Chapter 10 - Hawkeye

Subaru always thought he would have a chosen one moment. A weapon would magically just feel right to him, and he would become strong. Isn't that how all great fantasy characters start off? The situation he landed himself in wasn't what he had in mind when he was asked to choose a weapon.

"You're terrible at everything?!" Felix was in complete shock. He started pulling on his hair, as he paced around the room. "Most people at least have a weapon they're decent at or even just bad at, but Subaru-Kyuh… you're terrible at everything. What's next, you're going to say your best weapon is a whip or something? I can't come back to Crusch-Sama without a weapon for you."

"Felix may have been harsh, but I agree with his assessment." Wilhelm didn't hesitate to share his opinion on the matter.

"You too!? Come on, I can't be that bad. The weapons around here are just lousy," Subaru tried to shift the blame.

Swords were completely out of the question. Subaru thought he'd be at least decent at them, but nope, Wilhelm flat out said he had zero potential with it. He struggled to even hold a morning star without hurting himself on the sharp parts. The best he could do with a spear was barely make a dent on a wooden target. Just as a finishing blow to his confidence, he missed every arrow he shot; the target was 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from him.

"I really don't knyow what to do with you," Felix's pride wouldn't let him bring Subaru back the Crusch without a weapon. His insistence was more for himself rather than Subaru.

"I believe Subaru-dono is ill fit to be a combatant. It may be more beneficial for him to focus on his studies." Wilhelm said. His suggestion went on Felix's deaf ear as the cat boy continued to try to find the perfect weapon.

"Subaru-kyuh can do something… maybe it's just the weapons." Felix awkwardly tried to deny Wilhelm's statement.

" I didn't think he'd actually use that excuse." Subaru once again noticed Felix's loyalty to Crusch. He didn't dare question any of the decisions she made and followed them to completion. Subaru was concerned for both Crusch and Felix. The person most loyal to you should also be the most honest. If Crusch chose a harmful path, would Felix follow without question? Those are all questions that lingered in his mind, but for now, he had no right to say anything.

"Mana…Complete…" With the words of someone else in his head, Scarlet started to visualize. It was almost like it was being made out of nothing, as his red friend appeared before him.

"You're awake! It may not be the best time since I'm about to do something embarrassing buddy." Subaru was happy to see his friend awake, but it showed up at the worst time. Subaru was worried about showing it how useless he was.

To his surprise, Scarlet just spun around his legs and moved towards a weapon. Subaru decided to follow what his buddy was so excited about. He was led to a black bow. It had a crimson accent that extended to the string. The grip in the middle had a fair amount of wear and tear, showing it had been used extensively. Not the worst weapon here, but not impressive. Scarlet and Wilhelm thought otherwise. Right next to the bow were a pair of gloves.

"I see, you have quite a smart spirit. It made the perfect suggestion for you." Wilhelm was impressed that Subaru's spirit thought of using this bow before him.

Felix stopped his search to see what the conversation was about. "I don't get it, Old Man Will. It just looks like a used bow to me." Felix said.

"These bows used to be created by a small tribe in Vollachia called the Shudrak. The story goes that the Shudraken people didn't have enough people to keep their tribe comfortable. They wanted to allocate people to areas they didn't have the manpower for. They were desperate for a solution so they tried to cut less important jobs; peculiarly, they deemed cooking to be nonessential, so they invented a flame-resistant bow to hunt animals. They burnt the arrow and put on fire-resistant gloves before killing their prey so its meat was good enough to eat right after the kill. It was the most efficient use of their time." Wilhelm finished his history lesson.

"Do animals even cook like that? I thought that only happened in video games." Subaru thought. Does this world have a different science system? At best, stabbing an arrow through an animal would half cook the area it was stabbed in, but the whole thing? No way. Subaru couldn't rule anything out though, because his rules may not apply.

"Ah, I see what you're saying kyow. His spirit used fire magic, so they could use spirit arts instead and a weapon to get the best results!" Felix was starting to get on board with the idea. Sure, the bow did look old, but it's still better than showing Crusch-Sama nothing.

