It only took a few short moments for Reinhard's presence to be noticed after he and Natsumi entered the margraves' new estate.

To be more specific they hadn't even made it through the elaborate entrance hall before being spotted by one of the mansion's staff.

Indeed, the minute that the pink haired maid, Ram if he remembered correctly, saw him, he saw her eyes beginning to scan for the candidate he represented, no doubt expecting that a surprise visit wouldn't be too out of the ordinary for his lady, even if it hadn't happened yet.

And truly, he wouldn't fault her for that logic, it did seem like something that his lady would do.

After seemingly determining the coast was clear her gaze lingered on the person next to him, before being directed at him.

"Sir Reinhard," She spoke as she bowed, "One moment if you'll forgive me."

"Uh-oh," muttered Natsumi from his side, causing Reinhard to glance at her, a sheepish look worming its way onto her face.

"So," The maid drawled, her gaze snapping to his black-haired companion, "You've finally decided to return to the manor. Your tardiness aside, I hope you can explain why you left a little girl to wander through the woods alone."

"Wha- What? Don't phrase that so scandalously," Natsumi stuttered, "I didn't leave her to wander the forest alone, if anything she's the one that left me alone in the woods!"

"How comforting, Lady Emilia's knight needs a child to babysit her, my confidence in your choice of occupation is skyrocketing."

"Jeez Ram, no need to take it easy,"

"Now," she spoke, her personality instantly becoming prim and proper, "How may I help you today, Sword Saint?"

It was almost jarring how quickly her personality shifted, it took more concentration than he liked not to allow a bemused expression to replace the smile he usually wore. Nevertheless, he couldn't quite stop the fidgeting of his fingers.

"I apologize for the short notice, but I need to talk to Lady Emilia, and Margrave Mathers if at all possible."

"Certainly," she spoke, giving a low bow before starting to excuse herself.

"And Ram," Natsumi spoke, "Could you bring Beatrice as well?"

"Hmph, Worry not Ram shall undertake the arduous task of rounding up the manors residents, just make sure you entertain our guest, it shouldn't be too hard with your personality."

"Now that was a low blow," Natsumi sighed at the now retreating maid, before gesturing at Reinhard to keep moving, "Might as well head to the sitting room, no point to stand around."

Letting Natsumi take the lead, he followed her throughout the winding network of hallways, the sound of their steps being the only sounds that broke the silence.

Eventually Natsumi led him into a large room that held a large table, surrounded by purple-colored chairs, the soft glow of mana stones coming to life filled the room as they entered, banishing the darkness from the room, a large window on one of the walls let a small amount of moonlight seep into the room, the small amount of light that was present earlier having completely vanished since the two had entered the manor.

"Uhm, make yourself home I guess?" Natsumi spoke, standing by the door as he wandered into the room, "If it's not too big of a deal, I've got to do something really quick, it'll only take a minute."

"It's no problem, take as long as you need." He responded, settling down in one of the chairs.

"Thanks," came her quick response, followed shortly by the audible sound of the door closing.

Relaxing in the chair, he silently awaited Natsumi's return and the arrival of the major players of the Emilia camp.

Indeed, it seemed like only a few short minutes had passed when one of his many Divine Protections alerted him of someone's presence.

The silence of the room was shattered as the door lightly nudged open before being thrown completely open, the unmistakable sound of clinking glasses accompanying the action.

In an awkward fashion in walked Natsumi, accompanied by a large pitcher and a few glasses, all precariously perched on a large metallic tray.

Haphazardly shutting the door behind her, she managed to make it about halfway to the table, before she lost her footing, causing a few of the glasses to lurch over the tray and start streaking towards the floor.

With a startled cry she threw herself forward taking one of her hands off of the tray to attempt to snatch the glasses out of the air, the action only causing the remaining glasses to suddenly find themselves succumbing to gravity, and the pitcher to ominously throw its weight from side to side.

Luckily enough, Reinhard, seeing how the situation was likely going to end, had made his way towards her, his hands arcing through the air, effortlessly grasping each falling glass without so much as a sound.

Setting the glasses on the table, he faced Natsumi who had moved to place the nearly empty tray beside him.

