Trimmed hedges, bushes, and trees. Not a single leaf on either the paved ways or the even-cut grass surrounding them. It was nothing short of impressive, how well-maintained the gardens were. Especially given that so far he hadn't really seen any other servants but the two maids.
It left him curious about where all the other servants were, including the army of gardeners that had to be employed to keep these park-like green areas so neat. Compared to the Astrea estate, he had by this time at least met Grimm outside, and only shortly after many other servants throughout the floors—and that in a much smaller place than this gigantic mansion was.
And yet, he hadn't seen anyone else—not even Emilia. Truth be told, after he had been too tired the past evening to seek her out in the gardens, he had hoped to meet her perchance this morning. There were a couple of things he wanted to ask her, after all.
"Disregarding the issue of becoming Emilia's personal knight, or confidant, or even just a servant, there's that prophecy which is really confusing," he mumbled, as he walked along the smooth network of ways dividing the parks. "Would it be too self-centered to think it could really be me that this prophecy is about?—Or naive to not think so? After all, that message… The Star has arrived, was given the very same day Emilia got attacked—the same day I found myself in this world."
But no matter how he wrapped his head around it, he couldn't find an answer. "I know a thing or two about stars and have even been named after some… but why? And how?" Questions to which finding answers was almost impossible, given he didn't even understand what exactly the prophecy might mean, or through which means it was given.
"Lastly, there's the whole other issue… whether I really should mention that thought to anyone, or not." Roswaal mentioned something about a destructive part. "Ruination and Salvation. Pretty big words for someone like me who can barely survive a couple of days in a row." With these and similar thoughts, he wandered for a while through the garden, eventually sighing deeply.
"Good morning, Dear Guest," said a bored-sounding voice, "is something the matter?" As he raised his gaze, he could see Ram having put down the water can, with which she had just watered the flower field next to her—and probably all those along the path to the mansion, given the darker, wet spots sprinkled down the path.
"Good morning, Ram," he said, scratching his head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about what kind of challenge Roswaal will come up with. And you can just call me Subaru."
"I'm sure Master Roswaal will come up with a task worthy of evaluating someone becoming a knight not only in his service, but also Lady Emilia's," she said, regarding him with a curious gaze. "And for now, I must decline, Dear Guest. Until Master Roswaal has decided on your role, I shall treat you as a guest."
Subaru smiled wryly. If her face hadn't been so expressionless, it might've been easier to take, but like that, it seemed just a bit too distanced. Regardless, as soon as Roswaal would decide upon something, it would hopefully change. But… maybe he could make her warm up a bit differently.
"Actually, there is something I wish to ask you," he said, straightening his posture. "Since I want to become a knight, do you know someone who could spar with me?" If he wanted to become Emilia's knight, it was most important that he would actually be able to protect her effectively—meaning he would need to learn how to fight. "Maybe you?" Carol and Grimm certainly knew how to fight, so maybe that was just part of the job as a maid in this world… like combat maids, a trope often shown in media.
"I'm afraid not," said Ram, slightly shaking her head. "I need to attend to my duties, after all. If Master Roswaal wouldn't explicitly deem it necessary, I'm afraid I won't be able to assist." Seeing as how she crossed her arms, she didn't seem too pleased about the prospect. "Furthermore, I don't believe there is anyone in the mansion who is suitable for that—myself included."
"Seriously?" asked Subaru, baffled. "Not a single person in the whole mansion?"
"Is it that surprising?" she asked, scrutinizing him further. "Excluding Lady Beatrice, who certainly wouldn't engage in such activities, all the inhabitants of the mansion were present at dinner yesterday."
"Wait, all the inhabitants!?" he exclaimed disbelievingly. That meant that this mansion was home to… five people. Six, if you include Puck—and now him as seventh. It made the whole thing seem even more ridiculous than it already had been. "But wait… does that mean that all of the housework is done by Rem and you?"
"That is correct. I believe it would be troublesome to find the time to spar, Dear Guest."
"I… I see. That's quite the workload you're doing, then," said Subaru, baffled. For a moment he could've sworn Ram to show a hint of a proud, if not smug smile, but it had disappeared as quickly as it appeared, so it could've just been his imagination.
"Good morning you two," said a third voice—a voice ringing argent. As Subaru turned his head, he could see the strands of silver entering his vision. Before them stood Emilia, and for the first time not dressed in the white and purple dress she had worn ever since they met, but in a completely pink one with a similar cut, but considerably less complex—lacking both the mantle layer, as well as the elongated sleeves. Overall it looked more casual and comfortable… and just as alluring, making Subaru grin stupidly, while Ram returned the greeting with a bow.
"If that was all, Dear Guest, I would return to my duties," said Ram, not waiting a moment before picking up the watering can, and turning around to leave.
Watching her, Emilia then turned her eyes to his. "Did you bother Ram, Subaru?" she asked with a scolding voice, while crossing her arms.
"Huh? No, no," said Subaru, putting up his hands defensively. "I just wanted to know if there's someone around here that could spar with me. I didn't know she was that busy."
