Subaru lay dying in his bed, the light fading from the world. His arms no longer responded to his will, and even if he could get up, his legs would not support him. The little amount of light peeking through the blinds was starting to dim, as blackness covered his vision.

The door opened. Out of the corner of his eye, Subaru saw a green cloak step into the room.

"Ah, Otto. I'm glad you're here, at the end."

"Subaru, what are you doing?" Contrary to the somber mood of the room, Otto's tone was more annoyed than anything else. At least he had finally stopped calling him 'Mister Natsuki'. Such an address didn't feel right between friends.

Subaru felt a smile touch his face. "I have some last wishes. I'll entrust the mayonnaise and tartar sauce recipes to you."

"The tartar sauce recipe? You gave that to me a few days ago, don't you remember? And why is this room so dark?" He crossed over to the window, and threw open the blinds.

"Agh! Otto, how could you be so cruel!? Can you not spare a dying man some discomfort?"

"'Dying man'?" Otto sighed. "I know you hate meetings, but do you have to throw such a tantrum?"

"They suck the life out of me!" he protested, but then sank back into this sheets. "But I'm dying for completely unrelated reasons."

"Well, the meeting has been canceled. Get up, we have something to discuss."

Subaru sat upright. "You should have led with that. I suddenly feel much better!"

"Sometimes I can't believe I agreed to work with you. Should you really be joking about things like dying?"

Should I indeed?

Subaru above all others knew the pain of death, and the terror of knowing your existence in the world would soon end, but…

"All that is behind me now! I'm long past such dangerous things, and if I can't joke about it, then I'll just be stuck moping about it forever!" Though to be fair, it hadn't even been two months since his last death. Perhaps he shouldn't feel as comfortable with it yet.

He shrugged. It was probably because everything was going so well now. His first few loops had given him a distorted view of what life in this world was really like. Satisfied, he threw an arm over Otto's shoulder, and led the way to the office.

"Behind you?" Otto asked, confusion furrowing his brow. "Hang on, what's behind you? I feel like you skipped a few parts of your explanation!"

Their 'office' was just another room in the building Subaru was staying in. Otto had moved in to a third, so between them and Gertha, they took up an entire hallway. It was handy for when Subaru wanted to bother his business partner, but less handy when Otto did the same to him.

As they entered, Luna faded into existence, hovering over Otto's desk.

Greeting! Playful!

Subaru smiled, and greeted her in turn. She had gotten a bit better at transmitting her thoughts to him, possibly as a result of the contract.

"So tell me," he asked, sitting at the desk, "why did you cancel that super important meeting, that I was supposed to attend?"

Otto crossed his arms and sat down in his seat opposite Subaru. "Those meetings are important. We were supposed to meet with the merchant's guild to register the tartar sauce recipe as our property. A second product that sold like mayonnaise would give us the funds to start expanding the Taurus company into other areas."

"I still don't like that name." Subaru complained. "Couldn't we have called it Pleiades anyway? So what if there's some watchtower out east with the same name?"

"That watchtower is the home of the sage! It wouldn't be disrespectful, per se, but it would attract the wrong sort of attention. People might start thinking you intend to visit him, or that you're connected to him in some way."

"So what?" Subaru asked. "It's his own fault for naming his home after the same stars as me." Though, it is a bit creepy that he knows about them. Perhaps he knows about Earth. Hell, maybe he comes from Earth, the same as me.

"Well, regardless of that, we need to get back on topic." Otto pulled out an unsealed letter, and placed it on the table between them.

"If that's another fee or tax notice, I'm going to vomit." Subaru said, sitting down opposite Otto. "Seriously, we've only been a company for a month."

"The royal treasury is particularly interested in new sources of revenue, and setting up a company is complicated," Otto said. "But this isn't about that. It's an invitation to meet with Miss Anastasia Hoshin, of the Hoshin company."

Subaru stared at him blankly. "Who?"

"Have you been living under a rock!?" Otto exclaimed. "The Hoshin company is one of the most powerful mercantile forces in Lugunica! They're a company originally from Kararagi, but they've recently started expanding their operations here."

