Iɴᴛᴇʀʟᴜᴅᴇ Uɴᴅᴇʀ ᴀ Lᴜɢɴɪᴄᴀɴ Sᴋʏ
A gentle zephyr rolled through the scented Lugnican air, which caused the scarlet royal dragon banners overhead to flap momentarily before they became still once more. Fruit vendors, fish peddlers, butchers, and craftsmen of all trades lined the edges of the cobblestone lane—the central one which led to the Royal Castle. During the season of the yellow-sun, the weather was still hot, and humid, but agreeable nonetheless.
Already, just half past noon, there were wagons being pulled by ground-dragons flooding the roads—the sounds of all the hustle and bustle deafening to all, except those few blessed with the Divine Protection of Acoustic Resistance.
Amongst the hurried crowds, a young, black haired man stood silently, staring intensely at the signpost in front of him, struggling to read the foreign glyphs he had taken so much time to learn. His eyes narrowed as he translated the glyphs slowly into his own native language, but due to them being I-script, it took longer than he would have liked.
Margrave Mathers Missing—Royal Selection Candidate Presumed Dead! he read, suddenly realizing the news of what happened at the Sanctuary was only just now reaching the general populace.
Subaru heard quick, light footsteps coming from behind him—then a voice filled with contempt:
"So that half-demon is finally dead?"
Hearing this new voice, Subaru turned his attention to a finely clothed man standing adjacent to himself. "What did you just say?" he growled threateningly, failing to hide his disdain for the man, though quickly correcting his tone. "I-I mean… what does this board say; I can't read it?"
The nobleman turned to Subaru and smiled softly, "Ah, another illiterate… very well; where to begin?" Slowly, the nobleman inched his face close to the board and adjusted his monocle. His white-gloved finger rose to the first glyph and moved slowly across the board, absorbing each detail meticulously as if he were studying an ancient text.
Subaru felt himself going red. It kept every ounce of his restraint from losing his cool demeanor. He glared at the nobleman. "I deeply appreciate your help. I just wanted to know what's going on, that's all."
Done reading to himself, the nobleman exchanged another look with Subaru. "Well, there's both good news and bad news here. The bad news: Margrave Mathers is either dead or missing. His mansion was found ransacked, and the neighboring village of Irlam was deserted. Scouts were sent to the Sanctuary of Kremaldy, where the place was found burnt to the ground down to every last building."
"Burnt to the ground?" Subaru asked, in a different tone than before. His voice altered, turning much darker, catching even the nobleman off guard.
"Well, yes, that is correct," he continued, drawing his gaze back to the noticeboard. "It says here the fires seemed to have started recently, maybe a day or two prior. However, the cathedral was burned down much earlier, maybe even a week's time."
"A week earlier?" Subaru queried, clearly surprised. It had been almost two weeks since the Great Hare had attacked, and this signpost had the posted date of today. That would mean someone else went back to the Sanctuary and wiped clean whatever remained from the events before. Someone must have been trying to cover their tracks, but who?
The nobleman nodded. "It continues—none of Margrave Mathers' subjects were found, and it is assumed none have survived whatever occurred there. This includes the half-demon, Emilia—otherwise known as the Royal Selection Candidate, who was just recently sponsored by Margrave Mathers himself. Due to there being no King, a new Royal Sorcerer cannot be selected, and Margrave Mathers' lands have been absorbed by the Kingdom of Lugnica under the authority of the Sage Council. It says as well, the neighboring village of Nicia was sacked and destroyed, and it is unknown what caused it—all survivors of the incident were found to be suffering from some manner of mental incapacitation, including the village head, Neryemar."
"And… the good news?" He eyed him carefully.
The man pondered thoughtfully before responding, "Ah yes, I was getting there. It seemed after the coalition between the two camps resulted in the demise of the White Whale, Lady Crusch has declared both Lady Anastasia and Lady Priscilla enemies of war—out of an abundance of caution. She seems to be just a little paranoid about what happened to Margrave Mathers."
Subaru winced. "How is that good news?" he asked, wondering if there was a punchline to the joke. "The future rulers of Lugnica shouldn't be squabbling over what happened… no, they should be finding out the cause of it! What is fighting each other going to solve?"
"You may have a point, but from a trader's standpoint, this type of discourse will be very good for the Lugnican markets."
"That's… such a stupid answer," he said, the low growl of his voice making it clear he almost didn't want to respond.
