Arc 2 - A Den of Villains and Rogues

Subaru lay back on the bed, staring lifelessly at the ceiling. It was a decent inn, the floors and walls were clean, and the bed was comfortable. Though, right now he could have laid on rocks and still not have minded.

His plastic bag of groceries sat on the bedside table, a small sack laying beside it, which contained all of the money Subaru had.

Rom had estimated that his phone was worth twenty holy gold, but Subaru had only managed to sell it for the equivalent of fifteen in regular gold coins. He hadn't felt up to haggling the price higher.

Fifteen holy gold was nothing to scoff at though. Subaru had only roughly calculated based on the inn's prices for meals, but it looked like he'd be able to survive a couple of months easily.

The fading evening light poured in through the window, tainted red by the approaching sunset.

Reinhard should save Emilia soon.

He got to his feet, and walked to the window, looking out in the direction of the city wall. If he watched out for it, he would probably be able to see the Sword Saint's final blow. The emotions that had been propelling him forward had faded, leaving only a listless apathy.

What do I do? I don't have a goal, a guiding light, or even much of a clue about this world.

Everything he had done since he had been saved in the alley had been centred around Emilia. Now he was cut off from her, and cast adrift in a wide world.

I could try and use my knowledge to create some items from my world, but I'm not sure what would be valuable. They have a lot of things you wouldn't expect in a medieval fantasy. I guess if you have magic and creativity, you can just skip down the tech tree.

The sun had finally set, and dusk was falling rapidly.

Will it actually be visible from here? Or maybe Reinhard apprehended Elsa before she reached the loot house.

He was about to turn to go back to bed, when the sky lit up. An aurora burst into the sky, shimmering with power, casting its glow across the capital.

"Reinhard," Subaru whispered. This was the first time he had seen the strike from a distance. It was truly a beautiful sight, but Subaru couldn't appreciate it. It reminded him too much of all that had been taken from him.

"Why couldn't I have gotten a power like that?" He flopped back on the bed. "Not this damn thing, that only works if I lose everything!"

A feeling of eyes, curiously peeking from the shadows.

He turned his head, and saw a point of darkness, that seemed to brighten the area, just a little.

"A spirit? I'm sorry, did I accidentally call you over?"

He sat up on the bed, and the spirit cautiously approached.

"Are you a yin spirit then?" Subaru asked. "You look a lot like Julius's one, but much smaller. So I guess you're a minor spirit."

It circled around in the air, and started examining his plastic bag.

Subaru chose to interpret that as a yes.

"I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just complaining a bit. Got kicked out of my old place, you know?"

It bobbed understandingly.

Subaru went on, a bit more confidently, "I thought I had a place I belonged. Really belonged, like I never did back home. Or maybe I used to, and I stopped without noticing. But, it turns out, they didn't like me either. Emilia did, but she has a lot of troubles. She shouldn't have to put up with me as well."

The spirit rushed forward to bop him on the nose.

"Ah! What was that for? Well, it didn't really hurt any more than Puck's furry punches. You feel strange. Like jelly or something."

He smiled for a moment, but then sighed, and looked down at his hands.

"Now I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I don't really have the skills to get a job here. I could try manual labour, but people just seem to be stronger here. I've been trying to think of something I could make from my world, but I've never really paid attention to things like that, and I'm not sure how useful they would be."

The spirit bopped him again.

"Hey, cut that out! I'm spilling out all my insecurities over here."

It bopped him again, and Subaru snatched at it. It easily avoided him, and retreated to the ceiling, positively dripping with mischievous amusement.

"Just trying to provoke me, were you?" He laughed, a trace of bitterness in his tone. "I can understand that."

The spirit stilled, then came back down, and settled into his hand. Subaru was shocked enough that he was rendered temporarily speechless. It felt like a tiny blob of putty, not really dry, not really wet. It was a difficult sensation to describe.

"Ha. And I though minor spirits couldn't understand people."

The spirit pulsed, and Subaru felt a bit of warmth in his hand.

"No, you don't understand words, but you understand feelings well enough, don't you? You were trying to make me feel better. Well… thanks."

And truthfully, Subaru did feel a bit better. Getting some of his troubles off his chest had been cathartic.

