Subaru had been drawn outside once more early in the morning, letting himself be embraced by the earliest rays of the sun. Driven by his resolution the previous day, he wanted to see if his friend had returned overnight.
Unfortunately, Reinhard hadn't gotten back yet. Instead, another familiar face roamed the garden, carefully tending to the various yellow flower fields.
"Good morning, Grimm," said Subaru, energetically walking up to the elder man.
"Good… morning, Subaru-sama," said Grimm with his raspy voice. "—Do you… need something?"
"I wanted to ask you if I could borrow a wooden sword." Upon hearing Subaru mentioning a weapon, the butler gave a thoughtful look. "You see, I trained with Reinhard yesterday and wanted to keep practicing what he showed me."
As soon as Reinhard's name fell, the butler's expression softened. "I see.—Of course." Though his voice had a notable strain, he seemed… happy? "Would you… wish for… a partner?"
Subaru eagerly nodded. "That'd be great! I didn't expect a butler to give fighting lessons though."
"Soldier… during—the war," he said, his eyes suddenly giving off a much colder aura. A shiver ran down Subaru's spine, as Grimm believably demonstrated there was a much different side to the otherwise calm and stern butler. "But, long time… ago." And just like that, the aura disappeared.
Subaru smiled anxiously, as the old man got up. "I'll… go fetch… the weapons."
Watching Grimm walk away, Subaru exhaled—he'd held his breath without even realizing it. "Man, that sure was scary. And hearing that he was a soldier in a war… that explains where he likely got that scar."
Instead of just simply idling, Subaru chose to do some warm-up exercises—radio calisthenics. A popular warm-up exercise from Japan, which he'd usually do before exercise. Had Reinhard not already been training, he would have suggested he do them as well. Then again, the knight surely had his own set of exercises to prepare himself. Imagining the red-haired knight with the mighty sword adorned to his side doing them brought a smile to his face. But maybe…
Maybe I should try to get Emilia to do them with me. I wonder what her training looks like, anyway. Though I doubt she'd just join me spontaneously in the morning for some exercises. Maybe—
A rough humming demanded his attention, causing him to finish his warm-up. The butler had returned with a wooden sword and… a large shield? "Uh, Grimm, aren't we going to need two swords?"
But the butler just slightly shook his head, a faint smile visible through his beard. Grimm gave him only the dull-edged sword. He would be using the large shield as a weapon himself.
The man positioned himself opposite him, slamming the large shield into the grassy ground. He even held it with two hands, not as one would do when using another main weapon.
It was only now that the sunlight shone on it directly, that Subaru could see the many slashes and clear cuts in it. Despite looking like it would be only used for training—it was just a large, unadorned, wooden shield after all— these traces looked more like cuts from actual weapons. Maybe he was in for another rough training session.
"Please… attack."
For the next half hour, it was once again Subaru's role to attack his opponent, while all Grimm did was deflect and defend himself. Meeting Subaru's expectations after his previous demonstration of will, Grimm was an excellent fighter. He moved the large shield with ease, and easily defended against any and all of Subaru's strikes. Subaru tried to circle around him, made spins, dashes, even a jump attack, and none connected. Though he was heavily reprimanded for the latter. He would leave himself far too open after such a move in real combat, Grimm warned.
And while it might have been risky to use such forceful moves in the first place, it had been necessary. After his first attacks had not even managed to budge the shield in the slightest, Subaru had put in considerably more force, and thus resorted to anything that gave his attacks more oomph. Despite him not being weak by any means—he did do strength training regularly after all—he clearly needed more than just his own strength to force Grimm to put up a real defense.
Grimm gave instructions throughout the whole process. Be it for his stance, flowing motions, the repetition of attack patterns, and even the flow of his breath. The latter had especially confused Subaru. While he was aware that controlling one's breath could be beneficial, for some reason he even had to do exercises specifically aimed to control his breath, and move his limbs rhythmically to it. Still, he had no doubt the man was a good instructor, so he would question him as much as he'd Reinhard.
After the first thirty minutes had passed, it was time for a role change. Now Subaru needed to defend against Grimm's attacks. Needless to say, it was a rather painful experience. While he was sure the old man was already considerably holding back, when he messed up the first parry, the shield slammed into his right shin and ankle, leaving a burning and throbbing sensation. One could compare it to walking into a door. Only that it's the door which walks into you, and with much greater speed.
Seeing that Subaru had even less—meaning really none—basic knowledge of defensive fighting techniques, they left it at that with combat-like exercise, and instead went through basic motions and some general advice to keep oneself alive in a fight. Since Grimm used a shield as his main weapon, it was of no surprise that he excelled at defense and was able to give a plethora of pointers.
Though Subaru was quickly overwhelmed by the many things he had just been shown, he surely would try to put as many as possible into practice—as soon as his leg and foot were free of pain again. For now, he just repeated different motions under Grimm's watchful eyes.
