"So, she dreamed of the king, huh? That's a relief." Despite the fact it was certainly worrying that the memories Lady Emilia viewed during her dream cycle were of King Arthur, and not myself, it was still preferable to Lady Emilia discovering the fact that her loyal knight was just a phony, a student waltzing around in a stolen body.
Naturally, I was also curious as to what Lady Emilia witnessed exactly. Artoria's childhood, that was something I was familiar with, but Arthur's childhood? Nonetheless, it would definitely seem strange to question her about my own memories.
Either way, there was no point in just sitting around and brooding, these things had a way of working themselves out.
For now, I needed to continue my training. As pointed out by Ferris, my affinity with spirits is off the charts, and if I continued to hone this ability and form contracts with the lesser spirits of water, perhaps I could make up for the loss of Avalon, at least in terms of healing abilities.
Taking a deep breath to control my perturbed mind, I stood up and gripped Excalibur, preparing for another round of training and communication.
The glorious golden sun had long since reached its throne upon the zenith and was already beginning its descent towards the sunken depths of the earth.
Dinner time was soon approaching.
I lowered Excalibur and reached out my hand, brushing the sweat from my brow. Though I had to use slow movements to avoid destroying everything every time I swung my sword, the constant engagement of the muscles was actually quite straining, and the tension allowed me to build up a sweat.
Though it would be incredibly difficult to actually grow in physical strength as the King was already incredibly strong, as I gained more and more control over this physical body, my combative capabilities would increase massively, especially my subtle control of my power and my efficiency wielding magical energy.
Either way, it was time to prepare dinner for the Mathers Household alongside Rem.
A total of seven days had passed since I arrived here in the Mathers Mansion. Although Subaru had thought tooth and nail to see the fourth dawn, I did so without much issue.
This was not due to my advantage in strength, but rather, the lack of trouble. Despite the fact I spent every single night patrolling the area, searching for potential threats, nothing ever came.
Naturally, Elsa and Meili were imprisoned for now, but I had expected Roswaal to have a second trick up his sleeve, but for now, he seemed to be biding his time.
The peaceful rest didn't make me feel assured, and if anything, it made my anxiety grow even further. I felt the ominous premonition that something big was going to go down.
Perhaps it was a form of Instinct, or perhaps I was just imagining it, either way, it didn't really matter, I just needed to continue rediscovering my strength to prepare myself for any trouble that might possibly occur.
King Arthur was perfect. It was clear that he was meant to personify the concept of a Hero.
He was handsome, kind, powerful, and he could even cook.
As such, when it came to cleaning the mansion, I thought I would be quite adept, but actually, due to my overwhelming physical prowess, it was actually quite difficult, and I was lacking in comparison to Rem.
But on the other hand, when it came to cooking, Rem was lacking in comparison to myself. Though Rem was incredibly skilled in the kitchen, I had an unnatural ability to produce masterful dishes.
As such, whilst Rem had started to tutor me on the arts of cleaning, I had started to teach her in the subtle arts of cooking.
After changing into my new attire, I headed to the kitchen. Of course, it was unreasonable for me to cook in my kingly robes, they were beautiful, enchanted clothes meant to be adorned in the throne room and worn on the battlefield, it was too unreasonable to continue wearing them in the kitchen.
Thankfully, King Arthur's wardrobe was stacked. Currently, I was wearing a charcoal grey, long-sleeve buttoned shirt that hung loosely from my collar bones, tucked into a pair of black slacks. I wore a black waistcoat over the top, with a black tie tightened around my collar, a pair of black gloves on my hands, and black leather shoes on my feet.
Though it was a touch gloomy, it provided a much-needed contrast to my luminous blonde hair and my vibrant emerald eyes. As someone who appeared a touch flashy, this kind of subdued outfit was much appreciated.
This was one of the King's outfits from Fragments of Sky Silver, similar to what Artoria had been wearing during the initial stages of the Fourth Holy Grail War, and it was perfect for my butler activities.
And of course, in the case of an attack, I could change clothing in an instant.
Either way, I made my way to the kitchen where Rem was washing both her hands and ingredients under the running water, preparing to cook, "Good evening, Arthur." She made a warm smile, her figure soaking in the dusky crimson sunlight that poured through the large kitchen windows, "How was your training today?"
"It went very well, thank you. I can feel myself growing stronger each day, and I know that next time an incident occurs, I won't be caught so unawares." I turned my gaze down to my gloved hands and gripped them tightly as I recalled my embarrassing battle against Elsa.
"Hopefully the day you feel the need to wield your strength will never come." Rem spoke softly as she peeled the vegetables in her hand, "I could quite happily enjoy this peace forever."
"Unfortunately, considering Lady Emilia's position in the Royal Selection, such peace, whilst lovely, is incredibly fragile, like a delicate lily."
"Though I hate to admit it, you're correct. As such, we should do our best to treasure each day whilst the peace lasts." Rem let out a light sigh, "Either way, thank you for your hard work today, Arthur. Let's focus on getting dinner ready as quickly as possible so you can eat your fill."
Hearing her words, I rubbed my stomach as it let out a low growl. I had been so focused on my training that I had completely forgotten about lunch, and I was paying for that now, my stomach letting out loud growls of protest.
"What're we cooking today?" Rem asked curiously as I stepped into the kitchen, picking an apron off the rack, wrapping it around me.
"We're going to try something new today." I smiled as I approached her, "Though this dish is a little unhealthy, the finished product is absolutely delicious, and I've finally gathered all the ingredients to properly make it."
"One of Arthur's new recipes?" Rem pressed her fingers together with a look of excitement, "I must admit, I'm looking forward to trying it."
"This dish is honestly quite unhealthy, so we can't have it regularly, but it'll be a treat for Lady Emilia since she's had a tough day today."
"She has?" Rem frowned concernedly, "I didn't hear about this."
