When the first rays of light tickled his nose, Subaru woke up, feeling well-rested. It had been a calm night for all he knew—neither dream nor nightmare had disturbed his sleep.
"Hah. Waking up in the morning, getting up at the same time as the sun—that sure feels weird." It was the first time in weeks, if not months, that Natsuki Subaru really started his day in the morning. While he did attempt at times to get up early, it more often than not devolved into something closer to midday or even afternoon. A truant's life indeed. But no more. In this new life he'd fix things and would choose a different path. Natsuki Subaru had to uphold yet another resolve!
So he jumped out of bed, full of energy and boosted by his own conviction. After a short visit in the bathroom to freshen himself up and brush his teeth, he went outside.
"Definitely need to find out how and where to take a bath, what to do with my clothes, and all of that best before breakfast. But first…"
He stepped outside, into the garden. First he had to prove his resolve, welcoming the sun in its full form. It was still rising at the horizon, thus witnessing how he too stepped outside, forced to greet him at the start of the day.
"One of many mutual greetings to come, I hope." Grinning contently at the image of him staying true to his resolve, he let his gaze wander in the garden, where he saw someone else already up, viewing the sunrise just as well, though with a sword in his hand.
"Heeey, Reinhard!" Subaru called, walking up to his friend. "Good morning!"
"Good morning Subaru. Did you sleep well?" the knight asked with a smile, as he stuck the wooden sword into the ground. It was a paved path, made of solid stone. Now with some split stone instead.
"Yeah, slept like a log. What are you doing up already in full gear? Were you—training?" His voice hitched when he once more looked at the sword resting in the ground.
"Indeed. Normally I practice twice a day, in the morning and evening. But unfortunately I was unable to do so yesterday evening. That's why I decided to begin a bit earlier this morning—slightly before sunrise."
Subaru mustered Reinhard, who by the sound of it was up for quite a while already. But even though he said he trained… there was not the slightest sign of exhaustion or even a tiny drop of sweat on him. Meaning there were two explanations. He wasn't training all too hard, or training wasn't taxing for him at all. And the easiest—and honestly most fun way to test that was…
"Can I train with you?" Subaru asked this, trying to sound as innocently as possible. Yet he wanted to see just how strong or lazy his friend actually was. And he too would not shy away from some exercise—he was rather fit, after all.
"You want to train with me?" asked Reinhard. His voice seemed a bit strained, though the reason eluded Subaru. "—Are you certain?"
"Sure! I can't wait to see what a knight's training looks like. And training with a friend sounds fun by default." Judging by Reinhard's reaction, it seemed to be a rather rare occasion for him to be able to train with someone else. So Subaru sure as hell would be there for his friend. Little did he know just what training with the Knight of Knights would entail.
"Alright, you can take the sword here, I'll quickly go fetch another one." With some eager steps the knight walked away, turning behind a corner. Had Subaru still paid attention, he could have seen a dust cloud rising from behind the corner. But his sight was already set on the sword in the ground.
Not thinking too much of it, he grabbed it by its hilt and pulled. Then, he pulled some more. But the sword wouldn't budge.
"Damnit Reinhard, who'd stick a sword into some stone ground anyway?"
It had not yet crossed his mind that the strength needed to pull off something like that would be immense in the first place. Determined, Subaru just planted both feet solidly into the ground, and began to pull with all his might, shaking the sword back and forth to further loosen up the weapon. Though after a while just the slightest of movement could be seen. It was definitely moving. Totally. He wasn't just deluding himself.
Just as Reinhard came back, Subaru's efforts paid off. The blade flew up—and Subaru backwards, with all the force he had put into drawing the wooden Excalibur turning into momentum instead.
"Hah… that was easy," he boasted, audibly breathing hard from all the strength he had to muster.
"Well Subaru, looks like you got your weapon." The knight smiled, reaching out to his friend, helping him to get up again.
"Yeah… looks like the sword got wedged in the ground somehow. Luckily, it still it looks to be in good shape." Judging by the perfectly smooth blade, it was rather unlikely that the sword got wedged anyhow. However, the other explanation would have been, that his not that much more muscly friend and was ridiculously stronger than he looked. Then again, he did hold Elsa at bay.
"Alright, Subaru. If you don't mind, I would let you attack me first. And no need to hold back, show me what you got." While the man's words were still collegial, he had assumed a serious stance, keeping the blade directed at Subaru while angling his body so that there was less area to hit.
The most Subaru had done was the occasional "stick as sword"-play—as any respectable boy does. Paired with his extensive knowledge of games and movies, this led to a modern, and cool-looking, yet not quite as solid stance himself. Holding the one-handed sword with both hands, upwards stretched directly to the enemy—opponent, he was prepared to spar.
Learning from his past fights against Elsa, he did not blindly charge forward, but instead carefully probed the knight's reactions, as he attempted to land his first strike. However, Reinhard blocked his attack far quicker than Subaru had anticipated, almost disarming him through the sheer strength of the parade itself. Luckily for him though, the knight had not used the opening to counterattack, merely reverting back to his defensive stance. It seemed as if he wanted Subaru to attack for now.
"Alright, no holding back… hah!" Subaru said, as he understood the knight's use of strength as an invitation to really be serious. What followed were a couple of forceful, yet blunt strikes. But none would reach Reinhard. In fact, he barely had to move to block most of them. A creeping feeling rose in Subaru, that his friend just made some steps out of courtesy—that he could have blocked any of his attacks really. Neither distraction nor feint seemed to work.
But if Subaru was something, then it was tenacious. For the better of half an hour he attempted to land a hit on his friend. Learning that tenacity alone could not easily overcome skill.
Worst of all, his friend gave tips throughout the whole training session. Which was nice and really helpful, but also a hit to his confidence. He would have liked to show a bit of ability as well, and instead received the best lessons one could from the one he tried to beat. Still, through his friend's advice, there was a certain rhythm he got internalized, slightly easing the exertion he had through continuous attacking. So they continued their dance, until…
"Man… that's it. I'm beat. Your defense's too good," he said, conceding for the lack of breath. Even though he wasn't able to land a hit on his friend in the end, he held out longer than he would have thought, and learnt a lot, so it was a full win in his book.
Reinhard walked over to him, smiling gently. "That wasn't too bad, Subaru. For someone with little fighting experience, you showed excellent stamina."
Subaru gave a weak smile, still breathing heavily. "So… Do you want to attack now?" Ignoring his inner voice that warned him from the knight's potential strength, it was only fair to offer Reinhard the same thing now. And he hadn't really seen if Reinhard only excelled in defense, and maybe wasn't that strong offensively.
"I appreciate the offer, Subaru, but I think you seem to be quite tired. You did well to keep up that long in the first place." Reinhard's words were well-meant, but there was a distinct note of worry swinging in his voice. Why was he so worried? Really, what was the worst that could happen?
"Hah… you think so?" he asked, rubbing his nose. "However, I'd like to see you attempt just one attack. But… maybe you should hold back a bit. Just a feeling. I'll give it my all to block though." To signify his readiness, he pumped up his chest, trying to convince his friend.
"—Alright Subaru. Give me a sign when you're ready," he said after some hesitation, though the worry in his voice had not dissipated.
