Subaru was currently wandering around in the merchant's street. The street was swarmed with all sorts of people, a tall figure with reptilian skin, a bipedal dog-like being with incredibly fluffy fur, a young girl with pink-hair performing dance. Truly, diverse inhabitants of a fantasy world.
As he was scanning the pedestrians, he saw a gust of wind moving between them. The wind was carrying somewhat dirty clothes, with golden locks following behind it. Focusing his attention, his gaze met by that of a young girl, her crimson eyes possessing a strong will. But the wind briskly carried her away, causing him to lose sight of her.
Was that magic? Wondering as such, his attention shifted to a knight with six glittering swords, exiting a modest establishment, the weapons shop, with unadorned wooden shelves showcasing a diverse array of weapons. Axes, spears, daggers, swords. But he couldn't see any magical hue accompanying the blades. Neither was there any magical items or even a wand.
"You really are just meeeandering around this whole time… Say, do you even remember our goal?" Carrying a reproachful tone, the voice of the silver-haired girl rang out from behind.
"What? Of course I know! We are searching for your attendant, a girl …" He struggled to recall her telling him anything, but the girl continued to stare at him intently. "Actually, I couldn't see any magical items in here. Do you know any place for magic staff?"
"Huh? Hmm, I'm not really sure," Not-Luna said, tilting her head in a cutesy manner. "But they are quite dainty. Maybe you could find one in the company of an eccentric noble. Right, Puck?"
"Although your bewilderment is cute, the boy is trying to distract you, Lia." Said the tiny cat from inside her silver hair. Realising she was tricked, her intense gaze immediately returned. But before he could say anything, a swift wind blew suddenly making her robe flutter. The silver-haired girl, surprised, stuck her hand into her robe. "My Insignia, It's gone."
She launched several icicles towards the wind, the same wind he had spotted earlier. The ice pellets approached with the speed of bullet, but the wind ignored them completely as if sensing no malice in them. He'd imagined some light or energy flowing during magic, but it was just some lumps of ice. Really disappointing compared to his shadow-hand.
Loud squabbles of bystanders brought him out of his thoughts and he realised that the wind-borne girl had stolen something from not-Luna. She was already running after the wind.
"Hey, Wait!" He shouted quickly, giving them a chase. But they were too fast for him and the silver-hair soon vanished in an alley. As he caught up to them, the girl and her feline companion were standing in the alley, a wall blocking their path. The thief had somehow managed to escape.
"We might have missed a side street, or she might have quickly climbed over the wall." The cat suggested. The girl was indecisive between climbing the wall or taking a side-path. While catching his breath, he grumbled about the unfairness of this world.
"Damn, You guys are so fast! You didn't even break a sweat. Why are my stats so low!"
His whine got their attention. The girl wore a frown, clearly displeased by his prattle. Even though she isn't Luna, seeing her visage dismayed by him still stung his heart.
"You want to become a guard, yet you let a theft happen before your eyes." The cat replied, crossing his arms in dissatisfaction. "Now, how will you redeem your job profile?"
Only now did he realise his mistake. This girl was his path towards saving Luna and being close to her might be crucial for his goal. He couldn't let his image go down the drain before even being hired. He must get her insignia back. But before he could do anything, a high-pitched whistle came from the front street.
"We could get into trouble if the guards find us," The cat said. "You know the reason why without me having to explain it, right?"
"…I know." The girl replied, puffing up her cheeks, as she looked up the wall.
Why are we running from the guards? While having such thoughts, he thought of some way to help her in escaping. But looking ahead, the girl was nowhere to be found, replaced by a staircase made of ice.
"Quickly!" A stern voice came from above, the girl already standing atop the wall. Not wanting to upset her further, he quickly ran up the stairs.
After getting away from the guards, they were having a strategic meeting about their next step, in the street across from the merchant's street, the street where the robbery happened. In reality, only the girl and cat were participating in the debate, keeping him a small distance away. Well he did fuck up, didn't he? As his mind was occupied by self-deprecation, they came towards him halting his train of thoughts.
