'WHAT?!' you mentally exclaimed. After hearing that both of the girls that had been traveling with Omega were now dead, you couldn't hide your shock, and somebody took notice.

"Ara~ Why are you so distressed, (Y/N)?" Elsa inquired with a lick of her lips.

You turned toward Elsa, who was sitting across the table. Everybody suddenly hushed as they heard the Bowel Hunter claim that you were not at ease.

Quickly, after a dry gulp, you came up with a lie to tell to the curious faces. "Only Subaru will understand this, but I just realized that I was never able to delete my search history before I got here."

Subaru nearly fainted after hearing this. "NOOOO! I didn't delete mine either! As a shut-in, there wasn't much diversity in my activities, so I did some things that I totally regret! Why, cruel world?! Why didn't you give me a warning?! Somebody, somewhere, might see my search history and think that I was a freak! (Y/N), this is bad!"

You sighed in relief as the rest of the table looked between you and Subaru with confusion.

"Th' h'll is'a search his'try?" Garfiel asked. "I ain't understandin' tha' word."

"That's exactly how I feel when you talk..." Subaru mumbled. "But like (Y/N) said, only I know what a search history is, and the rest of you don't ever need to find out what one is."

"Yes," Echidna declared. "We have no need to linger on this topic. Now, as the game has ended, it is time for us to return to the 'real world'."

Emilia looked disappointed, which most likely stemmed from the fact that she expected to meet the other Witches while in the Castle of Dreams.

Otto sighed. "To be honest, this is the most fun I've had in a long time. Now, I have to go back to all of that paperwork... Perhaps we can play again in the future."

Echidna donned a smile and replied, "Of course. Time flows separately in here than the time of your world, so only moments pass as we play this game. I suggest that we begin a campaign in which we play once biweekly. While having fun and loosely preparing for unexpected situations is important, I must not distract any of you with this entertainment."

Subaru seemed confused by Echidna's reply, but he shrugged his shoulders. "That sounds good. Now, I don't know how we got here because we closed our eyes, but do your thing and bring us back. Once we're out of here, (Y/N) and I need to look at an application for The Crusaders that came in yesterday."

Otto grimaced. "You'll be surprised when you see who sent it," he commented.

Subaru looked intrigued. "Who-"

His words were cut off as he ceased to exist.

Everybody except for you had been returned to the real world, so Echidna was the only company left.

"(Y/N), we will continue that discussion at a more appropriate time. For now, review that application. We need to recruit as many allies as possible, as Pandora seems to be taking action against us. It is no coincidence that Colette and Palmyra died the same day that Lust attacked us. With that said, we must be weary of those who interject themselves into our midst. Be careful."

Echidna slipped deep into thought as you nodded your head, and the Castle of Dreams warped back into reality.

At the moment you became conscious of the world change, you pulled the pendant back under your shirt. Everybody except for Omega was uncomfortable because of their unfamiliarity with this change, so they did not notice this action.

"You know," Meili thought out loud as she looked around, "we played the game for so long that I forgot that you look different here," she said to Omega.

Omega - who looked like Makise Kurisu from Steins;Gate - nodded. "I cannot have my alternate form discovered, so I hide myself like this. Of course, since all of you now know my identity, you can see through my illusion if you concentrate enough."

"Wow!" Emilia exclaimed. "That means that you trust us a whoooole lot, right?"

Hiding her irritation, Echidna answered, "I suppose. Now, I do hope that you do not betray this trust. If anybody were to expose my identity, I am sure to find a way around my soul-binding contract with Subaru, which forbids me to harm any of you."

Meili remembered some of the fear that had slowly dissipated, but Elsa didn't seem bothered.

Garfiel shrugged and Beatrice didn't react, while Subaru tensed up. Echidna had proven in the past that she could be very scary, and Subaru was the one who had the best reason to fear retaliation.

Meanwhile, Emilia had none of these thoughts. She beamed a smile and said, "Then we will be okie-dokie! Because promises are very important, and I know that we really care about them! Wait... that's wrong... I mean most of us care!"

"I can't help but feel like I'm being targeted..." Subaru mumbled.

Beatrice crossed her arms. "You are correct, I suppose. Now, get going, in fact. Betty is curious about this new application."

Subaru mischievously grinned and patted Beatrice on the head as he countered her. "I know that you're lonely and want to make some more friends, but I didn't think that you'd be so direct about it!"

As Beatrice began to stomp on Subaru's feet, Omega didn't even notice. Her attention was slipping away, and if not for her acting skills that had become second nature, her face would have betrayed the first sign of vulnerability that anybody had seen in centuries.

Useless.

Feeling useless was something that Echidna hadn't felt in over four hundred years, and she hated it. Not only did she hate feeling useless, but also all of the other emotions that seem to have been slowly developing for the past six months. These feelings reminded Echidna too much of the past, and she didn't like it.