"Ok, so they're a pretty big deal. And this Anastasia shares the company's name, so she must be in a pretty important position."

"She's the chairwoman," Otto said with a look of disbelief. "How do you not know this?"

Luna batted Subaru's head, taking Otto's side, despite barely understanding what was going on.

"I started being a merchant about six weeks ago," Subaru said defensively, cupping his hands around his rogue spirit. "I've only been in the country for…" he tallied it up in his head. "Almost two months." If you count my previous loops.

Otto sighed. "Someday, I want to visit your homeland, just so that I can knock some sense into them. Given that you know nothing, I'll summarise what this means for us."

He cleared his throat, and continued. "The Hoshin company has been expanding rapidly in Lugunica, and they've made significant progress in the capital. While I don't know the numbers, according to my contacts, they have investments in many areas, and are getting a great deal of money flowing. They're not being picky about where they spend their gold either."

He tapped the letter. "In short, we're a new company that's doing very well, and our products have a lot of potential. This is their attempt to swallow us up. They'll likely offer to buy Taurus, and hire us under generous terms."

Subaru blinked. "What does that mean? Is that good or bad?"

Otto shrugged. "We won't really know until we meet Miss Hoshin. But my opinion is that we could go either way. Selling to the Hoshin company is the safe option, which could see us both retiring early. Choosing to keep the company would be the riskier option, with the potential for much greater rewards. If we made the right investments, the company's limit is unknown."

So it's a choice between risk and security. If I was going to abuse Return by Death, I'd take the former, but since I don't intend to die ever again…

"I think the first option is better. We'll sell."

Luna twirled in the air, radiating confidence.

Otto put his head in his hands. "Don't forget we need to actually convince Miss Hoshin to buy us. You'll need to be on your best behaviour for the meeting."

"Eh!?"

A few days later, the two of them walked towards the Hoshin residence, in the city's noble district. Subaru felt a bit uncomfortable, walking through the clean, lightly traveled streets. The scenery reminded him of the gardens outside the Roswaal manor.

"I don't see why I have to be here. You're much better at merchant stuff anyway."

"Miss Hoshin will want to see both of Taurus's founding members. And it's your ideas that are causing us to do so well." Otto let out a long sigh. "If you had shared those schematics with me earlier, I could have started looking into metia production as well. With that kind of product under our belt…"

He trailed off, Subaru felt a tiny bit guilty. The 'schematics' had just been idle doodles of things Subaru missed from home, and showed Otto on a whim. He didn't think the merchant would actually be able to make them a reality.

Otto took his silence as apprehension, and offered some encouragement. "Just be calm. Don't offend her, and we'll be fine."

Subaru sighed. Despite the needling he gave Otto, he didn't particularly hate most of their meetings. The distributers were mostly store owners, easygoing people who didn't take offence at his way of speaking. He also got along well with the workers who made the mayonnaise, even if they took a while to learn the correct way to add the cooking oil. But the representatives of the merchant's guild, and the royal treasury…

Subaru shuddered. Hopefully the Hoshin company's leader wouldn't be as difficult.

Reassurance.

"Thanks, Luna." The little yin spirit hovered over his shoulder, trying to stay in the shade of his head. "You can wait until we're inside if you want."

She refused his offer, hanging stubbornly in the air.

"We're here," Otto said, taking a right turn into a large semi-circular driveway. The building at the end didn't look all that extravagant to Subaru's eyes, but he didn't really have a good frame of reference. The great palaces of Earth were built without magic, and yet some still looked more impressive than the three-story mansion that stood before them. If he had to say, it looked a little less impressive than Roswaal's manor.

He barely frowned at the memories, of the manor, and its blue haired guardian. I'm fine now. I won't meet her again.

Reassurance.

"Oh, sorry Luna. Just thinking about something else."

They reached the gate, and Otto pulled out the invitation, handing it to the guard. "Otto Suwen and Subaru Natsuki, of the Taurus company. We're here to meet with Miss Anastasia Hoshin."

The guard, a Demi-human with cat ears, took the paper, and gave it a cursory look over.