The nobleman snorted. "From your point of view, maybe; however, there will be a growing dissatisfaction amongst the Kingdom's Commercial Union, if their trade restrictions and tariffs aren't lifted before long. Anastasia Hoshin would be the ideal candidate for Lugnica trade—with that pitiful half-devil out of the way, the list of contenders grows shorter. Imagine that, sponsoring a half-witch to be the leader of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica—it was a jest for sure, a joke made in poor taste from the court jester Margrave Mathers himself." The nobleman let out a hearty laugh.
That was it—Subaru suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the nobleman by the collar of his silk shirt. "You take back what you said about her, you bastard," he spat, visibly upset at the nobleman's callous words. "You take that back now, or I'll—"
"—Enough!"
A feminine voice interrupted Subaru—a voice he knew all too well.
Both he and the shocked nobleman turned their heads in the direction of the new voice. Subaru's grip tightened around the man's collar as he met eyes with Emilia—her eyes piercing as if she were a mother disappointed in her child.
"Emilia…" he began, his voice roughening and his grip weakening under her pointed gaze. "This isn't what it looks like. This bastard right here—he needs to be taught a lesson. I'm tired of arguing with these people…"
The nobleman realized it was the right moment for him to pull back, slapping Subaru's hand away disgustedly. Subaru let him do it and put up no resistance.
"I will call the guards immediately!" he exclaimed triumphantly while adjusting his tie. "Mark my words! I'll see you thrown in the jail for laying your grubby little hands on me. To think a human like yourself would go to such lengths to defend a half-demon, a spawn of the Witch—nothing more than a freak! If I were in charge, I would make sure none of these witch-spawn drew breath any longer!"
It was all very sudden—the young hooded woman stepped forward, then a brutal slap right across the nobleman's left cheek, sending him back against the noticeboard dizzied and incoherent.
Emilia's breath was uneven, and she clearly had lost all self-control due to the man's vile words. Her hands were down by her side, were tightened into fists, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. Her expression was one of anger, sadness, and disappointment—so much so Subaru could tell she might fry and freeze this guy at barely a moment's notice.
Her normally pale complexion began to flush a deep red, but before she could open her mouth, Subaru grabbed her arm with his right hand and pulled her against him.
Looking into her purple eyes as her pupils the color of cyan bore a hole into him, he pleaded, "Emilia, you just need to ignore him. His mind is already made up—nothing you say or do is going to change him. I was wrong to start a fight with him, but sometimes I just get so mad when people treat you like this."
She pulled away slightly, and Subaru released her arm, letting her step away from him just a bit. Instinctively, he looked around to examine their surroundings. By now, a couple denizens who had been passing by had stopped to see what the commotion was. He realized they were drawing unwanted attention to themselves and they should move away from here, quickly. His gaze turned back toward Emilia, who stood in front of him, clearly pouting.
She placed her hands on her hips, said, "You don't always need to protect me, Subaru. I know you must always feel you are my sword and shield, but sometimes… let me be the sword for once."
Subaru took her hand again and gave it a tug. "Look, Emilia… I'm really sorry, but can we go argue about this somewhere else?" He turned his head and looked over his shoulder to see the nobleman had regained consciousness and was running off to call the guards.
Her free hand rose to her mouth, shocked. "Oh, no! Let us flee from here!"
As if on cue, they could see two guards running toward them from the distance. Pulling Emilia along with him, Subaru dashed into the large crowd on the sidewalk and disappeared into the throngs of patrons and merchants alike, leaving the two guards without any hope of capturing them.
Moments later, after they had passed into the depths of safety, Emilia fell out of step and while panting, she tucked her silver hair back into her hood. She was breathless from running, but was nonetheless bent on pressing the previous conversation from before. She stood up straight and prodded Subaru in the chest with her pointer finger.
"Sometimes I'm veeery disappointed with you, Subaru!" Emilia scolded, her lilac eyes shining with a playful glint. "I know you are my knight, but sometimes you need to have a little more faith in me!"
Subaru brushed off his leather jerkin and made a polite bow, mockingly. "Oh, my Lady Emilia, I am so, so sorry—what ever can I do to make things up to you?"
She smiled but didn't laugh. "Please don't bow, my knight. While you have disappointed your Lady, she is a very forgiving person—but you can make it up to me by letting me stand by your side, instead of you standing in front of me, you big dunderhead!"
Subaru realized while this was a joking matter, what she said was deadly serious. She wanted to be equals with him, and she wanted to protect him just as much as he wanted to protect her. This wasn't the first time she wanted him to know she was tired of his protectiveness, as it had happened already many times before.