Emilia's eyes remained narrowed for a few more moments, until she eventually relented. "So sparring, huh…"
Subaru nodded. "To become Emilia-tan's knight I'll have to be able to properly protect you, after all," he said, flexing an arm.
"Saying something like that… it seems you're reeaally serious about this."
"Of course!" he said with a grin. "But it seems I don't really have someone to train with… except if Emilia-tan would?" It was hard to cover up his hopeful tone.
"Sorry Subaru, but I need to focus on my studies, and I don't really know how to deal with weapons, so…" Despite her gaze being cast to the ground, he could feel her disappointment.
"There's another thing we could do." He hastened to change the subject, uncomfortable from having brought down her mood. "Some nice bonding exercises—just the two of us."
While it did bring her eyes back up to meet his, she gave him a scolding look again.
He got bright red. "I—I mean, uh, you know!" he stammered. "Some exercises from my homeland I'd like to show you!"
"You should've said so from the beginning, you dunderhead," she said, chuckling.
"Nobody says that in this day and age, Emilia-tan," replied Subaru, while guiding her over to a grassy underground.
Even though it was only a short walk from one place to the other, worlds set them apart.
She had snuck up with the others before to take a look at the place from far away, though in the end, they all chickened out from getting closer. This was the first time she'd get a chance to see it from up close.
When she overheard the head's brother talking with her about an urgent task, she was intrigued. And when they had noticed that neither of them could really leave the village, and the other adults were also needed on the fields, she volunteered to do it instead. She knew she could be entrusted with a bit more responsibility. She was barely a child anymore and more mature than all the others anyway.
Proud that the head seemed to think so as well, she informed her parents of her new task, and then hurried along the forest road. Though now, with each step closer, she grew a bit more nervous.
So nervous that, when she finally stood before the closed iron gates, she was unsure what to do. Just pushing them open seemed rude, but there was also not immediately someone close by, and just shouting seemed both childish and unrefined.
Curious, she took a closer look at the gardens through the iron bars. As she shifted her view, two people appeared in the distance, no longer hidden by the metal. However, the moment she spotted them, her eyes widened and her breath hitched. With a shaky hand, she grasped the letter a bit tighter, it just barely not wrinkling from the pressure she now applied to it.
She had of course heard the weird rumors of the noble living there, of the villagers making off-handed comments about his mannerisms, though also always positively speaking of him. So she was shocked when she saw them, making some strange movements… perhaps some evil ritual? Had she been foolish to come here? Were it not for her sense of duty, she might have turned around on the spot. But she had come here for a reason, and—
"You're from Arlam," spoke a voice. As she moved her gaze from the pair she spotted further away in the garden, more closely to the path directly before her, she could see the pink-haired maid that came to the village occasionally standing on the other side of the gate, observing her. "Is something the matter? Did you get lost?"
Her eyes switched quickly between the weird pair, and the maid in front of her, though she eventually took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, I need to deliver something," she said, presenting a sealed envelope. "This is a letter from our village head, Milde Arlam, to Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers."
The maid nodded. "I understand. Wait a moment, I will open th—" she said, as she turned to the lock, but the girl interjected.
"Ah, wait, please. I—Can I give you the letter instead?" Normally, she'd jump at the chance to take a closer look at this mysterious place, to glance into a completely different world than she lived in. Maybe even meet the illustrious lord of their lands. But…
Ram looked a bit confused, but nodded. "Of course, if you wish I shall deliver the letter to Master Roswaal instead."
The girl moved forward to hand the letter over to the maid. Focused on keeping a brave face, she stepped closer. But when a loud "Victory!" rang through the air, she flinched. Letting her gaze wander to the side again, she hastily pressed the letter into the maid's hands, mumbled an apology, and left. Too strange were the inhabitants of the mansion to stick around any longer.
She didn't notice the pink eyes looking after her with some perplexity. In the end, the maid turned around, sighed at the two, and went with the letter in hand to the mansion.
"Vic—Victory!" stammered Emilia, her hands raised into the air—one free, and one firmly entwined with Subaru's.
"Victory!" chimed a third voice in, right in the middle of the two, but even higher in the air than their hands reached.
"Hey Puck!" said Subaru, waving to the cat above. He had barely seen him around the past few days. During the carriage drive he had only shown up very briefly, eventually dozing on Emilia's lap before vanishing again. It was nice to see him appear during his starting hours.
"I heard about your wish, Subaru," he said, floating down to him. "I must admit, you surprised me. Whether positively or negatively remains to be seen, I guess." Puck's ambiguous words could only evoke a pained smile in Subaru.
"Guess I'll have to prove myself to more than just Roswaal then."
"Emilia's safety and happiness are what's most important to me," said Puck, flicking his tail. "Convincing me will be a lot harder than anything Roswaal could come up with."
"I'll convince both of you regardless," he said, turning his pained expression to a confident one—his determination undeterred. "Though either way… most important is Emilia-tan's opinion on all of it."
Upon hearing this, Emilia gave him a faint smile—which led Subaru to puff out his chest.
