Subaru gulped. It was almost as if the world before him was divided between two paths, and his choice on which one to walk would decide the outcome of his life. On one there was an angel who wanted to reward him and even take him to her mansion- while on the other there were Reinhard and Felt, both of whom were good people and his friends.
And of course, Reinhard was also a powerful knight that could teach Subaru how to be useful and help others including himself.
Taking a deep breath, he finally reached a decision.
The anticipation of his answer was apparent in the air as Emilia, Felt and Reinhard looked at him with pleading eyes.
Subaru took a deep breath and decided to seal his choice. "Emilia, while I'd love to go with you to your mansion, I think I will go with Reinhard and Felt for the time being. I have no place to stay and I need to learn more about this place."
"Yes! Big-bro is coming with us! Oi-Reinhard, him and Old Man Rom should have no problems at your fancy mansion right?" Felt exclaimed in happiness.
"No Felt-sama it should be of no issue at all, I myself am sure that Subaru's addition to our mansion will make our lives livelier." Reinhard assured her, smiling at the situation. Subaru was the first person who treated him as Rein and not the Sword Saint after all.
Emilia immediately clutched Subaru's arm and tried to make him reconsider.
"Subaru please! I need to reward you, please consider coming with me! I promise you can stay there as long as you want."
"Ah don't worry at all Emilia! Me going with them doesn't mean we won't ever meet again. I will make sure to visit you sometime soon and keep in touch with you." Subaru explained
"Do you promise to visit me Subaru? To keep in touch?" Emilia looked at him with her deep amethyst eyes and pouted, making it impossible to resist her request.
"Yes-yes Emilia I promise. I will let you give me as many headpats as you want when I visit just like you are doing right now." He couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, especially with her being so adorable.
Realizing she was patting him on the head for the past 3 minutes, her face grew beet red and she quickly retracted her hand but was disappointed when she stopped doing it.
She tried to compose herself and find the right words through the embarrassment she was feeling.
"T-Thank you for agreeing to my request Subaru. Reinhard-san, Felt-chan, please take good care of Subaru and his fluffy ears. Today has been quite exhausting so I will take my leave. I wish you a pleasant journey home." Emilia bowed slightly saying goodbye.
"You too Emilia-sama. I am sure Subaru will visit you soon. May the dragon watch over you." Reinhard bowed too and the trio watched as Emilia departed in a carriage driven by her pink haired attendant, still feeling slightly embarrassed but happy that she would get to meet and pat Subaru on the head again in the future.
The night was coming to a close and all three were happy about Subaru's decision. After a short walk to a carriage Reinhard brought back they departed to the Astrea mansion.
Subaru's thoughts were jumbled with how confusing the day was. This was a new world, with new people he met and new powers he gained. Looking at the stars steadily going by he slowly drifted off into delicate sleep knowing that whatever his path might be he would do his best to walk on it.
Somewhere far to the east in the sandy dunes a certain person smiled knowing their beloved finally wouldn't have to suffer the cruelties of a world too dangerous for him.
Streams of sunshine poured in through the velvet curtains falling upon a big guest room. The furniture was fit for a noble, lavish but practical in its design signifying a rich environment.
Subaru slowly opened his eyes, roused from his slumber by the faint light.
Looking at the ceiling he could not recognise his surroundings. Realizing he was about to start his new life by sleeping in, he quickly resolved to be better than he was before and get rid of his old habits .
"No way am I falling back into my old ways! Here's to a new day!" With a determined expression he quickly shifted out of the heavy covers and slapped himself on his cheeks trying to fully wake up and be alert.
Taking in the room he couldn't help but notice the luxury surrounding him.
"I knew Reinhard was a knight, but man he must be famous if this is his residence! This place looks really well furnished and maintained." Subaru admired the craftsmanship of the room and the beautiful colors that adorned the walls.
Slowly gathering his bearings he decided to leave the room and wander the hallways both in hopes of exploring and seeing Felt, Reinhard and even Rom again, hoping the giant recovered okay.
Footsteps echoed through the hall as Subaru took in the various paintings ofred haired people, looking noble and stoic. All of them contained a sigil which he could only assume to be the symbol of their house.
Being the otaku he was, he loved them and could only be in awe of their battle scenes and knightley poses.
As he kept walking and looking at the portraits, one particular spot on the wall seemed empty as if someone had taken the painting off of it.
Put off by this, he sped up a bit and carried on ahead until he finally entered the gazebo. Light hit his eyes causing him to flinch and put his hand out to cover his face.
When his eyes finally adjusted to the light he was greeted by the most beautiful flower garden he had ever seen. Roses and Jasmines, carefully planted and cared for were in full bloom painting a scenery of red and white.