Time Skip

It wouldn't be surprising if Otto's office was comically small.

That's what you thought the first time you went to visit it, but it was actually a normal size.

Filing cabinets (made by Subaru, refined by Clind) lined a wall, with a desk in the middle that was somehow always organized, even though important papers and documents dominated its surface.

At this moment, Otto was locating the new application for the Crusaders as you and Subaru stood behind his desk.

Omega had requested to look around the mansion to familiarize herself with it, even though this was just an act. Nobody knew that you and she could communicate telepathically, so she decided that she needed to 'explore'.

For some reason, Beatrice followed her and presumably gave the tour herself.

Subaru had commented that the spirit had a really special place in her heart for Echidna, and the fact that Omega was technically Echidna meant that Beako felt differently about her than anybody else did.

Back to the present, Otto was able to quickly find the new application from a folder in the filing cabinet closest to you. "Here," he said as he handed the paper face-down. "I have mixed feelings about this person, so it really is up to the two of you if we accept them..."

You took the paper and flipped it over, wondering who this could possibly be. Otto didn't know what to do about them, so this must be a very interesting person.

Both you and Subaru stared at the name written in sloppy ink at the top of the paper. Now it made sense why Otto reacted the way he did - this applicant was Al, Priscilla's knight.

You scanned the rest of the page and noticed that the name was the only thing written in ink, as the rest was completed using a typewriter. You 'invented' typewriters after the defeat of the events of the Sanctuary, and they had gained extreme popularity in a very short time. The fact that Priscilla, the arrogant, prideful, and stuck-up woman, used these was surprising.

Subaru, on the other hand, was shocked for a different reason.

In one of his failed loops, Priscilla had berated him and kicked him in a rage. He had seen nothing but bad come from that woman, but her knight was now applying for something that he was partially in charge of.

Otto noticed both of these reactions. "You see what I mean?" he sighed. "The issue is not necessarily because the applicant comes from a different camp, but because of the camp he comes from. I have not met his mistress, but from what I have heard about Barielle-sama, she cannot possibly have entirely good intentions. I doubt she is the type of person to set aside personal opinions in order to contribute to a cause, and her reason for joining you is just as elusive. Unless she has a past that is tied with the Witch Cult, she doesn't care about helping us defeat them. The only reason that she might want her knight to join The Crusaders is to gain popularity, but even that is a stretch."

"No, that can't be it," Subaru remarked. "Priscilla doesn't give a crap about any of that. She thinks that everything will go her way, so she doesn't go out of her way to make things happen. If anything, this could be out of spite..."

'What do you think, Echidna?'

'I do not know, and I strongly suggest that you leave me alone for the remainder of this day. I have many things to consider, and I seem to be operating less efficiently than usual. When I have reached a conclusion, you will be informed.'

You were thrown off by Echidna's odd behavior, but you didn't say anything else to her. Sometimes, alone time is better than having somebody trying to help. With Collette and Palmyra dying and Pandora beginning to move, there was surely a lot to think about.

"Well," you said out loud, "I don't think that Al is doing this on his own, so I guess that Priscilla has some motive that we don't know about."

Subaru nodded his head. "Priscilla is a very odd woman, but there's something else that I'm wondering about. How strong is Al? We've never seen him fight, and nobody has ever talked about him."

"Sorry, but I have no intel on him," Otto said apologetically.

Suddenly, Clind opened the door and gracefully interjected himself into the conversation. "Perhaps I can help. Elegant."

This had you interested. Echidna was weary of Clind, so him knowing about Al added another reason to make the butler seem suspicious. "How so?" you asked.

"I have found that asking the person in question yields the most efficient results. Conclusion."

Subaru sighed. "Clind, I thought that you actually knew something... The problem with asking him directly is setting up a meeting or sending a letter and hope that it actually gets to him."

Clind shook his head. "That is not necessary. Aldebaran and his mistress have just arrived at this mansion, and they request the audience of you and (Y/N). Announcement."

"WHAT?!" Both you and Subaru stood in place, not sure if Clind was messing around.

The butler nodded his head affirmingly. "They are right this way. Directions."

Time Skip

When you and Subaru arrived at the lobby that was located right behind the main doors, you saw Priscilla and Al standing as they waited.

"This residence does not impress mineself, Aldebaran. This decision may need to be reconsidered," Priscilla noted with irritation.

"First off, you know that I don't like it when you use that name. And don't forget that you were the one who wanted to come here," Al replied. When he noticed that Clind had returned with you and Subaru in tow, he added, "Look! There's the two boys who we need to talk to. It would be a waste to turn back now."

Priscilla glared back at her servant. "Do not twist my words to make mineself seem to be inferior to lowly commoners. Now, who are these mongrels who made us wait far too long?"

