Ram's eyes were wide open. Her breathing became shallowed and her nerves were shaking. It was difficult for her to process the image before her.
Apart from her friends and loved ones, three knights stood in the main foyer hall, along with Micah. Ram's lips pulled into a fine line. Considering what she had been doing at Micah's inn, it didn't take her long to figure out what was happening.
She had been caught.
"Ram-san! Thank goodness you're here!" Emilia sighed in relief. She then pointed at the knight in charge. The father of the man Ram had been seeing so frequently.
Heinkel Astrea.
"Heinkel-san has been saying some very rude and untrue things about you since he got here! He's been going on and on trying to convince us that you've betrayed us and how you're involved in some huge scandal!" As Emilia caught Ram up on the situation, the half-elf supported her friend without a second thought. "But I don't believe it!"
Ram glanced at Heinkel, who wore a devious smirk. He had his arms crossed in a leisurely fashion, as if he was just a normal guest. Tearing her eyes away from the disgruntled man, Ram looked to Subaru, Rem, and Beatrice, who all wore wary expressions.
The pink-haired oni knew that none of them were responsible for this. There was only one possible way for her entire reality to come crumbling in a disastrous heap.
Her eyebrows furrowed as Ram shot a menacing glare towards Micah, who winced at the eye contact.
Although she wasn't entirely sure of the circumstances, one thing was all too clear. Micah ratted her out.
But even with that obvious solution, Ram was still puzzled at many other separate questions she had.
For starters, why would Micah go to the knights about their affair? If he wanted to get some money for insight on a juicy story, he very easily could have gone to a publishing agent instead.
It just didn't add up. Especially with Micah's personality which Ram had gotten to know over the course of her knights spent with Reinhard at that desolate inn.
One good look at Micah answered that for Ram however. Her previously harsh glare morphed into that of sympathy once she saw the faded scars all across his body. He had been tortured for information.
Meaning...
"Heinkel-sama," Ram spoke in a soft, yet menacing tone. "Just what is the purpose of this?"
She took a couple steps forward, her eyes narrowing at the three knights. Walking over to her friends' side, Ram locked eyes with the man with scruffy hair, who looked all too pleased to speak.
"Why Ram-chan! Is that anyway to speak to your guests?" he jeered. Ram clicked her tongue.
"Forgive me. May you introduce yourself then before you explain yourself?" Ram asked with a raised brow.
The man she was conversing with sported a wide grin as he bowed deeply. "You may address me as Neil. I am a knight of the Royal Guard. And this here is Isaac, who is of the same rank." Neil pointed to the man behind him with a more stone-faced expression. Isaac held on to Micah's arms tightly as the man tried to free himself.
"Oh, and this is Micah-san. Though I'm sure you two need no introduction," he chuckled.
Ram sucked in a breath as she bared her teeth, seething in anger at the cocky individual.
"And I suppose you already know who I am," Heinkel smirked. "Heinkel Astrea, Deputy Commander of the Royal Guard. Nice to meet'cha."
"Why. Are you. Here?" Ram spat out, her fists shaking. She knew she couldn't hide how she was feeling. The rest of the Emilia camp eyed her worriedly, with the exception of Roswaal.
He looked at Ram as if he was studying her.
"Heinkel-sama is... What he has been telling us is that you have been deceiving us all, Ram-san," Frederica explained.
"Deceived?" Ram repeated.
Emilia nodded her head. "Yes! And it's suuuuper ridiculous! There is no way Ram-san would ever deceive us!" Pointing at Heinkel and the other knights, Emilia gave a stern expression as she stared at them with her amethyst eyes. "They said they'd wait until you arrived here to reveal anything, but I think there's nothing to reveal! It's just a bunch of nonsense!"
Subaru gulped. He knew this was bad. Especially with Roswaal present. If it was everyone besides him, he was sure this wouldn't be a big deal. But with the court mage thrown into the mix, he was sure there would be some conflict.
Still, as much as he wanted to stop it, Subaru knew he couldn't do anything. He just had to hope that the best-case scenario would come to pass.
