A.N.: Chapter 16! Here we go. Thank you all for reading this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Today was the day.
Harisson nervously examined the dishes he'd laid out on the center table. Aris hadn't asked for any special preparations, but… Od's sake, it was a royal candidate he was expecting! He couldn't treat them frivolously! Even now, he'd barely gotten used to treating Emilia like a regular person, and she was surrounded by people he knew and mostly got along with. This… this was a complete unknown. He deeply wished Aris had specified which candidate it would be. At least then he'd have some idea what he was getting into.
His hands nervously tapped at the counter as his eyes took in the empty inn. Technically, he wasn't closed. Effectively though, everyone knew what was going on and was giving the place a wide berth. He could hardly blame them, but still wished he had someone, anyone, to distract him from his nervousness.
Then, suddenly, a sound reached his ears. The approaching sounds of a ground dragon-led carriage. He nearly jumped at the sound, frantically examining himself and his state of dress. He'd gone for a smart-casual look, and found himself floundering with hysteric hesitation now. Should he have committed to one style? Would he look half-assed, would he have looked like he was trying too hard or not enough if he had committed? The ever-serious and strict innkeep for a relaxed candidate, or a man of the people to a 'holier than thou' type? He had no way of knowing. And now, it was too late to change. He could hear footsteps outside now, getting closer and closer.
He couldn't do this. He had to run, had to escape, call Subaru, Ram, anyone for help…
The door slammed open before he could act, Harisson barely able to stop himself from letting out a nervous yelp.
"Yo! Bartender!" The voice of the new arrival was exuberant, clearly quite young and tomboyish. "One beer for me!"
Harisson dared look at her, eyes wide. Blond hair tied in a ponytail. A red scarf wrapped around her neck, with black cloth covering her chest and leaving her midriff exposed. Eyes that just screamed mischief. He gulped. The youngest of the Royal Candidates, a recent announcement.
Lady Felt. A literal teenager barely older than Garfiel. Oh Od, this was going to be even more difficult than planned.
"Lady Felt…" A second voice called out from behind her, a hint of disapproval in it. "This is not the most polite way of introducing oneself to someone."
"Psch!" Felt pouted as a red haired man wearing a royal knight outfit came to join her. "You're seriously no fun! C'mon, this is like a vacation!" She slapped his arm, the man not flinching one bit as Harisson felt his eyes widen. "Relax a damn bit, Reinhard!"
His brain froze. Red hair. Royal knight. Of course, he was… he was Lady Felt's knight after all. Reinhard. The Sword Saint. He had the damn Sword Saint in his inn!
This time, he couldn't help the faint whimper from escaping him.
Felt groaned at the sight. "Damnit! See what you did? You scared him!" The blond dashed towards the counter; Literally dashed, crossing the room in an instant, and there was no way that wasn't a divine protection because she just crossed over a dozen meters nearly instantly. "Don't let his fancy words and outfit intimidate ya, Reinhard's a big pushover!" She grinned at him, a happy, childish smile. "'Sides, we're here on break! Aren't we Reinhard?" She added, turning to the knight whose expression had barely changed from his casual smile.
"Technically, we are here as a favor for one of your future subjects…"
Harisson closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Right. He could do this. They were still customers, it was poor manners for him to be freaking out. He could do this. He could do this!
He opened his eyes.
The friendly, smiling face of the Sword Saint greeted him, standing right in front of the counter, his face a mere few inches away from his.
Nevermind. He couldn't do this.
"H…" He gulped, his hands clutching the underside of the counter. "Hell there… wel… welcome to…"
"Oh come on…" Lady Felt groaned, looking at him with annoyance. "We aren't gonna eat ya! Grow a spine!"
"Lady Felt…" Reinhard said reproachfully. "A bit of tact would not be reminisce…"
"No." Harisson softly said, embarrassment at the teen's admonishment pooling in his gut; Double that she was entirely right. "She is right. My sincerest apologies." He'd faced down an assassin intent on murdering him. He ignored the fact that she had succeeded. He'd been torn so many times at the hands of the Witch. This… this was nothing. He took another deep breath, a smile on his face. "Good morning. Welcome to my inn." So far so good. He did his best to resist his eyes flickering to the numbers over their heads. No need for him to make this first impression even worse. "How many I serve you today?"