You deadpanned. "Well, you might be dumb, because we're the people that you just asked to see, and I know that you've seen us before. And about that, it would be nice if you gave us a warning at least two to three business days before you suddenly show up."

Subaru was shocked by the fact that you didn't try to be polite, and Al shook his head as Priscilla hid her face with the flick of her fan.

"You've done it now, brother," Al sighed. Turning to Priscilla, the helmeted knight slowly raised his arms. "Princess, we shouldn't kill them yet. I mean, it would get rid of some competition, but it would make things really messy for me, so I'd appreciate it if you would let this slide."

"Heh!" Priscilla chuckled.

She lowered her fan, which revealed a grin on her face. "This commoner is interesting. His commentary held no weight, so I shall not kill him for his insolence. I must admit that mine readiness to insult the vulgarness of this audience preceded mine sense. Boy, give me your name!"

"It's (Y/N) (L/N)," you stated plainly.

When you gave your name, Priscilla seemed genuinely impressed. "Ah, I see!" she exclaimed. "You are the one who created those wondrous machines! I must express the amusement that mineself has experienced through your typewriters! They are very intriguing things!"

Subaru raised his hand. "What about me? I helped with that!"

"Hmm?" Priscilla asked. "I would like to pretend to have forgotten thy name, but alas, (Y/N) has made it very difficult for me to do so. Natsuki Subaru, the commoner who embarrassed himself at the capital, you have changed. I now deem you boring."

"And that's what I call a plot convenience," Subaru mumbled.

He wanted to ask why the two of them were here, but it was now becoming apparent that the chances of Priscilla answering his questions were becoming lower. Since this was the case, Subaru looked to you, and you understood the assignment.

"By the way, I saw your application for The Crusaders, Al. Is that why you're here today?" you inquired in Subaru's place.

The knight nodded his head. "Princess told me to join you guys because it seemed interesting, and then she wanted to swing by and see if I got in."

"Aldebaran," Priscilla chastised, "you make mineself seem childish. Please choose your words with more care." She then began to address you. "But yes, mine servant applied to this organization because I thought it to be entertaining. I have not witnessed any noteworthy battles during my time in Lugnica, so mineself will have Al fight in The Crusaders. In fact, I demand to see a battle right now. Aldebaran, fight (Y/N)."

"Wait, what?!"

"Princess, are you-"

"Be quiet, you fools!" Priscilla ordered. "I will witness a battle today. If you are so reluctant to fight mine servant, then consider it to be a part of the application process, even though the possibility of rejection is nonexistent."

You and Subaru gave each other a look and shrugged since some of Priscilla's logic actually made sense for once. Both of you had wondered just how strong Al was, so fighting him would answer that question and make the decision easier.

All of a sudden, Clind came from behind with a tray of tea in his arms.

While the four of you had been conversing, he somehow went to the kitchen, brewed tea, then walked back without you noticing that he was gone.

Scary.

"Very well, esteemed guest," the butler bowed while still balancing the tea. "The training area is located on the other side of this property, so if you would follow me, a battle can begin in less than twenty minutes. Declaration."

Priscilla victoriously smirked and walked past Clind, ignoring the tea. "Very well. Escort mineself to the battlefield immediately. Aldebaran and (Y/N), prepare to fight amusingly."

You looked at Al, and he shrugged. "Once Princess has her mind set on something, she doesn't change it. Trust me."

"You can say that again..."

Time Skip

While Clind escorted Priscilla to the training field, you, Al, and Subaru went to the small armory that held the practice swords that were going to be used.

Subaru wasn't going to fight, but he still had a purpose in tagging along: asking questions.

"So Al," the dark-haired teen quizzed, "how in the world do you put up with Priscilla? She seems like a child who never learned that rules apply to her too."

"I don't mind it," Al replied from behind his helmet. "She's definitely a tough woman, but I couldn't leave her if I tried. I guess I see myself as her caretaker of sorts, you know?"

"The more I know about her, the more Priscilla actually seems like a child..." Subaru noted.

Al chuckled as he shook his head slowly. "First off, Princess would've had your head for not using her honorific, so I can tell you that she's not helpless like most children. Be careful about that, brothers."

You and Subaru nodded, so Al continued.

"And she's been through a lot more than you'd think. I won't say any more, but Princess is one of the most amazing people that I've met. Most people would've gone crazy or depressed in her shoes, but as you see, she's still kickin' with everything she's got. You tell people not to judge your Emilia-sama so harshly because of her looks, so I'm going to ask you to take a similar request and not immediately judge Princess because of her personality. She's just got some bad stars, you know."

Subaru was stunned by Al's words, and the following silence was only broken when Emilia's voice chimed in.

"Ah! I'm surprised to see you here, Al-san! When Frederica told me that you were about to fight (Y/N), I was super worried, but I guess that I was just being a worrywart. I heard what you said, and now I'm going to be extra nice to Priscilla now!"