Subaru shifted a bit, circling around Reinhard, making sure that there was grass under and behind him. Just in case. Sword gripped tightly with both hands. Positioned similarly as Reinhard did before. With a nod, he gave the sign. He saw the knight move forward and—.
Friends.
Reinhard sat beside the unconscious Subaru. It seemed as if the knight did not constrain himself enough, knocking out the boy who'd genuinely tried to train with him out cold. While he did think it was a bad idea, he didn't want to deny his friend's resolve.
It was another testament of his shortcomings. Of him being a monster without restraint. All he could hope now was that his friend—Subaru, would forgive him once more. The knight's hesitation had caused Subaru to become wounded a couple of days ago. Yet even so, he did not seem to hold it against him. Now Reinhard knocked him out again, because his power was abominable—he was abominable.
And yet, despite his obvious guilt, the knight sat there, patiently waiting for Subaru to wake up, selfishly hoping he would be forgiven once more. That he wouldn't lose this friend—the only one in an eternity that didn't see him as monster, as knight, as Sword Saint, as hero, but just as Reinhard.
Burdening his friend, who must have had enough troubles on his own, Reinhard's consciousness was laden with guilt. Such was his duty to the world that had favored him most. He laid his hand on the sheath of the Dragon Sword and closed his eyes. To the world, and—
"Ugh…" Holding his ringing head, Subaru sat up. "Hah… looks like you got me," he said, sighing after seeing his friend sit beside him. "Guess ducking was a terrible idea."
"Subaru, are you alright?" Reinhard asked, sorrow tainting his sky-blue eyes.
"No worries, I'm fine. Just needed a short break—it was short, right? Would be really embarrassing if you hit me KO for too long." Seeing his friend's worry, Subaru put up a wry smile, trying to get across that he really was fine.
"Yes. Not more than a handful of minutes. Still, I must apologize. I should have been able to control myself a bit more." —However, judging by the knight's words, he was not as easily reassured.
"Reinhard, really, it's fine. Training with you was fun. Next time I just need to be a bit fitter before you do the attacking—next time we'll do that before I'm completely drained. Maybe I'll be able to block an attack or two then," he said, putting a hand on the knight's shoulder.
"Next time…?" Reinhard repeated disbelievingly. It was apparent that the man had not expected a positive reaction in the slightest. Of course he had hoped so, and having that wish fulfilled would have made him happy enough. But he absolutely did not expect Subaru to speak of the next time.
"Yeah, next time. Though, I guess training with me must have been more like child's play for you. So if you don't want to anym—."
"—No!" Reinhard said, with a bit too much force, almost startling Subaru. "I mean… no, that's not it. I'd love to train with you again. I just didn't expect you to offer it, after I've knocked you out. And after you've seen how hard it might be to land a hit on me." Reinhard was used to downplaying his strength—too often were people alienated by his prowess. Or worse.
Subaru could feel that the knight was truly happy about him mentioning a next time—a full success in his book.
"Then it's settled. Though I might need more than half a day to recover before I can train with you once again."
"It pains me to say that this fits well with my attending duties. I will depart shortly after breakfast and might not return until tomorrow. I've been tasked to take care of an urgent matter," he said. Despite his words, it was clear that his sense of duty overshadowed his personal disappointment.
"That's too bad. I had hoped to at least see you around some bit more. Then again, being a knight, especially now with Elsa on the run surely must be stressful, so I guess there's no avoiding that. And I guess Emilia will be glad to be able to return home as well—as nice as it might be here." Subaru crossed his arms and nodded, being proud to slowly gain a grasp of what's happening around him.
As Reinhard got up, so did Subaru—it seemed the calm morning had come to an end. Remembering his earlier predicament, especially now after training, Subaru asked Reinhard for directions to the bath before parting ways with the knight. Having finished the impromptu training session, he was in need of a bath more than ever.
Luckily, by now the servants had begun their work, tending to the many chores that naturally came with an estate of this size. Still, he didn't know how exactly he could take a bath here, or if there was any rule he'd need to follow. So he asked one of the servants for an explanation on how to use the bath.
Subaru had anticipated a weird reaction, simply based on how silly the question likely was, but he was instead disappointed by how reluctant the servant seemed to be to answer him. Or talk to him in general. Where he would have expected a mild laugh at his cluelessness, the man's shoulders were stiff as a board and his answers as short and crisp as possible, lacking any sign of a relaxed atmosphere.
With nothing but a towel around his waist, Subaru entered the huge bathroom, which reminded him more of a small public bath or swimming pool. He left his clothes in the changing room, as instructed, where he was told that they'd be cleaned after he left the bath. He was offered a choice between some spare clothes by the servant, or just a quick cleaning of his current ones, should he so desire. He decided to keep wearing the tracksuit, as he was somewhat fond of his unique set of clothing.
When he asked, out of curiosity, how they'd do it that quickly, the servant explained it was thanks to the use of water and wind crystals. Noticing the servant's general reluctance he decided to keep it at that, and just ask someone else for an explanation later.
For now, he'd just enjoy the hot water, letting his sorrows be washed away by the feeling of warmth. And now that he was fully naked, he took the opportunity to inspect his body thoroughly for the first time really, checking for any scars or signs of former wounds, including the spots where he had sustained them in… previous lives.
Subaru gulped at the thought, shifting his focus on his body instead. No scars around the heart or lungs. Nor three on the abdomen. But… Now he saw it. A faint, slightly brighter, vertical line, right above his belly. It was where Elsa's knife had sunk into his flesh, which brought back to mind a sour feeling of failure.
"Seems like healing magic can't fix everything either, huh…" he mumbled, letting his finger trace along the line. "But it's fine. A warrior can take great pride in his scars after all… as long as they're not on his back. And this is the proof that I saved Emilia's life." He grew a wide, complacent grin across his face, as he thought back to his heroic deed.
After having scrubbed himself squeaky clean, and properly recovering from his earlier beating, he left the bathroom feeling refreshed. And just as the servant had said, his clothes were neatly folded, cleaned, and dried in a basket, allowing him to feel fully comfortable.
With the towel sitting on his head, he returned to his room, where he finally was able to fix his hair, taking great care to maintain his style. Now all there was for him to do was wait to get fetched for breakfast—which did not take too long.
Breakfast went by without much happening. Reinhard told the others of his future absence, as well as mentioning that it might encompass more than a day. Felt seemed rather gloomy, and was not in the mood to say anything really. And neither seemed Emilia, though she gave off the impression of being rather reserved anyway.
With Reinhard leaving early and Emilia excusing herself to attend to her studies, there was only Felt and Subaru now, unsure what to do with the day given to them. Though when Subaru thought about asking Felt what she wanted yesterday he realized she still seemed to be rather miffed about something, judging by her continuously downcast gaze and furrowed brow. However, as he was contemplating whether to ask her or not, she suddenly spoke up.
"Ey, Subaru. You remember I wanted to ask you something? As she said this, she kept a close eye on the servants around them, making sure they weren't hearing what she had said. "Well?"
"Sure, ask away."
"I want to hit the town today. Need to check on my family, you know? I've been stuck here for way longer than I thought I would," she said, stealing glances at the people around them still. "So I wanted to ask you if you want to tag along. You know, so it doesn't seem like I just tried to run away. And besides, maybe it'll be fun too. Gets boring here after a while." Despite her previous attitude, her face brightened up as she told Subaru of her plan.
