Chapter 31. To Break Her Trust
It has been one hour ever since my talk about the Artifacts or Noble Phantasm that possibly could land in this World. After finishing our breakfast promising Emilia I will go to her room and talk to her, I decided to go back to my room to think of a plan to approach her about this particular topic.
Which is actually not easy now I try to think about it.
To Emilia, Roswaal J. Mathers is a kind and noble Magician that comes to her self isolation, he extends his hand to her and promises her a miracle, salvation, a chance for her to save her people, to rise above others, and become ruler of the nation.
A girl that has no one save for a single spirit that company her in the frozen forest and spends years alone in there, a girl that has no one and feared by others simply because of her being alive, then someone comes for her, entering the cold, frigid forest and encounter Beast of the End bravely and extends his hand to her, reaching for her where others reject her.
Is it any wonder that Emilia adores Roswaal greatly? Regardless, even if she found out the truth about his true nature and plans to use her, a kind girl like her will never be mad at him, she will forgive him. Unless he kills Puck or everyone she holds dearly just like in canon where his manipulation caused Puck to fall into a deep coma then she will not hate him.
I let out a bitter chuckle, this is why I don't want to talk about Roswaal to Emilia, the table completely opposes me, I don't have anything to use against Roswaal's image that is built inside her head, to her, Roswaal is almost like a saint, what can I do against that?
Unlike Rem who is still caged and blinded by her past and has a different and almost inhumane perspective, Emilia is not. Rem's loyalty to me surpasses Roswaal because I have a stronger position in her heart than him, in the very first place her loyalty is only to her sister and herself, never to others, and the fact that her sister is unwell and related to said clown, that is enough to make her completely on my side.
That damn clown set this stage very well… I don't know what I should tell Emilia about him and I also don't have any proof of his cruelty and wicked deed. Even if I told her that I know his true nature because I know it because of my "Dragon" ability I am sure she still won't budge about it.
No… making Emilia hate Roswaal is an impossible task right now, so what should I do to make her on my side?
"Excuse me," Aaron said as he entered the room while clad in his casual outfit.
Emilia shoots a strange look at him. "Why are you saying that? I already gave you permission to enter."
"Just being polite and all," Aaron answered with a shrug as he closed the door. "I mean, when someone enters the lady's room, one should always be polite. That is just common sense after all."
"No, no, you don't get to pull that line on me, I know what you mean by being polite!" She shakes her head rapidly and gives him a small glare. "What I mean is why are you being so polite?!"
That makes Aaron blink. "And why… me being polite seems to bother you?" He asked in a bewildered voice.
"Ummm…." This time Emilia is the one that blinks. "That is because when you are being polite that means you are going to tease me or something like that."
"What? Of course not, is that the impression I gave to you all this time?"
"Yes, yes you are." She answered in a straight face.
"Pssh, no, I am not."
"Don't deny it! Yes, you are!"
"No, I am not, it is just your imagination."
"Yes, you are! You-" Emilia cut herself when notice the blond now crossing his arms and leaning over on the wall with an amused expression. Her right eye twitched once and she huffs her cheeks while stomping the floor. "You just did it now!"
"Did I?" He asked in a nonchalant tone despite his face showing that he is having fun doing this.
"Yes, you did!"
"No, I di-"
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" She immediately cut him while raising her hands. "You just about to restart the whole thing! Aaron!" Despite her voice echoing her irritation and anger, it actually came close to a whine to Aaron's ears as he laughed.
"Right, right, I am sorry Emi, I can't help it." Aaron chuckled, the girl's pouting face also just imbues the humor. "It just… I noticed you were tense before so I decided to start things with humor."
Emilia winced a bit. "Am I that obvious?" She asked.
"In a way, yes…" Aaron said cryptically.
That was a lie, he just says "Excuse me." At first because he just feels like it, he did not expect the girl to take it seriously because she usually doesn't, the fact she did actually shows that she is indeed tense for some reason and her rhetorical question just confirms it.
Still…
"What makes you so tense?" He asked curiously. Is there some kind of problem that he is not aware of?
'You are here, alone, with me. I don't know. I feel uncomfortable for some reason but I don't dislike it somehow!' She answered but for some reason she can't bring herself to voice it aloud. In fact, she wants to bury herself down to the ground just thinking so!
"Emi?"
"W-What?!" She squeaked out, broken from her stupor.
Aaron quirks his eyebrows. "Are you alright?"
Emilia paused for a moment, then her cheeks tinted by a light blush and she cleared her throat. "Nothing, yes, yes, I am fine." She brushed away the question as quickly as possible and tried to calm herself. This isn't the time!
"Is that so?" What a liar but Aaron won't pry, it seems to be not a very serious matter after all. "Alright if you say so."
"Uhm," Emilia nodded rapidly and she walked across her room. "While we talk… do you want some tea or water?" She asked as she gestured to the pot on the table.
"A cold water would suffice," Aaron answered as he pulled some chair that was located near his position, he sat there nonchalantly and accepted the glass of water that was given by the half elf. "So… where should I begin, huh?" He mused as he took a sip to the water.
"Maybe from the beginning?" Emilia offered. "From the first time you met Roswaal." She pointed.
His animosity to Roswaal is not a secret anymore but now looking back, there perhaps a reason why he hated him, maybe something occurred between them and she is not aware of it?
Whatever it is, she wants to try to change his mind and opinion about the man, despite his recent blunder Roswaal is someone she thinks of as a friend already, he is worth protecting and she doesn't want to see Aaron and him keep fighting.
So to do that, she needs to find more info first.
"Hmmm, yes, perhaps… that would be good," Aaron nodded. "However, why don't you try to take a guess first?"
The sudden come back makes Emilia blink. "What? Me? Trying to guess why you hate him?"
"Indeed."
The half elf's lips curled and she crossed her arms. "Aaron, are you trying to avoid this again?"
"No, Emi, I will tell you the truth and my reason, I will give you my words and I will not take it back." Aaron answered firmly. "However, I want to hear what is in your mind regarding my hostility toward Roswaal."
"And why is that?"
"Call it a simple curiosity."
Emilia touches her chin and puts on a thoughtful face. Perhaps it could be a curiosity, however, she is sure it is not just that, there's something more.
It clicked in her mind in an instant.
"You just want to test me, don't you?" She asked in an accusing manner.
That makes the blond's lips curled into a smirk. "Perhaps."
"There's no need to be cryptic, I know you do." Emilia sighed. Aaron always likes to tease her like that. Seriously, he loves to dangle things in front of her. "You really are a bad boy, Aaron."
That somehow makes the smirk on the blond's face gone, his expression turned to flat which caught her guard off.
"Aaron?"
"Never use those two words again."
"What? Why?"
"Because some implication in those two words doesn't suit your character at all." Aaron deadpanned. "It's shockingly suit your voice, however." He mumbled in an indecipherable tone.
"… right…" Emilia is going to chalk this up to her "Aaron's weirdness." list and decide to not pry about it. "Anyway, so my guess…" She put a thoughtful expression and scrutinized her eyebrow. She was quiet for almost a minute before starting to speak. "Aaron, your animosity toward Roswaal… I can understand if it was actually related to exposing you to the nobles and others, you are mad at him because you value your privacy very much and you also don't want to attract attention." And in a certain way, she can understand that. She wasn't one that liked too much attention due to her nature as half elf. "However, it is not just that, right?" She asked rhetorically while meeting the man's analytical eyes.
Aaron simply remained silent and gave her a stoic look, neither approving or disapproving her accusation.