"Ya're expected," he replied, handing it back. "Someone will be here soon to see ya in."

Subaru was taken aback. Was that a Kansai dialect? But he's a Demi-human, he can't be from Earth. I've heard that people from Kararagi have an accent, could it be because they talk like that?

Otto carefully put the invitation back in its envelope, while the cat-person waved towards the building. Subaru looked over the guard. He was wearing a white cloak, with a few orange highlights, clearly a uniform of some kind.

"Um, excuse me," Otto asked the guard. "I couldn't help but wonder, with that cloak, are you a member of the Iron Fang?"

"Sure am." The cat person smiled. "Good to see we're known around these parts."

Subaru shot Otto a questioning look.

"The Iron Fang is the greatest mercenary group in Kararagi," Otto explained. "They work for the Hoshin company."

"So it's a corporation's private military? Like something straight out of a dystopian novel?"

"Dunno what a Distope ianovell is, but that mostly sums it up." The guard nodded approvingly. "We march where the lady wishes, and guard her interests. But don'cha forget, our loyalty is to the lady, not the company. A common mistake for outsiders to make, so don' worry too much 'bout it."

Subaru briefly entertained the idea of explaining exactly what a dystopia was, before a his little remaining common sense and overpowering survival instinct took that idea, and sent it spiralling to the deepest recesses of his mind, never to rise again.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said instead. He felt Luna's gaze boring intently into him, silently judging him. No doubt she had picked up on his mental state.

"Ah, here's the guide!"

Subaru and Otto followed the guard's gaze, and spotted a young man, in a perfectly tailored black suit. He was thin, and frail-looking, but despite that, he carried himself with elegance. A monocle covered one of his yellow eyes, and his hair was a light purple.

For Subaru, it was like looking on a ghost from a past life. Literally.

"On behalf of the Hoshin Trading Company, I offer my greetings." He said, with a bow. "If you would follow me, Lady Anastasia will see you."

They followed him onto the grounds, stepping up to the mansion's main entrance.

"Erm, out of interest," Subaru began, ignoring Otto's warning look. "Are you related to Juli— er, Sir Julius Juukulius?"

The man paused momentarily, looking over his shoulder at Subaru. "Indeed. I am Joshua Juukulius, his younger brother. Have you met? You seem familiar with him."

"Not really." Subaru said quickly. "He helped me once, and inspired me to train in the spirit arts."

Luna pulsed with pride, livelier now that they were out of the sun.

"But I don't think he would remember me." Subaru felt a vague sense of deja vu. He remembered having a similar conversation with Julius about Reinhard.

"Hmm. I wouldn't discount that so readily. My esteemed brother is remarkable, it is not unlikely that he would remember your face."

I've heard that before too.

Luna sensed his souring mood, and sent feelings of encouragement.

"Esteemed brother, huh?" Could even Julius's own brother not talk about him without respectful language?

"It is only natural to address him as such." Joshua replied. "He is the Finest Knight, after all."

Subaru didn't know what to say to that.

"If you would wait in this room," Joshua said, opening a door, "I will prepare tea for you, unless you would prefer koff?"

"Tea is fine," Otto said, stepping into the room. "Thank you."

They sat down in the two seats that had clearly been laid out for them, a small table separating them from the only other seat in the room.

Luna left his side, and began looking curiously around the room, staying well away from the sunlight streaming in through the window.

Joshua closed the door behind him, and Otto murmured under his breath, "Good work, I wouldn't have recognised him as a member of the Juukulius family. And Sir Julius's brother, no less."

"Why, are they important? And why are we whispering?"

Otto stared at him in disapproval. "We're whispering because it would be rude to be in the middle of a discussion when our host walks in. And yes, the Juukulius family is very important. If a member of the main family is working for the Hoshin company, that means they have far more influence than I expected. And they sent him to guide us to the room."

Otto looked tense, and his next words only seemed to worsen it. "Sending a Juukulius to greet us, it feels like Miss Anastasia is placing far more value on us than I had thought. Keep that in mind."

