Preamble to a Royal Turning Point
Five Months and thirteen days since the Last Death (Nine Deaths)
A single day, a single day was all that remained for the meeting of the candidates of the Royal Selection to take place. And among the commoners of Lugunica the chatter about the arrival of the Sword Saint and his mistress in the capital was spreading like wildfire. Reinhard Van Astrea had occupied his time looking after the mysterious last candidate and had not shown up in the capital for months, and this had only fueled the rumors.
On the other hand, among the nobles, word was spreading about the return of Priscilla Barielle after she had sneaked off to the Vollachian Empire. To those in the upper echelons of Lugunica's political power, the girl's blood relationship with the empire's royal family was no secret. Why had a disinherited and persecuted woman of the Vollachia Empire's royal family risked returning to the place from which she escaped, even though the borders were presently sealed?
Rumors were already flying when the first sightings of Priscilla in the empire's lands began to occur; considering her diplomatic importance to Lugunica, the fact that there was a possibility that she was there furtively was shocking to both the Sage Council and the nobles.
But the rumors only intensified when news of the death of the current emperor, who was once the woman's brother, reached Lugunica; the man was said to have died of a strange disease. The Bloody Bride was the moniker given to Priscilla Barielle, who had been widowed up to six times, which had resulted in her being extremely feared by the bachelors of the kingdom's nobility.
The "victorious" return of the orange-haired woman had caused a huge stir among the nobility of Lugunica, who did not doubt her involvement in the obscure and mysterious death of the emperor of Vollachia. Priscilla Barielle, a woman both beautiful and dangerous, conceited, prideful and arrogant. Allegedly, she never left Picoutatte during her sojourn in the south of the kingdom, and the reports given by her escorts so suggested, but no one within the nobility who was reputable would believe such a falsehood. That kind of woman was one of the candidates for the throne that would rule them all.
"This Royal Selection is a complete mockery! There is not a single candidate who deserves to rule the kingdom!" Hearing such bellowing at the secret meetings of the nobles was nothing to be alarmed about, after all, that was the general view of those who dwelled near the castle of Lugunica.
"First there's that murderess, Priscilla Barielle! Then there's that slum rat that the Sword Saint dared to endorse! Then there's that greedy whore of Kararagi, who only sees our country as if it were merely one of her many businesses! And the worst is that silver-haired half-elf, to allow a half-devil to partake in the Royal Selection is an insult to our kingdom! The Royal Selection is a joke, a mockery!"
The general consensus of the Dragon Kingdom nobility was that none of the candidates of the Royal Selection was suitable to rule the country, and therefore the discontent in the upper parts of the capital was almost tangible. However, the opinion of the plebs differed in several respects. Although many were against Anastasia Hoshin on the grounds that she was a merchant from a foreign country, another large part was more than satisfied with her candidacy after the inauguration of the Hoshin Company's headquarters in Lugunica.
The Reinvention Project had placed products on the market that were revolutionizing the lives of the people of the kingdom, so it was not surprising that Anastasia Hoshin's standing as a prospective ruler had improved considerably, placing her at the top of the charts. And although the distance was not small, her nearest rival turned out to be the candidate protected by the Sword Saint, Felt.
Why was she runner-up in the political struggle? Because of her speech, which had begun to spread among the commoners of Lugunica. Her anarchist "politics" had permeated the minds and hearts of those who had felt alienated by Lugunica's previous reign and by its current interim government. The vast majority of slum and ghetto dwellers agreed with Felt's point of view.
However, the sympathy of those rejected by the government was not all that the young girl could count on. A large part of the population of Lugunica saw the Sword Saint as a demigod, some even as a deity next to the Divine Dragon, Volcanica. Supporting the woman backed by Reinhard Van Astrea meant going along with what their god intended.
The populace, the plebeians, were torn between two candidates, and the nobility agreed that neither was suitable. However, there was indeed one opinion on which there was an almost perfect unanimity. The silver-haired half-devil candidate was unworthy of participating in the Royal Selection. And why none of them raised their voices publicly against any of the candidates, especially Emilia, was because no one was willing to go against the dragon's word. Volcanica was absolute, as was his word; those chosen by the Dragon Insignia were immutable.