"At least you seem to have set your priorities straight," said Puck. It sounded almost acknowledging. "Still, I won't just hand you my daughter like that, so you better give it your all if you're really serious about it."
"No," said Subaru, shaking his head. "My all won't be good enough. I'll have to become much stronger and better. Then I'll be able to help Emilia-tan." While it sounded overly self-critical, he had no doubts that this was the truth. He had proven it many times, in failed and successful loops alike.
"So you really want to work hard," said Emilia in a definitely acknowledging tone, much to Subaru's pleasure. "Now that I think about it, there might be something I could do to help you… or, well. Puck, rather than me."
Puck raised an eyebrow, as he looked over to Emilia in wonder—much like Subaru.
"There's no guarantee it will be useful or good at all," she said in a far too quick manner, "but maybe you could learn how to use magic. It should be close enough to spirit arts, so maybe I could help you with that—at least certainly more than with weapons."
Subaru could feel his heartbeat quicken and his grin grow in broadness. Not only would he learn how to use magic, but Emilia would help him with it! "EMT!"
Ignoring it, Emilia continued. "So Puck, would you help with it?"
"Of course, Lia," he said, spinning in the air. "So Subaru, how much do you know about magic?"
What a bothersome guest.
When she first had been informed that Lady Emilia would be returning in company from the capital, she had been surprised, though ultimately neither too concerned nor interested.
That was until he appeared before her. Her strong sense of professionalism had held her back—if nothing else. As he was a guest of Lady Emilia's and had helped her, there was little she could do otherwise. So she resolved to keep a close eye on him.
When she had spotted him talking with her sister, while they were taking care of the garden—herself being on the other side of the allée—she was nervous. Though it seemed he decided to not do anything too suspicious yet. Yet.
Lady Emilia seemed to be unconcernedly talking to him. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as she feared. Or perhaps, much worse. When a gigantic black smoke pillar erupted right where he was, she dropped her watering can and rushed over.
"Emilia-sama!" she called, taking steps that resembled more short jumps. "Is everything alright? Are you unharmed?"
"Everything is alright, Rem," said Emilia, turning her surprised gaze to her. "Subaru was trying out magic and… well. It seems it didn't go too well."
"Trying out magic?" she asked, glancing at the slowly dissipating smoke of blackness—revealing Subaru, lying on the ground with all limbs stretched out from him, and Puck slowly floating down.
"Subaru!" exclaimed Emilia, hurrying over, followed by the still-worried maid.
"See? It was better to keep some distance" said the spirit, chuckling as he sat down on Subaru's chest, though the boy could barely react to it.
Straining his neck, Subaru looked up—first at the Great Spirit, then at them. He managed a weakened smile, but remained motionless otherwise.
As Emilia knelt down to him, Rem observed him silently from a distance. "It seems everything is alright," she said, turning around. "Rem shall return to her duties then." With a wrinkled nose, she took hasty steps away.
Hopefully he would drop whatever his goal is and just leave… that bothersome guest.
Even moving his eyes felt like a chore. If there was a silver lining, at least he had hit his head on the grassy ground instead of hard stone pavement—courtesy of Puck, who had guided him there before. Still, his breathing was strained, and he couldn't move a single muscle without it feeling like running a whole marathon. He was completely and utterly exhausted. And given that this was his first attempt at magic… It seemed his magical talent left great room for improvement.
And yet, it wasn't a complete failure.
As he laid there, pitifully stretched out on the ground and completely robbed of all strength, an angel came to pick him up and carried him to a nearby pavilion, where he rested under her attentive gaze. Having been carried again by Emilia, even though accompanied by some pain, meant it was definitely worth it.
"So as it turns out he has no control of his gate… at all," said Puck, shrugging. "I think there will be a lot of training needed if he'll ever want to use magic." Unfortunately, Subaru couldn't react to the jab. He lacked even the energy to talk, so he had to endure the harsh judgement of Puck stoically.
"No need to discourage him like that," said Emilia in a scolding tone while tipping Puck on his nose, much to the latter's dismay.
"It's not so much discouraging as just telling him the truth," said Puck, rubbing his nose. "He did completely exhaust himself after his mana was only stirred a little bit. Maybe he could do better with a good yin teacher, but…"
Emilia nodded. "Do you think you could ask her?"
Puck immediately shook his head. "I doubt Betty will even consider it," he said, crossing his arms. He seemed to be quite sure of it.
But Emilia was undeterred—stemming her arms into her sides and looking expectantly at Puck, who sighed.
"Well… since you ask… I did plan to spend the day with her today. I guess I could at least mention it," said Puck, earning himself a satisfied smile from Emilia.
"Don't you think she's waiting then already?" asked Emilia, glancing over to the many windows of the mansion.
"…That's a good point, I better hurry, I don't want to let her wait. See you later!" And with just another wink, he was gone.
Sighing, Emilia turned to Subaru and sat down next to him. "Now what am I to do with you?"
Still feeling sluggish, Subaru could do little more than turn his gaze to her and mildly twist his mouth. He wanted to smile, but due to the exertion it did not quite manifest as he wanted.