Subaru nodded. "But it doesn't change anything. We'll just get a higher price than we expected. No need to panic."

Otto sighed. "I wish it was that easy."

The door opened, and Joshua came back in, carrying a tray of three tea cups, and a pot.

Otto looked apprehensive at the thought of a noble of Joshua's rank serving them tea, but kept himself composed. The door opened again, and the tension vanished, like it had never been present.

No, it hasn't vanished. Subaru thought, examining his friend more closely. It had merely been covered up, with the well-trained facade of a merchant who would give nothing away on their face.

"Well hello. I'm hopin' that the arrangements have been to your likin'?"

A purple haired woman, short in stature entered the room. She was wearing a white dress, a furry hat, and a fluffy cloak styled like an animal. It looked far more comfortable than the business outfit Otto had coaxed Subaru into. Though, they did match quite nicely, Otto with shades of green, Subaru in black and white. Their suits were highlighted with yellow and orange, respectively. Otto had them tailored especially for the occasion.

The woman strode to her seat, and sat down opposite them. "I'm dreadfully sorry for makin' you wait. In Kararagi, we have a sayin', 'Time is money.' Given that I've wasted one, I should probably be makin' it up to you with the other."

"There's no need for that," Otto replied smoothly. "A little time to get our bearings was agreeable."

The woman smiled. "I'm glad you're so understandin'. Now then, to business? As you may know, I am Anastasia Hoshin. You two are the founding members of the Taurus company, Mister Suwen and Mister Natsuki."

Luna stealthily slunk back over to Subaru's side, and settled in his shadow. If Anastasia noticed her, she paid no attention.

"As you say, Miss Hoshin," Otto confirmed. "I have to admit, we were caught off-guard by your invitation, and the reception we have received."

"Simply a sign of how much I'm expectin' from you," Anastasia replied smoothly.

Joshua bent down, and filled the cups, laying them on the table. Otto didn't move to take it up, and Subaru followed his lead. Anastasia, on the other hand, took the cup in hand, and sipped gently.

"I suppose I should be clarifyin' what I wanted this meeting for," she said, placing the cup back in its saucer.

"As ya may have guessed, I want to buy the Taurus company."

Subaru felt a weight he hadn't even realised was present lift from his shoulders. Joshua had been an irregularity, but now things were returning to how they had predicted.

"We did suspect as much," Otto said. "We're not opposed to the idea, but we have too much faith in our products to simply sell our recipes off."

"Ah, I feel like there may be a misunderstandin'." Her demeanour changed slightly, and Subaru was reminded of Elsa's gaze during their fights. Anastasia was in her element, and beginning the hunt.

"I don't want to absorb the Taurus company into the Hoshin company. I want to invest in its development, to reap the benefits as it rises."

Otto paused, and Subaru sat confused. Otto didn't mention anything like this. What does she mean?

"I believe I understand what you're suggesting," Otto said slowly. "But I'm not convinced it would be best for us to proceed in that direction."

Anastasia giggled. "As expected. No one would jump at an offer like that. Which is why I'm offerin' to invest jointly with the Taurus company, and aid in it's operations."

Otto frowned, and took his tea cup, sipping slowly on it.

Subaru followed suit, without a clue as to what was going on. Otto doesn't look too concerned, but this is way outside his predictions. What does joint investment mean?

"I don't think things will get very far if ya don't have an idea of what I'm suggestin'." Anastasia waved her hand, and Joshua brought a small bundle of papers to Otto, laying them on the table before him. "If ya'd like, ya can look over my proposal while I talk to Mister Natsuki."

Otto gave Subaru a considering look.

No, Otto! Don't do it! I have no idea what's going on!

He ignored the silent pleas. "If you wish. Mister Natsuki isn't majorly involved in our finances, but our company is based around his ideas." He picked up the papers, and began reading.

"I've heard a great deal about that." Anastasia turned her gaze to Subaru. "It's rare to see a new product show as much promise as the two ya have. 'Mayonnaise' and 'Tartar sauce', correct?"

"Yeah… I mean, yes. They're condiments from my hometown, that I happened to know how to make."