"I have decided. I will find my insignia before meeting up with Ram." The girl said with a determined face. Ram must be the name of her maid.
"Come to think of it, I don't even know your name." He said reflexively, earning only a glassy stare from the girl.
"I am Puck! Nice to meet you!" The cat flew towards his hand, his attitude as usual uncaring and made a dynamic handshake with its whole body.
"I am Natsuki Subaru, a rising mage. Nice to meet you too!"
"Can we return to the topic? It'll be too late if she manages to take it somewhere we can't reach." The girl let out a sigh. Her gaze was sour as she watched the exchange. Maybe he shouldn't push his luck for asking her name.
"Well then, we must do our best to find that thief. We can't keep searching blindly around this vast royal capital. Do you have any plans?" The cat, Puck, asked.
"Let's see… How about we keep our eyes wide open and search reeeally hard?"
"Isn't that the same as searching blindly?!" Subaru said, surprised by her childish response. But it seemed to only annoy the girl.
"Well, I noticed the wind-borne girl coming earlier. So I can recognize her face." He quickly shared the thief's features, wanting to improve her opinion of him. But hearing his response, the girl's gaze became even colder.
"Sooo you saw her coming, but you didn't even think of warning me." Her answer made the reason clear. He once again cursed his mouth for blabbering like that. But even if he tried to explain, the girl seemed already obstinate in her opinion. So–
"Considering she was using wind magic, she could be a well-known thief. We should ask about her from the vendors and hawkers." He explained his plan to start searching from the crime scene.
As they were about to start walking away, the girl stopped. Her gaze was directed across the street at a small girl, crouching with a tearful face. She approached the child, kneeling with a gentle smile aimed at the kid. But for some reason, the kid became frightened by her. Before the kid started shedding more tears, he quickly went towards the kid, using his coin trick to calm her down.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Subaru was walking towards a loot-house in the slums along with not-Luna. Helping the lost kid had led them to a fruit shop, run by her father. When he described the features of the thief, they quickly learnt about the girl, Felt, a tricky little blonde associated with the loot-house.
It was an unexpectedly lucky development. Did his protagonist status work, quickly advancing the quest? He would have boasted about it, if the theft didn't happen before his eyes.
"I can't let my resume start off on a negative note. So you have to leave this task to me, your guard." Subaru flashed his teeths as he pointed towards himself, attempting to give off a good impression.
"I don't remember making you my guard." But the girl immediately refuted his advance claim. "In fact, a boy like you shouldn't be doing such a risky job."
"What?! So you weren't even thinking of giving me the job!"
"Don't get me wrong! You are certainly assisting me in locating the insignia. I could suggest a job for your help… but you are just a kid. Maybe in the future, but currently you could become a gardener, a stable-boy, or a butler… "
Although he felt a wave of relief from her appreciation, seeing that she wasn't upset anymore. But it was quickly squashed by her next words, replaced by a feeling of apprehension.
"Wait a minute! What do you mean by kid? Actually, what do you think my age is?"
"Well 12 or maybe 13." The girl said, tilting her head to the side. Hearing her response, His jaw dropped in disbelief. Did Luna also think of me as a k-kid? He didn't like that train of thoughts. Curbing the negative thoughts from bubbling up, he answered her doubts.
"I am already over 17!"
"Uhh, what, no way!?"
"Yes way! And even if I said I'm a trainee mage, I have some power within me. I can't let you think I'm some weak kid! So you'll have to let me handle this task! Okay?"
"Bu-but" The girl hesitated. "Okay?" So he continued to pressure in an uncharacteristically serious attitude.
"Okie." The girl relented shortly, nodding her head.
He continued to walk in a fast-pace stride, till they reached the loot-house. A large building adjacent to the outer wall of the royal capital. According to rumours, the owner was a huge man named Rom who was used to rough situations, and the thief herself was quite fast. He shouldn't get careless.