And even taking into consideration all of the above and that the historic milestone that was the meeting of the candidates was less than twenty-four hours away, there was one candidate who was rarely talked about, and that was Emilia herself. The only candidate whose arrival in the capital had not become news, except for Anastasia, who had not left Lugunica for months; something to be expected, considering the recent inauguration of the Reinvention Project.
Emilia's involvement in the Royal Selection had indeed been the most criticized and repudiated, and when talking about it, only negative adjectives could be heard. However, people, both nobles and commoners, besides not acting at all in favor of preventing the participation of the silver-haired half-elf because of Volcanica, also avoided bringing up the subject due to their deep-rooted fear of the witch.
It was difficult to ascertain which was more deeply rooted in the society of Lugunica, it was almost impossible to pinpoint which moved the hearts of its inhabitants more; the respect for Volcanica, the Divine Dragon, or the dread for Satella, the Jealousy Witch. Both forces were influencing the hearts of the people, prompting them to strive to ignore the fact that their greatest nightmare was a candidate for the throne of the kingdom; as long as she did not win the Royal Selection, they would have nothing to worry about, after all.
Disdain for Emilia had not disappeared; on the contrary, it was more prevalent than ever. However, the circumstances previously mentioned had led the population to repress most of the displays of hatred, of phobia. Subaru did not usually venture out of the mansion, but that did not mean that its employees were not entirely useful for him to understand the state of the people of Lugunica...
Subaru was not aware of every single detail, but he did partially understand the circumstances surrounding Emilia. At first he had not, and had come to believe that, by participating in the Royal Selection, Emilia would be in a favorable situation. But now he understood that he had been very short-sighted and naïve, and having her in front of him only reinforced that conclusion. With that context in mind, Subaru approached Emilia.
If his original schedule was anything to go by, it was about to be seven in the morning, and Subaru had been heading out for a solo training session. Julius was extremely busy due to the impending meeting of the candidates at the Royal Castle, so sparring with him was not possible, and would not be until after the meeting came to pass.
After another turbulent night struggling to sleep, in order to comply with the orders of his boss to reduce his workload, Subaru had gone out to the courtyard of the mansion with the intention of training for a couple of hours. And it was there that he came across the beautiful portrait that he had only once had the opportunity to contemplate.
Surrounded by dozens of specks of light of different colors, stood the beautiful outcast candidate. Having stupidly interrupted her the first time he had the opportunity to lay his eyes on such a spectacle of dazzling beauty, Subaru opted to remain still and silent, waiting patiently for the conclusion of the girl's ritual.
Thousands of conflicting emotions still swirled in his heart; he hated to admit it, but there was an irrational hatred that exuded from some lost part of his being, a hatred that made it difficult for him to feel entirely comfortable around Emilia. However, Subaru was aware of how much irrational hatred had been showered upon her since birth, and he was not willing to become one of them as well; he had no reason to hate her. Striving to suppress those unpleasant feelings, Subaru stood motionless before Emilia's glowing figure.
Once the last orb of light faded into thin air, thus finally ceasing to dull the brightness of the morning sun's rays, Subaru saw his chance to make his presence known. "Good morning, Emilia-sama!" He greeted her effusively, inadvertently causing the girl to flinch.
"Oh, Subaru-san, I didn't realize you were there!" The girl exclaimed, denoting with her gestures that she was sorry she had been ignoring him until that moment.
"I'm the one who should apologize, Emilia-sama, it was my mistake to startle you like that with my intrusion. And I insist that you need not use honorifics with me; if you won't do it with Julius, who's undoubtedly superior to me, you need not do it with me either." Striving to maintain etiquette, Subaru moved slightly closer to Emilia as he apologized.
"Hmm... If you insist, Subaru..." She replied, somewhat unsure. "And no need to apologize either, it's just that I'm not used to having an audience during my morning chat with my contracted lesser spirits."
"Morning chat? Do you summon them every morning?" Subaru inquired, looking slightly surprised; something that did not go unnoticed by Emilia.
"Well... yes, in the evenings as well, though." She stated, feeling slightly nervous; after all, she was finding it rather difficult to read Subaru's expression. He seemed not entirely comfortable around her, something Emilia was used to, but she found it odd that he did not seem that way until the conversation veered into its current course. Since the boy didn't seem inclined to answer back, Emilia decided to ask him about it. "Did I say something inappropriate? If so, I'm sorr-"
"No, don't be sorry." He interrupted her again. Emilia fell silent and looked at Subaru with confusion reflecting in her gaze.
