Subaru looked into the mirror—and realized he looked like a mess. His eyes were reddened, his nose snotty, and dried streams of tears were easy to spot. And yet, he hesitated to wash his face. After all…
"Emilia hugged me. And I was face-first…" Subaru's cheeks took on a shade of red close to crimson. He had been so distracted by his troubled mind that he failed to truly appreciate it. Then again, it was probably only due to such an extremely calming feeling that he had been able to get over the horrors of the past loop at all.
At least he had been able to fully enjoy the lap pillow, having clung to Emilia until it was clear they had to go. Time kept running, and they had already lost quite a bit of it due to his sorrows.
When first prompted to go, Subaru had asked for five more minutes, which Emilia bewilderedly let pass while Felt made teasing comments about it. Seemingly thinking that Subaru needed a bit longer to calm down, Emilia brought up another issue at hand.
"I should inform Carol that we're going to the slums," Emilia said, gazing down at Subaru on her lap, then up at Felt who was still sitting on a chair nearby in a decidedly unladylike manner. "Else she might get worried."
"You want to tell her?" Felt asked, baffled. "You think she'll just let us go?" Reinhard had after all said that Felt wasn't allowed to leave until the whole story with Elsa had been cleared up. That's why they had to sneak out to begin with, during the past loops.
However, Emilia saw no reason not to, stating that if she'd accompany them there shouldn't be an issue. It certainly beat just sneaking out, avoiding the possibility to sour the relationships with Grimm and Carol.
Sighing heavily, he eventually decided that he had to let go. He splashed his face with water, and in doing so got rid of both the residing warmth, as well as the shameful tears. Though…
"Sorry, Emilia-tan," Subaru said, as he got up from her lap. As happy he was during it, as soon as its end came in sight, he realized just how embarrassing the whole thing was.
But Emilia shook her head after she had gotten up again. "It's better to hear a single 'thank you' than a lot of 'sorry's, Subaru. I did it because I wanted to help you, not to hear an apology."
Subaru blinked a couple of times, surprised by her firm statement. It seemed she didn't see it as embarrassing at all. A deep-rooted smile formed on his face. "Thank you, Emilia. Thank you for being there for me, again."
Emilia regarded him confused, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she fixed her dress—the soft fabric had become a bit wrinkled after being used as a glorified pillow cover. "I hope you'll feel better now."
The smile formed into a sheepish grin. "I definitely will. But… If it wasn't enough, would you do it for a bit longer?" His ears had become red by this point, and Emilia threw him an inquisitive gaze, slightly tilting her head.
"I don't mind you two flirting," said Felt, to which Emilia shook her head and muttered "Stop kidding around," being promptly ignored. "But since you insist on being there today, even saying it's super important, we should get going soon."
"And, if it's really as dangerous as you say, it'd be wise to avoid staying outside when it gets dark," Felt said, looking out to the city again.
Subaru scratched the back of his head. Ultimately agreeing with Felt, they decided to set off. Though he told them he'd need to go to the bathroom real quick, and meet with them at the front gate. So here he was now—blowing his nose and scrubbing away the evidence of dried tears, with his heart pounding at a quickened pace. But even if he felt better now, with Emilia accompanying them… he wondered if that alone would be enough. And if that was the right decision.
Emilia was by no means weak, considering how easily she had dealt with the thugs… Tonchinkan, that had attacked him back then. And the thugs of the Golden Coin gang were definitely more on their level, than comparable to the monster that was Elsa. Maybe her magic alone could make a difference, be it just to have a chance to escape if things came to worst. However, ideally, it wouldn't come to a fight at all.
The most important thing was to get them away to safety. For this, he had to make it believable that they were threatened—and with the memories of the past loop haunting him, he would stop at nothing to get his point across. Especially since Felt was already made aware of the danger. This time they could set things right.
"Alright! Time to go!" he said, clapping his cheeks. After having removed the last evidence of his breakdown, and fixing his hair, he went outside, where Emilia and Felt were already waiting.
It was strange to leave the Astrea estate unhindered through the main gate. So far they either had to sneak out, or he rushed past some servants by pure luck… well, when Felt escaped. Luck was the wrong term, but they definitely just wouldn't have let them pass normally. Yet when he asked Emilia…
"Eh? Why wouldn't they let us leave?" Emilia asked in such a surprised manner, that it left Subaru speechless. "We're their guests, after all." Both Felt and Subaru exchanged some questioning glances but didn't speak up.
"When I told them we'd head to the slums, they did seem a bit worried, I guess that's true," she said, putting a finger to her cheek. "But when I told them I'd look after the both of you, they merely bowed, saying they'd wish us a safe journey."
Subaru made a long face. That didn't sound like they weren't worried or close to objecting, but rather weren't allowed to object to their guests' wishes like that. Or maybe to hers specifically, given that even Reinhard showed nothing but respect to her. But… did Emilia really just brush that off?
"You sure they weren't against it, big sis?" Felt voiced her doubt, as if she'd read his mind. "Sounds to me more like they're giving you some special treatment due to your status."
Emilia blinked a few times. "You really think so?" asked Emilia, apparently really oblivious to that possibility. "Now that you mention it… oh no."
"I'm still glad you did it like this, Emilia-tan," Subaru said, giving her a thumbs up. "It's better than sneaking out, they'd be far less happy about that." He could tell that with absolute certainty.
"Mhm. Still, I should have thought about that," Emilia said, slightly shaking her head. "Hopefully Carol and Grimm aren't too worried now themselves."
"I'm sure Carol would be worried regardless," said Felt with a faint smile. "Who else is she gonna pester now with taking measures or lessons about manners, with both me and Subaru gone?"
"Huh? Why'd she do that?" asked Subaru, quite confused.
"What do you mean, why? Don't tell me you didn't get pestered at all?"
"I can absolutely see the need of you getting some manners," Subaru said jokingly, earning himself a light, amicable punch from Felt, "but no, I've no idea what you're talking about. I've neither been followed around by Carol, nor asked of anything of the sort. I've already been wondering why'd she be going around after you."
Felt drew a grimace. "I've asked her the same," she said, kicking away a small pebble. "But she dodged the question and said it was part of her duties. Do you have an idea, big sis?"
"I got a hunch," Emilia said carefully, glancing to the side. "Though I'm not sure whether it should be me to tell you. I'm sure you can ask Sir Reinhard about it when he returns."
"Huh? Why suddenly so secretive?" asked Felt, sounding disappointed. "Man. Looks like I have to get the answers out of the Sword Saint myself, then? At least I can pay back the courtesy."
Subaru smiled weakly. He knew already what Felt meant. Reinhard seemed to have asked about her personal affairs quite a bit, and Felt wasn't too happy about it considering how loudly she complained about it to Rom. …Why did Reinhard ask her those things? Though… Emilia had interrogated him as well, asking about where he was from and such.