Emilia goes on then. "It is personal, the moment you meet Roswaal, you already don't like him. You already hold animosity toward him." She sighed. "That is actually as far as I can go, I don't know what else that possibly occurred between the two of you." She finished. "Did I get it right?"
Aaron keeps his gaze on her with the same expression like before, neutral and plain. He still remained silent and for a moment Emilia thought she got it wrong but suddenly he spoke, breaking the silence.
"Magician... that is what you called him." He started. "In my World, we have another term for the magic user or practitioner, Magus we called them. I thought at first that the Magician in here is the same as Magus from my World." He chuckled dryly, then his face curled into a dark expression. "If they did then clearly we need to do some evaluation in their rank to decide which one needs to be purged."
That makes her frozen on the spot. Purged? What... what in the name of the Great Spirit is he...
"A-Aaron?" She stuttered, taken aback. She was unprepared, the sudden shift of his demeanor.
In response, he raised one hand in a gesturing manner. "Let me tell my tale first," He said, and she nodded. Her expression must show something that made him almost falter for a moment before he sighed. "Magus in a sense is a researcher. Those that practice magic or magecraft – something that is similar to magic in a way in my World – always prioritize knowledge above all because that is how they were taught. Information and Knowledge is always the main goal of their existence, how to utilize magecraft efficiently? How to improve them? How to make a new one? How to apply them on a large scale? How long would they remain? And pretty much everything else." He lists them to her.
She took the information with a nod and thoughtful face. So Magicians are called Magus in Aaron's World and their main priority is to research and explore more about magic – or Magecraft in his World? She needs to ask about this later – with the intention to utilize them in many ways. That is actually quite similar with Magicians, while they are used in military and combat but the research of magic is one of many things that become a necessity.
She nodded at him as a gesture and Aaron continued. "The moment I found there is a Magician branch in here, I immediately dug up all the information the Royalty recorded about them. What's the purpose of their creation? Whose loyalty belong to? How does their structural system work? What achievements have they managed to gain so far? And pretty much something like that.
"Fortunately, I can safely say that the Magician guild in Lugnica is not like the Mage Association from my World. True there are some similarities but the difference in the method and pursuit of their final goal is very clear."
"And what's the difference?" Emilia asked curiously.
"The Magician guild goal is to improve Lugnica while Mage Association's is to reach the Akashic Records."
She tilted her head. "Akashic Records?"
Aaron made a pondering face for a moment before nodding. "Indeed, to put it simply, imagine a place that records everything, literally. A place that contains all events and phenomena in the universe. Existing outside of time, it stores and archives information of all possibilities and events, past, present, and future, of the world. It is the place from where all souls – be it human, animal, demihuman, even Gods – originate from and to where they return after death."
Emilia's eyes slowly widened as her mind processed just how big the caliber of what Aaron said, the implication there is a place that contains everything, literally everything and a place that souls come from and return to is...
"And this place exists?" She whispered. "This... Akashic Records really exist?"
"... there's no physical or solid proof as far as I know, but theoretically, magically? Yes. Yes, Akashic Records do exist." He answered. "And to reach that place, the source of all knowledge, is the main goal of the Mage Association."
That... Emilia doesn't know what she has to say regarding that. The fact a place or something like Akashic Records actually exists itself is already mind-blowing, the many implications of such a thing, the potential of it to be explored or used, and everything else.
'Just how big the World actually is?' She asked in wonder. She is perfectly aware that the information she got is not something you will find in public, even among the selected people it is probably something that is heavily guarded, yet, it just proved to her that the World is big, much bigger than what she thought even after learning about Lugnica as a candidate to be King.
'Focus, Emilia! Focus!' She forced herself to snap out from being overwhelmed. Aaron is waiting for her response judging by the look he gave to her, he is mostly aware that she needed some time to process everything. "To reach a place that holds everything..." She murmured. Literally, everything if Aaron's explanation to be believed and she did, she trusts him that much after all. "It's not... totally bad thing, right?" She asked after a moment of consideration.
"No, it is definitely not." Aaron shakes his head. "However, the sheer of magnitude just knowing this place actually exists, you realize just how big it is, right?"
"Yeah, I do." Emilia nodded. "I... might not get the full implication or how big the scale is but I know that just knowing this will change everything, a lot of things."
"Good enough, and now imagine this, you are a group that focused on research trying to find out about Magic and Mystery, trying to explore and utilize them. Then you found this place, a place that can answer everything, a place where everything begins and ends, a place that will give you knowledge on how to create or do anything. You don't have to seek the answer of everything else for what use of them generally? If you reach this place you will know anything."
It makes sense... Emilia found herself nodding as she pictured what Aaron said. If there is a place that can answer anything, a place that can find a way for you to solve your problem for life, then what is the use of searching for other knowledge?
"And now imagine this knowledge is inherited and it keeps going, from father to his children, from sibling to another sibling... for more than 1200 years."
For how long?!
To say she was shocked would be an understatement, she is way beyond that. 1200 years, that was very long! Even before the Witch of Envy began her rampage!
"No need to reach 1200 years, just imagine 300 to 500 years at most. You knew this place existed, yet in one-third and nearly half of millenia you haven't found a way to reach it, in fact you found more proof it exists but somehow you can't find a way to grasp it. What you think is supposed to be simple and probably can be done in two generations becomes nearly impossible to achieve, and what's more, with every failure your path to reach it is lessened because the theories you built are invalid.
"You've dedicated your life, your money, your everything to reach it, yet you fail. You know it exists, you find more proof it exists as a matter of fact and they are accessible but you don't know how. It is so close yet so far, it's like trying to chase oasis after spending years in the desert.
"Imagine the scale of that madness, the sheer despair they felt, the insanity to have something so close yet so far for a millennia. What do you think they would do to reach that place if they were given a chance? Anything."
"Anything." Emilia whispered. Yes, yes. She can see his point of view, even if she can't understand it but at least she can imagine the horror and insanity that riding on them. Her brain immediately connected the dots as a vivid memory of abomination howled its madness to the World and her eyes widened, skin getting paler slightly. "That thing... that thing in battle against Hakugei..."
Aaron nodded solemnly. "It's an example of that desperation." He said. "They go blindly, searching for answers in darkness, trying to find out the path to reach Akashic Record. However, instead of finding a path or lead, they open themselves to a monster that lurks in the abyss."
Once again she found herself lost in words. She doesn't know how to describe the situation she just heard. Terrible doesn't even begin to describe it.
"Thankfully they did learn at least from this." Aaron said with a grimace. "Do not stray too much. That is what they got from this experience. Horrible it is but they got useful data that the Akashic Record can't be reached through a path to Space or at least, randomly searching in there is as same as inviting disaster."
"Thanks the Spirit for that." Emilia murmured while holding a hand over her chest. "And then?" She inquired.
"And then they focused on the World. Kinda makes sense in a way, they found the proof in the World, so they should start from there. Thus they abandon the project to search outside of their World and focus back to the inhabitants, animals, plants, people." Aaron continued. "But it is not good either, desperation drives people mad, not to mention resources are limited. And if the previous method doesn't work then maybe they should resolve to another that never tried. It keeps going until they break the boundaries, as long as they give results, anything you do will be fine."
... she doesn't like where this is going. The way Aaron phrased it. There's something ominous laid beneath those words. She thought about it for a second and a single word caught her attention. "What kind of resources are we talking about?"
This organization or group is big, big enough to rival major kingdoms such as Lugnica or more given their history. The resources they used must be big then, and given they are an organization that focuses on magic related things, it can't be measured by your normal standard.