They were both uncomfortable and embarrassed, of that there was no question; however, their feelings concurred in another respect, and that was that this had been partially caused by their inability to communicate properly. Beyond that, Emilia also felt that way for having been, in the first place, the cause of that embarrassing situation; or at least she thought so. Subaru's second reason, on the other hand...
"Uhmm..." Emilia seemed ready to take the initiative to change the course of the conversation, however, she stopped when she heard Subaru muttering to himself.
"I guess Julius was right, I really have been insulting the spirit arts..." Subaru felt embarrassed, now that he had witnessed the summoning of another Spirit Arts user's contracted spirits; no, it went further than just that, he felt ashamed after listening to another Spirit Arts user's routine. "I'm an idiot, no, I'm a total idiot."
Julius had warned him that his bond with Kuro was not strong enough, and Subaru had not paid enough attention to his words. "It's due to my lack of talent"; that's what he used to constantly tell himself. Was his mindset so poor, so mediocre? Subaru had indeed heeded Julius and had started to interact more with Kuro, but he had never done so more than once a day.
Emilia did it twice a day, so there wasn't that much of a difference, was there? No, there was indeed a major difference. Subaru had arrived at that courtyard ten minutes ago, of which Emilia "chatted" with her contracted spirits for at least five minutes; and that was without considering the time she did so before his arrival there. Subaru never got to interact with Kuro for more than two minutes per summoning session.
And it was not because he was not interested, simply that, as a lesser spirit that it was, its "lexicon", if it can be called that way, was never enough to have long conversations with it. Subaru had gone so far as to ask Julius regarding the amount of time he should devote to these "conversations", but the gentleman had merely replied that only he alone could decide on that.
Julius called upon his spirits in private, if not during training or a battle, so it was impossible for Subaru to deduce what the proper amount of summoning time was; after all, his only point of reference was Julius, as he was the only user of the Spirit Arts with whom he associated.
The communication method of the lesser spirits is quite meager and is limited to those who possess affinity towards them, after all. And yet, worst of all, Subaru had decreased his interaction with Kuro after falling into the pit of demotivation in which he was still mired.
Now I rarely summon him if not for training, or the occasion I was attacked by those three pathetic muggers; Subaru thought with dismay. How did he intend to change then, without even taking his role as a Spirit Arts user seriously? Perhaps he would never be able to use any spell other than Shamak, but that was no reason to disregard his relationship with his contracted spirit...
"You have been insulting the spiritual arts, what do you mean?" Emilia questioned him, visibly bewildered.
She was a user of the Spirit Arts, one who not only had a contract with multiple lesser spirits, but also with a fully-fledged spirit, a Great Spirit to boot; the Beast of the End, so Julius had named it when he had taught Subaru about the spirits and the ranks between them. To hear from his own mouth that he had insulted the Spirit Arts would probably have bothered Emilia, at least in the slightest.
"It seems I said it out loud, sorry." Subaru apologized, as he waved his hand from side to side, thus indicating not to make a big deal out of the matter. Even so, she was still looking considerably perplexed, so he decided to elaborate. "The truth is that I'm also a Spirit Arts user, Emilia-sama. Unfortunately, not one as devoted as you."
"Huh?! Subaru, you're a user of the Spirit Arts? Really?! Have you got a contracted spirit?!" Swiftly, Emilia's dismay was transformed into excitement upon hearing Subaru's words.
"W-Well, I formed a contract with a lesser spirit a few months ago, but I'm still in training. And as I said before, I'm not as devoted or committed as you, Emilia-sama, or as Julius is... That's why I said I'm insulting the Spirit Arts; I guess I've never invested as much time in them as I really should have." Apprehensive, Subaru relayed his story related to the Spirit Arts.
"Hmm... Could I just take a look at your lesser spirit?" She asked him then, after a moment scrutinizing him with her gaze.
"Sure, I don't see why not. Kuro!" At Subaru's call, a sphere of counterintuitive glowing darkness took shape behind his back. "He's my contracted spirit. Since my skill with the Spirit Arts is basically nil, Kuro possesses the same magical affinity as I do; though being honest I would've liked to form a contract with a lesser spirit with an affinity to fire or earth."