"Geez, took ya long enough!" Lady Felt grinned. "I'll have a beer!"
"We do not serve alcohol to minors." Harisson said without losing his smile, the jitters washed away as professionalism took forefront within him. "No exceptions, even for future royalty I'm afraid."
"Ugh, seriously?" She rolled her eyes. "This isn't what I meant by grow a spine… whatever." She huffed. "Get me a glass of milk then."
"Lady Felt…" Reinhard softly said.
"Pleaaaaaase." She drawled sarcastically.
"Sir Reinhard is right. Royal candidate or not, manners never hurt anyone." He admonished, watching her blink in surprise.
"Huh. Wow, that is… quite the flip from just a few seconds ago." She leaned forward, Harisson nearly taking a step back as she almost headbutted him. "Hey, you got a switch or something?"
"Alright, that is enough." Reinhard grabbed her by the collar, gently depositing her back in the chair. "My sincerest apologies sir Harisson."
"Oh Od… please, come on, I can't have the Sword Saint call me sir…" Harisson quickly argued, shaking his head. "Just call me Harisson."
"Harisson it is." Reinhard immediately agreed.
Well that was easy. Huh.
"Well if that's the case, call me Felt!" She stuck her tongue out. "None of this 'Lady' business! I ain't one of them pompous nobles!" She adamantly argued.
"I…" Harisson looked at Reinhard for guidance, receiving a simple shrug in response. "Very well. Felt."
"He." She grinned smugly.
He reached down, filling a glass of milk for the girl. "What about you, Si… Reinhard, what can I get for you?"
"Oh…" The knight seemed caught off guard for a moment. "I am… a little unsure. I hadn't planned on…"
"It's an inn dummy. Ya gotta eat and drink." Felt teased the knight with a chuckle. "Take that stick out yer ass and get something nice."
"Language." Harisson said with a frown.
"I'm like, fifteen. That's not even close to the worst I can do." She flippantly replied.
"If that was supposed to impress me, it failed." He blankly responded. The girl was acting so much like a teen that it was easy to forget she was a royal candidate, so much so Harisson found himself slowly relaxing and falling into more familiar banter. "Swearing is the lowest form of wit. If you need it to insult people, you've already conceded you can't come up with something better."
"That sounds like pretentious bullshit to make yerself feel better." She giggled at his annoyed expression. "Seriously Reinhard. Get yourself something."
"I…" The knight looked so lost, it was pitiable. And wasn't that the last bloody thing Harisson had expected himself to be feeling, pity for the strongest knight in the realm. Quite possibly the strongest individual, depending on how he would fare against such powerful entities as Great Spirits or Roswaal. He shivered at the thought of the clown. "Do you… do you have recommendations?" Reinhard lamely finished.
"Well, the Appa Juice is pretty much our trademark at this point…" Harisson chuckled. "It's Subaru's favorite drink."
"Subaru?" Reinhard's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you mean Natsuki Subaru?"
"Are there many Subaru's in the realm? I thought it was a fairly uncommon name…" Harisson chuckled. "But yes, the very same. You know him?"
"Oh, big bro?" Felt said curiously. "Yeah, met him at the capital. Saved my skin from some bitch called Elsa. Things got real dicey. S'how I met Reinhard as well. Bastard kidnapped me, can you believe it?!"
"I… I can't." Harisson admitted. "And Elsa, really? We faced her here actually. She's dead."
"Seriously?! Persistent one she is…" Felt frowned. "Or was I guess. That's good to hear I guess. Glad to hear big bro didn't bite it."
"There were reasons for the kidnapping." Reinhard argued and wow, did that mean Felt was right? "But yes, I know Subaru. We are…" Reinhard hesitated. "Friends. At least, I would like to think so."
"Oh!" Harisson grinned. "Well, that makes things easier! Any friend of Subaru is a friend of mine." Impulsively, he reached his hand out. "Let's do this properly. Harisson. Innkeep at Arlam, and victim of Subaru's many misadventures."
Reinhard hesitated only a moment before grabbing the hand back. "Reinhard Van Astrea. Royal knight, and friend of Subaru at your service."