"So I guess I should get my act together, and stand up on my own two feet."

He did so, walking over to the open window, and looking out into the city. The people of this world had magic crystals that could shine in the dark, so there was still some activity, and a faint glow that hung over the buildings.

"If you're going to stick around, I'm going to need a name for you. Even if you aren't ready for one yet, I'm not going to keep calling you 'spirit' in my head."

The spirit slowed, turning its attention back to Subaru, waiting expectantly.

Subaru looked up at the sky outside his window. Night had fallen properly, and the full moon shone on the horizon.

He felt it was a sign, of brighter things to come.

"How about Luna?"

Subaru was feeling a bit better the next morning. He still didn't want to think about his time at the manor, but now that he had a plan for the future, it was easier to handle. He now sat at the desk, looking out over the city.

"In the grand scheme of things, I was only there for a week. I've only known Emilia for a few days longer. Hours really, there wasn't much time left on the first day."

Luna bobbed. Subaru was surprised that she had stuck around. She had been listening to his ramblings until Subaru had finally gone to bed late last night, and still showed no signs of boredom. Subaru wasn't even sure that a minor spirit could feel bored.

"In a few months, I'll probably look back on now and laugh about it."

He tapped the desk thoughtfully. "I'll need a way to actually survive that long though. Luckily, I don't think I'll run into mortal danger now. I just happened to run into an infamous assassin, and someone who could smell that scent on me."

Though, I've already run into two people who can smell it. Perhaps it isn't all that rare a skill.

He set that thought aside. There was no way to tell at the moment, and worrying about it wouldn't do any good.

"My money will run out quickly, if all I do is sit around moping. I've ruled out manual labor for the time being, but I don't have good enough literacy for a more skilled job. Literacy is crazy common here."

That caused him to remember the lessons, and the one who taught him. He felt a shiver, but dragged his mind away.

"So let's think about things I can recreate from Earth." He leaned back in his chair. "Nothing really stands out. Maybe guns, by using magic stones, but do I really want those all over the place? And if they're useful, I'd become a target. Hmm. Medicine? I'm pretty sure antibiotics would be a game-changer in this world, since healing magic is so expensive, but I don't actually know how to make those. Some guy discovered it with rotten fruit, didn't he?"

A thought occurred to him. This was a strange new world, and most of the food Subaru had encountered was slightly off, and strange. They didn't even have the condiments Subaru was used to.

"It seems silly, but what about a new and exotic food? It'll be more of a luxury item, but that's fine. It's not like I need to make something world-changing."

He retrieved a piece of paper, and dipped his pen in ink. Luna looked on curiously.

At the top of the page, he wrote, 'Mayonnaise'.

"My mom used to make this at home, but I didn't really pay attention. But I do remember the ingredients, I think, so it'll be easy to experiment and figure out the correct ratios. So, what do I need?"

Eggs, and cooking oil were the main ingredients, but it also used pepper and salt, and he'd better get sugar to be safe.

"I'll also need a place to experiment. I'll have to look around for a place to stay more permanently."

He reached over, and grabbed his money bag from the beside table, and rummaged through it. "Let's see, I've still got twenty-nine gold and change. I'll use half of it for experimentation, and half for living. If in two weeks, I haven't gotten something I can sell, I'll start looking for a real job."

He looked up at the spirit. "What do you think?"

Luna bobbed in approval. She had started moving more sluggishly, and had wandered to the darker sections of the apartment.

"You're not even listening to me, are you? Oh right, it's daytime now. Yin spirits usually sleep during the day."

He looked out the window. The morning sun shone cheerfully over the city. Without his phone, he couldn't check for sure, but he guessed it was about eight o'clock. Or eight solartime, in this world.

"Well, looks like this is goodbye for now." Luna shook around anxiously, but Subaru interrupted, "I'll call you if you like tonight. My range hasn't been reduced at all."

Maybe because he hadn't actually developed the range at which he could call spirits in the last loop, only learned how to use the capability he already possessed. When he had tested with Emilia, he could call spirits from a few hundred meters.

Luna stilled, then sent the feeling of acceptance. She faded into the shadows, leaving Subaru alone in the room.