"Hmm... You stated that you were insulting the Spirit Arts, but it seems to me that your spirit is quite fond of you." Emilia informed him, as she shifted her gaze from Subaru to Kuro and back again.
"But I'm dissatisfied with his... with my magical affinity. And, besides, I don't spend as much time as you do interacting with him... I always complain that I'm stagnant in my training, but I never do anything about it..." Subaru argued back, allowing his more stubborn side to come out; the one that solely focused on the enormous self-contempt he harbored.
"It's not necessary for you to summon it as often as I do, after all every user of the Spirit Arts is different, and the same goes for spirits. And, it seems, Kuro is content with the time you spend on it. Hmm... What's your magical affinity?"
"Yin…" Subaru replied, discouraged.
"Yin is a flabbergastingly rare affinity!" She exclaimed, looking just as surprised as when Subaru revealed to her that he was a user of the Spirit Arts. "You shouldn't feel bad about being affinitive to Yin magic, quite the contrary." And after those words of encouragement, Emilia's glow dimmed a bit, just enough for Subaru to notice. "I'm sure you would have gotten along well with Beatrice, she's also akin to Yin magic..."
"Beatrice?" Subaru asked curiously.
"The librarian of the Roswaal Manor, a spirit... She is the person I mentioned yesterday who decided to stay at the manor..." Emilia then lost all trace of the emotion she had shown earlier. Clearly, the subject was a sensitive one for her. Therefore, Subaru was ready to change it, but it was unnecessary, as the girl herself beat him to it. "Even so, I never thought that two attendants of Anastasia's would be users of the Spirit Arts; it's quite true that she only surrounds herself with very capable people..."
"She's wonderful." Before realizing it, Subaru let those words out.
"Yeah, I think so too." Emilia said, indicating that she agreed with his statement. "On the day of the opening ceremony of the Royal Selection she was rather cold towards me, so I thought she would hate me as well... But I'm glad to see that I was wrong; I really hope I can have a fair competition with my other opponents."
"Maybe she did..." Subaru muttered, loud enough for Emilia to hear. "Maybe she did hate you, or at the very least disliked you..."
"Oh..." Emilia exclaimed, noticeably slightly hurt by Subaru's words; still, it was easy to perceive that she was already used to such treatment.
"Maybe she did, but I'm sure she no longer does." Subaru continued. "Anastasia-sama has certainly changed. Of course, she's still the same greedy girl she's always been, but I've noticed that after everything that's happened, her view of the world has been somewhat altered."
"Due to what happened at Priestella?" Emilia asked carefully, avoiding mentioning anything that could be considered callous or hurtful.
"Yes, I'm sure that's where it all started... Emilia-sama, I assure you that Anastasia will see to it that the Royal Selection is a fair competition. I cannot speak on behalf of the other candidates, but you can trust that Anastasia-sama will be cordial to you, regardless of your bloodline."
Having concluded their conversation, Emilia bade farewell to Subaru and started her way back to the mansion. It was then that Subaru managed to overhear her mutter, "I told you there was no need to be so suspicious. He's also a Spirit Arts user, you could have come out to say hi." Subaru had no doubt who she was talking to, so one could only wonder. What had happened to the always lively Puck?
"Don't ya think ya've gotten quite darin', Natsuki-kun?"
"I just said what I believe, Anastasia-sama. If I'm telling you now, it's so that later you won't hear it from someone else and start thinking I'm planning things behind your back."
"And now ya're bein' quite paranoid, Natsuki-kun… I ain't gonna deny the veracity of everythin' ya claimed, but I'd rather ya didn't go around disclosin' personal information 'bout me without my consent."
"It won't happen again; I pledge to that."
I guess I said too much... That had been his first thought when Emilia bid him farewell and disappeared behind the threshold of the door that separated the courtyard from the mansion. After all, Anastasia's mansion, almost literally, had ears in its walls. Many members of the Fang of Iron practically lived in it; after all, that was the only way to keep its owner protected around the clock, seven days a week.
With so many guards assigned to monitor every corner of the building, a number that had only increased after the last tragic events, and even more so after the advent of Emilia, it was no wonder that there was always an ear ready to listen to anything that might leak from your lips. Only Anastasia's office was free from this issue, and that was solely due to the fact that only the leaders of the mercenary group were allowed to access it.