He didn't even try to tell her again about being from somewhere far to the east back then. Though maybe he could do it now? Seeing as she was patient enough to listen to his potentially weird-sounding issues. She came to see him today even though he had basically refused to give any answer… wait.
"That reminds me… Emilia-tan? Why did you come to my room before?" That didn't happen any other time.
"I wanted to ask you something. So I sent Puck over," she glanced back at him and, and said so with a faint smile, lightly touching the crystal fastened above her chest.
Subaru's eyes widened. She had already said something like that in a past loop… that's how she caught him lying. So if Puck truly was an empath… he must have seen what kind of mess he was. Was that the reason why Emilia was so insistent…? He couldn't help but be saddened at the thought.
"When he came back after a while, he told me you seemed a bit aloof. But if I had known how…," she threw a quick glance over to Felt, then to Subaru, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm. I wish I had come quicker."
"EMT," Subaru purred. Not only did she allow him to save face by not mentioning his distress in front of Felt, but it was also mainly due to her own worry that she checked… and certainly not Puck's "a bit aloof".
"Guess the cat's out of the bag," a lighthearted voice rang through the air. Floating right before them appeared Puck, striking a pose by saluting.
Subaru and Felt both looked deadpanned at him. Though while Felt merely shook her head at his joke, Subaru began to laugh. "Man Puck, you should've said that before. You really messed up the timing," he said, still snickering.
"Nah, the timing's ideal. I'm here to tell my daughter I'm very proud of her, after all," the cat said, flicking Subaru's forehead. "I'm sure you agree?" There was an unreadable glint in Puck's eyes that made Subaru's laughter die down.
"Stop treating me like a little kid, Puck," said Emilia as she grabbed him by the ear and lightly pulled him away from Subaru. "And don't be too mean to him now."
"I wouldn't be," Puck said, flicking his tail. "Actually Lia, can I have a minute with Subaru? I'd like to ask him something since that fell flat before."
Subaru gulped. He very well could remember how his last talk with Puck went. Where he told him to… oh. Oh no.
"Don't endanger Lia". His message could not have been clearer. And I never would have wanted to, now even less than before. Yet, we're going right into a trap, where nothing but danger is waiting…
Danger, meaning fire. Smoldering, flickering flames, the taste of ash, and… He shuddered.
In his desperation and fragility of the mind, he was overjoyed when Emilia offered her help, and to accompany them. But now, realizing just how much danger she's forced to face, just because he had failed to do things on his own, that relief faded quickly.
No. He dreaded the thought of having to claim to Puck that he wouldn't want to endanger her. It's not that he would lie by saying it. But he didn't adhere to it, deeply needing her help.
"Sure, Puck. There's something I wanted to ask Felt-chan anyway," she said, taking on a mysterious expression.
Subaru and Puck fell a bit behind, giving the two girls some space for whatever they wanted to discuss.
"Looks like you've calmed down a bit," a voice suddenly interrupted him, as it rang through… his head? Puck was floating right before him, still looking as casual as ever about it.
"Don't broadcast that!" Subaru said, getting flustered. Where Emilia seemed to be discrete, Puck just blasted it out.
"I didn't say anything. Just think your answers, we're able to talk like that for now," Puck said with a slightly amused tone.
Subaru nodded slowly, attempting to understand just what wide array of abilities Puck seemed to possess. Telepathic skills were things that belonged only to fiction or dreams, yet he could do it so casually. Though given that he would use such a method of communication, Subaru could rest assured it would stay between them, so he relaxed a bit.
"Yep, all thanks to Emilia," Subaru said looking right past Puck over to her, smiling brightly. "So thanks for telling her… that I seemed to feel a bit aloof." Despite his genuine thankfulness for that, he wouldn't just brush away Puck's huge understatement. Especially because he expected to get chewed out in return just as well.
"That's right, Subaru. Lia is a kind person, despite all things. So that's why—"
"I won't endanger her," Subaru cut in. If he made it clear from the get-go, that he didn't want to put Emilia into danger, and that he was very conscious of it… maybe it would be assurance enough for her father.
Puck closed his mouth, squinting his eyes. "You're playing a dangerous game, Subaru. This is no joking matter, and nothing you should take lightly."
Subaru balled a fist, waving it at Puck. "I'm not!"
"Then tell me, where exactly are we heading to? What else are you doing?" Puck snarled, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light.
Averting his gaze, Subaru gnashed his teeth."It's not like that," he mumbled. "Emilia offered to help me when I really needed it… I didn't want to, but without her help, I can't do it."
"And that's supposed to make me feel any less concerned?" Puck asked unfazed.
"You know it's unfair to say that!" Subaru retorted. "I did my best to protect her from harm!"
"Do you think because you saved her life before, you could now risk it?" asked Puck, poking Subaru's chest with his tail. "That's the only thing speaking for you… you did save her, and for that I am grateful. But that doesn't mean I'll look past anything."
"Especially," Puck said with great emphasis, coming real close to Subaru's face now, a thin smile on his lips, "you trying to get too close to her." When he opened his mouth to grin, it revealed instead huge, monstrously sharp fangs.
Subaru gulped hard. He knew that fathers could get very protective of their daughters, especially considering—. Wrong moment to think about that, especially if he truly could read minds or feelings. Regardless, that did seem like a bit much. And surprisingly, Puck apparently thought the same.
"Heh, anyway," he said, hiding his fangs behind a smile again, "just keep things appropriate, and we won't have an issue. Especially because it was Lia's wish to help you." And just with that, he floated back to Emilia, leaving Subaru to catch up on his own.
Watching Puck turn away, Subaru could feel the tension leave his body. Even if the spirit had assumed the form of a cute, small cat—these fangs would have put any lion or other apex predator to shame, resembling more the ivories of some nightmarish monster.
Feeling the need to clear his head a bit, he turned his head to the left, towards the open sky.. With a deep sigh, he watched, where no houses blocked his vision—instead, it allowed a perfect view down to the lower parts of the city, where the endless number of houses stretched themselves out all the way up to the horizon, laying lower the further away they were from this place. And right above it laid the sky, inviting his thoughts to go astray among the vast blueness. Looking further upwards though, he realized that the day had progressed quite a bit already, judging by the sun's distance from its zenith.
Clicking his tongue, he hastened his step and walked over to the others, who had just finished their discussion. Puck seemed to have disappeared again already. "We won't make it like that in time," Subaru said, looking worried to Felt. "If possible, let's go a bit faster."
"Faster…" Emilia trailed off, gazing down at the lower parts of the city. The slums were barely visible from here—they still had quite a way to go, not having left the noble district yet. "Felt-chan, is there any shortcut we could use?" she asked, turning to the girl by her side.
Felt put her fingers to her chin, taking a moment to answer. "Well… there is one way. But I don't think you'll like it," Felt said, gazing down to the lower parts of the city as well. "If I need to go quickly from one place to another, especially in an attempt to avoid any trouble or being seen at all, there's always a way." She moved her hand up, pointing to the side with her thumb. "Over the rooftops."