Emilia beamed a smile, which changed Subaru's entire demeanor. The uncertainty disappeared from his gait, and his voice was now confident. "Emilia-tan is so pure! Maybe I can muster up a tenth of her kindness today and find it in myself to be nice to Priscilla, no matter how tempted I am to slap her! Sorry, Al, for asking so many inconsiderate questions!"

Al rubbed his helmet. "I feel like that apology was pretty inconsiderate... but I don't mind. There isn't much that really gets under my skin, so don't feel bad, brother."

"Well then," you interjected, "is it fine if I ask just how strong you are? Going into fights and not knowing about my opponent usually leads to a loss or a very hard-earned win, so it makes it easier if I can know a little more about you. And I get that this seems a little selfish, so I'll let you ask me some things too."

Al chuckled. "You're a really blunt one, you know. That takes some guts, but I guess you aren't scared of many things... Well, like I said, I don't mind, so I'll spill some of the beans. I'm stronger than your average guy, but I ain't nearly a match for those knights like Julius, and certainly not Reinhard."

"Well," you thought out loud, "that makes us about the same. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

Helmet reflected the light spilling in from hallway windows as he shook his head. "Nah, I'm a man who likes to wing things, so I'll just figure things out as they happen. If it comes to it, I just have to hope to have some good stars and then win."

"Um..." Emilia said as she asserted herself once more. "This might be a little late but giving a compliment to (Y/N) is something that convenience can't stop me from doing!"

You, Al, and Subaru stopped your trains of thought and looked curiously at Emilia. What in the world was she talking about?

To Al, she proclaimed, "You said that (Y/N) isn't scared of many things, and you're right! I've only seen one thing really give him the heebie-jeebies, and that's his 'search history'! I have no idea what that is, but that proves that he's a super brave knight!"

Subaru facepalmed and you sweat dropped. There were plenty of things that you were afraid of, but Emilia apparently didn't notice any of that since everything she witnessed was a part of the final loop in each conflict. To add on to that, Al wouldn't know what a search history is, so this just made you look stupid.

"What?" Al gasped in surprise. "(Y/N), you know what a search history is?"

"What? You know what it is too?" you replied with the same confusion.

"What?!" Subaru exclaimed. "Does everybody here but Emilia know what a search history is?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"..."

Time Skip

"I never thought that I'd find people like me here," Al cheerfully noted as he walked toward the training area with a wooden practice sword.

"Yeah," you replied. Since you and Al were going to fight soon, both Subaru and Emilia took a separate route to give the two of you some time alone. This meant that less ears were listening to this conversation. "I thought that the only ones who got sent here were me and Subaru- oh, and that Krusty Krab guy!"

"Heh," Al snickered. "There's a Krusty Krab here? Who would've thought..."

"You've got that right. And by the way, how long have you been here? It's been a little over six months for me."

"Hmm..." Al scratched his helmet, trying to remember the answer to this question. "I suppose it's been about eighteen years or so."

Your mouth dropped. "Seriously?! I didn't expect that. I guess that whatever's been pulling people into this world has been doing it for a while then..." You'd have to tell Echidna about this, since she is definitely going to have a lot of fun when she hears about it.

All of a sudden, Echidna's voice pierced your mind. 'Just because I do not wish to receive direct messages from you does not mean I cannot detect your thoughts.' She mentally sighed.'(Y/N), I am astonished by the amount of information you have already given this man. Of course, he does not seem to be a foe, but I have reason to suspect that he is not a simple knight. If he was summoned from another world, there is no reason for him not to have an ability in the way that you possessed regeneration and Subaru possesses Return by Death. Be careful and observant in your fight.'

'You have a good point. I'll see if I can pick up on anything when I fight him.'

There was no response, so Echidna must have gone back into her retracted mode.

However, unlike the Witch, Al still wanted to talk. "One day, I was making a milk run, and the next thing I know, I'm here. To be honest, so much has happened that I think I'm losing the plot. Do you have any idea why we're here?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "The world might never know."

"Amen to that, brother," Al sighed. "I never did get to tell anybody about my real past, so finding somebody who came from the same place is a relief. It doesn't matter much anymore, but now this world is a little less lonely. Of course, I have my hands full with whatever Princess is doing, so I don't really get time to think about stuff like this, but knowing that someone out there kinda understands you makes your cold chest a little less cold, you know?"

You looked up at Al's face, but couldn't make out his facial features since he was wearing his helmet. "To be honest, I really connected with you until the very end. I might not be the most emotionally stable person, but I haven't gone dead inside yet."

Al looked back at you and noticed that you were looking at his helmet. "Is that so... Well, in any case, I just have one favor to ask you."

"What?" you asked.

