"I wish I would've taken my own advice. . . I'm so tired I can barely stand up straight."
Subaru lamented his bad habits as the cold morning air greeted the chronic insomniac. He'd never been allowed to 'sleep in' back when he lived in Japan, as his father's 'morning greeting' was a particularly devastating consequence of ignoring his alarm clock.
"Subaru, please don't push yourself. . !"
Emilia had caught him as he walked into the courtyard, and she seemed determined to watch over Subaru until everyone else had woken up.
"Ahh! Nothing energizes me like the concern of my precious Emilia-tan!"
She rolled her eyes at Subaru's teasing, but still felt a blush on her cheeks.
"Is that why my 'dunderhead' knight always charges into danger? Perhaps I shouldn't reward this behavior anymore. . ."
Subaru didn't want to admit it, but Emilia's teasing had also become much stronger. It was rare for him to be put on the backfoot, that's for sure!
"Hgh. . ! E-Emilia-tan, don't be too hasty now!"
Underneath their playful banter, Emilia still kept a firm grip around her knight's hand. Clearly, she was just joking!
Right. . ?!
"Very well. However, as insurance, I reserve the right to take your hand whenever it suits me!"
'When did she get so confident?! A-Am. .I the shy one in this relationship. . .!?'
Subaru wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to suspect that Emilia might have feelings for him. It was difficult for him to understand how this could be the case, considering the noticeably sharp change in conduct. At this point, they were all but 'formally' in a relationship.
"E-Emilia-tan, as much as I would like to hold your hand for the rest of time, I need it free so I can finish my morning routine. . ."
Emilia pouted, but eventually relented and let go of his hand.
"No productive morning is complete without some targeted exercise!"
Subaru had already initiated the entire Mathers Domain into his cult of Radio Calisthenics. It would only be a matter of time before he subjugated the great city of Priestella as well!
"Hope 'm not interrupting you two lovebirds!"
Emilia and Subaru jumped and immediately took two steps away from each other in an attempt to hide their obvious feelings.
"Felt-chan! You reeeeaally need to stop doing that!"
The chuckling Felt was basking in the embarrassment of her two older 'siblings' and trying her best not to mock Subaru's disjointed stretching style.
"Oh! Hey Felt! Wanna join us for some Radio Calisthenics?"
Felt paused for a moment, seemingly wondering if he was seriously asking her to participate in this nonsensical movement.
"Wait a minute! That's what it's called!? I've seen a ton of people in the Capital doing that stuff. . . Don't tell me it was you who started that!"
Subaru put on his best evil grin.
"Mwahaha! So I've even conquered the Capital of Lugunica. . . It seems my plan to rule the world with physical activity is finally coming to fruition!"
His free hand balled into a fist, seemingly pretending to clasp his hands together as he laughed maniacally. Subaru wished he had a small cat to stroke as he deviously laid out his plans for global domination.
'If only Puck was here. . .'
"Guh! The face you're making is creepy Big Bro!"
Subaru snapped out of his trance and slid his hand into his pocket. Whatever he was looking for, he was definitely going to need to dig for it.
"Felt, I've actually got something for you to give to Reinhard. Have you seen him?"
She seemed slightly annoyed to hear that guy's name, but she put aside her disgust as it seemed Subaru had important business to take care of.
"No! That dumbass just disappeared this morning without so much as a note!"
Emilia didn't like receiving this news, but Subaru was indifferent.
'Looks like he's doing some investigating of his own. . .'
"So! We doin' this or what?!"
In under a second, Felt was standing right next to Subaru. She had utilized her divine protection to speed over without Subaru realizing.
"W-Huh? I thought you said Radio Calisthenics were dumb. . .?"
Subaru wasn't aware of Felt's dualistic personality. She was the type of person who could both love and hate something at the same time.
"They are! But everything you do is dumb, so I don't really mind doing them with you!"
'Yeah, right. Don't pretend I can't see you smiling. . .'
"It looks like everyone's finally awake. . ."
Subaru's words were drowned out by a sea of overlapping declarations from the small crowd surrounding him.
Beatrice, now fully up and running, was defending her monopoly on Subaru's free hand from the neverending barrage of attacks she'd received from Emilia and Crusch.
Emilia, unsatisfied with losing her grasp on her knight's hand, had firmly affixed herself to Subaru's shoulder. She was currently attempting to interlock their arms, but the sling made it pretty difficult.