Hopefully this time, it would be the last, he thought. "I'm really sorry," Subaru then replied. "But sometimes I just can't help myself with you, Emilia! That guy was saying such disgusting things about you, and I couldn't control myself this time. Usually, I defend you with words, but this time… this time, I wanted to beat some sense into that guy. There was something so wrong with his point of view—I knew I couldn't argue with him, and I certainly couldn't convince him."
"You don't have to always defend me!" Emilia said, her tone rising. "You know I'm strong enough to defend myself! I've been going through this my whole life, and I will probably have to deal with it for the rest of it… You understand that, don't you, Subaru?
His eyes widened in understanding. "I was being selfish again, wasn't I?" Subaru asked rhetorically, letting out a dark chuckle. "This seems to be a repeating pattern—something ingrained in my nature I can't be rid of."
"I don't need another apology, Subaru," Emilia said quickly, and as firmly as she could. "Don't feel as if you have to apologize to me for anything. I know how you are, but if we are going to be together like this—we should have arguments like this once and a while. Puck once told me it's good for healthy relationships to have arguments!"
It was one of the reasons Subaru loved her—she was so understanding. She strived hard to give every word escaping her soft lips as much thought as she could, so her words would never hurt anyone. Even now, after the devastating events which took place, Emilia was still the same as ever.
Subaru flashed her a quick, loving smile. "You really are something special, little Emilia."
At the return of her pet name, Emilia pouted heavily. Then, she could hear an odd sound—it took her a second to realize Subaru was indeed, laughing, and it was a jovial laughter he hadn't let out in quite some time.
Emilia's face went red. "Subaru you… You blockhead!"
Subaru raised his hands in order to calm Emilia—it was difficult to suppress the continued laughter he wanted to release. He didn't want to tease her too much, just poke fun at her a little bit.
"There you go with those antiquated names again," he teased her carefully. "What are you going to call me next, I wonder?"
"Oh, Subaru… there's pleeenty more where that came from."
By now, the two had closed the gap between themselves, to where their foreheads were almost touching during their argument.
"Oh yeah? Let 'er rip, let's see what you got!"
"Let it rip…?" Emilia asked, clearly confused at what he meant. "Is that another perverted word I don't know about? Subaru, you pervert!"
Subaru's smile widened. "Why do you always think everything I say has a sexual connotation? That's just not the case! Maybe you are the perverted one, after all! Doesn't it seem like your mind is always travelling to the wrong places?"
Emilia's cheeks turned red and she shut her eyes in abashment. "You take that back right now, Subaru!"
"Emilia the Pervert! Emilia the Pervert! Emilia the Pervert!" he repeated, and she grew redder and redder every time he said it.
"Stop!" She resisted, pulling her cat-eared hood further over her head to make sure her appearance was concealed. "We're in public, you know! What if someone hears you?"
By now, another bout of laughter escaped his throat. "You should see your pretty face!" he said, struggling to speak through his convulsions. "You are just too cute, little Emilia!"
"You know I dislike being teased, Subaru! It's… It's embarrassing." She paused, and found her voice again after a moment. "I just can't weather these indignities, especially when they come from you!"
He patted her on the shoulder, reassuringly. "Okay, okay, that's enough I suppose. Sometimes I just can't help myself, you know, Emilia? You are just too adorable when you are pouting or embarrassed! It's times like these I had almost totally forgotten about!"
"Even though I dislike your teasing, you are right," she said, regaining her composure. "It has been a while… since we talked like this, I mean. This almost feels like a long-forgotten memory, even though it really wasn't that long ago!"
He gave her a heart-warming smile. "It's like I always said: Once you get past the bad times, the good times have to follow, right?"
"Right!" Emilia returned his smile with her own, melting him with her cuteness. "Which reminds me—" From a pocket inside her cloak she withdrew a small pouch of gold. "I guess I forgot to tell you, but I borrowed a bit of blessed gold from the mansion before we left. I figured if we took a trip to the capital, it would show its usefulness. More importantly, I wanted to look for a Pyroxene mana crystal—for Puck."
"A Pyroxene crystal?" Subaru asked, scratching the side of his head. "Oh, yeah! I remember that. It's one of those crystals which can hold a Great Spirit inside of them, right? We can find one of those here?"
She nodded and said, "Yes, there is a store around here which sells magical items of great value. They are usually pretty expensive, and difficult to obtain… so they may not have any, but I wanted to check just to be sure."