Anastasia had previously had the doctor sent to his room on more than one instance, because one of the guards had overheard him complaining about the pain in his arms. All the guards were loyal to Anastasia, so Subaru really had no fear that what came from her lips could actually backfire in any way; or at least it had been until he dared to reveal information about her to one of his rivals in the Royal Selection.
I didn't divulge any sensitive information, but that doesn't mean I won't get into some trouble if she were to find out about it from someone other than myself; with that in mind, Subaru postponed his training from that day and immediately headed for his boss's office. He was one of the few people with access to Anastasia's office, so it had not taken him long to meet face to face with her. Once he did, he cut to the chase and related to her what had happened; Anastasia had not really taken it that badly...
"Is that all ya wanted to tell me? For a moment I got excited, ya don't usually come to visit me, so I thought ya'd give me some thrilling news."
"Thrilling news? Such as?" Subaru asked back, curious as to what she might say to him.
"I dunno, somethin' that might shake the paradigm of tradin', perhaps... I got carried away by the expectations brought 'bout by the oddity of the circumstance, that's all." Shrugging, the girl answered him as she sipped from the cup of green tea that had been brewed in advance.
"Anastasia... I truly believe that your expectations about what I'm able to do are rather unreasonable..."
"Are ya at it again, Natsuki-kun? More like ya're the one undervaluin' yerself way too much. But that's a discussion we've had plenty of times already; I'm convinced ya'll only realize yer own worth on yer own."
Anastasia was not wrong. But more than realizing his worth on his own, what he needed was to get the skills necessary to live up to the value others placed on him; in the end, he alone was responsible for correcting his unhealthy self-loathing and low self-esteem. Subaru was clear about that, so, without wasting time in fruitless mental ramblings, he proceeded to answer Anastasia's question that he had not yet responded to.
"And yes, that's all I had to tell you; there's no such thing as "thrilling news" that I've yet to report."
"Hmm... In which case I'll go on with what I was doin'." She informed him, setting down the cup she had been drinking from on the desk that served as the barrier separating them. Subaru then stood up and began to walk towards the exit, but before he left the office, Anastasia's voice stopped him. "I don't know how in earnest ya're when ya said what ya said to Emilia-san, but I want ya ta know that I really do intend to compete fairly in the Royal Selection. If I didn't, how could I enjoy victory when I achieve it?"
Subaru did not immediately give her an answer. Silently, he looked into Anastasia's eyes, making her slightly flustered. Why was he staring at her so intently, as if he could see her soul? Before Anastasia could voice her thoughts, Subaru asked her a simple question; one that Subaru had already asked, but in different contexts, with slightly different words and in different time-lines.
"Why are you being so kind, Anastasia?"
"What do ya mean?" She asked him back, faintly confused. Then, pretending to be outraged, she added; "I can be quite kind if I want to! If there are any potential benefits involved, of course..."
"That's exactly what I mean." Subaru stated, folding his arms. "I get that you wanna be fair, after all, it's part of the proper decorum that should be taken into account when doing business legitimately. But I don't understand why you agreed to let Emilia... Emilia-sama stay at the mansion. What gain could you possibly get from it?"
"Hmm... Are ya troubled by somethin', Natsuki-kun? Would ya be against me if I were usin' her? Ya know me, and ya know that, if it brings me great benefits, I might actually get to do it; she's my rival, my enemy, after all." She was an aggressive trader, who knew how to use the weaknesses of her opponents to her advantage. She was not an unfair woman, she simply had a keen eye for business, and knew when the best time was to do them. Many might consider her ruthless, but Anastasia simply did what was best for her company.
"Hnk!" However, if it was as she implied, could he possibly judge her for it? Was he in a such a moral standing as to oppose her? No, after all, with a similar goal in mind, and whether it was an excuse or not, Subaru had convinced himself that he had avoided using Return by Death in order to benefit his boss. With what morals could he criticize her if she was using Emilia? He, who let Crusch Karsten, Wilhelm Van Astrea and dozens of warriors die, was the real infamous being there… Yet, it was no lie that what happened in Priestella had started a gradual change in her. Striving to hide the guilt that gnawed at him and focusing on demonstrating that he trusted her, Subaru stated: "You told me that you want to fairly win the Royal Selection, so I don't think you're using Emilia-sama. And if that were the case, I know you have scruples, so I wouldn't leave your side; after all, you're the woman who should make it to the throne."