"You're really…" While it did sound gentle, there was also concern in it—he could see it reflected in her amethyst eyes just as well. Though as their gazes crossed, her eyes shone up. Something had changed.
"Alright," she said, nodding. "Open wide." Saying this, she moved her hand to his mouth. Startled by the sudden action and her fingers touching his lips, he blushed furiously, while failing to produce any intelligible sound, only mumbling something incomprehensible under her hand. Though through that, he had opened his mouth just enough for Emilia to push something in it.
"Chew, then swallow." Said with absolute certainty, and him being devoid of any strength, all he could do was follow her words. The moment his teeth had dug into the wrinkled texture of the thing Emilia had fed him, he could feel a bittersweet taste fill his mouth. He guessed it to be a fruit of some sort, though as he chewed on it, he wondered why Emilia had fed him. It's not like a single fruit wou—!
Electrifying. Shocking, even. There was no real way to describe the impulse that just surged through him. It felt like he had been galvanized, his heart pumping like crazy. Just as this strange fatigue had come over him, it was now washed away in an instant. The soreness of his muscles had vanished, as he shot up without a single issue. Made shooting up by the strange burst of energy that rushed through him, his muscles contracting on their own. With a clear mind he moved his fingers, hands, and legs. It was all back to normal… well, almost. There was a strange feeling of heat in his chest—but otherwise, he felt fine. "What…?"
"That was a bokko fruit," said Emilia, still sitting and observing him as he was gesticulating wildly to burn the excess energy. "It's full of mana that you absorb when you eat it."
Subaru put a hand to his chin. "A fruit full of mana…?" Was it some sort of natural mana potion? There certainly existed restorative items like that in games, so maybe that was just how it felt to use them. "Does that mean I can continue training magic like that?" While the feeling was strange, he could get used to it after a while… probably.
"Absolutely not!" said Emilia, flashing her eyes at Subaru, making him flinch. "Your body, namely your gate, is still exhausted. While you might not be out for a whole day, as you'd be without the bokko fruit, that doesn't mean your body has rested or even regenerated anything."
Subaru scratched his cheek. Seems like it wasn't just like a mana potion after all. If anything, it seemed to be little more than an artificial boost—like one would get from glucose or caffeine.
"I've given you the bokko fruit so you'd feel better and be able to attend the meeting with Roswaal—not for you to immediately exhaust yourself down to your od again."
"I… I see," said Subaru, touching the pulsating, warm spot he felt close to his heart. Strangely enough though, his hands didn't register any warmth. "Regardless, thank you very much, Emilia-tan." What he had normally said with a joyful tone was replaced by a voice absorbed in thought.
"Is something the matter, Subaru?" asked Emilia, seemingly having picked up that something was troubling him.
"It's… about the meeting," he said, sitting down besides her. "There was something I wanted to ask you before… Are you really fine with someone like me becoming your knight?" The words came only hesitatingly over his lips. He didn't want to appear too self-doubting, especially not to Emilia. But he had to know.
Emilia tilted her head. "Didn't we already discuss this? If that's your wish, then I agree to it."
"That's not what I meant," said Subaru, fidgeting with the zipper of his tracksuit. "It's not about you agreeing to my wish for a reward, but… whether you have any qualms with me becoming your knight."
The reasons for Subaru's doubts were manifold. From failing her, to risking her life, forcing her hand, and then demanding such a reward… not to mention the whole issue of the prophecy he barely understood. And even disregarding all these things… maybe she didn't want a knight, And if one, not one like him—or even worse just not him.
"… Nincompoop," she said, shaking her head. "If anything, that should be my question. You're putting yourself at such a risk just by associating with me. And yet you insist on ignoring that—but then ask me if I have such concerns?"
"If you're so worried that someone's in danger just by being close to you, that means you're in some serious danger just as well," said Subaru, maintaining his resolute expression. "And if you think it's so dangerous—then I really want to stay at your side and help you."
He knew that this decision would put him at risk. Emilia had pointed that out vehemently. However, Subaru had been in danger the very moment he had arrived in this world. Beaten down and robbed, it was only due to her kindness that he escaped a gruesome fate. When he ventured together with Felt into the slums, he faced mortal danger over and over again. And both, at the beginning and in the end, it was her who saved him.
"Ignoring it so adamantly…" she began, but then held her breath. "… I didn't think you would choose to become a knig—my knight. Why choose such a reward that puts you in such danger for so little in return?" The answer to it was simple—speaking it out loud, not so much. As Emilia's eyes searched for an answer in his own, she must've seen the conflicted look hushing over them.
"…I can't say I understand your choice," she eventually said, sighing. "But no, I don't have anything against it—against you as my knight. It's just…" Pulling on the hem of her dress's skirt, she took another deep breath. "Promise me something, Subaru." Something in her demeanor shifted. Even though she had been serious before, this sounded even weightier. "Promise me that you don't do anything too dangerous. And if something is too much for you, you'll ask for help."
"But Emilia-tan… if I'm to become your knight, I need to keep danger away from you, not evade it myself," he said, regarding her with a pained expression. He wasn't intent on facing danger—if anything, he'd gladly avoid it forever—but if the choice was to burden her or himself, it was easy to guess which option he'd go for. That's why he didn't budge.
