Having concluded things peacefully in the Capital, we were now drifting across the mudded roads of Lugunica, meandering through the meadows, heading northeast towards the Mathers Mansion.
There was roughly 240 miles between the Capital and the Mathers Mansion, and if you could believe it, these wooden carriages pulled by ground dragons could travel at some 60 miles per hour, meaning we had an estimated travel time of four hours.
You would think that with the abysmal lack of entertainment in this world, I might find the journey quite boring, especially when my conversation partner, Lady Emilia was snoozing away, as well as her contracted Spirit, Sir Puck.
Even if I couldn't play some Fate Grand Order, I at least expected to be able to chat with Sir Puck about the weather, but apparently the little guy had also exhausted himself, leaving me on my lonesome.
Thankfully, I wasn't bored at all. To me, it was genuinely interesting to just look out the window and take in all the fantastical vistas of this wondrous world.
This was a real life fantasy world. A genuine medieval society. In the past, I had often dreamed about experiencing a world untainted by technology and industrial development, and well, here I was.
Just gazing off at the endless tides of rolling emerald hills was enough to set my heart aflutter, and once the sun started to set, and the entire world was soaked in a brilliant violet glow? It was too beautiful to possibly describe. I only wished that King Arthur wasn't such a hack with a paint brush so I could capture the scenery for eternity. Even a mobile phone would've been good enough to take some photos, but oh well.
Drawing my gaze from the lapping waves of jadeite fields, I turned my attention to Lady Emilia, who was curled up on the opposite sofa like a kitten, her chest rising and falling with her soft breaths, causing my heart to warm.
Meili had been dealt with, and I was currently on my way to Roswaal's Happy Mansion with no idea what kind of threats awaited me, but no matter what, I would do my best to protect Lady Emilia. This was my duty as her servant.
I just hoped she could sleep for a lot longer than just four hours. My liege had run quite the gauntlet back at the capital, after all.
I also had quite the busy few days, but with the constant supply of magical energy, my body was always in battle condition.
My mind on the other hand? That was a different matter entirely.
I was mentally drained. Like a mobile phone with a dead battery. The allure of sleep was constantly calling out to me, but I didn't dare close my eyes for a moment.
It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep, but I couldn't.
If I let my guard down for a moment, things could end in an instant. Against an opponent like Regulus whose attacks did not obey the regular laws of physics, only Instinct would be able to save me, so falling asleep on the job was just not a possibility.
Right now, I had a net of magical energy cast around the gilded carriage, meaning I could sense any intrusions towards us before they reached, but even then, if we were attacked by someone with speed comparable to Reinhard, we would all be dead before I even had the chance to start releasing restraints.
This was the world of Re:Zero. Death and tragedy came when you least expected it. It was impossible for me to let my guard down.
I desperately wished I had an ally I could entrust the safety of Lady Emilia to so we could operate in rotations, but the only person I trusted with Lady Emilia's safety was Reinhard, and naturally, he had his own duties to take care of, thus I could only continue to soldier on despite my growing exhaustion.
I wasn't even confident in protecting myself, let alone protecting Lady Emilia. Even now, as I sat with my eyes opened, the scenes of her death filled her mind, her lifeless corpse staring into my eyes.
At least for now, I would not be able to rest. But that was fine. Compared to the king who carried the hopes and dreams of all of humanity on his shoulders, pulling a few all-nighters was a small matter.
Hours passed, and as the gloaming hue of the twilight sky deepened, we cut through the center of the looming forests, our carriage blanketed in squirming shadows as we approached Arlam Village.
Thanks to that aforementioned net of Magical Energy I had created, I could firmly sense the presence of the endless hordes of Witchbeasts.
I was shocked for a moment, but after some careful consideration, I realized it made perfect sense. These forests were actually nests for Witchbeasts.
Meili did not possess the ability to create Witchbeasts, she simply controlled them.
That was to say that even after taking Meili out of the equation, the surrounding forests were still infested with Witchbeasts.
