The letters on the pages of the book danced before my eyes, to the point of becoming tangled images that made no sense. I had gone outside early in the morning, taking advantage of the perfect lighting to read a little, so I leaned against one of the trees surrounding the inn. The air was quite pleasant, so I had taken off my mask to enjoy the feel of it as it draped against my face, I felt no need to wear it in a place like this and I had not been able to feel the presence of anyone awake around me.

"This doesn't make sense," I said. I had been trying too hard for too long. It had already been half a day and my brain was rebelling against the damn stilted terminology the Vollachia used. Was it so hard to express myself like a normal person?

I took a deep breath, trying to concentrate, but it was useless. I was mentally exhausted.

The book in my hand was one of the books written and reserved for emperors. It was basically a series of researches on the progress of the Kingdom at the hands of the Royal Family of Lugunica over the last 400 years.

400 years of research was no small thing, but having that knowledge was a must if you wanted to keep the dragon kingdom at bay. Useful knowledge is always power, it always helps us to advance.

It was funny how unhelpful I found the ability to read when I was summoned, naturally it was a world where strength was everything, my mistake was believing that "physical strength" was the only form of strength that existed. But it wasn't until my battles in Vollachia that I learned the true meaning of knowledge about the past. It had been a key tool to be able to understand Arakiya's techniques, it was also thanks to that that I was able to understand the basics of spiritualism and magic.

"Well, I have to admit that I am exhausted, why the hell did they write it in such a complex language?", after saying that I got up and closed the book. It was natural that I was tired, I did not manage to console sleep properly, I had started early with the reading, with the first rays of the sun and as time went by, I got more lost in it, it was a difficult reading for someone who had not even a year of mastering the language, but the results I found were encouraging.

The conclusion was obvious. The royal family of Lugunica were nothing more than spoiled fools, their only real use was to maintain the contract they had with Volcanica, basically they were leeches that sucked their blood as soon as the slightest problem arose.

The intellectual part of the Kingdom was the council of Wise Men. But in the end the people were loyal to the royal family, a family that was no longer made up of Lions, but of sheep. Its people were nothing more than satiated sheep that would never notice the decline as long as their fields remained fertile thanks to the dragon's blood, that stupidity would easily lead them to the slaughterhouse. Or rather, into the wolf's mouth...

"Conquering the Kingdom is foolhardy, but I need to have an accomplishment great enough to secure my future... more so now with Emilia by my side." If he conquered Lugunica, now that his forces were considerably depleted without Volcanica, he would achieve something no emperor was able to accomplish. But I still needed more cards, I needed to understand their basic nature in order to corner them into giving in. Hence my interest in their past.

From my point of view, there is nothing wrong with them making a contract or pact with a powerful entity, in fact, I am a spiritual arts user myself. The problem I saw with that pact was that there was no equity in it, one party was completely dependent on the other, giving nothing in return or having countermeasures in case that contract disappeared. Volcanica only provided them with free help and some of their blood as soon as the slightest problem arose. This made them arrogant, they surrounded themselves with easy luxuries and, in short, they became weak.

For 400 years they had not known the hardship of living without the wings of their beloved almighty dragon and now they were desperate for a new leader to renew the pact. Without Volcanica, that country was not what it was intended to be. And it was an opportunity not to be missed.

I thought a bit about contracts and agreements. After all, they were agreements where both parties had to benefit. What did Volcanica have to gain from all this? The Kingdom had not provided him with anything and that was something to take advantage of. A friendship founded on business is always better than a business founded on friendship.

There was a difference between a contract like mine and a covenant like yours.

The first thing was that I had a contract, an almost unbreakable agreement. A Covenant is different, it is an agreement that can be broken by either party without any consequences. It was obvious who this affected the most.

The second thing was the absolute dependence they had on it. I likewise depended in part on the power of my spirit, but that did not mean that I was completely dependent on it. I could seek out another spirit or simply keep Cecilus with me at all times in case I lost him. The Kingdom did not have the ability to cope without it, not because they lacked the power.

They were hanging on a rather fragile rope and if they fell, it would take them a long time to recover. Killing the candidates was the easiest method to subjugate them. Their pact would be all but broken. But one of the candidates was Felt, protected by Reinhard. Good luck with that.

"This is pretty messy if that guy gets in the way." He knew his strength, he was the sword of the realm... He had to find a way to deal with that guy.

Every time I remembered the day we met, I could only feel ashamed of myself. I was so weak I couldn't stand it. So stupid, so arrogant, so shameless, so hateful.