Another half-hour had passed like that, leaving Subaru huffing and puffing for air. While these last exercises were nowhere as exhausting as him being the attacker, Grimm did not spare him a bit, making sure Subaru would give it his all and not even think about slacking.
"It seems… that is… enough," said Grimm, holding two cups of water, offering Subaru one.
Slightly confused, he took it and looked around, only to realize that another person had joined them in the garden, observing their training session. "Carol? For how long have you been here?"
"You shouldn't neglect to pay attention to your surroundings, especially not if you wish to successfully defend against attacks. This can easily cost you your life on the battlefield." Her voice was harsh and her gaze defeating. She did not mince her words—while remaining absolutely polite.
"Yes, ma'am," Subaru said, appearing rather crestfallen by the sudden bonus lesson. Grimm on the other hand hummed contently, nodding along to the words of his wife.
"However, to answer your question; I have been here for about ten minutes. Seeing you both training, I had thought you might appreciate refreshments." In her hands she held a tablet, on which a filled, crystalline glass jar rested.
"Thanks!" said Subaru, jugging the cold water down in one go, quenching his immense thirst. It did not take too long for Grimm and Subaru to empty the jar, both enjoying the cold beverage.
"Any time, dear gue—Subaru-sama." Despite her harsh words earlier, and how Felt practically was on the run as soon as she had seen her, he couldn't help himself to believe that Carol was friendlier than he first thought. As long as one wouldn't plan an escape, that is.
After having been informed that Reinhard would only return the next morning, Subaru thanked them both for their help and went off to take a bath. Following this new morning routine might not be such a bad thing—at least as long as he would stay here as a guest. Might as well make the best out of it—just like Felt, killing some time, or Emilia, keeping diligently studying.
The next couple of hours went by rather uneventfully. With the servants ever-present and their host absent, breakfast had gone by without much talking. Felt was soon on the run again, with a light-footed Carol behind her, whereas Emilia had excused herself once more. Surprisingly though, someone else did seek Subaru's company, finding him in his room lazing around.
"Hey there, Subaru," an androgynous voice startled him, causing him to jump off the bed. "Taking a nap so shortly after sleeping? How slothful." The voice was sounding both teasing and disappointed.
"Puck? Haven't talked to you in a wh—. Uh." He quickly stopped himself, covering his mouth. Puck raised an eyebrow at the scraps of conversation, eyeing him intently. "I mean, haven't seen you around so far. Is everything okay with Emilia?"
"Lia's fine. She's hitting the books. And so I thought, why not seek you out in the meantime—I didn't really have the chance to talk to you so far. At all." Subaru wasn't sure if he imagined it, but it seemed like there was a hint of accusation in there—as if that had been his fault.
"Well, here I am, not going anywhere… 'till after lunch." He sat down on the bed, offering Puck to sit down beside him. But the cat decided to remain floating in front of him.
"I first want to thank you," the grey cat said, purring deeply, "for protecting Lia. Twice, even. First when you hid on that plaza. And then she told me you threw yourself between her and a knife. So for that, I must thank you. If there is anything I can do for you—"
"—Let me pet you whenever I want!" The answer came immediately. He remembered it very well, what he was promised from the first time he got to cuddle with the cat-like spirit. And even if Puck couldn't remember having ever said that—Subaru would hold him to his word.
"So you'd really say it out loud, huh…," Puck mumbled, slowly landing in Subaru's palms. "You know, I could kinda feel that you wanted to do that. But to hear it is something else." Despite his questioning tone, Puck did not resist in the slightest, enjoying the attention he was given. And Subaru enjoyed the soft sensation of his fur.
Maybe he could have asked for some lessons in magic. Or anything else potentially useful. But at this moment, and since from the very beginning, this had been his desire, and so any other consideration was not only shoved aside—it wasn't even an option in his mind.
"There is no shame in enjoying something as fluffy as you. I'm just happy that you agreed to it." After both having had their fill, Puck once more floated up.
"Now, as fun as that was, I have to say I would like to tie it to one condition. Or rather, something I would have asked for anyway." Whereas Puck had been playful so far, flowing relaxed in the air, he now stood upright, crossing his arms. It seemed he did not only come to express his gratitude. Subaru merely nodded.
"Don't endanger Lia."
"—eh?"
"That's all. Don't endanger Lia. I know you risked your life to save her. And I'm really grateful for that. But that does not mean I'll allow her to be endangered elsewise because of it. So it'd be best if you keep your distance." The message was clear, and any form of ease was gone.
"I'd never put her in danger! I promised to save her in the first place!" His voice was hollow and defensive. Though Puck was of course right. He had failed her multiple times, after all.
"Then I'm sure you understand very well what I mean. And it's not like you didn't try already. With how it seems to be in the city, I don't get why you'd think it a good idea to invite her to go there." His voice had become more akin to a snarl.
"I don't know why it should be that dangerous…" he weakly said. But he couldn't deny that they were advised to avoid some places simply because it was too dangerous. He felt really dumb now. Seeing how he couldn't even convince himself, how should he have hoped to fool the spirit, whom he suspected to be an empath or mind reader?