"Spirits art with a bow? That sounds really cool… if only I knew what spirits art was." Subaru said with embarrassment.

"I keep forgetting you're nyew here. Well, spirit art is when you cast a spell, but half the work is done by you, and the other half is done by your spirit. The mana that is used in the spell also comes from nature, unlike a normal spell where it comes from your gate. In theory, if a spirit used less mana than it gained from nature, it could cast spells forever. Infinite spell loops require the contractor to put in some work too, and the spells used are always weak." Felix said.

"So basically you're telling me… if I put on those gloves, and used that bow, I can shoot fire arrows everywhere! That sounds awesome." Subaru said in an excited tone. Was this the start to him becoming overpowered?

"It isn't as easy as you make it out to be, but you have the gist of it Subaru-Dono," Wilhelm said.

"Come on nyow, try It out," Felix said. Excitement burnt within his eyes.

With those words, Subaru put on the gloves and picked up the bow. I was clear that it needed some slight repairs since it felt less refined than the other bows he tried. Splintered wood, fading color, questionable red spot, but for now, this was Subaru's Excalibur.

Scarlet seemed to be excited about trying to use spirit arts with Subaru. It kept moving around everyone in excitement.

With everything prepared, Wilhelm gets a target prepared for Subaru to attempt hitting. Now that he thought about it, even after Felix's explanation, he still didn't know what he was doing.

"I have no idea what I'm doing Felix-Sensei! Teach me well." Subaru said. All the excitement on Felix's face vanished, and he now had a look of disappointment. What was he expecting anyways?

"I guess I should explain how magic works. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Yin, and Yang. Those are the six elements of magic. Fire magic controls temperature, so ice and fire can be made with it. Water magic controls life, and healing." Felix showed a smug smile when mentioning water magic. "Wind magic controls the area outside of you, as well as the wind itself. Earth magic can control the area within you, as well as the ground. Finally, Yin magic weakens the enemy, or gives an ally a helpful condition, while Yang magic powers you, or your allies up."

"If I may, I shall explain spirit arts." Wilhelm decided to give Felix a rest and explain the rest. "To perform an incantation, you need mana. Usually, you generate it with rest, but spirits can obtain mana from the area around them. When you perform spirit arts, the focus and control of the spell is done by the contractor, while the mana and form of the spell is done by the spirit. In this case, you'll do a simple fire spell named goa. Your focus on making fire within your mind, while your spirit will focus on forming it into an arrow for you to use."

Subaru was enthralled by the topic. Magic systems in light novels, or anime usually are simple, or not even explained. It was interesting to learn a magic system that had logic, and reasoning behind it.

"So I just need to focus on creating fire. Even if I can do that, let's do this Felix!" Subaru was barely restraining himself now.

"Go for it Subaru-Kyuh!" Felix stepped back, preparing to see Subaru fail once again. "Remember, focus, then say Goa before shooting. You'll feel when your spirit is ready."

With Felix's word, Subaru backed up from the target and prepared his shot. He pulled the string of the bow back and started the visualize fire. He can imagine whole stories within his head, fire should be easy… right? He felt a block, it was like he couldn't think of anything at all. He could feel the warmth of Scarlet, a sign that it was ready.

"Just imagine some fire! It can't be this hard," Even though he tried with all of his might, he couldn't imagine. He had failed many times before. There was no spark, no confidence, nothing to make him feel the fire within his heart. Every fire within his life has burnt out, but he was isekai'ed here for a reason, there has to be a reason, so why can't he do anything correctly?

The onlookers didn't have the highest expectations. "Old Man Will, you think he can do it? It seems Subaru-kyuh is struggling to visualize the spell. Can he even perform magic?" Even if it was hidden, there was slight mockery within his word choice. Pessimism seeped into Felix's words.

Wilhelm's eyes were closed, not out of disappointment, but of deep thought. He nodded his head as if he found the answer to a question no one asked.