Al pointed at his head. "Make sure not to hit this helmet, because I don't think that I can go on about anything if my face shows. It got really beat up, so I'd rather not have anybody see it."

As he asked for this favor, the training field finally came into view.

With a grin, you answered, "No problem. This isn't a battle to the death, so I wasn't planning on going for the head anyway."

After that comment, Al went strangely silent, so the two of you didn't converse for the rest of the short trek to the training ground.

"You took long enough!" Priscilla complained with a raised voice. She looked down on the two combatants, and when she saw the wooden swords, she sneered. "How will mine interest be piqued if there is no real danger? This fight will now be as entertaining as two children bickering over an insignificant conflict."

"Princess, no matter how much I want to fight with a real sword because you told me to, I don't want to kill (Y/N), and I certainly don't want to die either. I'm sure that (Y/N) and I can get pretty interesting with these swords, right?"

You nodded your head along with Al. "I want to find out what Al's capable of, so it's going to get pretty intense, even if we're only using these practice swords."

Priscilla thought about it for a second, and everyone else, which was Subaru, Emilia, Clind and Otto, looked at her, wondering what the arrogant woman was about to say.

Priscilla, ignoring this attention, narrowed her brows. To you, she stated, "Mine memory places you with a rare ability to regenerate all wounds. Why do you refuse to fight my servant seriously?"

You scratched your hair and explained, "Well, I guess you haven't heard about this, but I lost that ability about half a year ago."

Priscilla paused for a second, and then her features slowly grew dark. "How is it possible to lose an entertaining ability such as that?! Mineself now regards you as lower than a commoner: you are now filth that cannot hold its worth-"

"Princess," Al interrupted.

With fire in her eyes, Priscilla turned to Al. "You dare interrupt mine sentence, Aldebaran?"

Al raised his sword for everybody to see. "You wanted to see us fight, yeah? I say that you show some mercy to this kid and let him prove his worth in our battle. You like seeing high stakes, right? What kind of fight would it be if you knew that he would be fine even if he got hit?"

The fire dimmed in Priscilla's eyes, and her composure returned. Covering her face with a red fan, she amusedly declared, "Mine servant makes a very valid argument. Therefore, I demand that the battle begin immediately."

You and Al shrugged, and the two of you made your way into the battle area.

As you walked, Emilia commented, "Priscilla is actually a nice person, isn't she? She was acting all mean, but then she listened to Al and stopped talking bad about (Y/N)."

"Tsk," Priscilla sneered from behind her fan. "Mineself does not wish to converse with you, wench. I am here to cure my boredom, so mine visit is not related to you whatsoever. Do not speak to me until this battle has concluded."

Emilia giggled, which made Subaru love her even more, and Clind's eyes twitched at the amount of disrespect that his guest was experiencing. As a butler, the needs and demands of guests came first, but Emilia and Subaru did not seem to understand that at all.

Priscilla noticed none of this, as her eyes were now glued to the training ground. The majority of this large area was flat with no obstacles, but its perimeter was lined with trees on two sides, so there were a few opportunities to use the landscape to enhance one's combat prowess.

Perhaps this would actually be fun.

An ad break [not] sponsored by the Hoshin Company:

"Come buy stuff from us so that we can get rich and help your economy! One of those things is a lot more important than the other, so spend your money now!"

You and Al stood across from each other, swords ready to strike.

There were cheers of "Good luck!" from the sideline, and you smiled. Before you could respond, Clind, the official of this match, raised his hand and then brought it down in a quick motion. "Begin! Declaration!"

As soon as the butler's hand came down, in an attempt to use the advantage in opportunities that two swords offered, you immediately charged at Al- or so he thought.

As the helmeted knight backed away from your feint, you stepped to the side. "Ah, so you're one of those..." you noted.

"Yup," Al replied. "The way I fight people is by outwitting people and catching them by surprise. I don't like fighting head to hea- Dona!"

All of a sudden, a wall of earth launched itself at your face, and you chanted, "Akra!"

Just as you imagined, a golden light enveloped your body, and you were granted enough strength to kick against the earth spell, which sent you backwards while simultaneously destroying the wall.

As you landed on your feet, Priscilla shouted, "Stop!"

Both you and Al looked at her, and you couldn't help but be confounded by this girl. Could she not make up her mind?

Giving you the answer to this question, Priscilla proclaimed, "(Y/N)! You shall not use that magic, for it is boring to see others use it in combat. If mineself wanted Aldebaran to fight a being who uses Akra, I might as well fight him. All spells are allowed except for that one! Now, continue."

You disengaged the spell and turned back around with disappointment, but at least you gained some information out of this. Priscilla used Yang magic, and that explains why she was so dangerous. Akra meant that she was buffed, so she could easily kill somebody if she got angry enough. As it turns out, her threats were anything but empty.