Turning his head slightly to the side, Subaru looked down once again to the many houses, closely built side by side, their roofs practically forming their own, unusable network of roads… well, paths. But alone the height was troubling… and he certainly didn't want to fall off them, where fracturing something was the best possible outcome.
"And that really saves time?" asked Emilia, looking questioningly down on the houses just as well.
"Definitely," Felt said, not a hint of doubt in her voice, "It's a… well, relatively easy way to take if you want to move —or escape—quickly, or just not be seen. After all, even Elsa used them to escape from Reinhard, if you remember."
Subaru's heart skipped a beat when she used that wicked assassin to showcase just how convenient they could be.
Judging by Emilia's disapproving, if not scolding look, she too didn't seem too happy to hear that name again. Though instead of voicing it, she chose to focus on the issue at hand. "… Alright. If you believe it to be faster, let's use this way. It shouldn't be too much of an issue. Do you think that would be better, Subaru?"
Though when she turned her head to him, she raised an eyebrow… potentially because of his rather distorted smile. "I… don't think I'll be able to do that," he said hesitatingly, stealing again a glance downwards. All the way down to the ground, which he was sure to meet, were he to try such an acrobatic stunt. Balancing on the roofs was one thing, but crossing the gaps between them with jumps… Felt could certainly do that, but him? No way.
"Sorry Subaru, but that's the only way I can think of that would be even faster," Felt said, shrugging her shoulders. "So either you pull yourself together, or this's about as quick as we can go."
"It's not that I'm against it!" Subaru shot back. "But I'd rather walk than fall down and break both legs!"
"Hmm. I could carry you, then," Emilia said, moving her hand to her chin. "That way you don't need to worry about not being able to walk over the roofs yourself."
Subaru regarded her with a flabbergasted expression. She said this so innocently and lighthearted, that he couldn't even really process just what she had suggested. "Carry me? Over the rooftops?"
"Carry you," Emilia repeated, "over the rooftops."
"No, no no no no no, no way!" Subaru exclaimed, being visibly shocked by the suggestion. "What do you mean, just carry me? Even the thought is taking a toll on my pride as a man!" One might wonder where this so-called pride as a man had been just a few minutes ago, but Subaru was quick to shut such thoughts out.
"I don't see why you're making such a fuss about it," Felt said, regarding Subaru with a questioning look. "If you want to hurry up, it's the best option."
Subaru squinted his eyes, expecting some sort of jab, some teasing remark—anything of that sort. But it didn't come. Felt just continued staring at him as if saying, "what are you so afraid of?"
"There's really no need to worry, Subaru. You're pretty light, after all," Emilia added.
Subaru was sent tumbling. Did he look that weak? Why'd she estimated him to be that light when he was taller and bulkier than her? Why would she thin—hold on. "Emilia-tan… what do you mean with 'you are pretty light'?" That sounded way too certain, almost like—.
"I mean, I know that it won't be a problem," Emilia said in an absolutely innocent-sounding voice, tilting her head. "Or, how do you think you were taken to the Astrea estate after Elsa's attack?"
Subaru's eyes shot wide open. She couldn't have meant… "I… never thought about that," he said, pressing out each word. "I thought that maybe Reinhard…?" He looked over to Felt, pleading her to confirm his thoughts. But a slight shaking of her head robbed him of that hope—leaving him with no other option than to surrender.
He took a deep breath. They had to reach Rom as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence, especially since the thugs' attacks had been unpredictable so far. It was necessary. So he swallowed hard. Not only as an emotional reaction, but also as his pride. "Okay… Emilia-tan. If you're really sure, then—eep!"
Caught completely off-guard, just having barely come to terms with the emasculating reality, he found himself in the air already. He was being held… princess carry style. Or bridal style, if you will. "Emilia-tan, that's a bit…," he muttered, unable to look at her.
"Hmm? Is it uncomfortable? Do you want to go on my back instead?" Her voice contained absolutely no malice, and so all Subaru could do was clasp his hands before his face.
"Yeah, like a kid, that'd be even cuter!" Felt snickered. Subaru's eyebrow twitched. As he slowly turned his head, prying through his fingers, he saw the risen corners of Felt's shit-eating grin. He should have known it. Felt would never have passed up a chance to tease him like that… she must have waited until he had agreed to it and was practically defenseless, only to now revel in it.
Subaru violently shook his head, still hiding his face. From princess carry to piggyback, as one would with a child. These hits to his pride were further amplified by Emilia's apparent obliviousness in dealing them.
"Don't tease him so much, Felt. It surely is hard enough as is," Emilia scolded, taking a couple of steps. "Alright, if it's fine for you like this, We're ready. Lead the way, Felt."
Felt tilted her head, before ultimately nodding. "Sorry, maybe you're right," she muttered, much to Subaru's surprise. He had certainly not expected her to tread back.
Firing herself up, Felt made a couple of small jumps. "Alright big sis, follow me and we'll be there in no time." Moving over to the edge of the noble district, she looked down on the houses below them. "Well, here goes nothing!" she said, before taking a leap, disappearing out of sight.
When Emilia moved towards the edge, Subaru glanced down once more. That was easily ten… no, fifteen meters down. "Hey Emilia-tan, don't tell me…?!"
"Hold tight, Subaru," Emilia said, undeterred by his hesitating question, as she jumped down as well, leaving the noble district behind them.
Uttering a high-pitched, extremely masculine scream, Subaru saw the ground approaching way too quickly. But where he had expected a hard impact, instead they simply came to a halt. No concussion, not even a slight shaking. Just a smooth landing. And not on the ground, but on a roof.
Before his eyes now stretched out a multitude of secret pathways, only accessible to the most nimble and daring troublemakers. Ways plastered with red shingles, giving off light, clattering sounds if weighed down.
Though there was little time to marvel at the hidden routes, as the two girls were quick to get moving again, using the convenient and usually inaccessible path over the roofs to move through the city at a much greater speed than they could ever have on the ground.
Seeing Emilia and Felt rush over the roofs of the city… it amazed Subaru. They didn't know exactly why they were hurrying this much, as he had only been able to give a vague hint of a looming danger, and yet they both took on a great effort to ease his worries. But even more than that, he was grateful. Grateful for giving him the benefit of the doubt, and taking his concerns seriously, doing their best to ease them—and in turn maybe even enable a way out of these hellish loops. This was the help he was really looking for, with neither being able to voice it nor having even realized it before.
Though that was not quite true. He didn't look for any particular form of help. In that very moment where he had uttered his plea, his mind had been far too troubled to think of anything specific. Emilia taking her time to listen had already been the help he needed—without her, he might as well still be lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind trying to shut out the torment he had gone through. Ignoring Felt as she came to knock on his door, no longer possessing the will to make another attempt.
