Chapter 5

1 Month Later

Day 211

A razor sharp blast of wind shot past Subaru. Thin as a whisker and sharp as a razor, Subaru stumbled to the left, barely avoiding the blow. Glancing around the room at his opponent, Subaru could tell that a second blast was only moments away.

With a quickly muttered [El Ebu Fula] Tapping into his limited reservoir of mana, Subaru pulled out a thin web of mana. He quickly infused his mana into the air, and a sketchy map of the area spread out in his head.

Sensing a disruption in the web of mana directly behind him, Subaru quickly turned to his left. In his mind's eye, he sensed a razor thin disturbance. It was a blade of wind magic, running horizontally to the ground and blasting towards him at an incredible speed.

[El Fula]!

At Subaru's command, the air in front of the disturbance drew together, creating a thin shield of condensed air. The windblade hit the shield and dissipated, a gentle breeze gracing Subaru's face as the remnants of the spell blew past him.

Despite the successful defense, Subaru remained tense, eyeing his web of mana carefully for any further disruptions. His concentration was broken when the sound of applause echoed off the dungeon walls. Turning to look at the source of the clapping, Subaru couldn't help as his face quirked into a small smile as he saw Crusch sitting there on his bed, leaning casually against the wall. She had a broad smile on her face as she watched him.

[Crusch] "Well done, Subaru! I believe that was the first time you've ever managed to block one of my attacks- well, successfully at least."

Subaru felt his face grow red at the memory of yesterday when he'd tried a similar stunt and ended up sprawled in an undignified manner on the ground.

[Subaru] "Come on, why'd you need to bring that up?"

Despite his complaining, Subaru couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the accomplishment. Crusch had been teaching him how to fight for the last month, and he was beginning to feel like his life might have some hope left in it after all.

Ignoring his complaint, Crusch continued speaking.

[Crusch] "How did you know what direction the windblade was coming from? Given their invisible nature, it's usually impossible for any but a skilled warrior to sense what direction they're coming from."

Subaru began to answer her question, but Crusch interrupted him with a teasing expression.

[Crusch] "Wait, let me guess… beginner's luck?"

Subaru grumbled a bit more, but he couldn't hide the look of pride from his face as he answered.

[Subaru] "Oh, you know, it wasn't anything too special. Just a little trick I've been working on lately."

A suspicious look passed onto Crusch's face.

[Crusch] "A little trick? Oh, wait a minute… there's no way! Subaru, did you mange to actually do it?!"

Subaru looked smugly off to the side, an innocent tone in his voice.

[Subaru] "Do it? Do what? I'm afraid that I've got no idea what you're talking about."

[Crusch] "Come on, don't make me wait- did you actually manage to create a new spell already?"

[Subaru] "Well, kinda, but not exactly. It's more a modification than anything else; not exactly that great when you really think about it."

Crusch stared at him, dumbfounded.

[Crusch] "Subaru… you do realize that realize that it normally takes months, if not years, for someone to create their own spell- and modifying it isn't all that different! Even my own technique, One Blow, A Hundred Felled, took me almost a year to modify."

Subaru's expression dropped, his happiness vanishing, the light in his eyes fading.

[Subaru] "Listen, Crusch… I appreciate the flattery, but really, I'm nothing special. After all, if you were trapped in a tiny dungeon for a month on end with nothing to do but practice the same spells over and over, I'm sure that you could have figured it out even faster."

Crusch paused in her celebrations. She knew that look. It was the same look that Subaru always got when thinking about the past. She knew from lots of experience that nothing she did or said now would be able to convince him otherwise.

Instead, she reached over and pulled him into a hug. They stayed like that for a long minute before Subaru finally pushed her away. Some of the light had reappeared in his eyes, though not as much as before.

Crusch reached into a leather bag at her side and pulled out several thick books. Keeping one for herself and passing the others to Subaru, they both began to read in a comfortable silence.

Crusch stared at the words in the book, but couldn't quite bring herself to concentrate on the words. Instead her gaze kept drifting up to the boy sitting cross legged on the bed across from her.

He really was amazing. To be this motivated, even after what he had gone through- if she was being honest with herself, Crusch wasn't sure if she would have been this functional if she had had to go through everything. Subaru didn't often talk about what had happened during those six months he'd spent in the dungeon before she'd arrived, but what little she heard made her shudder in disgust and righteous indignation every time.

If only she could find a way to convince him that he was something special. It seemed like every time she tried to do so he would just grow more depressed than before.

Her gaze drifted up from her book once more as she studied his features.

Raven black hair covered his many scars, which somehow only served to make his bold features more prominent. His eyes scoured the pages with an intense passion, and Crusch realized something- even with those scars, he was very good looking.

Shaking off the distracting thoughts, Crusch stood up. Subaru glanced over, a wordless question in his eyes. This was the part she had been dreading all day.