Aaron gave her a look, a dry smile plastered over his face. "What else? Human resources."
Oh… oh dear. "Human resources as in workers?"
"No, human resources as in, human as a material for resources." He confirmed. "Liver, heart, brain, eyes, organs, everything."
Well… to say she is horrified would be understandable after hearing that. Using actual lives, people no less, for experiment let alone a raw material like an animal to be slaughtered for food is something that never even crossed inside her mind.
But here it is, not just that such a thing is something considered to be normal but if what she thought is true then…
"T-This is fine for them?" She asked almost in disgust. "Using people as materials to study to reach for…"
"Not just fine, it is encouraged even." Aaron affirmed much to her further disgust. "As long as you bring any results or something, it is fine."
Emilia's face scrunched into an ugly expression. To use people like materials much like animals, they are the worst. "They almost like the Witch Cult." She almost spat, her fist clenched.
"… well that depends, they can be better and worse in a few ways." He answered with a small pause. "The similarity of the Witch Cult treated people as nothing but mere stocks or uncaring so much about life does fit with the Mage Association, however, do realize that in reality the latter actually hold them in a higher regard." He said. "After all, resources are limited, so they can't just commit genocide or massacre so easily, they will punish you for that."
While technically that sounds better, can that even be called treating them as people?! No! They treat them like animals, cattle to slaughters and feed upon!
"But to be fair for the Mage Association, not all people actually so cold-blooded about disregarding life, they do possess a semblance of morality, I personally know a lot who won't let innocent bystanders be murdered carelessly."
Aaron continued and then he made a face.
"Meanwhile, from what I know about the Witch Cult so far, they just murdering people aimlessly, and they played with things that beyond their control, the Grimoire whose summoning that thing to here for an example, and from the Kingdom's record, that was what they actually do so far, and nothing else."
He let out a sigh.
"The Mage Association is more appealing but mainly just because I can understand them in a way, meanwhile the Witch's Cult? Not so much, and what differentiates both of them in my perspective is that understanding the Mage Association won't drive you insane, unlike Marvolo's case when he tried to decipher the Gospel."
Ah, yes, the tragedy of the Marvolo family. She had read them, one of the things she immediately investigate – something that she berates Puck endlessly about even until now for not telling her – after she know the existence of the Witch's Cult and Marvolo's family is a prime example of why trying to decipher what inside the Witch Cult's head was a very bad idea.
Abeforth Marvolo was said to be very brilliant, a rarity that was born one of the thousand, bringing the Marvolo clan to a golden age, and yet it was in his hand as well that brought the entire clan downfall.
All because of trying to learn about the Gospel so he could gain insight about the Witch's Cult.
"… where are you going with this?" She asked. "You tell me about how bad this Mage Association is, and perhaps in some way, they are not as bad as the Witch's Cult but it doesn't change they are still bad." Like really bad, any organization that encourages experimentation on living and sentient beings are not good by any means in her opinion. "And while I am glad you told this to me, I don't see the connection of this information with what is supposed to be your problem with Ros…" She trailed off as her mind connected the puzzle together.
Magician is known as Magus, Magus made Mage Association and they are researchers, Roswaal is a researcher and Magician, his family has been for generations.
"Ah, you get it, faster than I predicted." Aaron said almost in a proud voice. "Let it be said you aren't stupid, you just lacking in wisdom."
While she is happy to hear that from him, her mind is occupied by something else. "Aaron, Roswaal is not like the Magus from the Mage Association." She exclaimed.
"And that is where I beg to differ, Emi." Aaron said almost in a resigned voice, he looked tired for a brief moment. "Roswaal is exactly like one of them, he is a Magus through and through, except his obsession did not lay in reaching Akashic Record, just something else."
"And how do you know that?" She asked sharply. "What's the proof of your accusation?" Her mind quickly tries to come up with a plan, if Roswaal is truly that horrible then things don't look good. Knowing Aaron, the accusation he made must be-
"Nothing." Aaron said flatly.
"… what?" She asked in an equally flat tone, flummoxed by the answer.
"I have nothing." Aaron repeated. "I have no solid proof of his deceitful behavior or anything that can be used save for his "misdemeanor" recently."
"Then… then you accused him as a horrible person without any proof?! Anything at all?!"
"Yes." He answered.
Emilia doesn't know what she has to say to that. "So you're telling me, that all your hatred and aggressive behaviors toward him are based on nothing?"
"Nothing."
The half elf felt some ugly feeling inside her stomach after hearing his confirmation. It's like a feeling when one expectation was proven to be not just wrong but also epically failed.
It's a disappointment.
"Aaron." She said in a sigh and sad look. Truly, this is supposed to be addressed soon, in an early stage, why didn't she? "You…" She trailed off when noticing the look he had, face stoic and still unchanging, yet his eyes, there's something in those eyes. Emilia admits she is not the best at reading people but the way Aaron looked at her now is…
'Is this another one…' She wondered about it briefly. Wait, he said he doesn't have solid proof, does that mean… "What's your accusation based on?" She asked.
Aaron's face bloomed into a smile, a gleam of approval entered his eyes. "My accusation is based on my Instinct and personal experience." He answered.
It was in reality equal to nothing. An accusation based on instinct and personal experience is something that possesses questionable validity, it is something that cannot be used as judgment.
But that doesn't mean it should be dismissed, one needs to consider whose experience and instinct make such claims first.
And Aaron's instinct and experience so far actually hit the point.
In the last three – almost four now – months ever since Emilia knew him, never once Aaron's instinct result in something bad or failed spectacularly. As a matter of fact, it was this instinct that also played a role to bring victories in his battle, from Elsa Granhiert, to preventing the Evil God's birth on the Flugel's Tree.
So no, Aaron's instinct cannot just be dismissed just like that, and if it was a serious exclamation like this then…
"I will say my opinion, and I'm telling you this so you can make your own judgment." Aaron said as he closed his eyes. "The moment I met him, standing in front of him, I knew in an instant that he is dangerous, not just in terms of combat nor as a person but as a human being." He declared. "Everytime I look into his face and fake smile, I notice the fire that burns behind those eyes. I can see how mirthful he was and how he faked almost everything."
"F-Fake?" She stuttered a bit, taken aback by the way he described Roswaal. "Aaron, I don't understand. What do you mean by fake?"
"Exactly, he pretends to care, to love, and yet he wouldn't hesitate to push everything away if it related to his goal."
Emilia pursed her lips, eyebrows furrowing. "Aaron, that is impossible. I know what you are trying to say. You think he is only acting in front of anyone, don't you?" She asked rhetorically and she shook her head. "No, he didn't. That is one of few things I immediately checked when I stepped into this mansion. I prod his relationship with his staff and silently order Puck to sense his emotions, and Puck told me that Roswaal truly cares for his people, he truly loves them."
Naive and not so bright she was, but she wasn't stupid, she won't just believe in someone easily, let alone if that someone treat people in a bad manner but Roswaal didn't. As a matter of fact, all maids and servants that had worked for him in the past say nothing but praises about the clown magician despite how they complained about his eccentricity.
And after spending some time with him, Emilia does notice that their exclamation were not unfounded, Roswaal maybe weird but he is truly a man who put everything into his work, he is a man who took his responsibility very seriously and can be kind as well, a man who is wise and but strict and… entertaining if one can handle his unique traits.
Aaron's face however did not change, as a matter of fact, it somehow made his eyes reflect a darker light. "And that, Emi, is where the problem lies." He said with a grim smile.
And to say she doesn't like to see that smile on his face is an understanding, there only one time she saw this kind of smile from him, it was when he nearly decapitated Roswaal in the Capital.
