsure of how to take this information.

"Wow." He let out, sitting quietly, resting his head into his hand.

It was then when Emilia pulled the familiar badge out.

He eyed it with some disdain, "That blasted little trinket again?"

Roswaal continued on, "That 'trinket' contains the coat of arms of Lugnica, it carries, in fact, a hiiiiiighly~ important purpose."

"Which is?" Erik asked, now wondering what all the trouble over the insignia was worth.

"It is used to ascertain whether someone is a qualified candidate to the throne…" Emilia answered, holding it up to him in her hand.

Indeed, it was glowing, she let him take hold of it.

As expected, it ceased to glow in his hand.

He imagined it to be a sort of 'Metia' in that case, one that specifically judges someone by some unknown characteristics.

Thinking on it, it something he was sure his old gang would've tried to steal if given the chance, had it existed where he was.

"Looks like I'm not fit to be king… I see why it would be coveted, though."

"Yes… This is why I am so indebted to you; not only did you save me, you helped recover this insignia. I'll grant you anything of equal value, within my power." She reminded him once again.

He still wasn't sure what to say, much less of what he would ask of her, but before he could open his mouth, Roswaal interjected.

"Indeeeeeeed~, young Erik, you are not only in the graces of Lady Emilia, as her sponsor, I do owe a debt to you as well…"

"Well, I've been getting a lot of those lately…" He scratched the back of his head.

"As a Margrave of Lugnica and Royal Court Wizard, I shall graaaaant you any favor that you wish…"

"Royal Court Wizard?"

"He's actually the best Magic User in the whole kingdom." Emilia explained, prompting him to pause for a moment.

Erik sat up in his chair, for Emilia, he felt reluctance to ask anything from, but for the strange, and very, very, wealthy man…

He put his hand to his chin, he recalled back to his first favor from puck.

Maybe magic isn't so useless? After all, there before him stood the supposed most elite wizard.

But of course, he didn't want to be told it couldn't be done again.

"Before I ask this favor, I would like to ask some things first…"

"Veeeeeerrry~ well, ask away, my dear boy."

"First of all, what constitutes a Metia? What can a Metia be and not be?"

"My, what a broooaaaad~ question! A Metia can take many forms, it all depends on the purpose it is intended to fulfill."

"Could there be a kind of Metia that moves, by itself, at the users will?"

"Ceeeeertaaaaaaainly~, such a trait is not unusual!"

Erik could help but smirk, he liked what he was hearing so far.

"Where does one acquire a Metia then?"

He laughed softly, "Some are said to be gifts from the divines… Buuuuuuuut, you'll find that most are the works of the most skilled craftsmen in the kingdom."

"Therefore, it is possible to commission one with a specific purpose?"

"Precisely!"

Erik was sold, he leaned forward on the table.

"… You said anything, right?"

Roswaal leaned forward as well, "Aaaaannythiiiiiing~!"

Emilia looked at Erik, squirming, unable to help but nervously wonder if Erik would be as interrogative and demanding to her as well.

"Good, good… Perfect, in fact… I'll be right back…" Erik got up, and ran out into the hall.

The diners sat in confusion, unsure what he intended to do in relation to what they inferred from his questioning.

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Erik located a suit of armor.

With his target acquired, he grabbed at the left gauntlet and attempted to tug it free from the rest of the suit.

Being more firmly attached than he thought, he gave it a spirited yank, as it came loose.

But just as he held the freed gauntlet in his hand, the rest of the suit toppled over to the ground.

Back in the dinning room, all that could be heard was the loud clatter of metal, followed by a distinct, yet muffled "Oh fuck…" from Erik.

The two maids glanced at each other, dreading what mess waited for them in the hallway.

Erik rushed back in, wearing the gauntlet over his left arm, ignoring the death glare emanating from Ram.

"So…" He panted, "The favor I would like to ask, Margrave Roswaal…"

"Yeeeeeessss?" Roswaal put his hands together, already knowing from the questions what to expect.

"I would like you to commission me a Metia that resembles something like this, and allows me to control it like a real hand!"

Roswaal clapped, "Weeeeeelllll~ done, young Erik, you have, perhaps inadvertently, redevised the Iron Limb."

"Iron Limb?"

Roswaal laughed, "You didn't think you are the first to come up with such an idea, did you? Such a variety of Metia alreeeaaaady~ exist, though they are a rather rare luxury, available only to few."