Garfiel greeted Subaru with a hearty slap on the back, earning glares from everyone else that he simply ignored.
Crusch, despite her best attempts to keep a stoic appearance, was beaming a smile towards Subaru that threatened to blind him.
Mimi, most unsurprisingly, had found leapt atop Subaru's head. She thought it would be pretty funny to see Subaru's friends get all 'up in arms' over a little prank. Tivey had repeatedly bowed his head and apologized to Subaru, but he didn't seem bothered all that much.
Julius, Ricardo, Al, and Felix seemed content watching this circus from the sidelines.
"Natsuki-san!"
And then there was Otto! The one person who wasn't acting like a raving lunatic!
"Otto! Thank god! I thought I was about to be swarmed with no one to document my last words. . ."
"T-Those jokes aren't very funny Natsuki-san. . ."
"H-Hey c'mon, it's not like I can't speak from experience. . ."
"Technically we both can. . ?"
'Huh? What's he talking about?'
Subaru wasn't even sure if he heard Otto correctly as the merchant had quietly murmured that last part.
"What's up Otto? You seem stressed out about something. You drink too much last night?"
Otto frowned at Subaru's clown-like attitude, but he figured that it was just his way of lightening the mood.
"K-Kinda. . . but that isn't what's troubling me right now. Natsuki-san, isn't it weird that Anastasia-sama just disappeared this morning?"
This was the first Subaru heard about it. He figured Anastasia was simply talking to the Inn staff about some new surprise to spring on everyone come lunch-time. Did she really just leave without saying a word?
'Priscilla isn't here either. . . but honestly that seems pretty in line with what I know about her. I doubt that stuck-up bi*** would even bother to inform her camp members on what she's doing, much less let them accompany her.'
"Now that you mention it, that is odd. . . Keep an eye out for her, I'll ask around to see what's going on."
"Alright, I'll resume negotiations with Kiritaka. He probably knows something about this. . ."
Subaru internally breathed a sigh of relief. Aside from himself, and occasionally Roswaal, there were very few people he could entrust with handling serious tasks. It wasn't that Subaru viewed the rest of the camp as incompetent. It was mainly their inability to take decisive action unless ordered.
However, if Otto said he'd 'handle' something, he'd find a way to make it happen. No 'ifs, ands, or buts'.
It didn't matter what it was.
Emilia was getting much better in this regard, but she hasn't always exuded the authoritative presence one would expect from the ruler of a nation. There was still a ways to go in that department.
This made Otto's presence even more important.
Back at the Sanctuary, it was Otto who'd managed to break Subaru out of his neurosis and get him to trust his friends. It was also Otto who helped him craft the plan to liberate the Sanctuary and save the mansion's residents.
He'd even managed to hold off Garfiel in a 1-vs-1 battle!
Given the right orders, the merchant would move Heaven and Earth to make the impossible, possible.
'No longer needing to worry about Puck is a huge weight off my shoulders. I seriously need to thank him next time I see him. . .'
"Hmm? Natsuki-san? Was that a sigh of relief I just heard? Am I finally being acknowledged for all the work I put in around here?!"
"D-Don't push your luck! I still haven't gotten you back for slugging me at the Sanctuary!"
Subaru grumbled a few sentences under his breath which were impossible to understand. He was most likely sulking about Otto seeing through him so easily, but the smirking merchant could already tell why he was angry.
"H-Hey, I forgot. . . Can you take Garfiel with you? He seems upset about last night, maybe you can help to take his mind off of it."
Subaru's favor from Reinhard went just how he'd expected. Garfiel and Reinhard had fought a sanctioned duel after dinner the previous night and the victor was definitive. Reinhard didn't even need to move from his spot, much less wield a weapon, to defeat Garfiel. It had such an effect on the young demi-human that Subaru was starting to regret organizing the confrontation altogether. Right now, Subaru wasn't in the right headspace to try and talk some sense into him, as he still internally lamented the possible reality of his own secrets being divulged. This left only one person.
"I'll see what I can do. . ."
Otto wasn't a fan of bringing that loudmouth anywhere near Kiritaka, but he remembered something the other camp leaders suggested during their meeting. They were planning on organizing a formal search team to find the man that attacked Subaru. There was no doubt Kiritaka would be involved in that too, considering his position.