Speaking of my old capabilities, he thought, and reached inwards toward his gate. He could feel the mana behind it, completely full. But more importantly…

Puck's work on it has vanished. I guess it must be an organ after all. It gets trained up like a muscle, but when I reset, my body returns to the state it was in when I got here.

He couldn't cast anything with it in this condition, not without being rendered useless, and there was also the possibility he'd damage it. Puck had taught him some exercises, but without the great spirit's help, it would take weeks to make an equivalent amount of progress.

"I'll have to do them. Having magic could be handy. A shamak would probably let me run away from any trouble I run into."

He stood up, and packed up his money pouch and groceries. He had eaten the noodles for dinner last night, but the corn pottage would serve as a snack on the road.

I think I'll go and find somewhere to stay first. No point in buying ingredients until then.

Three days later, on Subaru's fourth day of his new life, he was mixing ingredients on the table of his new apartment. He thought it was strange that there were appartments in this world. Not that he was complaining, after all…

"It's mayo! It's finally done!"

…he had used the kitchen it contained to finally finish the mayonnaise recipe.

"I'm glad, little Suba. I must admit, I was curious why my new neighbour was buying so many eggs. Is it acceptable?"

Subaru turned to the old woman beside him, a massive grin on his face. "Better than acceptable! It's perfect, the same as home!"

The woman smiled. "I'm glad. But I'm still a bit confused. Is it really that nice?" She tasted a small spoon, and swirled the mayonnaise in her mouth. "I can't say I understand the fuss."

Subaru fell backward, "Gertha, you monster! This is the gift of the gods, the most perfect food in existence! It's an absolute necessity in a mayo lover's balanced diet. I haven't had any in over a week, and I was already starting to feel the withdrawal symptoms. My body was shaking, and I could barely concentrate!"

"Ah." Gertha nodded. "It's an addictive substance. No wonder you're sure it'll sell. Deal it in the slums, and you'll be fine."

"Don't go lumping mayo in with that other white stuff." Subaru cried, aghast. "You'll see, granny, I'll make this into the best-selling product in Lugunica!"

The old woman chuckled dryly. "You seem quite confident for someone who didn't even know how to make it properly."

Subaru recoiled. It was true, making it had been a trial. Subaru had messed up many of his first batches by pouring in the cooking oil too quickly, and he had spent ages perfecting the ratios of salt and pepper.

It still hadn't been right, and it was only when he asked Gertha for to taste it that she had offered the suggestion that had perfected it. It was lucky he had met her.

He had helped her carry her bags up to her room on the day he moved in, and every day since she had been dropping by to check up on him.

"I can't believe I forgot the vinegar." Or vinegie, as it was known in this world. "One of the main ingredients, and I just forgot about it."

Luna circled around his head, radiating a muted amusement. She liked Gertha, and would shyly hang around when they ran into the old woman.

"Luckily the ingredients were cheap. I haven't even used up a quarter of my experimentation budget. I guess I'll make up a batch, and see how it sells."

"That'll be fine for a few days," Gertha said, "but you'll want to hire people to mix it up for you. And getting a distributer would be beneficial as well."

"Do I look like I'm made of money?" Subaru asked. "I'm going to see how it does first, then I'll see about that kind of thing."

"Hmm." Gertha didn't seem happy, but she left it at that. "I'll help you make up a few more batches, and get them distributed around the area. With new foodstuffs like this, you need to give samples away for free to bring in customers. Like baiting a fishhook to catch the fish."

"Gwah! That's a graphic picture! Are you sure you should be treating paying customers like fish? And you don't have to help, I've already taken up a lot of your time."

"Time I would otherwise spend sitting cooped up in my room," she huffed. "And I'm curious. Will your invention prove as popular as you claim, little Suba?"

"What's with that nickname? It makes me sound like a brand of diving equipment." He looked down at her. "And you're half my size. If anything, I should be calling you 'little granny'."

Still, he backed off, and allowed the diminutive old woman to help him. "Well, I guess with twice the workers, it'll be half the time."

Gertha narrowed her eyes, a malicious smile lighting up her face. "My, that sounds like you expect to be able to keep up with me. Is that a challenge, little Suba?"