Beatrice gripped onto her contractor's hand, sharing his concerns. Just in case, she had some spells and mana prepared if it was needed. And a part of her thought that it may be. Considering the tense atmosphere that was undeniable to everyone present.
Rem, who had stayed silent the entire time, couldn't hold it in anymore. She could not handle such disrespect to her sister for much longer. Gripping the hem of her maid dress, Rem stomped forward threateningly to Heinkel and the rest, her blue eyes brimming with anger.
"Why are you here?!" she shouted. "What business do you have with us? How do you know of such things? Why do you even care if my sister is 'deceiving' us or not anyways?!" Pursing her lips waiting for an answer, Heinkel merely laughed in her face.
"Why little maid, why don't you ask your master over there?" he pointed. Rem followed his finger to see it pointing at Roswaal.
"H-Huh?" she gasped.
"R-Roswaal-sama?!" Frederica exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this? What is this about?" The tall maid wore a concerned expression, unsure of how to react to this new information.
Roswaal lowered his gaze as his eerie smile remained unchanging. Folding his arms, Roswaal let out a hum as he finally lifted his head.
"Hmm... I supoooosse this is a raaaather unusual predicament. Though I guess I should have been more hoooonest with you all," he drawled.
Ram's mouth was open in shock as her eyes widened at her master. "R-Roswaal-sama. What do you mean?"
Roswaal pressed his fist to his chin in thought. "My deeeeaar Ram. You didn't thiiiink I wasn't aware of your many triiiiips to the capital, know where you? Although I have nooooo complaints regarding you being more adveeeenturous. I must admit a paaaart of me was rather concerned with how ooooofften you were leaving us."
"So you assign Heinkel-san and other knights to spy on her?!" Otto shouted in a fury. "That is an indescribable violation of privacy!"
"I kneeeew that Ram was lyyyiiing to me about her numerous exploits, Otto-kuuun!" Roswaal boomed. "You thiiiiink I should have just asssskked her politely as to whaaaat she was up to?"
Otto held back any argument he was willing to say as he stopped dead in his tracks. Truth be told, he was also a bit suspicious as to what Ram had been going off to do these past weeks, but he knew better than to pry about it. Whatever Ram did in her spare time was of no concern to him.
Roswaal however thought differently.
"As a meeeemmmber of my staff, I would prefeeerrr to know about any and alllll activities Ram participates in. On and off the job," he said lowly. Turning to glance at her, Ram looked down in shame, unable to look Roswaal in the eye.
"And, it appeaaaars as though my decision was the correct one. Seeing how ooooobbviously guilty Ram looks."
Rem rushed to her sister, as if trying to shield her from Roswaal's gaze. "Roswaal-sama! I can assure you that whatever Sister has been doing, no matter what, it causes utterly no harm to yourself or this camp! Please, do not listen to these villains!" After that declaration, Roswaal simply chuckled at Rem's plead.
"Do not woooorry Rem. I am not annnngry at Ram. I just merely want to know what she has been up to! Although I know that the Swoooord Saint is involved somehow, I am sure that it is nothing major that can't be talked about," he grinned.
Truthfully, Roswaal wasn't expecting the bombshell about to be dropped to be all that massive. He had thought Ram was possibly getting a bit too chummy with Reinhard and the Felt camp, and in consequence either purposefully or accidentally slipping them information regarding both himself and the Emilia camp's goals. Considering that Ram knew about his end goal of killing the divine dragon Volcanica, an act that would be considered treason by all of the Royal Guard and possibly the Kingdom of Lunica in its entirety; Roswaal simply wanted to take precautions to make sure Ram stayed distant from Reinhard, the Felt camp, and all other royal camps in the process.
It was lucky for him that Heinkel resented his son so, otherwise he would have found someone willing to spy on Reinhard and Ram difficult to locate. However, Heinkel eagerly took the opportunity to dig up some dirt on his son, and possibly ruin his name.