"Thanks for the save, Reinhard." She sheepishly spoke, busying herself with pouring a few glasses of what looked to be tea.

"It's nothing," he responded, taking a cup that she offered to him, before returning to the seat he had vacated, a short warning about the drink's temperature accompanying him

"It would have been," Natsumi muttered as she took a cup herself before settling in the closest seat to her, coincidently setting her right beside Reinhard.

A thick silence descended upon the room, and as minutes passed it seemed as if neither of them was willing to be the one to break it, instead spending the time idly gazing out the window into the darkness of the night or staring at the steaming tea in their respective cups.

After taking a shallow sip of the tea, its warm floral taste causing a small amount of stress to vacate his body, he found his lips parting automatically without being able to stop himself.

"I'm sorry you had to go out of your way, Natsumi," At her confused look he realized he would have to break the silence further to clarify, "Getting the tea, it's quite lovely, but you shouldn't have had to play maid just for me."

"It's nothing," She responded, echoing his words from earlier, "I actually had to run and tell Otto to take care of your carriage, the tea was honestly an afterthought, I just assumed it would be welcome after a long carriage ride."

The spontaneous kindness wasn't special by any means, compared to some of the things people have done for him in the name of kindness its magnitude was diminished significantly, but the sheer mundaneness of the act was what silenced him.

"Thank you," He finally managed to say, forcing the raw words from his mouth.

"You're welcome,"

Silence once again enveloped the room, yet it was unmistakably missing the oppressive aspect its predecessor wore. Instead, it seemed to peacefully rest in the room, able to be removed at any time with no repercussions.

If asked, he would be able to answer how long it had been since he had simply been able to sit down with no pressing worries on his mind, an easy answer would be that such times had vanished since he stumbled upon a certain blond thief, but he would be lying if that was his answer.

For as long as he could remember his life had been structured around the title he acquired shortly after turning five, the sword at his waist had decided his life ever since the day it was dropped into his arms.

"So," A soft voice broke through his lament, causing him to look at Natsumi, a steaming cup of tea idly clutched in her hand, "How's Felt?"

That question was all it took for the floodgates to open, with Reinhard sharing a few of Felt's recent escapades, leading Natsumi to softly laugh at the young candidates' eccentricities. Eventually it was Natsumi talking, regaling Reinhard with stories from the Emilia camp, ranging from the drunken adventures Otto commonly found himself in, to Garfiel's common attempts to sneak a bottle of whatever the drunken ex-merchant was drinking.

He was almost disappointed when they were interrupted by a sharp rap on the door, before it was opened revealing a rather distinctive Lord.

"Tooooo have the kingdoms very ooooown Sword Saint at my estate, iiiiiits an hooonor."

With his purple cape billowing behind him, Roswaal entered the room, a certain pink-haired maid following behind him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Margrave Mathers," Reinhard spoke, giving a low bow from his seat.

"Sir Reinhard," Ram spoke standing behind Roswaal as he took a seat across from them, "Lady Emilia is unable to attend the meeting, I deeply apologize."

"Nonsense, if anything it's my fault for dropping by unexpected, rest assured Margrave Mathers shall suffice."

"Greeaaaat, that meeeaans we are only waaaiting for one more individual."

"Hmph, you're not waiting for anyone, in fact." A new voice came, the door to the room opening as a small girl entered, "Betty is never late, she arrives precisely when she means to."

Reinhard was certain he had never met the girl before, after all her appearance was almost as eccentric as the margrave's himself, the new arrival sported two long twin tails and a pink and red frilly dress that cutaway at the front, edged with a white lining, with the only other outstanding feature being a large pink butterfly shaped bowtie adorning the left side of her dress, unmistakably similar to her butterfly shaped iris.

It would have been a crime to assume she was human, meaning she could only be…

"I believe the line is 'A wizard is never late' Beako." Natsumi chortled, as Beatrice made her way towards her.

"Close enough, I suppo- What are you doing, in fact!"

"Just putting you on my lap," Natsumi responded, now holding the irate spirit in her hands, "Only big girls need a chair,"

"Betty is not a child, I suppose!" The spirit yelled, kicking her small legs in a doomed attempt to get the black-haired girl to put her down.