However, he could feel that Emilia wouldn't accept such an answer. So he did what he'd always do to escape a serious moment. "Worry not! Whenever I don't see a way forward anymore, my love will always guide me back into your arms and lap," he exclaimed, followed by the most stupid grin he could produce.
"You just can't stay serious for too long, huh?" she asked chidingly, tapping him on his chest. But there wasn't any force in neither her words nor movement. "But alright, my enigmatic knight-to-be. If that is your way to acknowledge what I said… I'll hold you for as long as you want. It seems that is the only way to keep you from fading."
Torn between bashfulness and shock, Subaru was stunned—much to the amusement of Emilia, who seemed to enjoy reflecting on his playful advancement. However, this was not the only reason for his bafflement. He couldn't shake off the feeling that… Does she know…?
"What's this feeling…?" mumbled Subaru, as they walked down the hallway.
Shortly after their conversation had come to an end, the blue-haired maid had come to fetch them for breakfast. So they were following her silently as she took them to the dining room—up until now.
"Is something the matter... Dear Guest?" asked Rem, turning to him. Her one eye was scrutinizing him, possibly wondering why he'd cause a hold-up.
"It's just… what are all these rooms here used for?" asked Subaru, looking around.
"Rooms to entertain guests, several small libraries, or storage rooms of some kind," answered the maid dutifully, yet seeming slightly bewildered.
"Would you mind if I take a look?"
The maid blinked a couple of times, looked over to Emilia who seemed as confused as she was, and eventually shrugged her shoulders. "Go ahead."
Truth be told, had Subaru been alone, he would've just opened the door, following his whim without hesitation. But as he was in the company of both Emilia and Rem, he had at least to ask. He would've even made up a reason if they tried to stop him, so strange had the feeling he got from one of these rooms been. He couldn't describe it. It was just some strange premonition that there was something different from this room than all the others. Maybe there was some kind of treasure inside? A legendary artifact that called to him?
But whatever he had imagined before he opened the door… it certainly wasn't a small girl pouring a cat a bath of tea—in a teacup.
"Ah, how relaxing," said Puck, letting his arms hang over the rim of the cup.
"I'm not sure if I'm interrupting something here," said Subaru, drawing a grimace, still standing in the door frame.
"What's that, I suppose!?" Upon hearing his voice, the girl turned her gaze to him—glaring. Crumpling the white frills of her red, elaborate dress, she balled a fist with one of her hands, while the other put down the teapot.
"The last inhabitant is… a drill-haired loli!?" exclaimed Subaru, astonished.
The girl narrowed her gaze, glancing at the finger Subaru had dramatically pointed at her for a moment, before looking back up at him. "I don't know what you just called me, but something tells me it should displease me, I suppose," she said, her irritated voice leaving little doubt about her mood.
Unfortunately, her demeanor had no chance of influencing Subaru. Her butterfly-shaped pupils, combined with the pink ribbons which were adorned all over her dress, as well as holding her blond twintails, looked too cute to allow anger to coexist—leading him to just ignore it.
Instead, he wandered inside the room, curious about what had drawn him in there. It couldn't be the countless rows of books, that was for sure, given that he still couldn't read. That was something he might need to bring up and get fixed, though. Regardless, he figured there had to be more to the room… But the only thing aside from the small table close to the entrance, where Puck's cup was placed and the girl's chair to its side, was a bed in a far-remote corner of the room. Neither a chest nor some weapon lying about anywhere. Though, maybe there was something deeper inside the room, hidden by the bookshelves or placed on the second floor.
Alternatively… given that there was a bed here, maybe he had just wandered by accident into this girl's room, misguided by his curiosity about the last resident here.
Subaru shrugged. "Man, Roswaal sure has a bad taste for equipping a children's room. Shouldn't there be some dolls and other toys, instead of books? The colors don't even match," he said, eventually shaking his head.
By now, the girl's left eye was twitching and the knuckles of her hand turned white. "That's enough, in fact," she grumbled—though neither her annoyance nor words were noticed.
"What was that, drill-loli?"
Raising her hand, she yelled, "Get out!"
Hit with a wave of nothingness, Subaru lost his footing—No, not just that. He flew backwards, straight through the door, and crashed into a pillar, just barely missing the big window to the side of it. As his back collided with the stone, all air was pressed out of his lungs, forcing the clenched teeth of his scrunched-up face apart.
Attempting to cushion his fall, he took both arms in front of his face, preventing him from landing face-first onto the red carpet of the floor. It hurt nonetheless, though not as much as he had expected—given that tiny splinters of the pillar were scattered all around him. Still, it was enough for him to remain lying on the ground for a moment.
"Please excuse the disturbance, Beatrice-sama," said Rem, making Subaru look up again—only to see the maid deeply bowing. However, the blond-haired girl merely huffed and promptly slammed the door shut, not deigning to look at Subaru anymore. Only Emilia looked worried at him, wielding a saddened expression. "Subaru, you—"
But he had no intention of just leaving it be at that. Digging his fingers into the carpet, Subaru pushed himself up, and stumbled straight to the door again, barely suppressing his scowl.