"Your hometown…" Anastasia trailed off. "It's bad form, but I admit I was a bit curious about ya origins. I couldn't find anythin' about where ya came from, even with some diggin'."

"You investigated me?" Subaru was taken aback. He hadn't noticed anybody unusual hanging around, but to be fair, he could be a little blind at times. Especially when he was focused on something else.

"Only a little bit," Anastasia replied without a trace of shame. "It's important for a merchant to know about their potential partners. But however you got into the country, there's no trace of it. I assume ya're runnin' from something?"

Subaru flinched. That comment, even if untrue, had hit a little close to home.

"Nothing like that," Subaru denied. "My homeland is isolated from the world, and my method of getting to Lugnica was unusual."

Getting sucked off Earth and dumped in the middle of a city would certainly count as unusual.

Anastasia raised her hands. "Well, it's no issue to me. I was merely curious. Though I did want to know, did you sell a metia recently?"

"A metia?" Subaru asked. "Er, yes, I sold my cell phone a few weeks ago. Why?"

"I'm not sure if you know this, but the merchant you sold it to underpaid for such a rare item. It was somewhere around thirty gold, correct?"

"Yes. I had it estimated at around twenty holy gold, but I couldn't get that much for it on short notice."

"Even that would be too little." Anastasia sighed. "I can see why Mister Suwen doesn't want you to handle that side of the business."

"Hey, I've done pretty alright," Subaru said defensively.

"A noble collector bought that metia last week." Anastasia interrupted. "He outbid even me. Do you want to know how much it sold for?"

Subaru hesitated.

"I don't particularly care," Subaru said carefully. "The past is in the past." Permanently this time.

"All I can do is learn from my mistakes, and do better in the future."

"Hmm." Anastasia examined him. "That's not a bad attitude to have. We might yet make a merchant out of ya. Well, on to less heavy topics, I've noticed you have a spirit hanging around. Are you a spirit arts user?"

"I am. Technically, at least."

Luna puffed up, revealing herself by spinning around Subaru's head.

"We haven't been contracted very long, and I'm very inexperienced, but she's a dear friend."

Anastasia smiled. "If we do end up working together, I'm sure I could help find you a teacher, to develop your talents further."

"Eh?" Subaru wasn't sure how to respond. Would agreeing make things harder for Otto? Would it be rude to decline?

"On that note," Otto said, saving Subaru from his dilemma, "I have a few concerns."

He placed the papers back down on the table, and Subaru took the chance to pick up his tea. It was still warm, and tasted unlike anything he had experienced in the world so far. Probably because it's expensive. Whatever it is, it's much better than Ram's sorry excuse for tea.

"The terms outlined seem very favourable to us." Otto continued, "I can't see why you would prefer them to buying the Taurus company outright. That makes me suspect you have some other goal in mind."

"Indeed, the terms are generous, but that is to be expected. This proposal is more complicated than a simple buy-out, and carries far more risk to the two of ya."

She took another sip, and went on, "My other goal isn't anything nefarious. As a foreign merchant, the people of this country hold some reservations toward me. If an up and comin' Lugunican company was to be taken over with money, their opinion would surely worsen. If instead, that company was to remain independent, with the Hoshin company only aidin' in making their luxury products more accessible to the common folk, then people will look at us more positively."

"So you're only after reputation?" Otto asked. "I must admit, I'm still unsure. The Hoshin company is well-respected, that wouldn't change even if you took a more aggressive stance in the Lugunican market."

Anastasia paused. "I can't really say much to people not working for me, but I can give you an outline. This country is in a rough spot at the moment, and I'm involved in resolvin' that. A better reputation is more valuable than coin at the moment."

Resolving that? Subaru thought, thinking back on what he knew. The country is doing poorly because they don't have a king. But they already have a plan to fix things. The Royal Selection, with Emilia as a candidate—

His eyes widened as several details fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Anastasia's presence in Lugunica, despite being the head of a massive company in Kararagi, Joshua Juukulius's deference to her, and her concern about her reputation.