"Glad we've come to an understanding. Well, with that made clear, I'll better return to Lia now. See you around, Subaru." With a playful wink, he disappeared—as if he didn't just chew him out.
Subaru sighed, falling onto his bed when the cat was gone. Petting rights were nice and all… but he definitely won't give up his attempts to get closer to Emilia. He'll just need to be more sensible about it. That's what Puck asked for anyway. Not inviting her to dangerous situations… should be easy enough.
And it's not like Emilia seemed to even consider tagging along so far anyway.
The rather awkward talk with Puck was followed by another mostly silent meal. Felt and Subaru exchanged some meaningful gazes, reassuring the other of their continued plan. And with just a bit of hushed begging on both Subaru's and Felt's part, raising eyebrows from some of the less professional servants of the mansion, they even managed to convince Emilia to distract Carol from their escape.
Shortly after lunch was finished, Emilia asked something of Carol, drawing the maid's attention away from Felt. Within mere minutes they were again on the streets outside of the Astrea estate, making their way into the slums.
"Now this time for sure. Stupid guards or not, we'll make it there. I'll even drag you across the roofs if I have to!" Felt said, pumping herself up.
Subaru wondered where the sudden burst of spirit had come from. "Yeah! Let's use the roads though for as long as we can!" he enthusiastically added, earning him a pitying look from Felt.
Their enthusiasm however was not too long-lived. The atmosphere in the noble district was as calm and relaxed as ever, and as much as Subaru hated to think so, probably because of the guards controlling the entrances. But as they crossed the merchant district once more, they were almost overwhelmed by the uneasiness that lingered in the air. Or, filled it throughout.
At almost each market stand, merchants and customers were in an argument. While there might have been some haggling in good times, judging by their energetic gesticulation, angered faces, tense voices, and the general mood, it was clear that this was not mere negotiation for some coins.
"Man, the people here seem so pissed off," said Felt, taking a long look around.
"Yeah, seems way worse than yesterday," Subaru said, after having looked around again. "If things have been bad for a while now, I can't imagine the lockdown's going to help much to better it."
Come to think of it, I didn't really ask Felt more about it. Though I feel she's not too interested to talk about it anyway, and now's definitely not the right mood, with the people mad enough all around us.
"Something's telling me things have even worsened compared to yesterday," she eventually said. "Call it intuition, let me check."
To confirm her suspicion, she went from stall to stall. And after only a few glances, she had to voice her disbelief, sometimes dramatically pointing to a sign—which Subaru unfortunately couldn't read. But he understood that whatever was written there, must have been egregious. "Unbelievable. With prices like that… at this rate half the city will revolt in a couple of days. Are they idiots?" she spat, baring her fang.
"Is it really that bad?" he asked. Though a short gaze around erased all his doubts. "Guess it is." It was obvious, with almost every customer engaged in an argument. He remembered the words from the merchant from yesterday. And connected the dots.
"I see. With the city gates closed, no new wares can enter and no trading be made. In a medieval city, that is bound to lead to supply shortages." Supply and Demand, basic concepts of economics—modern economics, that is. What seemed familiar, or at least logical to him though, baffled Felt.
"What are you talking about, big bro?"
"Well, it's a simple equation. Low supply combined with high demand leads to high prices. Look for yourself. If it were just the merchants' greed, people would simply walk away," he said, pointing to a brown-furred demi-human dog-man who was heavily arguing with a broad, middle-aged woman. "But they can't. They have to pay, even at exaggerated prices." Felt's eyes widened when she saw the man begrudgingly taking out several silver coins to buy some mere fruits and vegetables.
"Also, notice how the merchants don't seem too happy about it either. If anything, they look worried as well." While Felt had paid attention to the many undecipherable signs, Subaru had looked instead at the stalls and the people tending to them. Where he noticed the last oddity.
"Finally, look at the stalls. They're barely filled," he said, pointing to one of the stalls in particular, which only had about 1/5th of the boxes filled with produce. "It's still in the middle of the day."
"—Meaning they should still have way more stuff to sell, especially at these prices," Felt continued, noticing what he wanted to point out. "And if they don't… then it won't only be because of the prices people will be up in arms soon. And I thought the message on the blackboard yesterday was just meant to rip-off people."
Subaru gulped at the imagination. Things were bad enough as they were so far. "I sure hope they won't let it come to that."
Felt shrugged her shoulders. Her confidence in the leadership of the Kingdom seemed to be abysmal. "Anyway, let's move on. We'll need to reach the slums. C'mon."
Their march through the merchant district offered not too much variation. They encountered similar scenes at many stalls, over the whole marketplace, reinforcing their earlier conclusions and urging them to move on. If people were already protesting yesterday, who knew how many would voice their dissatisfaction today?
When they had finally reached the bridge leading to their destination again, a familiar face stopped them. It was the same guard as yesterday. Still standing on that bridge, facing away from the slums.