What Heinkel did with the information regarding his son mattered little to Roswaal. And if it turned out there was nothing secretive or diabolical involving the two then it would be great. If there was anything however, Roswaal would be sure to lecture Ram appropriately and bring her back to his side, where she belonged.
He had gotten this far. He couldn't be found out now.
Unfortunately though, things possibly would have gone over much more smoothly if Ram had just formed a simple alliance with Reinhard and spilled all of Roswaal's plans and goals to him.
"Noooow then, Heinkel-kuuuun! Why don't you explaaaiiin to me what daaaastardly plots my precious Ram and your precious son have been concocting!?"
With a sinister smirk, Heinkel swept back his flaming red hair with a glint in his blue eyes. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't keep you all on the edge of your seats any longer," he chuckled. "In my investigation, I unearthed a horrifying discovery, Margrave Roswaal. Your precious maid—has been having an affair with my son."
The reaction from everyone varied greatly. Ram looked down in shame, exhaling shuddering breaths as she was on the verge of furious tears. Rem managed to show the pain Ram refused to reveal, tears slipping down her cheeks as she wondered what unimaginable shame and embarrassment her sister must have been feeling.
Having such personal and private information aired out like dirty laundry for all of her friends to witness, it was humiliating to say the least. Ram couldn't even begin to describe the embarrassment she was feeling. She wanted to tell everyone when she was ready, not have it exploited for these knights' own personal gain.
She wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. She wanted to shield herself from the world, and just go away. She couldn't look anyone in the eye, only staring at the ground below her as her lip quivered and trembled with anger. She wanted to cry. But she couldn't show it.
It was humiliating. It was infuriating. It was shameful. She hated this feeling. She hated how vulnerable and emotional it made her. But how could she not be?
When the topic of the man she lived was revealed to everyone so suddenly?
Subaru took notice of Ram's hidden emotions, and sympathized with her greatly. He gripped Beatrice's hand tightly in his, and he looked down at her with a determined expression. Beatrice mimicked the same determined face Subaru had, and both silently agreed that they wouldn't let Heinkel get away with this.
Taking notice of Frederica, Otto, and Emilia's reactions, Subaru processed varying degrees of shock and disbelief. However, the man Subaru was most worried about seeing react, managed to stand completely still, face void of any readable emotion.
That was until, the clown laughed.
Taken aback, everyone in the hall looked at Roswaal in disbelief and for some in particular, caution. This act was unexpected of the mage, and it made Subaru and Heinkel on their nerves' end.
"How amuuuusing!" Roswaal guffawed, after taking a breath. "What a ridiiiiculous story, Heinkel-kun! You don't haaaaave to lie, you know?"
Subaru's eyes were wide open. At first, the fear in his eyes was present, but it then became overflowed with hope. They might actually have a chance to turn this around.
"Do you reeeeaaally think of myself being that stupid, Heinkel-kun?" Roswaal continued. "I know you were planning on betraying me at some point, but I neeeeever thought you would go to suuuuuch lengths in order to damage me and my camp's reputation."
Yes. Yes! They actually had a chance!
Subaru managed to grin wide as he placed his hands on his hips. "That's right! I don't know what you and Ros-chi were planning, Heinkel-san. But if you were planning to tear us down along with Reinhard you chose possibly the worst lie to tell!"
"H-Huh?" Ram barely squeaked out. She looked back to Roswaal and Subaru, who gave her a subtle wink. Gratitude showed itself through the look she gave to Subaru, happy for his presence.
And Roswaal, he believed in her. He sided with Ram instead of Heinkel, refusing to believe such a story. But that only made the guilt settle even more.
"Sister was just planning on a secret surprise for Roswaal-sama!" Rem suddenly shouted. Ram gasped in shock, amazed at the boldness of her blue-haired twin. "You think that just because you couldn't find anything damaging on her you could go and make up a story that would?!"
Ram was in disbelief at how Rem could tell such a bold-faced lie right to Heinkel's face and in the presence of Roswaal, but she was thankful nonetheless. Otto gave a sigh of relief, signifying his trust in Rem's account and immediately dismissing Heinkel's. Frederica also placed a hand over her chest, while Emilia pumped hers in support.