Subaru looked off into the distant horizon where the Lugnica Keep rest at the top of the mountain. The sun was currently high in the sky, signifying it was still early in the afternoon. By now, the dragon-carriages and wagons pouring in and out of the capital had ceased to a halt, stuck in some sort of medieval traffic—if that could even exist in the first place. He held out his hand for Emilia. "Let's start now before it gets too late. We wouldn't want to miss it because the store closed."
Taking his hand, she clasped her fingers around his own and smiled. "Thank you, Subaru! This means so much to me; I hope you know that. If there's a chance for me to reform my contract with Puck, I must have one of those crystals."
The pair began walking down the Lugnican sidewalk, scanning the signs for any mention of magical goods. As the two walked side-by-side, hand-in-hand, Subaru turned his head to Emilia and smiled.
Her sublime beauty captured every ounce of his attention. She hadn't noticed he was gawking at her while they walked as a couple—because if she had, her cheeks would be painted a bright blood-red due to how lustful his gaze was. Her physical beauty was unmatched by anyone else in this world, yes, but it was the beauty of her personality, her character, and her actions which made her stand out above all the rest. Even with all her imperfections, her perfections were more than just a step ahead—they went on for miles and would likely not be matched.
Suddenly, a gentle voice broke him from his trance:
"Hey, Subaru, are you listening to what I just said?" Emilia questioned, staring at him with eyes of lavender.
He shook his head and said, "Sorry, I was just deep in thought, that's all."
She tilted her head cutely. "Oh, I see. Erm… I said we—Oh, never mind, just look above you." Instead of explaining, she pointed her finger toward a wooden sign which was painted blue and in the shape of a crystal—much like the one Emilia wore at the base of her neck.
Magical Assortments and Relics, the signpost read. "Ah, so we found it," Subaru said, running his hand through his dark hair coolly.
"We?" she asked, giggling quietly to herself. "Yes, well… let's go ahead and look inside. I'm sure there's going to be lots of interesting items in here, so don't wander too far without me! I don't want us spending all of our gold here today."
Subaru nodded and followed Emilia into the magical shop. As they stepped inside, his eyes widened in shock.
The shop was much bigger on the inside than it had appeared from the streets of Lugnica. Not only was the store filled with both human and demi-human customers alike, but he could tell the store itself appeared almost magical. There were tall winding wood shelves which reached high above into the air, and were adorned with trinkets, items, and assortments alike. There's no way this store was this big, he thought, as he looked up and down, taken aback at how vast everything was. He then knelt and eyed one of the labels on a shelf.
Bokko fruits – 1 blessed gold coin each, it read. These fruits were an item of particular value which restored mana, he remembered. Taking a handful of the Bokko fruits, Subaru wrapped them in paper and stored them in his pocket. He knew these would come in handy during any future excursion they might have.
Standing once more, Subaru looked around. He couldn't see Emilia anywhere, as she had already run off deeper into the store in search for her crystal she so eagerly wanted. Subaru shrugged and kept walking along the shelves, eyeing what else the store had to offer.
Taking a Metia off the shelf, Subaru looked at it carefully. He had lost his cellphone some time ago, but he couldn't help but laugh to himself at how he played it off as a Metia for so long. They truly looked nothing alike, and probably didn't have close to the same functions.
Suddenly, a patron to Subaru's right turned around and gasped. "Look, is that who I think it is?" he said, while pointing at the entrance to the shop.
There, blanketed by light, was an older white-haired gentleman garbed in a black-silken vest and a white-collared undershirt. At his side hung a long blade, the golden hilt glistening brilliantly in the light. He placed his left hand on his hilt and stood up straight, his perpetual frown threatening to strike fear into all who bore witness to it.
"Wilhelm?" he muttered disbelievingly, immediately turning to conceal his presence.
"That's the Sword Demon, Wilhelm van Astrea," the nameless patron hissed, and turned to Subaru before continuing. "After what happened at the Mathers domain, it was said Master Wilhelm came out of retirement in order to bring those responsible to justice. It was said he broke his oath to Lady Crusch in order to claim the Holy Sword Astrea for himself and take up the mantle of knighthood once again. After serving faithfully for years, I wonder what could have possibly pushed him to make such a drastic decision?"
"Wilhelm broke his oath to Crusch?" Subaru gasped after a moment. "He broke his contract for us?" Subaru couldn't believe Wilhelm would go to such great lengths to avenge the deaths of someone who wasn't even his master.