The only difference was that they wouldn't actively target the villagers due to the surrounding barriers, not unless someone removed one of the crystals that is.
To be honest, I wasn't sure how the villagers could sleep peacefully knowing that only a flimsy barrier separated them from certain death.
Thankfully, I had arrived now, and the extermination of all the Witchbeasts inhabiting the neighboring forests would be a quick and simple way to drum up support with the populace of the surrounding villagers.
That could wait, however. First of all, I needed to feel out Roswaal and make sure he hadn't planned any trickery. The last thing I wanted was for Assassin B to pop up behind Lady Emilia whilst I was busy tormenting the local Witchbeast population.
Either way, reaching the end of the forest, we were met with boundless meadows of fragrant flowers spanning outward as far as the eye could see, surrounding the quaint, pastoral haven known as Arlam Village.
The fields looked as if they had been painted with watercolor, fragile and idyllic, soaked in violet light.
The beautiful flowers surrounded the quaint little village, the small houses spread out elegantly amidst the growing darkness.
Those cheeky brats, despite the fact night was approaching, they were still outside, playing Sage, Swordsman and Dragon, covered with mud. Their parents would surely give them an earful later, and I let out a sigh as I recalled the visage of Sir Ector that had appeared faintly in my mind.
Though on one hand, I was still begrudged over the mental intrusion, I had to admit, memories of Sir Ector were a lot more favorable than memories of Merlin.
Either way, beyond protecting Lady Emilia, I also had to make sure to protect the kind folk of Arlam village. Obviously, I didn't want to see them die, but strategically speaking, having one of the villages in her domain slaughtered would reflect very poorly on Lady Emilia as a political candidate.
With Meili dealt with, it should be okay, but unfortunately, I had no idea what was going on in that head of Roswaal's.
Though his goals were as clear as day, his actions were truly ruthless and unpredictable, like a true Jester. Nothing was too immoral or too cruel when it came to achieving his objectives, and unfortunately, I had no idea how my existence interfered or aided with his plans, I could only make assumptions and hope for the best.
Would he simply play the waiting game and observe me? Or had he already arranged a new threat for me to combat? Quite frankly, I had no idea.
It was clear to me that with this Arc 2, the chessboard had been completely cleared, and although there was a high chance this might be a peaceful retreat for the next two months, my gut instinct told me that it was never that simple, and the unfolding events would reveal the direction my Fate would head in the future.
Either way, since things were so unpredictable right now, I needed to approach things with a cautious, level-head, and I most definitely couldn't let my emotions get the better of me like they did during the battle against Elsa.
Nonetheless, whilst I was incredibly busy monologuing, we passed through Arlam Village, heading onto the singular lane that led to the Mathers Mansion, and I sincerely admired the overhanging canopy of browning leaves that arched over the carriage, a peaceful smile etched onto my face. No matter what, I would enjoy this brief moment of quietness with my liege, away from the chaos of the world.
Like that, we finally reached the actual Mathers Mansion.
Listening to the soft snores of my liege, I momentarily pondered whether or not to wake her and inform her that we had arrived, but after careful consideration, I decided that it was unnecessary. I would simply carry her to the mansion.
Like that, Ram opened the door to the carriage, and I carefully scooped Lady Emilia into my arms, gently carrying her out of the carriage, the cold, nightly wind brushing against my golden-blonde locks as I admired the surrounding scenery.
The size of the Mathers Mansion was beyond my comprehension, dwarfing the guesthouse I had destroyed.
Whilst the mansions in the Royal Capital were indeed impressive, it must be known that due to the fact they were in the capital city, space was ultimately limited, but here in the Mathers domain, they had a near limitless amount of space to work with, leading to this incredibly, incredibly impressive mansion.
It was absolutely huge, spanning over two hundred meters in width, perhaps even close to three hundred, with a depth I couldn't fathom from the front. The craziest thing was that the largest majority of this building was four stories in height, whilst the center of it reached up to six entire stories in height.
