"H-Hel-. . ."
"Hi-. . ."
"S-Sub-. . ."
"Cap'-. ."
"Natsu-. ."
Everyone abruptly spoke over each other, completely obscuring the meaning of what they were trying to say and creating a jumble of indecipherable nonsense. Subaru was still profoundly nervous to confront them all about the new theory in his head, and it was clear that they were in a similar position. Despite it all, Subaru had doubts.
Was he really right about this? Did he finally figure everything out? How would he even confirm something like this?
"U-Uh. . .everyone. . .?"
Subaru nervously piped up over the crowd.
"W-Wait we shouldn-. . ."
"Aren't ya' wantin ta-. ."
"Ooh~! Ooh~! Mimi~ th-. . ."
Needless to say, he'd had no noticeable effect.
The words of the crowd continued flying over his head. He'd hoped to try and hide his new realization from everyone, but their odd behavior was making it significantly more difficult to mask. Of course, Subaru's first priority would be interrogating everyone as to why he'd been deliberately removed from their meeting, but he had a suspicion he'd be greeted with another 'taboo violation'.
As much as he didn't like the idea of forcing them to challenge the taboo, it would give him valuable information about those affected and unaffected by the curse.
'This might actually be pretty lucky for me. . . I had no idea what I was going to tell them and I nearly blew my cover. With the way things were going, I probably would've ended up giving away some confidential information.'
Subaru attempted to hide in the commotion and reservedly take his seat back next to Emilia. It was a common strategy he'd employed back in his shut-in days to avoid difficult conversations with his parents. All things considered, it was a pretty good plan, earning an indiscreet nod from Al and a curious head tilt from Schultz. He was only a few feet from his chair, where he might have been able to blend back into the meeting, before someone decided to ruin it all. . .
"Stop your meaningless prattle! It is a drain on mine ears!"
Priscilla waved her hand at the overly talkative group of nobles and, with her other hand, pulled her fan out of her cleavage.
"You. Clown. What is it you wanted to say to all of us?"
Priscilla directed her gaze towards Subaru, with a glint in her eyes signaling her interest in what he was about to say next.
"Princess, it's really nothi-. . ."
"Silence! You are simply a jester I keep around for mine amusement! Interrupt your master's speech again and I'll end your pitiful existence mineself!"
Al, the completely whipped servant that he was, clamped his mouth shut. Even though Subaru couldn't see his face, he could nearly feel Al giving him the stink-eye through his helmet. He hoped that Subaru would get the message to keep his mouth shut.
"U-Uh. . . I-I just wanted to give some praise to your servant Schultz! H-He accompanied us on our walk and even picked you up a pastry!"
Subaru felt his eyes momentarily dart over to Al to observe his reaction.
'Jeez, I get it! Does he think I'm an idiot?'
Subaru, not remembering the countless failed loops in which he gave away confidential information, felt a hint of pride welling up in his heart at the clever ploy. It wasn't like he'd had time to prepare for this meeti-. . . oh wait, he did.
"A-Ah yes, Princess! Schultz-kun worked very hard to pick out a pastry that suited your tastes! He even went back in to buy another to make sure you'd like it."
Al, with his soft spot for Schultz, was all for heaping praise on the boy whenever possible. He made sure to leave out the fact that the caterers messed up the original order. No doubt, Priscilla wouldn't be happy hearing that Schultz wasted money to avoid confrontation with a 'commoner'.
"Hmm? Schultz, is this true?"
Schultz felt a blush run across his face. It seemed that all five candidates now had their eyes on him for his, supposedly, stellar work. He didn't know why, but all the candidates were beaming smiles at him that signaled some sort of possessiveness.
'What a cute kid! He's gonna' be in my camp if I can help it!'
'Ah, he reminds me of Petra! It would certainly be nice to have someone like him around!'
'He exhibits a strength I rarely see from those his age. . .'
'I don't get it! Why do I see so much potential in this kid?!'
Anastasia, Emilia, Crusch, and Felt all secretly entertained a scenario in which this kid joined their camp. Luckily for Schultz, he was completely oblivious to the stares of all these candidates.
"O-Oh. . umm, yes! Here it is, Priscilla-sama!"
Schultz handed her the bag with the pastry in it, and Priscilla happily took a bite out of the sweet treat, silently signaling her approval.
Of course, she couldn't let any of these commoner scums believe they had a chance of taking Schultz away from her, so after she finished her treat, she pulled Schultz into a deep hug and patted his head. His face was, well. . . resting in a very interesting place.