"Are you sure that's a good idea…?" Subaru asked, remaining slightly cautious. "Sounds even to me like you're only trying to get away from here. You could just try to shake me off in the city as well." While he couldn't deny being happy at the prospect of exploring the city some more—especially peacefully this time, this sounded more like some elaborate escape scheme. With him getting the short end of the stick. Wouldn't have been the first time the girl would try to take advantage of him, too.
"Look, I really just wanna see my granpa. And besides, with the whole city guard on foot, I doubt I could try to escape for too long even if I tried." The last part sounded deflated, giving off a genuine impression of her having at least considered getting away—and realizing the futility of an attempt.
Subaru shifted a bit on the spot. On one hand, he was really tempted to do so. On the other hand, getting away seemed like a bad idea still.
"...Alright," he finally said, nodding slowly. While there was the real chance of her just pulling a trick on him, he could understand that she at least wanted to tell her granpa she was fine. And aside from that—it wasn't like he had something better to do anyway. Emilia had shot down any attempt of them spending time together. Mainly because she too must have had duties similarly loaded as Reinhard's. It still was disappointing though. And better than any alternative explanation—of her just not wanting to.
"Keep in mind though, I will mercilessly rat you out, should you try to pull a stunt," he said, with a dramatically serious and menacing voice, making sure he'd get his point across.
"No need to be that mistrusting! It'd be way easier to remain undetected alone," she said, putting up her hands defensively. "To avoid getting caught, we should try and set out in the early afternoon. It's the longest period until someone might be looking for us. Or Reinhard could catch us."
"I can't shake off that bad feeling, but whatever. I'll be waiting in my room afterwards, so tell me when you want to go."
"Sure thing… Well, I'll see you later then!" With those hastily spoken words, the blonde-haired girl moved off, and rather quickly at that, leaving a confused Subaru behind.
Subaru shrugged, wondering why she'd be in a hurry all of a sudden. As he was turning around to return to his room, he was stopped by an elderly maid approaching him.
"Excuse me, dear guest", she said, as she made a slight, yet adequate bow. "I believe we have not yet properly met. My name is Carol Fauzen, and I serve as the head maid of the Astrea family." Her voice was clear, her gaze was sharp and together with her maid outfit she appeared as a serious, yet sincere caretaker—just as with Grimm, she too gave off the aura of a most esteemed noble's servant—a distinct aura of dignity.
"Hello there. My name is Natsuki Subaru," he said, smiling slightly as he introduced himself. "—Oh, Fauzen? Are you perhaps Grimm's wife?" Subaru asked, immediately making the connection.
"Indeed, guest-sama, Grimm is my dear husband," she said, a faint smile flashing over her face, though lasting but a mere moment. "Please excuse me for the disruption, but you wouldn't know where the girl from just now—Felt-sama had gone to?" Upon hearing this, Subaru rubbed his chin.
Felt? Is she the reason Felt disappeared so quickly?
"Just say Subaru! And… uh, no," Subaru said, though with audible hesitation. It wasn't a lie per se. He didn't know where Felt had disappeared to. Though he had a feeling to have found the explanation to her sudden leave.
"Is that so, Subaru-sama?" asked the head maid critically, eyeing him with narrowed eyes. It seemed like she did notice his hesitation and was open enough to let some doubt shine through—making him feel like a child caught with its fingers in the cookie jar. "Either way, thank you for your help, I will take my leave now. Please do not hesitate to tell any of us, should you be in need of something."
With a hesitant nod, he saw the maid going straight into the direction Felt had disappeared to. Though now all he could really do was wait for their eventual city tour, sometime after lunch.
"Curious."
"Hmm? What is it, Lia?" the grey cat asked, lazily wiggling with its tail, resting on two huge piles of books. "Feeling unwell after lunch? Or have you finally read anything interesting?"
"N—well yes, I did," she said, putting aside the book she just read. "That book—Grace of the Sword Saint seemed to have been composed by some veteran of the demi-human war. Judging by its inscription, it was given as a gift to the previous Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea, Reinhard's grandmother."
The demi-human war, a terrible civil war, had raged on in Lugnica some 50 years ago. The scars it left were still present today, and the rift between humans and demi-humans was as noticeable as ever—or maybe even more so, since the passing of the royal family. And Theresia van Astrea had been a major factor for its conclusion, and the subsequent human victory.
"So, humans glorifying their little fights—what's so interesting about that?" the spirit asked, still not sounding too invested. As a great spirit, the business of humans was entirely beneath his notice.
"Well, it's mostly just an eulogy of the Sword Saint's deeds. Though there seems to be major exaggerations, as I know from different books from Roswaal that at certain battles it mentions, she wasn't even present. Either way, just where the climax of this work should be, there's ripped paper instead." Instinctively, she pulled her hand to her chin. "It looked to me like these pages were torn out violently, but I wonder who and why someone in this household would damage a memory of Theresia van Astrea."
"And that interests you that much?" Puck asked, after having let her be lost in thoughts for some time. Though he simply got tired of waiting.
"—No, that's not what I meant at all," she said, slightly puffing her cheeks and crossing her arms. They both knew that, and yet still Puck teased her about it.
"If it is still about the boy—that Subaru. I told you, he doesn't hold malicious thoughts, there's no reason to worry… directly." The slight hesitation in Puck's voice did not go unnoticed. "You know what I mean."
"I'm not so much worried as confused. I had asked him about his experiences in the capital here. And it did not seem to have been too pleasant… No, what he described was nothing short of horrible." The pain in her voice was clearly audible—its reason manifold.
"Lia…" Puck said, suddenly showing nothing but concern, jumping right onto her palms. "You shouldn't think about these things too much. Aren't th—"
"I've told you many times, Puck. They won't go away or change by not thinking about them," she said, interrupting him sharply. She had decided a long time ago to not just look the other way, despite her father's constant suggestions to do so. "I just wondered. Maybe things must have been worse from whence he came, thus not seeming as bad. Just like—"
Emilia fell silent for a moment, casting her gaze downwards. Puck did the only thing he could, lightly patting her hand, purring soothingly as to distract the girl from her thoughts.
"—but then I wonder how. How could he be so carefree? Why does he seem so adamant on ignoring all that would seem proper—and trying to get involved with a half-elf?" Her face was signed by a deep burrow, as she expressed her doubts.
"Maybe he just ignores it, and fares well with that," Puck said. The underlying message was clear, only a direct told you or like I tell you all the time was missing. "Aside from that, it's just until he can demand his reward from Roswaal. Then he'll go his merry way."
"You think so? Just ignoring it, and hoping for the best?" Emilia asked, the bitterness in her voice clearly audible. It did not faze the great spirit too much, but any lesser being might have been thrown off by its pungency. Puck merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Either way, Lia, it's no use to take a guess at what he's thinking. There's more important things to do for you anyway," he said, as he jumped over once more unto the piles of books. There were still several on the 'to read' pile, lent from the Astrea's exclusive collection.
"Maybe you're right, Puck," she said, a slight smile hushing over her face, while the cat eagerly nodded. "That's why I want you to go ask him something."
The approval disappeared as fast as it had appeared, letting the tail of the cat lose all its motion. "Wait, what?" he asked with a groan.