"Oi!" The blond teen leaned forward, grabbing both their hands. "Don't let me out! Felt, royal candidate despite myself and professional ass kicker!"
"A pleasure to meet you both." Harisson frowned. "I believe Subaru mentioned his exploits at the capital…" His deaths. The ones that had occurred before he ever met Harisson. "But I do not believe he ever shared all the details."
"Oh man…" Felt's eyes were shining. "You're in for a treat!"
She proceeded to go on a long rant describing the events of the day, including the part where she apparently stole a royal insignia and had met Subaru, acting very strange and seemingly knowing of the attack before it even happened. Harisson felt his heart clench. Oh Subaru… he'd had to face this on his own, hadn't he? No, that wasn't quite right… his eyes turned to Reinhard. He'd had them. And Emilia. And it hadn't been enough, at least once. Od. No wonder he was so paranoid.
"Jeez… so much happened before we even met." Harisson sighed. "Well, you have my gratitude, both of you. Without you, Subaru might not have made it here." He hadn't, a few times. But there was no point dwelling on this.
"Ha! It's mostly big guy's exploit here." Felt pointed to Reinhard. "Man's a monster, I swear. Can take out anything out there!"
"Anything, huh…" Harisson said to himself.
"Lady Felt is too kind." Reinhard said with a smile. It didn't feel very sincere. "I am a simple knight."
"He's humble to an annoying degree as well." Felt groaned. "Like serious pain in the ass."
"I see." Harisson chuckled. "Well Reinhard, here is your drink. Almost forgot, distracted by Felt's tale here." He handed the glass to the knight, who gulped it in a single shot.
Huh.
Well then.
"That was quite good." Reinhard said with a smile. The same damn smile. Had the man changed expressions since arriving?
"I hear I owe you my thanks for assisting Aris." He mentioned, trying to distract himself. "Although he has yet to inform me what the trouble even was…"
"Oh yeah." Felt shrugged. "Was Reinhard who took care of it really. From what I get, some thugs were trying to pressure your relative into protection money before Reinhard noticed and dealt with them."
"Well… I can't say I'm all too surprised." Harisson admitted with a sigh. "These things are far too common in the larger cities."
"Hm." Felt grunted. "Just how it is."
"Not a pleasant status-quo." Harisson sighed. "Still, many thanks. It's a relief to hear the matter was resolved." He frowned, glancing behind them. "Speaking of him, I thought Aris was meant to be with you."
"Ah, nah he couldn't make it after all." Felt answered. "Needed to fix up the inn. Reinhard tends to do a lot of collateral damage." She said with a cackling laughter.
Reinhard looked somewhat sheepish. "I do deeply regret having caused so much trouble."
"Better some damage to the inn tahn the person." Harisson replied. "You didn't cause trouble, you ended it. Don't beat yourself over this."
Reinhard blinked in surprise, before that easy smile found its way back on his face. "Very well."
As Felt began pestering Reinhard for his overly-apologetic nature, a thought came to Harisson's mind. Hesitation and embarrassment washed over him in response, but … Reinhard was the strongest knight. Od, the strongest in the kingdom. Who else but him could help where all others had failed?
"I…" His strained words caught both their attention, Felt's eyes narrowing whilst Reinhard merely looked curious. "I hate to ask this of you, seeing as you have recently saved Aris, but… I have a great favor to ask. An official request for aid from a royal knight, if you will." Harisson gulped, his heart beating fast.
"Quite bold of ya." Felt said with a sharp grin. "Shouldn't ya be asking the local big guy in charge for that? The Margrave, right?"
"He is…" Harisson hesitated. No matter how tempting the thought of unleashing them on the clown, the bastard was still needed by Emilia. "Unreliable."
"This is a harsh way of describing him." Reinhard said with a frown.
"Trust me. There are reasons." Harisson assured. "I…" He swallowed hard. His throat felt dry. "There is a girl. A maid who has visited this inn previously. One that I would like to think I was beginning to become friends with." He gripped the edge of the counter. "Even more so, she is someone deeply precious to those closest to me, including Subaru." He chuckled bitterly, remembering how the raven-haired boy had reacted to the maid's fate. "Especially Subaru."