Wilhelm walked proudly into the shop and passed Subaru, leaving the young man shocked in his wake. Subaru just stared as he disappeared into the back of the store, unsure of what to think or do. As much as he wanted to call out to Wilhelm and let him know both he and Emilia were okay, he couldn't—or else she would be endangered yet again if word got out of her survival.
While he waited for Emilia to come back, he found himself deep in thought. How would he explain to her what was happening? She would no doubt be disturbed to hear the notion of her demise had caused such political ramifications. No doubt, if Emilia found out, she would make it known she was still alive, even if it caused her personal risk. That was the kind of person Emilia was—self-sacrificing, even if it to a fault. Should he hide the truth from her, or should he tell her and let her make her own decision?
After a minute of thought, he decided he would tell her, since he figured, in time, she would discover what was happening anyway.
Gentle footsteps pulled him from his introspections—there, in front of him. was Emilia, emptyhanded. "They didn't have a crystal," she lamented. "They stated just recently, someone had ordered a large shipment of them which put them out of stock. I inquired further as to where or when we could get another one, but they didn't have any answers."
"I see, that's too bad," he said, scratching the growing scruff on his chin. "Let's go somewhere else, then. I don't like lingering in the same spot at once." He didn't want to divulge any more information than he had to.
"Okay…" she said, disappointment heavily laden in her voice.
Subaru took Emilia's hand and turned on his heel toward the exit. He flipped a couple blessed gold coins to the merchant standing at the door, said, "These are for five Bokko fruits; thanks."
The merchant nodded to Subaru and counted the coins carefully as he passed by. Just before he passed through the exit, he heard a gentle, but booming voice come from behind him, saying, "Hold on you two; just one moment please."
It was Wilhelm van Astrea.
Subaru froze in place, shocked—his grip tightening on Emilia, which alarmed her. Without knowing better, she turned to face who had beckoned for them, her hands by her side and ready to cast any manner of magic in order to defend them.
"Good afternoon, my lady," Wilhelm bowed politely, before introducing himself, "I am Wilhelm van Astrea, and I couldn't help but notice your conversation with the merchant earlier. I heard you were looking for a Pyroxene crystal, am I correct?"
Subaru simply let go of her hand and awkwardly walked out the door, leaving the hooded-but-disguised Emilia alone to converse with the gentlemanly knight.
"I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" Wilhelm asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Oh no, good sir," she replied, giving a small but polite curtsy. "Have we met before?" The man looked oddly familiar, like this wasn't the first time they had met.
"I am Wilhelm van Astrea—formerly Wilhelm Trias," Wilhelm returned her curtsy with his own bow. "I do not believe we have met before, but I could be mistaken. Forgive me if I have forgotten who you are—well, I didn't catch your name…"
"Ah, my name is Lia," she introduced from behind her magical disguise. "I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance Master Wilhelm."
"Likewise," he said, adjusting his grip on the blade's hilt. "As I mentioned before, I heard you were in search for a Pyroxene crystal. It must be happenstance then, because I know where you might find one of these rare but sought-after trinkets."
"You do?" Emilia asked, her attention fully captured. "Please tell us! I desperately need one…" She looked at the man with two wide, amethyst eyes, silently pleading for him to aid her.
"Many years ago, there was a cave to the north of Cramlin in the mountains of Cordor," he began, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. "Inside this cave, there are many lagmite crystals which have grown old and in very odd ways. Unfortunately, this cave is guarded by a Sandworm—a demon-beast of both considerable size, vitality and ferociousness. The Sandworm is typically native to the Augria Sand Dunes—but, many years ago, a family unit made its way westward and took up residence very near here. I myself had a run in with it in the past—but while one was slayed, its family members still tread. Historically, the Kingdom Knights have cautioned travelers to avoid the caverns entirely out of threat for this beast, even if such a vast amount of mana crystals does exist there."
"A Sandworm, huh?" Emilia wondered to herself. In her mind, she saw an overgrown garden worm, the kind she would see digging around in the yard of the Mathers mansion. "That doesn't sound sooo scary."
"Take my word for it, my lady," he said, cautioning her. "This is no mere worm you and I would normally come across. This worm can grow to a huge size, has razor-sharp teeth, and twisted demon-horns jutting out of its brow."
"Do you think there is an easy way to defeat it?" she asked, sincere in her determination. "I only ask this because, acquiring one of those crystals is of the upmost importance! You must understand, Master Wilhelm!"