"You heard me, Puck. I want you to go and ask him—"
Subaru was gazing out of the window, sighing. He had already taken a nap after lunch, and was really just waiting to go. Provided Felt would finall—
"Subaru, are you there?", a muffled voice came from the door, accompanied by some light, yet hasty knocking.
"Yeah, just come in," he said—and just a moment later, Felt dashed inside, immediately pressing herself against the door, shutting it and placing an ear on it.
"Is something wrong?" Subaru asked, wondering about the girl's rather hectic behavior. It seemed like she was still listening for something.
"—No, seems like the coast is clear," she said, deeply exhaling. It . "Anyway, we don't have too much time. For some reason, there's always been a servant following me around since yesterday. 'Felt-sama' this, 'Felt-sama' that, as if their only task is to annoy me to no end. And no, I really didn't do anything to warrant that!"
Subaru tilted his head. It was true that the maid—Carol, did not only ask him if he knew where she went, but also followed her directly afterwards. "Maybe they caught wind of you trying to escape—uh… get away temporarily?" It was as good a guess as any. "You sure it's a good idea to try and go then?"
"Dunno, really don't get why. Anyway, if anything, this makes it more pressing to get away. C'mon, you're not chickening out now?" she said, as she began to imitate said animal, taunting Subaru.
"Ugh… it's not about being a chicken, it's about—." He wanted to continue, but the ongoing taunting annoyed him greatly. "Fine! Let's go. I'll put all the blame on you if we get caught!"
With a toothy grin, Felt opened the door again, checking out the floor. "Alright. We only have a couple of hours, so let's go!"
Sneaking through the estate, they successfully avoided the servants, eventually reaching the garden, where Felt revealed her escape plan—a narrow opening in one of the hedges. "From here, all we have to do is walk around the hedge and climb over a wall, right back onto the streets. But I'm sure you'll manage."
However, Subaru had already trouble fitting through the opening. He was considerably taller and broader than Felt, and it was only after some… corrections—meaning Felt chopping down some branches—that he was able to squeeze through. But as long as no one checked this remote backside, it wouldn't be discovered. Probably.
The small wall provided another opportunity to show their differences in nimbleness and acrobatics. While Felt had jumped in one fluid motion over it, Subaru failed multiple attempts, eventually crashing down on the other side when he had finally reached the edge.
"Damn, looks like you're really clumsy. Guess I should scrap the idea to use the rooftops with you in tow," Felt said, offering Subaru a hand.
"Over the rooftops!? Why would you want to go there in the first place? Can't we just… walk? On the streets?" he asked aghast, dusting himself off. That little wall climbing was already enough—he didn't even want to imagine having to balance over the rooftops. Or falling down from them.
"We'd be considerably faster. And much harder to notice—I was thinkin' you might want that. Oh well," she said with a shrug.
After some final sideway glances the two went onto the street. With Felt's instruction, they slipped by the guard post, which controlled the entrance to the noble district, and quickly gained distance from the noble district where they had spent the last couple days.
Chatting with Felt, Subaru was almost able to completely shut out the many unpleasant gazes, just focusing on the girl and her various stories of successful heists instead. There was not an inch of shame in her, for what others might condemn as thievery or lawlessness.
Subaru could well understand why; remembering their spent time together, all her explanations, and of course her revealing her true colors. But then again, who was he to judge someone having to live in the slums anyway? Going by her stories, she stole to get herself and her grandfather through the days. That's not something he could really see himself to hold any negative thoughts over.
"Sounds rough, but also kinda exciting. In a worrying way," Subaru eventually said with a grin—and meant it like that. It did sound exciting, if anything.
Reaching the busier spots of the market street, Felt suddenly halted, showing a fiendish grin when Subaru turned to her to look what stopped her. "Hey, Subaru. If you really think it's so exciting, then I've got an idea. Why don't I show you some tricks first hand?"
"Tricks? You wanna show me how you steal something? I don't think the others would be too pleased to hear that," said Subaru looking heavenwards, as he slightly chided her. Reinhard was a knight, an enforcer of the law if he had to guess—and they were his guests. Not to imagine what Emilia might think of it. Then again, maybe then she'd keep a close eye on him…
"Nah, we don't need to make a thief out of you. But I'm bored and wanna show off a bit. And you seem interested enough in learning a thing or two—just explanations, see? All safe." Yet her mischievous grin did not waver as she said this—if anything, it broadened.
"Hmm. I can't deny that might sound useful. I'd hate to have declined that offer and then need it, I guess." He kinda let himself get carried away by her enthusiasm. And as long as it were just some explanations—that wasn't a crime in itself… at least not on Earth.
The mischievous duo sat down on a small wall, observing the lively market street from a slightly elevated stairway of some seemingly abandoned building. "Alright, there's three things you need to consider," she said, wiggling her finger like a teacher, with Subaru nodding along eagerly.
"First, the location. You wanna pick a crowded place if possible, and one with few guards. Typically these don't go exactly hand in hand, so it's good to know the patrol routes of the guards."
Subaru let his gaze wander about. It took him a while to spot them. Were it not for Felt, who'd point them out from time to time, showing her knowledge of the area, he hadn't recognized some of them. Aside from the despised full armored ones, which were rather the exception than the norm, there were at least some with their swords hefted similarly to their sides.
She quickly pointed to some spots, and explained that the guards usually followed a route, rarely deviating from it. Though right now there seemed to be considerably more guards than usual, throwing her predictions occasionally off.
"So you want to avoid getting reported, makes sense—and if it happens, rather without too many guards close by," said Subaru, after having been shown the guards' pattern.
"Yep. But if worst comes to worst, there's another thing under location; escape route. Since getting caught is really bad, you wanna avoid that. That's why you should also know some side alleys."
This earned Felt a light scoff. Subaru had learnt too well about side alleys. And something told him they were rather obvious routes for criminals of all kinds, be they thieves or thugs.
"Last thing about the location; turf rules. Some gangs or thieves lay claim for certain areas—me included. If there's one thing worse than getting caught by guards, it's getting caught infringing on some gang's turf. If you can't protect yourself properly, it's better to hand them over everything you got that day—believe me," she spat, her bitterness and disdain about that side of the business clearly audible.
Subaru let his gaze wander again. "Crowds, guards, escape routes, turf claims; rules for location." His exact repetition earned him a toothy grin from Felt, who had lost her surliness again. "What's the next thing, Felt?"
"Ah, that eager to learn more, I see. Just you wait, you'll wanna put things into practice soon enough," she said, teasingly elbowing him. "Next, you wanna choose a target. For this one, I'm not gonna just say what I'd do. First, you tell me who'd you pick."
Somewhat overwhelmed, Subaru scratched his chin. As he lacked really any anchor point, he let his gaze once more wander up and down the whole market street.
Easy targets would be children or older people. But I feel really bad even considering them. Stealing from someone poor is both, really mean and not too helpful either. Definitely not stealing from someone openly armed either. Then again… how could I detect mages? Well, no use trying to find that out now. Merchants might be a good target. But they should be on guard the whole time. Hmm…
Eventually, he snapped his fingers. "Someone rich, or at least someone who doesn't seem to be too hurt by a few missing coins. Neither someone completely defenseless, nor openly armed. Maybe a merchant, if he's properly distracted, or some noble folks," Subaru said, trying to sound as convinced as he could. "Well?"