They were listening quietly to him, faces intent. He could not begin to guess what they were thinking. Still, despite the anxiety, he continued. "She fell prey to the arch-bishop of Gluttony. She lives, but has fallen into a coma, never to wake until the arch-bishop is defeated."
"Gluttony…" Reinhard whispered, pain etched in his expression. Did the knight have personal experience with them?
"Indeed." He took a deep breath. "I ask of you. Plead, no, beg of you. Please." He dropped to his knees, lowering his head. "Please. Help save her. I… I'm not strong enough." Entities like Garfiel had shown that quite clearly. An Arch-Bishop? Not a chance. "I can't do anything for her." He took another trembling breath. "The vision of the blue haired girl, laying motionless on her bed, haunted him. They'd saved everyone at Sanctuary, save for Ryuzu. Ryuzu, he could do nothing about. Rem…
He looked up, his expression twisted in desperation. "I… I owe little, but whatever I have is yours! All my gold, my sword, whatever it is, take it! Just… please…" He lowered his head once more. "Please. Save her."
Silence reigned in the inn for a moment, interrupted only by Harisson's anxious breathing. He knew he looked pathetic. Od, he was pathetic. It was humiliating, debasing himself so, pleading and offering everything he could. But if it meant a chance to save Rem… to save Subaru's friend, one who had saved them when Harisson couldn't; To save Ram's sister, whose precious memories had been so ruthlessly erased, severing a bond that had clearly been so precious to her; The girl who had greeted Harisson with a smile and offered to be friends when he was still so new to Arlam.
Even if it meant dragging himself in the mud. For a chance to save her… he would never forgive himself if he didn't try his damndest. He blamed Subaru and his 'no one left behind' attitude. He'd gone so far, tried so hard to save Harisson even when the threat looming over them was the damned Witch herself, and by the Od Laguna Harisson was not about to fail to repay that dedication!
"Alright." The words cut through Harisson's messy thoughts like a sword through butter.
"E…Eh?! Reinhard?!" Felt exclaimed. "Just like that?! He spouts off like this, and you just agree?!"
"He is not wrong. The Arch-Bishops are a threat that needs to be put down. And Subaru is a friend. If someone precious to them was put in such a state by them…" Reinhard's expression was severe, yet still kind. It was a wonder how he could pull something like that off. "Then I wish to see the matter rectified. And what sort of knight refuses such an earnest plea from one of our very own citizens?" He added with a gentle smile.
"That's not even half the problem and you know it!" Felt argued with a frustrated growl. "Look, I'm not a fan of the witch cult, okay? Bastard can choke on their own blood for all I care. But if it was that easy to take them down, it would have been done ages ago!" Felt turned to Harisson. "What, you think you're the first one to ask Reinhard to take down the witch cult?! It's not that easy! Those assholes are sneaky, they know how to be discreet when they need to be! And Reinhard is a very good reason to be sneaky!"
"I…" Harisson lowered his head. He had considered that. It had been a fool's errand after all.
"Lady Felt… you are not wrong. Were we to go hunt down Gluttony, I would not even know where to begin looking." Reinhard admitted. "But the Emilia camp seems to have a tendency to attract those. First Sloth from what I have heard, then Gluttony and Greed? This cannot be a coincidence."
"C'mon…" Felt rolled her eyes. "Look, I love big sis, but we all know why she attracts the witch cult."
Harisson rose to his feet, his eyes narrowed. "The Witch."
"She looks painfully like her. It's all anyone talks about when it comes to her." Felt grumbled. "The fanatics are having a field day."
"Unfortunately." Reinhard agreed. "Still, whilst I cannot strictly aid here… perhaps, an alliance?" Reinhard suggested, catching both of their attentions. "Nothing too strict or permanent, but at least regarding the Witch Cult. These individuals are extremely dangerous, and regardless of the outcome of the Royal Selection we could all benefit from having them removed from the playing field."
"That's…" Felt closed her eyes. "Ugh, I was forced into this stupid selection anyways. What the hell."
"Um…" Harisson floundered. Things were happening far too fast for him. "I… I really don't think I've got any authority or thing of the sort to negotiate something like that…"
Felt looked at him curiously. "Really?" She placed her head in her hand, a grin on her face. "With how you speak of them, and how far you're willing to go… I'd have thought that would have been obvious."