However, all his thinking had not gotten him closer to an effective solution yet. For all of their help, he was still missing the important piece of evidence that would make them believe an attack would be imminent. Otherwise, just like Felt and Rom had done the last loop, they might just laugh it off.
Still, his chances were much better already. Not only because Emilia was with them, but as they hurried now through the city, at least Felt wouldn't just immediately dismiss the thought… hopefully. But first, they had to make it in time.
"Felt, are we close yet?" he asked with a raised voice. He couldn't see much, aside from the many roofs and the streets directly beside them, meaning he had no way to see the river and take a guess.
"It's faster that way, but not that fast!" Felt shouted back. "Besides, I don't think you got any right to complain." He didn't need to see her face to know that she said that with a mischievous grin.
"I'm not complaining!" he shouted back, flustered. It was naive of him to think she wouldn't tease him about it… he should've known her better by now.
"Ah, I see," she whistled, her voice still as playful. "Of course. You want to know how much longer you can enjoy it then. We can take a detour if you want!"
"Don't act like that's even close to being the truth!" Subaru shouted, attempting to drown out his rapid heartbeat. It wasn't wrong… per se. "And certainly no detours!" But it's not what had motivated him to ask that. And he really wouldn't want to take advantage of the situation like that. Worried Emilia might see it as such, he stole a glance at her.
Her eyes wandered all over his startled face… she must have noticed his different shades of red. "I'm sorry, Subaru," she said with a sad smile. "Please bear with it for a bit longer, I'm sure we'll get there soon."
But where he feared for her to be a bit annoyed, she apologized instead. Did she brush off Felt's teasing just like that, and was focused on his worries still? Her unexpected reaction left him speechless again.
"I really don't think you need to worry about that, big sis," Felt said, as she jumped over another gap. "It's not like you're doing something forbidden."
"S… something forbidden!?" Subaru asked, stammering.
"It… It wasn't like that, Felt-chan!" Emilia said with a hasty voice.
"Hmm? What's with the strong reaction?" snickered Felt. "You didn't seem too bothered before. You know, when I actually intruded on you two." She seemed to fully enjoy being able to tease them like that.
While Subaru had thought of a way to get back to her, Felt's comments seemed to have an opposite effect on Emilia. Instead of giving a retort, Emilia fell silent, her face having been drained of all color—all he could see was her averting her eyes, plagued by a glint of guilt.
Judging by Emilia's reaction, she wasn't that immune to Felt's teasing. If anything, it seemed like Felt hit a nerve. But why was Emilia reacting so strongly to that? Why did she look so remorseful? Did he ask too much of her?
Seemingly noticing that neither of them would entertain her any further, Felt changed her tone. "Anyway, shouldn't take much longer until we reach the borders of the slums. We'll just have to pass right this plaza and… huh?"
A cacophony of voices echoed its way up to the rooftops of the city, distorted by the many reflections of the sound. Felt slowed down, coming to a halt right beside the place where the noise had originated from.
First wearing a confused expression, Emilia stopped right beside her. But as she gazed down, Subaru heard her breath hitch. Looking down as well, he could easily understand why.
Right before them laid a huge, open space, a gigantic gap in the otherwise narrow network of houses. And what filled that huge space was—.
"I've never seen so many people in one place…," Emilia said, sounding almost lost.
Hundreds, maybe even a thousand people occupied the plaza, shouting what sounded like complaints and grievances. Though it was impossible to properly understand their words, Subaru could remember from a previous loop just what things were likely being said. And judging by the dissonant noise, their mood was the same as back then too.
Now he was glad they took the way over the roofs. As he saw their faces—or rather, their expressions—it brought to mind the disdain he's been regarded with every time he went around the city. Up here, he was free of that, their hostility not able to reach him… and his mind was troubled enough as it is.
"Wow. Wouldn't have thought to see this place ever blocked off," Felt said, leaning against a chimney. "Not to mention, by that many protesters."
"What's so special about this place?" Emilia asked absentmindedly, seemingly still baffled by the many people.
"Ah, right. Well, looks like you'll get a bonus to your city tour," Felt said with a grin. "This plaza is called the Merchant's Cross. The broader road there is connected directly to the main road of the Capital," she said, pointing right across them. "It goes circular all around the city until it connects with the main road again." She drew a wide circle in the air… judging by that, it was quite long. "And the other one's just connecting many stores, warehouses, trading spots, and whatnot. Hence its name. Wouldn't have thought for it to be ever blocked, though."
"Guess trade kinda died down," said Subaru. He of course had already learned that it did. "With the city gates closed, I mean."
"Looks like it. Normally this place is bustling with ground dragons drawing carriages, merchants doing business, and guards protecting them," she said, though the last one sounded annoyed.
"Guess the guards got other things to do now though," Subaru remarked snarkily.
"Seems like it," Felt mumbled. "…Maybe we should really hurry then."She suddenly turned her gaze worriedly to the lower parts of the city. "Let's go."
Even though Felt set off, Emilia remained a bit longer, her eyes resting on the people below them. "Hey Emilia-tan, we're going to lose Felt like that," he said hesitatingly. With a short nod, Emilia hurried right after her, though not without throwing one last glance back.
"Alright, we're here," said Felt, standing on the edge of a roof, pointing to the other side of the town… lying behind the river. "Just over that bridge down there, and we've reached the slums."
"It's really just like night and day," commented Subaru as he glanced back to the merchant district. Comparing the houses from there, to the run-down houses on the other side of the stream… From this elevated position, the difference was even more striking.
Though far more important than the disparity in his sight, was that no black smoke had been visible so far. From here, they could see large swaths of the slums. So if...
Subaru shuddered at the mere thought. No, he'd need to look forward. So far, all had worked out well. Now they just needed to get to the loot house.
After another way too high jump, they landed right before the bridge, where Subaru's free ride came to an end.
"Thanks, Emilia-tan! Definitely couldn't have done it this quickly without you," said Subaru, flashing her a bright smile, and giving a thumbs-up as soon as he stood again. "But next time I'll be the one to carry you!"
"Mhm. You're welcome, dunderhead," Emilia said, smiling softly as she nodded.
"Who even says dunderhead in this day and age?" Subaru replied cheerfully, earning himself a slight pout from her.
"Anyway, looks like we'll have to get past another obstacle to get into the slums," he continued, turning his gaze to the bridge before them. They would still need to talk their way past the guard who would turn them away if he could. Especially after they coincidentally just dropped down right in front of him, inadvertently catching his attention.
Or, at least that's what Subaru expected. Instead, when they approached the bridge, the man didn't move a muscle and stubbornly looked forward. It was only when they would have gotten in his vision, that he moved—he turned his head as if he wanted to avoid even seeing them.
"Weird for a guard to be here," said Felt, squinting her eyes upon seeing him. "Maybe you were right, Subaru. Alright, let's hurry over!"