"Very good, Schultz. Your diligence puts my other two servants to shame!"
Al scoffed at this, but the scene was enjoyable enough for him to let it go.
"Princess, if you keep rewarding him like that, he'll have a heart attack."
Subaru also smirked at the scene, glad that the little kid was getting some recognition for once. Even if it was from a witch like Priscilla. However. . .
". . .Wait! When did I become your servant?!"
Subaru heard an interesting little detail that he felt compelled to correct. This, of course, drawing the attention of the other four candidates.
"Quite the amusing clown, aren't you? It would be a shame to waste someone as useful as you as a butler. Will you realize this and join my camp?"
Priscilla's proposition froze the gazes of the other candidates firmly onto Subaru. Al, for his part, was shocked at Priscilla's persistence at recruiting Subaru. She'd never, in her life, asked for something twice.
"Ah, I see. Al, was that walk also some sort of recruitment pitch?"
He put his single arm behind his helmet and scratched the back of his head.
"You caught me, Bro!"
Subaru chuckled for a moment at the ridiculousness of the situation he was facing. Around a year ago, he'd been thrown out of Priscilla's home as he begged for her assistance against the Witch Cult. Clearly, her perception of him had changed.
His laughter didn't do much to assuage the worries of the other candidates, mind you. Emilia, for her part, was still reeling from the fight she'd had with Subaru after he woke up. Anastasia, Crusch, and Felt were simply watching the scene with a hint of trepidation. Other than Wilhelm and Garfiel, nobody wasn't entirely convinced that Subaru would reject Priscilla's offer.
"Well, I admit, your butler Schultz is super cute, and it is nice being able to speak with you Al, but. . ."
Priscilla nodded, seemingly satisfied with this result.
"There is no need to finish commoner. That was simply another test of your unshakeable loyalty, this was to be expected."
Subaru wasn't amused by her reply, but he figured that it was something like this. She'd never been the biggest fan of his anyway. This was her way of mocking him in front of his own candidate, he susp-. . .
"That'll simply make you an even larger asset the moment you join my camp."
Everyone tilted their heads at Priscilla's words. They thought they had settled this at the very beginning of their meeting! There was not going to be any plans to force Subaru out of Emilia's camp. . . right?
"After all, this world turns in my favor. It shall deliver everything I desire, should I deem it so."
None of the candidates dared look into the eyes of the others, as they were afraid that they may see the same glint of deception that formed in their own.
This whole meeting was to prevent a battle between the camps over Subaru.
Despite their best efforts. . . Priscilla had just declared war.
And the only logical answer would be to respond in kind, wouldn't it?
"I wonder 'bout that. . ."
Anastasia's crafty smile found its way back onto her face.
Despite the tension noticeably rising between all the delegates in the room. A certain someone couldn't resist the urge. . .
"Oi, Bitch n'red, don't ya owe the Cap'n a reward?"
The urge to wipe that confident look off of Priscilla's face with some teasing.
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that!"
It didn't register to Subaru that Garfiel most likely couldn't have known about that interaction. Subaru was just snapped out of a clearly deep thought regarding the newfound tension amongst the other four candidates.
This, along with the fact that it happened in the true timeline, meant that the taboo didn't activate.
"Should he desire his reward, he must come claim it. Men without guts are nothing more than street scum."
However, Priscilla wasn't shaken. In fact, she seemed to find herself honor bound to fulfilling the obligation she made to Subaru.
"W-Wait, you aren't joking?!"
Subaru did his best to avoid letting. . .those. . . thoughts into his mind, but he was only human. Not to mention, the hints of jealousy in Emilia and Crusch's glares was visible to all.
"S-Subaru. . .The meeting has already ended. If it's possible, can we speak for a moment?"
Emilia, still wishing to apologize for her rash behavior earlier in the day, wanted to get Subaru alone for a second. Wilhelm's advice had seemingly gotten through to her.
"E-Emilia-tan. . ?!"
She felt a blush run across her face as well. That nickname was powerful enough to completely erase the feelings of inadequacy welling up inside her. Emilia knew that she had made a lot of mistakes with how she'd been treating Subaru, but despite it all. . . He still looked at her with stars in his eyes.
Subaru, completely unaware of the feelings running through Emilia, had a moment of introspection and put his fist to his palm.
"A-Actually. . . before that! Reinhard!"
Reinhard, who'd been trying his best to make himself scarce, was forced back into the limelight with an awkward smile on his face. Felt was accustomed with these types of reactions from Reinhard. If she had to guess, he was in the process of finding some way to be responsible for everything that's gone wrong since they'd arrived in Priestella.