"Hmm. Not too bad. Yeah, you seem like a nice enough fella, surprisingly," Felt said, voicing a bit too much skepticism she seemed to hold with that statement. "But yeah, I can mostly agree with what you said. While someone defenseless sounds a bit too sentimental for my take, I can see why you'd refuse to do so. And rich people in general are an excellent target—as are foreigners." She threw him some sideways glance, a glint in her eyes, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Well, I guess it makes sense that I don't think immediately of them, huh?" he said, laughing nervously. "What about the last point then?" He pressed on, as he really didn't want to dwell on his origins, lest be forced to discuss them.
"Lastly, the main question really; what to steal?" It seemed like an easy enough question, but something told him there was more to it. "Now, this is of course somewhat depending on skill and what you can see in the first place. Almost anyone has a purse with some coins on them. So that's a prime target. Snatching a thick purse from a noble gives such a nice feeling. They won't miss a couple of coins anyway. Same for others with only a couple of coins." Unbeknownst to her, she agreed with his principle, showing that despite her thieving activities and earlier words, she wasn't just thinking maliciously of her targets—as long as they weren't nobles.
"If you see some big jewelry, that is of course a nice target. But also probably hard to get off, or get unnoticed away with it. Yields much higher prices though. And of course there's always things like books, swords or other things they might carry around with them, or put down somewhere, not paying attention for a moment. If you can get your hands on things like these, chances are higher you get away with them—but there's also the risk that it's just some useless or worthless junk."
What Felt said made easy sense, though he wondered. The merchants here wouldn't just randomly buy stuff from some stranger now, would they? "And where would one go with stolen goods?"
"Heh, that's actually our goal today. There's a place most people just call the loot house. It's a business run by old-man Rom. My granpa. He buys and sells stolen goods, and gives fair prices to everyone. That's why he's been years in the business already." Felt's voice was brimming with pride.
"So, you askin' about the loot house, playing along with the choice of a victim… wanna put it to the test? There's some noble lady who looks easy enough to target," Felt suddenly said, throwing him a playful wink. It seemed she really wanted to get him into trouble. Unfortunately, Subaru was a bit more responsible than she seemed to attest him.
"Nah-ah. I don't need a practical application of that. No can do!" he said decisively, crossing his arms to a big X. "Look, I neither wanna get you, myself, or anyone else into trouble. We're currently guests of Reinhard, so it's not like we'd need the money to survive right now either!" It was of course a rather shortsighted argument, but Subaru was not one to think ahead too far.
"Man, you're no fun!" she said, sticking out her tongue. "But I guess you're right. I'd bet she had at least a gold coin with her. But fine, suit yourself!"
With a deep exhale, she jumped up. "That was fun, regardless of you playing responsible all of a sudden at the end. Oh well, let's get going. We still need to reach the slums—if there's enough time, we can do some other stuff later."
Subaru followed her right back down the stairway and the two dispersed into the crowd once more, finally making their way to their intended destination.
"Halt, you two!" said the man standing on the bridge to the approaching duo. By closer inspection it seemed to be a guard, immediately causing Subaru to stiffen up. "It's dangerous here. There's some serious trouble ahead. If you don't have to, I'd advise you to avoid that part of the sl—city for now."
Felt eyed him critically, while Subaru heroically placed himself behind her. He was definitely not just trying to hide behind the small girl. "And what's the reason for that?"
"You a local?" the guard asked after having scoffed at their clothing. "Well, there's been some fighting these last few days. Something between some gangs. While we do try to dissolve any active fights, we still would recommend avoiding that area right now. You could get drawn into trouble otherwise."
"Ugh…," groaned Felt. "Sounds like there's some turf war going on… annoying as it is, it's really better to not get drawn into that." She seemed just as upset as disappointed, judging by her downcast glare. "Say guard, how long's that been going on?"
The guard looked surprised about the lack of respect. "Started soon after the city gates were closed. Seems like they were just waiting for an opportunity to cause some trouble—as they always do." One could clearly hear the resentment creeping out of his voice. Mixed with a slightly worried expression, it was apparent the man lacked the discipline to even act neutral.
Subaru was a bit lost, only partially following the conversation. He did not want to draw the attention of the guard onto him, and neither was he sure what exactly a "turf war" in this world entailed. Only that it seemed to be something quite serious and dangerous. "So what should we do now, Felt? Do you want to get your granpa out of there?"
"Hah. Thanks, but no. He's survived far worse things than whatever might be going on there right now. I'm sure he'll be able to handle it. Besides, he's well-respected. Doubt someone would target him, really. It's better to stay away from that all though. Let's scrap the plan and see if tomorrow's a better opportunity for that." Her balled fist showed that her confidence was not as solid as she tried to portray it… no. The fist wasn't balled out of anger solely, but to hide her shaking hands.
Still, Subaru was sure she'd know best, and didn't really have much to say against it. "If you're really sure about that, I'll accompany you tomorrow again if you want." That was the least he could offer—if he was already not pushing to jump into potential danger again.
With some mumbled thanks, the two turned their backs to the guard, postponing their plan to visit the slums for the moment. Felt had explained on the way back into the livelier parts of the city that there might have been some hidden paths, but the gang members knew about them just as well, and ironically it had been far more dangerous to use them in such situations.
Thus they only really had the choice to turn back from where they came. As they strolled through the merchant district once more, Felt walked up to some big black board, where some numbers and… probably words, were written upon with chalk. Whatever it meant, it seemed to greatly trouble Felt, who hastily began to inspect some nearby market stalls, before muttering, "Insane."
Confused, Subaru inspected the wares as well, but couldn't really detect anything strange with them. "What is it?" he asked probingly.
"The prices. This stuff seriously costs a ludicrous amount. I mean, sure, the prices vary a bit, a couple of coppers, but certainly not in the margin of silvers for just some foodstuff!" She seemed to be really upset about it. And judging by the rather slow going business in the whole street, despite the many people frequenting it, others shared that sentiment.
"Apologies, little lady. But with trade having died down since days, and no fresh wares coming in, there's little we can do about that," said the elderly man standing before the stall apologetically, rubbing his hands out of embarrassment. Despite his thick mustache, one could see his frown—it seemed he too was genuinely displeased about it. "I just hope they'll see reason soon. Especially before things escalate at the merchant's cross"
"The merchant's cross…?" she repeated slowly. "Ah… Yeah, you say it old man. C'mon Subaru, let's go, I wanna see if things really are that bad." Before Subaru could pose a question, Felt wandered off, causing Subaru to hastily stumble after her. "Let me check something real quick."
It was the same for each market stall they checked—they had similar or even higher prices. Now Felt's mood had worsened considerably, with both the slums being blocked and the seemingly brewing trouble for food. "Say, Subaru. I wanna go check something more. But it might be better for you to return to the Astrea estate already." Judging by her tone, she was absolutely serious.
"—Eh? And why's that? I'm not gonna let you do something dangerous alone, if that's your goal. Don't worry, if things get worse, we'll just make a run for it. There's guards everywhere!" he said, pointing in several directions.