"Are you sure it's okay to just pass?" asked Emilia, throwing some glances at the guardsman.
"Well it doesn't seem like he's trying to stop us," said Felt, still eyeing him critically.
Subaru was confused. In previous loops, he had approached and attempted to stop them. But this time, he acted like nothing was the matter. Did the situation in the slums improve that much in a few hours, or…?
Deciding to just ignore the guard then, who did the same to them, they moved across. But just as they were about to enter the slums, the guard spoke up. "Y… You… Halt!" the man stammered.
Surprised, the three turned around, now seeing the man's frown on his face. "You… shouldn't go there," he said, his voice still shaky. "It's dangerous. In the slu—lower parts of the city."
Felt raised an eyebrow. "It's always dangerous in the slums, so what?"
"Might be. But there are open fights… something between gangs." The man was much more nervous than before, his eyes almost fixated on Felt. That was really different from other loops.
"We'll stay away from any fights," Emilia said, nodding to both Felt and Subaru. "If anything happens, I should be able to protect us from a few thugs."
The guard gulped. "I… see," he stammered, his gaze still remaining on Felt. "Then… go ahead." With a hasty step, the guard turned away from the group again.
Subaru scratched his head. That certainly was easier—and way weirder—than he would have expected. The guardsman barely spoke a full sentence, if anything, he seemed almost frightened. Maybe things turned worse in the slums?
Guess we'll find out soon enough.
Subaru shrugged at Emilia and Felt, the latter throwing one last glance at the strange-acting guard. Then they left the weird guardsman behind, finally going towards their next destination. The loot house.
Fortunately the path to it had been clear, thanks to Felt's guidance. Though the streets had been mostly empty anyway, so it's not like they could have encountered too much trouble underway. No, the real danger lay before them, with the Golden Coin gang setting up the trap around the loot house.
Now that I think about it… if it's intended as a trap, and they ambushed us last time inside, could that mean… that they got some sort of lookout?
Subaru's eyes widened. Was that how they spotted Felt in the first place? It would only make sense. Even without them setting up a trap… if they were involved in other fights in the slums as well, they might simply use scouts or informants to gather information about the movements of their enemies.
As they entered the open space around the loot house, Subaru's breath hitched. The streets had been mostly empty. Aside from some people scurrying, there was no one just outside, lingering around. And yet here they were. Two men, casually leaning against surrounding houses. And as he took a closer look at one of them, his heart sank. He knew that face. He recognized the face of the thug that had knocked him down in a previous loop.
He took a deep breath. What should he do now? Call them out? And then what? Overwhelm them and prevent them from reporting back? But so far they didn't really do anything… how should he convince Emilia they were in danger?
Yet while he was thinking about how to deal with the thugs, one of them whispered something to the other then turned away, leaving into one of the side alleys. Torn between taking action, and following the others, he chose the latter, moving to the front porch of the loot house—his chance to attack preemptively without alerting the pair had slipped away. Feeling a heavy weight in his chest, Subaru remained silent and just looked over to Felt, who was answering Rom's questions.
I saw two, but maybe there are even more. No, it's almost guaranteed there's more. Would be surprising if they wouldn't check at least the backside as well. Meaning… it's probably good I didn't attack them immediately? But escaping unnoticed would be close to impossible then. So what's there to do? Will it inevitably end in a fight? And how to even warn the others properly? Maybe…!
"Subaru, what's the hold-up? Come in already," said Felt, waving to him.
"Sorry," Subaru said with a wry smile, scratching the back of his head. "Looks like I spaced out for a moment." But he had an idea on how to warn them now… how to convince them. Once inside, he would just show them.
After he stepped inside, Rom closed and locked the door, eventually turning to them. "Felt, good to see you, but… are you in trouble?" Posing this question while looking at both him and Emilia felt really off, making Subaru weakly shake his head.
Felt crossed her arms. "I was. But they helped me," she said, her voice slightly on edge. It seemed the question irked her. "They're friends, and kinda saved my life."
Rom wore a thoughtful expression, moving his hand to his chin, and scrutinized the two of them a bit closer. "… I see," he mumbled. "Now that's something. Well, have a seat, drinks are on me!" Where he seemed to be slightly worried before, his mood skyrocketed. He walked over to the bar, taking out several glasses and the same two bottles, as before.
While Subaru threw Felt a questioning look, Emilia frowned, looking down to the ground, seemingly attempting to hide it and her discomfort at Rom's attitude.
"Sorry about that," said Felt, turning to both of them. "Let's sit down for a bit, catching up and all that."
"Seems like your grandpa's on edge as well," said Subaru in an attempt to smooth the waters. "No wonder, seeing that you were missing a couple of days." He carefully glanced over to Emilia.
Emilia's eyes widened slightly, throwing a surprised gaze at Subaru. "Maybe you're right…" It didn't sound terribly convincing, but at least her frown had disappeared.
"Yeah, that was rather unusual for old man Rom," Felt said, looking worriedly over to the scuffling giant. "Wonder if something's up."
As the three sat down—Felt left, Emilia in the middle, and Subaru to the right—Rom filled their glasses. But before Felt got around to ask, it was Rom who opened their talk. "So Felt, what have you been up to? Got into trouble with a job?"
"Why's that your first guess!?" Felt said with a fake hurt voice. "… But yeah, you're right. Got involved in some murder plot. But thanks to Emilia and Subaru here, we made it out alive." The two gave a short nod, though both with a wry smile. Subaru had failed more than once to save them. Why Emilia wore such an expression… Subaru couldn't tell.
Upon hearing "murder plot", Rom took a deep sip of his beverage, seemingly attempting to gulp down the unsettling thought of his granddaughter getting in such danger. "Does that have anything to do with a gang? Did you get involved with them somehow?"
"Huh…? No, not at all," Felt said, visibly confused. "Why do you ask? You should know I'm not getting involved with that kind of business." Felt almost seemed offended at the mere thought.
"Wonder what their problem is then" Rom mumbled, looking into his jar. "You know, the past couple of days some gang members were looking for you. What was it… the Golden Coin gang. Not like all the other gangs aren't making ruckus enough."
Subaru clenched his teeth upon hearing that name, and wrapped his arms around himself. "The Golden Coin gang," he whispered hoarsely, though inaudible for the others.
"I got nothing to do with them!" said Felt energetically, jumping up from her seat.
"They seemed pretty persistent, though," Rom said, scratching his chin. "They've been asking for you ever since the whole lockdown began. Told them I didn't know where you were… well, would have done so regardless if I knew or not, of course. Though, where have you been?"
"In the noble district," Felt spat, rolling her eyes. "Or rather, being a semi-prisoner there. Due to the job going wrong, we had to ask a knight for help… and it was the Sword Saint himself!" Wildly gesticulating with her arms, she gave the story a bit of flair. "Been at his home since then."