Before she could smack some sense into him, a surprised Reinhard stood himself up out of his chair and ran a hand through his hair.
"What is it, Subaru?"
"Can I ask you a favor?"
"Felt-chan! I'm glad to see you are doing well, but I reeeeeaally need to speak to Subaru right now!"
Priscilla's declaration of war reignited tensions with the other four candidates. If the uneasy milieu wasn't enough of a sign, the immediate departure of the other three camps should've been a dead giveaway. Felt was certain that the other three candidates had gone off their own to scheme. Luckily for her, while Subaru was off talking with Reinhard, she'd received the perfect opportunity to speak privately with Emilia. Too bad for them!
"Big Sis! Don't tell me ya' didn't notice the other candidates plan-. . ."
Emilia put her hands up, seemingly gesturing to Felt to quiet her speech.
"I did. I'm reeeallly glad you want to help me, but I-I need to apologize for the way I've been treating Subaru. You weren't here to see it earlier, but I was acting really selfishly."
Emilia's eyes drifted to Felt's feet, seemingly too ashamed to stare directly into her eyes.
From Felt's perspective, this was a total divergence from the confident Emilia she'd seen in the Sanctuary. It made her want to shake some sense into her Big Sis until she carried herself like the ruler she aspired to become.
"Big Sis, hold your head up high! Ya' think Big Bro would be happy seeing ya' like this?!"
Felt's plans would have to wait. Apparently, Emilia was in dire need of reassurance. It was only natural that Emilia would become more protective of Subaru after learning the true extent of the suffering he'd undergone. Why was she so quick to cede her ground? Felt was wholly in agreement with Emilia's desire to protect Subaru. If it had been Reinhard, she wouldn't have hesitated for even a second!
"N-No, I suppose not. . ."
Felt could feel a smirk climbing on her face.
"Sis. . . After everything we saw, I can tell ya' aren't sure what to think. Since ya' won't say it, I will. . ."
Emilia ran a hand through her hair, anticipating what Felt was planning on saying next.
"Bro can't keep suffering like he has. . . all alone."
Felt's teeth ground together in frustration.
"And even if people want to shame you. . .even if they say you trample on the will of Big Bro. . .You know what I say?!"
The scene replayed in her mind over and over. Priscilla, Wilhelm, and Crusch all teaming up against Emilia. Speaking as if they understood everything about him. What a joke! They knew nothing about what it was like.
"Fuck 'em!"
They didn't know how it felt to be responsible for Big Bro's suffering.
To be the reason he'd been tortured and murdered.
Felt understood this all too well.
How many times had he been murdered by Elsa because of her greed?
"F-Felt-chan! Please don't say th-. ."
"No! Sis, ya' need to hear this! There's nothing wrong with being greedy!"
Felt pressed on. Steeling herself for the threat she was about to levy against Emilia.
"And if ya' won't listen to me. . . I'll force ya'! That way ya' won't be able to blame yourself!"
The cat was out of the bag. Felt's threat/offer was now fully committal. There would be no backing down from this point onwards.
"W-What are you suggesting, Felt-chan?!"
The offer was simple enough. If Emilia lacked the grit to ignore Subaru's wishes, then all she would need to do is allow Felt to do it in her place. A solution where Emilia wouldn't be able to blame herself. A guaranteed happy ending for her Big Sis and Bro.
"Whaddya' think? I'm suggesting we merge camps."
Emilia was shocked that Felt would suggest something like this so late into the selection. There were so many people who had already placed their trust in them to win the selection. Even if the viewings revealed some shocking information, for Felt to suggest a merger. . .
". . .H-How would that work?"
Felt leaned back against a nearby wall, quickly scanning their surroundings to ensure none of the other camps were in earshot of their discussion. What she was about suggest would definitely need to remain hidden.
"W-Well, only one of us would be able to become the new ruler. . ."
Emilia looked hesitant to agree to something like that. So many people had already put their faith in her, not to mention her own goals of awakening the frozen elves of Elior Forest.
"B-But we would work together! Any requests you'd make, I would absolutely honor! Including giving you the Divine Dragon's blood!"
This. . .was interesting.
Emilia didn't think that any of the other candidates, even the ones she had good relationships with, would consider such an option.
Both their goals for the kingdom were pretty similar too.
While Emilia's wished for a broad equal status for all citizens, Felt was more focused on removing the corruption that had created such inequality in the first place. It wasn't a stretch to say that they were functionally the same desires.