"That's right! You're being a reeeeaaally mean person, Heinkel-san!" Emilia pointed. "It's not nice to lie!"
Heinkel's face went red as he sputtered in anger. "I-I-It's not a lie! Dammit all! I'm actually telling the truth! I admit I have my faults, but even I'm not scummy enough to make up false stories about who's sleeping with who!"
"And yet you'd gleefully reveal such private information if it was true?" Frederica prodded. She glared at the knight, crossong her arms in disgust.
Clenching his fists, Heinkel turned to Neil and Isaac for support. "Hey! This is where you come in with the evidence!"
"Evidence?" Subaru repeated. A small bead of sweat ran down his cheek. He hadn't expected any evidence to be recovered.
Grinning, Heinkel recovered his earlier smugness as Isaac brought Micah forth. "Yes! You see here, we got one key witness! Ain't that right, Micah? This here is Micah everybody! And he's got quite the story to tell! Go on! Tell'em! Tell'em everything you know!"
Micah glanced at Ram, her eyes wavering as faint tears formed at the corners. He then closed his eyes.
And then he shrugged.
"Yeah, I've seen her around before," he began. Ram silently gasped, a look of betrayal on her face.
"She'd often come to me at my inn for some baking recipes. Though I don't know anything about the Sword Saint. I've never seen him before in my life—"
*THWACK*
Micah was harshly cut off as Heinkel delivered a piercing slap to the young man's cheek. The force was enough to split the skin, causing a thin line of blood to trickle to his chin.
"Bastard! Tell the truth!" Heinkel shouted.
"I am telling the truth!" Micah exclaimed. "That pink-haired lady kept going on and on about how she wanted to bake the most perfect cakes for Roswaal-sama or whatever. It was getting really annoying!"
"Tch!" Heinkel grit his teeth in anger as the blood boiled within him. "Damn you! You fuckin' pricks!"
Subaru responded to Heinkel's insults with a smug smirk. It looked as if Ram's secret was safe for now. Although things would get awkward eventually, he was just glad it wasn't revealed in this sort of fashion.
Ram collapsed next to her sister, almost sobbing in relief. Rem then soothingly rubbed circles on Ram's back, hoping to calm her down.
"It appears as though things will turn out all right, I suppose," Beatrice muttered.
"Ahhh… Well well well well well. It looks as if I'll have to step in now," Neil said exasperated.
"Hmm?" Both Isaac and Heinkel looked to their colleague somewhat surprised. They had thought this was the end of the road for them, but apparently the shady knight had more in store.
"That was really sweet of you all to stick up for that pink whore over there, but sadly I got something that will convince even Roswaal over there…" he murmured. Reaching into his bag, Micah pulled something out.
And Ram lost it.
"You fucking bastard!" Ram screamed. She lunged forward, murder in her eyes. The only thing stopping her being Rem who tackled her to the ground out of fear the knights might retaliate against her. As much as she wanted to stop them, she knew that their rank signified tremendous power and skill. And with Ram's current state, there was no way she could fight them level-headed.
"You piece of shit! How dare you?! Fucking bastard! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" As Ram continued to scream at the top of her lungs, eyes bloodshot and red, Micah whistled in amusement as his two cohorts beside him stared at him.
"Oh my. Do you recognize this, perhaps? Well, of course you should! It's yours! Isn't it?"
Everyone in the hall was absolutely disgusted. Bile rose in the back of Subaru's throat at the absolutely horrendous action Neil had taken. Swinging a piece of cloth around his fingers, the shaggy knight looked at his most gleeful as Ram finally broke down, humiliated and shamed beyond belief.
"Come on! Don't tell me you don't recognize one of your own stockings!" Neil laughed.
Isaac was stunned. He already felt an immense blow to his honor assisting Heinkel in such disgusting behavior, but for one of his colleagues to go this far. This disgustingly, repulsively far. It was sickening.