He gulped, but resolved himself. "Yeah! A man has to stick by his word. We'll beat you easily, isn't that right Luna?"

Luna flew over to Gertha, and began circling her bowl.

"Traitor! Don't abandon me in my moment of need! I'll show you both!"

In the end, he did not, in fact, show them.

"Thank you for your business. Please come again."

Subaru waved to the cloaked man as he walked off with his jar of mayonnaise.

It had been a week since the discovery of the recipe, and Subaru had established himself as the local stall owner selling the strange white condiment. He didn't know who Gertha had given the samples to, but it had proved popular enough to regularly empty Subaru's stock.

"I'll need to thank her properly," he said to Luna, who hovered beside him, examining the potential customers as they approached. The sky was overcast, so she was livelier than usual. She had taken to establishing temporary contracts with him so she could skim his mana, and remain awake longer into the day.

Subaru allowed it. He wouldn't be starting to train with it for another few days, and the little spirit was useful. Passersby would occasionally stop to look at the spirit, and they were more likely to buy a jar before they left.

"That was the last jar," he told her. "We're finished early, so how about we go shopping? It hurts to say this, but even a mayo lover needs to eat other foods on occasion." He started clearing off the stall, packing his things into a bag.

"Um, excuse me, but are you Mister Natsuki?"

"That's me." He stood up, turning toward the new arrival. "I'm sorry, but we're out of mayo at the moment. I'll be back here tomorrow if you want to buy some."

"Oh, no, that's quite alright," the young man said, seemingly thrown off guard. He was about the same height as Subaru, with grey hair and blue eyes. His clothes were mostly green, with some yellow highlights. "I've heard that you were looking for a business partner. One of my contacts sent me here to discuss it with you."

"Business partner?" Subaru didn't remember looking for one of those. "Wait, was it Gertha who sent you? Agh, that meddlesome old hag!"

The man was taken aback by his sudden outburst. "Is she not an associate of yours? She seemed to know the ins and outs of your process. She gave me a brief rundown, but she didn't mention…"

"Don't worry about it." Subaru said, resuming packing his things a little quicker. "She's been pestering me to start expanding my sales, but I don't really have the experience as a merchant to do so." He sighed. "I was wondering why she stopped. Guess she took matters into her own hands."

He looked up at the man. "What exactly does being my business partner entail?"

"Isn't that the kind of thing you should know!?" The man cried out. He calmed himself, and continued. "I would source distribution and production, building up a company centred around your product."

"Really?" Subaru asked incredulously. "You can do that all on your own?"

"Eh, yes of course. I am a merchant after all, I need to be prepared for all kinds of transactions." He paused. "I'm Otto, by the way. Otto Suwen."

"Subaru Natsuki. But you already know that, don't you?" Because of that nosy granny.

He shook his head. "Why don't you come with me back to my apartment— er, office— and we'll discuss it. Not that I'm accepting yet, I just want to know what it entails."

"Of course," said Otto. "I understand that such a decision requires care."

Subaru finished packing everything away, and stepped out from behind the stall. It was a permanent one that Subaru was renting, fixed into the pavement with iron bars, so packing up was fairly easy.

"Well, we're going. Luna, do you want to walk with us, or will you meet us at home?"

Luna spiralled around the stall, before fading away, sending her desire to explore.

"See you there then." He started walking down the road, and Otto had to hurry to catch up.

"A spirit?" he asked. "Are you a spirit arts user?"

"Not really. Luna just sticks around. I've never properly contracted a spirit before, just a few temporary contracts. I could probably use the spirit arts, but I only know one spell."

"That's pretty amazing." Otto said in wonder. "Spirits usually ignore me when I try and talk to them."

"You can talk to them? Do you understand them?"

Otto nodded. "Oh yes. My divine protection allows me to understand and communicate with them, among other things."

"A divine protection? Just how common are they? It feels like every second person I meet has a divine protection of something."

"I wouldn't say they're uncommon, but not to the extent that almost everyone has one," Otto said. "You must have been meeting some pretty amazing people."