"Natsuki-san. . . I don't think he's annoyed about the duel."
"W-Well what else could he be mad about?"
Otto exaggeratedly gestured to Subaru's sling.
"Gee, I have no~ idea!"
His frowning face made Subaru awkwardly laugh to himself. Looks like he still hadn't internalized the words he'd received from Emilia.
"O-Oh. . . right."
~Good morning, citizens of Priestella.~
"What was that?!"
Everyone aside from Otto jumped in surprise. A loud voice had just been simultaneously manifested in the minds of Priestella's citizens. Subaru likened it to the voice he heard entering into Echidna's trials.
"You all don't know about the radio system here?"
Subaru stared incredulously at the grinning Otto. He now knew why Otto had loitered around all morning instead of heading for the City Hall.
~Sorry if I scared you! I know a lot of you might not know about our morning broadcasts.~
"Projecting a person's voice into our heads?! That's not how a radio works!"
Subaru wasn't very familiar with the man's voice, but he could already tell that he didn't like him. For some unknown reason, this guy reminded him of Clind.
"E-Eh? This is the only radio I know of. . ."
Julius seemed surprised that Subaru knew about this 'radio'. It never came up at all during the viewing and nobody had mentioned it to him before arriving in Priestella.
Again, Subaru's reaction only prompted more questions than answers. Well, for everyone aside from Wilhelm anyway. (Reread Chapter 5, my continuity is on point!)
~Before we bring out this morning's entertainment, we have a message for you all.~
"Can this guy just shut up?! I can't hear myself think!"
Felt's hands covered her ears, but she was unsuccessful at blocking out the voice projected over the radio.
"S'not tha' loud, m'not sure what yer' complainin' bout."
Garfiel, who'd been leaning against a wall sulking for the last twenty minutes, finally found his courage to say something to the boisterous young thief.
"Wanna' speak clearer?! I thought I just heard ya' talking shit?"
Garfiel grit his teeth together and clenched his fists.
"Stop bein' a pain, s'nothing I said wasn't merited. . ."
He knew he wasn't allowed to insult a selection candidate, but he was really having a tough time considering. . .
"Ah, I see! Looks like ya' wanna keep being a sore loser!"
Felt had been repeatedly teasing him about his loss to Reinhard.
"Shut it! Will'ya? S'not like ya' would've done better!"
~Hello Hello? Is this thing on?~
Julius and Ricardo eased up, as the voice confirmed that their liege was safe and sound.
'So that's where she went. . .'
It was Anastasia. She must've disappeared early in the morning to get in contact with Kiritaka. Most likely before City Hall opened.
~I'm Anastasia Hoshin, owner of the Hoshin Company and a candidate for Queen of Lugunica. I've got an important message for ya'.~
'Haha. . .This kinda' reminds me of the political ads they'd run all over the TV networks before an election.'
Subaru didn't think that there was a real chance of this turning into an attack ad, but then again. . . Anastasia always did have a keen understanding of manipulation tactics. It wouldn't be hard for her to do so either, considering the amount of dirt she had on all of them.
Oh shoot. . . maybe he shouldn't have spoken so soon.
~I'm lookin' to open up a new branch of my company here and I'm willin' to hire as many of ya' as I can.~
"H-Huh?!"
Crusch and Felt knew that this was most likely a power play, but they had no way of stopping her. Unlike the fox lady, neither of them had the money to bribe an entire city.
"She never said anything about this. . ."
Julius and Ricardo were trusted confidants of Anastasia, so they had always been informed of large decisions like this in the past. Each of them felt a strange mix of pride and disappointment in their lady's actions. They each understood that there must've been more to this deal than meets the eye, as her eccentric personality was simply a decoy for hiding her ruthless business tactics. The problem was that they currently had no idea what those motives were.
~If ya' wanna submit an application, bring yourself and your family to one of our locations. There's one at each watergate.~
"Ooh~! Ooh~! My Lady spoke a funny word! Apple-cajun? A-pplee-kay-shon? What does it mean Boss~!?"
Ricardo signed at the girl's cute, but also saddening ignorance surrounding things aside from fighting. It was pretty common for her to reuse words she heard other say in a completely incorrect context, but because everyone thought she was adorable, nobody ever bothered correcting her.
"Ain't important, just means we're gonna' have a lot more work ahead of us. . ."