"You're a royal selection candidate," he blurted out, before he could even consider whether it was wise.

"Royal selection candidate?" Otto turned to him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Anastasia looked as though she was caught off guard. For the first time in the conversation, her composure slipped, and a hint of surprise broke through her mask. "Ah, so you knew about that. That's shockin'. I didn't think ya were that well connected."

"I was involved with a different candidate briefly." Subaru still wasn't sure how to proceed. "So is it true? Are you a candidate?"

"I am. I'm aimin' to become the ruler of Lugunica, with the backin' of the Juukulius family."

Otto looked bewildered, but managed to regain his senses. "I believe I have a better grasp of things, but would you consider giving us some time to discuss this?"

Anastasia nodded. "Of course, I don't expect an answer right away. But I'd ask you not to go spreadin' what you learned here 'round."

"Though, I don't think it's a concern," she smiled wryly, "considerin' that you managed to keep your involvement with one of my rivals completely hidden."

When they got back to the apartment, Otto collapsed into seat at his desk.

"So, how'd we do?" Subaru asked.

Otto shook his head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about the royal selection. I suppose they are keeping it under wraps, but still… I had no idea they had so much planned out. It must be the work of the dragon tablet."

He sighed. "On the topic of our meeting, all things considered, it went well. I'll spend some time looking over the documents. If you don't have any concerns, we'll sign them."

Subaru felt a slight unease. Signing on with Anastasia would mean siding with her in the royal selection. He had joked that a company holding a private mercenary force was like something out of a dystopian novel, but a company chairwoman gaining the throne felt far worse. Though to be fair, any kind of monarch felt off to Subaru's modern sensibilities.

The real issue Subaru had was that it would mean becoming Emilia's rival.

It felt like a betrayal, even though Subaru didn't owe her anything in this timeline. Even in the previous loops, though she had been kind enough to save him, she had not been capable of protecting him from her own servants.

"I'm fine with it," he said with more surety than he felt. "I'll leave it all to you."

They signed the documents the next day, with a representative of the merchant's guild present. Otto immediately went to handle the new personnel who were to help them upscale, while Subaru spent the rest of the day moving them out of their apartments.

Gertha seemed proud as she saw him off, and waved off any attempt to repay her. "I was only alleviating my boredom, little Suba."

She didn't budge from her position, even after Subaru pointed out that without her advice, he wouldn't have finished the recipe in the first place.

The next few weeks passed quickly. The paperwork increased drastically, which threatened to overwhelm Otto. Subaru took pity, and helped out as any good friend would. By increasing the amount of schematics he made, so that Otto would have plenty to choose from when designing metias. Truly, Subaru was a benevolent individual.

His help didn't seem to be appreciated though, as every time he brought his partner a new sheet of paper, the merchant would sink lower in his seat, usually with an exclamation. "More!?", "How do you have so many of these?", and "For the love of Od, please go bother someone else!"

Which is how Subaru found himself out in one of the training fields run by the Iron Fang, practicing magic with Luna.

"Shamak!"

The little yin spirit exploded with black smoke, covering a decent area. Given that Subaru was sitting crosslegged right next to her, he was caught up in it, and the world vanished.

He focused on the ground underneath him, and tried to drag the rest of his senses back.

Void. He could see only void and heard nothing but silence. Despite his attempts, he couldn't regain his other senses before the spell faded.

"Argh! I can't do it," he complained. Luna wasn't listening, having been distracted by something behind him. "It's like the spell is stuck to me with glue. I can kind of feel it lessening, but it doesn't come off!"

"A problem many of those with high spirit affinity face."

Startled, Subaru leapt to his feet, and whirled around. A purple-haired man in a white uniform stood in front of him, yellow eyes regarding his face carefully.

"Julius!?" Subaru asked in shock. Wait, Anastasia said she'd look for a spirit arts teacher. Did she just…

"Don't tell me you're the spirit arts user Anastasia mentioned? Er, Sir Julius."

"You don't need to be so formal with me. After all, you are a valued partner of Lady Anastasia's," Julius said. "You might want to watch how you address her, however. While her candidacy hasn't been publicly announced, it wouldn't do to name her so casually in another's company."