The fire spirit must have sensed my frustration, since I could feel it react by looking around for trouble.

The spirit I had contracted with was what one would normally call an evil spirit, however, my contract spirit was perfect for me and I would not trade it for another.

When we made a contract, he had already been devoured to a level where he had lost parts of his cognitive abilities, but his strength was mostly intact. He was aggressive towards people who lacked a high spiritual affinity, however, I was able to manage to come to a mutual agreement. Our contract stated that he was to use my body to preserve himself, of course there were conditions he had to respect such as not having dominion over me, but it was necessary for him to use me as if I were an anchor stone, if that spirit did not have a vessel, it would simply disappear becoming a destructive accumulation of formless Mana.

The contract was quite convenient for me, as it was for the fire spirit. He used my body as an anchor, while I had access to all his fire powers, using it as a gateway to make use of the unlimited Mana of atmosphere. The fire spirit - as I called him - had become a rather docile instrument of my will. Whether that was thanks to my high affinity or its "defective" state, I didn't know. The only bad thing was that it was easily angered against my adversaries, but it never disobeyed me when I told it to stop, well it almost never used to.

I ended up lying on the ground, looking up at the blue sky as time continued to pass. For a few minutes I was lost in my own thoughts about Lugunica. There was an idea running through my mind, but I still needed to plan it better, I needed to accumulate more power if I was going to make it... Seizing the throne and gifting it to Emilia would certainly be a monumental achievement for my happy ending.

"Well, I guess it's time to wake her up...", I said to myself as a smile formed on my face. I knew she was having trouble getting up and I couldn't help but be excited to have the opportunity to watch her sleep. I got up with some enthusiasm and carefully shook off the dust from the floor, then started to head into the inn.

"I wonder what he'll say about yesterday." My mood had improved significantly since our "talk". She had been sad about my supposed death, she had been crying thinking about me. It was disgusting of me to be happy about that, a part of me also felt guilty that I had obviously made her cry, but I was happy because that meant she cared. I knew she was kind, but that was ultimately something deeper than simple kindness. Emilia didn't pull back when I kissed her, that was proof enough that she didn't dislike me... well, the fact that she didn't slap me again on my cheek that was still a little swollen was enough for me.

"Su-san, the air dragon is ready." That was good news, we were waiting for Halibel to bring it so that Emilia and I could pass the border. "I still insist on staying with you." Halibel had been waiting for me at the entrance, apparently unhappy with my decision to separate us.

"You know Black Hayate will barely be able to take Emilia and me," I replied with a sigh "I need a senior general to go ahead to Rupagnia, we can't leave the throne empty for long. You and Cecilus won't be long in arriving given your speed, I want you to consult with Zirk on anything you don't understand. You are not a general, but I want you to keep an eye on Cecilus, the last time he was left alone he almost caused a war by going to challenge the sword saint I hear." As strong and loyal as Cecilus was, he was an idiot whose stupidity was to be considered. If I'm honest, I didn't like parting with him. He was a sword and a genius in combat, nothing more.

"Su-san I will not leave you alone in enemy territory - the Emperor cannot be in another Kingdom without protection!"

Tilt an eyebrow at his words "You think I can't defend myself without you?"

"I think you'll either get distracted or do something rash. Whether you want to admit it or not, that woman has gotten into your head to the point where all you think about is her, and you know it. And I don't trust her."

I narrowed my eyes and made the temperature rise considerably, as an interpreter of my temperament. "You are insolent, Playboy Eternal."

"I think I learned that part of me from you, Su-san. I will take you to Buddheim Forest, from there you can go with the Shudraks. You would be wise to ask some of them to accompany you to Guaral." After saying that, Halibel vanished into the shadows, I couldn't help but click my tongue. It didn't do much good to threaten someone who was stronger than me, but altering the temperature was always a good deterrent.

I ended up considering -and accepting- his offer, it wasn't a bad idea and it was certainly the best thing to keep Emilia safe. The last thing I want right now is to die, especially now that I finally kissed Emilia. I don't want our first kiss to remain only in my memories, I want it to last forever in our memories.

I went to her room without making much noise, knocked on the door in such a way that, if she was asleep, she wouldn't wake up and slowly started to open it. I already looked like a damn stalker, but I didn't care, my desires to see her were not few. I had waited 2 years to see her again, I wanted to hear her voice at all times, to see her smile and touch her.

When I entered her room, I saw that she was sleeping as I expected, she seemed to be whispering things in her sleep. I was a little curious as to who might be in her dreams so I crept closer.