~ Thank you for the message, Anastasia-san. Now that we have that out of the way. . . it's my pleasure to introduce Priestella's beautiful Songstress! ~
As the voice coming over the radio stopped and awkwardly fiddled around their workstation, the man muttered something to himself and put their hand over the mic. Subaru assumed they were undergoing 'technical difficulties', but the reason for the weird pause soon emerged.
~ L-Liliana? Where'd you go?! Liliana. . ?! ~
The circumstances aligning in his head, Subaru nodded his head affirmatively at the airheaded Liliana's disappearance. The girl had gotten herself lost in her own city and the reputation she had with the locals suggested that it was a relatively common occurrence. Her losing interest at a moment's notice was another perk of Liliana's wandering mind.
~ LILIANA! Wher-. . . Oh there you are! ~
Subaru felt some degree of pity for this guy, but then he remembered the stories he'd heard from Otto and Emilia concerning his. . . proclivities. Just like Clind, he was in that club of people who 'worshipped youth'.
'Maybe I should call the FBI on this guy. . . well, in this case maybe Reinhard.'
Subaru was worried about potentially losing Reinhard to the 'dark side' as he remembered the situation with Felt, but completely overlooked his own reputation as 'The Lolimancer'. Seriously, why was this club of weirdos so stacked?!
~ H-Huh? Oh! It's me! ~
Unsurprisingly, Liliana quickly gave away that she'd completely forgotten about her plans to perform this morning, and began bantering with Kiritaka instead of beginning her song.
~ I had you scheduled to sing this morning! P-Please tell me you didn't forget. . . ~
With a stern reminder, and a not-so-subtle threat to stop buying the young singer new instruments, Liliana snapped back to attention and prepared her voice to begin her melody by clearing her throat and vocalizing a short warm-up.
~ I'm happy to have so many who would like to listen to my singing! Please listen – "The Sword Demon's Love Song, Act Two" ~
As he heard the title of the song, Subaru tuned out the sounds coming from the radio and entered into pensive thought. This wasn't an easy feat, mind you, as the voice was magically projected into the listener's head. It wasn't so simple as to put one's hands over their ears and block out the sound. Only with intense focus or even louder local stimuli could the radio be drowned out. Such was the degree of concentration that the familiar nickname inspired in Subaru.
'How tasteless. Couldn't Anastasia have picked a less offensive song to play? She knows Wilhelm's in the city, after all! It really doesn't sit right with me that she went and did all this without saying anything in the meeting either!'
Subaru glanced over to Crusch and Felt and they seemed to be processing similar thoughts regarding Anastasia's actions.
Obviously, Crusch and Felt both having an Astrea in their camp, weren't exactly thrilled to hear this particular song being broadcasted for the world to hear. However, what unnerved them even more was how obvious Anastasia had made it that she was taking control of Priestella. Clearly, she planned on establishing a large base of support here and was effectively bribing the city's inhabitants to go along with her. This deliberate show of force required some kind of response, or else the other candidates would look weak.
'Could this be the reason she originally invited all of them here in the first place?'
Crusch's plans to protect Subaru from Anastasia's influence were looking more hopeless than she'd imagined. While Subaru might not have known it, this act also worked to display the true depth of wealth at Anastasia's fingertips. There wasn't a lot Crusch could do to keep her from paying off her other competitors, or, Od forbid, the Emilia Camp themselves. A simple alliance between the two camps wouldn't be enough to deter them.
Felt was having similar thoughts, but she had already revealed the ace up her sleeve. It took all she had not to laugh at Anastasia's obvious bluff. Big Sis and Big Bro would be joining her camp. Emilia wouldn't abandon the selection for anything less than what Felt had promised her.
"I. . .don't feel so good. Sorry about this, Emilia-tan, but I think I should go inside. . ."
Subaru wanted to search for the Sword Demon himself and see if the old man was willing to talk with him about it.
Emilia's reaction wasn't something he could've predicted.
"E-Eh. . .?! S-Subaru, please come with me a moment."
Emilia grabbed him and Beatrice and marched them both right back into the Inn as looks of confusion filled the faces of the opposing camp members resting in the courtyard.
"Beatrice. Yes or no?"
Emilia's voice was trembling in trepidation. It quite literally shocked Subaru to hear Emilia sound this way.
"Emilia-tan? What's wrong-. ."