As you resumed the fight, Al suddenly launched himself forward with a shout of "Dona!"

He rode the wall of earth, which propelled him at an alarming speed toward your body. Without Akra, this would be difficult.

At least you could gauge how powerful he was against an average knight. That was about the only silver lining in this new situation. That, and you were able to test your abilities without Akra and without Echidna offering suggestions every few seconds.

Reacting to his surprise attack, you decided to focus mana into your swords. After quickly creating a picture in your head, you drew the practice swords back and yelled, "Crescent Moon!"

As you swung the wooden blades, two crescent-shaped concentrations of Yang magic propelled themselves toward the earth that Al was riding. If these hit him, he would be lethally injured, so you made sure not to aim at his body.

Al's spell was destroyed by yours, so he rolled down onto his feet and quickly erected another earthen shield to obscure his figure from view.

If this match ended being a battle of attrition, Al would probably win since he was using the lowest-level earth magic and he has had eighteen years to train his body and his mana capacity.

That meant that you have to find a way to close in on Al and keep him from running away while being careful not to injure him with a powerful spell. Truth be told, it was easier to spar with Garfiel because of his direct approach, and Elsa was even easier to go against since she didn't have a problem with being bisected.

Since you couldn't fire a spell directly at the wall of earth since Al might be right behind it, you were going to be forced to go around it. This might have been a part of Al's plan, so you prepared to parry the knight if he attacked as soon as you came close.

As you ran towards the other side of the wall, swords in a defensive position, you heard, "Dona!"

Another wall of dirt emerged right behind you, and to prevent it from knocking you down, you quickly came up with an idea and sent mana into your sword and slashed at it.

The wooden sword cut through the earth, which was only possible by your newest technique, which was imbuing weapons with Yang magic. By doing this, you were able to buff them, just like you buffed yourself with Akra. This was the first time that you had tried this, but it seemed to work well.

Al, who was impressed with your counters to Dona, dashed toward you while you were distracted with the attack from behind. You saw him coming, but since you were using one sword to cut through Dona, you could only parry with the other one.

"You're doing pretty good, brother!" Al remarked as he brought his sword down.

As you countered his attack, the force from Al's strike almost tore the practice sword out of your hand.

Not only was this man strong, but he was also using two hands for one sword. If you had any less time to prepare for defensive action, this would have disarmed you of one weapon.

Seeing that his attack did not reach your body, Al propelled himself backwards and erected another wall with "Dona!"

As you prepared to run toward the wall again, a new plan came to mind. If it went well, then you could land at least one hit on Al.

Concentrating on a mental image of yourself, you whispered, "Phantasm."

All of a sudden, the audience gasped. You seemed to switch positions in an instant, so now you were approaching the other side of the wall.

Phantasm was an illusion spell, and since Al was hiding behind the wall, he had no idea what you just did. This would create a perfect opening if nothing unexpected happened.

Fortunately, as you and the illusion passed the wall at the exact same moment, Al fell for the trick.

He turned his back to you and chanted, "Dona!" at the illusion. This time, the ground under its feet erupted upwards, and if you had been there, nothing would have prevented you from falling to the ground.

However, since this was an illusion, nothing happened. In fact, the illusion disappeared as earth shot up in its spot, and as Al turned towards your true location, you smirked as you tightly closed your eyes.

"Ul Strahl!"

The Strahl series was an entirely original one, and you had used Strahl, which was a beam of light the size of your palm, against the White Whale. Now, you used its third form against Al.

A ball of light formed right in front of Al, and he had no time to react as it exploded as an extremely bright light. This blinded the eyes behind Al's helmet, and all onlookers turned their heads away.

You opened your eyes after the explosion, and there were only a few spots in your vision compared to the blindness that followed a direct look at the light.

Before your opponent could do anything, you prepared both swords and charged at him. Al could hear your footsteps, but he couldn't see anything, so in an act of desperation, he chanted, "Dona!" Earth bulged at his feet, preparing to send him flying backwards.

Before Al could be propelled, you shouted, "Crescent Moon!"

The ground that was moving under Al was destroyed, and he fell to the ground as his balance was thrown off.

As the knight was falling, you swung your swords down. One landed on his chest, and the other stopped right in front of his helmet.

When his body came to rest, Al sprawled his arms back in a sign of defeat.

"Victory goes to (Y/N)! Decision!" Clind announced.

Subaru, Emilia, and Otto cheered as Priscilla remained silent behind her fan. Everybody except for the latter entered the field so that they could congratulate you on this win.

In the few moments before you were swarmed, you offered Al a hand. "Good game," you said with a smile.