"You there, hal—Oh, you again."
"Got still nothin' better to do than standing around here?" Felt's voice was filled with annoyance, letting her anger about being stopped again freely shine through. That, and it was easy to guess why she wouldn't be too fond of the guard in general. And admittedly, neither was Subaru.
"Mind your words, girl," the guard warned, now eyeing them both critically. "It's still dangerous down there. Find a better place to linger around."
"Shaddup. Instead of pestering us and standing around like some Vollachian bitch, you might as well do something to make it less dangerous. Or is that sword just for decoration?"
The guard glared at her, taking a step forward. "Why you little—"
Seeing how things were shortly before escalating, Subaru stepped in. "Sorry, sorry. Please forgive her, she's a bit peeved. You see, we were just at the market and saw how bad things are," he said, grabbing Felt from behind and silencing her by putting a hand over her mouth. "It just got to her. Isn't that right, little sis?"
Felt wanted to retort, struggling heavily against Subaru's grasp, but only some angry-sounding mumbling came about.
The guard looked at Subaru, scoffing at his apologetic smile, down to the flouncing girl, and back to the boy, who had not shifted his expression. "The Dragon be merciful if you're the wiser of you two…," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Fine, get lost! Don't come back crying that I didn't warn you!" With a dismissive wave of his hand, he ended their talk, stepping out of their way.
Relieved that he was able to defuse the situation and that they were allowed to pass through, Subaru relaxed, letting his shoulders slump. But the moment he weakened his grip, Felt used the chance to push his hand off, biting it instead.
"Ouch!" he shouted, quickly pulling it away and inspecting the rather well-visible bite marks. Had she bit just a bit harder, he was sure it would have begun to bleed. With a disgruntled expression, he looked at Felt, who returned the gesture.
Seeing the guard was rather amused about their squabble, a teary-eyed Subaru set off, not wanting to remain any longer in the presence of the guard than had been necessary. After they had crossed the bridge and turned around a corner, he stopped. "Thanks for nothing, Felt! At least I got us through!" He was still rubbing his hand, massaging the pain away.
"Oh don't be such a crybaby," she shot back. "But I guess you're right, we're through. Sorry. Just don't do something like that again." While she did not seem too compliant, he was glad she at least had apologized, so Subaru decided to leave it at that. Not that drawing it out any further would have helped anyway.
"Well, now that we're here. How do we get to your grandpa the fastest?" Subaru looked around. Contrary to his previous visits to the slums, this time the dusty roads were almost empty. Where people lingered around at each corner before, now not a single soul rested anywhere. If the occasional person could be seen roaming the streets, they were hustling, as if intent on getting away from any potential trouble as quickly as possible.
"Just leave it to me. We're gonna take some safe detours though. Look around, no one's too comfortable just being outside. Must have been some severe fightin' if they're all that scared." Subaru could see the worry written on her face as well, even though she pretended to be strong, and unaffected by it.
Subaru didn't like the prospect to walk through some danger zone, but he was even less inclined to let Felt go alone, so what choice did he have? "Right, let's go!" And in the end, it was far easier to remain optimistic if one didn't know just what danger they were about to walk into.
"So the Lady, Barielle-sama was to meet his late excellency, Azah Febry, for a meeting shortly before he was found?" a stern and deep voice asked.
"That is correct, Captain Marcos," the fiery woman said, comfortably leaning in her throne-like chair, slowly fanning herself some wind. "After mine departure had been delayed for a day, mineself received a most urgent message of Azah Febry. Shortly after midday. He sought to request an audience with mineself for a parley. When he was late, his presence was demanded and his servants found him in his quarters."
The man in heavy armor made some notes, writing down the words of the witness. It was part of his duties, having been tasked directly to investigate the murder of a Sage Council member—aside from all his other duties, which were increasing by the day. "Do you know what subject his excellency had wished to discuss?"
"Yes. Had Febry not stated the reason for such a shorthanded invitation, mineself would have no doubt rejected it." Her voice showed open disdain for the whole matter. With her face being unreadable thanks to the fan, this was all Marcos could pick up from her. "You are without a doubt aware of the reason as well, Marcos. It is about what had been revealed earlier that day. That."
His face didn't give it away—he was a well-composed man, stoic in nature, and hard to rattle—but he was surprised upon hearing these words. Due to his position he had been informed as quickly as possible, along with the vice-captain of the royal guard, and the Sword Saint. However, aside from those three, the information had been considered confidential. It was only supposed to be disclosed at a later point, simultaneously, to all key figures of the Kingdom. Like the court mage. Or even the royal candidates.
"Mineself can sense your surprise, Captain Marcos. Do not be alarmed. It is well known that Febry was a supporter of mine rightful claim. Perhaps this is why—," she closed her fan with a loud snap, revealing the fury which burned in her eyes, and leaned forward. "Mineself counts on you to find that welp, put her in chains, and punish her for the crime of angering mineself."