"Well, I guess she had some strange dreams. You're more than welcome to discuss it with her if you wish." As much as I liked Rem as a colleague and friend, I didn't want to gossip about Emilia's dream cycle without her permission.
"Either way, if you're worried about Lady Emilia's health, perhaps you should invite her to participate in your training?" Rem suggested, "As someone constantly under threat of assassination, it certainly wouldn't hurt for Lady Emilia to train alongside you, increasing her own abilities and exercising at the same time, two birds with one stone."
Though I didn't originally pay much credence to her idea, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made, the idea certainly wasn't a bad one.
I guess subconsciously I had considered Lady Emilia more of a studious scholar than a combatant, but she was already skilled in martial arts and spirit arts, and if she continued to hone them through sparring, I would be a lot less worried about her in the future.
Though I couldn't guide her much in terms of magecraft or even swordsmanship, her abilities would develop naturally through sparring, and it might be the perfect thing Lady Emilia needed going forward, and not to mention, I would be able to hone my abilities at the same time. It wasn't killing two birds with one stone, but three or four birds with one stone.
Looking at Rem bathing in the wreaths of sunlight, I couldn't help the smile from spreading across my face, "That's a fantastic idea, Rem. I'll discuss it with Lady Emilia after dinner."
"Perfect." Rem beamed in response "Then, should we begin our cooking?"
The dish I was referring to was the pasty, or more specifically, a twist on the classic Cornish Pasty which was considerably apt considering Emilia had just dreamed of the Cornish Coasts.
I was already quite familiar with the recipe from home economics classes, and since the ingredients and baking process were rather simple, the dish could be recreated even in this ancient, medieval kitchen with alien ingredients. Despite the fact I couldn't truly flex the full depths of my culinary abilities, the food was at least passible.
My twist on the classic recipe was the addition of ale crafted from the barley of Arlam Village, adding an additional, rich, zesty flavour to the dish.
Whilst they took a while to properly cook, the actual process of making them was fairly simple, especially with the skilled hands that Rem and I possessed, and they were in the oven within twenty minutes, giving Rem and I plenty of time to scrub down the kitchen whilst we waited for the pasties to cook.
Once dinner had finished cooking, Rem and I summoned all of the members of the Mathers Mansion and filled the table with baked goods as the hungry diners arrived one by one, with the exception of Lady Beatrice, who rarely showed her face.
Naturally, the residents here had some curious looks on their faces as they looked at the pastry dishes on the table.
"Sir Arthur, what're these?" Lady Emilia asked curiously as she gently picked up one of the pasties, "It looks like a half-moon."
"It's a raaather curious dish, I muuust say." Roswaal hummed as Ram placed one on his plate, "Are we suuupposed to eat with our haaands, or a knife and fooork?" he tilted his head as he looked at me.
"Whatever suits you best." I smiled back towards him, gesturing towards Rem and Ram, "You two eat too, I'll serve the food."
"Sir Arthur, that's simply inappropriate. We're just servants, there's no way we could dine with Lord Roswaal and Lady Emilia." Ram shook her head.
"Please, I insist." I returned, and Lord Roswaal backed me up.
"Isn't it aaalright, Ram? It wouldn't huuurt just this once. Consider it a reeeward for your haaard work as of late." Lord Roswaal spoke and naturally, since the master had spoken, the servants abided.
Like that, Ram and Rem also took their seats, and I walked around the table, using my tongs to place some pasties on their plates.
Though I must admit that I was growing hungrier and hungrier by the moment, watching people enjoy my food was even more enjoyable than eating the food myself, "Please enjoy."
Emilia took her first bite of the crispy pastry, and as the juices seeped into her mouth, her amethyst eyes widened, visibly sparkling. She covered her mouth with her hand as she ate, turning to me, "Arthur, what's this? It's delicious!"
She was so surprised by the taste of the dish that she even forgot to add the 'Sir' to my name, it was rather adorable and amusing.
"It's a simple dish from my homeland." I responded back to her with a hint of pride, "I'm glad you like it, Lady Emilia."
"Like it? I absolutely love it!" with that, she took a second bite, then a third, then a fourth. Suddenly, the elegant and noble demeanour that Lady Emilia had tirelessly worked on creating was destroyed by a wave of gluttony.
"I must saaaay, you've outdooone yourself here, Sir Arthur." Lord Roswaal nodded his head appreciatively as he used the knife and fork to take small mouthfuls of the pasty. Sure enough, Lord Roswaal was a true aristocrat, he would even use a knife and fork to eat a pasty.
"Sir Arthur, I really have so much to learn. I hope that if you find the time in the future, you'll teach me the recipe for this dish." Rem smiled towards me, and naturally, I would never decline her.
"I would be happy to teach you, Rem."
"I suppose you do have some uses apart from swinging that flashy sword of yours." Ram made a pleased look as she ate happily.
Like the diners, my smile could also not be contained. I was happy that they were happy. This was a truly satisfying feeling.
Indeed, though perhaps not at the level of the true King Arthur, my cooking abilities were not bad. Perhaps I should've transmigrated into Food Wars: Shokugeki no Souma instead? That would've saved me a lot of headaches.
All in all, it was a happy dinner in the Roswaal Family mansion.
After dinner, considering I had cooked and served the food, Rem and Ram offered to clean the table, and when I say 'offered' it was more like they forced me to let them clean the tables, practically kicking me out of the dining room.
Though I wanted to help them, this also worked in my benefit too, as I wanted to talk to Lady Emilia, who was still clad in her beautiful floral dress, looking much like a spring flower.
"Lady Emilia, just the person I was looking for." I called out gently as I approached her.
"Sir Arthur!" a smile blossomed on her face as she saw me approach, "Thank you for dinner once again, that was reeeally good!"
"Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing you happy, my lady." I made a polite bow. This was just a sort of natural instinct at this point. Politeness, flattery, etiquette, it flowed naturally like water, even on the battlefield.