"Subaru-Dono, you can stop," Wilhelm said bluntly.

-Pov Change-

Subaru wasn't dumb, he knew what those words meant. He had failed to complete a magic spell, even with half of the workload taken off him.

"I can't even handle this much? I thought I would be overpowered, but at this rate, I'd be lucky to be decent."

Wilhelm walked over to Subaru, each step reminding him of the disappointment he must have for him. Once Wilhelm made it over to Subaru, it felt like he towered over him. He truly felt out of class.

"Subaru-Dono, do you have a goal?"

"A… goal?"

"What makes you want to get up in the morning? What makes you fight, live, sleep, and eat? Life is not a fair place for those with and without a goal. Some may hold more talent, smarts, or even wealth than you, but those with a drive will always make it ahead. Life doesn't stop when you die, life stops when you stop striving for anything." Wilhelm put his shoulder on Subaru's arm and gripped it tightly. "Imagine your goal, and let it be the fire within your soul."

All Subaru could do is look at Wilhelm with disbelief. This was too sudden, he was expecting punishment, not encouragement. His friends should leave him to rot, so why do they insist on bringing him with them?

"You know, with everything that has happened, I may have lost my way. Though, that isn't hard to believe with a person like me." Subaru was silent for a second, trying to collect his words. "What I'm trying to say is, leave it to me."

"That's the fire I want to see, I expect great things from you." Even though it was tiny, Subaru saw a grin on Wilhelm's mouth as he stood by Felix once more, waiting for his spell to be cast.

This time, with a smile, Subaru prepared his bow and felt the warmth within him. Why was he 『Natsuki Subaru』? What allowed him to live?

"I want my friends to be safe!" The flames of passion finally sparked. The flame was weak and could be blown out by a baby, but it was finally there. "I want to live up to his name!" The flames of rebellion grew within him. He wanted to rebel against his weakness, he didn't want to grow. "Most importantly… I WANT A HAPPY ENDING!" With those thoughts, his mental flame finally burst out into a fierce blaze, ready to be turned into a spell.

"GOA!" Scarlet finished off the spell to create a flaming arrow, ready to strike its target. With Confidence, he launched the flaming arrow, and much to his surprise, he hit the target! Sure, it was on the outer rings, but still, he hit it!

The target burst into a small flame as half of it was destroyed. Wilhelm casually swiped his arm to put out the fire with wind alone. Suddenly, Subaru was pulled into a hug by none other than Felix.

"You did it Subaru-Kyuh, you did it! Sure, it didn't do too much damage, and sure, it took a while for you to even visualize the spell, but you still did it. I'm so happy for myse-, I mean you!"

"That doesn't sound convincing at all! You're just happy for yourself!"

"Now, now, Subaru-kyuh. Happiness is happiness, regardless of the reason."

"You're not even trying to deny it!?" Despite his tone, a smile could be seen on his face.

"Congratulations Subaru-Dono. You have a long way to go, but this is a workable arrangement. I'll have the bow in pristine condition by tomorrow." Wilhelm commended Subaru for his efforts.

"Thanks," Subaru looked down at his bow. What should he name it? How about a star name? It's meant to be fire resistant, so how about Mulu Lizi? It means man of fire, so it fits well. "Yeah, Mululizi seems like a good name for it?"

Felix just stared at Subaru. "Did you just come up with that on the spot? It doesn't sound dangerous at all. I thought you'd be the type to name it Death Bringer."

"H-Hey! It's totally a cool name; it means man of fire."

"I don't know what to say to that. Never heard of it."

"By the way, shouldn't I also get a short-distance weapon? Maybe some twin blades or a scythe?"

Silence.

Not a single sound.

"You're funny Subaru-Kyuh. I'll go and report your weapon to Crusch-sama." With rushed steps, Felix stepped out of the room. Not before slamming the door closed.

It took Subaru a few seconds to process what just happened. "HEY, I'm not that bad!" Subaru once more took a blow to his self-esteem. Scarlet tried to cheer him up by spinning around him.