"Um, right."

Julius smiled. "You don't need to be so concerned. I understand that you were living in the far reaches of the city until recently. I am aware of the difficulties one faces when conducting themselves in a new manner. You'll get used to it, in time. As to your question, I have some time to spare, and Lady Anastasia asked me to help you learn. I understand that you are new to the spirit arts?"

Subaru nodded. "It's been a little over two months. I contracted Luna about two weeks after I started learning."

He turned to Luna, but she was still looking at Julius. She seemed fascinated, caught between wanting to approach and wanting to stay by Subaru's side.

"My apologies, I posses the Divine Protection of Gathering Spirits. I am unable to deactivate it, but the feeling it invokes should fade." Julius explained. "You must have a strong bond with her. Most spirits approach to investigate as soon as they notice me."

"Yeah, she's helped me out of a few rough spots." Subaru said. Luna seemed to shake herself out of whatever Julius's divine protection was doing, and hid behind Subaru.

He smiled faintly, then looked at Julius. "Erm, if you're busy, you don't really have to instruct me. I'm mostly just training for the sake of it. There was a time when it would have been nice to have strength, but I doubt I'll need it now."

"That is no issue. I would not agree to train merely anyone. I'll admit, I was curious when my brother told me you had met me. Unfortunately, I'm unable to place your face."

"Don't worry about it. I'm a very forgettable person." Subaru said wryly.

Julius hummed thoughtfully. "However we met, I seem to have left an impression on you. Joshua said you were inspired to study the spirit arts because of me. There are very few in Lugunica who choose to follow that path. I'm the sole member of the royal knights who has. It would be my pleasure to help you grow your skill."

"Well, if you're sure." Subaru was hardly going to turn down a lesson from the best spirit arts user in the capital. "I've been trying to resist the effects of Shamak so that I can use it more readily. It's something of a double-edged sword if I get caught up in the effect too. You mentioned that it's a problem of high-spirit affinity?"

Julius nodded. "We're more receptive to mental spells. I overcame that weakness with extended training, but I'm not sure that would be an option for you."

Extended training? Subaru considered it. So that would mean I wouldn't make progress for a long time. Is there anything else I could work on?

"Oh! How about other spirits?" He asked. "Could I contract other spirits, and try out other types of magic? Like fireballs, icicles, and blades of wind?"

Julius frowned. "I can see why you would want to move on from what appears to be a dead end for you, but I wouldn't recommend it. Your contract is still new, you should take the time to grow more comfortable with your spirit affinity. You'll overstrain your body if you contract too many spirits at once."

"Like you did?" Subaru remembered Julius telling him about that last loop. Hadn't he contracted six spirits at once?

"Ah, so you heard about that." Julius seemed slightly embarrassed. "In my defence, I was young, and felt the need to prove myself. It was an unwise decision on my part, and I would like to warn others away from repeating my mistakes."

He paused. "Though, truth be told, even had I known I would be rendered bedridden for a few weeks, I would not have done it any differently. My buds are my treasured companions. I imagine you feel the same about Miss Luna."

Luna peeked around at the sound of her name, flushing in embarrassment.

"Oi, you! If you start stalking around like a yandere, I'll disown you!" Subaru threatened, turning around and cupping Luna in his hands in an attempt to hide his own face. He wasn't blushing, not at all. "You can say hello properly. He won't bite."

She hesitantly advanced about a foot toward Julius, and sent over a feeling of greeting. She held her position for a moment, then bolted back to Subaru's side.

"Well, the only other thing I was working on was modifying the spell a bit. I've been told Yin spells are more expensive mana-wise than ordinary elemental spells, so I'm not really able to cast anything but Shamak. So, I wanted a version that went flying, and exploded somewhere else, but I couldn't get it to work."

"A custom spell?" Julius's eyebrows rose. "A lofty goal, but if it's a modification of an established spell, it might be achievable. And as it happens, I have some experience with such spells."

He paused. "Firstly, I should ask, do you understand the theory behind incantations?"