"What's the big idea…!?" he shouted, as he swung it open… and entered an empty guest room.
"… Huh?" Subaru looked around, confusion written all over his face.
"That's Beatrice's magic," explained Emilia, after he had turned towards them with an incredulous gaze. "She can connect the library to any door in the mansion. I'm actually surprised you were able to find her." There was clear astonishment in her voice—though Subaru was too preoccupied to notice. Neither did he notice Rem's curious gaze.
"Can't exactly talk about luck, though," said Subaru with audible annoyance. A strange gut feeling had sent him directly flying into a pillar… not exactly how he thought it would go. "Though… Actually, it has nothing to do with luck." As strange as it was… the moment he looked at the cracked pillar, that strange feeling returned—emanating from an other door.
"Dear Guest, could we move o—?" was Rem about to ask, but Subaru cut her short, making her stiffen her lips.
"Not yet, I'll have to check something," he said, walking right past her. This time showing no restraint, he swung open the other door. "Yo, Beatrice." It sounded as casually as he could muster.
Wide-opened, blue eyes stared at him—followed by a loud, shattering noise. Since Puck waved to Subaru, still relaxing in his cup… it had to be her cup that fell to the ground.
"Grrh!" growled Beatrice, jumping off the chair while lifting the end of her dress to avoid the sprawling tea. "Have you come to ruin my time with Bubby, I suppose!?" Despite her accusation, she wasn't directing her saddened gaze towards Subaru, but the shards of porcelain lying on the black and white marble floor.
Despite her rather harsh actions before, seeing her like this sent a pang of guilt through Subaru. He had come here again to prove that he was neither that easy to get rid of, nor that he meant any ill. But now he had literally crashed the little girl's tea party.
"S… Sorry Beatrice. I just thought we started on a bad foot and wanted to fix that," he said, attempting to justify his intrusion. While the forced exit before certainly had left a bad taste in his mouth, that wasn't what had driven him back to find the room after the first attempt had failed. Maybe it seemed nonsensical, but he just had to follow that feeling again, since there had to be some reason he got it. At least that's what he thought.
And yet, Beatrice didn't show any outward change upon hearing his words—until she turned her attention to him. "How can it even be that a ruffian like you is here, I suppose!?" she asked, her voice clearly tense. "The library shouldn't be findable right now, in fact!" His lesson learned, Subaru noticed her anger and raised his hands in defense.
"I dunno," he said, adopting an apologetic smile. "Looks like I have some kind of intuition about how to find this place." For all he knew, that was his best explanation.
"How annoying, in fact," she said, crossing her arms, her eyes still narrowed. "If finding it is all that you wanted, you can leave now, I suppose." Her waving her hand dismissively certainly got the message across.
But just as Subaru was about to turn around, he halted. "… Won't you be joining us for breakfast?"
"Certainly not!" she said, puffing her cheeks. "You really are annoying, I suppose!"
"That's no good," said Subaru, raising his index. "You shouldn't skip a meal if you want to grow big and strong." However, the sudden parental tone certainly only managed to bring back the glare, and it looked like she was considering repeating their past farewell.
"O… Or," he quickly added, making her wait. "Or you could at least come with us and grab a new cup. Or maybe pick up new sweets?" He had seen that on the table stood a platter with some crumbs on them—and quickly deduced it had to be the remnants of pastries. And judged by her widening eyes, it looked like he hit a nerve.
"That sounds like a pretty good idea, Betty," said Puck, peeking over the rim of the cup. "And if it's too annoying or boring we can always just come back."
The girl looked pensive, but ultimately nodded. "Alright, Bubby. If you think it's a good idea, then let's do that, I suppose," she said, picking up his cup. "But you! You impertinent brute, do not intrude upon this library again, in fact!"
"Yes, yes," said Subaru, barely convincing. Despite his earlier worry when she had grown angry, her accusation lacked the same biting tone, betraying her harsh words. "Let's go."
"You made Beatrice leave the library?" asked Emilia, as the three stepped out—with Beatrice closing the door behind them.
"The way you make it sound is almost worrying, Emilia-tan," said Subaru, smiling weakly.
However, Emilia merely regarded him mystified, much to his embarrassment… and pleasure.
The group of five eventually arrived at the dining room, which was apparently just used for any meal, with Rem leading them inside. With this, all inhabitants of the mansion were present.
Roswaal, who had already been sitting at the head of the table, got up upon seeing them enter, while Ram stood to his right. "Beatrice? How nice of you to join us," he said, welcoming her with both arms stretched out.
"Spare me your nonsense, Roswaal," she said, shaking her head. "I already had enough trouble today, in fact." For but a fraction of a second, Roswaal let leak through a hint of sadness—but it remained hidden from anyone else, even Puck, buried under his white make-up.
"How it hu~urts me to hear these hard words," he said, sitting down again and smiling as amused as ever.