The house was absolutely behemothic with a lovely gothic architecture, and I couldn't even begin to imagine how much a house like this would set you back. Once again, I had to truly gasp at the overwhelming wealth belonging to the nobility of this world, and once again, I felt quite satisfied that I had now been invited into their fold.
The funny thing is that the size of the mansion wasn't even taking into account the garden that surrounded it. Perhaps the word 'garden' was ill-fitting, it was more like an endless vast expanse of vibrant green grass that stretched across the horizon, curving into the distance, as far as the eye could see.
It must have been several thousands of meters in length, and that was just the front. It was filled with a beautiful assortment of decorative bushes and quaint pavilions, though my favorite additions were the water features, the crystalline water shining brilliantly beneath the vibrant blue sky.
Shaking my head at the luxury of it all, I stepped out of the carriage and onto the gravel, giving my back a bit of a stretch as I held onto Lady Emilia. Though I found the carriage journey incredibly entertaining, it gave me a bit of a stiff back despite my endurance.
"Sir Arthur, we've safely arrived at the Mathers Mansion." Ram spoke quietly to avoid waking Lady Emilia.
'Thanks for pointing out the obvious' I wanted to respond to her, but I remembered what my parents used to tell me, 'two wrongs don't make a right', and I decided not to lower myself to her level.
"Mm. Miss Ram, thank you so much for safely escorting us back home. You'll have to forgive me for not being able to bow, but as you can see, my hands are full." I gestured to the sleeping princess in my arms, my heart filled to the brim with warmth.
Ram nodded and addressed me, "Regarding what will happen from here on, Sir Arthur, I'll escort you to the foyer and introduce you to my sister, Rem, entrusting you to her. Whilst I report to Lord Roswaal, she'll be in charge of guiding you to Lady Emilia's bedroom, and then to your bedroom. Tomorrow morning, I shall have Rem give you a full tour of the mansion before breakfast to allow yourselves to acquaint with one another. Then, at breakfast, you shall formally meet Lord Roswaal." She concluded. This was good, as it gave me a little bit of time to mentally prepare myself to meet with Lord Roswaal. I could monologue as much as I liked.
"Miss Ram, as always, I would like to thank you for your kindness and consideration towards me." I lowered my head, almost headbutting Lady Emilia in the process.
"Your thanks is unnecessary, Sir Arthur." She shook her head lightly in response, "As the savior of Lady Emilia and the benefactor of Lord Roswaal, this kind of consideration is a given. Now please, follow me." And with that, Ram guided me into the mansion.
…
"Welcome back, Sister, and mm… Lady Emilia?" Upon entering the wide, marble foyer, we were greeted by the second of the two maids currently working at the Roswaal Mansion, Rem, who cast a curious gaze towards myself, as well as the princess in my arms.
The twin sister of Ram was naturally identical in appearance to her sister, though instead of cherry blossom pink hair and dark pink eyes, she sported a head of silky, sky-blue hair that glimmered delightfully beneath the chandelier light, and a pair of beautiful diamond blue eyes.
Like Ram, she was clad in the traditional, frilly maids outfit, a flower accessory perched neatly upon the left side of her head.
Seeing Rem like this, I couldn't help but let out a rather heavy sigh inwardly. This Rem… she was one of the most popular anime characters of all time. Though I had already met plenty of anime characters, meeting Rem like this was still worth mentally noting.
It must be known that when Re:Zero was first airing, the craze around Rem was quite the spectacle to behold, especially towards the end of the season, where the wars between Emilia and Rem fans raged furiously.
The overwhelming might of the Rem fans back then was incredibly impressive, decimating the Emilia fans. However, unfortunately for the Rem fans, with the airing of season two, the tides switched completely, with the Emilia fans gaining the upper hand.
Personally, I never participated in these battles myself when I was a viewer back on earth, as amongst the women of the Re:Zero world, my allegiances laid elsewhere, but they were still impressive to watch back then.