Wilhelm eyed the brown-haired girl carefully. "Admittedly, I was planning on heading out in that direction in order to search for something. Maybe our paths might cross again in the future, and I will lend you the aid of my blade."
Her eyes brightened with joy. "Oh, Master Wilhelm! That would be much appreciated, and I would be in your debt!"
Giving one last gentlemanly bow, Wilhelm started for the exit. "Until next time, My Lady."
Intrigued at the title he had bestowed her; Emilia followed the mysterious knight out of the store and back into the cobblestoned streets of Lugnica. She looked around, but saw no sign of Wilhelm van Astrea. At a loss, she sat down against a nearby bench and thought to herself. After a moment, in the corner of her eye, she could see Subaru approaching her.
She stole a glance at the young, brown-haired man in front of her—his hands were in his pockets, and he gave her a nonchalant expression. He looks sooo cool, she thought.
"So, what did you two talk about?" he asked, as he sat next to her on the bench. "It's certainly not every day you are approached by Wilhelm van Astrea."
Emilia chuckled politely. "He didn't recognize who I was, or at least I think he didn't. It seems the magic of my cloak is working just as well as ever," she smiled at him, before continuing. "To think he overheard my conversation with the merchant—I never expected that."
"He overheard you?" he said, his interest growing ever still. "About the crystal, you mean?"
"Yes, he did," she replied positively. "Master Wilhelm informed me of a location where we may find a crystal to house Puck. He said it was in the mountains—near a village called Cramlin—and it's even close by. Isn't that sooo lucky?"
Subaru smiled back at her before asking, "That sounds like a plan, but what's the catch?"
"So, you see… erm." She paused nervously, unsure of how Subaru would respond, before continuing, then said, "He said it was guarded by something called a Sandworm: a powerful demon-beast shaped like a worm, has horns and oooh, razor-sharp teeth!"
Subaru winced at that last part. "Razor-sharp teeth?!" he gasped. "You think one would mention first it has teeth sharper than daggers! What kind of worm has teeth anyway?"
Emilia giggled to herself. "Well, at first I thought it was just an oversized worm like the ones in Roswaal's garden, but Wilhelm stressed these demon-beasts are no common foe."
"You think we can defeat it?" he asked—it was an honest question. "All I have is my sword, and my skill there is lacking. Of course, you could turn it into a fried worm if you wanted, but I feel bad being so useless!"
"You aren't useless, Subaru," she chided, poking him in the forehead with her finger. "You are far from useless! You have saved me more times than I can count… and you have plenty of strength; you just don't know it yet. You need to believe in yourself, like you believe in me…" Her voice, starting out strong, grew weaker near the end.
Subaru's mouth curled mischievously. He turned to meet her amethyst eyes. "You know, Emilia, you look beautiful when you are passionate about something."
Emilia's face turned red. "Why d-did you say that?" she asked, her voice faltering. "How come you changed the subject so easily like that? We weren't talking about me—you know that!"
"Yeah, but I just felt like talking about you," he admitted, unabashed and undeterred. "I can't help you're the most mesmerizing thing in this world to me. Every time I get one good look at you, I feel like I'm going to explode with passion."
Without warning, he pecked her on the cheek with a kiss, catching Emilia off guard and almost sending her falling off the bench.
"Su-Subaru!" she squeaked, stumbling over her words as if her tongue was in a knot. "You know we're in public, don't you?! What do you think other people will believe if they see you kissing me in public, you pervert!"
"Pervert?" he asked, his jaw dropping. "Is that the insult you always default on… and we kiss all the time, have you forgotten? Remember a couple weeks ago; what happened between us? I think I have earned the right to steal a kiss or two from you on occasion."
Emilia's face blossomed to a deep red at the thought of what happened between them. Even if it was a moment of pure, uncontrolled passion—it was proof she hadn't forgotten—and soon she felt herself heating up. "Subaru, it feels sooo hot out here, you know?" she swooned, fanning herself with her right hand gently. "I reeeally feel like I'm melting like a candle."
"You realize it's getting cooler as the day goes on, right?" he said, fanning her as well. "We're sitting in the shade too—it isn't going to get any cooler than this. Anyway, back to the worm-thing or whatever."
Emilia laid back against the bench in a daze from the heat. "Ah, right… yes—the wooorm…" It appeared she was barely coherent at this point.