He knocked on the door lightly. A response came in the voice of an old man, likely the owner. "For a rat?"
Although the girl was puzzled, he immediately understood. It was some type of password. "A snap-trap?" He guessed. Not getting any response, he knocked a few more times.
"There is a stolen item we wanted to—"
"If you don't know the password, scram!"
"Hey, Old man! Open the door or I will force it open." Not getting any response, he decided to force his way in. He was eager to finally show his skills to not-Luna.
"Ashtar." A shadowy limb emerged from his heart and gripped the handle of the door. Seeing the purple appendage, the girl widened her eyes.
Feeling pleased, he forcefully pushed the door outward but immediately regretted it. The door was hanging in the shadow-hand, completely separated from the frame. A gaze of reproach bore into the back of his head. But he strode into the building, not letting his confident grin slip-up.
There was an old man, or really a giant, wielding a wooden club with several sharp bits sticking out, his posture ready for any aggression.
"Boy! Haven't I made it clear? I said get lost!"
"Sorry, Old man. It was just a mistake." He said, putting the door down in a corner and dispersing his shadow-hand. He didn't want to needlessly antagonise this giant. He looked over searching for the thief, but couldn't find her.
"We have business with a girl named Felt. She stole something—"
"What's your deal with her?"
"We just want my insignia back. It's very important for me." The silver-haired girl answered following him inside.
The old man instantly looked lost, as if bewildered, alternating between loosening and tightening his grip on the club. His grey eyes were filled with increasing caution, darting between the boy and the girl
"Young lady… you're an elf, aren't you?"
The girl hesitated, stealing glances towards Subaru. He was really baffled by their behaviour. Soon she closed her eyes and replied with a stiffened face.
"That's not quite-right. —I am actually only half-elf."
"Half-elf… and silver hair…"
"It's an accidental resemblance! … I find it quite bothersome." She looked as if she didn't want to deal with it.
Subaru was not so oblivious, as to not understand the situation even now. Her resemblance to Luna. He had heard from Luna, how she was still hated by the whole world.
But it seems that her entire race is hated
He didn't know about her circumstances prior to being sealed. She evidently didn't share much about herself. It must have been a painful memory, being falsely accused and subsequently sealed. The thought of it all made him annoyed.
"Old man! Can you cut this bullshit?! I bet nobody knows anything real about the witch of envy? Hating someone just because of rumours and stories, what's the point of that?"
He scowled not liking their misguided fear or blame towards Luna. The girl was taken aback, opening and closing her mouth, unable to decide what to say. The old man on the other hand looked at him with raised eyebrows, his posture becoming more vigilant.
"Boy, why are you getting so worked up? The Witch, who devoured half of the world, everyone is terrified of her. That's common knowledge."
He felt exasperated as he listened to his words. Are people really so stupid to believe such nonsense? Luna consuming half of the world? This idea was so absurd like, a bedtime story made only to frighten children. He really wanted to shout right about now, to refute these false accusations, but–
Do not associate with me in front of anyone, Please.
He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. There was no point in getting mad over their ignorance. He had to find a way to clear her name. He refused to let her be scorned by everyone, to let her sad and alone sealed away from the world. That was his isekai mission.
"I meant, don't judge people without even getting to know them. What's wrong with elves? Aren't they always beautiful, just look at her!"
He said pointing towards the girl. But the girl started glancing around the building, not meeting his gaze. Soon she turned her face away from him, her ears slightly red.
"Subaru, you nincompoop! Don't say such odd things!"
"Who even says…" He stopped midway, getting a bad taste in his mouth. Do all elves speak in such old words? But seeing their confused faces, he continued. "Nobody says nincompoop anymore."
"Haha, you are such a strange boy!"
Old man laughed putting his club down, tension already leaving his muscles. Their strange banter seemed to have calmed down the situation. He gestured towards the counter, finally open to talk. But before they could move—
"Behind You!" A voice cried out. Subaru whipped around summoning his shadow-hand, quickly directing it toward the moving silhouette.