[Crusch] "Subaru, I have some good news for you. I brought along a guest today, and I hope that you'll be excited to meet them."

Crusch tensed up slightly as Subaru's eyes narrowed into slits.

[Subaru] "Someone else? You know how much I dislike visitors, especially in this place."

[Crusch] "Yes. I was worried about that, but this man is one of my most trusted servants. As you know very well-"

Crusch gave him a smirk as she teased him,

[Crusch] "I am a very good magic user. However, my sword skills aren't my specialty, so I asked if my most experienced knight would be willing to come and train you in the sword."

Subaru's eyes glinted at the mention of being trained in swordsmanship, but that suspicious look remained.

[Subaru] "What's the catch?"

Crusch sighed inwardly. It hurt more than she cared to admit that he still didn't trust her. There had been progress, definitely- and she was beginning to actually look forward to these visits, as Subaru seemed to as well. Despite all that, there was still moments when he looked at her with those eyes, full of suspicion and distrust, the unspoken question of 'when are you going to betray me?' written in them. It hurt even more to know that, this time, he was right.

[Crusch] "I'd hoped to tell you this earlier, but I won't be able to visit you as often for the immediate future. Please don't worry; I will still keep my promise to you, and I should be able to visit at least once or twice a week."

[Subaru] "Why?"

Crusch grimaced slightly. Over the month they'd spent together, she'd learned to read his moods to an extent, and whenever he was really upset he always spoke in extremely short sentences. Still, she prepared herself to tell him the truth. He deserved that, if nothing else, even though she had no idea how he would react to it, particularly given his hatred of the Lugunican government.

[Crusch] "I have been selected to be a candidate for the next ruler of Lugunica. As such, my duties there will require additional time."

Crusch studied Subaru closely. He seemed to be pondering her answer, eventually looked up at her. His eyes had taken on a fiery cast, though what that meant she wasn't entirely sure.

[Subaru] "Good."

Crusch blinked at the abrupt statement.

[Crusch] "...Good? I have to admit, I expected you to have a bit more of a reaction than that."

Subaru looked at her, those fiery intense eyes boring into her.

[Subaru] "Let me put this simply. I don't trust any of the government. I never will. And I certainly don't trust any of the candidates."

Crusch was surprised at how much that hurt.

[Subaru] "And I don't trust you. YET."

With that, Subaru went back to reading his book. Crusch felt the ember of hope blossom in her chest, and, overshadowing that, the determination to have Subaru someday trust her. She WOULD live up to those expectations- not just for him, but for herself and all the people of Lugunica. In that moment, she once more vowed to herself that she would become Queen.

A sharp rapping sound filled the cavern. Crusch looked over at Subaru to find that, while cautious, he was willing to give the newcomer a chance.

Walking over to the door, Crusch opened it to find a refined butler standing there. Dressed in a formal black butler's suit, he had a refined gray head of hair, along with a groomed mustache and beard of the same color. His eyes swept the chamber as quickly as it was opened, the pupils flicking to each corner, seeming to analyze every square inch of the room within the seconds the door was opening.

Six finely crafted swords hung at his side, their ornate black and gold hilts gracefully curving into solid yet practical handguards. The man took a single step into the door, then bowed deeply to Crusch. Turning towards Subaru, he bowed a second time, though this time it was much less deep, though still respectful.

[Wilhelm] "I heard from my lady that you wished to be trained in the sword."

Subaru looked at him, giving only a nod as his answer.

[Wilhelm] "I must warn you that my training is not gentle. I will teach you the way of the sword, but you will be challenged every step of the way. Although I will do my best to avoid inflicting serious injury upon you, there will be pain. Do you accept?"

Subaru looked at him, a strange fervor in his eyes. He shot the man a grin, excited and half fanatical. The only response he gave was his smile and a single nod, his eyes never leaving Wilhelm's form.

Wilhelm nodded once, then turned to Crusch.

[Wilhelm] "It would be best if you were to step aside, my lady. It is time that I determine if this boy is worth training."

With that, he pulled one of the swords out of its sheath and threw it at Subaru, hilt first.

The sword flew through the air. Darting out his right hand, Subaru wove his mana into a thin line of air and looped it around the base of the sword. Like a magnet it flew to his hand. Instinctively beginning to settle into one of the kendo stances that he had practiced back home, he turned his gaze back to Wilhelm, only to find a black streak hurtling through the air at him.

Frantically throwing his blade up in the air in a desperate attempt to block, Subaru felt a resounding SHRIEK echo throughout the cavern as a force like a truck collided with his blade. His stance broken, Wilhelm stepped in and, hooked his foot around Subaru's ankle, yanking him violently.

Subaru slammed into the ground, narrowing avoiding impaling himself on his sword. He began to pull himself to his feet, then thought better of it.

'If it's a fight that this guy wants, then it's a fight that I'll give him!'