But Beatrice simply huffed, moving in parallel to Emilia, who had been moving to take her seat promptly followed by Subaru.
"So, Ros-chi, have you come up with something?" asked Subaru, as Rem and Ram served the food—for each, a platter with an assortment of jams ranging in all colors of the rainbow, a piece of butter, and buns.
"You seem to be terribly e~eager to prove yourself," said Roswaal with his usual expression. "And indeed, you are qu~uite lucky. It seems an urgent task has come up, and I believe this is the pe~erfect opportunity to prove your capabilities."
Subaru's eyes lit up. He had some slight doubts whether Roswaal would've come up with a task already—maybe even trying to stall. But it seems his worries were unfounded.
"What kind of task?"
"It has come from a nearby village," said Roswaal, waving his hand towards Ram.
"I encountered a child from the nearby village of Arlam this morning. She was waiting at the gate, carrying a letter addressed to Roswaal-sama," explained Ram, taking out the letter. "It appears the village is being plagued by a surge of mabeast activity. Here." Walking over to Subaru, she stretched out her hand, offering him the piece of writing.
While Subaru took it, it was clear after a quick glance that these were still utterly unknown symbols to him. "Emilia-tan, do you also want to take a look?" he asked, offering her the letter way too quickly, and earning a questioning glance.
"Subaru… could it be that you can't read?"
Directly hit, Subaru's head sank. "Yeah… kinda," he said, drawing the others' gazes onto him. "I mean, I can read, and write. Just not… your symbols. I've never seen them before."
"That's certainly a cu~urious thing to say," commented Roswaal, visibly intrigued. "After all, these letters are used in e~every country."
Seeing Subaru's clueless expression, Emilia jumped in. "Well, in any case, that's nothing too bad, Subaru. I heard it's not that uncommon… though it will be something you'll have to learn."
"Of course!" said Subaru, nodding eagerly. "Just see, I'll learn it in no time!"
Ram coughed, drawing back the attention to her. "Either way, Dear Guest. I shall continue explaining the content of this letter, in that case," said Ram, returning to Roswaal's side. "It appears the mabeasts around the village are striking the villagers with fear, leading to this request for aid. Apparently, an exceptionally big mabeast is stalking through the forests, and they wish for it to be taken care of." In other words, he should kill it.
"So you want me to hunt a… monster?"
"Indeed," said Ram, ignoring his questioning undertone.
Subaru didn't even have to turn his head to Emilia to see the worry in her eyes. "Sounds… straightforward enough," he eventually said, balling a fist. Monster hunting was not exactly what he imagined to be his first task—especially because he didn't even know that something like monsters were a thing—but he'd take it on just as well. "Just leave it to me, then."
"How wo~onderful," said Roswaal, clasping his hands. "I expe~ected no other answer."
Disregarding the clown's approval though, Emilia objected. "But Subaru, that might—"
"Don't worry, Emilia-tan," said Subaru, puffing his chest. "I'll be super careful. And if I don't find a way—"
"Ah, ah, ah," said Roswaal shaking his index, his voice between humorous and scolding. "You're not allowed to ask for any kind of help from the people here."
"—Eh?" Both Subaru and Emilia looked over at him, seemingly caught off-guard.
"This is a test of your qualifications, after all. Do you fully understand what's asked of you?"
"To kill a monster… meaning to prove that I could take care of a minor issue… as first step to prove my capability as a knight?" He approached each part of the answer carefully, observing Roswaal for any obvious sign of disapproval, like…
Roswaal sighed. "That is certainly o~one part of it, yes," he eventually said, after having left Subaru some time to add something. "First, you will need to ta~alk to the villagers, to find out what the issue is, exactly. And then, I expect you to find a way to ha~andle it." Subaru nodded along—seems like he got it right.
"How do I prove that the task is done? Do you want me to bring the head of the beast or something like that?" He couldn't think of any easier way than to present a trophy.
But Roswaal waved his hand. "Something like tha~at won't be necessary. Rem, Ram?"
"Yes, Roswaal-sama?" replied the two in absolute unison, stepping forward.
"Either one of you will accompany Subaru to the village a~and forest. You shall report to me about anything impo~ortant to ascertain his qualifications."
"Of course, Roswaal-sama." It was as if they had studied this in.
"Subaru-kun, you are required to ask e~either of them to accompany you, whenever you set out to take care of the task. They will observe your steps… so there is no need for other pro~oof," he said, presenting the solution. "Howe~ever. You're not allowed to a~ask them for any help either. Should you need to do it, it counts as fa~ailure, regardless of the outcome, do you understand?"
"Yeah, Ros-chi, I got it," he replied. Looked like he really needed to do this alone.
"How tasteless, in fact," muttered Beatrice, though only audible to Puck, who seemed similarly uninterested in the conversation so far.
"What's gonna happen after I've completed the task?"
"I~If you manage to complete the task to my expectations," he said, showing an unrestrained smirk, "you shall be consi~idered a knight aspirant in my employ, directly serving Emilia-sama."
"Knight aspirant…" repeated Subaru with some awe.