"Noooow that we're all here, maaaybe Reinhard could explain the purpose of his viiiisit?" Roswaal spoke over the irate spirit, accepting a glass of significantly colder tea provided to him by Ram.

"Certainly, Several days ago I was deployed to the area around Flugel's tree following reports of the Black Serpent being present in the area."

At his words the room went still, Ram halting midway through the act of refilling Reinhard's tea and Beatrice stopped flailing about, her gaze turning to Reinhard.

"The Black Serpent…." Natsumi muttered, gripping Beatrice tighter against her, "That's one of the three Great Mabeasts, correct."

"Indeed, it is, it's the final Great Mabeast if rumors are to be believed." Reinhard added with a small grimace.

"I heard it was in the area," Roswaal spoke, missing his signature accent, "I assume it was taken care of?"

"I spent several days looking for it, sadly It seems I wasn't fast enough, seeing as I was unable to locate it, I can only assume it has left the area."

"I see, suuuurely there's more?" His grip on his glass loosening as life attempted to seep back into the room.

"Due to the positioning of its sightings the Black Serpent effectively cut off trade from Picoutatte and the capital, with merchants being turned back at the first sighting. I decided to head to Picoutatte to inform the local garrison the highway was clear."

"Excuse me," Natsumi interjected, raising one of her hands, the other was idly running through the blond hair of the spirit on her lap, "My knowledge of Lugunica's geography is spotty but wouldn't Costuul be the one effected the most? It's only road to the capital is past Flugels… well, I guess 'Flugel's Stump' would be a better name now, not to mention it's much closer, isn't it?"

"Costuul is indeed closer, but Picoutatte is the Kingdoms only effective way of trading with the Vollachia Empire making it the highest priority, nevertheless I did inform the Costuul garrison as well as I passed through it on my way here."

At his long-winded explanation there was only one response she could give.

"Oh."

"Beaty's contractor is hopeless, in fact."

"As enteeertaining as this has been," Roswaal interjected, a smile back on his face, his arms crossed on the table. "Whaaat exaaaactly does that have to do with us."

"I reached the garrison at Picoutatte early this morning, however I was not the first to arrive," He reached into his jacket, withdrawing a folded piece of paper before placing it on the table, "A runner had arrived with this a few days earlier."

"They did what?" Ram spoke, unable to keep her silence, shock adorning her face.

"This is mooooost unusual…"

"What's so special?" Natsumi asked idly, having reached forwards and grabbed the folded paper soon after it was placed on the table, only barely able to read the letter with her proficiency at the language, her speed exceeded by most children.

"It's a very rare occurrence I suppose, sending a message through a location inhabited by a Great Mabeast is… exceedingly risky, in fact."

"But Reinhard was sent there," Natsumi countered, her eyes still glued to the letter, having just finished the first paragraph.

"Reeeeeinhard is the exception to the rule you could saaaay."

"Anyone else wouldn't have needed that explained to them." Ram muttered, audible only to Roswaal and Reinhard, who looked like he was waiting for a bomb to explode.

"You and I are being summoned by the sage council, did I read that right?" Natsumi whispered at Reinhard, her voice somehow being heard as if it was shouted off of a cliff. The spirit in her lap now being able to read the letter that was drooped in her hand.

"You did," Reinhard's short reply lingering in the room.

"My, my," Roswaal clapped his hands together, "To be suuummoned by the sage council with the Sword Saint no less, You've attracted the eyes of some impoooortant people.

Reinhard could only sit in silence as the true purpose for his visit was revealed, his hands interlaced with each other as they rested on the table, his glass having been long abandoned, cast off towards the side.

"Well, it looks like I'm getting an impromptu vacation," Natsumi joked, her face filled with resignation, the happiness it held during their walk from the carriage long gone.

"Beaty's contractor is just going to go along with this, I suppose?"

"I've stepped on enough toes; besides, it wouldn't look good for Emilia's Knight to ignore the sage council."

"Hmph, perhaps there is hope for Lady Emilia's knight after all."

"So," Natsumi turned to Reinhard, her voice composed but her hands began to nervously play with one of Beatrice's drill's, "When were you planning on leaving."

"I'd like to leave as soon as possible, tonight ideally."

"Tonight…" Natsumi muttered, "I figured you'd at least wait until morning."