When I saw the tears in her eyes, I almost regretted going to see her. Was it my fault, or was she like that before I looked for her? I didn't even know which was worse, then I moved even closer to the point where I could hear her murmurs well.

"Mother Fortune... Geuse...".

Who was she talking about? Mother? I didn't know Emilia had a family... shit. Maybe I separated her from the people she loves and didn't even ask her. Why didn't she tell me? Oh, shit. That's all I needed, I thought Puck was her only family and he was annoying enough about protecting his daughter from me... Did his mom marry a spirit?... no, I should stop thinking nonsense.

"Emilia, wake up," I said, shaking her lightly.

"..."

"Emilia, we have to go."

"..."

"Emilia-tan, it's already past noon- ouch!", I pulled my hand out quickly when it felt as if it had been frozen. It was weird since, per my contract, I should have a good resistance to temperature changes.

"Stay away, Subaru. Lia is remembering, I restricted a good portion of her Mana, but even for me this is new. If Lia really wants to, I can't keep restricting her and this will become very dangerous for everyone." Puck appeared beside me and said that without taking his eyes off Emilia. The serious expression, atypical of his usual one, made it clear to me the seriousness of all this. Then I looked around the room and frowned as I noticed the change.

I noticed how the room began to slowly freeze, obviously triggered by my attempts to wake Emilia. What was going on? Emilia wasn't a magic user, she shouldn't be capable of this without Puck or the lesser spirits. But there was no doubt that she was the one causing it.

"What do you mean, what is he remembering? Isn't that where he gets his magic from?"

"That's a lot of questions and no time to answer them all, Subaru. Emilia is remembering her past... from what I see she has remembered how to use her magic... that bastard Roswaal did something to our contract."

"What do you mean, a contract is unalterable! The terms can't be changed without you realizing it. At that instant a penalty is applied that could even kill you."

Contracts are unalterable if the parties do not agree. If they do, the penalties are usually severe, to the point where the spirit could disappear. A contract is the most sacred thing to a spirit, I know that well and they would even prefer death to breaking it. If Roswaal had modified the contract, no doubt Puck would have received an instant penalty...unless.

"I had already modified the pact with Lia moments after we did it...the sanction for that had already been in place for a long time, so I didn't realize it this time." I confessed. That was serious stuff, but I'd have to deal with this first.

I could see how Emilia's bed, along with her surroundings were freezing and a sense of dread began to take hold of me.

"At this rate, Emilia will freeze herself can you do anything! "

"I try, but no matter how much I drain it doesn't stop!"

That damn cat was useless. At this rate Emilia would freeze the entire inn including herself. "GOA," I said as I began to create a heat source to counter her magic.

My hands and arms burned intensely, but I didn't care. My own fire magic was barely able to affect me - though it did - there was some of my mana in it after all. I moved close enough to try to mitigate the blizzard that was forming from Emilia's "door". It was difficult for my spirit to absorb the Mana since Emilia was using a good portion of the ambient Mana. It was just as complicated for me to give her a form in which I could not harm her. If I created a fireball, I could hurt her by not having control over it. I needed to have total control over the temperatures of the flames, so conjuring them around my arms was the best way to go.

The temperature gradually began to drop even lower than before. Emilia seemed to become agitated, a product of the memories she must have been recovering. She was making an incredibly difficult expression, an expression of fear such as a person makes when they are on the verge of death Were those memories so horrible?

I further intensified the density of the flames and raised the temperature of my fire even higher. The fire-proof clothing I used to wear began to burn. It was an elegant black garment, the design of which was one worn by members of the highest class of the empire. It was undoubtedly something of immense value whose fabrics had unique properties, one of which was that it could resist fire magic, but that didn't matter now.

Little by little I was increasing the temperature not only in my arms, but also in other parts of my body.

Ice, fire, ice, ice, fire, ice. It was hard to believe that both opposing forces colliding in front of me came from the same affinity. My vision was already starting to become somewhat hazy, but the pain kept me conscious. With every second the pain increased more and more.

"It hurts, it hurts, damn it stop complaining," I mumbled to myself. The fire in my arms was already starting to affect me quite a bit, it felt like I was putting them in boiling water. It was only natural since I had considerably increased the intensity to the point that it would have melted the metal. Emilia's blizzard just wouldn't let up, I was even thinking she was as strong as Puck.

"Subaru be careful not to hurt Lia," the cat said as it seemed to try to diminish Emilia's outburst of power. How strong is this girl?