"Anyway, what can I do for you, Sir Arthur? I was about to continue my studies." She twirled her silvery bangs with her finger as she spoke.
"Sorry to disturb you, Lady Emilia, but I wanted to discuss with you the possibility of you joining me for training tomorrow morning? We can spar and increase our abilities together."
"Eh? Really?" Emilia blinked her wide amethyst eyes at me, "You really want to train with me?"
"It would be my pleasure." These words were honest, without any masks of flattery or humility.
"Then, I shall meet you in the garden tomorrow morning at dawn!" she beamed, "I can't wait, Sir Arthur!"
"I'll be looking forward to it as well, Lady Emilia." And like that, another event was arranged in my calendar.
"Well, I'll be heading back now, Sir Arthur, see you tomorrow."
"Mm. Good luck with your studies, Lady Emilia, do your best."
"Thanks!"
Dinner and conversation concluded, I returned to my bedroom and got changed back into my standard outfit, the regal robes of King Arthur. I could sense Lady Emilia next door, having changed into her violet nightdress, studying diligently.
As always, her dedication to her studies impressed me. If I had half as much motivation as her when I was back on earth, perhaps I wouldn't have been such a loafer.
Although I didn't want her to push herself too hard, seeing her working so studiously made me feel quite warm inside, so I let her be. I would just be sure to reward her with an extra scrumptious breakfast tomorrow morning.
Either way, with dusk turning to night, I went to go and find Lady Beatrice to return the book I was reading and fetch a new one.
Stepping into the corridors, I closed my eyes and sensed the flow of magical energy in the air, leading me to the door that was cut off from the surrounding magical energy in the atmosphere.
Opening the door, I was met with a barrage of insults from the forbidden Library's owner, "How profoundly aggravating, I suppose. Will you ever cease irritating Betty, I wonder?"
"Good evening, Lady Beatrice. Might I ask why you weren't at the dinner table today?" I asked curiously as I waltzed across the checkered floor, "Sir Puck was very upset."
"Hmph, why should I eat your trifling food, I suppose?" She crossed her arms and turned her head with a 'hmph', "Not to mention, it's so late, what do you think you're doing barging in here, I wonder? You lack tact, you lack demure. Despite your flashy appearance and fanciful words, at heart, you're just your everyday dolt, I suppose."
"I finished the book I was reading, so I came to return it to you." I made a small smile as I handed her the book on general knowledge I had been reading.
"I take it back – you do have some tact, I suppose. Though that does not change the fact you're extremely irritating, hmph!"
"With that being the case, Lady Beatrice, I'm in need for some new nighttime reading."
"Ah-hah." She smirked, "So you're not just here to return my book to me, I wonder? Indeed, you do have ulterior motives, I suppose?"
"Don't forget our deal, Lady Beatrice. In return for saving Lady Emilia, you're the one who promised that I'd be able to read books here as I pleased, don't forget that."
"Well, despite being a sniveling brat, I suppose you do have a point, a spirit should always keep their promises, I suppose." She let out a heavy, begrudged sigh, "Very well, what will you be reading this time?"
"I don't suppose you have any books on the Witch Cult?" I asked I as I assessed the endless myriad of volumes that lined the bookcases, seemingly spanning to the ends of eternity.
"And why, might I ask, would you want to read a book on such a loathsome organization, I wonder?" Beatrice wore a heavy frown, scrunching up her brows as she crossed her arms.
"Apparently, Lady Emilia is being targeted by this nefarious organization, and as they say, know your enemy. Since they have so much knowledge on Lady Emilia, isn't it only fair that I possess knowledge on them?"
"Heed my warning, boy, nothing good will come of making an enemy of the Witch Cult, I suppose. If you want Betty's advice, you should leave the half-pint girl and make like the wind, find somewhere peaceful to settle down, I suppose."
Hearing her words, I momentarily came to a halt, turning my head over my shoulder to look at the artificial spirit.
"W-What is it, I suppose? What a profoundly aggravating look!"
"Could it be that you're concerned about me, Lady Beatrice?"
"Hah! You're certainly arrogant, boy. Why would Betty, a noble spirit, worry about you, I wonder? Hmph!" with that, she once again turned her head, and the two of us fell into a brief silence as I scratched the back of my head helplessly.
"Nonetheless," she broke the silence with a heavy sigh, "I should offer you some assistance, I suppose. The quicker you get your books, the quicker you'll be out of Betty's library." With that, she waved her hand, and a series of books floated from their shelves, gravitating towards my hands, "These should keep you busy for a while; I suppose."
"Thank you, Lady Beatrice." I made a polite bow towards the artificial spirit as I held the books happily in my hands.
"Now do Betty a favor and make yourself scarce. The sight of you is thoroughly displeasing, I suppose." She puffed out her cheeks, and I had the feeling that she wasn't being sincere.
I would have to make more of an effort to visit her in the future. This poor spirit had been without company for long enough.
Carrying my books, I returned to my bedroom. Of course, I knew about the Witch Cult in general, and I also knew a fair deal about Satella. Nonetheless, the knowledge I had gleamed from witnessing the world through the eyes of Subaru was ultimately minimal in comparison to the hundreds of years of knowledge that had been transcribed by scholars and historians across the world throughout the river of time.
Undoubtedly, the records kept in Lady Beatrice's books would allow me to get a thorough understanding on the Witch Cult, their activities, and the cruelty of their actions. I also wished to study the knowledge that Beatrice had on Satella. Though I was confident I knew more than most about her, having more information never hurt.
It was around midnight when my studies came to a halt. The soft sound of footsteps echoed out, and I made out the figure of Ram approaching my bedroom, leaving me quite perplexed.
I had no idea why Ram was coming to find me in the middle of the night. I doubted she was here for a fight, as I would stomp her, and I doubted she was here for that kind of thing either, as that would be too out of character for Ram.
Which begged the question – why was she here?