The letter from the capital had expressly told him to retrieve Natsumi and return to the capital 'As soon as possible,' no doubt whatever they were being summoned for was extremely important and as a Knight of the Kingdom it was his duty to follow his orders to the letter, but the longer his gaze lingered on Natsumi the more his resolve crumbled.

It wasn't like she woke up today knowing of this, she had no idea that she was going to be whisked away to the capital to answer an unknown summoning, besides even if they left now, they would easily arrive at the capital before daybreak, hours before the sage council would even be convened...

As he opened his mouth, it didn't occur to him that this would be the first time he had ever expressly disobeyed orders.

"If that is your wish then we can leave in the morning, it wouldn't do any good for us to arrive before the council even convenes, this is assuming of course that Margrave Mathers will allow me to intrude for a little while longer."

"Thaaaats no problem, housing the Sword Saint would be an honor after aaaall." Roswaal sang before rising from his seat, "If thaaaat is all, I will take my leeeave, if I remember correctly there is shooould be a spare room next to Natsumi's, I'm sure she wouldn't mind showing you."

At the conclusion of his words, he made his way to the door, Ram following closely behind him, stopping for only a moment after Roswaal left the room.

"Lady Beatrice, please make sure your contractor doesn't get lost on her way to her room."

"As if Betty would allow that, I suppose."

With a bow Ram followed in her masters' footsteps, the door softly closing behind her, easily escaping before Natsumi could come up with a comeback.

"If you'll allow me to say it, you two have a… peculiar relationship." Reinhard spoke, offering a smile to the flustered girl next to him.

"That's one way to put it." Natsumi while starting to stand, holding Beatrice like a child would hold a plushie, "Well if you'll follow me." She beckoned.

Put me down, I suppose!

"Do you want me to grab the tea?" Reinhard asked, gesturing to the now forgotten half-filled pitcher and glasses while conventionally ignoring the spirits' indignant pleas.

"Don't worry about it, you're a guest after all," She responded, before a devious smile started to appear on her face, "Besides, think of this as karma for all the jokes she was making about me."

"Kar-ma," Reinhard questioned, slipping out of his chair to follow Natsumi who was already halfway to the door.

"Oh, so you want a surprise English lesson while we walk? Then listen to Professor Natsumi while I explain the joys of the English language."

His body was completely unwilling to sleep, even after lying deathly still for a few hours it stubbornly refused to allow him to even begin to feel drowsy. If it wasn't a common occurrence, he would have blamed it on the impromptu language lesson he received earlier. He hadn't been expecting the info dump that he received but it wasn't unwelcome, any chance to experience foreign things was an opportunity he relished in, being unable to seek them out himself.

While the 'lesson' as Natsumi put it did give him something to think about it didn't help his current situation.

With a sigh, he moved to sit on the side of the bed, his feet lightly brushing the floor. Reaching down he grasped the smooth metal handle of an object that he always held on to his side, before expertly strapping it to his waist.

Standing, he made his way to the door, passing his overcoat that he had hung next to the door earlier, before opening the door and slipping into the hallway.

Mechanically, he walked through the manor, aimlessly at first before he decided to make his way towards a sitting room the vaguely remembered passing earlier. It only took a minute to reach it, as he passed through the open-air arch that connected the hallway to the sitting room.

Oddly enough the mana stones that lit the room were already active, their warm, tranquil glow spilling onto the few chairs and single sofa that faced towards a large fireplace, a few large bookshelves sat flush in the room corners.

As he crept towards the seats, all of which faced away from him, it became apparent that a small fire was also sizzling away in the fireplace, having previously been hidden from view by a large chair, it's back just high enough to cover the fire from the archway.

The maids here would never let a fire burn unobserved, which means…

It seems he wasn't the first here.

With this discovery he made to leave the room, unwilling to intrude any further, yet despite his near unparalleled ability to remain silent fate seemingly wasn't on his side, as he had only made it halfway to the door before the wood creaked under him, it's sound shattering the silence of the room.

"Hello," came a soft, muffled voice, no louder than a whisper.

He was sorely tempted to continue his retreat, only a few more steps and he would be back in the hallway, but his fate was sealed before he could make the choice.