Erik looked down at the gauntlet, "Well… May I presume that won't be an issue for a Margrave such as yourself?"

"Of cooooouuuurse~, though it would be quiiiiite~ costly…"

"You did say anything…"

He smiled, "And I am a man of my woooooord~. Don't worry, my vaaaaluuuuueeed~ guest, I simply jest, it is meeeeeeereeeeeely~ a small price to pay for your efforts, I shall make the arrangements."

"Perfect!" Erik made his way back to his seat, all giddy, still wearing the gauntlet.

"Well, I'd like to take this moment to thank you all for your hospitality and generosity, and compliments to the chef, Remington, for this lovely meal." He announced, feeling gracious.

"My dear guest, your kiiiiiiind wooooooords~ are quite touching, and you are moooooooost~ welcome here, however, if I may… Would you pleeeeeaaaaaase~ return my gauntlet to it's rightful place?"

"Oh, uh… Sure..." Erik sat up, embarrassed.


"Do you have any questions for me so far, sir?" Ram asked, leading him down the hall.

It was at Emilia's request, who had retired to some business of hers, that he was led on a brief tour of the mansion by Ram.

"Yes, actually." He replied, "Why was there a bucket in the music room?"

He referred to the conspicuous item the stood there, not tucked away on the side, but in plain sight as though it served a purpose in relation to the room.

Ram put a finger to her lip, smirking from the knowledge of it "I believe that belongs to Lady Emilia, sir… Anything else?"

"That raises more questions, but I won't ask here, no."

"Well, I have one for you, how long is it that you intend to stay here, sir?"

Erik shrugged "…How long can I stay?"

"It's rather audacious to answer a question with another question, but to answer it anyways, that's not my decision to make…"

She paused before a door, turning to him.

"That would be at the discretion of Lady Emilia or Lord Roswaal, sir, but naturally, I assume you will try to stay as long as possible."

"Well, can you blame me? The food's good, the mansion's nice, and I don't need to worry about getting slashed at anytime soon."

"Be it that it may, need I remind you that Rem is cleaning up the mess you made in the hallway, sir?"

He scratched his head guiltily, "That, well… Wait, what does that have to do with anything right now?"

"My sister is doing more work than she needs to right now, because of you… I do not appreciate a freeloader that causes undue trouble, so forgive me if I am not pleased at any notion your extended stay, sir."

Taken aback, he scoffed, "Does Roswaal let you run your mouth like that? To a guest, no less?"

Her dagger-like, red eyes pierced into him, shadowed by a menacing look on her face.

"Mind your words… I will not tolerate any disrespect towards my master, sir, even if you are a guest..."

It took him by surprise, her look was nothing short of scary, and quite genuine, but his own patience had a limit too.

Defiantly, Erik squinted at her, "None intended… But I may be inclined to raise my concerns with him in person, regarding how hospitable his servants have been…"

They glared at each other, eventually Ram closed her eyes.

"I see… I do recognize your service to Lady Emilia, which commends some respect owed, which I haven't shown. Please take this as an apology." She conceded, bowing.

"That's better… Look, I know I've been a nuisance so far, and I'm sorry for the trouble, and for any I caused for your sister too, I'll try not to make things any worse from here if that helps you."

She looked at him doubtfully, "If for her sake, rather than mine, then I hope you will, sir…"

"What, you don't believe me, Ramrod? Just you see, I'll behave from now on."

She sighed, "Do I even want to know what that word means? What's with these names?"

He shrugged again, "Oh I'm just having fun with your name is all, my stupid little way of prodding back…"

"Forget I asked, then… Carrying on, this here is one of our bathrooms…"

Somehow, he had a familiar feeling about the door, however…

She opened the door, revealing a strikingly familiar library, with none other than Beatrice and Puck in the middle, giggles and cuddles ensued.

Did she say bathroom, he wondered? That didn't seem right.

"Well, I won't run out of reading material at least…"

Immediately hearing him, Beatrice shot up, glaring at him.

"Oh hi, Erik!" Puck called from her arms.

"Oh hi, Puck."

Clearly angered, Beatrice began to yell.

"What are you doing there!? Stay out of here, I suppose!"

The door slammed shut, seemingly on its own.

It was now at the point where he simply didn't question these things anymore.

"My mistake, sir… That was Beatrice's door crossing in action, actually, any door can lead to the forbidden archives at her discretion." She opened the door again.