Subaru, noticing this, continued his questioning anyway. "Well, do you even know where to go? Come to think of it, I really need to purchase a map before we leave this place. That would help things, a lot."
"I have never been there myself… but I do know where to go," Emilia said, regaining her composure. "We just need to take the road south out of Lugnica, and then travel along the east road and it should take us straight to Cramlin. Wilhelm said the caverns near there were teeming with mana crystals. Which reminds me… erm… Subaru."
Noticing her hesitant voice, Subaru perked up. "What is it, Emilia?" he asked.
"There's just one problem," she said, her voice hesitant. "Master Wilhelm said he was heading in that direction as well. I'm not sure if you wanted to avoid him or not… but he said if he were in the area, he would help us with the worm."
He was going there too? he thought. If that was the case, then maybe they could use him to their advantage, but it was dangerous to be exposed for sure. He then looked at Emilia straight in the eye. "I don't think we should expose our identities to him, or anyone else we used to know," he advised pointedly. "Which reminds me, I need to let you know what has happened since the events at the Sanctuary… but I'm not sure if I can."
Emilia sat up and eyed him carefully. "You can tell me Subaru, it's okay," she said, grasping his hand lovingly. "You can tell me anything—don't feel like you need to hide anything from me."
"I know I can tell you anything, but…" he began, not knowing where to start. He cleared his throat and then continued, "In response to what happened at the Sanctuary—Crusch, Priscilla and Anastasia are all in a state of war. None of them trusted each other to begin with, and now some trust each other even less than before. They don't know who to point fingers at and blame for what happened at the Sanctuary. I overheard someone saying Wilhelm had abandoned his service to Crusch in order to search out whatever was responsible for attacking us."
"Is that so…" she said, her voice low. "Master Wilhelm would do something like that for us? I don't know whether to be sad or happy."
"Yeah," he said, his voice serious and unmistakable. "If that's not bad enough already, I am strictly against us revealing our identities or making it known we are still alive. I care about you, Emilia, and I want us to live long happy lives. I know you cared a lot about the Royal Selection, and you would have made a wonderful Queen, but I fear for your safety if people find out you are still alive."
Emilia just nodded, absorbing his words. "I understand, Subaru," she said, a sad smile gracing her lips. "I wish things didn't turn out this way. I wanted to help people; I really did. I mean, I guess I'm still a Royal Selection Candidate, even if I don't have the backing of Roswaal, right?"
Subaru shrugged, unsure of an answer. "I don't know for sure, but I feel like it's best we let that opportunity pass by the wayside. However, I want you to know no matter what you want to do, I will follow you, Emilia. I will be your knight, whether it is serving you as a Royal Selection Candidate, as a Queen, or just Emilia, the spirit-arts user. I just don't care!" His voice, subdued at the beginning, rose to almost a yell as he spoke those final words.
"Subaru…" she breathlessly said, her voice hitching. "Thank you so much for your support!" She thanked him with a smile both wide and sincere.
Unexpectedly, Emilia scooted closer to Subaru and looked up to him with tear-laden eyes. He looked down at her and smiled softly, reaching an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in reassuringly. She gave him a kiss on the cheek which lingered for far longer than he thought it would. As her soft lips departed his skin, he immediately felt a cold chill replacing the warmth of her kiss.
Oh, how he wanted her to be attached to him forever like that, and to never leave his skin. "Emilia…?" he uttered, a loss of words stifling his ability to speak. "Thanks for the kiss." His hand went to touch the place where her lips had just been.
The gratitude was welcomed but unneeded. "Subaru, there will be many more from where that came from." Her voice was both playful and filled with love. "But to respond to what you said… for now, I think we should just go on our way and stay out of the politics of Lugnica. I agree with what you said, that bringing us back into the thick of things would cause more trouble than fix it. As much as I feel so terrible for putting Lady Crusch and the others through this, I don't want to bring us anymore harm. Right now, I just want to focus on us, Subaru."
When Subaru heard that last sentence, he almost died. He thought he would never hear something like that from Emilia, ever. In just a couple weeks, she had already matured beyond her past self, not only emotionally, but mentally, too. Her admission that herself being included in the Royal Selection created danger for herself and everyone around her—her decision to focus on just themselves. Quite frankly, Subaru wanted to kiss her again right here and now… but he didn't.
"You really think so, Emilia?" he asked, turning to her.
"Yes, with all my heart," she said, truly meaning it. "I think for now, we have enough to worry about with just us two, together. We should go our own path and see where it leads us. Before, I was just being led by Roswaal after being convinced to take part in the Royal Selection—but now, I want to do what I truly want to do… and that is be with you, Subaru."