The light shone off the flowers and produced a sight so awe inspiring Subaru almost missed Reinhard approaching him.
"Good morning Subaru! Were you able to get a good rest?" Reinhard greeted him while warmly watching the flowers.
"I got a great rest Rein, all thanks to you carrying me to the room yesterday. I must say your home is truly beautiful, especially this garden. Who tends to it?" Subaru asked out of curiosity because he had not seen a lot of staff at the mansion.
Hearing this Reinhard's face fell a little leading him to wear a somber smile on his face.
"My grandmother used to, but it has since been tended to by me. She loved flowers and her love for them led me to love them too." He reminisced about the times when he was a child and his grandmother used to take him to the flower fields, how she always had a cheery smile on her kind face.
Noticing Reinhard's slightly downcast expression Subaru stepped a little closer to him and unknowingly Reinhard started patting him.
Feeling a little better, Reinhard realized what was happening and stopped although a bit reluctantly.
"Thank you Subaru, it seems I needed that more than I thought. I am certain grandmother would have loved to have you visit the flower fields." The words came out of his mouth with a tone of gratitude towards Subaru.
"No problem, Rein! Helping each other is what friends do right? Think nothing of it. By the way I was meaning to ask. I didn't see anyone in the mansion. Is everyone alright?" Subaru asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
Reinhard,as if he had remembered something, suddenly started leading him somewhere. Though it did seem strange, Subaru followed his lead and the duo traveled through the halls and came to a double gate which was lined with gold and white.
"It truly slipped my mind that Felt-sama had asked for me to fetch you for breakfast. As for the staff, I'm sure you will see them in the dining room." Reinhard said in a slight apologizing tone for his slip up and opened the double doors.
It led into a decently sized room filled with chairs, cutlery that looked expensive laid out over a long dining table which was covered by cream white cloth. The chandelier was detailed and had hundreds of little jewels sparkling like raindrops amongst the sky.
On the table itself were fragrant dishes ranging from meats, juices and fruits which made Subaru's mouth water. In the middle of all this was a rowdy golden haired storm scarfing down food as if there was no tomorrow.
"Yo Felt! Already started without me, did ya?!" Subaru playfully questioned the hampter looking girl in the middle of her battle against cake.
Felt looked at him happily and beckoned him to come over talking with her mouth full of food. "Bg- bhro dish food ish too gud!"
"Now-now calm down, Felt. Chew it all up before speaking." Subaru chuckled at her behavior. Felt, being from the slums, never had food of this quality so she was rightfully enjoying it as much as she could.
Before she could say anything a shadow appeared behind her, giving her goosebumps and stopping her right in the middle of a bite.
"G-Granny" was all she could manage before someone stepped forward into Subaru's view.
"Mind your manners, Felt-sama. You must learn to eat with proper table manners when with others-." Coughing a few times the older lady said in a stern tone to the golden ball of energy only to be interrupted.
"Bah! Granny, give me a break! It's only Big Br-" Felt tried to argue but was met with her fatal flaw.
"-Or there will be no more dessert." She finished in a final tone.
"I surrender!" Felt did not like to learn noble manners, but for dessert? Dessert was too precious to pass up.
Reinhard and Subaru chuckled at the scene and both took their respective places at the table.
"Subaru, This is Carol Remendis. Together, she and her husband Grimm serve as head maid and head butler. Along with them we have Flam and Grassis who help out around the house and are very capable despite their age." Reinhard explained while they ate.
"Young master has explained your circumstances to me, dear guest, and it seems that is the reason why I just cannot resist patting your head." Carol said while patting Subaru like a grandmother does her grandson.
Subaru was a little flustered but allowed it to go on as it felt good and he could see Carol was also really happy doing it.
Carol combed his hair back a bit with her hands and stopped a bit after that. Aside from the clinking of silverware there was not much conversation as Felt had learned her lesson and everyone was satisfied eating in comfortable silence.
"Ahh, that was awesome! I have never had food this good, you are an amazing chef, Carol-san!" Subaru complimented her and let out a sigh of content.
"He's right granny, your food is so good!" Felt exclaimed while also finishing the last of her plate.
It warmed Carol's heart to hear this and Reinhard was also very happy due to the happy atmosphere. She was about to respond when they all heard a loud crash like glass breaking and her mood immediately soured. She knew exactly what that sound was.
The loud noise caused Subaru and Felt to immediately stand up and be on edge.
They turned towards the door and saw a scraggly man in white uniform was swaying around with an intact and a broken bottle in his house.
"Now who decided it would be a good idea to let a demi and a sewer runt into MY HOUSE!?" The man glared at them with disgust.
"...Father." Reinhard muttered, devoid of emotion.
Heinkel Astrea had arrived.