Erik blinked, it was just as a bathroom should be, tile floor, wash basin, and…

"Is…. Is that what I think it is…?" He whispered in awe, never having seen such a wondrous sight.

Wondrous to him, at least…

"Sir?"

His eye watered, he wiped it away with his finger.

"Is that a water closet!?"

"The… The toilet, sir?" Ram asked, much to her confusion, realizing he was riled up over the porcelain fixture.

He scoffed in disbelief; it was the cherry on the cake, things couldn't possibly be better the mansion now.

After for seemingly years of stinking and filthy outhouses and wilderness, the peak of civilized sanitation stood before him.

Especially during the war, how much he envied the officers who had their own personal latrines.

It was as close to paradise as he could get.

"With all due respect, sir, you are a hopeless wretch…" she shook her head.

"Oh c'mon, you can't just veil disrespect with that phrase…"


He walked down the hall, vaguely remember where the guest room was.

Since after the tour, he figured it would be a good time to clean his guns from yesterdays use, lest they begin to rust.

As he made his way to the doorway, down the hall the blue-haired twin was sweeping way with a broom.

He hadn't spoken very much with her, but got the impression of her being somewhat more docile than her sister, from a first impression.

At least, less harsh in tone, much more reserved.

Even her eyes had a softer look to them, not as sharp and assertive as Ram's.

However, it was only then did he realize he was feeling her unusually inquisitive gaze the whole time.

He stopped just outside his door, angling his head to see if she still was.

Indeed, she was, they made eye contact.

Had she smiled, or simply nodded, it would've relieved the tension.

But she continued to glare, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable from it.

He was used to getting dirty looks, and been in enough saloon brawls to know what kind of look someone would give if they wanted to pick a fight.

But hers was neither, it was difficult for him to decode.

Was it distrust?

Or was it fear?

"What?" He asked.

"… Nothing, sir." She gave a small bow, only to carry on sweeping.

He shrugged, perhaps he was just overthinking it.

Maybe she liked him, and she was trying to hide it?

He chortled at the thought, it just seemed unlikely, especially for someone who had just called him a lecher earlier in the morning.

Nonetheless, he entered the room, promptly pulling the seat of the desk out.

With the gun maintenance due in the back of his mind, he put it off, now having an opportunity to collect his thoughts.

Ram's question dwelled on him; how long could he stay there?

The amenities were excellent, but tensions between the other residents could become an issue.

He sighed, he'd have to try hard not to make any enemies, an unfortunate tendency he'd developed.

There was a knock on the door, at once he'd realized he had zoned out

"Yes?" He called out.

"It's just me, are you busy?" He recognized Emilia's voice.

"Not particularly, come on in."

She opened the door, poking her head in as Erik leaned back on the seat.

"What's up?" he asked, locked onto her violet eyes.

"Oh, just taking a break from my studies, I couldn't help but wonder what you were up to."

He looked around the room, "Well, not a whole lot to keep me busy with yet here."

She came in, proceeding to sit on the bed, idly swinging her legs in the air.

"I'm sure you'll have something to do soon!" She beamed optimistically.

"Hopefully not studies too, looks like it keeps you real busy." He smiled.

"You don't like studying?"

"Never was fond of it, what are you studying for anyways?"

"For the Royal Selection… It's mostly a lot of court etiquette, history and law."

"Sound's like fun, I'm just glad that's you and not me." He smirked.

She giggled, "You used to study then, right?"

"Sure did, I went to an academy until a couple years ago."

She leaned in, "Really? That sounds lovely, I would've loved to have attended a school, too! What was it like?"

He paused, reluctant to say, only to go ahead with it.

"Hm… To be honest, it wasn't very pleasant at all."

"Oh, why not?" She stopped kicking.

"Can't say I liked being made to kneel on sharp stones for not listening during class, or being hit with a yardstick for talking back, among other things… Oh, and I got yelled at a lot."

She covered her mouth with her hand, "That's sounds harsh, why? What did you get yelled at for?"

"Everything… And nothing! I just couldn't win, it seemed…"

It was until then he realized the smile from her face had gone, and he regretted saying that.

"Sorry, that took a depressing turn..."

"No, it's alright… You've been through a lot." She looked down at her feet.

"Yeah…" He sighed, staring out the window.

He cracked up, laughing.

"What is it?"

"Just remembered something about that, back then… An old friend of mine, Fletch, got yelled at real bad once."