Al took your hand and hoisted himself upright. "Good game, brother. Who would have known? You had more tricks than I did!" After thinking for a second, he added, "To be honest, my pride is kind of hurt by the fact that I lost so fast. If we would've fought seriously, I think I would've had a better chance, you know? But then again, I hate those kinds of fights, so I won't say anything else about it... Now, I guess that I'll have to get some harassment from Princess, so wish me luck."

As Al walked toward his mistress, you whispered, "Good luck." Almost immediately afterwards, Subaru came up and patted you on the back.

"That was a really impressive fight!" Subaru remarked. "And I'm really impressed with Al too, since his defense is really solid, and by the looks of it, he's really strong too. This fight definitely answered our question about him."

"I don't know about that question," Emilia started as she approached you, "but that was awesome! It makes me really happy that I get to spend time with such an amazing person!"

Subaru narrowed his eyes playfully. "Emilia-tan, you're playing with my heart! What am I supposed to do if one of my best friends captivates the number one in my heart?"

"Well, that's why you have a number two!" you joked.

"Mou," Emilia pouted, "stop that!"

From behind her, Otto emerged with a sigh. "I was thinking about going over some serious matters with the two of you, but I guess that won't happen..."

"Hmm? Like what?" you inquired.

Otto made a dismissive motion with his hands. "Don't worry about it. We can go talk to Priscilla-sama over there and maybe get an answer to something that I still want to know."

"If it's to help Otto, we need to go right now!" Emilia claimed as she began walking in that direction.

As you watched the half-elf stride towards Priscilla, you couldn't help but be impressed by her resilience. To Subaru, who was right next to you, you commented, "Emilia's really changed since we first met her. I guess there's a lot more character development going on here than just ours."

Subaru smiled and shook his head as he recalled a memory from the Sanctuary. "I say this every time, but I really wish that you could've been there when I had my talk with Emilia. Sure, I would have died from embarrassment, but we had a really good talk. Well, most of it was screaming, but my line at the end-"

"If you don't want this, then dodge!" you finished the sentence with your best Subaru impression.

Subaru chuckled. "Yup. That's the one! Sometimes, I just know the right things to say, and the effectiveness is just scary."

"Well then-"

You were about to speak, but then Priscilla's voice, which had been in use but not prominent in the last minute, carried over something that you couldn't ignore.

"- then you may lick mine feet tonight."

You looked over at Priscilla with a confused expression, and Subaru, who also heard it, shivered. For some reason, he got a feeling of déjà vu, even though nothing like that had happened in any loop.

Al noticed that you and Subaru heard Priscilla, so he sighed. "Princess, don't make it sound like I get turned on by that."

"Hmm?" Priscilla hummed with her head tilted up. She looked onto the field, where Emilia led you, Subaru, and Otto towards her. "What do you want from mineself, commoners? Can you not see that mineself is conversing with mine servant?"

"Actually," Emilia replied, "Otto wanted to talk to you about something, so we had to get closer to ask the question."

Otto facepalmed as Emilia spoke out.

"Is that so?" Priscilla questioned condescendingly. With an arrogant expression, she quipped, "What question do you have for mineself, mongrel in green?"

Otto took a deep breath and straightened his back. With no apprehension in his voice, the merchant and Emilia's Head of Internal Affairs asked, "I understand that you wanted your knight to join The Crusaders in order to appease your boredom, but becoming a member means that Al will be asked to assist us when we need him. Are you going to let him help us when we need him, or are you going to act on your own and only let him help when you feel like it? If your answer is the latter, then I can't let Al join. Even though we want more capable people to join, it's better to have less people if it means that we can rely on all of them to do their part."

There was a tense silence as Priscilla decided how she would answer.

Looking at you, she stated, "The green commoner is either very courageous or foolish to speak to mineself in that manner. However, mine mercy is plentiful after this battle. Watching your commoner fight mine servant was an experience that met mine expectations. Those applications of Yang magic were very amusing, so mineself is in a very good mood. Therefore, I shall allow Aldebaran to provide his assistance when it is needed, for mineself does not require his services for any purpose other than to act as an entertainer."

"Of course," she added as she brought her fan up to her face once more, "mine decision may change depending on the value of experiencing those battles."

You shrugged your shoulders as you looked between Otto and Subaru. "That's probably the best we can get from her, so I say we take it."

Subaru agreed. "If all of this is based on whether or not she has fun watching our future fights, then there's no issue. If things get so bad that we have to ask our members to help, then that means that we're against someone or something really powerful or freakishly smart. She won't be disappointed."

In a quieter voice, he added, "If she is, then she needs to stop being so full of herself and snap back to reality."

Otto, who put a little more thought into this than you and Subaru, considered this for a moment longer. "Like I said before, having an unreliable ally is worse than having none, but I think that the two of you are right this time. (Y/N), do you want to announce our decision?"

