DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Re:Zero and other products related to the this series are all owned by Tappei Nagatsuki.

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Chapter 15: To Avoid a Foe, Make a Friend

After weaving through issues by carefully planning ways out of messes that could have killed him, Subaru knew perfectly that every chance he got to prevent his death was good to take and... bad to remember about.

That entire scenario had been so surreal, so sudden- it made him realize how things weren't as simple as they were in Lugnica. At least, not as simple as a history book would explain when it comes to medieval times. While it was common for Japan to experience assassins and ninjas causing death and destruction, that was because the nation was shattered in warring states. But was this even a possibility in an unified state such as Lugnica? Yes, it was a Feudal Monarchy with various lords being autonomous, but was this enough to proliferate the assassins lurking around and attacking people out of nowhere?

It felt so upsetting and dreadful as it created a new issue to be concerned about while moving around and away from places that were safe for them. The roads were no longer passable without an active escort group to keep them protected. Why didn't Roswaal plan for something like that? Was it arrogance on his part or the ignorance that moving without protection wouldn't cause them any issue despite Emilia's relevance in the current event. In fact, how come he didn't think of this if he was so determined to push her as a winning candidate? The more he thought about it, the more Subaru realized that there was more to it. That attack maybe wasn't as unexpected as Roswaal had made it appear by reacting so foolishly against it. No, he knew that something was going to happen. He just didn't plan anything to prevent it. Willingly.

But why did he cause this sort of mess? Or rather, why did he allow this mess to happen in the first place?

Slowly but surely the young man abandoned the tedious task of finding a reason behind the thinking of his current boss on this matter, and actually shifted his focus on how he was supposed to prevent this problem from happening once again. He technically couldn't do much, but Emilia was the one that had the most control over this sort of decisions. Speaking of which, the girl had been 'prevented' from doing awkward things with him. In fact, he had taken this chance to wake up with her, early in the morning, to actually educate her on her own 'attraction' towards him. Puck was annoyed to no end about it, but the familiar agreed that the young woman needed that form of knowledge to not 'be tricked by any malicious individual wanting to hurt her'.

And while it was quite uneasy to explain the details of how romance and sex worked, they both left that conversation with more ease towards one another. Subaru knew that he had to concede to a degree, but not to the point of sparking sudden romance. Instead of pressuring himself into a relationship he wasn't sure he could deal with without hurting Emilia, he just promised her that, once this visit was over, they could go around relaxing for a whole week. Just so that Emilia's mind was brought away from the paperwork and into a peaceful rest from that draining experience. Meanwhile Emilia looked a bit embarrassed 'for some reason', and was quick to apologize out of the blue for being too 'pushy' at times. He knew what she meant, but the way she was conveying it could have been easily mistaken at this point. He just... 'forgave her'.

Still, the main issue remained: how were they meant to make it back home without getting captured and killed by that crazy woman? Hiring guards now wouldn't be feasible due to how much money they could handle right now. Roswaal had been keen to limit their capacity to buy things or people, thus hiring muscles was not an option. So... if they couldn't hire, how about exploiting someone that already had muscles to offer?

"Subaru?"

The young man blinked, his thought-train derailed by that call. He looked to the side, Emilia pouting a tiny bit as she was clearly annoyed by something.

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright," She conceded, the half-elf's narrowed eyes showing she really didn't. "Still is there something troubling you to the point of ignoring me for a few minutes now?"

She really sounded annoyed, but the dark-haired youth had a plan. A plan that, hopefully, would win them some support in the long run.

"I just... noticed something. I had a nightmare and... and I realized that it was a possibility."

He couldn't exactly relay to her what happened, how his ability to 'reset' time when he died, but he could still fake it as a 'what if' he dreamed about from the looks of it.

Emilia blinked, her frown mellowing. "What possibility?"

"You know, it's odd that we don't have someone to guard us. It's just that if someone decided to hurt you, they wouldn't have to deal with much in case they paid for your death."

"T-That's not going to happen," Emilia reasoned nervously, confident on the lack of issue, but nonetheless shocked by the topic. "Rem would be able to dispatch any attacker."

"...Rem isn't going to be enough."

"He got you here, Lia. I think I get what he is trying to say," Puck remarked as he emerged from Emilia's necklace and settled on her chest. "Rem is strong, but she is just one. If an assassin with magical skills is involved, they could stun her and kill us inside the carriage."

"That's... but wouldn't that be risky?" The half-elf argued thoughtfully. "Killing a Royal Candidate just like that, after my presentation?"

"Not after your presentation and how this could have alienated some nobles," Subaru remarked curtly. "You wish to help the poor and the needy, Emilia. That, in their mind, means you will care less for them."

"B-But I didn't say that."

"You didn't need to," Her familiar confirmed. "The assumption and the presumption are both there for them to be wary about. So, you will be targeted one way or another."

...

"How... how do we avoid getting attacked now?"

"Well, leaving the capital without a guard would be risky, but we can't hire one with how limited our funds are right now," The young man admitted, yet smiling as he had a solution. "Which is why we could use the chance of making new friends and allies while also exploiting the fact they have guards themselves."