The half-elf put her finger across his lips and shushed him before he could dig his grave any further. If she was halfway right about this. . . the second Subaru spoke another word she would be furious.
"N-No, I suppose."
Beatrice succinctly answered Emilia's question, avoiding eye contact with the both of them.
Emilia's worries were immediately dispelled. Her face regained much of its color and she sighed a sigh of relief. He didn't Return By Death. Thank the heavens. If Subaru had tried to put up a façade and act like nothing had happened, Emilia wasn't sure if she could stop herself from forcing another reset! Obviously, she knows he wouldn't be allowed to speak if such a thing were to happen, but he is under no obligation to hide that pain from them now.
Emilia wasn't going to be so aggressively clingy or overbearing anymore, however, she would continue to pay close attention to her knight and keep him on the right path. Even if it meant slapping him again.
"E-Emilia-tan! Don't scare Beako like that. . . Also, can you please tell me why you just dragged us in here for nothing?"
Subaru, having a hint of a hint of a hint of a guess regarding the conversation he'd just overheard, was practically begging Emilia for an answer that would allow him to look the other way. He really didn't want to find anymore evidence for the theory he'd made yesterday.
"Subaru, we are both concerned about what Anastasia said on the broadcast earlier. I just wanted to see if Beako is feeling the same way!"
Emilia lied through her teeth. She wanted to be more truthful with him, but she couldn't risk a situation where Subaru learned to obstruct their verification system. She wasn't simply doing this out of some half-winded belief that she was 'protecting' him.
"Only Betty's contractor is allowed to call her by that name, I suppose! Don't call me that again, in fact!"
Subaru actually fell for this lie, believe it or not. Most likely because he'd been thinking the same things after hearing Anastasia's odd proposal. It was almost completely different from what they'd promised each other during the meeting yesterday. Granted, he wasn't there for all of it. . .
"Awww, Beako you're so cute when you're jealous! Don't worry Emilia-tan, she's just being insincere. You have my permission to use that name whenever you like!"
Beatrice scoffed at Subaru's quick teasing, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks.
"Only Betty is allowed to decide who calls her that. . ."
Subaru pinched her cheek and scooped her up onto his shoulder, letting her sit on the top of his sling.
"Hey Beako, I'm just teasing you! I would never want to devalue the pet names I call both of you!"
Emilia and Beatrice both seemed embarrassed at Subaru's shameless declaration and decided it might be best to head back outside. However, Subaru told them that he needed to check something really quick, so he would be out in a second.
"B-Betty doesn't like the idea of leaving you alone again!"
Subaru patted her head and placed her back on the ground.
"I'm not going to wander off. I'm just looking for Wilhelm and I think he's probably still somewhere in the Inn. I'll be ok! I promise!"
The scene Subaru found himself witnessing was certainly not something he could've predicted!
"Honorable Grandfather, what brings you to my living quarters?"
Subaru was doing his best to suppress a smile, but he was failing. Out of courtesy, he wouldn't interrupt the scene unfolding before him, but he was definitely going to eavesdrop the shit out of it!
"I wanted to speak with you. R-Reinhard-dono. . ."
Both Reinhard and Wilhelm seemed to be in the midst of an important conversation, and Subaru had a good idea what it might be about. Wilhelm, even though he'd asked Subaru for help, was still a prideful man. He most likely wanted to attempt mending his relationship with Reinhard himself before involving others. It also stands that he may have simply been trying to lay the groundwork for a more earnest discussion later down the line by reestablishing communication with his grandson.
". . ."
". . ."
'Oh no! It looks like their conversation is stalling out, I bette-. . .'
"My apologies, I seem to need a moment to think about what to say."
As Subaru was about to burst in and try to liven things up, Wilhelm stopped him in his tracks with a bit of an awkward statement. Wilhelm probably knew that Subaru was there, but simply didn't want to give himself an out of the situation he's created. If Subaru were to interrupt them now, the old man had no doubts that he would use it as a diversion to excuse himself.
"There's no need to apologize honorable grandfather. Please take however much time you need."
Subaru would normally crack a remark about how hypocritical it is for Reinhard of all people to tell someone that they have 'no need to apologize', considering that guy literally apologizes for existing, but right now he simply remained silent.
Wilhelm was starkly aware of this odd behavior and it pained him to know that he was most likely the cause of it. The truth was, there was every need to apologize to him.