That innocent statement caused dark feelings to stir in Subaru, and he hurriedly pushed them down, casting his mind out for something to change the subject. "Oh, right, Otto."

The green-cloaked merchant looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

"Just why do you want this position? I mean, it's a lot of work, and you have no idea if a mostly untested idea like this will be able to support a company. It makes enough money around here, but that's not a guarantee of success."

"Ah," Otto said hesitantly. "Well, I usually have good instincts for that. And also…"

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I've recently run into a spot of trouble, and this seemed like the best way at getting myself out of it."

Subaru raised an eyebrow.

"I misread the market," he admitted under Subaru's gaze. They stepped into an alleyway, taking them on a more direct route, away from the main road. "I bought up a large amount of lantern oil. I thought I could sell it in Gusteko, but they closed the border yesterday, quite suddenly. The price of oil is collapsing, leaving me in a bad spot."

"So, if I understand correctly, one risk went south, so you're going to fix it by taking another risk."

"Could you not phrase it like that!? The border closed for no reason at all! The margrave closed it unexpectedly. No one knows why. That was way outside my ability to predict."

"The Margrave did, huh?" Subaru shook his head. No, I'm not going to think about that.

"Sure, sure." Subaru waved him off. "I'm sure you're a great merchant normally. And I guess Gertha is recommending you, that's got to count for something—"

Otto held up a hand to stop Subaru from walking any further. He was suddenly serious, eyeing the side alleys carefully.

"Mister Natsuki, there are some men waiting on our route, just up ahead." He whispered, eyes darting to and fro. It didn't seem like he knew exactly where the men were, but he sounded certain.

"Huh?" Subaru looked up ahead. The path ahead of them was deserted, and he could only hear the normal sounds of the capital. "Are you sure?"

"My divine protection allows me to understand any creature. A passing bird just mentioned a group of men up ahead. It said one looked big."

Subaru debated whether or not Otto was trying to trick him, but…

He didn't think Otto was the type, and he was a pretty good judge of character. "Alright, we'll take another route. We'll go towards a main road."

They quickly switched directions, and hurried towards the sound of dragon carriages.

A moment later, Subaru heard the sound of footsteps behind them.

"Run!"

He took off, and Otto followed behind a moment later. He vaguely heard someone curse behind them, and then the footsteps picked up. We'll make it. Subaru decided. We have a head-start, and the road is close-by. If we just go left up he—RK!

He stopped suddenly, and Otto stumbled as he avoided crashing into him. "Mister Natsuki!? Why did—?" His face went pale, as he too noticed the large man waiting for them behind the corner. He was thick and muscular, and towered over the two of them.

Their pursuers caught up, and stopped just behind them, cutting off their escape. Subaru looked over his shoulder at them.

One was a pot-bellied man, bent over and gasping for breath. The other was a Demi-human, thin, with a grey-furred, fox-like head.

"Um, Mister Natsuki, do you know these people?"

Subaru shook his head. "No idea. Common crooks I'm assuming." He took a breath. "Guards! Guards! Someone help!"

He had taken the very first lesson of his first loop to heart. He couldn't defeat most thugs, so he'd call for assistance.

However, contrary to his expectations, the tough-looking man ahead of them didn't so much as flinch. "Ha-ha-ha! You think the guards patrol this far out? We're practically in the slums! You need to know their patrol days by heart out here! But don't worry, we're not here to rob you."

He raised his hands as if to show he was harmless. "You've been making quite a lot of money for a simple stall owner. You seem to have forgotten to pay the protection fee, so we're here to collect."

"Protection fee? You're mobsters?" Subaru asked, trying to think of a way out of the situation. He could just hand over the money, but that rankled his sensibilities. He felt his gate. He could probably use a single Shamak without damaging it, but it was a coin-toss whether he'd be able to hold some mana back. He didn't really have any other tools he could use.

"Mobster? Never heard that word before," the man commented. "I'm the leader of the Eastern slums." He looked down at Subaru. "I'm a forgiving man, I'll let you off… if you provide the recipe for your 'mayonnaise'."

"Not a chance in hell," Subaru declared. Money was one thing, but that… The mayonnaise recipe was his lifeline, the only thing that supported him in the world.