I got up from my desk and approached the door, opening it just as she was about to twist the knob, causing her to jump in shock, "A-Arthur, I was just coming to see you."
The current Ram was dressed in her pajamas, holding a candle in one hand, looking rather endearing amidst the warm ambient light of the candle flame.
"How can I help you this evening, Ram?" I raised my eyebrow with genuine curiosity. I couldn't fathom what she had come here for.
"Regarding that, Arthur, I've been sent to fetch you. Lord Roswaal wishes to have a private discussion with you."
"!" Hearing her words, my blood ran cold, and chills ran down my spine. My hand subconsciously twitched as I went to reach for Excalibur in the void from instinct, but ultimately, I didn't.
"Arthur? Are you alright?" Ram looked blankly at me.
I took a deep breath to compose myself before smiling warmly at Ram, "Lord Roswaal wishes to see me? Although it's a little late, I would be happy to entertain him. Please lead the way."
"Certainly." And like that, I was led through the dark bowels of the shadowed mansion.
We soon reached Lord Roswaal's study, and as expected, he was still awake, his overwhelming magical energy like a star that illuminated the night sky.
Ram knocked the back of her fist on the door, speaking in a soft voice, "Lord Roswaal, I've brought Sir Arthur."
"Please, cooome in." Lord Roswaal's voice echoed back from within his study, and Rem politely opened the door before bowing to me, gesturing for me to enter.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the dark study, every single cell of my body ready for action as I processed the world around me in a near-frozen state. If Lord Roswaal really wanted to dance with me, it would be incredibly, incredibly difficult. Most likely, with a single clash, the Mansion would be destroyed, and Lady Emilia would be injured. No matter what, I had to keep the situation under control.
Lord Roswaal's personal study was incredibly spacious, roughly thrice the size of Lady Emilia's bedroom.
The Lord could be seen hard at work behind his desk, illuminated by the pale moonlight, cutting a truly otherworldly visage that was difficult to describe, what with the eloquence of his silhouette and movements, contrasting to the bizarreness of his clown make up.
Either way, seeing Roswaal hard at work like this was quite surprising. It was only then that I remembered that despite all his shenanigans, he was the Lord of a huge domain and had ruled over it for hundreds of years.
Seeing my reaction, Roswaal let out a small chuckle, "Why dooo you looook so surprised?"
"I don't know, Lord Roswaal, you're always behaving in one way or another, it was just a little surprising to see you working so diligently in the dead of the night."
"The night is the beeest time to get wooork done, Sir Arthur, as there's no distraaactions." He spoke like a teacher, gesturing to the seat in front of him, "Either way, I'm sooorry to disturb you in the middle of the night, buuut I felt this was the mooost appropriate time for us to talk. Please, taaake your seat."
"There's no need for apologies, Lord Roswaal, as I'm sure you're aware, I'm somewhat of a night owl myself."
"Indeeed, as I'm sure you're also awaaare, Ram has been keeeping an eye on you for the paaast week, and has confirmed that you don't sleeep whatsoever. Whilst I'm thankful for you keeeping an eye on things for us, please make sure you dooon't push yourself too haaard, alright?" His words were kind and considerate, and if it wasn't for the fact I knew what the true Lord Roswaal was like, the image of his hand piercing through Ram's chest forever imprinted in my mind, I might actually believe him.
I took my seat and looked at the large map on his desk. There were multiple miniature figures resting on his desk, surrounded by parchments, it was clear he was hard at work.
"You're cuuurious?" He tilted his head.
"I don't know. I guess I just always assumed that this mansion was the limit of your domain, but you really are a Margrave, huh?"
"Of cooourse I am." he let out a jovial laugh, "In truth, this maaansion is just one of the many spare mansions I haaave littered around my territory, the true Mathers Mansion is located heeere in Costuul." He pointed to the map.
Though I was subconsciously aware of this fact already, I still found it quite amazing, "This must be the biggest spare house I've ever seen, not that I've seen many spare houses mind you."
"The Mathers faaamily is a very aaancient one, Sir Arthur. We don't possess land alooone, but also people. There are nearly a huuundred subsidiary families to the Mathers family, all of which possess smaaall territories of their own, and whether its their taaaxes or their problems, all of them flow up to me." He chuckled.
Looking at the intricate map, filled with miniature fiefdoms, I was a little surprised. Watching the anime, it was easy to assume that Roswaal was the only member of the Mathers family, but this domain was truly incredibly huge.
"Are all noble houses like this?" I asked curiously, "Like the Astrea House, or the Karsten House?"
"Mm." Roswaal nodded his head, "Though, In comparison to the Dukedoms, our Mathers faaamily can be considered sooomewhat smaller." He shook his head as he pushed the map aside, placing his hands together as he looked up at me, "Anyway, Sir Arthur, I did not caaall you here to discuss matters of Lordship." He leant forward, immediately putting me on guard.
"Then," I folded my legs in a casual manner, leaning back on my chair, "Why did you call me, Lord Roswaal?"
In that moment, his eyes narrowed coldly, and he spoke with zero façade, "I believe it's about time we discuss what to do going forward in order to achieve our goal."
Our goal? What goal might you be referring to? I had a strong feeling that Roswaal seemed to have some kind of misunderstanding about me, with Roswaal, there can only be one goal. Does he think I'm also trying to free Echidna? Whilst in some ways according to my tastes, that made some sense, I most definitely won't be letting Echidna free, though it seems that Roswaal doesn't know that? Nonetheless, there's still the possibility that he's tricking me in an attempt to manipulate me into doing his bidding, I need to play it cautiously.
"What goal might you be referring to, Lord Roswaal?" I asked in a soft voice, and he just made a peculiar smile.
"Myyy, there's nooo need to be so coooy, Sir Arthur, we both knooow what goal I'm referring to. You've already made a steeerling start by establishing Lady Emilia's name in the Roooyal Capital with the defeat of Elsa and Meili, and it's time for us to continue buuuilding Lady Emilia's Preeestige! Oh, on another note, Laaady Emilia gaining fame will undoubtedly bring a certain degreee of trouble with certain orgaaanizations, and that too, is wooorth considering." He placed his chin on his interlocked hands, looking at me curiously.