"I-I believe I've been very cold towards you, Reinhard. Cold enough that a simple apology wouldn't suffice."
Reinhard's eyes widened for a split second. He was seemingly in disbelief that Wilhelm had any love for him at all. It wasn't that Reinhard had ever grown to stop caring for his grandfather. Rather, he was shocked that these were some of the first words they exchanged after so long.
"Honored Grandather, y-you've been nothing but kind to me-. . ."
"Nothing I said to you were the words of a loving Grandfather. A-And to make it worse, I've scarcely spoken to you since you were a child. . ."
Reinhard genuinely believed that his Grandfather had done nothing wrong. At this very moment, he believed it. How could he accept these words from him? Everything he'd said about him was true!
"P-P-Please accept my sincerest apology."
It was one of the few times that either Subaru or Reinhard had ever seen Wilhelm stutter. Subaru had been largely unaware of the history between Reinhard and Wilhelm, so while the scene was heartwarming, it also sparked curiosity surrounding the history between those two.
"G-Grandfather. . . I accept your apology."
Reinhard's lips began to slightly curve into a smile. It was a different one than any Subaru had ever seen, and for Wilhelm, it was a smile he hadn't seen in years.
'Yes! Wilhelm, you truly are an amazing man! If it was me, I'd probably have to die several times before working up the courage to say something like this. . .'
Subaru was completely unaware that his resolve is what inspired Wilhelm to go through with this stunt, but it didn't really need to be said.
"Now then. . ."
Wilhelm cleared his throat and coughed into his fist. A simple apology was nowhere near enough to forgive all the years of mistreatment that he's levied onto his grandson. But it was at least a start. A place where they could begin their relationship anew. From Zero!
"Would you like to join us, Subaru-dono?"
"Seriously? You both knew I was spying the whole time?!"
Subaru felt pretty dejected, but Reinhard and Wilhelm didn't seem to mind it very much at all. In fact, Subaru's lively attitude inspired a chuckle amongst the two swordsmen that could only be described as haughty.
"H-Hey! I heard that!"
Subaru tried his best to act angry, but the scene he just witnessed made it impossible for the smile across his face to go away. He wasn't even sure if he could go back to the others without acting weirdly.
"Rest assured, Subaru. We hold no ill will for eavesdropping on our conversation."
Reinhard smiled and put a hand on Subaru's shoulder, seemingly sensing that Subaru had something to do with Wilhelm's change of attitude.
"Ah, Subaru-dono. I don't wish to rush you, but do you have an answer regarding my proposal?"
Subaru's cheeks blushed red and his mind immediately started short-circuiting from the rush of blood to his head. How the hell was he supposed to answer something like that so casually?! And in front of another Astrea?!
"Hmm. . ? Grandfather, would you mind telling me of this proposal?"
Wilhelm nodded and smiled at the two men who stood side-by-side. What a picture-perfect scene he had in front of him. How he would've loved for Theresia to see the scene in front of him. It would truly be all that the old man would ever ask for.
"If Subaru-dono wished it, I would gladly take him into our family."
Reinhard didn't even seem surprised at this notion, but instead joyous at the implications. A brother, even if only in name. . . How fitting that it be Subaru, the man who'd guided him to his fated liege?
"Subaru, I wouldn't want to pressure you either, but if you have an answer please do tell."
Both Reinhard and Wilhelm's smiles exuded an almost threatening aura. . . almost like they weren't going to take no for an answer!
"U-Uhh- umm, uhhhh. . ."
With Reinhard's hand on his shoulder and Wilhelm's gaze firmly upon the two of them, Subaru had no chance of escape. The thing is though, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to?!
"W-With all due respect, I still need some time to think it over! I-. .W-Well I really love my family. . ."
'Even if I'll never see them again. . .'
". . .I-I can't just abandon the name my father gave me. . ."
"There's no need. If that is what you are worried about, simply make it your middle name!"
These guys could be reaaally scary when they were determined! Subaru couldn't really help himself though, the idea certainly was tempting. He would need to give it some thought.
"I-I'll give it some thought. Don't worry, I'll have an answer sooner rather than later!"
This seemed to appease the ever-increasing aura he felt coming from the two Astrea members and they both stepped back and had another short chuckle.
". . ."
"Ah? What's this? Now the two of you laugh together like nothing happened? I never thought I'd see such puerility from you both!"