"Furthermore, until you have completed the task, to dete~ermine your suitability, you shall be considered a member of my staff regardless, though of course still assigned to Emilia-sama."
"Why is that?" asked Subaru, now audibly confused.
"You a~are going after a task that was sent to me. It would be unacce~eptable to send someone completely unaffiliated to my name now, wouldn't it? That aside, you do~o want to enter Emilia-sama's service either way—Or has that changed?" The last part was spoken in complete sternness, making Subaru gulp.
"Of course not!" shot Subaru back. "My feelings for Emilia will not be deterred that easily!"
"What an impertinent boy, I suppose," said Beatrice, shaking her head at Subaru's display of emotions—much to his dismay.
"Did you say something, drill-loli?"
"I said you are impertinent, in fact!" said Beatrice, jumping off her chair and stomping on the ground.
"Maybe you'll understand such things when you grow up," said Subaru, not moving an inch away from what he said.
With slow steps, Beatrice moved around the table, right past both maids and Roswaal.
"Your sister sure has a temper," said Subaru, scratching his cheek.
"You're really dense, aren't you?" asked Beatrice, who stood now besides him, with Subaru still seated. "As if I'd be related to someone like him, in fact."
Even though Beatrice stood really close now, he wasn't too concerned. After all, there was no way she'd blast him through the din—"Hrk!"
Confronted with a feeling that only recently had entered his memory, Subaru grasped for his chest and fell off his chair.
As his strength wavered, he looked up to the smug-looking girl. "Y—You…You're not… human…"
"Took you long enough to realize, I suppose," she said, turning away after having gleed enough at his condition.
While Emilia knelt down besides Subaru, Beatrice picked up Puck. "Bring me a towel and an other cup, this has been enough foolishness for a day, in fact." Escorted by Ram, the girl left the dining room, not throwing back a single glance.
Though Subaru was by then already feeling the same soreness he had felt earlier—it was as if he had run out of mana again. Only that it hurt even more this time, and both his head and mind feeling much heavier.
"You really shouldn't have been so mean to her," said Emilia, turning Subaru over so that he faced the ceiling.
"I certainly hope you will be more tho~oughtful approaching your tasks," said Roswaal, audibly amused. He could imagine the clown's smirk even without seeing him. "And that this here was not the limit of your diploma~atic abilities."
Since Subaru had been unable to retort, the man continued. "Nonethele~ess, it appears that you won't be able to show me any progress, how… disa~appointing."
Subaru's eyes twitched, his lips attempting to form a word. "B—B…," he said, barely being able to form more than a hoarse whisper. Only when Emilia leaned in closer, she could hear the singular word being muttered. "Bokko."
"Don't be silly," she said, shaking her head. "You just recently had a bokko fruit. Today, you have to rest." Judging by her tone, she was not pleased about his request.
But Subaru had understood Roswaal's message. He could hardly sit back and do nothing for a whole day—mere moments after having received his task. So he directed his pleading words to her. "Emilia-tan…"
Even though he could see her conflicted gaze… he had to ask for that. And judging by her taking out another fruit… she understood that as well.
However, as opposed to last time, this time his body reacted much less favorably to the mana infusion. Feeling incredible pressure in his chest, he rang for air, which his lungs would not let in. His heart beat so fast he thought it might jump out of the ribcage.
"Argh!" he said, eventually violently coughing, as his lungs allowed air to enter once more, taking away the looming feeling of suffocation. Slowly, his body was returning to normal. And yet, while his limbs lost their soreness, there was a burning, lingering effect spread throughout them. Without a doubt, taking a third bokko fruit would mean nothing less than to be gambling with his life.
"Th—Thanks," was the only thing he pressed out, as he returned to his seat, ignoring all kinds of pain and discomfort that pulling himself up had brought with it. Be it only to not worry Emilia any more. Though remaining silent, she did eye him worriedly still, sitting down besides him.
"Let us retu~urn then to what we were discussing—before you angered Beatrice," said Roswaal, shrugging his shoulders. "As I had expla~ained, you shall be acting as a representative of house Mathers. And as such, there will surely be a uniform fitting for your cu~urrent status." But not for your potential future one, that much Subaru got from his words. "Rem, please make sure that Subaru-kun is prese~entable before he sets out."
Rem bowed down. "Of course, Roswaal-sama."
"Ve~ery good," he said, clasping his hands. Just before he continued, Ram reentered the room through the side door, silently returning to her position. "So, what do you intend to do first then, Su~ubaru-kun?"
He thought for a moment, weighing his options and the requirements of the task he'd been given.
The details were still hard to grasp. More than anything else, what he needed now was information. About the specific problem he had to solve, the circumstances, these so-called "mabeasts"... And to acquire that information, and determine his next course of action—
"I think the first thing I'll do is… go to the village!"
Author's Note
A huge thank you to the beta reader of this chapter, [LookingGlassInsect], who aided me once more to hopefully provide a nice reading experience for you.
Comments since last chapter:
Chris8719: I'm sure everything will go well. The included POV kinda shows this, right? Right?
ZACK2357: Thanks! I do hope it will stay nice until the end.