"The Witch Cult, huh." I closed my eyes and rubbed my chin as I pondered over his words. Originally, the Witch Cult didn't attack until Arc 3, but that was only because Lady Emilia was publicly announced during the Royal Selection. Now, thanks to my meddling, she had earned some premature fame in the Capital, and had thus become a target.
I had naturally considered this possibility, but Lord Roswaal's words had cemented the idea.
"If what you're theorizing is true, then both Lady Emilia and I need to develop further." I finally opened my eyes, "The Witch Cult attacking doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Depending on who they send, it could be the perfect opportunity for Lady Emilia to establish herself as a strong political candidate before the Royal Selection even officially begins."
"That's preeecisely what I was thiiinking," Lord Roswaal nodded his head, "Great minds Do indeeed think alike. With that being said, you've alreaaady made a good start back in the Capital, how do you wiiish to proceed from here?"
"If you truly wish to achieve your goal by making Lady Emilia queen, then it's important that Lady Emilia develops as an individual." I looked at Lord Roswaal warily, still not sure what to make of his actions, or whether he was planning to backstab me or not, "As such, I believe its best that Lady Emilia makes her own decisions going forward. I have a training session with Lady Emilia tomorrow morning. After we've concluded our practice, we can hold a Mathers Household meeting in regards to how to proceed moving forward with the Royal Selection, and everyone can participate in an open dialogue."
Lord Roswaal fell silent for a moment before an unpredictable smile spread onto his face, a strange light dancing in his eyes as he nodded his head, "Very well, then we'll do it yooour way, Sir Arthuuur."
"Does that conclude our conversation, Lord Roswaal?" I asked the man politely.
He nodded his head in response, "Indeeed. Unless you want to staaay and chat?" he tilted his head and blinked towards me with a rather calm and inviting aura about him, but there was no way I was going to stay and chat with this man. The more information I revealed, the more I left myself vulnerable to exploitation. When dealing with an incredibly wise, intelligent and crafty 400-year-old being, the less we communicated and interacted personally the better.
"I'm afraid not, I still have guard duties, after all." I stood up from my chair and made a polite bow, "Thank you for your time, Lord Roswaal, I'll be returning to my quarters now."
"Goood night, Sir Arthur."
And with that rather chilling conversation coming to a close, I returned to my bedroom to continue my reading.
As the first rays of brilliant golden luminescence pierced through the gaps in my silk curtains, I finally closed the book I was engrossed in reading, detailing the bloody history of the Witch Cult, and the destruction they had wrought. It seemed that the media I had consumed only scratched the very surface of the countless atrocities committed by the Witch Cult over the years.
Either way, that was more than enough reading. Now that the sun was on its rise, it was time for my arranged training session with Lady Emilia.
"Sir Arthur, good morning!" It was a brisk morning, and with the radiant sunshine only just beginning its ascent, the world outside the confines of the mansion was quite dark. The morning sky took on a rather deep, beautiful, violet hue, and greyish mottled clouds drifted with the refreshing winds.
The silky emerald grass was still wet with dew, and the fragrant flowers danced wondrously with the gentle breeze.
Lady Emilia was currently barefoot on the grass, wearing a long, one-piece dress with a pair of shorts below, completing some basic stretches as she warmed her body up for combat, the lesser spirits dancing around her happily.
As I stepped out, the lesser spirits also came to greet me, and I gently reached out my hands to touch them as I greeted Lady Emilia, "Good morning my lady, how was your sleep?"
"I was a tad too excited to sleep last night, so I'm a touch tired this morning, but I'm well thank you, Sir Arthur. How about yourself?" She asked as she stretched her hands up towards the sky, arching her back.
"I'm quite well thank you, looking forward to some dynamic training for the first time in a while." Though all my training had technically been dynamic, it was definitely a lot more static than when I fought with Elsa. After all, the garden was so fragile, and I didn't want to cause a mess. Nonetheless, after a week of practice, I now had much better control over my strength, so I think if I only used a portion of my physical power, I could avoid damaging the surroundings. Though it might sound a little strange, I wanted to rediscover a little bit of that adrenaline rush I felt when fighting with Elsa.
"Do we just fight then, Sir Arthur?" Emilia blinked her violet eyes at me curiously as her stretches came to a halt.
"That's right, Lady Emilia." I nodded my head at her, "Pretend I'm a big villain that just offended you, now come and beat me up."
"But Sir Arthur, you could never offend me." Lady Emilia shook her head, and I just smiled wryly as I beckoned for her to come.
"Just pretend I did."
"But Sir Arthur, what if I hurt you?" she tilted her head, concern apparent on her face.
A rather bizarre look appeared on my face as I fought the urge to respond, 'bold of you to assume you could hurt me.'
I cleared my throat and smiled at her, "If you do manage to hurt me, I'll bake you Cornish pasties for lunch every day this week."
In that moment, it was as if a flip had been switched in the reluctant Emilia, and she muttered, "Be careful."
In that moment, there was a slight gust of wind, and my instinct immediately churned into action, my head tilting as if I was clicking my neck.
At the same time, Emilia appeared in front of me, jousting her knife-hand out, the side of her hand cutting across my cheek, causing fresh crimson blood to dribble down my pale cheek.
Interesting. Immediately, I flared my Magical Energy outward, causing every one of Emilia's hairs to stand on end as she instinctively flipped backwards, performing beautiful, elegant backflips across the grass, covering tens of meters in the blink of an eye.
I took a single step, and in that instant, I was standing behind her, kicking slowly from her side with enough speed to slice a lightning bolt in half.
My foot dragged with it a storm of wind, so Emilia was quite capable of sensing the incoming attack, raising her arm to block my shin.