—Shunk! Sound of steel hitting the flesh rang. Alerted, everyone turned to the door. Puck already hovering next to not-Luna.
A bewitching woman in a black cloak, her hair black just like Subaru and a kukri knife in her right hand, blocked by the shadowy tendril.
"Fufufu, wonderful. I have never seen such an ability before." Her face was filled with ecstasy, even though her surprise attack was blocked.
"Hey, what's this about?!" Yelled a girl from behind the counter, the thief Felt. She pointed at the woman, pulling a badge out of her bosom.
"I thought your job was to purchase this insignia. Turning this place into a sea of blood wasn't part of the deal!"
"Indeed, but you've brought the owner along. So I have to first massacre everyone in here," the woman smiled while making such a cruel declaration. "You couldn't do your job properly. You really are just a slum rat."
Felt's face warped in agony, not from fear but from a different emotion. Subaru didn't know if she touched a sore spot. He didn't know, but–
"Is it really that fun to pick on a kid?" He was peeved. "You appeared way too sudden, ruining our negotiations."
"Ah, do excuse me for intruding," Her smile broadened as she lowered her stance. "Now, It's about time we started dancing. Please, do entertain me!"
But before she could pounce, her right arm was seized by the shadow hand. She wielded the knife in her left, slashing at the shade several times. –Sqwelp! Shunk! Plork! But it barely had any effect, the shadow's mending matching each cut's fray.
"It's stupid to keep trying to rip it," He felt thrilled to finally show his ability. "Just surrender already. I don't really want to hurt a woman."
"Oh, you don't like female opponents? I'd be disappointed if that diminished your determination." She swung her blade forward. The blade's path was true, intended to plunge it's heavy tip into his face. It's speed caught him off-guard.
An ice shield, glowing a pale blue, manifested before him. The knife was stopped as it slammed head on. The shield had perfectly protected him from the blade. But he still felt a shiver run down his spine.
With her attack blocked, she backflipped and swiftly executed her agile maneuvers twisting her seized arm. A number of icicles were rapidly fired in her pursuit, piercing only the ground. This was Puck's attack as he floated by the silver hair.
Even though her arm was twisted in unnatural angles, not a trace of pain graced her countenance, instead a euphoric expression danced upon her features. A shudder coursed through him, a visceral reaction to her inhuman nature.
"You could have died, you know?" Puck warned, glancing towards him. "You should wrap this up quickly. Lia would get sad if you died here."
Not-Luna had her hands placed together in front of her chest. She had probably formed the shield using her hands.
"At least show a little concern!" He moved his shadow-hand wildly. The woman flailed along hitting the walls and the roof several times.
–Thud! She finally crashed onto the floor, not moving anymore. He winced from the sight of bruises all over her body, but he was relieved to see her fainted. He picked up her kukri, happy to replace the thug-knife.
"What're you gonna do with her?" Old man asked pointing towards the woman. His desire to get her away from his house was apparent.
"She is already unconscious and disarmed. I will keep her restrained in my shadow-hand. As for her punishment—"
"We'll hand her over to the knights." Not-Luna replied.
"Yeah, that would be the sensible choice. She was quite strong for a human. She might already be a wanted criminal." Puck approved her suggestion and disappeared back into the crystal.
The thief groaned, stepping forward from the counter. Old man seemed to understand her frustrations, shaking his head to warn her. Scratching her blonde hair, she returned the insignia to not-Luna and asked. "What's with this creepy hand?"
"What? It's not creepy!" He was shocked by her unfair description. "It's super cool! It even got an aura of purple energy swirling around it!"
"Really bro, this squirming wiggly hand is supposed to be cool?" She said, making a disgusted expression. He felt appalled. His shadow-hand, the precious gift from Luna, he was too defiant to accept any insult towards it.