And naturally, it was impossible for me not to recall the deaths Subaru suffered at her hands, and even to this day, the haunting cries of Ram still lingered in my mind. Arc 2 was not the best Arc of Re: Zero, but to me, it was a personal favorite. Every time I rewatched it back home, I would cry on three or four separate occasions, as the entire situation was just tragic to me with the misunderstandings between the cast. I was naturally happy when everything was resolved, though unfortunately, with Arc 3, the happiness really didn't last for long.
All in all, I would make sure the tragedies of that timeline did not repeat themselves here, no matter what Lord Roswaal had planned.
Either way, it seemed that my staring had accidentally aroused her curiosity as she turned to Ram, "Sister, sister, who's this strange man staring at me with a heated gaze? I don't believe we've been introduced."
Admittedly, I was indeed looking at her with a rather heated gaze, but I assure you this was not due to some perversion on my part, but rather to see whether or not her nose twitched when I entered the room, or whether hatred clouded her vision when she looked at me.
But that was not the case. It was clear as day that I didn't possess Return by Death at this point. Although it was great that I wouldn't have to fight it out with Rem during this arc, I still couldn't bring myself to be wholly relieved.
Though Return by Death was an ability that caused a considerable amount of mental anguish, it was still one of the most overpowered abilities in all of anime.
No matter what happened to you, as long as you maintained your sanity, you could keep trying again and again until you achieved the happy ending you desired. It was a bit like when playing visual novels back then I could save and load checkpoints as I pleased.
However, I didn't have that power.
You could argue that I didn't need it due to the abilities of King Arthur and knowledge, but my fight with Elsa showed me how imperfect I was as a knight, just one unlucky encounter or one simple mistake could spell my end.
Nonetheless, despite not having Return by Death, I most definitely wasn't going to complain. After all, I could've just transmigrated as a normal civilian with no King Arthur and no Return by Death. Though I had the king intruding on my thoughts 24/7, it was clear to me that without his power, not only would I be dead, but the world would be totally screwed.
Thus, though it pained me, I had to accept this reality with a smile like I usually did.
Beyond that, my lack of Return by Death clearly meant that I had not literally replaced Subaru's existence.
Did that mean that Satella was out for my blood? Considering her incredible power to quite literally drag Subaru here from a parallel plane of existence, I really didn't want to duke it out with her.
Thankfully, my Magic Resistance is A-Rank, and I'd be genuinely surprised if she could one shot me from that seal of hers. Though, it was quite scary to think that should she break free, her first target would probably be me.
With that being said, there was one possibility that I hadn't considered.
That was the possibility that Subaru had indeed been brought here by Satella. However, thanks to my high Luck stat, the plot gravitated towards me, leaving Subaru to wander around the Capital minding his own business.
To be honest, that theory sounded absolutely ridiculous, but at the same time, it wasn't something I could outright ignore due to lack of evidence alone.
Considering Subaru's original train of thought, I suppose in that situation, he would try and use his modern knowledge to conquer the business world?
Perhaps if he managed to meet Anastasia, an interesting alliance would be birthed, but I didn't think about it too deeply, I felt like if Subaru really was transmigrated by Satella, I probably would've seen him. Such an ostentatious guy, he was difficult to miss.
Either way, that was enough thinking about such inconsequential matters. If I kept staring at Rem like this, she might fight it out with me witch scent or no witch scent.
"Rem, Rem, the strange man staring at you with a heated gaze is no ordinary strange man. He is the Knight, Sir Arthur Pendragon. During out visit to the Capital, he saved Lady Emilia's life on multiple occasions, and as such, he is the most honored guest of our Mathers Mansion." Ram made a polite introduction. Though there seemed to be a slight issue with the beginning of her introduction, I was quite pleased with her rest.
Rem nodded her head in response and turned to me, making a polite bow, "Then, Sir Arthur, on behalf of Lord Roswaal, please allow me to thank you for saving Lady Emilia's life. No matter what happens in the future, you shall forever be the benefactor of the Mathers Family." Rem gripped the hems of her skirt and made a polite courtesy.