"Is someone there?" The voice spoke again, louder and clearer this time, its tone seeming familiar to Reinhard's ears.

Deciding to cut his losses, he made his way back towards the fireplace, before sitting in one of the seats, it's soft cushions threatening to swallow him whole, before he turned to his companion.

"Hello Natsumi,"

"Reinhard?" she yawned, her half-open eyes gazing at him in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, unfortunately it's a rather common occurrence for me." He smiled, "more importantly I apologize if I woke you, I hadn't noticed the room was occupied when I entered."

"No, I wasn't sleeping," Natsumi muttered, her half-lidded eyes still lacking the energy to open fully, even with someone else to talk to. "Sleeping is the last thing I want to do." She absentmindedly continued muttering.

He was lost.

He hadn't been expecting to walk into a conversation when he had left his room earlier. Not only was this the first time he had ever been in a situation like this, but he was also terrible at making small talk that wasn't strictly dedicated to his role of a Knight.

Should he ignore her last line, leaving her to suffer with whatever ailed her or should he attempt to pry information from her, forcefully inserting himself into a situation she might not want him in? It's possible that the last line could be nothing more than a tired mind at work, nothing behind it.

Should he even say anything at all?

All of these thoughts buzzed through his mind as the proverbial clock about his head quickly ticked down, Natsumi's expectant gaze seeming to magnify with each passing second.

"You seem tired." Reinhard observed, forcing the words out as Natsumi's lip's parted, no doubt to comment on the silence.

"I… do?" Natsumi questioned, her eyes opening in their entirety for the first time since they started talking.

Her gaze seemed to sweep over the room, traveling from Reinhard to the burning fireplace before she seemed to try and stealthily look over herself.

"Sorry, I was a little out of it, sitting in a room alone is pretty boring after all."

"Well," Reinhard started, wanting to comfort someone he viewed as a friend, while simultaneously being uncertain about his next words, "I'm here, you don't have to be alone anymore."

His words seemed to have some effect, Natsumi's face erupting a bright shade of red, her mouth opening and closing yet remaining stubbornly silent.

"That had to be the corniest line I've ever heard." Natsumi muttered, sweeping aside a loose bang that had fallen over her left eye, "I must admit I never had you pegged for a prince charming Reinhard."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Natsumi, while I am the Sword Saint, I certainly am not a prince." He responded sincerely, not a single expression being able to even remotely suggest he was joking.

A giggle escaped Natsumi's lips not long after he finished speaking before it steadily grew to be full blown laughter that she was trying her hardest to keep quiet. An act that was only being made harder by the confused knight across from her.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, genuinely worried he might have missed something.

"Don't worry about it," she waved him off, her laughter finally subsiding to a few short giggles, the previous red tint on her cheeks quickly returning to their usual light tan.

He didn't know what made her breakout in laughter, and surprisingly he didn't care what the context was. As he focused on her, from her flowing black hair to her iridescent amber eyes, the only thing that mattered was the smile on her lips as she talked. It was the proof that he had succeeded, the proof that he managed to help her.

If that took him making a fool of himself, he would do it every time.

"Are you packed; you haven't forgotten extra clothes, have you?"

"You're acting like my mother Emilia, but for your information yes I have, it'll only take a few days max so please quit worrying."

"But the last time-"

"This is different."

"There is no need to worry Lady Emilia, I'm sure everything will be fine." Came a third voice, originating from the confines of a dragon carriage, flame red hair becoming visible as he stepped down onto the stone road.

The manor was in a state of organized chaos, the sun just beginning to illuminate the mansion, the majority of its inhabitants standing on the large driveway directly in front of the manor.

With the help of Ram and another maid named Frederica, he had managed to load the carriage with the few boxes of items Natsumi would need for the trip, despite her assurances to Emilia that the trip would be short she had made sure to back enough to last her a week or so, by the time the maids had finished packing, finally accepting Reinhard's offer of help, her room was nearly barren, almost making it look like she was moving out.

Otto had brought the dragon carriage from the stables, giving Reinhard an awkward wave of acknowledgement as he carried all of the suitcases out at once.

It had only been as he was loading the carriage that Emilia had awoken, finally learning of the situation from one of the maids.