"Don't get so jittery. She's only saying that because she is a little embarrassed." Not-Luna smiled, while Felt wrinkled her nose, not too happy about this deduction. Well, at least he was relieved that she was simply being mischievous.
"But it seems like a reaaally complex spell. If you don't dispel it, wouldn't it drain your mana rapidly?"
"Haha… Well, I haven't reached my limit before. Maybe this can be a good chance to test it?" Subaru didn't know if his MP had even lowered? So he diverted, not wanting to ruin his image of a skilled mage.
"Your gate must be quite large. But don't be too reckless. You should stop before your mana gets too low." not-Luna admonished.
Maybe unlimited mana was also his isekai perk? But if he needed to dispel it, he would need something else to restrain that woman. Turning towards her, his shadow-hand was gripping her forearm—
"U–?!" He felt an impact on his waist, the force causing him to fall. A sharp pain and a collision, his vision spun until he hit the ground.
He heard a yelling, "Are yew a muh-mun." and then a sensual voice, "Ahh Imssed." He shook his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears. Raising his head, he found Felt clinging to him. The assailant was standing, her right arm missing from the elbow down, and a new kukri slightly red in her other.
" 'Don't indulge in sake in front of the enemy'… that's a quote from Hoshin, isn't it." She licked the red substance from her knife, seemingly getting thrilled from it. He felt a throbbing and a chill ran down his back. It was his blood.
Had it not been for Felt, he would have died— died in an instant without even realising! His heart pumped blood like an alarm, and he couldn't stop the trembling in his limbs. The shadowy appendage reaceaded to his heart.
He struggled to push himself up, to join the fight. But as her euphoric gaze briefly turned in his direction, he felt overwhelmed from a sense of dread. In a macabre display, she reattached her disfigured forearm, mending the flesh and the bone with pulsating bursts of blood and the sound of muscles stretching and the joints realigning. A vice-like grip of fear seized him, rendering him motionless, unable to do anything but watch from the periphery.
The sound of hissing ice reached his ears. A barrage of icicles were launched, each one with a deadly precision. White mist covered his view and a freezing wind blew, chilling his spine. Yet, the woman emerged unscathed, casting off her cloak with indifference.
A multitude of smaller icicles flew, shattering and piling up until her foot was trapped. A bluish white light was unleashed, encasing everything in the ice, the counter, the furniture, even the merchandise. But the woman had escaped, cutting the sole of her foot.
As Puck vanished into the crystal, not-Luna continued the fight alone albeit with fewer icicles. Sensing the losing momentum, the old man stepped forward thrusting his spiked club at her throat. But she balanced herself on the tip of his club and swung her blade horizontally, with the force enough to blow off his head.
—Clang! A smalle knife, thrown by Felt, disturbed the blade's movement. The woman swiftly moved towards Felt, who was frozen like a frog before a snake. Old man was unconscious, collapsed to the side. Not-Luna was too far away to intervene.
"Haidaraaaa―!" So the only one who could grab her small body and leap out of the way was the one who had been cowering in terror right next to her.
He embraced her small body as they fell toward the ground and launched his shadow-hand towards the woman. But she leaped away easily, switching to defend against the rapid-fire icicles coming from behind.
"Are you okay?! It was a desperate situation, so please overlook it if I touched anything I shouldn't have!"
"I'd have thanked you if you didn't say that."
He released Felt from his grip. She remained rooted to the ground in fear, settling beside the old man Rom. Felt had saved him earlier. He was glad to be able to repay her for that.
Looking towards the woman, he couldn't find any sluggishness in her movements as she danced through the ice. His lack of combat experience didn't really help, making him doubtful of his judgement. Acting on instinct, he promptly launched the purple appendage towards her.
He didn't know the full power of the shadowy limb. It wouldn't be strange if a direct hit turned part of her into mincemeat. But he couldn't think about holding back in this urgent situation. So he mercilessly launched it at her head, prepared for the grisly sight it would create.