"To say I saved Lady Emilia is a slight exaggeration." Thinking back to the fight with Elsa, I couldn't help but chuckle at my own weakness, "If it wasn't for the help of the heroes in the Royal Capital, Sir Reinhard, Sir Julius, and all the other knights, as well as Lady Emilia's bravery, things would've ended up miserably." Like that, I turned my attention to the blue-haired maid, "With that being said, though I'm a third-rate knight who relied on luck to make it here, it's still a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Rem, I hope I'll be able to rely on your kindness in the future."
"Please, Sir Arthur, the pleasure is all mine." Rem's lips curled up in response, turning to Ram, "Sister, it seems like you had quite the exciting time in the Royal Capital this time around. I really look forward to hearing the full details tonight."
"Of course, Rem, I would be happy to tell you all the details." Ram responded with a loving gaze before continuing, "But first, I have to go and make a full report to Lord Roswaal. Regarding this trip to the Capital, he most definitely needs to hear all the details."
"Understood, Sister." Rem agreed before questioning, "And in the meantime...?"
"...in the meantime, I would like it if you could escort our honored guest here to Lady Emilia's room so he can tuck her in. Once that task has been concluded, would you be alright with preparing our honored guest dinner and bringing it to his room?"
"It would be my absolute pleasure, sister." Rem spoke sweetly before turning to me, making a polite courtesy, "Sir Arthur, it seems I'll be in your care tonight."
There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in either her words or her movements. She clearly had no qualms about spending her evening making dinner for a stranger she had just met.
Once again, I couldn't help but feel regretful towards Subaru who was met with such distrust by the two maids for something he was completely helpless about.
When I thought about his agonizing death beneath the scarlet sky, it really caused my heart to ache. Nonetheless, there really was nothing I could do about it, so I really wish I'd stop getting so hung up on such minor matters.
With that being said, whilst it does seem unrealistic, if by a small chance Subaru does wind up in this dangerous world, then I sincerely hope that he's able to live a peaceful, lavish life, making all his dreams come true.
"Rem, I'll be counting on you to look after Sir Arthur here. He's a truly distinguished guest, so please treat him well."
"I will do, sister."
Hearing Ram's words, I couldn't help but feel a little warm inside. My impression of this Ram was that she was quite a prickly person with a venomous tongue, but why did she actually seem quite cute and sweet this time around? A glitch in the matrix?
"Though, be warned, the honored guest does eat like a pig, so you'll have to prepare a lot of food."
Heh. Or not. Some things never change, and this is definitely the Ram I remembered!
Lips twitching, I couldn't help but scowl towards the pink-haired maid, and she just made a sweet, innocent look in response, placing her finger to her lips in a cutesy manner,
"Don't look at me like that, Sir Arthur. I'll also be trusting you to take care of our Rem, don't do anything funny to her, alright?"
'Who do you take me for?!' I wanted to roar at her, but naturally, considering Lady Emilia was fast asleep in my arms, I just nodded my head towards Ram with a polite, gentlemanly look.
This was Sir Arthur, the calm and placid knight who wouldn't hurt a fly.
Either way, like that, Ram sauntered off to find her Master, Lord Roswaal, whilst I was left with her blue-haired sister.
Rem gestured towards the nearby staircase and spoke in a soft, elegant voice, "Sir Arthur, please follow me. I shall guide you to Lady Emilia's room."
"Sorry to trouble you, Miss Rem." And with that, we headed deep into the bowels of the mansion.
Author's Notes:
Well, that has been Chapter 11 and the first chapter of Arc 2, I really hope you enjoyed!
I was aiming to have this posted yesterday, but due to new years celebrations and a slight cold, I ended up being delayed so my apologies for that :'D
Speaking of new years, a very happy new years to all of you, I hope you have a fantastic year this year! :D
As always, thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting or reviewing my story, it really does mean the world to me!
Take care everyone!