"Well then, Subaru-Dono, let's begin."

"Begin… what?"

Wilhelm got into a fighting stance. Subaru couldn't see an aura coming from him, but he swore he should have had it. Wilhelm's eyes changed from that of an old man to a hardened demon.

"Training."

The rest of Subaru's day was spent getting punched and kicked as he constantly failed to prepare any of his spells on time. Scarlet tried to use spells without Subaru, but Wilhelm promptly banned it. He could only use spells if he had some part in activating them. With all of his failures, he did manage to start making spells a bit quicker than before. Subaru knew it was going to be an arduous process to improve, but he had to do it. Not for himself, but for everyone else.

Two weeks have passed since Subaru arrived at the Karsten manor. He has gotten to know the various personalities throughout the manor. He trains with Wilhelm in the morning; he would like to say that he has gotten a lot better, but at best he has gotten to slightly below average, if you were stretching it you could say he was decent with his bow now.

Felix was a bit more of an oddball whenever he showed up. He didn't have a set time or reason to meet him, but they would always figure out a way to spend some time together. Crusch on the other hand has become more of a scheduled meeting. He would visit her an hour or two before he went to sleep and would tell her stories, or concepts from his world. The conversations went from talking about butterflies to democracy and then back to stuff like flowers. Subaru would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the time he spends with Crusch.

Felt has started becoming less of a tsundere, and more of a.… friend. It was still embarrassing for Subaru to admit it since the age difference was pretty big, but then Felix pointed out that he was technically friends with Wilhelm, and that put into perspective his thinking.

Lastly, Rom. Surprisingly he only really saw Rom twice outside of his argument with Wilhelm. He would always disappear during the day and come back after everyone was already asleep. The only one that saw him on a daily basis was Felt, and she never mentioned how they always got together without anyone else knowing.

Subaru spent most of his time studying battle strategies, history, and the damn language. What kinda god decided that everyone here should speak Japanese, but have a different language!?

Crusch test's him pretty often with different strategies. Usually, she sends him outside with everyone but Wilhelm and herself and gives him the task of retrieving an item within the manor without getting defeated by Wilhelm, or herself. Even with Felix, and Felt, he has failed every single time. Crusch keeps repeating her same advice of "Think of a strategy that is uniquely yours," Like, what does that even mean?

Currently, Subaru was painting a piece of wood with checkered spots. There were small pieces of uniquely shaped figures all over the ground.

"Finally, I'm done! Why does making a checkered pattern board take so long?" Subaru said with an exasperated tone. His fingers had black and white paint all over him.

He placed down the board, picked up some of the pieces on the floor, and put them into a small bag. Subaru and Felt had gotten a table and chair next to their beds for any late-night study. They still shared a room, even though they planned on asking Crusch if they could move; the idea slipped from their minds, or maybe, just maybe, they liked being in the same room.

Subaru smirked at his achievement. "Crusch has been destroying me every chance she got. This time, she will be the one to lose, since I'm a…" Subaru did his signature move. He bend his back, pointed his figure to the sky, and struck his smile. "chess master!"

SLAM!

"Uwawa! W-What the hell, ever heard of knocking!" Subaru screamed as he fell from the sudden slam of the door to reveal Felix. Like usually, he had his smug smile.

"Sowwie about that Subaru-kyuh. I just got excited when you mentioned Crusch-Sama." Felix winked at him.

"Ok, what's the real reason you're here." Subaru's eyes brow raised. He has grown to know Felix enough to know he always has a couple of reasons to visit someone. Unless it's Crusch, she always gets the pass.

"Crusch-Sama called you." As if the future landed right into Subaru's head, Felix admitted his reasoning for being here. It's been a while since Crusch called him outside of their scheduled time, so he was curious to see what this was about.

"Knew it." He dutifully followed Felix outside. The manor's signature tomboy was leaning on the wall, now with a new butler outfit.

"I still don't know why you wanted a butler outfit so badly blo- Felt-chan. You looked cyute as a maid." Felix tried his best to compliment Felt.