The man made a slight bow. "Of course, Barielle-sama. My men are searching far and wide for the alleged culprit. I will make sure for you to receive a report, once she has been delivered to justice."
The sound of metal clashing and shouts tearing through the air was intimidating. Pressing himself against a house wall, he could feel his heart beat rapidly—he really wasn't used to being close to such fights, though it still beat being directly in one. His gaze wandered nervously between the alley mouths and the roof of the house, where his companion had disappeared to.
"We'll need to go another way again," said Felt, as she jumped down from her lookout. "There's some fighting between thugs up ahead. We could try to sneak by, but if the guards come in to round them up and we're close… well, I don't want to have to explain that to big sis or au—Carol."
Subaru wondered what the short fluff was, but maybe she was just as nervous as him. "Yeah, it'd be bad if Reinhard has to get us out of trouble again. Not to mention anyone else. I'll be right behind you."
This hadn't been the first time they had to stop and take another way. The situation in the slums was tense. Where the people in the upper districts had simply been displeased, down here things looked far direr. According to Felt, there was no shortage of those that wanted to take advantage of the whole situation—thugs, mobsters, gang members and the like. Worse than vultures.
"Making the lives of all around them even more miserable, bunch of assholes," she spat, shifting through a sheer labyrinth of alleys or shady backyards. Without her guidance, Subaru would have never found his way back, that much was clear. "Hope the guards hole them all up for good—or they'll just kill each other off, for all I care." That last part had been a bit harsh. But several of the houses they had passed looked like they got recently damaged—or outright destroyed.
Even though the people in the slums were already living under most troubling circumstances, there were still those that would make the situation more miserable. Hard to imagine, seeing how many ruins and shabby dwellings were to be found here. On the other hand, one could think a couple more of them would hardly be noticeable—a dangerous show of indifference.
Sneaking through the many backyards and impoverished gardens, Subaru gained another insight into the living conditions of the poorest in the capital, making him extremely thankful for his luck to avoid ending up on the streets of this city. And yet—.
Passing through another set of house ruins, Subaru sighed. What would normally be seen as a lamentable condition, was a blessing in their case. It allowed them to avoid both the main roads and side alleys, meaning they were much harder to detect, avoiding several skirmishes down the way. Since the slums in general were far more sparsely built they would have been easy to spot on an open road. And in turn, bound to get involved in trouble. It was for this very reason Felt had guided them through offside ways so far.
"Shouldn't be too long now. I'll go take another look, but since I can't hear much, I doubt we'll need to change our way again." After a short nod, she disappeared upon a rooftop once more. Subaru wondered whether he could learn with just a bit of training how to jump like that.
However, it didn't take much more than a couple of seconds before Felt reappeared, visibly distressed, alerting Subaru as well. "Shit, shit, shit! There's a huge smoke pillar ahead!" she said, directly pointing to the path ahead of them. Before Subaru could even say something, she was about to storm off. She certainly would have, had Subaru not held her back.
"Hold on, what do you mean, smoke? And why would you run right into that? Shouldn't we try to get away from that?" They had avoided danger so far, so why would they now run headfirst into it?
"It's coming right from the direction we're trying to get to!" she shouted.
Subaru's face scrunched up. There could only be one explanation for why she'd try to run right into that, and he could very well understand her panic. Without another word, they both turned into a sprint, and shortly after, Subaru too could see the thick, black cloud rising up, having been blocked by some broken down roofs before.
"What should we do? Call firefighters? Does this place even have that?" he asked between short breaths.
"Yeah. The guards. One of the few advantages of the slums. Stuff like that can be seen. From the whole city. And they'll be running by themselves. No need to call 'em." Her speech too was strained from the run. "Just need to check. Where it's coming from. And to make sure. It's not from there."
No longer being concerned about dodging danger, it didn't take them too long to reach the source of the by now huge smoke cloud. But when they saw from where the smoke arose, Felt froze in place.
Even from afar the column of smoke hid parts of the sky-high city walls, which normally covered the horizon of the city. But now, as they came closer, it only worsened. The air was filled with heavy soot, and the distinct, stinging smell of burning wood permeated it, making even breathing unpleasant. And that was not even the worst assault on the senses.
Flickering flames burst out of any opening they could find from the large, isolated-standing house. Swiftly letting his gaze scan the area, Subaru saw that the fire had spread to some lone barrels and crates, having jumped there from the singed entrance porch, but was otherwise contained to this single building. Still, the utterly aflame rooftop had produced all the qualm now spreading throughout the air, drawing other onlookers by, who stood at varying distances to the spectacle.
"Felt is th—," he began, but stopped with wide eyes and ran forward when he saw her slowly walking up to the building afire. Grabbing her arm, he stopped her from going any closer.
Upon his touch, Felt's shaky legs stopped stumbling forward and her trance-like state of mind got pulled back to reality.