"Aaron?" She called in a concerned voice.
"Emi… which one is more dangerous, a man who hesitates to kill someone he loves to reach his goal, or someone who won't hesitate to do so with a smile?"
The question sends a chill to her spine as she contemplates what it truly means and what it implies. No need to think for a long time, the answer is obvious.
"And what else would you call those emotions other than fake?" He continued in a voice that was close to sneering, a tone that doesn't suit him at all. "And mayhaps it wasn't a fake but does that make it any better? No, it is worse because you did not just hurt your "loved" ones physically but mentally as well through your betrayal."
"Aaron… you can't possibly think-"
"I am." He said in a firm voice. "And no matter what you say, they will never change my mind." He declared.
"Aaron…"
"Emi, I will not force you to take my view about him as you shouldn't force your own on me, the end decision is up to you for I have no right to choose for you, I am only your friend after all." He spoke in a soft voice. "But I have to insist on one thing, always be wary of him. No matter how he portrayed himself, never truly depend on him, always have a contingency in case things did not go the way you want when it related to him." He finished and he stood, walking toward the door.
And she didn't stop him, her mind after all is also preoccupied with the statement her friend just told him. The reason for his hatred, the suspicion that started to bubble up from her heart regarding her backer, and-
"Emi, I am proud of you."
The half elf snapped her head in his direction and found herself seeing Aaron stand in front of the opened door, his face smiling.
"I am sorry, I know I am repeating things but you have truly grown." He said kindly. "And as your friend, I am happy to see that."
And before she could respond to that, he left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving her by herself.
"You…" Emilia gaped. "You can't just say something like that and leave before I can respond! Aaron!"
She nearly yelled at the end as she palmed her face. It was out of character somehow, and yet for some reason, she just can't help it, the confusion that was already built inside her also magnified it!
'Aunt Fortuna, Geuse, what should I do to this man?' She thought with a sigh. Aaron makes her feel weird, so joyful, so happy, yet also frustrated and confused, he is complicated, too complicated for Kosmos's sake!
'That went better than I planned.' Aaron mused with a sigh as he massaged his temple.
Emilia will defend Roswaal, that is inevitable, the man has been nothing but being good to her after all, even if he told her everything she still will be on his side or at least defend him because she is a good girl.
No, making her hate Roswaal is not possible, it will take a time to build up that feeling but he doesn't need her to hate him – she still needs him for now after all – and such emotion could make her biased, even if he wanted to but no, it is better for her to come to her own decision in the end.
And to do that, he just needs to open her eyes about him. Makes her not trust him anymore.
That's what he did, planting seeds of doubt in her, using big implications and horror stories to scare her so she always thinks twice before trusting or deciding to take his hand now.
'I was expecting a complaint, confusion, or anger but solemn thoughtfulness?' He must admit, he was really surprised at that. Emilia truly thinks about what he just said before, and she also tries to dig deeper to find useful information so she can "defend" Roswaal, she doesn't just listen but she thinks carefully and even tries to change his way of thinking.
That is not something a child can or even think to do.
Of course, it is sloppy and still laughable. He noticed how she tried to reflect back on his own words and make him doubt himself and had he not known the truth perhaps he would be contemplating her words further but he knows.
'She should try to make me speak more instead of leaping to change my mindset immediately, that was too early for her.' He thought amusedly.
What a clever girl she is but she is still a beginner, however, the potential is there, Emilia is smart and sharp, she only lacks experience, something that can be gained in time.
He won't say he is an expert in that regard as well but he knew how to misdirect and cover something and he has been doing that for three years, ever since he was in high school.
'I did cause a lot of problems for Mama after all.'
He might not be involved in a brawl, but smuggling cheating answers for exams, pranking teachers, and stealing their stuff? He has a ton of experience in doing that.
Just remembering the memory of how he got lectured by his mother made him chuckle. Never in his life, did he imagines he would laugh or miss those moments.
And yet here he is now, reminiscing about it.
'No, don't think about it now, focus, you have another one to confront.'
Puck and Beatrice have been waiting and to be honest, he also has been eager to talk with them. Eager and dreadful.
Especially in Beatrice's case.
He is the one that she has been waiting for, and that changes a lot of things regarding their relationship. For one, it means she is still under Echidna's control, taking her would be tantamount to foolishness no matter how useful having Spirit at Beatrice caliber is.
The last time he followed Roswaal's – and by extension Echidna – instructions because it was convenient, it ended with him trapped in this whole situation.
So no, no matter how sweet and tantalizing the offer this time, taking Beatrice is not an option, not without putting him under the Witch of Greed's plan again.
But… not taking her hand would mean all her struggle and wait for 400 years is for naught.
"Reading it is one thing, but seeing it directly?"
He let out a breath of frustration and sadness.
He will admit that he is not selfless and a good man, he is selfish and he doesn't care much about being guilty, he is also more than willing to manipulate and lie but he believes that he is at least a decent man, a man who knows boundaries between truly good and evil.
And there's nothing good about destroying a girl's effort that has been going on for 400 years.
It doesn't relate to him nor is he even truly aware of it and yet does it change the fact he is involved in it now? Even if the role might be small.
He can turn a blind eye to someone being beaten to the pulp or having their goods stolen but this?
The image of a little girl wailing in desperation and holding her arms up to a boy crossed his mind and he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Damn you, Echidna, damn you Witch of Greed." He hissed under his breath. This is insane, only truly uncaring people would consider abandoning her after knowing her plight and directly interacting with her.
There's no choice here, either abandoning Beatrice to her fate and essentially killing her or picking her.
Too deep, the web threads that he has followed are too deep, and he believes he still has yet to reach the surface even.
"Just this once, this is the last time." He murmured as he closed his eyes and walked to the nearest door and opened it.
And he is greeted by the sight of a library with Puck and Beatrice inside, the former floating in the air while the latter sit on the chair.
"There you are, Aaron." Puck called, his feline face expressing cheerful emotions. "Take a seat, we will have a long chat after all."
That they do. Aaron can agree with that, he approached one of the chairs and sat on it, his eyes wandered to Beatrice who… for some reason avoided his gaze and clutched a book in a tight grip.
"How's your talk with Lia?" Puck asked.
"It went better than I expected." He answered as he leaned into his seat. "And Emi has shown wonderful growth."
"She is, isn't she?" Puck smiled, his voice also shows that he is proud of his daughter. "She has grown so much in a short time." He gives him a look. "I guess I have to thank you for that."
Aaron blinked, not expecting the spirit to openly show his approval like that. While his relationship with Puck wasn't bad but they are certainly not best friends, he actually thought the cat spirit would be angry or hostile at him, and yet…
"I can sense your surprise, you are probably expecting me to be angry at you and normally I would but…" Puck sighs and paws his forehead. "I have been with Lia ever since I released her from her own seal. She used to be – still is actually – this bumbling girl and always nervous in front of strangers but now…" He shook his head. "I've seen how she talks to people, she is not nervous or needs my help anymore in most things, she can make her own decisions and ask for suggestions instead of answers." He laid on the table, voice somehow tired and yet also amused. "She has grown up now."
"And it is still not done." Aaron commented.
"And it is still not done." Puck affirmed with a nod. "But the pace of this growth is fast, Lia is that smart after all." He spoke fondly and yet there was a hint of bitterness in there.
The blond haired man caught it. "You know you won't be replaced, right?" Aaron asked rhetorically, earning a glance from the feline spirit. "Puck, you're the one that freed her and has been there for her when she has no one, you will always have a special place in her heart no matter what."