Felt's face contorted a bit, but eventually she gave in. "—Fine. But don't complain afterwards. We're going to the merchant's cross. One of the main plaza's usually a gathering spot for dragon carriages. I can guess what's happening there." It seemed to vex her.
"Just lead the way. Though I gotta say, I look forward to seeing dragon carriages from up close, if there's some there." He had only seen them pass on the main street of the capital so far, or from the corner of his eyes as he ran through the city. Now maybe he would finally be able to see one up close, learning as to whether they really were winged, fire-breathing lizards.
Already from afar, one could hear many voices combined to a cacophony of shouts and complaints. As they got closer, the noise only got worse. A massive crowd was occupying the plaza.
"Open the city gates already!", "How long do you want to make us hostages!", "Just find the culprit already!", "It was a demi-human anyway, hunt him down!", "You're ruining our existences here!", "We demand justice for us too!", "Do your damn job already, instead of pestering us good folks!"
It seemed to be a protest of sorts, and a big one at that. Nonchalantly, Felt pulled Subaru into an alley, peeking out of it to further observe it. "Tsk, as to be expected, that's bad."
Subaru gulped hard. He was rather inclined to agree. They sounded angry, the mood was tense and he somehow had the feeling he really didn't want to get too close to an angry mob. If the people somewhat relaxed on the street were already eyeing him as hostile, he really didn't want to test his luck with that. Fortunately, Felt too was rather keen on avoiding them.
"Let's better avoid that too," Felt said eventually, looking worried to Subaru. Where her voice normally held some bite, now it was rather soft—and hollow. "No need to stay here for longer anyway. Strikes or protests like that have become pretty common lately. Normally they get ended by the guards after a while, but we really don't want to be close if things go south."
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea. I don't want to get on even more people's bad list," Subaru said absentmindedly. "Hadn't thought the city would be in such uproar."
Have you been living under a rock? It's been like that for months!" Felt said, throwing Subaru an incredulous gaze. "Surely you've heard it as well. I think it's just some dumb rumours, spewn by some drunk noble, or someone else who just tries to cause confusion."
Though seeing that Subaru showed no sign of getting what she was talking about, Felt sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you about it. But again, I really think it's just some dumb rumors."
Subaru nodded. He had no idea what to expect, so he merely waited for her explanation.
"So after the death of the king and royal family, worry began to spread. Some people were afraid the Vollachians to the south were going to attack, now that the king was dead. Worst of all, there was no guarantee that Lugnica was still protected. Now mind you, I think the Dragon doesn't give two shits about us anyway. But for many, this caused a great deal of worry. And then…" Felt shook her head again.
"Well. You know as much. The Dragon gave a prophecy, about searching for a new king. Even though the people were shaken, since it took the Dragon a couple of months to react to the former king's death, things seemed to take a turn for the positive again. But it was short-lived." Felt deeply inhaled, taking a breath for what was to come.
"Rumors of a second prophecy began to spread. Be it through some drunkard, or whorehouse, or just a loose tongue in general, who knows. About something appearing that's worse than… well. Just something absurdly dangerous."
Subaru raised an eyebrow. For the whole talk, Felt showed a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. But when she said the last part, there was some sort of hesitation in her voice.
"So you see, that's what I'm talking about. And that nonsense has persisted for months now, driving some people mad with fear. Protests such as the one on the plaza before us have been pretty common since. Heard it's even worse in other places."
Felt jumped up, letting Subaru process what he just heard. "But whatever. Let's get away from here first." The two returned back onto the street, leaving the wild disarray of disgruntled voices behind, with Subaru being lost in thought.
"Anastasia-sama, please allow me to escort you at least, then," the man said, pleading, as he handed the woman her coat.
"No need worryin' like that, Julius. I'd rather have ya finally find that vile assassin than having ya sit around with me'n the Iron Fangs," she said, throwing the concerned man a gentle smile.
"The suspect is already being searched by the whole city and royal guard. As your personal knight I am first and foremost worried about your safety, Anastasia-sama," the man said, placing a hand over his heart, bowing deeply.
"I ain't worried about mah safety, dear Julius, but about mah investments. Do ya have any idea how that foolish order of the Sage Council affects business, or the people? With decisions like that, it's no wonder yer economy's in shambles." It was a harsh and devastating judgement—but one the woman with the biggest, most lucrative enterprise in the world, was arguably qualified to make.
"Of course, you are right Anastasia-sama. I should put in more effort into bringing the culprit to justice, ending this unfortunate situation." Naming the countless protests that had erupted since the lockdown "unfortunate situation" might have seemed distant or indifferent, but for Julius to label them as such was already quite a statement. It showed that it was something heavily weighing on his mind.
"That's the spirit!" the woman said, clapping her hands jovially. "As ya know, important cargo is to be delivered to the south, and I would hate it if my business ventures would be hindered by something like this for too long. Unpredictability of the market is one thing, but circumstances such as these are rather annoying." Especially because of it being a harsh overreaction, based on that other issue.
"I think we should head back to Reinhard's," said Felt after a while of silence between them. Subaru was just following her, assuming she'd know her way around. "But I have to say, that was real fun, beats sitting around there all day." She flashed him a toothy grin, not a trace of gloom present.
"Yeah!" Subaru grinned. "And we'll check by your granpa tomorrow. Maybe things have calmed down some more by then." All he had were the few bits of info the merchant and the impression of the protests—they certainly seemed to be unhappy enough though, so he somewhat doubted things would just end like that.
With hasty steps they returned to the estate, unsure whether their disappearance had been noticed or not. But when they returned, surprisingly, things seemed to be calm enough. Still, they quickly decided for a good hiding spot—climbing onto a large oak tree with sturdy branches and thick foliage. Even if someone would find them here, it would be easily explainable why they weren't able to find them sooner. And the two just wanted to laze around a bit more.
"Ah… good idea Subaru, should have found that spot much sooner," Felt said, as she lay on a branch slightly above him.
"Heh, reminds me of my time as a kid. Often climbed on trees. I'm certainly better at that than climbing over walls," Subaru said with a wry smile, as he shifted around some more until he too found a comfortable spot to rest.
"Maybe not all's lost for your agility, then. Tomorrow I'll take you on a rooftop, then we'll see how you fare with that."
"Do you want to kill me that badly!?" Subaru exclaimed with dismay, resulting in them both laughing loudly.
"It won't be that bad… probably," the girl said, still snickering. "But you remind me of something else." The sudden shift in her voice caused Subaru to perk up his ears. "Do you already have an idea of what you're gonna demand as a reward? You know, for saving Emilia—well us, really." Her eyes held a certain sparkle, probably imagining what riches she could demand as a reward, were she in his position.
"I haven't really thought about that, so far," Subaru said, shattering her imagination. Felt stopped, staring at him wide eyed. A move that almost cost her dearly as she nearly lost balance and fell off the tree. The resulting yelp and hurry to stabilize herself made Subaru chuckle. But it was true. Subaru wasn't one to worry about the uncertain future too much—as long as he didn't know of future danger, he wouldn't worry about it, really.
"Unbelievable. A reward from a noble, and you're not even thinking about it…" Felt said, still being shocked.
Sensing that the girl was not quite satisfied with that answer, Subaru thought about it some more. And grinned. "Maybe a place to stay. Work. Her hand. Something like that," he eventually said.