Would it be selfish to try to become the ruler if someone more suited to the position was available?
'If I were to get the Divine Dragon's blood. . .what reason would I have to run against Felt?'
". . .W-What about S-Subaru. . .and the rest of my camp members?"
Felt's plan was more effective than she'd anticipated. Emilia was actually considering a merger between the two camps! This was great news! With Reinhard around, Big Sis and Big Bro would never be in danger again! Additionally, she'd pick up all the competent backers of Emilia and would become the clear frontrunner in the selection. Everyone would be happy!
"He'd continue working as your knight, Big Sis! Same with the rest of your camp members! However, I'd make sure ya' never end up in a situation like last year's again!"
It went without saying, but Felt was feeling pretty good about this idea the more she thought it over. Even if she'd have to wait until she formally won the selection to punish Roswaal, stealing all of his camp members and leaving him with nothing felt like pretty good payback.
"Nor would I force Big Bro to use his power if something did go wrong. . ."
Emilia was still very aware of Roswaal's promise with Subaru. She and Beatrice would be enough to stop him, but if one of them were to die in a future failed loop, they wouldn't be able to protect him.
"I-I. . .I'll need to think about it."
Felt put a hand to Emilia's shoulder and pulled her into a small hug.
"Don't worry about it! I'll always be on your side Big Sis!"
Emilia felt reassured by Felt's earnest desires to protect them, but those feelings only made the guilt inside her even stronger.
"I-I don't know about this Felt-chan, a lot of people have put their faith in me. . ."
Felt understood Emilia's position. Originally, she didn't even want to participate in this selection. It was only due to people like Reinhard and Old Man Rom that she decided to go through with it. Right now, however, their situation was precarious.
They were surrounded by sharks, and there was blood in the water.
"Sis, even if ya don't accept, it won't change anything between us, alright? Just keep in mind, the other camps don't plan on playin' nice. . ."
A merger between their camps would be enough to deter any bold plans from Anastasia and Priscilla. Crusch most likely wouldn't resort to underhanded methods, but Felt didn't want to risk it.
They might say they care for Subaru, but Felt had no reason to trust them. When things don't go their way, the possibility of one of them using him like a tool will always be in their back pocket.
If it came down to it, she'd be the one to protect her Big Sis and Big Bro. Even if it meant forcing them into her camp.
"Yo, Reinhard! It's been a long time since we talked one-on-one, huh?"
Reinhard's smile was unchanging, but there was a solemn mood Subaru could feel through his body language. It was difficult to point out any specific cues, but he could see that Reinhard was not comfortable speaking to Subaru as a peer.
'The first time I met him, he seemed so keen to close the distance between us. It felt like he was completely unguarded with his words.'
Subaru could feel Reinhard's feelings begin to rub off on him too. However, it was for completely different reasons.
'Did I mess something up? Ah, I guess the last conversation we had was less than cordial. . .'
Subaru had another suspicion, but he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to entertain the idea that Reinhard could finally see him as the worthless piece of trash he'd always been.
"Y-Yes, I suppose it has."
Reinhard's heart was pumping at over 100 BPM. This was it, wasn't it? The moment where Subaru condemned him for all the times Reinhard's negligence had nearly gotten him killed. For failing to kill Elsa, for leaving him alone with Roswaal, for abandoning him in the Capital. . .
"Man, there's just something so reassuring about having you with us in Priestella. . ."
Subaru let his thoughts wander, letting his true beliefs slip out without so much as a care in the world. He really didn't want Reinhard to think that there was any lingering bad blood between them over the whole 'Capital' debacle. He hoped that maybe they could go back to the carefree discussions they'd used to have.
"Wha-. .?"
Reinhard's shocked reaction wasn't just from the words that Subaru spoke. Reinhard's self-hatred would always find a way for him to rationalize the praise he received into disappointment. No, Reinhard's shock stemmed from the sentiment behind Subaru's words.
His Divine Protection of Wind Reading, which Reinhard tried to turn off in casual conversation, had indicated no hint of deception in Subaru's statement.
To take it even further, his Divine Protection of Empathy had taken the underlying emotions in these words and forced them into his soul.
Familiar feelings of unabashed admiration, similar to the way Reinhard used to look at his father. . .
Those were the feelings Subaru felt as he looked at Reinhard.
"H-Hey, did I say something weird. . ?"
Subaru, seeing how much his words had shaken Reinhard, immediately regretted saying something like that without thinking. He'd probably just made things worse between them, hadn't he?
