Re: Avenger

by Just-Another-Marvel-DC-Geek

The arrival of a certain young hero shows the world of the Od Laguna just how small it truly is. Basically, Subaru is MCU Spidey and the Re:Zero cast meet Marvel Multiverse madness. Sounds fun, right? (First fic. Shamelessly posting in both regular and crossover sections for reach.)

9. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – The Royal Disaster

"A'ight ya whore, spit everything!" A lanky man threatened while drawing a knife.

"Yeh! You heard him!" A grinning dwarf backed his taller friend.

"Ya don't wanna see what we capable of, bitch!" A buff, broad man besides the slender delinquent affirmed while cracking his knuckles.

"Hmph!" The woman the hooligans were assaulting, a gorgeous and curvaceous fiery red-head with blood red eyes dressed in a scarlet and black colored dress, stood firm against the insults. "For mongrels like you to think you have anything over me… You should be begging for forgiveness before my divine self."

"Forgiveness?! For what?!" The lanky man asked in confusion at the overconfident woman.

"Ha! For being born so absurdly moronic, of course!" The lady insulted once more, laughing aloud at the baffled trio. "And for tainting my vision with your ugly visages as well." She concluded, matter-of-factly.

"WHY YOU-?!" Before the lanky man could swing his knife at the woman, a white string stuck to his hand.

*THWIP!*

"Wha-?" As the assailant attempted to make head or tails of what was happening, he was suddenly pulled into the air, much to the surprise of the lady and her would-be robbers. "UWOOOOOOOH!"

*THWACK!*

The moment the man started falling back to the ground, a fist collided with his face, knocking him out and, most likely, breaking his nose.

"CHIN!" The dwarf yelled the moment his buddy dropped unconscious.

"Hey, you two." Subaru, who was standing outside the alley and was barely visible from the difference in lightning, stepped into the narrow corridor. "Surely, you recognize me?" He confidently said while displaying a smug glare.

"Huh? Who the fuck are you?!" Whilst the dwarf wondered in confusion, the broad man recognized the young man standing in front of him and trembled.

"K-Kan!"

"What's the matter, Ton?!"

"It's him! Don't you remember?! From two months ago!"

"Huh?!" The moment the dwarf squinted his eyes, he recognized Subaru's face. "Oh shit!"

"Grab your friend and leave." Subaru stated in a serious tone, no cracking of jokes or cheer whatsoever on his face. "This is the last time I warn you, 'Ton'."

"Hiii~!" The cowering broad man ran past the woman and picked his friend up, running away in fear.

"W-wait for me! Ton!" The dwarf pursued his friend in a panic, exiting the corridor as well.

As the pair disappeared into the crowd, Subaru approached the woman that was being assaulted. "Are you alright, ma'am?" The moment he attempted to reassure her, however, his Spider-sense alerted to a danger. "WOAH!" Just in the nick of time, Subaru dodged the swing of a sword on fire. The woman had attacked Subaru. "What the hell?!"

"How presumptuous of you, insect." The lady glared at him with disdain. "Were you expecting something from assisting me? For me to swoon over you the moment you 'rescued' me?"

"Huh?! No way!" Subaru stood firm and fought his case. "I thought you were in danger and I intervened! That's all!"

"Hmph!" The woman huffed once again. "You assume too much, fool." The lady's fiery blade disappeared, leaving Subaru to guess that it was some sort of magic. "Next time, before you go and make a fool out of yourself, it'd be best if you paused and took a look at the situation around you more carefully."

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Subaru denied vehemently.

"Excuse me?" The beauty, with indignity, questioned him once again.

"Pausing and taking a look at the situation might yield a personal victory, yes, but the lives such a decision would cost completely contradict what I stand for."

"How so?" Subaru's affirmation earned a genuine raised eyebrow from the prideful woman.

"Well, if I hadn't intervened just now, you would have beheaded those three stooges, am I wrong?" The young man chuckled.

"Well, they would have deserved it. They had the gall to waste my time, after all." The girl stated nonchalantly.

"Well, I'm of the thought that even guys like that deserve a second chance… or at least a third from my perspective."

"*Sigh* And therein lies the difference between you and I, commoner." The lady affirmed while pulling a fan from the gap of her breasts, earning a blush from the surprised Subaru. "A merciful leader MIGHT allow a second chance. Only a fool provides a third."

"But you didn't even give those poor weirdos a second chance!" The young man protested with a confused face.

"Of course I did, you buffoon." The woman corrected while fanning herself. "After all, I allowed YOU to pull off that charade and 'save me' instead of simply killing them off like they deserved." The girl smiled as if what she had just said was the most truthful statement ever spoken.

Subaru, who was tremendously confused by the relaxed dismissal of lives and logic the woman performed, simply resolved to agree and end the whole argument. "Y-Yeah, okay… I-I kinda guess you are right?" He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts once again. "Just… stay out of trouble, okay?" He then picked an apple from his bag and handed it to the girl. "Here. Don't worry, it ain't poisoned. Just a gift, hoping you'll give ME a second chance and let me leave."

"…What is this?" The girl wondered as she inspected the fruit in her hand.

"Uh, what do you mean 'what'?" Subaru, who was about to retire, turned back at her again and tilted his head in confusion once more. "It's an appa. What else could it be?"

"An… Appa?" The woman stared at him. "You simply must be mistaken. Appa's are juicy and white and shaped in a semicircular fashion."

"Yes… when you peel them and cut them apart." The young man corrected the woman once more, looking at her with some worry. "Have-Have you never seen the actual fruit before?!"

"…No, I suppose not." The fiery lady stated in a more reserved tone while analyzing still the fruit in her hand.

"HEY!" As soon as Subaru exited the alleyway, a familiar voice called out to him. "Hey, I know you!"

"Hmm?" Subaru turned to see who was speaking to him. "Old man Rom!" The boy exclaimed in surprise as he saw the elder leaning on the wall of the Noble district.

"Subaru… was it?" The giant approached the young man. "So… hey."

"Hey man! What have you been doing these past few months?"

"Not much, I guess…" The giant scratched his chin. "Just livin' day to day, looking for Felt. All I managed to drag up was that she was thrown into the upper district, but that's just bout' it" He declared while glancing upwards towards the castle.

"Felt?" Subaru looked at him with worry. "So you didn't know?"

"What?" The giant raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So you do know something?! Tell me!"

"Oh, i-it's just…" The young man thought about his words for a moment. "I passed out when it happened… But I'm told Reinhard took her in. For what, I do not know…"

"Reinhard…?" The giant's eagerness deflated. "It had to be an Astrea of all people…"

"Rom?"

"…Don't worry lad. I'm not mad or anything, just… stay out of trouble, will ya?"

As the giant turned around and tried to walk away, Subaru lamented how depressed and hunched the man looked. Remembering the destroyed Loot house and how Elsa injured the man because of Subaru's oversight, the responsibility of the situation weighed heavily over the young Avenger's head. "Hey, Rom!"

"Hmm?" The elder turned to look at Subaru once more.

"Hey… I know I can't do much at the moment… But, let me see you home okay?" The young man caught up with the demi-human and stood beside him. "Here. An appa." He then grabbed a fruit from his bag once again, handing it to his companion.

"…*Sigh*" Rom rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Thanks, man. I… I appreciate the thought." He accepted the apple and gave it a bite. "*munch, munch* Quite juicy, I might say."

"Right?!" Subaru beamed a smile at the giant.

"*Munch, Swallow* Follow me. I know a shortcut to the slums."

The group then spent an hour crossing the edge of the Market district all the way towards the opposite end, the edge of the slums. As Rom and Subaru approached the giant's abode, however, the young man finally decided to address the elephant in the room that had him and the demi-human sweating in silent awkwardness. "So… Why are you here?" Subaru turned to look back in utter confusion at the fiery-red woman he had met in the alleyway.

"Pardon?" The woman asked back as she fanned herself. "What reason would YOU have to question my decisions, mongrel?"

"It's just…" Subaru and Rom gave a side-glance at each other, trying to think of something to say. "Why are you following us?"

"Oh, well, because I'm bored." The prideful girl stated as if it was obvious to them. "Your little act of licking each other's wounds outside the alleyway piqued my interest, so, I've allowed your interactions in the past hour to entertain me. Be honored." The lady admitted with a smile. "As the goddess I am, the world is made to please me. As such, it's only natural that it should also favor my entertainment."

"Uh…" Rom hesitated about what to answer, finding the situation a bit too ridiculous for him to react.

"…Just, whatever." Subaru resolved himself to ignore the lunatic, dismissing her rambling. "You do you I guess."

As the trio kept walking through the slums, the sight of children with hopeless eyes, broken, rundown houses and the poor laying on the ground, unmoving, and perhaps unbreathing, broke Subaru's heart further. The sight was so much, and so immediate to him, that he just could not disassociate. He felt like crying.

"That's my current house over there, Subaru." Rom pointed at a broken shack leaning on the wall that separated the city from the outside world. "Thank you for the company. I-Uh… I appreciate it."

"…Good luck meeting Felt again, Rom." Subaru consoled. "I'll ask Reinhard if I see him again."

"…Thank you. Please do." The giant waved at the man and walked towards his shack, leaving Subaru alone with the rude woman.

"What a bunch of pathetic and sorry looking imbeciles." The red lady uttered making Subaru, who was getting ready to leave the slums, stop in his tracks.

"Excuse me?" He turned to look at her, a furious glint in his eyes.

"I said that this sorry lot bothers mine eyes." The woman smiled while reiterating her words. "Does it bother you that I point out the truth of their existence?"