"I know but this is the first time she's left by herself…"

"Hmph, you should have more faith in Betty's contractor, I suppose." Beatrice spoke, as she stood next to Natsumi, before her eyes flickered to Reinhard. "Betty needs to speak to Reid's descendent, in fact."

"C'mon Emilia," sighed Natsumi, "I forgot to grab something in my room, you can embarrass me on the way."

With a red face, Natsumi marched towards the manor with a certain half-elf on her heels, leaving Reinhard and Beatrice standing next to the dragon carriage.

"Betty is trusting you to protect Betty's Natsumi." The spirit eventually spoke, her tone quiet but deadly serious.

"My apologies but I thought you were…" Reinhard started before a flash of understanding appeared on his face, his entire body appearing to sag, "It's because of me, isn't it?" His tone flat and small.

"Betty has already told her contractor she wouldn't be going; however, she didn't tell her why. It seems you're aware but due to your nature, Betty would be at best useless, or a complete liability, I suppose."

"I understand," Reinhard answered, his expression pained, understanding what the Great Spirit was hinting at.

"Therefore, Betty is placing her trust in you," The spirit continued, her butterfly shaped iris's staring intently into Reinhard's own, "Promise Betty you will bring her contractor back, timely and safe."

Without a second thought, he brought his hand over his heart, forming a makeshift salute, before giving a short bow.

"Although I doubt Natsumi will require my assistance, I swear that I shall make sure Natsumi returns unharmed, I give you my word."

His words seemed to satisfy the Great Spirit, her stare persisting only a moment longer before she turned and made her way towards the manor, having already spent too long in his presence.

Spirits, with Great Spirits in particular, were revered in Lugunica, with even Royal Knight's such as himself giving them a level of respect only surpassed by royalty.

The importance of his promise wasn't lost on either of them.

"y'better keep that promise, Sword Saint or not I'd have to kick yer ass if somethin' happened to Captain."

"I will do my best to make sure such an event doesn't come to pass." He spoke, turning towards the carriage to face the newest arrival.

Golden hair greeted him, along with a white x-shaped scar that stretched across the young man's forehead. Both his small jacket and long pants were dyed a deep black, the monochromatic look only being broken by a small number of reddish-purple accents, and a similarly shaded loincloth.

Based on appearance alone this was undoubtedly the boy named Garfiel that Natsumi had mentioned the day previously.

He had stepped out from behind the carriage the second Beatrice was out of earshot, his ambush would have been effective if he hadn't been aware of him eavesdropping throughout the entire conversation

"Hmph, y'better," Garfiel muttered, his eyes seeming to size him up as they ran up and down his form, only stopping momentarily on the sword on his waist.

"I hope you two are having fun," Natsumi spoke, having finally returned from the mansion, a white and purple uniform folded in her arms.

"Natsumi," He responded, quickly followed by the acknowledgement of "Captain," from next to him, "I figured Lady Emilia would see you off."

He tried his hardest to peer around Natsumi's figure, which just so happened to be blocking the entrance to the manor, only to come up short.

"She's busy," Natsumi explained, "Besides, I've taken up enough of her time, it didn't help that Roswaal had to leave for a meeting earlier…"

"Anyhow," Catching a second wind she turned to Garfiel,"I'm entrusting you with keeping the manor safe, if anything happens give 'em hell.

"Roger Captain," Garfiel punctuated his words by slamming his signature shielded gauntlets together.

"Ready to go?" She questioned, her black hair stubbornly flowing in the wind.

"After you," he gestured, allowing her to climb onto the carriage first, a feat that she accomplished far easier than the night before, her previous injuries having been healed by Emilia earlier.

In a single motion he followed behind Natsumi, before grabbing the reins and sitting down, the feeling of being watched following him the entire time.

With a whip of the reins the carriage started it's journey to the capital, leaving the manor behind them. Natsumi's hand energetically waved from beside him, issuing one final goodbye to the residents.

Boom that's chapter three, also it finally ends the prequel meaning that next chapter we will be back to the present, the full ramifications of the situation our two favorite characters have found themselves in.

Thanks for all the support, I only hope you all will continue to enjoy the story, im looking forwards to all of the responses!

See you again soon.

-Surv