"… I know that but hearing it from you somehow makes it more reassuring." Puck replied with closed eyes. "Thank you, Aaron."
That has always been his nightmare and greatest fear, what if Lia didn't need him anymore? What if she can't accept the truth? What if she decides to abandon him? What if, what if, what if, what if, and what if.
So many scenarios played in his mind and each of them brought fear to his very being. Lia is the reason for him to exist, without her, then he is as good as dead.
He hides so many things from his girl and the worst thing is he can't tell her because he, himself, is not aware of it. His memories are lacking because he broke his contract to not make a pact with Emilia on his own, and some contracts outrightly forbid him from speaking.
Thankfully some of the memory is now restored, the Light of the Sword from the young man in front of him brought back things he forgot, and boy when he remembered them, he was anything but happy.
"You're welcome." Aaron replied, his voice breaking him out from his stupor.
The cat-like spirit shrugged. "So yeah, make no mistake, I am not 100% fond of you, but you have been nothing but good for her and me." He said with a cheerful voice. "Aaand~ given you definitely still would be on Lia's side even if she didn't become a King, I think you more than deserve it."
Aaron tilted his head. Puck can sense his surprise once again, surprise and uncertainty. "You… sounds so sure about that, about me would still be on Emi's side."
Puck shoots him a smirk. "Aaron, you are cold-hearted but you won't abandon those that you are close to, especially given what you know about Lia."
"… pardon?"
"Your coming here has been predicted by Echidna." Puck answered bluntly, earning a blink from the man. "And she also said you will know a lot of things about this World, including everyone in Lia's camp."
His relationship with Aaron is good, Puck dares to claim that despite the young man was used to be terrified of him but he no longer does and now came to truly respect and regard him as a friend, the artificial spirit himself also feels mutual, Aaron is someone who you can trust…
Well, maybe not 100% given how he can just switch his attitude out of nowhere, his view of things is kinda weird, his epitaph as "Two Faced Knight." by Ram is not without reason after all but Puck is confident that Aaron at least has a good heart!
The point is, they both already considered each other as friends and given what Puck knows about him so far, it is actually better to be blunt when you talk with Aaron.
"And you are not surprised." Puck commented as he sensed his emotion. "No, you are but not about that, you are surprised that I decided to be blunt about it." He said amusedly.
"That I am." Aaron admitted with a pinching face. "Not like I mind though." He let out a sigh. "Yes, I admit, before even stepping into this mansion, I already knew about all of you, the general of your history, and everything else."
"Everything?" Beatrice asked, finally speaking for the first time ever since Aaron entered the room.
Her grip on her book tightens a bit, and Puck senses a myriad of emotions raging from her.
"Well… not exactly everything." Aaron said with pursed lips. "A few pieces of information are inaccurate from what I know." He told them. "In a way, you can say I received a vision about you all."
"A vision? Much like what you get before we fight the Hakugei?" Puck inquired as he remembered the conversation with the Council.
"Yes but like I said, the vision was not entirely accurate nor vast. For one, I never saw there would be a second prophecy that specifically related to me, and I also don't have any knowledge of Echidna would be aware of my coming, I just put that fact together recently." Aaron ruffled his hair and Puck can sense he is frustrated. "And said vision is also limited only to a few things, I can't fully control what I see."
"But you knew about us from the beginning." Puck commented, eyes narrowing. "You know about the maids, Lia, Betty, and Roswaal."
"Yes, and that is one of the main reasons why I agreed to come with Emi in the first place."
"And why is that?"
"Because all of you are going to die if I don't." He said bluntly. "And I cannot, will not let you all die." He added with a sigh.
"Us? Die?" Puck narrowed his eyebrow. "Bluntly speaking, I think Lia and I will just do fine with-"
"She will die, either on the hand of Elsa Granhiert or the Witch Cultists and then you will go on a rampage to destroy the World." Aaron cut him in a cold voice.
Puck's brain goes blank after hearing that.
After a moment he blinked and gave him a look. "Sorry, Aaron, what did you say again?"
Aaron raised one of his eyebrows. "I said, you will-"
"No need to continue that." Beatrice chimed in. "Bubby can't listen to you, that was part of his contract."
Aaron turned to her with a ludicrous look. "What?"
"Oh, did he say something that broke the contract?" Puck asked Beatrice who nodded. "Well then yeah, sorry Aaron, whatever you said before, I won't be able to hear you. The contract forbids me to be aware of it."
Aaron stared at the small spirit that could bring ruin to a continent just by existing if he was willing to.
'Are you telling me… that he isn't aware he would destroy the World if Emi died?!' He screamed inside his head. "How's that even works?" He asked in ludicrous.
"You didn't know about it?" Puck tilted his head questioningly.
"No, like I said, my vision is limited." Aaron sighed.
"Well… I made a vow to Echidna that I wouldn't make a pact with Lia on my own, I broke it in the past to fight Melakuera and as punishment part of my memory was erased."
"I know that much, not the exact details but what caused your memory a mess but still…" He turned to Beatrice. "Are you aware of the condition I just spoke of?"
"Yes." Beatrice nodded. "However, Betty can't say it to anyone who doesn't know, Mother made me vow as well."
'So if I tell Lia about this, then Beatrice can confirm this for me and…' And what? What good would it be for Emilia to know this? Value her life more? She is not Subaru, she values her own life, such a thing is not necessary and in fact it could just burden her.
Great, another fact that wouldn't be useful in the present time.
'Well, this confirms that Echidna already has a plan for Emi.' Aaron thought with a scowl. 'And it also explains the sudden change in Puck's personality and attitude.' He added internally.
One of many things that are vital in Re:Zero, memories play a factor in the setting. From Gluttony's power to erase people's existence to Emilia's memory block, and in the IF Scenario where Ram and Felix become unhinged after losing their memories about Rem and Crusch.
True Puck himself appears to be cold and uncaring to others but doesn't look like an entity who would just kill everyone after Emilia's death. Or maybe he would but he won't just coldly murder someone that was close to him, Subaru to be precise. The boy was close to him after all, and Puck also took a liking to him.
So whatever memory block that was put into Puck made him… less cold maybe? Or less uncaring? Wouldn't that be a good thing in the first place? No, that was incorrect, what if whatever blocking his memory actually also stops his utter obsession with Emilia thus rendering him communicable in the very first place?
So many things, so many scenarios, yet there's not much information to validate them.
He banished that thought, it was something to think about later, not now.
"Thank you, Beatrice-san." He said sincerely.
Beatrice's eyes widened a bit and she quickly looked down, avoiding his gaze, cheeks tinted with rose colors.
'Okay, what was that?' Aaron thought confusedly.
"In any case, you do know about us, no wonder it was very easy for you to win everyone's trust." Puck commented almost in a jibing voice. "How very manipulative of you." He almost sneered in here while giving a glare to the man.
"What I did, I did only to secure a better tomorrow." Aaron replied in a stony voice. "Because without me, all of you will be dead, none of you will survive. I have seen the future, Puck, I have seen what is waiting for you, Emi, and everyone. Argue however you like but the results are clear, and the path I choose is also noble in nature."
'I don't think there's a single thing that is noble in manipulating people like you.' Puck thought darkly as he glared at the man in front of him. 'And yet he is correct, in technicality.' He agreed reluctantly.
Puck had sensed Aaron's emotions whenever he interacted with the people inside this estate through… unbiased view. All of his emotions are genuine, he didn't show everything, yes but there's no single malicious intention in his act.