In response to this lethal blow, the woman lowered her stance with practised movements as she effortlessly avoided the attack.
"Your aim was excellent. But unfortunately, you exuded too much killing intent"
She lowered her stance further and started to approach him if slithering on the ground. He instinctively retracted the shadowy limb, employing it to block her attack. But a long leg kicked him in the side of his head, causing him to crash into the wall beside the door. He once again tasted the blood in his mouth.
"Don't forget about me!"
As she was about to attack him further, a barrage of ice assailed her from behind. So she focused on dodging the hail of ice. He launched the shadow-hand towards her several times, trying to look for an opening. But she was too fast, not letting the appendage reach her.
So the instant her view was blocked as she cut down a particularly large icicle, he launched himself towards her. Although he'd attacked from right behind her, she swung the back of her blade towards him. But a surprise greeted her as the blade slammed hard into the club. He had wielded the wooden club in his hands to launch the attack.
"Ah, you are certainly braver than I expected."
She said with an ecstatic face, as she felt the shadowy grip on her waist. This time he refrained from targeting her limbs, not wanting her to escape by severing it.
"You wanted to dance. Now, let's enjoy a vertical step." He proclaimed, his lips twisting into a smile.
He launched the woman into the air and ruthlessly slammed her against the ceiling and then floor. He continued to smash her relentlessly, not knowing the limits of her healing. Seeing the ease with which he subdued her, Not-Luna hurried to the collapsed old man's side, employing her spirits to heal him.
As Subaru repeated the brutal cycle, wounds and bruises marred the woman's body. Her limbs were contorted and mangled, her bones were fractured and she moved like a lifeless puppet dangled to the appendage. But he didn't stop.
He was so engrossed in this brutal frenzy, he couldn't hear the approaching footsteps from behind until he was abruptly tackled to the ground. As he lost his focus, the shadow hand dispersed and a cold blade pressed at his back.
"Assaulting a defenceless woman with such cruelty— I cannot overlook your brutish behaviour, Natsuki Subaru." A voice filled with condemnation came from above. Turning his head, he looked at the looming figure, Julius Juukulius, the knight he met in the alley.
"What are you doing, attacking me unwarranted?! Are you working with the criminal?" He shouted furiously while pointing towards the woman.
"Cease your baseless insinuations! Will you once again excuse your behaviour on others, even a vulnerable woman? The only culprit here is you." The knight declared, his tone laced with self-righteousness.
Released from the relentless onslaughts, the woman gradually rose from the ground. "Incredible. Irresistible. What an exhilarating sensation… ah, I'm tingling." she uttered, her body trembling as if an intoxicating pleasure coursed through her veins.
Growing increasingly disgusted by her behavior, he retorted to the knight. "You snobbish bastard! Does this self-indulgent masochist still resemble a helpless woman?"
Hearing an unsettling response from the woman, the knight's confidence wavered, compelling him to turn towards her. And a troubled expression set upon his face as he took in her face. A bright red glow swirled around him, as if trying to communicate something. And Subaru felt himself released from his hold.
"Julius, Subaru was helping me in fending off that assailant." Not-Luna admonished, having already completed the healing.
"Don't screw around just because you have the knightly title." Felt voiced her disdain, tending to the still unconscious old man.
"I sincerely apologize for my hasty assumptions." Julius offered, a tinge of shame etched upon his face. But it earned only an unimpressed look from Subaru. Even the assailant couldn't resist taunting the poor knight. "To rescue a vulnerable maiden like myself— do accept my heartfelt thanks, the Finest of Knights."
She seemed ready for another assault, her body fully healed, not a hint of wounds or bruises on her flawless skin, save for the tears in her clothing.
"You must be Elsa Granhiert, the notorious 'Bowel Hunter', correct? I strongly advise you to surrender." Julius asserted.
"What's with that super disturbing nickname… are you also a sadist, a sadomasochist?"