"Hehe, hahaha! That's a much better answer!" she said, giggling. "Though I must say, I would have expected some riches or the likes, but you're shameless enough in your own right. I can really respect that, Subaru."
"I wouldn't ask something like that really!" he said, blushing from the positive reception of that unreasonable suggestion. "And demanding a lot of money sure seems like an option, but it feels a bit cheap. I'd rather earn my place at her side."
With a fierce determination in her gaze, Felt shot up, hopping down onto Subaru's branch. She placed a hand on his shoulder, while balling the other one to a fist, raising it to the sky. "It's settled then! Big bro and big sis—despite all hurdles, I'll be rootin' for 'ya! Well, at least for you, now!"
"What's with the sudden nicknames?" Normally it was him who gave people nicknames out of a sudden—sometimes to his detriment; and not the other way around.
"You both saved me, I think. You've shown to be much more reliable and kind than I'd given you—and got just the right amount of nerve to be considered family. Simple." As the two laughed, a sudden coughing from the ground interrupted them.
"Oh no," Felt whispered, barely audible.
"It seems I was finally able to find you, dear guests," the elderly maid said—Carol Fauzen. "Dinner will soon be ready, it would be most becoming if you were to prepare for that momentarily." Her voice was sharp, and it seemed clear this was not only meant as a polite suggestion. Then again, they might have been looking for quite a while already—but at least it didn't seem their excursion was noticed.
"Sure, we'll come right away," Subaru said, carefully sliding down the trunk. Felt directly leapt down from the branch.
They had leaves in their hair and clothes, and specks of dust all over them, earning them another cough of the strict maid. "Right… I think after we've freshened up a bit?" he asked probingly, which seemed to please the maid, as she slightly nodded.
"Excellent, please allow me to accompany you to your rooms then, so I can deliver you fresh towels directly." Subaru had the feeling it wasn't much more than a pretense to not let them out of sight again.
Felt did not seem too fond to be observed like that—if anything, Subaru saw her as a rather rowdy and free spirit. So the three went in awkward silence to their rooms, where they made themselves presentable again under the strict gaze of the head maid.
Arriving in the dining room, they quickly took their seats. Subaru sat down beside Emilia with a satisfied smile on his face, while Felt sat down vis-à-vis her. The seat of the host remained empty—Reinhard was absent for the remainder of the day, they were told. After the servants had placed down the meals, they were allowed to take their leave, as Emilia wished to discuss something in private.
Curious what it would be that she'd want to talk about, even sending the servants out, Subaru stole some glances at her. It was definitely his only reason to do that.
"So, how was your visit to the city?" she asked, surprising them both.
"Uh… what do you mean, Emilia-tan?" Subaru asked cautiously, trying to not show him being startled by the question. How did she know?
"No need to play innocent," she said, throwing Subaru a piercing gaze. It was only after his question that her demeanor changed slightly.
"It was fun, but also disappointing," Felt said while chewing on her steak. "No need to look that worried, big bro. If big sis wanted to snitch on us, she wouldn't have sent the servants outside."
"Hah… and I was worried for a moment. Sorry Emilia-tan. I thought maybe someone else had seen us too—and surprised that we were seen sneaking out in the first place. How did you notice? Were you missing me and wanted to spend some time together?" he said, his voice almost susurrant.
"Don't be silly. You're just not as sneaky as you thought," she said, ignoring his antics. "Mind telling me a bit more, Felt-chan?"
"Ah, sure. You wanna hear about the problematic stuff, I guess. Fights, protests. Exploding prices. We weren't even able to get to the slums today." Despite her tough attitude before, it did seem to hurt and bother her quite a bit.
"Fights? But you didn't get involved in something dangerous again, right?"
"Nah. I tried to keep us out of trouble, even returned sooner than I had intended," said Felt, sighing heavily. "But…"
Emilia looked at Felt expectantly, who in turn seemed to wish for Subaru to say something.
"Well… we want to go again tomorrow. Since we couldn't get done what we actually set out for today. You don't really mind, do you…?" It was one thing for her to turn a blind eye, but now they kinda involved her in their plans, even if only being complicit in not saying anything again.
"It's fine… as long as you stay out of trouble," she eventually said. Though it was clear she was not too happy about it—but maybe it was more annoyance than worry.
"Heh, thanks, Emilia-tan. Say, do you wanna accompany us tomorrow?" Subaru asked, trying to further pull her in.
"You want me to accompany you to the city? Isn't it dangerous enough already as it is?" Subaru barely noticed the clear hesitation—he was too excited at the prospect. Especially after Felt voiced her support for the suggestion.
"Yeah big sis, I'm sure it beats reading some books anyway!"
After some contemplation, Emilia shook her head. "No, I really don't think that's a good idea. If you can manage to stay undetected that's good. But I wouldn't want to increase that risk further. And I'd rather not get dragged into all of that anyway." Her rejection was as reasonable as it was disappointing.
The rest of dinner was spent with some idle talk, and ended when Emilia eventually took her leave. And despite their successful undetected escape, it seemed the servants were now even more keen on keeping an eye on them—causing Felt to hit the feathers early to escape their constant pestering, as she named it.
Having lost his partner in crime, Subaru strolled through the estate again, though this time not quite as aimless—or alone. Using the increased attention of the servants, Subaru asked Grimm for more information about the carriage-dragging lizards, and learnt of the so-called "ground dragons". They seemed to fulfill the role of horses back from his world. But more importantly, there were some in the stables here, meaning he could finally see one from up close. And the butler had offered to show him one.
At first Subaru was hesitant to ask Grimm too many questions—or any at all. But noticing the man only spoke when he felt like it, and otherwise just exhaled loudly, using his facial expressions to do the answering instead, Subaru was able to be more relaxed about it.
"Say, Grimm, are they dangerous? Can they breathe fire?" These questions must have seemed silly to the old butler. Subaru guessed most children knew all about these exciting creatures, so questions as these must seem weird, but Grimm did not show any kind of outward reaction to them.
"—They can have… a temper. In battles… Yes, they can... be dangerous," he said, with a light, though rough sounding chuckle in between the breaks.—Trained ground dragons… should be… mostly harmless.—Breathing fire… no, impossible." To Subaru, it was telling when the rather taciturn man used "mostly harmless" in his description.
However, his fears were quick to subside, as the one he was shown did not seem to mind his petting at all. Furthermore, Subaru learnt that there were quite some different breeds of them, ranging from color and height to even the size and shape of their snout.
Feeling a bit more familiar with a part of this new world, he left the stables again, thanking Grimm and parting ways with him. There was one more thing he wanted to do that evening.
"Hey there, Emilia-tan," he greeted, waving enthusiastically.
"Subaru…? What are you doing here?"
"Grimm just showed me the stables. So I thought if I'm outside already, I could take a short walk in the garden." Yep, that was all there was to it.
"I see. Well, don't let yourself be held up then," she said, as she turned away from him. "I'll be communing with the spirits."
Instead of taking a walk though, he sat down. "Say, Emilia-tan, mind if I stay and watch you doing that instead? I haven't really seen spirits too often, so…"
"…If you really want to? Though I don't get why you would want something so troublesome." Lacking any strong reason against it, she decided to just let him be. Though it also showed that she still did not see them spending some time together as normal—like it'd be for friends doing so.