"As a matter of fact, it does." Subaru turned completely, facing her frontally now. "What's the matter with you?! These people haven't done anything to deserve you berating them like that!"

"*Sigh* That's exactly the point, monkey." The lady dismissed Subaru's anger with a disappointed glint.

"Huh?"

*CLACK*

"Do you really not understand?" The woman closed her fan with a loud sound and began describing her point of view to Subaru. "These… losers. They spend their whole lives in this trash heap. And for what?" She directed her closed fan to a man lying on the side of the road, gazing at them while begging for money. "That man has an able body. He can walk, he can talk and he clearly has a head on his shoulders that allows him to think. So, my question is: Why is he on the side of the road instead of doing some proper work?"

"…Well, maybe he has issues that-"

"You are not getting it." The girl cut him off. "It's the same for the thieves that you 'saved me' from. Why do they resort to thievery? Why choose such lives over actually getting something done? How can these children spend their entire lives feeling sorry for themselves, doing nothing, struggle for nothing and then expect charity to fall on their lap? To grow up to waste their one chance at doing anything productive and then blame the world around them? They are egotistical and selfish, not amounting to anything and not caring about anyone other than themselves. Every person should receive what they deserve, work and earn what they possess, and what these filthy dirt stains deserve is to rot with each other in the mud. "

"…" Subaru stood there in silence, unable to refute even one of her words. He hated her berating. He hated her nasty words. Yet he could not refute, for he too believed in merit deserving reward. After all, it was the merit of doing the right thing what made Tony Stark recognize him and gift him the Spider-Man suit initially. And it was the merit of correcting his mistakes what made Tony return the suit after taking it away. As he sank deep into his thoughts, a harmless, nearly skeletal looking demi-human child rushed at him.

"Oof!" The dog-eared kid said while colliding with Subaru and grabbing his purse. However, the moment he attempted to get away from him, Subaru grabbed the child by the arm, making him drop the purse in surge of pain. "Owowowow! My arm! Please, let go of me!"

"You…" Subaru looked at the child trying to wrestle with his hand for dear life with pity.

"See?" The red girl pointed at the child. "He tried to rob you, but now he pulls the pity card, trying to guilt-trip you into letting go. Instead of doing something to remedy his situation or simply accept his deserved fate, he prefers to beg for his life like the wretch he is."

"Beg for his life like the wretch he is."

These particular words stuck with Subaru.

"Beg for his life like the wretch he is."

"Beg for his life like the wretch he is."

"Beg for his life like the wretch he is."

"Mr. Stark…? I don't feel so good…"

"*GASP*" Subaru, in a sudden and desperate gasp, decides to let go of the demi-human child, prompting him to run away, not even noticing the purse by the floor. "…" As the duo saw the figure of the child disappear into the horizon, the young man's face remained in utter shock and disbelief for a moment before the woman called out to him again.

"You don't seem too well." The woman snorted. "Does the visage of a mongrel more pathetic than your existence disturb you?" Subaru, however, did not respond. He instead approached a group of three children that were sitting under a tree, besides a broken house. "What are you doing?"

The kids were clearly not related, the two girls being different species of demi-humans even. In addition, they looked even more malnourished and younger than the kid that attempted to rob Subaru. "Wh-What…?" As the older of the children, a pale human boy, attempted to shield his friends, Subaru grabbed his bag. The children closed their eyes and trembled, bracing themselves to meet their end until… they realized nothing was happening. The kids opened their eyes to find a bag full of apples. "Appas!" One of the kids exclaimed.

"They are yours if you want them." Subaru smiled and left the kids with the bag, returning to the side of the red woman as the kids merrily ripped into the bag as if it was their birthdays.

"Thank you mister!" One of the kids yelled in gratitude as he bit onto the fruit.

"…So? What was that all about?" The lady attempted to understand Subaru's actions to no avail. "What was the point of that?"

"You said they spend their entire lives doing nothing productive, implying their egoism and selfishness while blaming the world. But that boy? He stood up to me, a man he knew he had no chance against, to protect his friends." Subaru explained to the woman. "How is that egotistical and selfish? How is that not caring for others?"

"…" For the first time during their whole argument, the red lady knew not what to respond.

"Look, I… I understand what you are saying. Perhaps even, where you are coming from… But… these people…" Subaru raised his arms to shoulder level, signaling to everyone around him. "How can you know what they are really capable of if you DON'T give them the chances to prove who they really are? That kid, in my eyes? He's a knight who has not been given the chance to become one… And perhaps he never will with how this country is coming along…" The boy lamented while gazing at the children once more.

"…So?" The woman asked in boredom. "What do you plan to do about it? It's good and all to make a 'noble speech', but it doesn't get anything done. And you handing them appas in compensation for doing nothing still doesn't prove me wrong about their laziness to improve themselves. What will you do? Rain them in opportunities to dig themselves out of their holes?"

Subaru remained thoughtful once again. What would you do…? Tony…

"…As of this moment, every student has been made an equal recipient of the inaugural September Foundation Grant… As in: all of your projects have just been approved and funded!"

…Yeah, he would do something as insane as that, no doubt. Subaru smirked and glanced at the red lady with confidence. "Who knows?" The young man answered her question. "Perhaps I will…"

"…Hmph! A fool's errand if I've ever seen one." The woman laughed and smirked in a derisive sneer at Subaru. "I've grown bored, mongrel. Escort me back to the Noble district." The lady ordered with cheer.

"*Sigh* Yes, yes…" Subaru shook his head and walked back towards the city with the lady in tow. Maybe this world needs an Iron Man… A hero that'll save people from more than just monsters… Were that to be the case… Perhaps I could… As Subaru gazed at the prototypes inside his bag, the train of thought inside his mind was turned ambitious by the sight of the children of the slums.

During the next couple of hours, Subaru would help around any citizen he saw in trouble, be they human or demi-human, rich or poor, as the lady in red observed him with indifference. He would save a kid from being ran over by a carriage, stop a couple of robberies and even mediate an argument between two merchants. He expected his companion to complain, but the woman simply observed him do his work while slipping some banter a couple of times, surprising the Avenger with the amount of patience she actually had when not actively looking for an excuse to berate people. As the duo reached the wall separating the Market and the Noble district once more, the woman and Subaru made a quick stop by a fruit stall. "Hey Kadomon."

"Oh, hey! It's you again and…" Kadomon, in surprise, glanced at the red-haired beauty standing behind Subaru. "Woah, man. You shouldn't be bringing every girl you hookin' up with to my stall. I don't wanna attract no trouble…"

"*Snorts*" Subaru couldn't contain a chuckle at Kadomon's remark. "It's not what you think man. She's just… an acquaintance I'm keeping an eye on, is all…"

"Hurry up, monkey. I grow tired of this… rabble." The Lady glanced around at the noisy masses around her in annoyance.

"Anyways dude, can you give me another dozen of appas? Kind of ran out!" Subaru took out his coin purse once more.

With a bagful of fruit once again, Subaru and the lady in red walked towards the wall once more, reaching it after roughly three hours since their initial trip towards the slums with Rom.

"Subaru!" Emilia, who was waiting besides a shirtless man wearing a helmet, called out to him. "Subaru, where have you been?!"

"Hey Emilia-tan." Subaru greeted his mistress. "I was just… walking around, is all… Just like you told me." The young man then noticed that the helmeted man only had one arm.

"Heya Prince-GHK!" The helmeted man got elbowed in the stomach by the red-haired lady.

"Shut your trap, Al." The woman scowled while imparting an order.

"Aye-aye captain…"

"So, what were you doing with… who is this guy?" Subaru asked in confusion as Emilia approached him.

"His name is Aldebaran. He is a knight, although not of the rank of Julius or Reinhard." Emilia explained. "I asked him to help me look for you when I couldn't find you outside." The half-elf then looked with a worried expression at her employee. "What… were you doing with this woman?" Emilia then asked Subaru a similar question to the one he asked her.

"Oh, she's… Actually, I don't know her name." Subaru admitted, earning a surprised look from Emilia. "I actually met up with Rom in the slums and came back just now and this woman kind of, just, tagged along?"

"Why would you-URNF?!"

"Al, rein your stupidity in." The woman barked at the shirtless man once more, landing a punch on his side.

"S-sorry…" The man apologized. "Hey pal, Subaru was it? Sorry if she caused any trouble. As you can see, my lady can be… quite the handful." Al spoke carefully, trying not to irritate his mistress further.

"Oh, it's no problem man!" Subaru reassured. "She might have a sharp tongue… but she opened my eyes to some issues I've been ignoring." The young man smiled after saying this, making Emilia feel uncomfortable.

"Ah, I see…" Al commented. "Well… good for you, I guess."

"Al, let's get going." The lady ordered.

"Yeah, on my way." Al nodded at her command. "Well, see ya around pal!" He waved at Subaru with his remaining arm. He then called for a carriage and opened the door for his lady to board it.

"Uh… Yeah! See you too! Eventually I guess!" An unsure Subaru waved back at the man.

"…Natsuki Subaru, was it?" The red lady stopped on her tracks as she boarded the carriage, without turning to see either Subaru or Emilia. "Hmph! We'll be seeing each other once again, fool." Aldebaran, then, closed the door behind the woman.

As the carriage rode-off into the distance, Emilia turned to Subaru once more to inquire. "Subaru…? Are you sure you don't know who she is?" Emilia's expression turned serious.

"Yeah, I genuinely don't." Subaru, who noticed Emilia's demeanor, reaffirmed his innocence. "Is something wrong, Emilia-tan?" The boy asked in worry.