It appears there was another person eavesdropping on them. And this person had much different intentions than Subaru.
"H-Honored father!"
Subaru saw a look of shock on Reinhard's face, seemingly giving way to indescribable guilt and then returning to his neutral fake smile. It definitely hurt Subaru to see him revert to such a state.
". . .and you are? It's quite rude to barge in on someone's conversation without at least giving your name first!"
Subaru spat out the last sentence of his, full of disgust at the man who felt joy from seeing despair on his son's face.
"Aren't you one to talk? You dare cast a hostile look at me? I suggest you leave before my wrath is provoked."
Subaru felt like his blood had been lit aflame. The seething rage he felt towards this red-haired man was second only to those who'd murdered him.
"Why don't you tell us what you are doing here? It'll make it even funnier when you're made to fu** off."
The man was aggravated by Subaru's flippant disregard for his rank. If it'd been somewhere else, he'd have ordered the petulant brat executed. Here, all he could do was let his hand drift to his sword.
The response was immediate.
Wilhelm's hand landed on his own sword, whilst Reinhard stood between the man and Subaru, poised to protect from any strikes.
"Heinkel! How dare you threaten the life of an unarmed knight! Have you forgotten your station?"
Wilhelm shook with an unknown emotion as the hand he tried to grab the sword with no longer listened to him.
"Forgotten? Father, as the Deputy Commander of the Knights of the Kingdom of Lugunica, I have supreme authority over all those who call themselves 'Knights'."
Subaru scoffed at Heinkel's arrogant decree and let his own feelings spill out.
"People who wield their authority to get what they want only do so because they lack the means to achieve them through their own will. I saw the fear in your eyes, there's no way you could stand up to either of them in real combat! Hiding behind your position is pathetic."
Heinkel was deeply offended by these words.
"Shut your worthless mouth, you dog. Sword Saint, cut down this rude kid for me."
As the red-haired man looked at Reinhard, his eyes began wavering as he simply stood still and didn't move. There was no way Reinhard would follow this man's orders, but it clearly hurt him to be referred to as 'Sword Saint' by his own father.
"F-Father. . .I-I am afraid I c-can't. . ."
Heinkel looked at Reinhard with nothing but contempt. He then moved his gaze to Wilhelm.
"Worthless. And here I came to congratulate you, Father! Shouldn't you offer him some praise too, Reinhard? After all, he finally avenged your grandmother! You know! The one you murdered."
". . -hk"
Reinhard seized up, afraid to look his father in the eye.
Subaru planned on clapping back with an even more cutting insult, but as he saw both Wilhelm's and Reinhard's reactions, he very quickly realized that it wasn't a good idea.
". . .Father? Why do you look so solemn? You were the first one to condemn Reinhard, weren't you?"
"Silence, Heinkel! How far do you intend to take this. . .?!"
Both Subaru and Reinhard were stood motionless, observing the scene of utter chaos in front of them.
"Three generations, cursed by my mother. I wonder how Theresia would view our sorry state of affairs?"
Subaru was almost ready to snap by this point, but Reinhard raised his hand up to keep Subaru from advancing on Heinkel.
"Subaru, there is no need to trouble yourself with this. . . he's right."
"Our line only creates monsters. A pathetic whelp like you should have no interest in joining this shitshow. . ."
With Heinkel's last jab, he abruptly took his leave. Most likely to go find himself another bar to drink his sorrows away.
Leaving the three of them speechless.
". . ."
". . ."
". . ."
Author's Note:
Actually! I'm doing three chapters! This one sorta spun out of control and I've been writing nonstop for like 7 days straight now. Might as well continue because I reallly want this story to take off!
Here's the poll:
A little different this week. I'll have people in the comments write a pseudo-fluff scene between two characters and the one with the most replies I will find a way to integrate into the story! Limit it to characters who actually appear in Arc 5 please! I won't put in a scene that will interfere with the plot, nor will I guarantee a specific chapter it will happen in. It'll just happen when it happens!
Thanks for everyone who continues to read this fic and wait for updates! Don't worry, the next chapter is basically already done! I've simply been waiting to release these for a while because I didn't want to reneg on my promise of eventually getting into the action after this next set of chapters. I figure I've kept you guys waiting too long, so I'll be dropping both of these chapters to give you something to chew on until the next chapter is done!
Next chapter will be out in a couple days! I look forward to the scenes you guys will submit!