"Neil…" Isaac stuttered. "Where on earth did you—?"
"Find that? Oh, it was in one of the rooms at the inn tucked away behind a drawer. You really ought to work on your investigating skills, Isaac. Geez. You really are an amateur."
Roswaal finally let his calm mask slip, and was stunned. His mouth was slightly open as his eyes were widened to their fullest.
"Oh? No come-back this time, Margrave? Of course, a lot of questions are probably rummaging through your head right now. But rest assured, I am telling the absolute truth," Neil grinned. "This stocking belongs to your little maid over there, but I'm sure you're already aware of that. And…there's even a little splotch of evidence that can be traced back to our kingdom's finest knight! You can take a look for yourself, if you'd like…"
"Hideous pervert!" Frederica seethed.
"How repulsive…" Otto winced.
"What the fuck…"
Subaru could never have expected this. He had never expected such a disgusting degenerate of a man to do such a thing. But with that, now there was no way to come up with a reasonable excuse.
"I see…" Roswaal said quietly. "So you were telling the truth after all."
"Roswaal-sama!" Rushing over to the mage, Rem fell to her knees as she desperately tried to plead with him. "Roswaal-sama! Listen to me! It's not Sister's fault! Please! Please don't punish her! This…This was never supposed to happen! It wasn't meant to be like this! It…It…"
Her voice grew quiet as broken sobs escaped her. "Please…" she whispered. "Please don't hate Sister for this…"
Turning to the other twin sitting on the floor, Ram made eye contact with Roswaal, and the guilt and shame finally came to a head.
"Roswaal-sama…" she cried. "I'm so sorry…"
Slowly, Roswaal took a step forward. He continued walking until he was standing right in front of Ram. She let her head drop as she braced herself for whatever punishment Roswaal would exact on her for her betrayal.
To everyone's surprise though, Roswaal lowered his open hand down, and patted her on the head.
"Why Rem…" Roswaal said. "I could neeeeevver hate my precious Ram."
"Huh?" Rem's eyes filled with hope as relief washed over her heart. "Roswaal-sama…"
"It's not her fault. Rather, there's nothing to blame her for. She did nothing wrong," Roswaal continued. Ram looked up at Roswaal teary-eyed in gratitude.
She very nearly almost broke down then and there. Him showing such understanding and compassion, it made her happy. Even if she felt like she didn't deserve it.
"Roswaal-sama…" she gasped. She wanted to hug him in relief, but before she could act, Roswaal turned away.
"However, I cannot forgive the one who has tarnished Ram in such a fashion."
In an instant, a blast of pressure escaped from the margrave, the hall becoming overflowed with mana.
"W-What is this pressure!?" Subaru shouted. The force of Roswaal's magical aura blowing wind through his black locks as Roswaal began to levitate off the floor.
"Roswaal-sama! Wait!" Ram shouted. She reached a hand to him, but Roswaal was already too far for her to reach.
"Do not fear my dear Ram," Roswaal said while looking down at her, a menacing glint in his eye. "I'll try and make his death as painless as possible."
A glowing orb then formed in the palm of his right hand, before he extended it to blast a hole through the roof of his own manor. Such disregard and carelessness for his own property revealing the true extent he was willing to go to.
Exiting through the freshly made hole in the ceiling, Roswaal then shot forward with such tremendous speed that a loud book echoed throughout the atmoshpere, leaving the rest of the people present staring up in disbelief.
"What… What the hell just happened!?" Otto shouted.
Heinkel was just as stunned as everyone else. When he came back to his senses however, Subaru delivered a sharp punch to his jaw, knocking him back.
"You jackass!" he shouted. "Are you happy now?!"
Heinkel stared at him in a daze. "H-Huh? What?"
"Thanks to you, Roswaal is now going off to confront Reinhard! And it didn't sound like he was planning anything friendly."
"This is bad. This is really bad…" Otto gulped.
Frederica breathed heavily. "If…If Roswaal-sama is planning on fighting Reinhard-sama, then—"
"The destruction will be unimaginable, in fact," Beatrice interrupted.