"Die, die, die, die, die, die... DIE", after shouting that last curse from his dreams, the windows in the room began to explode from condensation. The wood of the bed had already become incredibly hard and I could hardly breathe without the risk of burning my lungs. Bleary-eyed from the absurdly low temperature, I was able to check that Emilia was okay.

To whom was he saying those words? It was obvious it wasn't to me, that hostility was to someone I had remembered. Puck had to know, but right now what he had to do was stop her.

"Stop right there, Halibel!", I shouted as soon as I noticed his presence. Puck created several Ice stakes that swirled against the werewolf. "Touch a single hair on Lia's head and I'll send you to the other world. The same is coming from Subaru." I silently thanked Puck's words. That scream he had given made the cold/hot air rush into my lungs. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a great fire spirit living inside me, I would most likely have died.

"Your excellency this is too dangerous, get away from there! ", shouted Cecilus as he seemed to cover his mouth with his arm. Apparently not even he would be able to resist the power unleashed by Emilia... of course. I was protected by the nature of my magic, they were absorbing the brunt of it, I thanked the heavens that neither of those two could get close. If they did I would kill them myself, it was obvious they would try to stop this in the simplest way.

"Puck... stop her at once... if this continues Emilia will kill herself," I said that slowly making sure the blizzard didn't enter my mouth. I couldn't stop my chest from starting to thunder with worry with every passing second If something happens to her? I don't want to lose her a day after I brought her with me. Damn Roswaal, this had to be some trap in case Emilia abandoned him or something unforeseen came up.

My words caused a shadow of doubt to appear in his eyes, but it quickly turned into a look of absolute determination. "If it's for Lia, contracts, promises and all the strings attached mean nothing."

Puck flew quickly to his necklace and after a few moments it broke in half. Then into several pieces until there was nothing left but dust scattered in the blizzard that gradually ceased in strength.

I slumped against the hallway wall as I guarded the entrance to Emilia's room. In there, she was exchanging parting words with her father, since Puck had broken the contract to sap Emilia's strength so he could absorb her mana without the restrictions she was unconsciously imposing on him.

What the hell was Puck thinking hiding his power from her? If Emilia had had access to that power during the fight with Elsa... That useless cat left her unprotected, hid the terms of her contract from her, and to top it all off, now he's disappeared.

It had been hours since the pact between the two of them was broken, hearing her cry hurt and it was a sign that Puck was already gone, so I couldn't help but throw curses under my breath. My mood wasn't exactly good since I had a little chat with him before that. He told me a bit about Emilia, how she lived in the forest and made me promise to protect her, though I planned to do it with or without the promise.

I tried not to move too much since the intense pain in my arms only intensified after the slightest movement, causing me to let out the occasional gasp of pain. I couldn't show weakness right now, besides the capella blood had already regenerated a good part of the wounds in my chest, including my internal organs... The only thing that bothered me about this was a strange voice that seemed to come from the same blood, but it was so insignificant that I ended up overlooking it, there were more important things in my head.

I had a hard time convincing Halibel to go to Rupgana, but I needed someone trustworthy to lend Zirk a hand while I awaited my return. I had already explained the circumstances to them, but if they were serious about obeying my orders it would become a problem.

Halibel harbored an intense distrust of Emilia and she just masterfully broke any kind of trust she could have gotten from him. I wish I could say I was fine, but my arms and shoulders were always free of those black marks, so the wounds got only a precarious treatment of healing magic from Puck.

I could not say that I could defend myself properly, my powers were quite depleted to be able to deal seriously with anyone present. Cecilus would not disobey me, his loyalty is still directed to my will rather than my welfare, but still with him you never know.

"Su-san, I guess I should say it now. It would be better if that woman came with us while you're flying to Buddheim." "Do you want her to die? Emilia is the only one capable of healing magic and keeping wounds from getting infected, besides I don't think I can fly in this state, we'd walk a good part of the way."

Halibel muttered something I didn't catch, then put her mouth to her pipe and exhaled an exhausted sigh. "Were you trying to kill yourself? I can't believe you got in the middle of that thing's fury. The same thing happened with Zerestia, but at least there you were smart and had a plan, what you did now was reckless. If that cat spirit hadn't broken its contract, you wouldn't have survived."

"Her name is Emilia, I warn you for the last time. You respect them or...", there was no need for me to finish the sentence. "I knew Puck would prioritize Emilia, it was just a matter of holding out and I'm fine," I lied. I had no idea how to slow her down, but I was really too exhausted to go through with it.