BOOM!
Our arm and foot met, and massive gusts of wind blasted outward, the soil rending beneath us as the beautiful grass was uprooted.
"Ram is going to kill me-" before I could finish my sentence, Emilia's knife hand shot straight towards my Adam's apple, and I performed a simple parry with the back of my arm, making sure to perform a gentle guiding twist to push her attack aside without bruising her fair skin.
In the next instant, her other fist shot out, and my blocking arm cut back across, gently guiding it aside, but the brief instant my own arm blocked my vision, her leg shot out towards my kneecap, and I had no choice but to jump in the air to avoid her strike, a proud smile spreading onto my face, that was a nice combination. She doesn't have any formal training either, she's just incredibly talented in martial arts.
I had leapt into the air, and was thus currently stuck in place, something Emilia would not fail to capitalize on. She raised her hand as lesser spirits of the Yin Element danced around her, purple light gathering at the center of her palm, and immediately, like bolts of lightning, streaks of darkness were lashing towards me.
Uhm, hang on a moment, Lady Emilia, I don't think you're supposed to use Spirit Arts in a casual spar… though I said this, I didn't really mind, I simply opened my mouth and let out a bellow, "Hah!"
My subdued Mana Burst exploded outward, forming a repulsive shield that deflected the incoming spiritual arts, continuing to form a small storm that uprooted the nearby bushes and trees.
Hm, I still need a lot of work controlling the magical energy. I thought to myself as I shot towards the ground, but the moment I was about to land, Emilia appeared from my blind spot, kicking beneath me, her foot slamming into my chin, momentarily causing my head to spin.
Though I could've avoided her using instinct, I decided not to, and instead kicked my own foot out, sweeping her legs, causing her face to drop as she started to fall to the ground.
Without hesitation, my fist shot out as I struck towards her, intending to pummel her into the earth, but through an insane show of agility, she grabbed my fist mid strike, using it as a vault to slam her feet towards my face.
I raised my free arm to block the strike, and immediately, a shocking boom echoed out, the ground splitting beneath my feet like a broken mirror.
Her kick was genuinely powerful! It left my arm feeling numb, and although I was only using a small amount of magical energy, this level of magical energy still had Artoria duking it out with Heracles.
"What has Puck been feeding you?" I let out a small laugh as I unleashed my fist, creating a twisting cyclone that shot towards Emilia.
Emilia pushed her own arm out and our two attacks met, creating an intense singularity that had the entire garden trembling.
"I could ask you the same thing, Sir Arthur." Emilia smiled brightly as her silvery hair danced valiantly in the wind, "What has Rem being feeding you?"
"I was born like this, Lady Emilia." I let out a pearl of laughter as I slowly extended out my hand, "Now then, what will you do about the second punch?"
Emilia made a serious look as purple gravitational force wrapped around her fist, the yin spirits chirping happily as our attacks met once again, creating a storm so devastating that the mansion's glass windows started to break one after the other, a symphony of shattering glass echoing out.
In the next instant, we struck again, and again, and again, our fists clashing repeatedly, thunder booming across the horizon, the ground rapidly trembling beneath us as violent torrents of wind destroyed the nearby pavilions, trees and bushes, the gardens collapsing from the sheer shockwaves of our clashes.
"Stop, stop, stop!" a panicked voice echoed out as Ram and Rem came rushing out of the mansion, looks of horror on their faces.
"Eh?" It was only after I heard their voices that I sobered from the joy of battling with Lady Emilia, hiding my neck in my collar as I looked around at the destruction the two of us had wrought.
"Arthur, you already destroyed one mansion, and now you want to destroy another!" Ram scolded, "Do you have any idea how long it'll take Rem to fix this mess?! I hope you have a gardening outfit prepared in that magic storage space of yours!" she scolded me furiously, and fair enough, I did deserve it this time.
How to put it. Fighting with Lady Emilia was a lot of fun, and I felt our bond grow stronger with each attack, and as such, I completely forgot about our surroundings!
"How to say this… I'm very sorry, Rem." I hung my head in shame towards the blue-haired maid.
"D-Don't worry, A-Arthur, I-I'm fine." Rem looked at me with trembling lips, and I wasn't sure if she was incredibly angry or incredibly depressed.
"She's not fine, Arthur. Rem spent the whole weekend preparing the gardens for Lord Roswaal to enjoy, and you destroyed them in a matter of seconds."
"That…" I let out a heavy sigh, "I suppose the silver lining is that we can enjoy rebuilding the garden together, right, Rem?"
"Un." She put on a brave face and nodded her head, "T-That sounds like fun, A-Arthur."
"And I suppose you're not going to help?" I turned to Ram.
"I'm not the one who destroyed it." she scoffed, "But don't worry, I'll be there to provide refreshments."
"Ram, Rem, I'm really sorry about all this!" Lady Emilia bowed her head in a guilty fluster,
"Don't worry, Lady Emilia, it's all the fault of this big brute Arthur, I swear he only knows how to destroy things!"
"Sister, please don't be mean to Arthur, I really don't mind!" Rem wiped her tears from her eyes, and Lady Emilia and I could only look at one another guiltily. Somehow, her bright smile made it all the worser!
"Listen, Arthur, Lady Emilia, I don't care if you too want to spar with one another, but next time, make sure you're at least five kilometers from the mansion… no, make that ten!"
"Understood, Ram." I responded back, and Lady Emilia looked incredibly embarrassed.
"As long as you understand. Now, you better get moving, Lord Roswaal is waiting for you in the drawing room."
"Mm." I nodded my head and looked at Lady Emilia, and she looked back at me, a smile growing on her face. It seemed that she too had sensed that our bond had increased. If this was Persona, our social link would've just levelled up. I'll have to make sure this training session is apart of our regular morning routine from now on.
"Sir Arthur, do you have any idea what this meeting with Lord Roswaal is about?" Lady Emilia batted her violet eyes at me as we waltzed through the hallway.