"No…" Ram whispered. "No!"
Trying to alleviate her sister's worries, Rem went to her side for comfort. "D-Do not worry, Sister! Reinhard-sama is the strongest there is! Roswaal-sama won't be able to harm let alone kill him!"
"But can the same be said about Roswaal-sama?" Otto wondered. "If we're to believe he's in such a fury right now he might go on a rampage, it's likely Reinhard-san might have to use lethal force against him."
"No matter what the outcome will be, it's bad," Subaru said. "I doubt Roswaal could kill Reinhard, but if he does enough damage then Reinhard will be forced to kill him. Lugnica will be in shambles either way…"
This was the absolute worst outcome imaginable. Subaru had to figure out a way to stop them from fighting no matter what.
"So… Ram-san has been having s-sex with Reinhard-san? And Roswaal is really mad about it?" Emilia questioned.
Subaru affirmed her conclusions. "Yeah. Love triangles are a dangerous source of drama and conflict. And these dickweeds are the ones who broke the story." Glaring at the three knights, Subaru stared at them with contempt. "As much as I would like to beat the snot out of you guys, we got bigger problems at the moment."
Heinkel fell to his hands and knees, sweat dripping from his face. "This… This isn't what I wanted…" he cried.
Frederica frowned at the broken man. "If that is really the case, then you better work with us to solve this issue," she said. Turning to Subaru, she looked at him supportively. "What do you have planned, Subaru-sama?"
As everyone turned to Subaru for guidance, the black-haired knight furrowed his brows as he thought of a plan.
"There really isn't much we can do. Roswaal is faster and stronger than all of us, but if we do have a chance at reaching either him or Reinhard, we can possibly prevent a fight from breaking out," he deduced. "Ram! Go with Emilia and Otto to the carriage! Take Frufoo and move as fast as you can!"
Otto nodded. "Yes! Um… Where do we go though?"
"To Roswaal-sama," Ram said. standing up, she clenched her fists as she glared in determination. "We must stop him before it's too late."
Subaru nodded supportively to Ram, before turning to Frederica. "Frederica, I want you to look after Meili and Petra while we're gone. Don't let them out of your sight."
"Hmm?" Frederica vocalized. "You're not staying here, Subaru-sama?"
"No, I'm got another plan in mind. Plus I gotta look after these tools," he said with disgust. Isaac and Heinkel wore dishonored expressions, while Neil just looked bored.
"Thank you Barusu," Ram smiled. "Truly."
Subaru smiled as well, before his face grew serious once more. "Don't spend anymore time dawdling. No go!"
As the three began to run towards the exit, Ram turned to face Micah. "Thank you, Micah. Ram is forever in your debt."
Micah weakly chuckled. "Thanks. I can tell both Roswaal and Reinhard mean a lot to you, so I hope you stop them from fighting over you," he said. "Good luck."
Ram smiled softly, before dashing out the door. They had no more time to talk, now they just had to do.
As they took off in the carriage and Frederica went to comfort the girls, Subaru, Beatrice, and Rem ran out of the manor shortly after.
"What's the plan, Subaru-kun?!" Rem shouted as they ran.
"The only thing I can come up with is getting Clind-san to help us. If he can teleport us to the capital we can possibly warn Reinhard. If not, then maybe we can have him assist us in restraining Roswaal."
Rem nodded. "That's a good plan. And really the only one we got."
"You said it!"
"Gagh!" Rem screamed at the sudden appearance of Micah. "What are you doing here?!"
"Ram and Reinhard are my friends! I'm not just gonna abandon them!" he shouted back.
Rem pursed her lips as they continued running. "I see. Thank you, so very much."
Micah grinned wide. "Heh! It's no problem! Reall—"
A sudden gasp, and Subaru and Beatrice stopped in their tracks. Hearing the distraught cry of Rem, they turned around to see Rem in shock as she stood still.