"…It's nothing." Emilia turned away from him and dismissed his worry. "Let's get going already." She finally concluded with indifference while walking away.

"Huh? H-Hey, wait! Emilia-tan!" Subaru ran behind Emilia.

It was sunset once again, and Subaru was laying in the gardens of the Karsten manor once more. However, instead of contemplating on nostalgia, he was thinking about his real role in this new world, as well as the sudden wall that had formed between his liege and himself. "Emilia… Did I do something wrong?" He asked to no one.

"I do not know about this, but perhaps it'd be for the best to give each other some space for now, don't you think so Subaru-dono?"

"Wilhelm!" The boy noticed the old man that was standing a few meters away from him, holding a pair of training swords once again.

"Mind indulging this old man once more?"

"Sure!" The young man got up and grabbed one of the swords, readying himself for combat. "On your mark…"

Much like the previous day, the pair clashed until dinnertime, with Rem's call out indicating the end of the session. "Dagh!" Subaru plopped on top the grass, sweating buckets. "I didn't feel this tired yesterday… What's with that?!"

"Perhaps you are overexerting yourself?" Wilhelm said while picking up the training swords.

"How so? *pant pant* I lost even harder than yesterday! 5 to 15!"

"Yes, but you also rushed in more, you struck with more force and made more mistakes while favoring strength." The butler pointed out while lending the young man a hand to get up.

"*Sigh* Yeah, I guess you are right… Thanks by the way." Subaru grabbed Wilhelm's hand and got up once again. "It's been pretty heavy. Today, I mean."

"Really? How so?"

"Well… Emilia and I relaxed together all throughout the morning and the early afternoon, but… Come the hour for her meeting and we are suddenly acting like strangers. And the knights, they are… I just don't fit with them. I just… when I first arrived to the kingdom, I acted a bit cocky, thinking MY achievements were impressive. But… the more I think about them, the more I doubt… That maybe they are more the cause of the people around me and I was tagging along this whole time…" Subaru responded with sincerity. Thinking about it, I'm sure Tony could've snapped without any consequence… Or Cap or Thor even… In comparison, I just got myself into mess after mess…

"You feel like you don't fit or have amounted to anything."

"Exactly." The boy nodded. "That and Emilia might not trust me as much as I thought she did… Am I… am I on the wrong here? Did I do something wrong? It wouldn't be the first time I alienate someone I cherish by being insensitive…"

"…" Wilhelm glanced at Subaru for some moments before actually opening up to him. "Sometimes it's not easy to fit in… But that does not mean you were the one in the wrong or the ONLY one in the wrong."

"What?"

"Now, I'm not saying you are being misjudged. Your lax attitude and tendency to aim high come off as rather obvious…" The old man chuckled at the betrayed face the boy gave him. "But… It might be good for you to trust your gut in the end. A bit of confidence in yourself, ACTUAL confidence instead of bravado comes a long way… Even if the two are difficult to distinguish from each other…"

Subaru, however, stared at Wilhelm in confusion, not understanding some of the things he said.

"*Sigh* It seems like you don't yet understand my words, young man…" Wilhelm deflated slightly but then regained his posture once again. "This is fine, still. You are young, the road ahead is still long enough for you to trip and be able to get back up." The old man reassured while smiling.

Damn, thanks Yoda. "Thank you, Wilhelm. Even if I didn't understand some of the things you said, I appreciate the thought."

"You are welcome, Subaru-dono."

"You know? I like you, I mean; I dig your whole 'Old Soldier' kind of vibe…" Subaru commented while doing gestures with his hands. "You kind of remind me of Cap, in a weird… cosmic sort of way."

"Cap? As in a 'Captain'?" Wilhelm wondered. "Did you belong to some company or maybe an order in the past?"

"Well, I guess you could call it something like a squadron…" The pair then directed themselves towards the dining hall while chatting some more, solidifying their bond.

The next morning, the groups of the Emilia Camp and Crusch Camp readied themselves to assist the royal summon. As the ladies of the day got dressed, a similar situation transpired for Subaru. "Seriously, this suit is fantastic. Thank you Rem." The young man commented while complimenting the blue maid's sewing skills.

"As I've said before, There's nothing you ought to thank me for, Subaru-kun." The servant bowed while blushing slightly. "I'm just glad that you are happy with Rem's work."

Once Subaru had gotten dressed, Rem left to assist Emilia, leaving the boy to wait with Roswaal in the entrance hall. "So~, Subaru-kun."

"What´s up, Ros-chi?"

"Do you think you'll be able to handle yourself toda~y?" The clown wondered with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, all you and I have to do is stand in the background and let Emilia handle the speech and stuff. We are there for, like, moral support after all."

"Hmm~, I wonder about tha~t." Roswaal's smile lowered. "Do you really think Emilia-sama capable of handling everything herse~lf?"

"…" Subaru hesitated for a moment, remembering how repeatedly the twin maids in the mansion defied Emilia's command when he first arrived. "…She's grown these past few months. She is not the same girl that would get dismissed so easily anymore."

"…I wonder about that." Roswaal's murmur without his accent alerted Subaru, making him more nervous than he thought he should be.

After the brief conversation, the pair greeted Rem and Emilia as they descended the stairs and boarded their carriage. They rode behind Crusch's vehicle as they entered the front yard of the Royal Palace. Wilhelm and Rem, as the servants they were, had to stay behind to take care of the earth dragons and carriages.

"Emilia-tan?" Subaru attempted to converse with his liege as she descended from the carriage, but she refused to answer, seemingly in deep thought. Perhaps I shouldn't distract her, she must be going over her speech in her head… Although, the fact that she is wearing that cloak Roswaal made to mask one's own presence is a bit worrying…

As the group entered the Throne Room, they were greeted by a great hall in luxurious reds and golds. At the center, just before the throne itself, sat a group of old men overlooking everything in a round table. That must be the council… He then turned to the sides to see the neatly organized groups, divided in magicians and knights. And standing in front of the council members were Crusch and another girl.

"Well, if you'll excu~se me." Roswaal parted ways and went to stand with the mages.

"Subaru, please align yourself with the knights." Emilia stated with monotony without glancing at him.

"Huh? O-Oh… understood." Subaru, still feeling the uncomfortable wall between Emilia and himself, simply nodded and stood beside the knights. However, as soon as he stood in line, he noticed a familiar redheaded man amongst the crowd. "Reinhard?!"

"Subaru?!" Reinhard looked behind him to notice a familiar young man. "What are you doing here?" Although he wanted to smile and greet his friend, his curiosity gained the upper hand.

"Oh, well…" Subaru resolved to simply come out with the truth while skipping the details. "A lot of stuff happened these past few months and I'm here as Emilia's bodyguard!"

"Bodyguard?" Reinhard tilted his head in confusion.

"Well… it's-" Before Subaru could explain a certain feline interrupted the young man.

"Subaru-kyun´s knighting ceremony conflicted in dates with the inauguration, so it was postponed Reinhard, nya~!" Felix claimed while rearing her head from behind Subaru.

"Oh! So you are to be knighted?!" Reinhard beamed a smile at the black-haired man. "I'm proud of you Subaru, truly!"

"Aw, thanks Rein!" Subaru nodded with a smile. "It's nice to see at least one person not dampen or depress my mood…"

"Nevertheless, how come you know Felix? Are you and his mistress acquainted?" Reinhard questioned once more.

"Well, we're actually staying with Crusch during the- wait." Subaru finally processed Reinhard's words. "'His'?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Reinhard raised his eyebrows in surprise as Subaru slowly turned to look at the 'catgirl' that was leaning on his back. "Felix is a man."

"You what?!"

Subaru's face morphed into terror as Felix began messing with the poor boy's hair. "Nya~!"

"Felix, while I appreciate your presence, I advise you to keep quiet." A regal voice called out to the boys fooling around. "The ceremony shall soon begin."

"Heya Julius!" The cat saluted the purple haired stoic man.

"Ah, greetings, Julius." Reinhard smiled as well.

"H-hey…" Subaru, in his own awkward way, waved at the man.

"So… You came." The knight quickly stated, only to then ignore Subaru altogether. "Reinhard, Felix, don't pay him so much attention. Return to your formation."

"Geez… what's his deal?"

"Aw, don't worry about Julius-kyun! He just finds it hard to make friends is all!"

"He can be quite… correct, I must admit." Reinhard meekly explained. "But, Julius is a trustworthy friend once he opens up to you." He concluded with a handsome grin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Not like he would want to be friends with someone like me anyways…

"Hey pal!" Subaru turned around once more, meeting face to helmet with Al. "So you were important enough for the summon as well, eh?"

"Oh… Hey Al." Subaru greeted the one armed man, but then realized what his presence here meant. "Hold it… If you are here… does it mean that-"

"Yep. My lady is one of the candidates." As Aldebaran uttered these words, it clicked in Subaru's mind what he could have possibly done wrong for Emilia to suddenly distance herself from him.

Does-Does she think… That I considered abandoning her camp?! But for what purpose?! "Emilia…" Subaru mumbled in concern.

"Subaru, are you alright?" Reinhard, who noticed Subaru's shift in mood, worriedly inquired.

"Wha-?" Subaru perked up at Reinhard's words. "Oh, it's just…" Trying to deflect his worry, he remembered his conversation with Rom yesterday. "Say, Rein? Where's Fe-"

"ATTENTION!" A green haired man called out to everyone, garnering the attention of the room. "If I may be so forward. I, Marcos, leader of the Imperial Knights shall guide today's proceedings! It all began when the Royal Family-!"