"GRANPA!" Her shout tore through the air, though being drowned among the crackling, rustling flames and the noise of spreading qualm. Almost eerily, no other onlooker made a sound—though neither of the two really registered that. Their thoughts lay elsewhere.
With a scrunched-up face, Subaru looked into the flames. He wanted to say something but couldn't find any words. He could only watch on helplessly, as the fires consumed more and more of the building. What else was there to do than be there for Felt and wait for someone to help?
Unbeknownst to him though, Felt had not just stared emptily into the flames. Suddenly she turned around, narrowing her eyes. "My granpa might not have been home. Or maybe he got out in time." It sounded defiant, almost desperate, uttered with an erratic voice. But who could blame her for grasping at straws? And it certainly beats any alternative. "He's not here, maybe he got out through the backdoor."
"Then let's check that immediately!" Subaru said, encouraging her hopeful thinking. That aside, why assume the worst at all? He might as well have gotten out perfectly fine.
But when they circled around the building, Felt gasped. There were already flames spewing out the door, and a thick beam, or maybe a log, lay across it. It looked like it had fallen down from the crumbling roof, as did other minor pieces of wood lying all around the house.
Gnashing her teeth, Felt looked around, still hoping that her relative was somewhere among the many people gawking on the misfortune of another slum dweller. But she couldn't find him. And the other people merely stood there, watching the fire unmoved, holding buckets, or—
Subaru noticed it now too. Buckets? But before he could voice his findings, the sound of crunching dirt alerted him. Several heavy steps came from behind them, causing both to turn around.
"Well, well, so you really showed up," said a heinous voice, dripping with scorn. It belonged to a haggard man in his thirties, wearing worn-down clothes. The two men beside him didn't look much better, each holding a club in their hands.
The sound of footsteps behind him caused Subaru to turn around. He noticed worriedly as other men now too began to encircle them, each of them armed with either similar clubs or short blades.
Felt put her hand on the short sword dangling from her back. "You… you're from the Copper Coin gang, right?" The minor stutter did not escape Subaru's attention, tense as he was.
"You know very well we're named the Golden Coin, you little brat!" the man shouted. If Felt's goal was to provoke the guy, she certainly hit her mark... But judging by how the others eyed them, Subaru wondered if this was really the right moment to act tough.
"Felt, do you really think this is a good idea?" Subaru whispered, with unmistakable distress and worry in his voice. "We're surrounded." By now a loose half-circle had formed around them, with only the burning building as an open side.
"I'll try to get us out of here, leave it to me big bro," she said confidently—no. It only appeared to be confident. He could see the shaking hand resting on her sword. "They're like wild, dumb animals. Don't show fear."
Trying to uphold a courageous facade, she continued, "Still calling yourself that after you got beaten by the black silver coin gang? After trying to abuse their name and reputation? I heard you got shafted real bad in Flanders for that."
By this point the man was visibly irritated, his forehead showing even deeper furrows. "It's just a minor setback. That demi-human scum will regret their actions soon enough! Just as you will!" It seemed her nervous bickering at least managed what she intended. Maybe too well.
Felt narrowed her eyes. "Me? I know you're a bunch of dickheads, but when did I ever cross your way?" Even if the people among the slums held no special friendliness among each other, open animosity was something else, and had usually to be based on something. No gang held enough power to be safe from repercussions among each other—and especially not if they were ratted out to the guard. Considering their recent weakening, the Golden Coin's position had to be even worse.
"Nice try. We saw you encroaching on our territory. And even worse, heard the rumors about you playing nice with the wrong kind of people," he spat, glaring at Subaru. "Judging by what I see here, they were right. Next, you're telling me you're in cahoots with some silver-haired wretch."
Subaru narrowed his eyes upon hearing that insult. Going by the advice Felt gave earlier, Subaru decided to not show fear. And there was no better opportunity to show he'd adhere to it. "How dare you speak like that about—!"
"No, big bro, not like tha—"
"Shut up, scum! No one's been talking with you!" The man made a snap with his hand, causing Subaru to wonder what he was doing. Before it hit him. A blunt hit. A sudden throbbing sensation from his knee—the same leg Grimm hit earlier. It caused him to fall, earning him a mouthful of dirt and a ringing head as he failed to catch himself.
Turning around with her sword drawn and a furious gaze, Felt shouted," Back off!"
The haggard man's bloodshot eyes met her hardened gaze, and the two stared at each other for several seconds. Seeing how determined she seemed to be to defend her apparent friend, the haggard man scoffed, but eventually gave their staring duel up. He instead shifted his gaze to the thug behind them and via a short nod the sign to step back.
"Big bro, are you okay?" Without the sword in her hand, the mix of concern and confidence would have hardly been able to pull off. However, the thugs kept their distance.
"Ugh… yeah. Pf. Yeah. Gimme a—pff!—moment," Subaru said, feeling nauseous, and busy spitting out the dirt that had clumped in his mouth. He coughed violently to get the rest out. So much for being fearless.