Both Subaru and Beatrice grimaced at what they saw. A blade having been pierced through Micah's stomach, blood seeping into the grass.
"Oh come the fuck on…" Eyes rolling in the back of his head, Micah collapsed onto the ground as the blade was pulled out of him.
"You bastard…" Subaru muttered in a fury. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Swiping a hand through his shaggy hair, Neil wiped his blade clean of the fresh blood. "Aha… Sorry 'bout that. But you see… This is one of the rare opportunities where the Sword Saint can be put in his place. If the Margrave goes on a rampage and ends up killing a few dozen people, then that'll surely be a huge toll on him! And if he dies… Even better! I've always hated that goody-two shoes. If he finally ends up dying thanks to that clown, it will be a weight off my shoulders!"
With no hesitation, Rem withdrew her Morningstar before throwing it towards Neil, who managed to block it with his blade, being pushed several meters away.
"I won't forgive you for what you've done…" Rem growled. "To my sister. To Roswaal-sama. To Reinhard-sama. To Subaru-kun. To Micah-kun either. Rem will defeat you."
Neil just grinned. "Oh? Is that so?" Taking a stance, he readied himself. "Well then, come."
—
Reinhard was bored.
Sure, Felt was back. And he was currently spending time with Julius and Felix. But he was still craving for something more.
Something in the shape of a pink-haired maid.
"And that's when I told Crusch-sama; 'Let it fly!'"
Julius chuckled. "That's a very amusing story, Felix. Although I feel a tad sorry for Crusch-sama."
Felix giggled. "Aww don't worry about it! Crusch-sama is doing just fine after that little pancake incident!" Felix turned to Reinhard hoping for some more commentary, but the redhead stayed silent.
"R-Reinhard?" Julius announced.
"Hey, Reinhard-kyun!" Felix groaned. "What's on your mind?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Reinhard hummed as he took a sip of his tea. "Oh, just Ram. That's all."
"Huh?"
Both Felix and Julius looked at Reinhard with furrowed brows.
"W-What?" Reinhard asked, uncomfortable by their heavy stares.
"Did… Did you just say 'Ram'?" Julius asked.
"I did?" Reinhard blinked. "Wait, oh no."
Dammit. He had let it slip.
"D-Do you mean Ram-san? One of Subaru's friends?!" Julius asked, his voice raising.
"H-Hang on a sec!" Felix sputtered. "I-Is that the reason why you've been avoiding us lately?! Cause you've been heading off to meet with a lady?!"
"I…" Reinhard began fidgeting with his cup, unsure of what to say.
"Reinhard. You can tell us anything. You're aware of that, correct?" Julius said supportively. Reinhard then suddenly stood up, eyes clenched shut.
"I.. I have to go right now! I'm sorry!" In a split second, Reinhard dashed out of the diner he and his friends had gone to, and left them in the dust.
"Hey wait! Reinhard-kyuuuun!" Felix cried out. Banging his head on the table, Felix pouted in sadness. "Geez! What's his problem!"
Julius gave a deep sigh. "I'n not so sure, Felix. But… I believe we should let Reinhard be for the moment. It apoears as though he's going through a rough patch."
Felix pursed his lips in concern, fidgeting with his drink. "Well, if you say so, Julius-kyun."
Reinhard meanwhile kept on running. He ran and ran until he made it back to his manor, in which he finally allowed himself to take a deep breath.
"Hey. You're home early," Felt greeted.
Reinhard gave a weak chuckle as he waved to Felt, giving a wry grin. "Hehe… Yeah…"
Felt just rolled her eyes. "So? What's the matter?"
Reinhard sighed as he sat on the ground. "It's just… I miss Ram. I know it hasn't been long since we've last seen each other, but I really want to see her again."
Felt shrugged. "So? Why don't you?"
"Why don't I?" Reinhard himself seemed baffled at the suggestion.
"I mean… You said you two are a thing now, right? Best to make it official to everybody as soon as possible. Ya can't keep up this act much longer, Rein. I suggest you get to it."
Reinhard looked down at his feet. "But… Is now really the time?" he wondered.