Subaru simply looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes. He didn't know what to think at this point—his mind was filled with emotion, confusion, and hesitation. Without a word, he reached out a hand to touch her cheek, and he felt the smoothness of her silky skin. Returning the gesture, she wrapped both of her hands around his own and pressed her face against him.
"I love you, Emilia," he whispered to her, almost soundlessly, his mouth close to her ear. "You know how important you are to me—I would do anything to make you happy. I'm comfortable with any decision you make, please know that."
"I know," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper and filled with love. "You are sooo amazing, Subaru. I'm sooo glad you found me—I don't know what I would do without you. Without you, I would still be lost, unhappy, and alone. I didn't want to realize it, but I now know why Puck broke his contract with me: he did it so I could realize my love for you. He truly wanted me to be happy, and that's why we need to get him back." After this realization, Emilia let out a deep sigh into Subaru's neck, releasing her stress.
By now, the Lugnican sun was starting to set behind the castle walls, basking the surrounding area in a vivid orangish color. The ground-dragons which had previously covered the expanse of the main road had started to dwindle in number, signifying the day was truly near its end. Likewise, the hustle and bustle from earlier had shrunk to a lower number, leaving just vagabonds and wayfarers travelling to and from their destinations.
The two sat comfortably together for some time on the bench, before one of them stirred.
Subaru stretched out his arms and yawned, before saying, "It looks like things are dying down around here. It was a nice afternoon; what do you say to turning in for the night, before making the trek to Cramlin village tomorrow?"
Emilia, perking up in response to him, said, "Oh, Subaru? You reeeally mean that? We are going to Cramlin village tomorrow?" She was surprised he was so receptive to her idea, even when considering Wilhelm was heading there as well.
"Seeing as I miss that fuzzy little cat as much as you do," Subaru said, smiling to Emilia. "I just figured we should take our next lead in our quest for getting him back, don't you think?"
Emilia nodded ferociously. "Oh, yes! I bet Puck would be sooo happy to see you, Subaru. He will be so proud you have taken care of me so well—I'm sure of it."
Yeah, I'm sure of it, he thought. Truthfully, he had a bone to pick with that mischievous little fuzzball of a cat. His actions, or lack thereof, had put Emilia in more danger than the Great Spirit probably thought. Even though Puck wasn't responsible for the events which happened at the Sanctuary, Subaru would have a difficult time forgiving him for mental stress and emotional damage he had caused Emilia. Even so, if Emilia wanted to get her pseudo-father back, then he would do everything in his power to aid her—that's just the kind of oath he took: to serve, and protect her, even die for her if needed.
He really hoped that last part wouldn't be necessary. He said, "Well, that settles it, then—let's head back to the tavern and get some rest. Then tomorrow, we set out for Cramlin village, and then put the worm to the test."
Emilia looked up at him once more with eyes which were clearly deeply in love. It almost scared Subaru how quickly she had fallen with him, now that she was alone with him. Of course, he didn't want to argue with how love worked, but something bothered him, probably since he realized she would have never fallen for him this fast if the events at the Sanctuary didn't happen as they did.
Brushing those thoughts from his mind, he tugged on her hood, pulling it further over her silver-threaded hair.
"Ow… Subaru, what was that for?" she complained, looking up at him.
"If you stare at me too long, Emilia, you might catch a cold," he said, laughing softly to himself. "I've been known to have that effect on people."
"I-I wasn't staring," she said, her cheeks growing red once more. "You were staring at me!"
The two stared at each other momentarily in silence… and then shared a long, joyous laugh. It was times like these the two would cherish in the future to come. In recent weeks, there wasn't a whole lot of chance or time for laughter like the two shared now. It was a pure, unabated laughter which didn't show any signs of underlying stress or discomfort. It was quite simply happiness—pure happiness.
Subaru grinned at Emilia, who returned with a simple smile. She turned her head inquisitively at the man who was assaulting her with his big toothy grin. After a moment of taking in every detail of his battle-worn face, she recognized something extraordinary. She realized smiling changed Subaru's face significantly—realizing that lately, he hadn't been smiling very often. From now on, she would make it her priority to protect his smile, just as he spent every fiber of his being to protect her.
Both Subaru and Emilia were thinking about one another as they walked, hand-in-hand through the streets of Lugnica, disappearing into the cool, pleasant night.