"Hey, listen, I get that you wanna talk up a good show and all, but in Kararagi, we have a saying: Time is money~!" A petite girl dressed in white with light purple hair and bluish-green eyes interrupted the burly Marcos.

"Kansai-dialect?" Subaru looked surprised for a second, not noticing how Al suddenly went stiff the moment Subaru made a mention of Kansai.

"I vehemently agree." Duchess Karsten backed the petite girl.

"Crusch-sama, as head of house Karsten, I would advise against saying such things." The knight warned.

"While formality should be respected, in the interest of time it would be wiser to inform us why we are here. Although… the room's tense atmosphere should be enough to clue us in on what is going on."

"Come now!" The purple girl chimed in. "No need to actually explain, right? We all know what the Royal Selection is all about after all!" She glanced at the red-haired woman standing beside her and towards Emilia.

"I think we-" Before Emilia could say something, the petite girl interrupted once more.

"Sorry, but I wasn't talkin' to ya."

That is not very nice… Subaru frowned at the girl.

"Actually, I don't!" Al raised his arm. "I don't know what this is all about."

"Priscilla-sama, it has been made aware to me that this man is your knight. Why, pray tell, has he no knowledge of what the Royal Selection entails?

So her name is Priscilla… Subaru thought in silence.

"Does it matter? You are about to prattle on and on about it anyways. Just proceed, Marcos."

"Well then… the reason as to why you have been called over today, candidates to be the dragon's priestess, is because TWO new prophecies have been engraved in the dragon stone. The first one, main reason for today's meeting, dictates as following: 'From the five capable of becoming the nation's new leader, choose one priestess to enter into a covenant with the dragon.'"

"Five?" Priscilla tilted her head.

"Yes, five." Reinhard stepped into the center. "Currently there are four candidates in the room, so the Selection cannot even be inaugurated yet. But today, history is set in motion!"

"Knight Reinhard van Astrea, step forward."

"Yes, sir!" Reinhard advanced until he was standing beside the other candidates, bowing before the council.

"Honored members of the Council of Wise Men, I, Reinhard van Astrea of the Imperial Knights, would like to announce the completion of my mission!" As Reinhard stood up and turned back towards the entrance to the Throne Room, the doors opened to reveal a most vexing sight for Subaru.

THE HELL?!

"The dragon priestess, fifth and final candidate for the throne, has been located!" In the entrance to the hall, dressed in a regal and elegant yellow dress that accentuated her hair, Felt stood tall. "The one I, myself, revere as queen… Felt-sama!"

As the little girl stepped into the hall, much to the amazement of the knights and mages to the sides, the blonde accelerated. "Reinhard!"

"Felt-sama! Thank you for gracing us with your prese-!" Before the 'Sword Saint' could finish his sentence, the blonde-haired girl kicked him in the face. Although, being a different breed of superhuman, Reinhard caught her feet quite easily. "How surprising! What has brought on such behavior?"

"Don't 'what' me you sleazebag!" Felt complained loudly. "Dragging me here with no explanation?! What even is this?!"

"Felt!" Subaru saluted, relieved to see her okay. "It's good to see you again!"

"Hey! It's you! The guy that fought Elsa!" Felt looked at Subaru in surprise as well.

"Elsa?"

"Who's Elsa?"

"Does she mean the Bowel Hunter?!"

"For real?! That young man fought that monster?!"

The knights and mages started staring at Subaru while murmuring with one another. Even Julius raised an eyebrow in surprise once the new information was unveiled.Subaru, nevertheless, was not thrilled by the attention. Awkward!

"Felt-sama, if you are done rekindling old friendships then please, step over here."

As Felt walked back towards Reinhard, the 'Sword Saint' placed an insignia identical to Emilia's in the girl's hand. Immediately after, the insignia glowed with a radiant shine, earning gasps from the onlookers. "As you can see, the dragon gem has recognized Felt-sama as a priestess! Now then, let's proceed with the Selection posthaste!"

"Hold it." One of the magicians to the sides protested. "Even if the dragon gem has approved of the candidate, don't you think the election… 'Problematic'?"

"You believe we, The Imperial Knights, have committed a mistake?" Marcos glanced at the man that made the commentary.

"Oof…" Subaru exhaled. "Looks like things might get messy between these guys after all…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Al commented as well. "Although, I don't really care either way."

"Me neither, nya~!"

"My allegiance lies solely on Anastasia-sama." Julius affirmed.

Ah, so the purple one is Anastasia.

"SILENCE!" One of the council members ordered. "Knight Reinhard, would you please explain what lead to the discovery of candidate Felt?"

"I took custody of Felt-sama over two months ago in the slums." Reinhard admitted while bowing once more.

"She's a 'gutter rat' from the slums?!" One of the magicians uttered.

"Well, sorry for being a 'gutter rat' buddy! But you are the ones that dragged me here!"

"So you only rose out of that heap because of good fortune and not your own efforts?"

"Huh?!" Felt glared at the fiery Priscilla. "What do you mean by that?!"

"I mean that your sole achievement in life has been getting here by climbing other people's backs, slum-dweller." Priscilla snorted. "*Sigh* How exhausting, needing to explain the obvious."

"Hey, hey! You wanna fight?!" Felt got into a rudimentary fighting stance that looked ridiculous with a dress on.

"You insolent-!"

"My apologies, Priscilla-sama." Reinhard bowed to the lady in red.

"What are you thinking, in a hallowed place such as this?" Emilia, who turned to shield Felt from Priscilla, argued with the matriarch.

"I simply attempted to show undeserving scum their place."

"And you won't even apologize?!"

"I shall, if you apologize for being born, half-elf." The redhead snorted.

"…My resemblance to the witch is a coincidence."

"…" An uncomfortable Subaru felt troubled about what to do. On the one hand, he wished to intervene and cut short such an obvious act of racism. On the other, it was Emilia's responsibility to see the ceremony through, so she must be able to stand up for herself, even without him.

"Are you all finished, I presume?" One of the elders spoke up.

"Royal Selection Candidates, please step forth!" Marcos announced. "Priscilla Barielle-sama and her knight, Al!"

"This 'Selection' is pointless! There is only one person fit to lead this country and it is me, so grovel before me already!"

She's confident, I'll give her that…

"Head of the Karsten family, Crusch Karsten-sama and her knight, Felix Argyle!"

"This land belongs to us, not to the dragon! Should I become the new ruler, I shall make the dragon forget the covenant!"

A mold breaker, eh…?

"Anastasia Hoshin-sama of the Hoshin Trading Company and her knight, Julius Juukulius!"

"I'm a greedy gal, so I want everything! No amount of commercial success can satisfy me! I want my own country!"

OWNING your own country? That is…

"Emilia-sama and the lord endorsing her, Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers!"

"I have only one wish! For all to be equal! I desire to create a nation where all citizens are equal!"

"I feel so out of pla~ce here, what with being surrounded by kni~ghts and all!" Roswaal cheerfully chuckled.

Equality, huh… Is-Is that really all? How do you plan to achieve that, Emilia…?

"No knight?"

"Why just the Margrave?"

"Equality? Pfft…"

Some of the attendants murmured during Emilia's introduction.

"Finally, Felt-sama and her knight, Reinhard van Astrea!"

"Hold it! Don't get ahead of yourselves! I never said anything about becoming a ruler!"

"Are you saying you want to withdraw?"

"Damn right I am!" Felt aggressively affirmed.

"What a joke!"

"Just get this mongrel out of here!"

"Reinhard." One of the council members called out to the knight. "Your family offers us… a gutter rat, and Margrave Mathers offers a half-devil?! This is ridiculous! We are talking about the future of the nation here!"

Subaru glared intensely at the elder man.

"…" Emilia did not respond to the insult.

Do something… Emilia…

"Now, now, it is not nice to ca~ll her a half-devil…" Roswaal attempted to advise to deaf ears.

"Half-devil!"

"Filthy half-elf!"

"Silver haired half-devil…"

Just say something, anything! Subaru's patience was reaching its limit.

"She matches the appearance of the Witch, for Od's sake! Do you not comprehend that even allowing her to enter the Throne Room is a tragedy?!" As the councilman berated once more, Emilia stepped down from the stage with a sad face.

"Filthy woman!"

"Devil!"

"Witch!"

"Augh! That's it!" A furious Subaru yelled, capturing everyone's attention. The young man stepped onto the carpet, earning a few glares. "My apologies, but I… I cannot stand by and watch as you berate Emilia anymore."

"Subaru! Stand do-!"

"Sorry Emilia, but I won't. Your silence has me fed up." Subaru cut his mistress off, much to her surprise. "If I did stand down, it'd go against everything I stand for."

"Subaru…" Emilia frowned in sadness and shock, seeing how Subaru was being adamant enough to shut his own liege down.

"And what exactly is it that you 'stand for', young man?" A confused elder asked. "Margrave, who is this youngster, exactly?"

The clown smirked. "Su~baru-kun is scheduled to become a knight of my hou~sehold, you see. However, this ceremony came at quite the inconvenient time and we ha~d to postpone his knighting."

"Knights, Mages, Candidates and Members of the Council of Wise Men. Allow me to introduce myself." He then followed up. "My name is Natsuki Subaru, bodyguard and future knight to Candidate Emilia, as well as an Avenger."

"Avenger?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Is this guy stupid?"

"…What is he doing? Interrupting such an event…" Julius glared at Subaru.

"*Sigh* What a moron, does he nyot understand the importance of things? How irresponsible…" Felix shared Julius' disdain, spitefully glaring as well.