And now he has his memories partly returned, knowing Aaron is actually aware of most things about them but still decides to extend his hands to them is in a way, shows that he is indeed a good person.
Noble in a way and yet also not.
'Two faced Knight indeed.' Puck noted annoyedly. In a way, Aaron reminds him of someone, someone that he knew but for odd reasons, he can't just put it in his tongue. "Hmph, I will give you credit for that, you are actually being honest to us after all, you only hide things." He said with crossed arms. He has a problem with it but as long as Lia is safe, everyone is fine as well, then that is all it matters for him.
Aaron turned to Beatrice, eyes inquiring, and Puck sensed there was uneasiness from her.
"It… doesn't harm Betty, I suppose." She speaks in a low voice. "Betty has no problem with it, as far Betty knows, you didn't bother me that much as well."
"Thank you." Aaron replied, he sagged in his seat and exhaled a sigh. "I… to be honest, knowing that someone is aware of it is helping, in a way." He admitted reluctantly.
It didn't do a thing to be honest, as a matter of fact, that information shouldn't be shared with in the very first place, it made him look manipulative and bad. Aaron himself knows of this judging from his raging emotions but Puck also can sense one small feeling that exists beneath that storm.
Relief.
For an unknown reason, Aaron feels relief that somehow he knew about this. Puck only can come to one conclusion why he feels so.
'He feels guilty, burdened by this, so having us know about this relieves him in a way.'
If there's any doubt that Aaron Pendragon truly was only trying to help them, it was banished by this revelation. No bad person would feel guilty about this, most of them would feel they should owe him – and technically they did – instead of feeling bad about it.
'I don't understand you, Aaron Pendragon, you are not a good man yet you act so honorable sometimes. But at least I know this, you are a good friend.' Puck concluded as he stared at the young man that looked stoic despite the raging emotions beneath his facade.
"Wait, Puck, if you remember things now, and I assuming Emi also do, what happens to the block you put on her?" Aaron asked immediately, voice tinted with a concern. As far he remembers, the block that Puck put made Emi get identity crisis due to memories that overlapping and blocking each other.
"You don't have to worry about that. Your sword dismantles that block already and it also recovers her memory. Not only that, the Light she saw..." Puck's eyes seem to be in a daze for a moment. "That Light is gentle with her. Lia won't remember everything in an instant but piece by pieces" He sighed and pawed his face. "I put that block to prevent Lia from being stressed but seeing her now, I guess she is ready to remember about her past." He said fondly. "Again, I have you to thank, Aaron. You have been nothing but being a good friend for Lia, really, I owe you a lot for this."
Aaron made a surprised face again. It is true Puck already expressed his gratitude before but he still didn't expect him to be acknowledged so much like this by the spirit. It feels like getting approval from your friend's parent or something like that, which is actually what happens here. Feeling small warmth on his cheeks, he cleared his throat. "I-I guess if you put it in that way... I will hold you for that then, Puck."
"I know you will, you selfish jerk." Puck said with a good-natured sigh. This guy will work him hard in the future, he just knows it.
"Hey now, that was uncalled for. To ask for a favor after helping so much is just common sense."
"I hate the way you use that words, somehow you make them sound normal while in reality, they are not!"
Aaron laughed lightly at the cat's accusation. "In any case, I believe this is my turn to ask now." He gives a look at the cat spirit. "What does Echidna say about me?"
"Not much to be honest. Echidna only says: One day a man with the blood of the Dragon, carrying the Holy Sword of the World will arrive in this World. He will approach both of you with knowledge, knowledge that is not of this World, knowledge of the past and the future of the people you generally know and he will save the World." He recited.
Aaron stared at the small cat, waiting for him to speak more, and yet he didn't. The pseudo Saber's face scrunched onto a bewildered expression.
"That's it?" He asked in disbelief. "That's all what Echidna has about me?!" He nearly yelled at the end while glaring at him.
"Hey, hey, I sensed your emotion young man, and believe me I understand." Puck quickly replies. "I am also frustrated and that was too vague even for me!" He said in an irritated voice. Now his memories about Echidna have been restored, he also remembered just how painful it could be dealing with his Mother. "Kosmos be damned." He grumbled.
'Kosmos?' Aaron wondered as he stared at the cat. That name... isn't that the name he gave to that Goddess? How did he...
"Same for Betty too, I suppose." Beatrice commented, cutting him from thinking further. "Mother is always like that, speaking in riddles and everything." She held her head in an exasperated manner as if remembering her antic.
"I hate that Witch." Aaron grumbled darkly. "If I meet her, I will bash her with the said holy sword, you can count on it."
"Good luck with that, she is already dead." Puck commented in a bitter and dry voice. Then he sensed a bunch of emotions – bitterness, anger, and eagerness – from Aaron and his eyes widened. Normally he would dismiss it but since Aaron possesses knowledge of the future and the past… "Aaron… you…"
"Stop." Aaron cut quickly, voice cold and face stoic, yet the panic inside him was real. "Not another word, Puck. We will talk about that later, alone, for the good of everyone."
Puck narrowed his eyes, his first instinct was to demand him to explain more, but the frantic and panicked emotions inside the boy were surreal and given what he was supposed to know then it is possible could be a bad thing.
Unfortunately for them, Beatrice is not stupid.
"What about Mother?" Beatrice chimed in. "What do you know about her?" She asked Aaron immediately, voice demanding.
But then she shrunk a bit when the young man turned to her with a look, something that he noticed as well.
'What's with her?' Aaron thought curiously. He has a guess but… "I don't think it matters." He replied and this time Puck knew that he was lying just from his emotion. "Sorry, Beatrice-san, this is something that is similar to Puck's case, you won't even notice it if I said it."
Beatrice glared at him for a moment before she gave a look to Puck.
'Since you have helped Lia a lot of times, I guess I can help you once, sorry Beatrice.' Puck thought with a sigh internally. "He doesn't have any malicious or anything weird, Betty." He lied smoothly.
"Hmmm… if Bubby said so then." Beatrice reluctantly accepts it, she trusts Bubby after all.
"In any case, is there anything that seems to be… out of World about what she said? Something that weird and…" Aaron stopped when noticed the look given by Puck and Beatrice. "Nevermind." He sighed, nothing is not strange when related to Echidna, he has a better chance trying to count what is equivalent to normal than the weird one. "That damned woman and her tea, hopefully, she chokes on it."
"Wow, you really know Echidna, aren't you?" Puck commented almost in wonder.
"I won't claim I truly know her, I do understand her to a degree but not fully and I don't want to. Mainly because I won't remain as myself if I truly try to understand her." Aaron replied with a troubled face. Sometimes there are things that you should just leave alone and accept, trying to understand everything is not a wise nor a good thing. "In any case, it is better if I do my investigation first before asking so I can narrow things down. Thank you, Puck, Beatrice-san."
"You're welcome. Says Aaron, is there anything that I should know for Lia's sake?"
Aaron put a thoughtful expression. "Well…"
"Bubby, can Betty have some time with him?" Beatrice cut in, voice uncharacteristically soft and a bit meek.
Puck turned to his sister, the stoic and unexpressive emotion wasn't in her face anymore, she looked so… fragile and soft now.
And given what they both knew about Aaron Pendragon, it just makes sense, Beatrice has been waiting for this moment for a very long time after all.
"Alright." Puck said kindly. He turns to Aaron. "We will talk more later, just us. For now, my sister has something to say to you." He informed him.
Oh boy… "Alright then." Aaron said with a nod. "Thank you, Puck."
The cat-like spirit nods and starts to float away, he gives his sister one last look and offers her a nod as well before leaving.