Well, considering she could sense my emotions, there was no point in lying to her, "I do, but you won't like it, as it'll most likely involve me getting myself in danger."
"You're right, I don't like the sound of that what! So! Ever!" Emilia pronounced every word as she turned to me, "What are the two of you planning?"
"Well, I'll let Lord Roswaal explain the situation as he's a lot more eloquent than I." I smiled helplessly, and the two of us eventually reached the drawing room.
Like that, the whole gang had gathered in the drawing room, Lord Roswaal, the mysterious mansion owner, the two maids Rem and Ram, the Princess Lady Emilia, and myself, the student turned knight, and now and again, turned sleuth
The drawing room was a lovely place, spacious with glimmering marble floors, surrounded by towering bookcases filled with knowledge. Red, upholstered sofas spread out across the floor, and a large mahogany coffee table sat at the center.
Lady Emilia strolled in and placed her hands at her hips, looking sternly between Lord Roswaal and I, "Alright, are you two going to tell me what this is about already?"
."Laaady Emilia." Roswaal placed his hands together, "What would you saaay your goal is?"
"My goal? Aren't you guys already aware? My goal is to become Queen and save my people. To create a kingdom of equality where humans and elves can live amongst one another in harmony." She responded back in a soft, gentle voice.
"And over the paaast week, what steps have you taken to accooomplish this goooal of yours?" Lord Roswaal asked curiously, and well, his words were a little too harsh.
"What do you mean? Haven't I been studying all this time?" Emilia blinked in confusion.
"You have indeeed." Lord Roswaal nodded his head, "Hooowever, much more is needed to become Queen that theoretical knooowledge alone. You have a tremendously powerful knight at your side as your swooord, don't you think it's about time you put him to goood use to amass some reputation and acclaaaim amidst the populace?"
"Uh-huh." Emilia nodded her head with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "And what do you think about this, Sir Arthur? Are you happy with Roswaal treating you like a tool?"
"Lady Emilia, I am your sword. Please use me how you wish." My body reacted before I knew it, and I was down on one knee.
"I don't want to put you in danger, Sir Arthur. I don't want to see you suffer for my sake." She shook her head, "Though I don't know what you guys have in mind, I won't agree."
"Lady Emilia, in all honesty, I think you would make a great queen. You're kind, understanding, noble and honorable. You're charismatic and charming. You're powerful and intelligent. Yet, despite all this, you're still humble and treat everyone fairly. What are you, if not the perfect candidate to rule?"
"W-What do you mean by telling me all this?" Emilia turned her gaze away sheepishly, and I continued,
"Nonetheless, the other candidates of the Royal Selection are also great candidates to become rulers. There is no bad pick amongst them, and all of them bring a variety of different merits to the table. If you want to stand out at the forefront of them, you have to accomplish feats to win the people's hearts. Though I must admit studying has it's importance, the most important ability for a monarch is to be able to win the heart's of their people. In this regard, you're already at a significant disadvantage, so if you're serious about being Queen, you're going to have to risk my life whether you like it or not."
In the original timeline, it was precisely because of Subaru's astounding efforts in defeating one foe after another that Lady Emilia was seriously considered as a candidate, and without Subaru, many didn't even take Emilia seriously.
What I wanted was for Lady Emilia to achieve similar accomplishments with her own power, but if she refused to wield me, then it was all pointless. No matter how beautiful Excalibur was, if the wielder refused to wield it, it could never shine.
"Don't misunderstand, Lady Emilia, you don't have to feel guilty towards me, I belong on the battlefield, after all." Through my quick battle with Emilia, I started to realise that beneath the crumbling layer of fear was an intense desire to wield Excalibur for the benefit of Lady Emilia and enjoy the thrills of battle once again.
"I don't like it when you talk about yourself like that, Sir Arthur." Lady Emilia frowned towards me.
"Nonetheless, as Queen, you will have soldiers, and you will have to order your soldiers to fight, even if that means sending them to their deaths. As a monarch, you will have to confidently dish out orders to your subjects, and you will constantly have to make tough decisions. Naturally, this is something that will have to develop over time, but for now, you can focus on ordering me around for your benefit." I remained on the ground, head lowered.
"Why do I have to order people to their deaths? Why do I have to make difficult decisions? Can't we just live in peace?" Lady Emilia bit her lip.
"We can, Lady Emilia, but it is your sacred duty to forge that peace with your own two hands." I looked up at Lady Emilia, and she bore witness to my determination, eventually giving into my stubbornness.
"Jeez, why do you have to be like this, Sir Arthur? You're reaaally stubborn." she let out a heavy sigh, "Very well, I'll at least hear you out, what kind of plan did you have in mind?"
"Lady Emilia, I would like to hear your thoughts on this myself. Taking a look at the Mathers Domain, is there any issues that immediately stick out to you?" I finally stood back up, taking my seat down on the sofa.
"Any pressing issues?" Emilia muttered as she took her seat by my side, Ram pouring her a cup of tea, "As expected, it's the Witchbeasts, right? There's nests all over Roswaal's domain, and although they're held back by the barriers, if someone did want to exploit a weakness, it would be those barriers." She spoke, and I briefly turned to Roswaal, shivering as I noticed his weird smile.
Noting that I was also smiling, Emilia looked up at me with a stern look, "You can't be serious, Sir Arthur? Whilst I understand you're powerful, you're just one man. Do you really want to attempt to exterminate all the Witchbeasts in the Mathers Domain?"
I looked back at her somewhat guiltily. In truth, that was precisely what I was thinking. If Lord Roswaal was to be trusted, the Witch Cult were preparing to make a move and in the meantime, Witchbeasts would be the perfect targets to train my abilities to fight and kill.