"Subaru…" Reinhard gazed at Subaru with worry.

"…Avenger?" The moment Al heard those words he became completely stiff. "H-Ho-Hold on…"

"Al? Is something amiss?" Prsicilla, who was looking on in boredom, noticed the sudden rigidity of her attendant.

Subaru continued. "Now, I understand that said tittle might hold little meaning before you, but it means everything and more to me. It's a tittle only given to people that are willing to stand up for what's right and lay down their lives, even if the whole world were to come crashing down or hate them regardless of what they do. Such a description… does it sound familiar to any of you?" Subaru glanced at the knights in the room.

"The world crashing down…?"

"Lay down their lives? As if such an arrogant moron had the mettle for it!"

"Ha, we only hate those that deserve to be hated!"

"…" Reinhard could not understand why, but he admired Subaru's boldness now, looking at him with a glint of wonder in his eyes. Just… Who are you, Subaru?

The knights mocked Subaru's speech. The young man, however, remained firm. "I'm disappointed. Utterly so. When I was told about the Knights of Lugunica, I was excited. I expected to join a group of remarkable individuals, who lived and died for the sake of protecting others and upholding what is right for the citizens of their kingdom. Instead… I found out that such individuals are rare amongst them. After all, the majority of the knights are so self-absorbed into thinking they are righteous they don't even realize how absurdly pathetic and petty they truly are. I pity you."

"How insolent!" Julius stepped forth, standing in front of Subaru. "You claim to be more righteous than the whole order? To insult it just like that?!" As the purple haired man glared, the whole army that was calling for Subaru's beheading with their furious gazes stomped firmly on the floor and unsheathed their blades.

"…If that is all you have for scare-tactics, then I'm not amused." Subaru remained stoic, his expression one of indifference at the knights' actions.

"Hoh~, this is interesting…" Priscilla mused with a smirk, not noticing how Al was sweating buckets.

"Hm~, this guy is kinda interesting, if also somewhat loud." Anastasia wondered, much to her knight's surprise.

"Natsuki… what are you trying to say?" Crusch inquired as well.

"Hehe! Nii-chan is sure showing them up!" Felt laughed at the irritated knights.

"Subaru, please, stop…" Emilia pleaded.

"Have you no honor? Interrupting such a ceremony to make yourself heard?" Julius spat out once more, earning a nod from Felix and cheers from the knights and mages.

Subaru closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly sinking into his thoughts, and then perked up once more, answering the question of the purple knight. "You ask me if I have no honor… I ask you in return, have YOU no shame?"

"Excuse me?"

"Emilia and Felt. And basically all the CITIZENS you've abandoned in the slums. You berated and insulted as though you were born with the right to do so. And those of you who didn't? You just stood back and let everyone say whatever they wanted, as if was none of your business. Well, guess what. As the people with the most power in this nation, it is ABSOLUTELY your business. Now, words do not hurt but your attitudes do. You live as though you are somehow untouchable, or that your every action is right. But all I see here are arrogant idiots that can't even see the bigger picture, who somehow can't process how their reckless action and willful ignorance has fed every rebellion and uprising since the Demi-Human War and even before that."

"You dare-?!"

"Yes, I dare to point out the flaws in your conduct! You are knights, you are supposed to be paragons of what people should aspire to be, but you only act with decency towards those who you deem to deserve the 'honor' of your presence! How is that not a complete betrayal of the values left behind by the heroes that sealed the Witch of Envy?!"

"This is ridiculous! You will leave this room immediately or-!"

"Juukulius, silence." Before Julius could finish his threat he was interrupted by one of the council members who seemed invested in Subaru's speech. "Please, elaborate young man."

"Thank you, elder." Subaru bowed slightly to the wise man. "The heroes of old: The Sage. The Sword Saint. The Divine Dragon. They fought an apocalyptic threat in sealing the Witch, not caring for the prestige that would come with such an achievement, just focusing on saving lives. Yet, for the past 400 years, the kingdom did nothing but persecute demi-humans that had nothing to do with such a threat over the sole basis that they MIGHT become a second coming of the Witch. All the while, The Witch Cult has remained blissfully unharmed, as everyone prefers to ignore or avoid them. Tell me, did Reid ever lead a purge of half-elves after the sealing of the Witch? Or even persecute them? As far as I am aware, he did not. Every time someone attempts to win a war before it even starts, innocent people die and hatred resurges, leading to conflicts that are even more chaotic. So why, pray tell, are you all so outraged about a half-elf or a slum dweller receiving such an honor? Even though the dragon itself chose Emilia-sama and Felt-sama through the insignias. Isn't it exactly that illogical resentment that lead to figures like Sphinx during the Demi-Human War?"

Sphinx…Roswaal noted in surprise as to how Subaru knew so much about the war.He must have read from the records in the mansion…

"S-Subaru!" Emilia tried to calm him down in a panic, noticing how on edge the glaring knights and mages were getting.

"You dare to imply that bitch was our fault?!" One of the council members stood up, glaring with hatred at an indifferent, calm Subaru. "Get him outta here!"

"You've heard him, leave-!" Julius was interrupted once again as Subaru continued his speech.

"No, I won't leave. I ask you, instead, who is the country?"

"What?" Julius looked on with a perplexed face.

"What does that mean?"

"Huh?"

"Well, it's us, of course."

"What are you saying, Natsuki?" Marcos returned to the topic.

"Is it the king in turn? Who will at most lead for some decades before having to pass the crown to a successor? Is it the council members and noble houses, who are merely government servants to the king and therefore, cannot determine what is right or wrong or who is a citizen and who is not without the king's approval? Even if apparently they have fooled themselves into thinking they can in the absence of a ruler…"

"…" Although most groups in the room were offended, the tone of authority emanating from Subaru was enough to shut their complaints for some brief moments. Even Julius and Felix, who had no qualms with trying to put the young man down, could retort; seemingly in stupor to his sudden eloquence.

"Who, then, is the country? Is it the knights that uphold the law? The merchants that make the economy flow? The judges, jailors and executioners that maintain the justice? These, all of these… For how powerful each of them might be, they are only a part of the country. Even the king holds no absolute command without the servants. And the servants hold no direction without the king. They all have their own share, minuscule it might be, in the command. While this is a monarchy, the fact that there is no Royal Family anymore and that the Dragon you revere has chosen the method of a Selection to choose the next ruler should indicate you that the old ways, in which only the king and his family constituted a country, just don't work anymore. It's not just the people in this room, it's each of you, in the slums, in the villages, in the upper and lower districts. The common voice that rose up and surprised the dragon. That resulted in five completely different candidates from all walks of life." Subaru then turned to the candidates with a serious gaze, earning their attention. "Each of you represent far more than just yourselves. And I do not mean just your camps."

"Huh?" Felt tilted her head in confusion.

"Hmm… You've earned my attention, mongrel." Priscilla laughed and smirked at his boldness.

"…Speak your piece." Crusch ordered matter-of-factly.

"Heh~, how interesting…" Anastasia rubbed her scarf.

"Subaru…?" Emilia looked at him perplexed, having never seen a side of him that could qualify as a leader.

"Each of you, for themselves, by themselves and on your own responsibility, must speak for ALL that you represent." Subaru then looked at Emilia sternly, earning her surprise and slight fear of his words. "It is a solemn and weighty responsibility; not to be lightly flung aside or dismissed as just 'wanting your own country' or 'wanting equality for everyone' without delving deeper into what constitutes equality…"

Roswaal frowned. He thought for sure that Subaru would not be so rude with Emilia as to insult the flimsiness of her speech in the middle of the Throne Room. He thought him so head over heels for her that he would do something stupid and humiliate himself. Instead, he was showing each of the candidates up, including his own mistress. This was not written at all…

"You are in a position in which you represent everyone from the chaste you were born in now. YOU five represent all Lugunica stands for now. YOU must decide what is right and what is wrong. And which course represents the country and which doesn't." Subaru glared at Felt, earning a yelp of nervousness from the blonde girl. "Whether you chose this life or not, it is yours now and you MUST be responsible about it. You cannot shirk this; it is your responsibility to step up to the task for those that trusted in you, and those you might lead someday." He turned to Reinhard with a softer look, earning a surprised face from the 'Sword Saint'. He then gazed back at the candidates with a serious expression and continued. "To just shrug such a task off, to decide it against your convictions speak to an unqualified and inexcusable traitor. Both to yourself and to this kingdom. Let people label you as they want, but never let them walk over you."

He turned to Julius once more. "If you alone, of the entire nation, shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, then you have done your duty for both yourself and the kingdom. Do not meekly shy away at insults; don't just explode in anger at petty defiance or banter. Hold up your head! You have nothing to be ashamed of! It does not matter what others might say, be they nobles or politicians or knights. It doesn't matter if the whole country suddenly went madly against you, saying that something 'wrong' is something 'right'. This world was saved by three heroes that held one principle above all else. The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds, no matter the consequences, even in the face of absolute annihilation like the Witch. When the knights, the foreign leaders, the mages or the nobility itself tells you to move, it's your job to plant yourself like a tree besides the river of truth and tell the whole world..." Subaru took a firm step towards Julius, making the knight flinch and step back in surprise, much to the astonishment of the entire room. "'No, you move.'"

After some moments of silence, the crowd finally processed the man's words and began murmuring with each other.

"…D-damn…"

"W-wow…"

"E-even if I don't agree with him…"

"Were he not a servant of the half-elf…"

"N-Nii-chan really went all out, huh…?" A humbled Felt could not help but shyly comment.