Aaron turned to Beatrice, and the small girl clutched her book tighter, face tilted downward, avoiding his gaze.
'Gospel.' He noted. That was her Gospel. "Is there anything you want to say, Beatrice-san?"
That was just a courtesy. He already knew what she wanted to say, what she wanted to talk about.
The twin-tail haired girl looked up to him, her butterfly shaped pupils meeting his green's. Her stolid and stiff face melted into a hopeful, fearful, and joyful expression.
"You…" Beatrice's voice is low and uncertain, shaky, yet she pushed on. "You know of Mother, of Bubby, then you… you must know about Betty's too."
"I am, yes, the very moment I meet you in this library, I know who you are." Aaron confirmed.
"Then… then… you must know, you must be aware of… the contract." She rasped out. "You… are you…"
She stood up, one hand holding her book, and the other stretched to him.
Aaron closed his eyes and let out a sigh through his nose.
The sheer desperation and sadness, the hopeful yet fearful emotions were very clear in her voice and face.
And yet she keeps going on, to reach for him, to reach the man that has been talked about by her beloved Mother.
"Are you… Betty's they?"
To reach the Contract that has been gifted to her, to reach for salvation that has been promised to her after 400 years of loneliness.
Why hello everyone, after 3 years of disappearance, guess who is back?! Me! Me! Yaaaayyyy!
And holy cow, down with the fork boys! Down! I still want to live, thank you!
I will just go straight to the point and say everything then. Many of you that are active in SB (Spacebattle), and QQ (Questionable Quest) are probably aware that I am still scouring and active on reading fanfic, if you also take a look at my fav and fol update, you will notice that I am still here as well. I want to say that the reason why I didn't update my story or something is because...
I ran out of my gas or steam, I suppose.
I started writing when I was a middle school, the old and ugly story even still there on this site, I never erase them, it is so people can see that I am growing at least, from bad into... less bad? Tehee :P
From middle school to the start of college, that was a very long time. I guess my steam and passion burned down, empty. My left hand was broken before so I was forced to rest it and thus unable to write however, even after recover I still can't find myself to write somehow.
And so I stopped writing and... well, in this spawn of 3 years since I stopped writing, a lot of things happen. I lost some people I know to illness and pandemic, got a girlfriend and proceed to break with her because I was horrible boyfriend material, failing to save people in hospital... I guess it is truly has been a very long time, huh.
And now I am at the near end of my college, wow, talk about historical, and back in here again, heh.
Nevertheless, I can't promise a good update though, not anymore, I am... too different from the me 5 years ago when I can write with a passion and well, truly loves it, even with the bad grammar.
My grammar is still bad though, but ey, it is readable now, hehehe. Not gonna change that sadly, that kinda become of my symbol and label.
However, that doesn't mean I don't love writing anymore, I do, I even wrote stories and have a lot of docs in my Gdrive. I even wrote Nier Automata/Worm 6.1 CYOA fanfic with 75k words so far but well, it is only a self-indulgence story, not for the public, I think. (I probably will post it in the future though)
Like I said, I am just waay too different now.
Be that may, I want to say thank you, thank you to all of you, my dear reader, to those that still open this old story, reading it, writing reviews, worried about my well being, I can't say just how much I am happy after reading them all. Thank you, everyone, really, thank you.
For you all, I will try to finish this story or at least give it a proper closing or something like that since this is one of my best stories. This Arc probably will be the last one before I decide to end it and make a new "book" or "story" for the continuation, it will have timeskip as well much like Arc 5 in Re:Zero.
So rejoice, I can't guarantee when the next chapter will come out but at least I will finish this one last arc, maybe it would be a once per few months update or once per few weeks but I will try my best, I have a... job now after all in the hospital, and given this pandemic state (even if things calmed down now) I want to prioritize helping people and saving life first rather than writing to indulge myself. The content for each chapter will range from 5k to 10k++ words like usual.
As for now, I will edit the previous chapter that has horrendous grammar, I already did some edits to chapter 13, 14, 15, and Interlude I & II. They are now at least on the level of: readable instead truly nightmare. Hopefully, I can get the rest quickly.
Also, extra words about a few things.
"Someone used your story without permission and post it on Webnovel!"
Yeah, saw it, and have read some of it, and I see they did some grammar edit after chapter 13. I must say, this is kinda flattering, to find someone willing to continue my story. I would normally let this slide as I have no complaint if someone wants to use my story as inspiration as long they ask for my permission or mention my name, however, lemme ask thee, did this person post their story for free or ask for payment? Because if yes then I will have a problem with this guy. This story is supposed to be free after all, if not, then well, as I said, as long they give me the credit then it is fine.
Also, if I happen to ask for a donation, I still will upload a chapter to this story, not completely locked it, kinda like a webtoon you know? Having daily pass or so.
... given my current economic state, that might be a thing but I will still try my best to ensure that does not happen.
"Elsa is not a vampire!"
About that... What canon and not canon, one of them is about Elsa's status. At first, Elsa's status as a vampire was thought to be a canon since Elsa confirm it herself, hence why I decided to adopt it, however, after the story goes on it changes and revealed she is not one but a woman that goes through Cursed Doll project that was done by Capella. I will say this: I won't change that, Elsa still will remain as one, the vampire will be a thing in Re:Zero. Fear not, their role won't be that big, I can make them into big though but it depends on you, my reader, and my mood as well.
Also, I want you to note that sometimes Aaron can be an unreliable narrator or source, his talk about Mage Association is biased (not wrong technically) and remember, he was sent in 2017, at the time in FGO Japan, Lostbelt just started, Earth just bleached white, and Chaldea just escape from Rasputin and Anastasia. His knowledge is actually quite rusty, so if you pick something weird about how he could possibly know something that he shouldn't in the future or previous chapter, I will tell you this,
It was not a mistake.
It was a hint of something. And that is all I gonna say about it for now.
"How about making him have Excalibur Proto?"
To be honest, I made a lot of mistakes about Excalibur, my knowledge of Nasuverse before was nothing but a fragment and minor compared to what I have now. So forgive me if I did, I will, however, say this: Aaron's possessing Artoria's Excalibur instead of Arthur's was on purpose, it is tied to what happened 400 years ago in this Re:Zero AU. That doesn't mean it will be less powerful though, Artoria's Excalibur is still OP, and if you notice it, it got an upgrade after one usage against Gilles' Monster, and it will only get stronger in the future, you all have seen the glimmer of it in Interlude where Saber Emilia wielded Excalibur against Aaron's Beast form. That sword is the only thing that allows her to possibly be able to kill him, and sorry to burst your bubble, but Saber Emilia and Rem's journey was over in their fight with Jormungandr, the omake where they survive? Not possible at all. Whether they won or lost in the end, it is up to your imagination, but the World's condition in that omake? It was real. So win or not, it doesn't matter, the World is destroyed in the end.
As for Jormungandr itself, I have altered some sentences in there, no longer he is the Dragon that Devour the World but the Dragon that Slay the God, I made a mistake in there so I apologize xD
Welp, I guess, that is all I want to say, so without further ado, let's close this chapter. Ah, it's reaally has been a while since I did this, how nostalgic! (clear throat)
Next one will be a talk between Aaron and Beatrice! The end of 400 years waiting! And more about how Aaron deals with the problems that waiting for him, and how trauma settling in. What? Do you think he is fine and can keep going easily after getting literally mindfucked? Hell no! Hohoho! Stay tuned and keep reading if you are curious about it! And don't forget to give this story Favorite, Follow, and Review
Ja Ne! XD
P.S: Here, have two omakes as an extra gift!