"Nothing official." Harisson sighed, leaning against the counter. "I've just been dragged into the madness that seems to follow Subaru like the plague. It just so happened that I made some friends along the way."
"I see." Felt nodded. "Whadya think Reinhard?" She asked the knight curiously.
"I think that such a matter would be best discussed with Lady Emilia and the rest of her camp." The knight eventually said. "No use burdening Harisson here with such heavy political decisions."
"Thank Od." Harisson grumbled as he collapsed on the counter, the nerves finally getting to him as the adrenaline faded, Felt laughing as she patted his back.
"Aw, look at em. He's all crumpled up. So cute. Can we keep him?" She asked, grinning at Reinhard.
"You can certainly ask Subaru when we next meet him, but I cannot guarantee it will work." Reinhard answered with an amused smile.
Harisson spotted someone at the window. A mere flash, but it was enough to make him frown.
"If you two wouldn't mind…" Harisson muttered as he stepped from behind the counter, getting two curious looks in answer. "I just need to check on something."
Felt and Reinhard fell into conversation amongst themselves as Harisson walked out of the inn, glancing to the left. He closed the door, stepping past the window and facing the person leaning against the wall with crossed arms.
"Ram." He said with slight exasperation. "What are you doing here?"
The maid pushed herself off the wall, turning her neutral face towards him. "Keeping an eye on you. Making sure you don't do or say anything stupid." She glanced at him. "Getting to see you on your knees was a nice bonus." She added with a smirk.
His face erupted in red. She'd seen that. Oh Od, she'd seen that. "I…" He gulped. "Look, I just…"
"It's fine." She walked up to him, poking him in the chest. "I understand why you did it. And I appreciate it. I really do." Her smile grew smug. "Still. I'd have expected a dog like Barusu to be the first to do so. You surprise me yet again Harisson."
"Ram. Please." He mumbled, burying his face in his hands, his words coming out muffled.
"Fine, fine." She sighed. "What were you thinking, putting yourself in such debt…" She reached out, patting him on the head. "Stupid boy."
"I'm older than you." He grumbled, looking away with his cheeks on fire.
"Barely." Ram retorted. "And I am more mature."
"Debatable." He sighed. "Is that seriously why you're here? Just to make sure I'm not doing anything stupid?"
"If that were the case, I would have barged in the moment you got on your knees." She chuckled at his groan. "No, I…" She hesitated. "I came of my own volition."
"Huh?" Harisson sighed. "Did you really trust me so little?"
"I was concerned, you idiot." She replied bluntly.
"Oh." He looked away, embarrassed. "Sorry."
"You are not excused." She retorted. "You were meeting an unknown royal candidate. I do not care what their intentions are, but I was not going to leave you alone with them." She sighed. "Perhaps I was being a tad paranoid."
"I can't blame you honestly." He admitted. "With all that happened recently… maybe a bit of paranoia is warranted." He stretched. Cleaning the inn made his muscles quite soar. "So, I'm guessing you heard what was talked about?"
"Yes. I'll return to the manor and discuss this with the Emilia camp."
"Oh? No more spying on me?" He asked with a teasing grin.
"I'm confident that Lady Felt and Sir Reinhard will not cause you any trouble." She simply replied. "Besides. I have little doubt Sir Reinhard is aware of our conversation. The man is…" She paused. "Scary."
"Scary huh?" Harrison softly said as Ram started walking away. "I guess so… hard to imagine seeing the guy in person." It really was. The man was softly spoken, kind… it was hard to imagine him as some invincible monster.
Then again, the two strongest people Harisson knew were some clown and a little girl. Perhaps he needed to adjust his threat assessment methods.
Returning into the inn, he immediately caught Reinhard giving him a knowing smile. Ram was right it seemed.
"I'm guessing you heard our talk?" He bluntly asked.
"Eh?" Felt said in confusion.
"I'm afraid so. My abilities make avoiding such things difficult." Reinhard said apologetically.
Harisson sighed. "Well, I suppose there's no point beating around the issue then." He paused. "For what it's worth Sir Reinhard, I don't think you are scary."
Reinhard's expression grew just a tad relieved at that. It hurt Harisson to see. It was… familiar, the accepting air that Reinhard seemed to have around his reputation. The assumption people would find him terrifying. It reminded him of… of…
Oh.