"Amusing indeed. Be honored that your speech has been heard and noted, commoner. Even if it was just more idealistic diatribe." Priscilla fanned herself while laughing at the boldness of the man.

"…" Crusch opted for pondering on his words instead of commenting.

"Just flimsy idealism… It wouldn't help anyone." Anastasia frowned, remaining firm on her own vision.

"Subaru… Why…?" Emilia, whose speech had been completely broken by her own servant, was left wondering about what exactly she was lacking for him to so mercilessly disrespect her.

Al, however, was almost choking from the surprise. "Th-This is some Captain shit… Is he really an Avenger…?"

"A-ATTENTION!" The normally stoic Marcos attempted to regain control of the situation once more, making everyone turn to look at him. "Natsuki Subaru, while your speech has been most… impressive, the express order of the council is that you must leave the room, effective immediately…" Before Subaru could say anything, however, the room was filled with smoke.

"What's going on?!"

"Natsuki! Is this your doing?!"

As the crowd complained, a figure within the smoke advanced towards Felt and snatched her up. "AH!" The girl yelled in surprise.

But then a sudden gust of wind produced by Reinhard swinging his arm cleared the smoke. Before the identity of the attacker was revealed, Subaru rushed at them and imposed himself on the figure by landing a punch to his stomach. "GUH?!" The giant silhouette fell to their knees, making the girl fall into the arms of Reinhard, who followed behind Subaru.

"Huh? Rom?!" Subaru wondered aloud the moment the smoke was completely dispelled and the attacker's identity was made clear.

"Subaru?!" The giant then noticed the young man as well.

"Old Man Rom!" Felt yelled from Reinhard's embrace.

Marcos approached the giant crouching in pain and stood tall in front of him. "I know not who you are, but for sneaking into the castle you must perish."

"…" The moment the knight said this, Subaru's sole response was to stand in front of the giant and stare back at the Knight.

"Natsuki, this is none of your business, stand down." The green haired man warned in a serious voice while glaring at the Avenger.

"My apologies, but it became my business when my friend here, Rom, was not even contacted about his granddaughter becoming a candidate, forcing him into the position of sneaking into the castle just to ensure her safety." Subaru gave a disappointed side-glance to Reinhard, who could do nothing but look down in shame.

"I won't ask again. I shall strike you down if required. Lord knows you deserve it for your insolence…" The knight reached for his sword, prompting the others to do the same and making Subaru assume a combat pose.

"Subaru! Stand down!" Emilia ordered.

"Stop! Let them go!" Felt protested.

"…I see no reason to comply. After all, you resigned your participation in the Selection." Marcos smiled.

"F-Fine! Alright, fine! I'll participate in the damn election! Just let them go!"

"Felt?! What're you sayin'?!" Rom asked in alarm as Subaru helped him stand up.

"He is my family! So treat him with care!" Felt barked to the knights and mages.

"Felt… I…" The old man meekly rubbed the back of his head in worry.

"Natsuki." Marcos called out to the young man once more. "As we were saying earlier, take this man and leave the room."

"…No need to escort me. I'll be waiting outside." Subaru said while turning away from the crowd and approaching the door. In one movement, he opened it and exited the premises with the giant Demi-human in tow.

"Emilia-sama… If nothing else, he has shown us that you are a candidate worthy of standing here. You have a fine attendant." One of the council members stated as the boy left.

"He-he is not…" Emilia could not respond, still stuck on her stupor.

"*Sigh* This has been just one disaster after another…" The green haired knight rubbed his temples. "Now, back on track about this ceremony."

The candidates and the crowd directed their gazes to the dragon stone that had remained ignored throughout the commotion. "As mentioned earlier, the dragon stone predicted not one but TWO prophecies." A council member stated.

"Whilst the first prophecy was in concern to the Candidates, the second prophecy is just as important for our nation." Marcos continued. "As stated in the stone: 'The Sage has returned!'"

Within the gardens in one of the balconies of the luxurious Royal Palace, Subaru and Rom had settled for seating and chatting while the ceremony proceeded without them. "Hey, uh… Thank you man. For standin' up for me inside." The giant stated in a deflated, tired tone. "Getting inside was really tough. So Felt has become a Royal Candidate, huh…"

"…" Subaru remained thoughtful, staring into nothing.

"Hey? Buddy, you okay?" The demi-human asked in worry. "I didn't really noticed ya… hell! I didn't even know that you'd be in there!"

"…You know, Rom? Back home, I struggled with money." Subaru told the giant.

"Huh?"

"Mind you, I wasn't piss poor, but… May and I… My aunt, I mean… We would move apartments often. Always looking for a best option in Queens…"

"Queens?"

"I was never one for politics… instead of watching the news, I preferred to just stay holed up building stuff if I wasn't out helping people… But, I think there's something more I could do for this world now, you know? I've realized… how lax I've been. How there is so much more here I could be doing than just… punch stuff."

"Like what, man?"

"…Inside that room… I could not believe what I was seeing…" He continued explaining. "Sure, I suppose courts are also a mess back home, but… Seeing it up close… How the people that are supposed to rule are just so… Flimsy about leading others… It's always the same!" The boy got up in anger once more.

"W-Woah! Calm down!"

"I'm sorry… But it pisses me off so much! Just… How nonchalant they were about 'slum dwellers' lives meaning nothing! Or demi-humans as well!"

"I thank you for getting angry on behalf of Felt an' me but-"

"It's not just you and Felt, Rom…"

"Hmm?"

"Look, what pisses me off is not the name calling. Words can just be shrugged off, ignored. What infuriated me… Was the attitude." Subaru paused for a moment. "I… I was sure when I went into that room that Emilia had a speech or something prepared. That she would be like the leaders I admired and not hesitate or remain quiet when doubted, that she would stand firm and proud… Now I know I was just projecting on her. She just gave out a vague term like 'equality' and hoped it would be enough. I know I am idealistic… but I'm not as naïve as to just nod at that! I could tell… that 'equality' wasn't a real motive, there's something more she's hiding… And that she didn't trust me enough to say it… We are talking about leading a nation here! At least have a plan…"

"Wh-what are you trying to say…"

"…That I'm disappointed, I guess." He sat back down. "This world… The way they treat each other… the way they don't acknowledge the absurd reality of beings like the Witch and her cult as a threat and… prefer to bicker and argue over stupid bullshit. I doubted myself, you know. However, after that? I realize I had it easy. After all, for how much they fought, the people around me could at least compromise in the face of the bigger picture at the very end. These people? I can't even see them agreeing on what color to paint a wall…" He stated these last words spitefully. "Were they to face an Avengers level threat…? They would probably perish. Even with Reinhard by their side…"

"Hey, hey, you are talking mad now." Rom expressed his confusion. "No matter the threat, the 'Sword Saint' will come out alright…"

"Yeah. The 'Sword Saint' maybe… What about everyone else?"

"…" Rom did not know how to respond, Subaru's words sinking deep into him. "…What… kind of threats would those be…?"

Before Subaru could continue his rant, Reinhard called out to the young man. "Subaru!"

"…Hey Rein." Subaru saluted the swordsman with a deflated smirk.

"Subaru… I must say, that was a great speech." Reinhard quickly congratulated before going over his worries. "However, I fear that your actions won't sit well with the other knights. Specifically Julius…"

"Natsuki." Julius appeared from behind Reinhard. "A moment, if you will." He looked at Subaru with disdain.

"…What is it, Juukulius?"

"…With the preachy attitude you took inside the Throne Room, I fear the respectability of those that you represent might come into question."

"Is there something wrong about what I said?"

"…I would advise you don't dig yourself deeper. Come with me."

Subaru and Julius were now facing each other inside an Arena within the castle, a myriad of angry knights seating all around it, glaring at the boy.

"Julius, please! You shouldn't do this, it isn't like you!" Reinhard protested.

"This fool has made light of the nobility and the knights alike!" Julius scowled. "He went as far as to insult the candidates, your mistress as well may I remind you! He must be put in his place."

"…Yes, he said some inappropriate things, but he need only be corrected of his misconceptions!"

"No, Reinhard. This man must be punished. I hereby administer the death penalty!" Julius shouted, earning a multitude of cheers. He then turned to Subaru, who had unbuttoned his jacket in preparation for the fight. "Normally, you would be executed for such behavior. Fortunately, for you, you are Emilia-sama's servant. As such, we'll be fighting wooden swords." The knight threw a training blade at Subaru, who caught it right before it collided with his face.

"This is ridiculous." Subaru stated. "You couldn't argue with me, so you've chosen to instead fight it out?" Subaru remembered the fight at the airport in Germany. Realizing how pointless and divisive it was in the grand scheme of things, it dampened his mood. Even if it was the occasion that allowed him to meet Tony, he felt bad that it broke the Avengers apart.

"We've nothing to discuss, you and I." Julius stopped Subaru from responding. "However… were you to grovel and beg forgiveness, I might consider sparing you from serious injuries."

"You cocky…" Subaru shook his head in disappointment, reigning in his fury. "…Fine. I'll play your game. Just remember, you asked for this." He then took off his web-shooters and threw them at Felix, surprising the feline. "Felix! Keep those for me!"

"Huh?! Why should I?! You-!" Before Felix could complain, Julius interrupted.

"Shall we begin then?"

"On your mark."

The moment Subaru uttered those words Reinhard gave the starting signal with a worried face. The moment the fight began, cheers exploded all around the Arena. Julius took the first step by rushing in and swinging the sword from below with his right hand. The slash would have landed under Subaru's chin had he not blocked the strike at the last moment.