And upon hearing his words, a smirk took shape on Anastasia's lips. "Ya've been workin' for my company for almost a year now, and this is the first time ya claim to support my triumph in the Royal Selection, Natsuki-kun. Does this means ya will officially join my camp?"
"Wasn't I part of it already?" Subaru inquired of her, genuinely dismayed.
"I'd used the success of the Reinvention Project to boost my political campaign, but we never really made yer joining my camp official. In that case we'll do so after my meetin' with the other candidates, if ya're okay with that."
"I am. But still, you haven't answered my question yet." Subaru insisted, turning away from the door and returning to the desk behind which Anastasia was still seated. "Why are you being so kind to one of your rivals?"
"I'm genuinely surprised that ya're so inquisitive about it, Natsuki-kun. I never thought ya would care 'bout what might happen with the infamous silver-haired half-elf. I personally don't mind her race particularly, but it doesn't apply the same for the people of Lugunica."
"I ain't not from Lugunica, remember?" Subaru replied, increasingly pressing the girl with his incrementally closer presence.
"I don't get why ya're so interested in it, but it's okay, I'll tell ya." Anastasia said, finally giving in to the whims of her valuable employee. "I've no issue with havin' her here at the mansion, but it's true that she's not here for free."
Precisely what Subaru had suspected, was what Anastasia had revealed to him; after all, it was nothing to be surprised about. What Subaru had wanted to know was the condition why the "half-devil", Anastasia's rival, had ended up in that mansion. Having seen how distraught she was over the events that had taken place after their separation on the very day of their meeting, Subaru felt the need, the obligation to understand Emilia's current background; how she had wound up there could prove to be enlightening information. Subaru knew it was hypocritical of him to take an interest in it, considering that after turning his back on her, he no longer had the right to do so. Nevertheless...
"Could you please tell me what the arrangement you made with her was?" Perhaps he could find the answer he was looking for. He felt confused and thirsty for information; was the latter an acquired habit from the unwanted use of Return by Death?
The more information he acquired, the closer he would be to avoiding the terrible outcomes that might be stalking him; information was his most valuable resource. Subaru no longer had the right to get involved with Emilia, but that would not change the fact that he felt partially guilty for what had transpired after leaving her fate in the hands of the Sword Saint. Perhaps, if given the chance, he might get to do something for her; so he could make amends for his mistakes.
"Her? There ya're wrong, I didn't make any arrangements with Emilia-san." Having heard such a statement, Subaru couldn't help but frown slightly. "Her benefactor, Roswaal L. Mathers, was the one who insisted that I host his protégé. He told me that he feared that, if she were to stay elsewhere in the capital, she might come under another attack."
"But... That doesn't make sense. After everything that had happened to us, didn't he think it was too much of a risk to have the two candidates who had been attacked in the same place?" Subaru questioned her, looking more and more bewildered by the information he was receiving.
"So I told him, but he insisted that it could only be this way, that the Fang of Iron was the only organization capable of keepin' Emilia-san safe. He even went so far as to offer me part of the minin' rights to the Elior Forest, which I've been interested in for a while now, so I ended up givin' in to his requests. Anyway, the payment he gave me was more than enough to increase the number of guards at the manor, so there shouldn't be a problem with her stayin' for a couple of days."
"Hmm... 'It could only be this way'; Is that what he told you?" Subaru questioned for one last time.
"Yeah, it seemed a tad suspicious to me too, but that's why I've increased security at the manor so much. Still, I don't think we'd attach too much importance to his words; Roswaal-san is an extremely eccentric fellow, and he has recently gone through some circumstances that could be regarded as worse than the ones we went through. He has probably gone completely mad by now; I even feel a little sorry for Emilia-san..."
After the conversation with Anastasia was over, Subaru finally left her office and returned to the courtyard, where he conducted the training he had pending. The morning meeting related to the Reinvention Project would not take place, due to the preparations for the meeting of the candidates to the throne, so he did not feel the need to rush. Still, there was something that was bothering him; besides his muddled emotions related to Emilia. Roswaal L. Mathers, that name did not come out of Subaru's mind all day. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it, and something told him it wouldn't be the last either.