Regardless, for the next half hour or so, it was just her bathed in light, her clear voice filling the atmosphere, and Subaru enjoying both.
Hah. What a nice and relaxing view. I'll definitely ask to stay with her. Even Felt encouraged me to do it. Then again, she might have been out just for a laugh too, seeing how hopeless it is. Can never know, she's a cheeky one. Still… I think it beats any kind of money they could offer me.
Solidifying his thoughts about his future reward, time passed for Subaru as quickly as the previous day. When the shimmer around Emilia subsided, he walked over to her, smiling contently.
"You looked truly beautiful surrounded by all those lights, Emilia-tan. Like a real fairy."
"That's not a very nice thing to say. Did you just stay around to hurl an insult?" she asked, turning defensively away from him while grabbing Puck's crystal. "Fairies are evil, to be labeled as such—"
"—No, wait! Are they? Subaru asked, baffled, trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "I learnt that differently, I meant it only as a compliment! Looks like cultural differences made my charm once more useless."
"So you're telling me where you're from they think being named a fairy is a compliment?" Subaru noticed her probing tone, but he really couldn't let himself get cornered by the issue of his origin—he still lacked any believable explanation. "I'm reeaally curious now where that place is." But it seemed like Emilia wouldn't let up.
"It's not that interesting, really. I think it would hardly make sense if I tried to tell you about it," he said with a wry smile. Him shifting around made it obvious to be an unpleasant subject though.
"—Ah. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable by trying to talk about it. I better take my leave…" she said, throwing Subaru a gaze of pity.
"Argh! No, please stay! It's just—!" Eventually, Subaru just fell backwards onto the grass. "I really don't know how to explain or talk about it. I'm so far away from home, even the stars and sky look different," he said, as he stretched out one hand to the night sky.
Noticing that Subaru made no attempt to get up again, Emilia sat down beside him. "How could the stars look different? Despite me having lived some distance away originally, they look the same. And changing stars did not get mentioned in any book I've read so far."
"Glad you ask! You see there are constellations, which are specific arrangements of stars. And some easy to spot stars like the North Star," he said, as he continued to stargaze. This was one of the few subjects he felt absolutely solid with and despite realizing that it might not be too accurate or useful here, it still filled his heart with joy. "But here I can't make out a single constellation—they look all messed up. Neither Polaris in the north, nor the brightest star Sirius seem to be where they should be."
"Polaris in the… north?" Emilia repeated, clearly out of her element and barely catching up.
"Yeah. It's exactly above the North Pole. Used for navigation since ancient times. All the stars wander around it in the night sky. Well, not really… but it looks like that." He pointed to a bright point in the sky and began to draw a spiral going out from it.
"I've never heard someone name stars like that," she said, maintaining her wondering tone. Though she did also let her gaze wander among the stars, trying to follow whatever Subaru was trying to draw. "And what's the North Pole"?
Subaru chuckled lightly. "The cold place in the north of the world. A frozen wasteland without a single plant. Just snow and ice."
"It might be a bit harsh to call Gusteko a frozen wasteland," Emilia said with a faint smile. "And there's nothing else in the north. You're being really silly. Frozen wasteland…" Suddenly her voice died down.
"Heh, I've never heard of a place called 'Gusteko', but glad my explanation seems to not be completely off. Still, guess that shows how far away from home I really am…" Unbeknownst to him, they both now silently thought of home—ever distant to them, even if for different reasons. However, Subaru didn't want to linger too much on that thought.
"Say, Emilia-tan… can I ask you a question about your home too?" If talking about his home had led them to a standstill, maybe she'd rather talk about hers. And she just did drop a certain info.
After they had exchanged a long look, she eventually nodded slowly, showing her reluctance.
"Do you miss it? I mean your home… Or being home."
"I—," she began, but her voice wavered even at the first word.
A long silence followed. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. It's not like I could say much about mine either," Subaru said, trying to ease her mind.
"I'm not sure… I suppose now it's my turn to say that I can't answer that properly," she said with a downcast gaze, her voice still rather shaky. "I wish I could just say yes, but—." The memories flashed before her mental eye—the nightmares which plagued her each night and morning. No, it would be wrong to say one could miss that. And yet, it felt wrong to think so.
"It's okay, Emilia-tan. Looks like we both have some conflicting thoughts about home. Better to just look forward in that case. Beats thinking too much about it." Which was only partially true—after all, it was constantly weighing on Subaru's mind, even if only subconsciously. The need to distance himself from his old life.
"And here I was thinking it might have been different for you. But it seems I was wrong," she said, still rather downtrodden. "You may be right, though I don't think simply looking away is going to help much. Not like it will be really different anywhere."
"There's always hoping. It won't hurt to stay positive!" he said, trying to lift her spirits.
But Emilia merely shook her head, slowly regaining her composure. "Seems like you really do well enough," she said, getting up again. "So there is no need to worry then," she murmured, not audible for Subaru—words not born out of mistrust, but concern.
Subaru grinned, jumping up as well. "Looks like it's getting late, huh."
"It is. It might be better to call it a day. And I'm sorry to have been such a bad conversation partner—asking things to which I could not give an answer myself."
"We could have talked on for hours if you asked me," he said with an unwavering grin. "I'd like to do that every day!"
Emilia smiled slightly—it seemed his attempt at cheering her up worked this time. "Well, then at least until you have your reward, we can do that. If you're really so adamant on it."
The two once more parted ways before Emilia's room, wishing each other good night and falling deep into slumber soon after.
Author's Note:
Since you're still reading with the story reaching chapter 5, please consider leaving a follow / favorite to show your ongoing interest. :)
A myriad of thanks to [LookingGlassInsect] for beta reading this chapter in almost one go! Constantly improving the quality and holding me to high standards.
Furthermore, [EmiliaNatsuki] shall receive yet another shoutout. Having given numerous writing tips which have been incorporated into this chapter.
Reviews from Chapter 4: The Astrea Estate
fahriuchiha: Then I hope you're glad about this chapter as well, as death still has not caught up to Subaru. Also, "Thanks! 4".
prabhjiv: Thanks! Maybe Emilia's POV this chapter gave a bit of a further hint to her thoughts, and why potential changes occurred.
halfcoop: I have no idea who you're talking about. None, whatsoever. :)
Jonathan Cardoza Sanchez: Thanks! Then I do hope that interest keeps up, as the story will slowly begin to unfold the questions posed, while potentially new ones will arise.
Ogremania: Thank you very much! Though again, this Flu...gel(?) person… who ever could you be meaning. Though if it is anyhow connected to him, I can't say.
OreosAreYummy: It seems this chapter answered your question already. Though as for the explanation from canon, there might be a couple of reasons. Housework from morning to evening is exhausting, especially for the whole Roswaal mansion. Subaru also didn't really have any aspiration to become a knight before he felt inferior to the others in Arc 3, I'd say. Also, there wasn't really a suitable instructor, or a need to train, as he neither wanted, nor really expected to be drawn into major fights.
Chris8719: As we already talked about, you might want to look again at the end of chapter 3 about the sponsor. Though it also got mentioned in this chapter.
Zennishi: It doesn't appear to be the case… for now. Then again, maybe Subaru can really have some peaceful days.