The half-elf blinked, curiosity stirred by Subaru's intriguing proposal.

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

Subaru relayed the info and Emilia... frowned. Hard.

"A tea party?"

The surprise in Anastasia Hoshin's voice was no exaggeration. After all, this offer presented nothing short of a delightful way to kill two birds with a single stone. Maybe three if her aim was just set right for the shot. Still, the sudden arrival of her future cute rival for the throne had set her in quite the peculiar mood. After all, Anastasia had planned to initially keep away from handling her potential foes just yet. There was so much to do now that she knew what they could do and what they were up to, so it was reasonable to just fix her defenses for any issues and then plan an attack on those she didn't like.

But Emilia? Emilia she felt amused by. It was adorable how the silver-haired girl came forth with such a naive and yet potentially good idea on how to rule. In case of this rival's victory, Anastasia could see the half-elf grant her a chance to be around and still make a solid profit to make up for all the expenses made in her own campaign. In the opposite scenario, the merchant would have granted mercy to Emilia too. After all, she wasn't going to cause her any trouble and, who knows, maybe become a potential friend in the process.

Still, the offer had left her mind stirring with wonder at what may have caused the half-elf to be interested in such a crafty approach. It was clear it wasn't just a simple ploy to make friends. Maybe it had it in its secondary purposes, but a clever woman as Anastasia could pick up there was more to it. Surely there has to be something... right?

What do you think?

Normally a woman thinking loudly in her mind and then expecting an answer would make zero sense, yet Anastasia was special due to a 'feature' that made her equally clever and dangerous to deal with. She was never alone as her most trusted adviser was there to provide her with guidance in times of need.

I think the girl is cute.

Ah yes, her familiar, Echidna, sure knew how to connect with her when she needed to. She was always there and they were bound by shrewdness and brilliance, something very few people could obtain through that sort of bond. They 'found' each other in a way and... she trusted her with her life.

Am I right~?

There was a shared giggle, but soon the serious bits of that conversation came up.

Still, I think they're up to something. Especially the boy. He is fidgeting a lot, and Emilia is looking at him many times.

Maybe she's looking for moral support.

As if that's the only thing those pretty eyes want from him.

The innuendo was missed by the plum-haired trader as she had noticed the tension between these two. Julius had already told her that Emilia had reacted quite protectively to her adviser so... it made sense that perhaps there was a sweet romance in the making. And, if she had to be honest, she found it so adorable. And precious.

Now I want that.

I thought romances were not part of the bundle when it comes to acquiring the world.

Bah! I want them as my potential adviser. Look at them, they're so cute together!

Indeed, there needs to be more than just that to claim them as advisers.

Oh my, there's no need to be so tight about them. It's not like... you have been ogling at the boy for a while now, ah~?

The merchant felt her 'scarf' tighten up a tiny bit. S-Shut up! His scent is familiar, yet wrong.

Oh? Didn't know you had a lover~.

That's not what I said and you know that! Plus, I think that it was owned by a woman.

Oh... So, you actually like women? Is this why you're ogling at Emilia too now~?

Anastasia, I love you as a good person, but I fucking detest you right now.

Love you too, vixen~.

Ugh!

The enlightening conversation with her most trusted minion ('minion' my furred butt!), Anastasia could tell that the decision was one and the same as before. Should she entertain the notion of a potential trap for the sake of expanding her retinue with good administrators and 'heart-speakers'? Perhaps, the answer to it wasn't just a yes or no. Maybe... it could be something more exciting for her and more awkward for them!

"I will agree to this on two conditions!" Anastasia announced eagerly. "First, Lady Emilia and the Margrave shall join my carriage, and, second, I wish for Mimi, Hetaro and Tivey to join Natsuki-san in your carriage."

The triplets instantly looked surprised at this novelty, yet their attention was aimed at the confused young man. Oh yes, Anastasia's plan was to primarily 'charm' Emilia into being a potential ally before any trap could be activated, while the Pearlbaton Trio will have the indirect job of mellowing the potential planner of this trap to misspeak and reveal any plot against her. It looked amazing as a plan and she could already tell her and Emilia were just going to have a blast through this.

If only she knew that the match-up was going to be even more amusing than she could have predicted.

AN

Could this be the arc where Barusu's lolimancer skills evolve into something more powerful? After all, a head pat can go for girls and boys without any hesitation.

And before anyone asks, Anastasia is more into the playful aspect of 'seducing' people, she isn't an actual Womanizer. Although I think Fox!Echidna has some inner plots to understand why Barusu smells of 'Gorgeous Bipolar Woman'.

P.S. The reason why Anastasia was picked was a strategic one: 1) Going to Felt would just get Emilia too jealous and think Barusu is plotting something; 2) Crusch lives on the opposite direction of the path they need to go to return to the Manor; 3) Priscilla- yeah, no.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

REVIEW Q&A!

Able and Table: Pandora pulled what many would call a Gamer Move.

A. J Savage: Problems can be solved with ease if, in the process, one ends up creating more problems too. I think there's a formula somewhere about this sort of stuff, but Barusu may have solved a deadly issue by getting himself three foxy-eared ones (+Familiar/Scarf).