I was getting fed up with his nonsense about my soft heart going to get me killed, I appreciated the advice, but at this time I was in no mood to argue with him. I ended up ignoring all his objections, I knew what the right course of action was and it would be done to my will. I did not want to leave Rupagnia unattended any longer. Emilia was the only one who could treat my wounds, knowing that Halibel would not do anything stupid.

"Well, I understand, do you think that woman won't do the same thing again?" he asked as he looked around Emilia's room. Both he and I could hear her crying disconsolately.

"No," I replied with disdain. Then I glared at him before continuing. "That bastard Roswaal altered his contract, but that won't be a problem anymore. It must have been some kind of secret letter in case something went wrong or a means to stop Puck if he had to confront him. I suppose it's fortunate that Emilia didn't leave the mansion sooner or who knows what that madman would do."

"I guess it is." He puffed on his pipe again as he turned to get ready and go with Cecilus.

I congratulated myself for not screaming. The pain was incredible, but I was keeping the wound at a low enough temperature to withstand it - not too cold - I wasn't good with ice magic, but I could still do something as simple as that.

"Subaru... I'm sorry." I heard Emilia's voice from behind me. When I looked at her I noticed how her eyes were misty in tears, but she still approached me and started pouring healing magic, the feeling of relief was unbelievable.

"Don't worry, the matter is already over. Just don't do it again," it was almost a growl, it wasn't what I intended, I didn't mean it to sound that way, but I didn't do anything to correct it. Blaming her wouldn't do any good, the important thing was that this didn't happen again. It hadn't all been her fault, but neither could we simply ignore an outburst that almost killed us all as this one was.

"I'm sorry, I always cause you nothing but trouble. They are right, every time you are with me I only bring you to the brink of death." I wished my arms were okay to hug her and ask her not to think about such nonsense, the last thing I wanted right now was for her to be miserable and to distance herself. It wasn't the first time I was on the verge of death, I put myself in danger in both Kararagi and Vollachia, the multiple scars on my body should have been proof enough. Besides, it was something I decided, even if I wasn't with her, the danger would never go away. This world is meaningless, we can only adapt and live the way we want to.

"I didn't die and for me that was an accomplishment to be proud of. It's another battle won for me," I replied. As long as I didn't die, there was nothing to be ashamed of. I fought the best I could and overcame adversity without resorting to RBD. The wounds would eventually heal and only scars would remain to remind me of another victory. I had saved Emilia's life again, they were scars worth being proud of.

Emilia opened her eyes wide. She looked at me in utter disbelief, as if my response was insanity. It was obvious that she hadn't liked me at all, but she had to understand that licking my wounds wouldn't solve anything.

"You almost did it, you almost died! I almost killed you unintentionally Look how hurt you are, Subaru! I didn't tell you before because I thought I was wrong, I wanted to believe I was wrong... but it was true You think those wounds are something you have to be proud of!"

"Yes, they are proof that I survived and persevered. Victory is not a cause for shame, Emilia. In the future I will be able to look back with pride. I don't want to die without scars." The Shudrak tribe felt the same way, a view I learned from sharing ideas with Mizelda. It was a perspective I liked, obviously I didn't like being hurt. But it wasn't something I should be ashamed of either.

"You think this is something to be proud of? Exposing yourself to danger, trying to sacrifice yourself for... my Do you think that's what I want?" fury began to show in his eyes.

"I think saving the person I love is something to be proud of," I said calmly. "I don't think you wanted this, but it's something I chose and I want you to respect that. It's my choice and being surrounded by danger is my day to day, it's something that even in the emperor's seat I can't escape...no one can escape death, Emilia. It is something that haunts us all and it is something we will all face sooner or later."

My words seemed to hit her intensely. But it was for the best, I was surrounded by danger wherever I went and it was necessary for her to know it. I would protect her, obviously, but it was inevitable that I would be hurt by it...

"Emperor's seat... Subaru you who are you really?", I ask with some momentary shock. "I knew who Cecilus-san was, the blue lightning, but I thought just like with Reinhard, he was just a friend or someone you hired for help. He called you 'boss' so I thought you were someone wealthy or something...".

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," I said as I stood up. "I didn't mean to scare you or overwhelm you with all of this...although considering the results, that sucked. I don't want to be like Puck, I'll tell you everything." I took a breath of air and responded by looking her in the eye.

"I am the seventy-eighth Emperor of the Holy Vollachia Empire, Natsuki Subaru."

"..."

"And I will say it again, Emilia I love you. I want you to be my wife. I wan you to sit next to me on the throne."

Spoilers: Next chapter will be obscene.