"Sure," you replied. In a louder voice, you proclaimed, "Al, we accept you into The Crusaders! You are our ninth member, and when you are called upon, we expect that you come to our aid. We understand that distance is not always convenient, so you can't come every time, but we will do our part to only assemble this group with at least a week's notice. Now, I will present you with this organization's pin and a little something extra."

You turned to Subaru and Otto and whispered, "Umm... did either of you happen to bring the stuff, or is this going to get awkward?"

Best boy Otto reached into his cloak and pulled out a pin and a device. The pin was a small, circular one, and it had a flaming bow and arrow etched into its center. This was the "logo" for The Crusaders.

The object that Otto also pulled out was something unlike this world had ever seen. It was a thin, rectangular, gray item with one side being dull and the other being reflective.

As you took these things to Al, he felt the need to point something out. "That sounds cool, brother, but how will you even contact us? I hate to break it to you, but letters can take a long time to be delivered, especially when you have no idea where your recipient is."

With a smirk, you gave Al his pin and then presented the other item. Holding it up, you explained, "This solves that problem. I usually go into explaining how it works, but I think you'll understand better if I just tell you what me and Subaru named it."

After a brief pause, you said, "This is a scrying tablet, also known as a phone." Since Al knew what a search history was, then he was sure to know what a phone was, which was weird, since he came here about eighteen years ago. Perhaps his world was on a different timeline, or perhaps time here didn't directly translate to other worlds.

Obviously not answering that silent question, Al gasped with surprise. "You made a phone?! I'm not going to lie, but that's impressive. I thought the only thing close to a phone was those Meteors."

"You mean Metia, Aldebaran. There is no device named a Meteor," Priscilla corrected.

While Priscilla asserted her arrogance, your eyebrows furrowed. How in the world did Al know that Echidna's creations were actually called Meteors, not Metias, as the world now knew them as?

This answer to this question was to remain a mystery since Al shrugged off Priscilla's remark and held his hand out to receive the phone.

Shaking your head to clear it of its current thoughts, you handed the phone to Al. "Now, this is a little different than a normal phone. I actually had Roswaal cast a spell on this and all the other copies so that they scry a certain object that we'll write our messages on. When we want to send the message, we activate the spell, and all the phones will make a sound and then they'll display our message. When you want to reply or send your own message to us, there's mana stored inside of the phone, so you can press the button on the side, and then only we will see what you want to convey. Unfortunately, we don't have audio set up, so you'll have to write something down or use some hand signals. And... I think that's it."

Al held the phone in his hands and examined it. "What if it gets stolen?" he wondered. "Can you deactivate them, or will somebody be able to see the messages you send?"

When the knight asked this question, you shook your head. "No, they won't. And thanks for bringing that up, because I forgot to tell you about one last thing: you can only send and receive messages if the pin is within close range. Roswaal actually came up with this part, and I hate to say it, but it's actually genius. Think of the pin as a router. It's what connects you to the 'network' that all the other phones are using, and you need to be in range for it to work."

Al whistled with impressment. "That's a real crafty thing you and the margrave did. At first, I didn't really want to go and fight, but being able to use something like a phone gets me excited enough to look forward to it."

"Indeed..." Priscilla noted. She took the phone from Al's hands and examined it. After seeing nothing special, she demanded, "Send a message immediately. Mineself would like to see this contraption in action."

Before you could refuse, Clind chimed in. "As you wish, honored guest. I will notify the master at once. Timely."

As the butler swiftly strode toward the mansion, Priscilla grinned. "That is an intriguing servant," she said before turning her back on the field and walking toward the mansion by herself.

As she ignored you, Al leaned closer toward you. In a sincere voice, he whispered, "Princess might act like this isn't a big deal, but the ride here was a lot more than just a few days. I personally think that she sees a lot in you or something else here."

The helmeted knight placed the pin on the collar of his inner shirt, and he placed the phone in a pouch on his side. "I'll be chasing after Princess now, so I'll leave you with that. I'll talk to you later!"

He gave you a fist bump, and as he left after Priscilla, Al waved at Subaru, who waved back.

As he walked away, you took a moment to appreciate what had just transpired. Al was now an official ally, and things didn't seem as bad as they were at the beginning of the day. Even though the situation was becoming more complex, small wins like this one made you feel like things would work out in the end.

These wins made you feel that, just maybe, a good ending wouldn't be as hard to attain as it seemed.

Hey guys!

I'm sorry for being gone for so long! I had to take a few weeks off to study for exams, and it took me a little while to get back in the flow of writing.

But I'm back now, and I should have another chapter up in 2-3 weeks! Things are about to take off, so I look forward to writing all of these amazing things that I have planned!

If you have any questions about the story, feel free to ask them here! Whether you forgot something, are curious about a certain topic, or want to know about some juicy details about the future, ask away! I'll do my best to answer as much as I can as long as it doesn't give any major spoilers away.

With that said, I'll see ya next time!