"You!" Felt shouted, now pointing her sword at the haggard man, who had given the order, revealing himself undoubtedly as their leader. Though she kept looking around, mindful of another thug closing in. They were hopelessly cornered. "How dare you do that to big bro!? Why are you even here? Seeing the loot house burning down and thinking you had to give another kick? Trying to steal something?"
"Now, remember, you broke the turf rules," he said, pointing a finger at Felt, accusing her of the first misstep. "So our boss wanted to have a little chat with you. You know, talking about compensation. Sharing some coins. But that old man told us he didn't know where you were." The man threw a sinister gaze at the still flaming building.
Felt narrowed her eyes. They wouldn't—
"Several times, even. We came day after day. And each time he said he didn't know why or when you'd show up again. Lying bastard," he spat, his words full of contempt. "We knew you were still in town. Got a word you were even yesterday around the southern slums still. So we thought we give you a reason to come out. And here you are!"
Ignoring the pain and his rather still unsteady legs, Subaru had staggered to his feet again. He felt fine enough otherwise, and the hit was nothing too major. And while his head felt still somewhat heavy, he tried to follow the conversation. If he connected the few tidbits together correctly, then…
"You bastards burnt down the loot house just to get at me?" Felt's voice contained a dangerous mixture of hostility and disbelief.
But the man merely grinned cockily. He knew very well that despite all her anger, she wouldn't be able to do much against all of them. And neither would Subaru, unarmed as he was. Though it probably didn't make too much of a difference either way. "You shouldn't have tried to run away in the first place. Or show up again, for all I care."
Planting her feet deeper into the ground, hiding her shaky legs, Felt faced the haggard man. "What about Rom? Where's old man Rom?"
"Ah, calm down, calm down," the man said, raising his hands defensively. "Well, the boss was growing annoyed after we came back empty-handed. So he wanted to have a chat with him. Invited him for a talk." It wasn't too uncommon for the bigger players in the slums to talk among each other. It seemed believable. "We'll just bring you to him, now that you've finally shown up. Settle the score."
"Ugh…", growled Felt, turning to Subaru and throwing him a questioning gaze. He could see her disdain and reluctance. But he also could understand the sentiment of just wanting to reunite with her grandpa and making sure he's okay.
"Should be fine, right? We've come here for your grandpa, after all," Subaru said in a low voice, trying to remain positive in the face of some ruthless thugs. It was difficult enough to play nice with those that just attacked him, but if it was necessary in order for them to reach Felt's grandpa, it was a necessary evil. And regardless of their decision, just as she had said earlier; don't show fear.
"Yeah… you're right. Thanks, big bro. I'm really sorry for having drawn you into this," she whispered back, such that no thug would be able to hear it, before turning back to them. Yet, while her apology was welcome, Subaru merely shrugged it off, attempting to be strong too.
"Alright. Bring me to old-man Rom and your boss. Just don't think you'll be getting away with burning the loot house. I doubt too many will take kindly to you attacking a well-respected business."
The man scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. Save your breath. It's not my decision anyway." After a couple of shouts, eight of the thugs joined their leader, while the others returned to their buckets—still not showing any notion to extinguish the fire.
Throwing a last glance back, Felt, Subaru, the haggard man, and his group of thugs set off, leaving the burning loot house behind.
The group of ten went down some empty road. With the slums being ever so dangerous, it was no wonder the people tried to keep their heads low, and considering they were now walking around with members of a somewhat notorious gang…
Subaru couldn't help himself but wonder how they ended up in this mess. While there was no doubt accompanying Felt was the right choice, especially to reunite her with her family, the feeling crept up that it was just unwise to have ever stepped into the slums, ignoring all warnings. Or to not turn back after witnessing some fighting themselves. But luckily—
"At least granpa seems to be safe," Felt said, engaging Subaru in a low voice. The thugs, shady as they were, at least granted them some privacy. Which seemed weird to Subaru, all in all. Burning down one other's property, yet inviting them to a talk? But maybe that's just how things were done.
Putting his doubts to rest, Subaru whispered back."Yeah. Too bad for the loot house though…" As he looked around, he could spot several ruins and run-down houses. Though by now it didn't outright spook him anymore, seeing how retaliation and wanton destruction were apparently not too uncommon.
"I doubt they'll get away with it. Just weird that they'd do something so stupid. Once things calm down they'll get their ass kicked for that." Felt was throwing some glares at the backs of the thugs, convinced that they'd face serious consequences for their arson.
Judging by Felt's earlier telling, such attacks weren't all too common. Especially if her grandpa seemed important enough to be invited by some gang boss for a talk. Then again, it did make sense for him as a trader of stolen goods to have a connection to many people—potential buyers, and sellers alike.
"Yeah. Seems dumb to attack a broker who can actually get rid of stolen goods. Especially if he really has a good reputation. Why'd they sour relations with him?"