Naturally, Witchbeasts were considerably dangerous, but in the end, these particular Witchbeasts were Subaru-level at best, and I had A-Rank Strength and A-Plus-Rank Endurance, when paired with my Personal Skill: Giant Beast Hunt that gave me a special boost when facing Magic Beasts, I think I would be alright. Worst comes to worse, I could resort to another Mana Burst.
"Nope. I'm sorry, Arthur, but I have to refuse. I'm not going to send you in alone to fight endless hordes of Witchbeasts." Emilia shook her head profusely, "After all, you're not Mr. Reinhard."
Hearing her words, a pride I didn't know I had was struck, and I couldn't help but ask, my lips twitching, "Lady Emilia, what do you mean by that exactly?"
"Uh?" Emilia looked back at me, "Well, I was just saying you're not Mr. Reinhard."
"So, if Sir Reinhard was here, you'd let him fight the Witchbeasts?"
"Of course." She nodded her head, "He's the Sword Saint, after all."
"Very good, an interesting plan is forming in my mind." I rubbed my chin furiously as I spoke, "How about we invite 'Mr. Reinhard' over for a friendly contest to strengthen the bond between Lady Emilia and Lady Felt? We can compete in who can kill the most Witchbeasts."
"I for one looove that idea." Roswaal's eyes brimmed with a fires that could not be contained.
"Well, I'm not sure. It still sounds quite dangerous for you, Sir Arthur." Emilia looked at me worriedly, and somehow, her concern today made me feel a little… peeved.
"Don't worry, Lady Emilia, if things go awry, Sir Reinhard will be there to protect me, after all." I made a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Well, I suppose you're right about that." Emilia placed her hands together, turning to Rem and Ram, "What do you two think?"
"I think it's a splendid idea, Lady Emilia." Rem hummed to herself, "We could involve the villagers and make a small festival out of it."
"Sounds good to me." A wild Puck suddenly appeared from Emilia's crystal, "I happen to love festivals."
"Aren't you a little late, Sir Puck?" I turned my head wryly towards the cat spirit. It seemed that the closer I got to Lady Emilia, the less this little guy showed his face, and that was a little worrying.
"You know what they say – the protagonist always arrives late to the party." Puck placed his hands behind his head, swaggering atop Emilia's crown.
"In this case, the party is already over, though!" I couldn't help but quip back and Puck grinned,
"Nice reaction, Arthur. I can always rely on you for a good boke and tsukkomi routine." Puck stuck his thumbs up at me.
"But, Sir Puck, if you leave again for the Capital after you only just came back, Lady Beatrice will be unhappy." Ram couldn't help but speak out of concern.
"Well, in that case, Betty will be mad at Arthur, not me, so I guess it's fine." He whistled nonchalantly.
"Fine for who exactly?!"
"Nice one, Arthur! Keep it going!"
"Sir Puck, how about you and I have a nice chat outside?"
"Tsk, tsk, threatening others with violence is not good, not good at all!"
"I'm merely inviting you for tea five… er, ten kilometres from the mansion."
"Lia, your knight is bullying this cute little house cat." Puck made a 'scared' look whilst licking his paws teasingly.
"Alright you two, that's enough!" Emilia reached out her fingers and gripped us both by our ears.
"Ouch ouch!"
"Give! Give!"
"Hmph, that'll teach the two of you to mess around in the future." Emilia pouted and turned her head with a huff, and Puck and I could only look towards one another awkwardly.
"Well, either way, I'm definitely not gonna be the one to tell Betty the news! Ciao!" with that, Puck jumped back into Emilia's crystal, coming and going like the wind.
"Puck…" Emilia made a rather bitter look, letting out a heavy sigh, and sensing her sadness, I decided to change the subject.
"The Capital, huh? I owe so many people meals! Lord Roswaal, you'll be providing some travelling expenses, right?" I scratched my cheek sheepishly.
"Heh, what gal. You haven't paid Lord Roswaal back for his house, and now you want pocket money? What can I say, Sir Arthur, you're very bold." Ram scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Lord Roswaal, if funds are tight, you can give us travelling expenses from Ram's pay." I smiled sweetly at Ram, earning a glare from the pink-haired maid.
"Don't wooorry, Sir Arthur, though I spent quite a few Dragon Coins to repair my guesthouse, I've still gooot plenty of fuuunds to spare." Lord Roswaal smiled softly.
"Eh? You repaired the Guesthouse already? That was quick!" I spouted out with genuine surprise.
"What can I saaay, Sir Arthur? This is a world of magic, aaafter all." Lord Roswaal gave a light chuckle, "When do you wiiish to depart?"
"How about tomorrow?" Emilia asked me, "Is that fine with you, Sir Arthur?"
"Mm. Though, Lady Beatrice is going to be really mad. She might never speak to me again."
"I guess you'll have to bring her some sweets back from the capital." Emilia giggled into her hand, and I let out a heavy sigh.
"In the meaaantime, Ram, please send wooord to House Astrea to let them know about our impeding arrival."
"Understood, Lord Roswaal."
And like that, the meeting came to an end, our new plans being established.
Reinhard, huh? Though it was a little annoying that Emilia trusted his abilities so much more than mine, in all honesty, I couldn't wait to see him again.
And thus, I looked forward to tomorrow with bright eyes.
Author's Notes:
Hello everyone, thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was quite a long one, huh? This chapter is 9.35k words, and is the longest by far, hence it took a little while longer to edit, so my apologies for the delay!
With that, we've smashed 70k words and are heading straight towards 100k words, and I'm really looking forward to showing you all what I have planned for Arc 2!
As always, thank you so much to everyone who has viewed, followed, favorited or reviewed my story, it means so much to me, and we're approaching 475 followers, so thank you for that! :D
Regarding the reviews from the last chapter, I'm really running behind on time today, so I'll be responding those tomorrow, but thank you so much to everyone who left a review! To be honest, I probably should've waited until tomorrow to post, but I've taken long enough with this chapter, and didn't want to keep you all waiting any longer!
Have a great week everyone, take care!