Oh, of course.
How silly of him.
Here he was, doing the same mistake he'd done so long ago. Treating someone on their reputation, not who they were.
"Are you kidding me? That guy couldn't hurt a fly. He's a mega softie." Felt laughed, patting Reinhard on the shoulder. "I mean, he could kill everyone in the capital without breaking a sweat. But he wouldn't." Felt's grin grew dark. "Not unless I told him."
"Very funny, Lady Felt." Reinhard sighed.
"Please do not discuss genocide in my inn." Harisson bluntly said. "Anyways, if you want to discuss such an alliance, your best bets are to either go to the manor…" He shrugged. "Or stay at the inn. Members of the Emilia camp visit regularly, and now that Ram knows you guys are here and want to talk about it… I doubt it'll be long before they come over."
"Hm." Felt looked thoughtful. "You know what? I could use some time away from all these huffy nobles. Sounds good to me!" She leaned towards him, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she grinned. "So! What kind of entertainment do you offer here?!"
A cold shiver went down his spine.
Harisson stared at the wall.
Reinhard sheepishly smiled at him.
Harisson looked to Reinhard. Then back to the wall. Or what remained of it.
Which was very little. In fact, it would be best described as one giant hole with small pieces of wall on the edges.
"So that's thirteen - nill for Reinhard." Felt cheered. "Woooh! Go Reinhard! Show'em who's boss!"
"My inn…" Harisson whimpered, trembling as he stared at the hole in the wall, his eyes falling to his racket. His blasted racket, only the handle remained in his hand. He hadn't even felt the impact of the ball as it tore through it and blasted apart his wall.
"I am so deeply sorry Harisson." Reinhard said, his tone deeply ashamed. "I failed to estimate how much strength I put in my swing… this was my first time playing this 'ping-pong'..."
"It's…" Harisson gulped. "Well it's not fine, but I'd be lying if I said you're the first one to damage the wall…" But definitely the first one to absolutely demolish it. With a single swing of a ping pong ball.
That was his first glimpse of the sheer power of the Sword Saint, and Harisson would freely admit it put things in perspective. Suddenly, the gulf between himself and Garfiel didn't feel nearly as wide in the face of such terrible strength.
"Aw don't worry, nothing a good bit of magic can't fix." Felt grinned. "We'll pay for the repairs and more. Anyways, it's my turn now!"
"I…" Harisson sighed. "You know what? Fine." His eyes narrowed as he the girl took Reinhard's place. Thankfully, he'd prepared for the possibility of his rackets breaking. Regular players such as Ram and the very real risk of Frederica and Garfiel deciding to play as well had made it a necessary precaution.
He blinked.
"Point for Lady Felt!"
"Huh?" Harisson said, blinking slowly. The sound of the ball slowly bouncing behind him caught his attention, turning around. It had finished rolling on the ground.
When had she?!
What?!
"Yes!" Felt did a little jump, a happy smile on her face. "I'm awesome!"
"How… when…" Harisson's eyes narrowed. This was not happening. This time, he'd catch it. He'd…
His eyes widened as Felt moved in a blur, the ball in the air and whizzing towards him before he could even fully register her movement. He barely had the time to start raising the racket before the ball had already hit the table and landed behind him once again.
"Point for Lady Felt." Reinhard announced with a smile.
"WHAT!" Harisson gestured towards her. "Okay, that is so not fair! Why is everyone I face an absolute physical monster?!"
"Aw, that's hurtful bro." Felt grinned, twirling her racket in a manner that felt like it should be impossible. "You can't say that to a delicate maiden like myself."
"Delicate my ass…" Harisson grumbled. "Seriously, I have yet to meet a single girl that I know the name of besides Petra that couldn't punt me into the roof if they felt like it." He paused. Thinking carefully about the people around him. "Oh my Od. I actually can't think of a single one."
"Ha! Weakling." Felt giggled. "So that's two - nill. Let's go!" She grabbed the ball.
Harisson braced himself.
It did not help.
The sound of Felt's triumphant laughter echoed in the inn as Harisson slumped, defeated.
He just had to hold out until Ram returned with reinforcements.
A table cracked.
"Reinhard!"
"Sorry!"
Just hold on.