Julius' assault did not stop, however, as the knight quickly retracted his blade and swung from the side. Subaru, once again, blocked the incoming strike. The two would remain for a couple of minutes locked into a dance of Julius striking and Subaru blocking.

"Yeah!"

"Beat his ass Julius!"

"Make him bleed!"

The knights around them cheered on for their fellow, who was seemingly driving the insolent black-haired man onto a corner. However, only a few of the knights realized how the duel was, infact, inclining towards Subaru. "…What?" Reinhard, who was one of those men, muttered in confusion. "Those movements Subaru is blocking with… Grandfather…?"

"…" Julius was desperately striking now, hoping to land at least one solid hit on the man. The problem was that it felt as though Subaru knew Julius' every movement, moving and swinging accordingly to block. "Tsk!" What really angered the knight, however, was how Subaru would create an opening on Julius' defense every time he blocked and then purposefully not strike. As if telling the man 'I could beat you any time now'.

*CLACK*

The sound of the swords clashing reverberated through the Arena, with Julius and Subaru gaining some distance from each other. Before they engaged once again, Julius made a demand towards Subaru. "Fight back dammit!"

"…" Subaru remained silent.

At Julius' provocation, the other knights that had been cheering ceased their plaudits and stared in confusion. They then realized the meaning of his words and began mocking Subaru.

"Fight back you coward!"

"Be a man!"

"Do something!"

As they insulted, Subaru remained stoic, provoking the Knight of Knights even more.

"…Very well." Julius glared and decided to take things up a notch. He rushed in once again, at an even greater speed than before, and surprised Subaru.

Although the Avenger managed to block the hit once again, Julius' assault just turned fiercer by the second. They kept clashing until finally Subaru messed up, exposing his ribs to Julius. The knight did not hesitate in dealing a thrust, leading to Subaru groaning in pain. "KUH!" The young man retreated a few steps before regaining his footing.

"I heard you managed to fight off the Bowel Hunter!" Julius charged with furious swipes once more. "Rush in as well! Fight me like you fought her!" He kept slashing at Subaru, who was now truly backed against a wall, blocking Julius' fencing.

*CLACK*

The two clashed loudly again, building some distance. "…If I fought you like I fought her, you would not last." Subaru warned.

"Quite cocky for you to presume your strength."

"It's not presuming if it's the truth. I know my strength and my limits, doesn't mean I wouldn't choose to fight someone I know for sure is stronger than me if it meant doing the right thing."

"The right thing… All you did was complain as though a pouting child you were!" Julius rushed again, surprising Subaru.

Within the hall the candidates were resting in after the ceremony, an emergency message was delivered for the quintet. "Reporting! Knight Julius and Natsuki Subaru-dono have engaged in mock combat in the training ring!"

"*GASP* What?! How could-?!" Emilia emitted in shock, only to be interrupted.

"Who issued the challenge?" An smirking Anastasia inquired.

"I am told Knight Julius issued it and Natsuki-dono accepted!"

"Then, I'm against stopping it."

"But Subaru and your knight are fighting!" Emilia warned in panic.

"So? My only worry is that Julius takes it too far and I might have to foot the medical bill." Anastasia joked, not realizing the half-elf's concern.

"You don't understand! Subaru is strong! Were he to stop holding back…"

"Are you insinuatin' my knight will lose to him?" Anastasia defiantly asked back.

"It's a possibility." Priscilla interrupted, much to the surprise of the two girls.

"Barielle?" Crusch called out to her. "Are you implying you've seen him fight before? To estimate Natsuki strong enough to beat one of the kingdom's finest…"

"All I know, Karsten, is that he is strong enough to put up a challenge." The fiery matriarch stood up from her seat. "Al? Let's go spectate. Maybe seeing a grueling match will lift my spirits after such a dull day." Priscilla chuckled.

"…Um, yes! Of course princess…" Al, who was curious about who Subaru really was, followed his mistress along as she set sights on the training grounds.

Emilia frowned in worry, prompting Felt to admonish the messenger. "Dammit, you coulda waited till' the fight was over to tell us they were boutin'!" Look how worried you made everyone!"

"M-My apologies, it's just that… The fight might be a prolonged one seeing how equal the fighters are!"

"…Huh?" A dumbfounded Anastasia raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"I told you so! If the fight is equally matched then it's because Subaru is holding back!"

"What?!"

The group of candidates then rushed into the training grounds, alarmed by Emilia's statement. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a silent arena as all the spectating knights just stared in silence at the grounds. "H-How can this be…?" One of the knights mumbled.

Within the fighting ground, Subaru and Julius were clashing expertly. The knight had pushed the Avenger into fighting seriously, the pair engaging in a mesmerizing dance as they traded blows. If Subaru blocked, Julius would block Subaru's response. If Subaru's swipes landed, Julius' would as well shortly after. What captured the attention of Duchess Karsten, nevertheless, was how Subaru's movements echoed Wilhelm's. "In just a couple of days, no less. To imitate the 'Sword Demon's' style…" The green haired woman narrowed her eyes.

"Crusch-sama!" Felix called out to his lady.

"Felix… How have things progressed here?"

"Julius challenged Subaru, but Subaru was adamant about accepting in the beginning…" The cat glared at the black-haired man. "They engaged for a bit, with Subaru just blocking Julius' strikes. But after Julius' blows started to land, Subaru began fighting with Old Man Wil's style… That cheater!" He spitefully spat the last few words.

"…I see." Crusch turned to look at the fight once more.

"What the hell are you doing Julius?! Knock him out already!" Anastasia complained. She then noticed the things the feline was carrying. "…Hey, cat."

"Hmn?" Felix turned to the merchant.

"What are those? They look like the half-elf's bracelets…"

"Those are Subaru's web-shooters…" Emilia said in worry. "Does he plan on fighting without them…?"

"Web-shooters?" Anastasia tilted her head in curiosity.

"Y-Yes… Subaru made them so that we could communicate from a distance…"

"Hold it! He made a metia?!" The merchant's eyes, despite the serious situation, turned gold.

"Kick his ass, Nii-chan!" Felt shouted, earning a frown from Reinhard.

"…Dammit, just who are you pal?!" Al muttered.

"Enough!" Julius suddenly accelerated to a ridiculous speed, almost matching Elsa's.

Subaru was surprised by this and was unable to retaliate at all, which resulted in Julius landing a thrust on his stomach. "Ack!" Subaru gasped as he built some distance from Julius.

"Subaru!" Emilia yelled.

"Go! Julius!" Felix and some other knights cheered.

"…Natsuki." Julius stood still after landing his hit, a solemn expression on his face. "I realize now that you are no weakling. Perhaps you hold some skill. Nevertheless, this is all pointless if you don't fight seriously."

"Julius?!" Anastasia wondered what her knight was talking about in confusion.

"…" Subaru gazed at Julius for some moments. "No magic; no fireballs or any of that crap." The young man stated.

"…Agreed." Juukulius nodded.

"Then…" Subaru lets go of the wooden sword. I'm sorry Rem… The young man then ripped out the right sleeve of his shirt, exposing a part of his torso and his scarred arm.

"My…" Priscilla noted in surprise. "Seems like the boy has some experience on him."

"What could cause such a scar…?" Crusch wondered.

"Ugh… Nyasty…" Felix stated while examining his arm. "Wonder how that healed."

"Subaru…" Emilia then remembered the time she met him. How she attempted to heal his arm, how simple things seemed back then. How did it come to this?

Subaru then tied the sleeve around his head, blinding his eyes.

"…What are you doing?" Julius raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I told you to fight seriously!"

"I am. This is how I fight at my best…"

"He-He is right! Julius!" Reinhard, who could not believe his Divine Protection of Wind Reading, confirmed Subaru's statement.

"…I see." Julius nodded and turned towards Subaru once more, assuming a fencing posture. "Julius Juukulius, Finest of Knights!"

Subaru nodded as well and assumed a semi-crouching fighting posture, as though he were about to leap at Julius. "Subaru Natsuki, Spider-Man!"

The two leapt at each other, locking into an even more chaotic dance than before.

"HOLD THE SHIT!" Al exclaimed startling everyone, including his mistress. "HE IS THE SPIDER-MAN?! FROM YOUTUBE?!"

"Spider-Man…? Aldebaran, you know him?" Priscilla narrowed her eyes in suspicion. All the candidates and their attendants then paid attention to the helmeted man.

"Do I know him?! Of course I do!" The man continued. "We come from the same place! Back home he was hailed a damn hero!"

"A hero?!" Felix reacted with surprise.

"A… hero?" Reinhard's eyes glittered in wonder

"A hero you say?!" Anastasia chimed in surprise.

"Subaru… hailed a hero in his home world?" Emilia suspired. "He did say he was an Avenger…"

"He actually is an Avenger?!" Al looked at the half-elf in surprise.

"Hold on, Emilia-dono. What do you mean 'home world'?" Crusch questioned in curiosity, earning everyone's attention.

"U-Uh… Emm…" Emilia then realized her mistake. "S-Subaru… you see… comes from… beyond the waterfall…" The girl failed to lie and simply muttered the true.

"He does now?" Crusch, confirming the veracity of the statement, looked at her surprised.

"From beyond the waterfall…" Anastasia looked back towards the arena, a smile wondering about countless possibilities adorning her face. "You mean to say both Al and Subaru are not from our world?"

"For real?!" Felt exclaimed with eyes wide.

"Interesting…" Priscilla smirked with curiosity. "Al, explain. What is an 'Avenger'?"

"Ah, they would be equivalent to Royal Knights of the highest order, though; they didn't represent one nation specifically… They pretty much represented our entire world, Princess."