"What's up? You bringing that thingy you were working on?" Felt breezed past Felix and made her way to Subaru. She noticed the bag he was carrying. "You were talking a lot about it yesterday."

"It's ready! I'm beating Crusch-Tan today, so watch out."

Felix gripped his heart in feint sadness. "This is how you treat me, Felt-Chan? Ouch."

Felt side glanced at Felix and continued to ignore him. Though she did have a smile on her face.

"Well, live strong, and fight strong. Wish you luck, nii-san." Felt turned toward Felix. "Now, let's get on with this, cat." Smugness radiated from her.

"You're too much Felt-Chan." Felix then started walking to Crusch's room.

Once they made it to Crusch's room, they were surprised by her lack of paperwork. She was drinking some tea on her couch. She had two big couches opposite each other with a table in the middle. There was also a small couch on the front and back of the table. Totaling 4 couches.

"Good afternoon Crusch-Tan! It's rare seeing you without any work." Subaru enthusiastically welcomed himself in.

Without changing her expression, she gave a thumbs up. "I haven't slept, so it's expected to be completed."

"Y-you haven't slept?! I saw you sleeping yesterday night, what happened?" Felix was immediately in panic mode.

"Worry not. My body awoke with a message to work. That's all." Crusch took a sip of her tea.

"Crusch-Onee-san, are you the type that doesn't stop working?" Felt scolded her. She wasn't the best person to be saying it, but it was still true regardless.

"It's not that I prefer working. I prefer completing my goal, and if that requires work, then I shall do it." Crusch finished her tea and placed it on the table. "Now, let's start this meeting swiftly. It's about the royal selection."

Subaru could tell she was trying to switch topics, but everything he wanted to say was already said by Felt and Felix. He was once again unable to provide anything. He decided to follow Crusch's demand and sat down. Felt and Felix were a bit more hesitant but eventually followed as well.

"Well, Crusch-tan, before you continue, I brought something I'd like you to try out." He pulled out his chess board, and the pieces, and organized everything. "This game is called Chess. It's a basic simulation of war. I would like to challenge you at it."

"This indeed sounds fascinating. Since you're our battle coordinator, this should help you." Crusch tilted her head. "But, I don't see how this could simulate war."

Subaru went on to explain the rules of Chess to her. It took no time for her to start picking up on how everything flowed. She eventually started a game with him.

"Well, since Felt-Chan, and Felix are here, let's converse during our game." A small sign of relief was heard from Felt. She wasn't the type to watch other people play around passively

"Ok, that just makes it easier for you to lose." With that, Subaru made its first move.

"If you recall, I explained that when you two are more acclimated with our lifestyle, I would explain to you my political plan." Crusch paused to choose her move and then continued. "I feel you're now accustomed to living here, so I believe it would be best to talk about it now."

"Political planning, huh? I feel like this is a job I should be helping with but I'm still in training." Subaru wanted to start working as quickly as he could, but he wasn't yet ready for the position, so for now, he was training, and studying.

"I'm sure you've all heard of the white whale before," Crusch asked. Her face changed from its neutral stance sharply, before resuming to look plainly.

"I think everybody has heard of it before. It's a huge pain for everyone." Felt commented. She wasn't the smartest person in the manor, but she still knew about the three great Mabeasts.

Crusch stopped playing chess and stood up. The confident smile that enchanted Subaru returned in an instant, as she chose her words carefully.

Subaru has heard of the white whale multiple times in his studies. There have been multiple known incidents revolving around it, but surprisingly there aren't many specifics about it, besides a drawing of it that was made many years ago. Even with such little information, Subaru knew that it was a threat to humanity that needed to be taken out, but nobody has the guts, time, or money to properly hunt it down.

"We. Will. Strike. It. Down." With that, the whole room's eyes were on Crusch. "It has been an enemy of the people for far too long. The laziness that the dragon has brought upon us by its contract has made the population too weak for a battle. I refuse to let the contract weaken me, unlike others. I'll show my strength with the dead body of the whale by my side!"