Felt blew a raspberry as she got up and smacked Reinhard on the back of his head. "No time like the present! Come on! You love this chick, don't you?"
Reinhard slowly nodded his head. "Y-Yes."
"Ya wanna be with her forever, right?"
"Of course I do!"
"Ya want to support her, cherish her, please her, and hold her through thick and thin?"
"Yes! Of course! I love her!"
"Then get out there and shout it to the whole damn world, why don'tcha!?" Felt demanded. "I don't wanna see you comin' back here unless that lady's in your arms on the way!"
Reinhard looked uo at Felt. The feisty blonde looked down at him with a smug smirk. "Felt-sama…"
"Come on! Don't give me such a pathetic expression!" Felt said as she rolled her eyes. "Listen, Ram loves ya, and you love her. But ya can't keep this shit a secret no longer! So I want ya to go to her, and break the story with everyone you know."
Reinhard bit his lip. "But… Will it be okay?"
"It will if you're together!" Felt beamed. "If everyone sees how happy you two are together, they'll get over any biases or judgement they have immediately! Trust me."
Standing up, Reinhard gave Felt a genuine smile. "Thank you, Felt-sama. For everything."
Felt grinned. "Don't mention it! Now get out there!"
Felt didn't need to say it twice.
Reinhard was already out the door. With his super speed, he was able to dash out of the capital in record time, not planning on stopping until he got to Roswaal's manor.
He kept running and running, not even needing to take a break or catch his breath. Thanks to his Divine Protections, Reinhard was able to keep a steady pace as he dashed across the land.
He knew exactly where Roswaal's manor was, and he even took a shortcut to get there faster. A risk to that shortcut were mabeasts and the like, but Reinhard ran past them faster than they could register, so there was no danger to him at all. Not like there would be if the mabeasts would attack anyways.
However, as Reinhard continued to run through the forest, he saw someone that made him stop in his tracks. Dust kicked up behind him, as Reinhard looked curiously at the individual standing across from him.
"Yo. Been wonderin' when ya'd get 'ere."
Reinhard held his arms at his sides. The person across from him was someone he was acquainted with. That being Garfiel Tinsel. The blonde demi-human gave a tooth-filled grin at the Sword Saint, his vest removed.
"Garfiel-san?" Reinhard called. "Is something the matter?"
Garfiel scoffed at his concern. "Heh! You's could say t'at. I's all yer fault after all. If it weren't for you's, my amazin' self would actually 'ave a shot!"
"What are you talking about?" Reinhard asked. As he began to think of possible reasons Garfiel would be antagonistic towards him, one of the possibilities stuck out more than the rest in Reinhard's mind. "Garfiel-san, you're not mad at me because of Ram, are you? And… How do you know about that?"
"How I know about ya two ain't important, what is important is that you two won't be a t'ing no more afta I'm finished wit'ya," Garfiel threatened.
Reinhard frowned. "I see. My deepest apologies, Garfiel-san. I understand you are hurting, but please think clearly. You have a good heart. It is not in your nature to harm others. And I would rather not fight you as well."
"Trust me, this's hurtin' me too. Y're like ma hero. An' that makes you an' Ram bein' together even worse." As the boy shook in anger, he clenched his fists as he bared his fangs. "I ain't gonna kill ya. Not like I could. But my amazin' self is gonna rub yer face into th' dirt, an' then we'll see who Ram likes better!"
"Garfiel-san, please!" As Reinhard desperately tried to appease with the angry boy, Garfiel growled as he allowed himself to give into his beastly instincts.
In a short few seconds, his normal young boyish figure morphed into that of a massive, towering tiger. A sight which made Reinhard look up to him in pity.
"Forgive me… Garfiel-san," he whispered.
The boy—no, the beast in front of him slammed his fists into the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying which pushed Reinhard back. In his monstrous form, Garfiel then gave a deafening roar which shook the heavens.
It was here that Reinhard knew that he would have no choice but to face him for Ram's heart.
And he would not lose.