"Had to be an Astrea, huh…," Rom mumbled once more, though this time probably not as inaudible as he had hoped for, earning himself a questioning look by both Emilia and Subaru. Noticing their gazes, he coughed. "Well, sounds rather unusual regardless, for a noble family to take in such an… unusual group. Not that I'd know much about the business of nobles, though."
That sounded even more suspicious, making Subaru squint his eyes. But Rom just turned around, rearranging some of the loot—though Subaru could tell it was just to escape the situation. There was probably more to what Rom had said than he admitted. As he crossed eyes with Emilia, he could see she looked similarly skeptical.
Though ultimately Subaru shoved the thought aside, as the time had come to convince them of the imminent danger.
"You said there were some guys looking out for Felt, right?" asked Subaru, forcing Rom to turn back to them and slowly nod. "What if they're out for trouble? I mean… as in, after Felt, for whatever reason?"
"Subaru, don't say such unsettling things!" Emilia chided.
"Yeah Subaru, what's the big idea!? Where did that come from?" Felt too seemed spooked about the mere suggestion.
"It's just… you know. The gangs are obviously entangled in some fights… turf wars, or whatever. So why'd they make the effort to search you out, when they probably got their hands full with other stuff?" He tried to tone it down a bit… but it was important to make them realize that his thoughts weren't just some baseless ramblings.
"That's—" Felt had to stop herself for a moment. "—not that dumb of a thought," she eventually admitted. Though it certainly lacked enthusiasm.
"Even worse, now what would happen if they found out you'd be here? With Rom having told them again and again that he didn't know where you'd be?"
"Can't imagine them being too happy to hear that," Rom mumbled, earning himself a distressed look by Felt.
"But old man Rom didn't know where I was!" Felt exclaimed with an almost pleading voice.
"You think some gang who apparently wants to pick trouble with you for no reason, and goes so far as searching for you amidst a turf war would care about that? Or you, Rom?"
Felt opened and closed her mouth, not saying a word, while Rom didn't even attempt to say anything against that. Their silence spoke volumes.
Instead it was Emilia, who had remained silent so far, who spoke up, causing the others to turn to her. "Subaru, I know you were worried about coming to the slums, and considering what we've heard so far, I can understand that," Emilia said, speaking with a calm voice. "But… just going by that they've asked for Felt's whereabouts, to think that they're so persistently after her… doesn't that sound like a bit much?" Judging by her tone she wasn't as much doubtful, as just curious.
"Actually, Emilia-tan… I do have a reason for that," he said, building up tension with an artificial delay. "We're getting observed." Noticing that all three of them raised their eyebrows, he continued. "You surely saw that most of the streets were empty, right? When we walked through the slums, I mean. And yet, when we came to the loot house, I saw two men lingering around… observing this place. And as soon as we showed up, one of them left. I think they're lookouts."
"Lookouts? You're kidding, right?" Felt said, her voice full of disbelief.
"I'm serious!" he shot back. "If you don't want to believe me… go look out of one of the windows. He's probably still there. In case we got away before… well, I think trouble's underway."
Felt jumped out of her seat and ran up to the window. She narrowed her eyes, perusing the outside for a moment—and audibly gasped. "There's really someone watching this place," she said, her voice still as disbelieving. "What… what's that supposed to mean, trouble's underway?"
Time to seal the deal. "That means that if they had lookouts, and one of them turned away as soon as they spotted us—or you, maybe—he'll report that to someone. And if the gangs are out for blood right now… we might be in real danger."
Rom had by now also moved to the window. "Really looks like one of them's just observing this place," he said. "Just wait, I'm going to drive him off." With big steps, Rom walked back to the counter, grabbing the massive club lying against the wall.
"Wait!" shouted both Felt and Subaru in unison.
"What? You think I'll just let them loiter around my business?" Rom asked, annoyed. "If they want trouble, they can have it!"
"I also think you shouldn't do that," Emilia said, though with more hesitation. "Wouldn't it be bad to increase the risk of them attacking Felt? Or… turn it into a certainty by attacking them first?"
Upon hearing that, Rom hesitated. He was clearly angry, but it seemed he couldn't really deny what Emilia said.
"And even if you beat him up… if they're really out for trouble, just beating down a scout won't do a thing," said Subaru, shaking his head. "If anything, it will make them go after you too. Though something's telling me, that's the case already."
"What do you mean?" asked Felt, stealing another glance out of the window.
"Alright, so imagine them having set up a scout to know when you're here. And then they fetch their boss or whatever. How exactly do you think that would go?" he asked rhetorically, not waiting for an actual answer. Instead, he raised his voice a pitch higher and played the hypothetical conversation. "Oh hey Felt, so we're this totally innocuous and trustworthy gang of criminals, would you mind coming out to talk a little? Oh, those clubs and knives? They're just for… protection. Pinky promise!"
In truth, it turned Subaru's stomach to even think of them as anything but vile thugs. So even just disguising his voice to get his point across made him feel disgusted. But judging by Felt's expression, it had at least its intended effect, so he doubled down.
"Oh, so you were here all along? That's funny, because old man Rom said you weren't. Maybe he just… made a small mistake. Didn't look properly," he continued with a playful voice, though then it made a sharp turn. "Or maybe not." Those last were spoken harshly, like a hammer coming down.
"That is, if you're even right in the first place!" Felt said with a slightly tense voice. "You don't know what they want. You're just basing all that on some wild guesses!"
"I don't know, Felt. They're some really good guesses, if you ask me," Rom said, looking worried to the front door again. "Makes sense if you consider their persistence and such." Where Rom had once laughed the mere idea away, it seems this time he was much more inclined to listen.
Just as Subaru was about to reiterate, Felt gasped, drawing attention to her. "Oh shit, that's a lot of them!" Hearing Felt's distressed-sounding voice, both Emilia and Rom looked worriedly over.
Rushing over to the window himself now, Subaru narrowed his eyes. A group of men had entered the clearing before the loot house… carrying with them several jars, barrels, and buckets.
Shit, looks like I was too slow!
Biting his lip, he turned to Felt, whose expression showed hostility. "We have to get away, quickly!" he said, grabbing her and pulling her away from the window.
"What's the matter, Subaru, Felt?" Emilia asked, having stood up now and walking over to them.
But Subaru raised his hand. "No, don't go any closer to the windows!" Emilia stopped, her eyes searching for an answer on his face. But all she could see was his tension.
"Old man Rom! There's like, twenty or thirty men outside!" Felt exclaimed, pointing to the window.
"Looks like you were right, boy," said Rom, eyeing Subaru critically. "Well, maybe. I'll go see what they want. You should wait inside. Maybe they'll leave… if properly motivated." Judging by how he slammed his club into the ground, it didn't take much imagination to see how he would convince them.