Even if some things flew past his understanding, his heart started beating rapidly. There was something about how she spoke and moved that made him want to follow her, even to death. He wanted to scream a cry of joy. Is this how Felix views her all the time?

"There is one major obstacle for us to achieve this goal." At the mention of the problem, their breath stopped as the room was pitch silent, waiting for her to continue. "The whale's fog has been spotted near the Vollachia-Lugnica border. This information along with records suggest that it'll be visiting Lugnica very soon."

"Isn't that a good thing Crusch-Tan? We can strike it without needing to run around looking for some fat whale." Subaru would rather not spend too much time looking for it.

"That's exactly the problem, it's coming too close for us not to strike." Crusch slammed her hand onto the table. The tea barely managed not to spill. "The knights that have been diligently chosen by the royal family have become pigs since their demise. They have yet to find the 5th candidate for the royal selection. The best time to play the political game is when you're on the board, if we strike before the first day of the royal selection, that'd be akin to playing the game before you're even on the board. Every achievement you do after the game begins is worth triple everything you've done before."

Crusch's anger swiftly turned back into a confident smile as her eyes grazed across Subaru and Felt. "That's where you two will be useful." Crusch said as she stepped in front of them.

Felt and Subaru were surprised at the sudden mention of them. What would Crusch want from them?

"On this day, I assign Subaru Natsuki, our Battle Coordinator, and Felt, our secondary butler, a mission," She took a short pause, and resumed "Find the missing candidate before the White Whale arrives."

Crusch wants him to find a candidate that not even the knights could. He knew that Crusch would be a demanding leader, but isn't this stretching his abilities beyond their limit? Is he good enough to do this? Should he say n-.

His father would do it.

That's the only thought Subaru needed to have. He would accept this mission with grace. Felt and Felix on the other hand were a bit more shocked.

"Wait! How are we going to be able to search the whole capital, hell, all of Lugnica to find one person." Felt took the skeptical route.

"Crusch-sama, I knew we were going after the whale, but you haven't mentioned this plan to me! If they are going, wouldn't it also be reasonable for your knight to go with," Felix was flabbergasted at the Crusch's demand. Why did she exclude him!?

"For Felt-Chan's question, I have information on where to start, you won't half to worry about looking too far." Crusch then turned her head towards Felix. "As for you, they are the perfect people for this job. Felt is relatively unknown, is known to be sneaky, and is acclimated to talking to more vile people. Subaru-dono is from a different reality, so he's completely unknown. Everyone else is too known around here to do this mission properly."

"So-sorry for doubting you Crusch-Sama, it won't happen again." Felix's cat ears drooped.

A small frown was summoned on Crusch's face. "Doubt isn't bad…" Crusch muttered out.

"There it was again. Something happened between them. I don't know what's going on, but it can't be good." Subaru thought to himself. Felix and Crusch usually were very close, but sometimes that had small moments like these, and it's starting to pile up on Subaru.

She then shifted her attention towards Subaru. "You've been silent Subaru-Dono, is anything not to your liking?"

"Ah, sorry about that. I was just zoning out." Subaru shook his head back to reality. "I would be more than happy to do anything Crusch-Tan asks." Subaru then pulled off his signature toothy smile.

"You're starting to sound like the cat," Felt muttered.

Subaru did end up hearing what she said and cringed as he realized that he was starting to sound more like Felix. He needed to catch himself before he became too much like him.

"Well, if it's not impossible, I'll try to complete it. I have a debt to pay off after all." Felt started to psych herself up for this new task. "5th candidate, here I come, you better be prepared!"

"I'm glad you're getting into the spirit," Crusch said.

"Now that's settled, where do we start looking anyway?" Subaru questioned. He would be willing to do the task, but he was promised a starting location.