"They help you cast the spell." Subaru answered.

"Not incorrect, but not quite what I was after. As an example, if I wanted you to think of a food, I would call it by its name, rather than describe its characteristics. I would not ask you to picture a round, red fruit, that could fit comfortably in your hand, rather, I would simply ask you to picture an appa. Spell incantations function like that, for your own mind. What you likely tried to do was use the same name for a different spell, like calling for an appa, and expecting to get an oronge."

"Since the spell you want is based on Shamak, that should be the base of the new incantation. Then, to differentiate it from other spells in your mind, you should prefix it with another syllable. I would suggest 'Fal', as it has been used for similar spells."

Subaru nodded. "I see. Do you want to try it out, Luna?"

Agreement.

"Alright then." Picture the effect, take control of the mana Luna gathers, push it through the pseudo gate, and… "Fal Shamak!"

Black smoke erupted before him, but rather than exploding out it every direction, it coalesced into the shape of a ball, then shot out over the field.

It got half-way towards a target before dissolving into nothingness.

Julius clapped. "An excellent job. I can hardly believe that was your first cast of the spell. Don't be discouraged by the lack of coherence, most new spells are like that until you can properly guide the mana."

"Yeah." Possibilities where whizzing through Subaru's mind. He had given up on creating new spells after his failures with shamak, but if it really was that easy…

"I know that look." Julius smiled. "You really do remind me of myself, in my younger days."

"Hey! You're calling me immature?"

Julius raised his hands in apology. "I didn't mean to imply that, though I'm glad you feel more comfortable in my presence. Just be careful, and try to stick to the well-established spells. They might seem boring, but they have been carefully perfected over generations."

He looked over to the target. "Though, a ranged blinding spell might be useful, even for me. I may practice your spell for my own use."

"Hah? Like hell am I going to let someone else master my spell before me! What do you say, Luna?"

Agreement. Determination.

"Well, that sounded like a challenge." Julius said, the slightest trace of amusement in his tone. "As a knight, I cannot let that go unanswered. Nes, if you would?"

Julius's yin spirit appeared at his side, and the two spirit arts users lifted their hands as one.

"Fal Shamak!"

Subaru managed to learn the spell properly before Julius, but he was pretty sure the spirit knight was holding back. He and Luna had to take several breaks over the course of the lesson, and they were exhausted by the end. Subaru lay flat on his back, a strange soreness radiating through him. Luna had began running out of mana, so she started using his instead. Even that had eventually run out, forcing her to fade away into her sleeping mode.

Julius remained the same condition he had started in, Nes hovering by his side, radiating smugness.

"That's odd."

Subaru looked up at Julius with bleary eyes. The knight was looking to the edge of the training grounds, a touch of concern on his face.

Subaru got to his feet, just in time for a messenger to arrive, dressed in the Iron Fang uniform.

He handed Julius an envelope, and the knight inspected the seal, then opened it, brows furrowing as his eyes traced the text within.

They widened, and Julius turned to Subaru. "I'm going to have to see to this. Can you make it back to your residence alone?"

Subaru nodded. "Perfectly fine. Is it bad?"

"Not at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. A meeting for the royal selection has been called. It doesn't say much else, but some comments I've heard are making more sense now."

He shook his head in exasperation, then went on, "In any case, you should prepare yourself and your friend. I suspect Lady Anastasia will want you to be present for the meeting."

The meeting? But that would mean…

He watched Julius go, a blend of feelings stirring apprehensively inside him.

I'll see Emilia again.

AN: Accents are hard. I spent ages procrastinating because I didn't want to write Anastasia's lines.

It's only in this chapter that I've realised using only English equivalents to Japanese honorifics could be trouble. I'm pretty sure I'll manage to convey the feelings they evoke anyway, but I might need to work on it.

Edit: I've noticed some confusion on why Anastasia wants him at the meeting. I'll be sure to explain next chapter. If you ever think I could clarify things better, please do let me know.

Edit 2: Corrected the timeline. Royal selection meeting takes place roughly nine weeks after Subaru's arrival.