"I don't doubt that you're strong, old man, but are you that strong? To take it up with thirty people? If they come with such a group to your place… I don't think talking is why they're here." They had thrown an oil jar right into his face. Now they stood outside with a lot more than just one of them… probably already beginning to throw or place them all around the building. If old man Rom would go outside now, he could… that wasn't an option. Subaru was sure he had to stop him from that.
Rom hesitated, a frown beginning to form on his wrinkly face. "So what am I supposed to do then? You think hunkering down is how to deal with a gang?"
"If they really came to hurt Felt, I will fight them," Emilia stated with a cold voice, making Subaru's breath hitch.
"Emilia-tan's way too reliable," Subaru doted. Though despite his casual-sounding words, he was still stressed. Even if Emilia declared to be willing to fight… he didn't want to put her to risk even further.
Rom shifted his gaze to the girl, narrowing his eyes. "You seem to be pretty confident in your fighting strength, Miss half-elf," he said in a neutral tone, to which Felt suddenly widened her eyes, looking at him in apparent surprise.
Why was she so shocked, wondered Subaru. Yet before he could make any motion to ask—
"Getting rid of a handful of thugs, that will hardly be a challenge," a bored-sounding voice echoed through the room. Right in the middle of them appeared Puck, imitating a boxer landing punches.
"So that's why, huh…" old man Rom mumbled, regarding the flying cat with astonishment. "You're a spirit arts user."
Emilia nodded slightly. "That's right. Though what surprises me even more is that you knew I was a half-elf."
"I've… come around a bit. Met both, full and half-elves. Nothing more to it," he said, waving his hand. It seems he didn't want to go any deeper into that topic.
Which was quite alright for Subaru. After all, they still had danger lying just right before them. If they wouldn't pick up the pace, then it might be too late for them to decide.
"I think we should get away," said Subaru with a determined voice. "If they're here for trouble, and after either Felt, or Rom, or maybe even both, the easi—!"
But it seems it had been too late. A dull sound, followed by a splintering sound rang through the air. Subaru's eyes darted over to the door. He knew what came next. He was too slow again.
Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. Through his mind flashed images from a previous loop, strikingly similar to this one.. His fingers slightly trembled, betraying his intention of collecting himself.
When Rom wandered closer to the door, he snapped back, reaching out to the giant. "Don't go near that! It's oil!"
As the others turned shocked towards him, they could see his distorted face—being hit from the full horror, he could no longer hide his panic.
Startled by Subaru, Felt took a step back from the entrance, from where the oil was slowly seeping out. "Oil…? What's oil doing there?"
But Subaru didn't answer—couldn't answer. He was almost paralyzed with fear, despair slowly crawling its way up his spine. His hands instinctively wandered up to his arms, searching for the blisters and shed skin that had littered his body in the past hellish loop.
While Felt and Rom exchanged a confused gaze, unsure what to make of his sudden change in demeanor, Emilia worriedly looked over at him, attempting to meet his eyes. But while he was able to understand her asking, "Subaru? What's wrong?" he couldn't answer—his thoughts paralyzed in place.
It was only when the carpet of oil began to violently ripple that Subaru phased back into reality, momentarily letting go of his perfectly fine arms.
The nigh unbearable hiss of collapsing air, together with the rise of bright, orange flames made Emilia, Felt, and Rom stumble back, panic now also finding its way upon their faces. With wide eyes and raised hands to guard against the exploding heat and brightness, they stood there, in the first moment overwhelmed by the sudden outburst of fire.
Instead, it was Subaru who had regained his composure a bit. Where he before seemed panicked, now his voice was surprisingly firm. "We have to get out of here, quickly!" he shouted, making the others turn their gazes at him. Though, it wasn't like he had calmed down. Once more confronted with impending demise, yet realizing that the others were still safe, his mind purged away unnecessary thoughts. If they were all fine, if there was still a chance to change the destiny of a fiery death that awaited them all, one which had etched itself onto his mind the past loop... then he would give it his all to make it so.
"Those bastards," grumbled Rom, heaving the club over his shoulder. "Get to the back door! Come on!" The fire spread rapidly, consuming the front entrance. Following Rom's lead, the group scurried away to the back of the loot house.
But when Rom opened the door to the backroom, thick plumes of smoke confronted them, sending them all into a coughing fit. Even as Rom tried to wave away the soot, all it did was make way for more.
Despite the smoke stinging in his eyes, Subaru forced them open—and groaned. All throughout the room were billows of smoke, making it almost impossible to see anything but grey and black. With a few exceptions. As Rom had waved away the smoke directly before them, the door was slightly visible. And right behind all the smoke were dim sources of light… flickering light. The flames had already eaten their way through the wooden walls. The fire had engulfed the backside of the building already.
"Shit, the fire—'s there as well!" Felt said, heavily coughing in between. She looked incredibly pissed off, much more so than fearful.
Rom put a hand on Felt's shoulder. "Wait here, I'll slam the door open. Then lead them outside!" he said, taking the club into both hands.
"Don't!" Subaru shouted, startling Rom. The giant looked surprised at him, as he continued, "If they're going that far, they're either trying to smoke us out, or…" Subaru couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. But the telling silence seemed enough for Rom to understand.
"You think they'd go that far, huh?" he said with a grim expression. "Then what? What other way's there?"
Averting his eyes from the sea of smoke, Subaru looked over what remained of the main room. As he glanced around, he could see fire slowly eating its way through the wooden floor and walls… from all sides. He had the creeping feeling that the fire was faster this time around for some reason… no, he was sure of it. With even the window he jumped out of last time being engulfed by flames already… he didn't know what to do.
Just as despair was about to set in again, he saw Emilia move forward, taking a deep breath. "Step aside!" she said with a voice that allowed no defiance.
Rom raised an eyebrow but did as he was asked… well, told.
"Big sis, what are yo—?"
"Once the path's open, quickly get out. If there are any flames in the way, they should die down for a few moments," she said, nodding to Felt. The girl looked confused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes in resolution, nodding back.
Raising a hand, Emilia directly pointed it towards the door. And at the tip of her fingers, a shard of ice began to form. Then it changed into a lump. A chunk. Until it had the size of a small boulder—completely unfazed by the flames and temperature all around it.
Nodding to the others, she flicked her hand, rapidly accelerating the projectile. Carving a path through the smoke, it collided with the wooden door, which not only got chopped in two but many more parts, leaving nothing but a few splinters left.
"Holy shit, that was amaz—!"
"Save that for later!" said Felt, pulling Subaru on his sleeve. Despite her rude interruption, Subaru followed Felt right outside, them both covering their noses from the now outside-pushing smoke, closely followed by Rom and lastly, Emilia.
They made it out, all four of them. He wanted to lay down on the dirt and just rest, knowing they were safe… but unfortunately, it wasn't over with just that. He didn't need to turn to the side to notice the thugs coming closer. The patter of their footsteps was enough to alert him.
"Well, look at that. The vermin was able to get out," sounded a voice filled with hate and malice. "Couldn't you've just done the world a favor and died inside that dump?"