"Hold on! The equivalent of a Royal Knight?!" Felix looked back at the grounds in surprise.

"RYAH!" Julius grunted as he slashed at the Avenger. Subaru, despite being unable to see, trusted in his senses completely and managed to foresee the attack, allowing him to dodge in time.

He would then land a punch on Julius' liver and back up a bit. However, Julius did not stop in his tracks and instead pushed onwards, his tenacity taking Subaru by surprise. The knight landed a kick to Subaru's diaphragm. "Gahk!"

The hit positioned the young man perfectly for Julius to land a downwards slash but Subaru reacted almost inhumanly, contorting in a way that allowed him to dodge and connect a punch on the ribs of the knight. "KHG!"

Once again, the punch built some distance between them and the two faced each other.

"*Pant, Pant* This is it…" A bruised Julius smiled at Subaru, much to the surprise of the audience.

"*Sigh* Yeah…" An equally punished Subaru smiled back. Although he could not see his face, he was sure that was what Julius was doing.

"What is this…?" A perplexed Felix noticed how all the animosity that had started the duel was gone. The two men in the ring were smiling at each other and chuckling as though they were having fun, despite the bruises covering them.

"Are they… enjoying the duel?" Felt tilted her head in confusion.

"Enjoying it?" Emilia wondered in surprise as well.

"What is going on…?" Anastasia rubbed her scarf.

Julius and Subaru leapt one last time, deciding that the next movement would be the definitive one. "Haah!" Julius accelerated once again and thrusted, seemingly overwhelming Subaru. However, the moment before the sword impacted on the hero's chest, Subaru leapt over the man in what seemed an impossible movement and stood behind the still advancing Julius. The knight attempted to correct his action and swing at the man behind him, but it was too late. The moment Julius turned; Subaru landed a left hook on his chin. Julius stood there, wide eyed, processing the damage for a second before falling over, unconscious. Nevertheless, before he could hit the ground, Subaru managed to hold onto his arm and prevented him from the disgrace of laying knocked out on the ground.

"Gotta say… *Pant, Pant* You are not bad… But you won't catch me saying that when you are conscious…" I still disagree with you… But I wouldn't mind sparring again… Subaru thought.

"Uh-Um… The winner! Natsuki Subaru!" Reinhard stood up from his seat and spoke up, capturing everyone's attention.

The arena exploded in confusion.

"He lost?!"

"He really did beat Julius!"

"What kind of fighting style was that?!"

"Julius… Lost?!" Anastasia exclaimed in bafflement.

"Julius!" A worried Felix yelled.

"Way to go, Nii-chan!" Felt cheered.

"Yep… Should've expected that!" Al laughed.

"*Yawn* I've grown bored. Al? We are leaving." Priscilla got up from her seat and marched out of the Arena with Aldebaran in tow.

In a show of sportsmanship, Subaru carried Julius to the infirmary. "Felix?! Meet me in the infirmary!"

"Huh?! Uh-I mean- O-On my way!" The perplexed feline just decided to roll with the situation.

"…Subaru…" Emilia muttered in worry, not knowing what to say.

Inside the infirmary, Subaru readjusted his web-shooters whilst a very worried Felix healed Julius.

"Seriously… He is a mess!" Felix yelled.

"Aw, I didn't mess him up so badly… He'll be fine after you leave some ice resting over the bruises! Like that one on his forehead! Just… make sure you move the hair covering it beforehand."

"There's no hair covering his forehead, that's an actually purple bruise!" Felix glared at the boy.

"So… can you heal me once you are done with him?"

"Oh! Screw you!" Felix concluded spitefully, kicking Subaru out of the room.

"Geez! Okay, okay! No need to be so rude about it…" Subaru joked. In truth, although the bout with Julius had begun with the two hating each other, he found himself much more relaxed and less tense than before the fight. However, his mood dampened the moment he turned around to see… Emilia looking at him with a conflicted expression.

"Subaru…"

"…Hey Emilia-tan." Subaru could do nothing but stare at her, not knowing what to say. "Um-"

"Subaru… come with me." The lady suddenly glared and indicated the young man to follow her in a calm yet threatening tone.

"…Yeah, right behind you." The boy followed.

The pair reunited with Rem and Roswaal outside, the maid looking at him in shock as he appeared hurt all over. After the blue oni healed the more serious injuries, the group rode back to the Karsten Manor in silence. Roswaal stole a few glances at Subaru, feeling troubled about his actions today. For the longest time I've followed her guidance… So what changed…? Just how could you…? The clown could do nothing but ponder in silence to questions without answers.

As they returned to the mansion, Subaru and Emilia walked into one of the study rooms' to talk privately. They stood there in silence for some minutes before Emilia spoke up. "What was that all about?" She asked with a glare.

"The truth." Subaru shrugged stoically.

"Excuse me?!" Emilia asked with indignity. "Subaru, you… you tore down my speech in front of the entire council, the entire nobility!"

"Yeah! Yours and all the candidates as well!" Subaru nodded.

"Why?!"

"Because I'm not a 'yes' man, Emilia!" The boy declared. "And I'll have you know, I was upset that you would give me the cold shoulder just because I spent an evening with Priscilla! We didn't do anything! I didn't even know she was a candidate for crying out loud!"

"What?!" Emilia questioned in confusion.

"You think I wouldn't be bothered? About… how you held back secrets?" He leaned on a desk while looking her in the eye.

"Are you talking…"

"About when you needed a knight to enter the castle. Could have told me and save me the embarrassment of looking like a dope in front of Julius." He continued. "Or about the mirrors. You knew about the existence of such technology and you didn't tell me. If I don't know about the most recent stuff, how would I know if what I'm working on is already obsolete or not, or if it can even help the camp?!"

"Oh, yes, sure!" Emilia sarcastically answered with a growl. "You are just being petty now! That doesn't affect you in any way and you know it!"

"It does!" Subaru got up from the desk. "When I toured the slums, you know what I saw?! Malnourished children. Rotting corpses. THE ACTUAL LIVING DEAD! So I go into the castle, expecting the freaking Royal Candidates of all things to churn out solutions, trusting that they actually know what they are talking about, only to realize that all they had to show for themselves were 5 petty girls who can't even agree on one point! We are talking about leading millions of people here! Am I the insane one for wanting to do these things right?!"

"You have no right to call ME petty and you know it!" A furious Emilia yelled. "You are so… arrogant! You assume that you can say such things of others without knowing what they have been through… you don't know their pasts! You are so insensitive it's unbearable!"

"Insensitive?! Now I know you are spouting whatever! And everyone has a shitty past! We can't just go around hanging onto every word and not move on with our lives just because it hurts!" Subaru responded in kind. "And of course I'd assume things and talk nonchalantly about your objectives, because guess what?! EVERYBODY IS GOING TO DO IT COME TOMORROW! If your whole premise can be toppled off the moment you propose it, how do you expect anyone to back you?!"

"I expected YOU to back me!" She began shedding tears while scowling. "You were my friend! You were supposed to back me…"

"I'm still your friend." Subaru said in a serious tone while feeling hurt at the sight of a crying Emilia. "But I cannot mince my words, I just can't… If I did, the fall would just come out even harder once you hit a wall. You can't live of people pleasing you, Emilia…"

"Then why…?" Her scowl vanished, replaced by a saddened frown.

"…Because I can't back a lie." Subaru admitted with a firm tone and a focused gaze. "I… I thought we were a team… I told you everything about me! Even the embarrassing details! But… You wouldn't even tell me the real reason as to why you entered the election… You expected me to believe the 'equality' BS? You didn't even explain a plan on how to help the nation… You haven't changed since we've met. You are still the girl that would introduce herself as 'Satella' just to scare off a stranger trying to help you!"

*SMACK*

Emilia slapped Subaru. "...*Sob* You know… I expected more from you."

Subaru, whose head was turned by the slap, did not change expressions as his right cheek reddened. "…so did I."

Emilia then took off her bracelets and proceeded to hand them back to Subaru. "I'm sorry… But, I can't have these. I… I don't even want to look at you." She dried her tears and turned around, heading for the exit. "Natsuki Subaru, henceforth, I release you from your duties as my bodyguard."

"…" Subaru stared at her with a conflicted gaze and a stoic face. Although he felt sad about her conclusion, it was something he had braced himself for and would welcome.

"You can sort out the financing of your projects with Roswaal… I hope- *sob*" She looked at him once more, her tears resurging in her saddened amethysts and a fake smile adorning her expression. "I hope you can find a way back home…" She closed the door behind her, leaving Subaru to sink on her words.

"Fuckin' great…" The young man stared towards the sunset through the window, lamenting on a fractured friendship.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

So… 'Captain Lugunica'? I just really wanted to give Cap's speech a twist… One of my favorite Marvel Comics moment.

I want to clarify; Subaru is not just a puppy in love like in the main story in this fic. He HAS purpose. He HAS pride. And he won't just stand around and make a fool of himself if he doesn't have a reason to. Yes, he still has his flaws and self-doubt… However, he is a hero, an actual hero. Therefore, he has no reason to just act like a moron in the face of confrontation, even if it comes off as vanity speaking.

As for the theme of 'equality'… I've been reading about Priscilla and Vincent in Arc 7, and I sorta dig their whole 'You work, you win' vibe. I wasn't trying to come across as ultra-political or whatever, so please don't interpret it like that.

Anyways, hope you guys liked it! Next chap will come much later down the line, I'll see if I have time to write it by next week. Thanks for all the Reviews and Favs and see you on the next chapter!