"Wilhelm was able to locate a person that comes to the Costuul Casino often around sunset. His name is Orphe, and he is described as an elderly person with multiple women around him at all times." Even Crusch had a slight blush when she mentioned it. "He has a reputation of knowing more than he lets on. It would be wise to extract some information from him. If he asks you for money, use this." Crusch threw a small pouch of money at Felt, and she instinctively caught it. The bag has more holy coins than she has ever seen in her life.

"Don't show him the bag, just pay him the minimum you think he'll take." Crusch went back to her desk. "Well, hurry along now, the sun is about to set after all." Crusch pointed to the window. "You're excused."

With those words, Felix and Felt made their swift exit.

"Call me anytime Crusch-Sama!" Felix said before leaving.

"See ya Crusch-Onee-San! I'll tell ya what we got when we come back."

Before Subaru could leave, he was called over by Crusch. "Wait, Subaru-dono. I have something I need to say to you." Crusch called him over to her desk.

"What is it Crusch-Tan? Anything up?" Subaru was worried about what she needed from him.

"I just wanted to give you a proposition for our trial battle coordinator." Crusch smiled, "If you manage to impress me with this mission, then I'll allow you to request anything you want within my power, and you'll receive it. As you know, this is a rather important mission, so failure is not an option."

"A-anything?" Subaru formed a blush.

"Anything." Crusch was a bit confused as to why Subaru had a blush. Was he sick or something?

"Well, you just motivated me by a factor of 100000. You'll get nothing less than perfection!" Subaru did his special pose to show how excited he was.

"By the way, I was just curious about something. You said there was one candidate left, but how do you even know that?" Subaru said as he returned to his normal position.

"When you have someone like Wilhelm on your side, information about the kingdom becomes easier to access.

Subaru remembered when he was first brought to this world, and meant up with the guards at the front. It was obvious that they had a lot of respect from him, so was Wilhelm a local celebrity or something.

"Thanks for answering. See you later, Crusch-tan." Subaru started to walk away.

"Not so fast." Crusch pointed at the Chessboard. "I just wanted to inform you of your loss, Checkmate."

"Wait, how did that happen!?" Subaru realized that he was playing in auto-pilot mode. Whenever Crusch passed by him, she moved her pieces, and he moved his without thinking.

"King, Queen, Pawn, Rook, Bishop, and lastly… the Knight. Those are the pieces of the game." Crusch looked her right in the eye. "Which will you become, Natsuki Subaru?" With those words, she let out a small giggle. Subaru was very confused by the sudden personality change.

"Well, enough of my ramblings. You may leave now. Good luck." With those final words, Subaru was able to finally begin his mission.

His first clue? Casino.

Edit: Just adding this in at the end since I got a question in a review. Subaru uses a bow to save mana. Subaru and Scarlet don't have much mana, and Scarlet can't pull that much mana out of nature since it's a minor spirit. So, they save mana by using physical force (bow) to move the fire arrow, also the bow is designed for fire arrows, which makes them stronger. Wilhelm knew this, which is why he recommended this option.

Author's Notes: 8/2/2022.

It's now August, my least favorite month. Yay…

Anyhow… how the hell did this chapter reach 5.7k words? The Elsa fight had fewer words than this. Well, I guess music while writing does wonders, huh? Hope this makes up for the short chapter last upload.

Orphe is a character from Re:Zero Ex 3. He was Wilhelm's prison mate when he was thrown in a cell for a while. Would you guys be interested in me rewriting how they met as a side story?

In summary, Subaru got a bow in this chapter and can make fire arrows. Rather slowly, but that's something he can work on. There was a time skip, the characters got to know each other better, and they were assigned a mission to find the candidate. You know what that means? The arc actually started XD. The past 2 chapters were arc 1.5

Lastly, Thank you Mistalenny on FFN for the kind review, and LastRemnant on Ao3 for engaging with me in the last chapter. All the comments and reviews are so kind. Love you guys.

Bluewavegunner8#4069 was my beta reader, so thank you!

See ya on Saturday, maybe Wednesday if I finish that side story I've been working on. It will be really sad since it involves Subaru's parents and how they're doing.

-TonkaDev