The woman, Elsa, only looked with an ecstatic expression, sensually running her crimson tongue over her lips. Pulling out a knife from her waist, she assumed a two-blade stance.
"Very well, then," Julius stepped forward, drawing his sword. "Subaru, step back. I shall take charge from this point onward."
"You are too haughty, don't you think? Don't go around underestimating others so readily." Subaru scoffed, as he summoned his shadowy appendage, readying himself for the imminent clash.
Elsa took the initiative, hurtling towards the knight. Blades collided, the clash of steel igniting a shower of sparks. She swung her second blade, aiming the curved blade at Julius's neck. But he easily dodged the attack, countering with a swift leg strike.
Utilising the momentum, Elsa disengaged and leapt off the wall, gracefully ascending to the ceiling. With a powerful kick, she propelled herself off the ceiling and onto another wall. Her movements defied gravity as she freely attacked from various directions. Julius remained unfazed, intercepting each of her strikes. But she always retreated too fast, preventing him from going on offensive.
Subaru tried to look for openings, but her inhuman skills were now on an entirely different level from earlier. Her movements were rapid and unpredictable, rendering his shadow-hand utterly ineffective in her vicinity. The longer he stretched the shadow-hand, the weaker his control over it became, hindering his ability to maneuver it effectively.
Not-Luna did not intervene, leaving the situation in the hands of the knight. Was she confident in his abilities? Perhaps she was just exhausted, Subaru speculated. He couldn't help but feel frustrated at his inability to intervene after his earlier boasts. Despite possessing a powerful ability, he felt quite lacking compared to Julius.
"Clarista!"
Julius's blade shimmered in a rainbow-colored brilliance, with glitters swirling around it. And as he went to intercept the next attack, his sword easily cut through the knife, causing it to melt at the contact. Momentarily stunned, Elsa's attention faltered, granting Subaru the fleeting opening he needed to swiftly maneuver his shadow-hand.
Aware of the futility of grabbing Elsa's limbs, which she could easily sever, Subaru even refrained from hand-grasping on her torso, considering her swift regeneration from wounds. He channelled his complete attention, as he guided the shadow-hand to skillfully loop around her chest. The fingers of the hand clutched tightly back onto the shadowy limb, creating a firm grip akin to a taut rope. The secure grip left no room for her to slip free, ensuring a firm hold on her movements.
"Tch, this trick is getting rather annoying."
She hurled several small knives, four of them, towards Julius. The blades were thrown near simultaneously, each following a distinct trajectory at varying heights, making evasion a challenging task. While Julius focused on deflecting the incoming blades, she seized the opportunity to throw a knife at Subaru, aiming to disrupt his concentration and free herself from the shadowy grip. But Julius intercepted the projectile, her restraining making his movements more uninhibited.
"I am not sure how much longer I can hold onto her." Subaru warned as he felt his attention slipping.
"If I were to strip you of all your weapons, would you be willing to surrender?" Julius proposed.
"If I lose my weapons, I'll use my claws. If I lose my claws, I'll use my teeth. If I lose my teeth, I'll use my bones. And if I lose my bones, I'll use my life― That is what it means to lust for battle."
"In that case, I have no other choice. Al Clarista!" Julius shouted. The blade in his hand radiated a dazzling array of colors, transforming into a mesmerizing aurora that expanded in size. The luminous aurora surged forward, hurtling towards Elsa. Subaru's gaze focused on her as she raised her kukri, but she had turned the blade towards herself. Before he could see anything further, his vision was abruptly engulfed by the blinding radiance of the light.
Slowly, Subaru's sight returned, exposing the aftermath of the dazzling light. Everything in its path had been obliterated, evident by the half-evaporated wall and the gaping hole it bore. But his surprise was tinged with dejection as he noticed that the portion of his shadowy limb, caught in the path of the light, had been completely annihilated. He didn't know why, but for some reason he expected his shadow-hand to be impervious.