Omake (Canon) (This happens before Aaron and co. Travel to the Capital for Royal Selection): Cooking lesson with Aaron Pendragon! … Or not
"Alright, since we will be gone for around… a week, I will teach you a simple recipe that is guaranteed to be edible yet also delicious." Aaron said as he stood in front of Ram and for some reason donned an apron.
"Heh, debatable. The fact Aaron-sama can cook itself is already doubtful." Ram said with a mocking expression.
"Well, I am not an expert for sure but I can cook at least, not only steaming potatoes." Aaron replied with his own mocking face.
"Saying you can cook if all the foods taste disgusting and only edible doesn't count."
"Oh my, is that a judgment already? At an early stage? My, my, be careful there, Ram-san, you might have to pull your words at the end, and wouldn't that be shameful?"
"Ha, is that how Aaron-sama interprets it? Ram only said a fact, never once Ram make a judgment, a food that is edible but has no taste is no food at all, it was merely a nutrient."
"By that logic then-
"Okay! Okay! Stop! Stop! Both of you!" Emilia chimed in, face showing exasperation. "This is supposed to be a simple observation or see how Aaron cooks! How did it even turn into another argument?!"
"Well, obviously it is not my fault." Aaron said, crossing his arms.
"Hmph, and it is certainly also not Ram's fault, Ram only speaks a fact after all." Ram also commented.
"Oh? Is that how you called it?" Aaron shots.
"Is stating a fact forbidden now? Ram isn't aware that such tyrannical rule has been established in this house."
"While stating a fact is not forbidden, there's such a thing called "tact", and you certainly just crossed that line by using that tone of yours."
"Ho? Ram's tone? Ram fail to see what is wrong with that, she has a beautiful and-"
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop that! Stop doing that! Ram! Aaron!" The half elf immediately interferes, again, she sounds tired doing that judging by her face and tone. "Stop that! You two can be very purblind, really."
""Who say "purblind" in these days?""
Aaron and Ram spoke in sync while giving the half elf a deadpan look.
"Why did you get along when it comes to something like that?!" Emilia replied in annoyance.
"Me? Getting along with this pink and short demon? Ha!"
"Emilia-sama, Ram thinks that Emilia-sama should think twice before making a remark. To be compared to this gluttonous man, such a thing is insulting."
"Hoo? Isn't that-"
"Aaron, are you going to cook or not?" Emilia cut him, again, this time not even bothering to hide her glare.
Aaron gave her a look. "You… for some reason seem to be so fixated on this. Why?"
"Well, I am just curious and want to know!" She huffed.
"Curious about something like this, you can be such a child, Emi."
"Aaaarooon."
"Right, right." Aaron clears his throat and goes down to the cabinet. "Let's see… we have potatoes, bread, chicken, beef, huh, we almost have everything except for fish or seafood." He makes a thoughtful face. "Not like I mind, I don't like fish that much."
"Hmph, to be picky even in this state and as a freeloader, truly Aaron-sama has no shame in the slightest."
"This freeloader has saved your life and helped your benefactor, a lot, so technically this isn't your normal "freeloader" case."
"So speak the freeloader."
"The term of freeloader actually-"
And so the duo resumes their arguments. Emilia pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache started to form in her head and she looked up to the ceiling.
"This will take a while, isn't it?" She uttered in a tired voice. They will spend a long time here, she is sure of it.
Behind her, Rem giggled, Roswaal chuckling, and Puck didn't even bother to hide his amusement as he laughed while rolling in the air.
It takes an hour before the lesson truly starts in the end and that's because Emilia threatened to freeze both of their mouths.
Omake (Non Canon): Restarting from Zero.
"Excalibur… I am holding Excalibur." Aaron muttered almost in awe as he stared at the holy sword in his hand.
It was surreal. Not only did he find himself transported into another World but somehow he also has been gifted one of the strongest superweapons that he has ever known in the Nasuverse.
'Okay, okay, calm down. Calm down, you can squeal later. For now, you have other objectives…' Aaron thought while forcing himself to calm down. "What the hell should I do?" He muttered aloud while putting Excalibur back to his hip. Having a legendary sword that can easily blast a mountain is good, but right now that's not his priority.
Going home is.
As much as he loves it to get superpower but if it comes at the cost of never meeting his family again then he wants nothing to do with it.
His mother, father, and little sister are probably waiting for him now.
"Information..." He muttered. He needs information. He needs to find a way to send him back.
He quickly grabbed his bag and opened it. 'Let's see, a change of clothes that I wore before cosplaying, two bottles of water, my wallet, my Samsung Galaxy S6, a portable charger, an emergency battery and a-'
"Aaron!"
His thought halted, he blinked when an unfamiliar, feminine, and melodious voice called for him. Turning around, he was granted by a sight of a… pretty girl, one of the prettiest he had ever seen in his life in fact, surpassing even any actress he has ever seen.
She has long silver hair – not white but silver, actual silver – with braids in it that reached down to her hips. She has violet colored eyes that shone with intelligence. The clothing she is wearing is a white colored dress. The design itself seems quite simple however the simplicity seems to make her presence seem to be more… extraordinary.
And are those pointy ears?
Strangely she is familiar to him for an unknown reason. No, that's not him using an excuse to ogle her, she is reaaally familiar! Honest!
The beautiful woman's expression changes in a rapid manner, from panic, surprise, joy, and… relief?
He is not an expert in reading facial structure so he can't make a 100% accurate prediction.
"Aaron!" She called again, face beaming. "I found you!"
"Well… I don't know if I should be happy or not for that." He replied almost in a dry voice.
The pretty girl blinks before she lets out a small giggle. "Yeah, you are Aaron, alright."
"That's my name, and I don't remember ever giving it to you or let alone meeting you." He would remember if he was acquainted with a girl as pretty as her. "Who are you, miss? And how do you know my name?"
"Oh, I am Emilia! And I am here to umm… pick you up? Hold on, give me a moment to think." She said hastily, closing her eyes as if in deep focus.
Fortunately for her, he allows her to have her time but unfortunately for him that is because he is in shock.
Emilia.
It was then everything clicked.
Pretty silver haired girl, dressed in white, and has pointy ears. A world that has medieval and fantasy-like settings.
Re:Zero.
"Fuck." He said aloud, feeling himself become pale.
"Language!" She admonished immediately.
He didn't give a shit frankly, his mind still trying to process just where he is and what-
"Right. Aaron, I am Emilia, you know me, I know you do, you have some kind of future vision after all."
'I have a what?'
"What I am about to tell you will be weird even by your standard, but you have to believe me." Emilia gulped and gave him a solemn look. "Aaron, I am from the future, you sent me back."
"What? You are from where and I did what?!" He exclaimed in shock. His poor mind still trying to process what just occurred and now another bomb has been dropped on him.
"Uhn!" Emilia nodded as if such a thing makes sense and was normal. "Yes, you sent me back after… after… ouch, my head." She ended with a hiss while clutching her head in pain.
A certain cat spirit came out of nowhere and floated in the air.
"Lia, are you okay?" He asked in worry.
"I am fine, Puck, give me a moment. Aaron… Aaron did say there would be a backlash or memory block for precaution." She mumbled while fingering her temple. "But it's not important for now. Come Aaron, we are going to save Felt-chan before that horrid vampire gets her and takes my insignia back!"
She grabbed his hand and began to drag him.
Said the man was too shocked to refuse and so he can't muster any resistance against the half elf.
One thing that stands out inside his mind amid the confusion.
'I am too young to deal with this shit!'