"What's so funny about that?" She tilted her head.

"Because he got yelled at for farting during assembly! What a lad!" He buried his face in his palm, laughing.

"Pff…"

Erik turned to look only to find her giggling.

"Of all the things you remembered then, it had to be something like that? I'll never really know what's going on in your head, Erik."

He laughed, "Yeah… Schoolboy humor, I guess."

She cleared her throat, "Anyways, before we get carried away, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Am I in trouble?" He joked.

"Huh? No! Erik, can you take this serious for a second please?"

"Alright, alright, what is it?"

"It's just, well… You still haven't asked what you want from me, but you've already asked something from Roswaal…"

He rubbed his chin, feeling a flutter in his chest, "Well, there's a reason for that…"

"Will you tell me?" she asked, looking at him with a nervous look.

"Of course… It's easy with Roswaal, y'know, with him being a Margrave and all… I could milk him good, so I did."

"But I outrank him, technically…"

"I know, and that's partially why… What I asked from him is trivial, even if it is expensive, but if it's from you then I feel should ask something that's more… I dunno, meaningful?"

She sighed in relief, smiling at him.

"You know, I was worried for a bit that you didn't ask because I thought you might've had a problem with me… I am kind of glad you feel that way, so why don't I help you decide? What do you want to do?"

"What can I do? All I've ever done so far has been with a gun…"

"A… Gun?" She tilted her head.

'Ah right…' he remembered; she wouldn't have known what those are yet.

"… Remember the loud things I was using yesterday? Those are guns."

"I see… If you were some kind of mercenary, then I'm sure that's still an option, but you could always just wait and see, I'm sure you'll find your calling sometime."

He gave it some thought, resting his chin in his hand.

"Yeah, maybe your right… Why not, for the mean time, allow me to be your guest until then? I wouldn't mind being here with y… Ach, what am I saying?"

She laughed, "Why are you blushing like that? I'm perfectly content with you staying here, if you want to!"

He sighed in relief himself, "Well, that's that then…"

She got up, smiling, "Yes, I'm glad I got that off my chest, too… I'd better get back to my studies soon, so-"

"Actually, before you go, is there any 'time crystals' around here?" He interrupted her.

"Of course, there's quite a few around, they're hanged up on the walls, why do you ask?"

"I need to wind up my clock again, think of it like an artificial time crystal, but I need something to calibrate it with."

"Oh, do you know how to read a time crystal?"

"Err… No, how?"

"It's easy! I'll write it down for you."

"Woah!"

She reached over to the desk, grabbing a sheet and pen, all while leaning closely near him, who ended up with a face-full of her silver hair.

He gently brushed it aside, with her apparently not noticing it was on his face at all as she scribbled down on the paper.

All the while, he realized his heart was pounding, with her so close.

"There!" She got up, pointing at the, admittedly to Erik, crude diagram of a crystal with various annotations and arrows.

"There's four phases, and each one represents a-"

"H-hang on, Emilia…" He stopped her.

"Yes?"

"… What language is this?" he pointed to the strange text.

"What do you mean?"

"I, uh… I can't read this…"

She covered her mouth, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you weren't literate…"

"What? Of course I'm literate, but I've never seen letters like this! Here…" He grabbed the pen and begin scrawling on the paper.

'Can you read this?' He wrote, in his signature messy cursive writing, and showed it to her.

She took the paper, eying it with confusion.

"This is… I don't know what you just wrote here, Erik… Where did you say you were from?"

"That's hard to explain…" He sighed.

"In any case, this writing system isn't any use here… You really ought to learn the one we use here, if you want to do anything in Lugnica, I'll ask Ram to teach you it."

He blinked, "So you're saying I'll have to be doing studies?"

"I'm afraid so, but it'll give you something to do!" She cheered.

He put his palm on his face, sighing, "I guess it would…"


A/N:

It's a bit like a SOL chapter, ain't it? The next 2-3 chapters will be kind of dark though, so that's something to look forward to.

One can probably guess what will happen, it's almost predictable really, but it won't be as similar to canon as it was from here on anymore, there'll be some twists or two.

Other than that, I gotta say, I'm actually surprised how well this fic has been received so far, even though I'm a complete noob, so hopefully I'm not boring anyone just yet.

Some of y'all probably wondered if I ever played RDR2… I haven't actually, I did play the first one years ago though. It's just that I've just been waiting for it to come out on PC, first…

I'm still waiting.