It took a few moments, before the head of the remaining limb started reforming into the wrist and then fingers until it regained the shape of a hand. He decided to disperse it, after not finding any traces of Elsa left.
"Subaru, how did you end up here with Emilia-sama?" Julius asked.
Just as Subaru was about to answer, not-Luna or now Emilia interjected too quickly for everyone's notice. "Um, Julius, I wanted to explore the slums… That's right, I wanted to survey the whole capital… to gain a better understanding, yeah… So we ended up here and that's when that villain attacked us."
She quickly made up a reason, not divulging the truth about the theft. Now that he thought about it earlier, she didn't want the guards to find out about it. It was probably about saving her face as a noble.
But her feeble attempt at lying was transparent to everyone present. So when Julius asked. "But wasn't Subaru heading towards an inn?"
He quickly answered before she made a terrible lie. "Yeah, I was heading there. But it's near the slums. So when I bumped into her on the streets going there, I tagged along. For her safety, you see."
Julius stared at him intently, a little too long for his comfort, before turning towards Felt and surveying the surroundings. Although he sensed some deception, Julius hesitated to intrude upon the privacy of another candidate.
"That's right… Sooo I will be taking him to Roswaal to thank him for his help… ," Emilia chimed in. "I also want to extend my thanks to you for helping us."
"I appreciate your thanks, Emilia-sama. But I was merely fulfilling my duty," Julius answered. "Although, I wish to escort you to safety before you come under any further harm."
"You don't need to worry about that. I will be reuniting with my attendant soon." Emilia politely declined.
"Yeah, don't worry. I am capable of keeping her safe." Added Subaru, quick to boast.
Julius briefly glanced towards him, before continuing his insistence with even more conviction. Feeling like he was being discredited, Subaru retorted. "Just so you know, I would have taken down that assassin if a pompous knight hadn't interfered, acting like a hero saving a damsel in distress."
Felt snickered at his remark, while Emilia gently scolded him. "Don't be rude to Julius, Subaru. He has already apologized to you."
"It's questionable whether you could have defeated her, based solely on the capabilities you have shown. Unless you have some hidden abilities, yet to be revealed?" Julius probed.
But it only looked like a jab to Subaru. He gritted his teeth at the implied insult. It's only my first day. I will easily surpass him once I start learning magic from Luna. He thought as he said "Do you want to fight? Let's meet again in a month! Then see how I will beat you up."
Julius raised an eyebrow at his response but Emilia interjected before him. "You two, let's not start a fight here. That's no good. If you have some differences, you should resolve them by talking it out."
"Regardless, I want to apologize once more for my earlier mistake." Julius addressed Subaru as he left the loot house, but not before leaving a glowing orb— a spirit that would accompany Emilia until she reunited with her attendant.
Emilia moved a little away for seclusion, as she summoned her own spirits, acquainting them with the new one. In no time, a multitude of lesser spirits gathered around her, forming a kaleidoscope of colorful orbs. Enveloped in their glow, the ethereal charm of her face captivated Subaru, causing his cheeks to redden a little.
"Nii-chan, you are blushing. Could it be that you're interested in big sis?" Felt teased with a playful curiosity. And Subaru realised that he had been staring for too long.
"Wh-What are you talking about?" He stammered, feigning ignorance, though inwardly he berated himself. His heroine was Luna and he couldn't let himself be swayed by every beauty like a horny teenager. However, a rebellious thought crept into his mind.
But her face... It's identical, Maybe it's okay if I'm just attracted to her appearance, right? He shivered, sensing an ominous gaze on his back. Turning around, he found no one there, only the moon silently peering through the hole in the wall.
Author notes:
Poor Julius. He tried to be a righteous knight, but it only earned admonishing stares.
Julius: La, you said he was doing something suspicious!
La: *cute spirit noises* I just said 'danger'.
(One more deadpan stare)
The next chapter will be completely about Subaru and Luna save for some minor scenes. But I write at snail's pace. Hopefully, it won't take more than 2 weeks.