"You're right... It really just doesn't make sense…," Felt said, biting her lip in fervent thought. "I'm sure if I tell him what happened, old-man Rom won't let them get away with that, so why would... Tsk!" Upon hearing Subaru's musings, Felt's eyes widened—though they quickly narrowed, as her face scrunched up. She let out an audible guttural sound, which combined with her facial expression, and the sudden rigidity made clear something had dawned upon her.
"Looks like you won't play along no more," the haggard man said, turning around to them, with a distorted face and nothing but malice visible. He must have overheard them talking. "Too bad. I had hoped we could dispose of you all quiet. Oh well. We'll find a nice crate for your bodies."
Felt immediately leaped backward, closely followed by Subaru. But he was still unarmed. And even if he wasn't. He was sore from training and had only marginal combat experience. If it were to come to a fight now, they'd lose pretty quickly, being outnumbered one to four. Realizing their precarious situation, he looked around, but the closest resembling a weapon he spotted were some shattered bricks lying on a pile of rubble. And merely trying to grab that might make him prone to be attacked—as Grimm would have put it.
In other words, the situation didn't look too good. Felt had a short sword, but so did two of their enemies, not to forget the other six with clubs dangerously closing in on them.
"Got any ideas, big bro? I'm not sure how fighting them's gonna do us any good."
"Why'd you think I'd have one?" Subaru asked slightly unhinged, still backing down. Though they were slowly but surely getting encircled again, while those thugs with the knives pushed forward.
Subaru's eyes darted around. There had to be a usable weapon somewhere around. Even if it was only some plank with a nail in it. But if there ever had been something useful lying around, chances are it got looted a long time ago. Seeing that nothing would really be suitable, he let out a distinct, "Shit."
"You had one against Elsa, thought you might've come up with somethin' here too." Subaru blinked. While she did give him a tour and acted all strong, he almost forgot that Felt was still a rather young girl, and counting on the one that she called big bro. Maybe it wasn't only some teasing nickname.
Realizing how she thought he was capable of doing something, Subaru's face contorted. He felt guilty for the misplaced trust.
Yeah, a plan that almost went horribly wrong again. And was based on nothing but my stupidity and failures in the first place.
But this wasn't the time for these kinds of thoughts. They had to get away from here, somehow. Maybe escaping through some ruins and alleys? But they surely knew their way around just as well. Not to mention that Felt alone would have much better escape chances. So was that it? Should he stay behind to buy her time?
Though even as Subaru showed his learning capabilities, internalizing the lessons Grimm had given him earlier, he had forgotten the other important lesson given to him. Don't forget your surroundings. The crunching dirt behind him suddenly reminded him of the maid's harshly spoken words—but unfortunately, it was a moment too late.
A devastating cracking sound echoed through Subaru's skull. He could feel the sudden pressure on his eyes. Tears pouring out from them. The approaching, blurred ground. A painful impact.
His face kissing the ground once again, accompanied by great nausea, all he could hear now were some muffled voices, maybe even a shout. Yet the ringing noise in his ears drowned out all the other sounds, making it impossible to discern what was being said.
In an attempt to ignore the nauseous feeling, he dug his nails into the dirt, trying to somehow compose himself again. Yet, he couldn't manage much more than a slight turn of his head.
Despite this exertion, he just lay there. His blurred vision did not even allow him to follow the fight. All he could do was gather enough strength to get up again. Pushing past his hammering head, he tried to at least think of something, trying to focus on the muffled sounds coming from all around him.
Damn thug must have snuck up on us. Argh… And heard what we said. Realized we would tell her grandpa. Ugh… it hurts. I can barely move…
Slowly, his hearing cleared up. Metallic clashes drew his attention. Felt was exchanging blows with the knife wielders. And judging by the sound of it, she seemed to be the better fighter, somehow holding out against their numeric superiority.
If I just could get up. But my head's killing me. C'mon…
Struggling against his numbing skull, he writhed some more, blinking the water out of his eyes. It looked bad. With his narrowed vision he could see that Felt fought desperately, but her chances for success were low. Hadn't she been so nimble, giving her at least the movement to offset their attacks, she would have been hopelessly overwhelmed by now.
"You know… —eal shame. …—sn't too late… or ju—… away." With his broken senses, he heard the words of the haggard man, taunting his friend.
Summoning his strength once more, he tried to push himself up. But it didn't amount to more than some minor crawling. With groans of pain and hoarse wheezing, he fought.
When he hit something with his hand, he tried to get a hold of it, pulling himself up.
"—nds off, filt—W—l—!"
Hearing these words, he gripped harder, showing his resilience. However, he didn't register the shadow over his head coming closer. With a last, brutal crack, his world went dark.
Author's note:
Countless thanks to [LookingGlassInsect] for his brewing, burning, and budding assistance in finding titles that never get used. And also beta'ing the chapter or something.
And thank you for the kind words, dear reviewers! In general, please consider to leave a review, letting me know what you thought of a chapter, and maybe let me know what kind of direction you'd like to see—just out of personal curiosity.