"I thought you might say that, so we came prepared to convince you." The man stepped forward menacingly, and Subaru heard the two behind them take a few steps.

They're all in range. Now!

"Shamak!"

Black smoke erupted from his feet, filling the alley.

There was blackness, an endless void without light, sound, or scent. Focus! The ground, I can feel my feet on the ground. Otto should be…

He reached out and his hand caught on something.

He ran forward, dragging Otto behind him, avoiding the place where he remembered the leader had been standing.

They got out of the spell, and ran onto a main road.

"Wha—? Mister Natsuki? What just happened?" Otto asked, looking around wildly. "Weren't we just standing in an alley? Did you move us with magic?"

"I just used Shamak, the blinding spell," he gasped. He had managed to hold back his mana enough that he was able to move, but he felt a weariness settling in his limbs.

"Carry my bag." He said, passing it over to Otto. "We need to move, the spell won't last long."

And the road wasn't very crowded. If they chose to pursue, the thugs would be able to catch them.

Otto took the bag without complaint, and followed after Subaru, keeping himself at Subaru's reduced pace.

"Hey! You bastards!"

"Mister Natsuki, they've escaped," Otto said, looking back. "They're chasing us. What do we do? I can't use any magic inside a city, and there aren't enough animals to help, what do we do, what do we do—"

Subaru shut the panicking merchant out of his mind. He couldn't use another Shamak, and physically, he was no match for the trio. If only the guards had heard him, if only he had help, if only he was stronger.

A pressure hit him, like a mountain had fallen on his shoulders. He stumbled, and stopped. Otto looked back and hesitated, clearly wanting to go on, but unwilling to leave him.

The trio caught up to him, and stopped just far enough away that they wouldn't be caught in another Shamak. Not that Subaru had enough mana to cast it again.

"Well, looks like you won't be getting off easy." The leader stepped forward, carefully advancing one step at a time. "Tell you what, green. You don't look like you're involved with this guy, so you can leave. You can even keep the bag."

Otto flinched, then dropped the bag, stepping in front of Subaru. "No, I won't. You won't harm us."

"Hah?" The leader drew out the sound, as if he had just heard the most ludicrous thing ever. "What makes you think you can say that?"

"I too have studied magic," Otto said, his voice barely trembling. "I'm sure the guards will understand, given the situation. Don—"

Subaru clapped a hand on his shoulder, causing the green-cloaked merchant to jump in surprise. "No need for that. We have another option now, don't we, Luna?"

The little yin spirit sent the feeling of determination.

Subaru grinned, as he felt the full contract settle, the pressure lessening enough that he could just feel Luna's presence at the back of his mind. She started gathering mana from the surroundings, funnelling it into his gate.

"A spirit arts user?" The thin beastman asked, a trace of fear in his voice.

"Hey boss, maybe this isn't worth it," the pot-bellied man said. "Spirit arts users are bad news."

"Don't be ridiculous," the leader snarled. "All he used was that black smoke. If he had any other tricks, he'd have used them. Don't all approach him at once, and we'll have that recipe."

"Bad news, we don't have that limitation anymore. Go, Luna!"

She rushed forward, placing herself in the middle of their group. She gathered mana to herself, the shadows growing thicker around her.

"Wai—"

"Shamak!" Subaru shouted, forcing the mana Luna collected through their contract.

Black smoke covered the trio, and Subaru turned to Otto. "We're running. Come on Luna!"

He ran to his bag, and threw it over his shoulder, Otto trailing behind him. Luna shot out of the smoke, and flew to his side.

"I thought you weren't a spirit arts user!"

"Luna just made the contract now! She really saved us!"

Luna sent the feeling of excited happiness.

"If they keep following, we'll do that again. Otto, you said can talk to animals like a Disney princess? Could you ask some birds to watch them?"

"I'm not a princess! But yes, I'll do it!" He began making sounds, eerily similar to those a bird would make. Subaru could barely believe they were coming from a human.

"We'll have to work out the details," he said with a grin, "but I think I'll be accepting you as a business partner."

AN: First chapter not following the course of a canon arc! Let me know what you think, most of the story will be like this, and I want to get it right.