Subaru's eye twitched. It was the same hateful voice that had condemned him to a truly agonizing death, even laughing at his demise. The very same voice that had lured them into a trap, pretending to take them to their boss. The haggard man stood before them, a grin plastered across his rutted, stubbly face.
"You bastard!" shouted Felt, glaring at him.
"Ah, Felt. What a nice coincidence, meeting you here!" he said with a crooked smile. "And that after he told us he didn't know where you were." The haggard man's eyes rested on Rom, who had shouldered his club and moved beside Felt.
But instead of directing a single word towards the man whose existence he just had burnt down, he let his eyes wander to Emilia and Subaru instead… which instantly summoned a deep frown.
"Anyway. Since you had the nerve to actually come out, looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." With a move of his head, the thugs moved forward. "Your deaths will be a blessing!"
"You dared to attack my daughter," a voice thundered all around the loot house. "And now you dare to threaten her even further?" Right above them appeared Puck, his narrow eyes framing the dangerous glint residing within them. But not only he appeared, but also shards of ice, dangerously looming all over them.
While the haggard man had narrowed his eyes, some of the other thugs looked way less steadfast, the worry in their eyes and nervous exchange of gazes.
"The only corpses littering the dirt after this will be yo—!"
"Puck!? Don't speak of killing, don't kill anyone!" Emilia's interruption made Puck draw a grimace.
"Lia, you're kinda ruining my entrance here," Puck said, flicking his tail. Where before his voice had been threatening, now it sounded… playful? That was bordering hard on being irresponsible, especially since this was still very much a life-or-death situation.
But where Subaru at least had a tired smile for the cat's antics, it seemed the haggard man found no joke in it. "A spirit…? You… You little thing! Don't act so high and mighty!" he shouted. But even he revealed to not be completely unfazed by Puck's appearance, judging by his strained voice. "If you're in our way, you'll be going down as well!"
"That wasn't a very nice thing to say," Puck said, sounding annoyed. With a casual swipe of his paw, a dozen ice shards set off, either directly hitting the thugs' weapons or hands, effectively disarming them. Seeing the Golden Coin gang getting easily beaten up like that, after seeming like such an unassailable obstacle… it felt deeply satisfying.
But when Subaru turned around, he could see that the others didn't quite share his enjoyment. They weren't even looking at the fight.
"Old man Rom…," Felt said, pulling weakly at the giant's tattered vest. Her eyes wandered between him and the burning loot house, that had begun to collapse by now.
"It's alright, Felt," said Rom, changing his gaze from the flickering flames to her crimson eyes. "The most important thing is that we're alive." He lightly patted Felt's head, as any loving grandfather would. He tried his best to calm her… since Subaru could see the fingers on his other hand trembling, even though it held the club.
Subaru felt awful. In his relief at having escaped the fire, and seeing the ones who caused him so much pain being beaten down… he forgot the real consequences of what had just happened. His pained gaze met with Emilia's, who seemed to have left the two of them some space to talk.
"I'm sorry to say this, Felt, Rom, but I think we should get away from here." Despite the clear words, her voice was cautious. "It looks like there are more thugs coming, and there's nothing we can do here anymore."
Subaru followed Emilia's gaze—and indeed. There was another group of thugs coming, probably from the front of the building. They had surrounded it before, so that must have been the other half.
"But where to?" Felt's voice was glum—she was clearly strained by what happened.
"We should hea—"
"You're not going anywhere!" the haggard man shouted, standing in front of the newly arrived thugs. "Stop them!"
"You really don't know when to quit, huh?" roared Puck, firing another volley of shards at the thugs. Though this time it seemed he wasn't playing around as much. The men howled up, and collectively either stumbled forward or fell to the ground, wincing in pain.
Right around their feet, either bound together or tied to the ground were clumps of ice. Just like Puck had immobilized Felt, now all the thugs had been sent to the ground.
But the haggard man bobbed up, fury distorting his face. "You damned ra—! Mhh! Hrgh!"
With another swipe of his paw, Puck had created a gag of ice, silencing him. "There, much better. You humans always love running your mouths, huh."
As he lazily floated back to Emilia, she stepped before the bound thugs. "You will leave Felt and Rom alone. Whatever the reason is you were after them, forget about it. We won't hold back next time." Her eyes were frosty, and her voice held a sharpness that surprised Subaru. It was almost as bad as when she called him a liar.
Running over to the closest alley, the group of five was about to disappear into the loose net of paths in the slums. Though Subaru threw one last glance back. The burning loot house, turning more and more into a heap of ash and coal, the smoke pillar rising right to the sky… the Golden Coin gang defeated and tied together on the ground. The nightmare had come to an end. Even though they ran away, Subaru felt relief as they left the place behind.
Though had he seen with just what kind of eyes—with what hatred the man frozen to the ground, yet still standing had looked after them, he might have thought otherwise.
He'd taken out a knife from somewhere. Along with his men, he silently, strongly, ripped away at the ice immobilizing him. As he did, silent murmurs filled with hatred coursed through his lips, which trembled due to the flurry of emotion that assaulted him.
"Filthy demi-humans… don't think you'll make it out of the slums alive."
Author's Note:
First, as usual, a big thank you to [LookingGlassInsect] for beta'ing this chapter! Thoroughly ironing out the potential mistakes that had snuck in once more.
So here it is, with the announced delay of a week. This chapter has been a bit calmer, at least at the beginning. Though I think Subaru'd be glad for each calm chapter he gets. Oh well.
Reviews since last chapter:
Chris8719: Now let's just hope that Subaru is actually able to accept and learn from that lesson—even if more lap pillow lessons would be nice.
And glad to hear you liked Emilia keeping Subaru in place. :)
Heheheheh: Glad to hear that! At least he reflected a bit about… where he exactly was.
MetalCrue: Thanks! Well, there's certainly something that troubles her, though to what extent Subaru is unaware, or could even know… hard to say. But yes, it would be nice for them to be able to talk again a bit. Once Subaru got some space to breathe again, that is.
Zard 428: Answered the questions on another site already. POVs happen when they fit, so it's always a strict "maybe".
Noone: Well, in that case all I can say is another major thank you! It's definitely encouraging, both for mood and motivation to get such a nice review. Or… part of a review?
And in that case, I'm glad to hear nothing was really lost, or only the parts that would've been "fixed" already anyway.
Considering Emilia's morality: Indeed, it is even for an idealist position a very pure, inflexible and detached one. Which especially makes sense considering the latter, as she herself grew up away from most civilization or interaction with others, thus not being really challenged by the "real" world in her child-like beliefs. Something which might get properly challenged over time.
Hope the part with Puck was satisfying, since… yeah. He might not have taken what transpired last chapter too kindly. Be it for the endangerment or him getting that close to his daughter.
Note: Looks like I was faster to publish the chapter then the review; heh.