"N-No, it's nothing."
Subaru nodded his head. He decided it would be best to simply talk business at this point rather than risk making things more awkward.
"So, uhh. . .I actually have several favors I need to ask, don't feel pressured to accep-. ."
"Whatever it is, I'll do it."
Reinhard shocked himself with how quickly he agreed to Subaru's proposition. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of that statement Subaru had made earlier. . .
"Oh. . .Ok! So, where do I start. . . ?"
Subaru had noticed Reinhard's quick reaction, but he really, reeaally did not want to think about the reason for Reinhard's behavior. He couldn't get that damn thought out of his head. . .
"I've got a lingering suspicion I was removed from the meeting just now. Can you fill me in on everything you guys talked about?"
Reinhard's smile faltered and he sat for a moment in contemplation.
"Removed? I wouldn't go that far. . . There wasn't anything notable that happened while you were gone either."
Reinhard felt like scum. He was powerless to defy the taboo, but he did his best to appear cooperative.
"C'mon, you don't have to lie to me. If you can't speak about it, I'll lay off. Believe me, I know a thing or two about it. . ."
'Ah, what am I saying?'
Subaru put his arms behind his back and leaned onto his palms.
"I'll have to speak with Anastasia about it later. . .but. . . uhh, sorry, I've got a few more things to ask of you. . ."
Reinhard remained motionless, staring off at the setting sun on the horizon.
"Would you be willing to accept a duel with my buddy Garfiel? He's mentioned your name to me many times and seems to genuinely revere you! I think it'd also be a good opportunity for him to grow as a fighter too. . ."
Reinhard simply nodded and kept his eyes on the city's dimming lights.
"Thanks! And, uhh. . . well the final thing. . ."
Subaru spent a moment thinking about how he should phrase his cryptic warning.
"Just. . .be on guard, ok?"
This caught Reinhard's attention. Subaru seemed like he was trying to warn him about something.
"I-If I may, why the last request?"
Subaru leaned forward again, elbows on his knees and his hands propping up his chin.
"Call it a premonition, but I suspect something bad is going to happen here very soon."
Reinhard narrowed his eyes. He had the ability to detect changes in witch's miasma, but he didn't sense any change in the output surrounding Subaru. But he also wasn't lying. . .
Even so, the possibility of him failing again was running through his mind.
Before he knew it, his hands gripped Subaru's shoulders and Reinhard was staring directly into his eyes.
"R-Reinhard?!"
He wouldn't let anything happen. He wouldn't.
"Subaru, don't worry! Whatever it is, I'll take care of it."
Subaru eyes were wide. This was simply too odd of a situation to ignore.
'No matter how you look at it, I'm just a normal guy. But the moment I said I had a premonition. . .'
"Reinhard. . ."
It was now or never.
"How much do you know about me?"
Author's Note:
Once again, any OOC stuff, please point it out in the comments. I think this chapter was honestly pretty awesome! We have an effective Cold War being declared over Subaru, Felt's plan to secretly merge with the Emilia Camp (reverse Greed If vibes?) and now we have a pretty good cliffhanger on which to end the chapter.
I'm not sure why, but I feel like my writing style is still lacking those descriptive paragraphs I see in other well-written fics. I feel like I was actually pretty good with those (if you were to look back on some of my Another Chance chapters. . .) but its like my writing has regressed and I'm incapable of writing those anymore. Don't take that to mean I didn't enjoy this chapter! I honestly feel pretty happy with the way this chapter turned out and I very much want to emulate this writing style in the future.
Here's an interesting poll for you guys:
I was thinking of doing like one more chapter of fluff before shit starts to go down, but the fight between garfiel and Reinhard would most certainly make that chapter super long.
So: Do I skip the fight (it'll go the same way as in canon), or do I add it for continuity?
A few (minor) spoilers: Beatrice WILL be waking up next chapter, Emilia will have a chance to talk with Subaru, so will Crusch, maybe that moonlight chat with Wilhelm will happen, and Anastasia will have an important talk with Kiritaka!
Here's a post I put on the weekly ff post:
Hey guys, continuer123 here. Due to popular request, I've made a discord for people interested in continuing dropped fanfics. I don't really use discord nor do I have any sort of moderation, so this will be faith-based! There are simply too many amazing dropped fics for me to continue myself! (make sure to at least ask the author before u continue a fic) Also, feel free to post drafts for beta reading here too. I'll be posting my drafts here probably a day before I update chapters
WMavyrnk