Standing up, Subaru lowered himself into his fighting stance once again. His eyes focused on Wilhelm, who was standing in his original position, his swords held in a relaxed guard posture as if nothing had happened.

As soon as Subaru had regained his stance, Wilhelm charged, turning into a black and silver streak. This time, Subaru was ready.

[El Fula]! From Subaru's left, a blunted windblade formed, whistling through the air at Wilhelm's left side. At the same time, Subaru launched himself towards the black streak, swinging his sword wildly. Subaru knew that neither attack had a ghost of a chance of working. As he charged forward, he made sure to position himself to take full advantage of the two distractions.

With unnatural grace, Wilhelm ducked underneath the windblade. With his left hand, he reached out and slammed the sword out of Subaru's hand in a blow that left his fingers numb. His right hand swung his sword in a deadly arc towards Subaru.

Subaru smiled. Wilhelm had shown that he was impossible to beat purely through attacks he could dodge. But Subaru wasn't planning on giving him a chance to dodge this attack.

[El Fula]! A powerful blast of wind filled the entire dungeon, pushing everything towards the door except Subaru and Crusch. The wind roared across the dungeon and slammed into Wilhelm- only for him to take a single step back, falling into a defensive posture. His blade flashed in a dizzying array in front of him, slicing the rapidly moving air to shreds and completely destroying its momentum. In seconds the entire room was filled with a dead silence, split only by a crack of air as Wilhelm leapt forward and slammed into Subaru, knocking him to the ground.

Subaru fell to the ground, pain coursing through his shoulder and side where he had landed. Pushing the pain aside with ease- after all, it was nothing compared to what he had been through- he began to struggle to his feet, stopping when he noticed Wilhelm standing in front of him. He didn't even look the slightest bit winded, and his butler's outfit was still absolutely spotless.

[Wilhelm] "That was quite a daring trick you pulled there. However, it doesn't matter how clever you are if you are not prepared to work for the sword."

Subaru looked up, not bothering to speak. He knew that his answer to this question would cement Wilhem's decision, and he had no desire to mess it up with stupid words. Instead, he glared up at the older man, channeling all of his determination, resolve, and even hatred for the Kingdom into his eyes.

The older man studied him carefully, his eyes reading all of Subaru's emotions. Then he extended a hand towards the younger boy and helped him up. Turning to Crusch, he gave his verdict.

[Wilhelm] "My lady, I believe that this man is worthy of my tutelage. With your permission?"

Crusch broke into a genuine smile.

[Crusch] "With pleasure, Wilhelm."

Author's Notes

Hey everyone! I'm not planning on attaching these to every chapter, but there were a bunch of good comments that I wanted to address, as well as give a good idea for what to expect from the rest of the fic, release schedule wise.

I already have the fic up to around 18k words. I'm not going to give any promises on which exact day new chapters are released, but it will most likely be on Wednesdays. The writing should be fast enough to be released on a weekly basis, although again, no promises. I do have plans to finish the story, and already have the rest of the plot mapped out, so there shouldn't be any worries about the story being left incomplete or on hiatus or whatnot.

Right now the story is plotted out for around 100k words, at which point I'll move on to working on other stories. This brings me to a question I have for y'all. I have a couple other stories that are partially written sitting in my Google Docs right now, and I wanted to get all'y'alls opinions on whether I should release them now, or whether I should wait for this fic to be finished before releasing them. Let me know what you think.

Memorysoul: Yes, the captain does know about Crusch's Divine Protection. She's used that exact argument against him multiple times, but he still believes that it's too big of a risk. His reasoning for this is that the Witch Cult has strange powers and might be able to circumvent the abilities that Divine Protections offer.

The Based Department: Yeah, I gotta agree with you that the whole 'Shippai Subaru' thing is a bit cringe. I wanted to set it up for character development down the road, and then made him change his last name so that it will come up less often. Hopefully that will help preserve the possibility for character growth while minimizing the cringiness.

Metallic Cube: Oh, trust me, things are going to get very, very interesting... bwahahahaha!

In all reality though, I made this fic because I enjoy watching things go wrong in stories- very, very wrong. Sure, it can sometimes be nice to see an overpowered protag-kun waltz over all challenges like they're going on a summer picnic (cough cough Rimuru :)), it's when stories go super far off the rails that they really get interesting, like Shield Hero.

So yeah, you can definitely expect things to go very, very wrong for poor Subaru.

Also, for the romance, it will be a significant part of Subaru's motivations, but as of right now I don't see it taking up the bulk of the story, although it will still be prominent. Just not the focus. Thanks for the super long review btw :)!

KazeelBaYz: Thanks a ton! One of my goals this fic is to add a bit more depth to characters that tend to get glossed over a bit in terms of character development in other fics; this includes people like Elsa, Roswaal, Reinhard, etc. I'm planning on having their character arcs be a bit different from those you've seen in other stories, but hopefully in good ways :).