Author's Note:

Hey everyone! I've got some amazing news to share! My 12th-grade results are out, and guess what? I got an A Plus! Hahaha, I'm over the moon right now! My overall score is 86%—definitely not the highest, but honestly, it's a huge achievement for me.

Now, it's time to buckle down and get ready for Medical College/University! Wish me luck on the next step of this journey.

Also, I published a story of Naruto in Warring State Era as Nanashi Uchiha. Nanashi has one of the finest stories in the game series, do check it out.

Alright, without any further ado, let's dive into the new chapter!

Teach Me!

Subaru took a deep breath before raising her hands. "Rasengan."

Thump.

Another useless ice ball.

The sigh that left Subaru's lips was one of pure defeat as she flung the frozen orb onto a pile of similarly failed attempts that had been building up behind her like a small mountain of disappointment. The snowballs were mocking her, really, as if they were saying, Is this all you got, huh?

"Hey, Lia, what'cha doin'?" Puck floated above her head, tail swaying lazily as if the day wasn't falling apart before their very eyes.

"Trying out a new technique that'll work in close range, Puck!" Subaru snapped, eyes narrowing as she spun the ice between her palms. "I wanna be able to protect my butt from any potential killers, ya know!"

Puck chuckled, his voice light, yet dripping with sarcasm. "Ma, ma, my innocent daughter learning such vile words… who's been corrupting you lately?"

Subaru gave him a side-eye, gritting her teeth. "Just growing up…"

Her focus returned to her hands. The trick was to spin faster. The problem? Her brain didn't understand that her magic wasn't Naruto's chakra. She had been at it for hours now, wind flowing her silver hair, her pale skin glistening in the cool evening air. Conjure, spin, faster, faster...

She looked down at her hand, her heart skipping a beat. The swirling vortex of ice was spinning in her palms. The blue glow of her magic flickered like lightning, and it was actually stable this time.

"Looks like you did it, Lia!" Puck's voice chirped in her ear, his fluffy tail wagging excitedly.

Subaru grinned like a madwoman. This was it. After hours of trials and curses under her breath, she had finally nailed it. "Alright!" She cracked her knuckles and spun the icy vortex in her hand. "Time to test it!" Subaru twisted around, eyes fixed on the poor unsuspecting statue behind her. It was old, ugly, and already had a chunk missing from one of the ears. Perfect target practice.

"Frost Release—"

The door behind her creaked open. "Emilia-sama, your evening tea—"

"—Rasengan!"

There was no turning back. The swirling mass of magic slammed straight into Ram. The pink-haired maid didn't stand a chance. In an instant, her entire body was encased in ice, from her neck down to her toes, frozen solid like a high-end seafood delivery. A soft shimmer of frost danced on her eyelashes as her wide eyes blinked in shock.

Subaru blinked back at her, utterly speechless.

"Oops."

Ram's eyes narrowed, her voice tight and icier than the magic itself. "Emilia-sama… are you trying to kill Ram?"

"What?! Of course not!" Subaru threw her hands up, stepping back as if that'd clear her of the crime.

At that moment, a shrill scream echoed from the second floor. Rem had spotted her sister's icy predicament and reacted like a bat out of hell. "Nee-sama!" she howled, leaping over the banister with the grace of a wild animal. She landed with a thud, blue hair flying like a storm as her red eyes glowed with a menacing rage.

Her gaze locked on Subaru, and her voice growled out in a low, animalistic tone. "Emilia-sama…what have you done to Nee-sama?!"

Subaru backed off, waving her hands like a kid caught in the cookie jar. "I didn't mean it! I swear, I was just—"

But Rem wasn't listening. Her pupils were dilated, the air around her thick with murderous intent. She crouched like a predator ready to pounce.

Puck floated between them in a blink, his usual playful demeanor gone, replaced with something far more dangerous. His tiny form began to radiate raw magic. "Are you, a filthy demon, accusing my daughter of murder?"

Rem's eyes flickered to the spirit, but she said nothing. The tension was thick enough to choke on, and Subaru, already exhausted from her magic practice, could feel her heart hammering in her chest like a drumbeat. But then—

"A… A… ACHOO!"

Ram's teeth began chattering within the ice as the freezing cold finally got to her, and before anyone else could say a word, she sneezed loudly, sending tiny shards of ice scattering across the floor.

Puck sighed, rolling his eyes before snapping his fingers. With a faint shimmer, the ice disappeared, freeing Ram from her chilly prison.

"Nee-sama!" Rem rushed forward, catching her sister before she could collapse from frostbite.

Ram blinked, her eyes watering from the sudden temperature change. Her body shook, but not from fear—no, this was from sheer frustration. "Emilia-sama…" She shot Subaru a death glare, her teeth still chattering. "Are you truly this incompetent, or are you just out to destroy my existence?"

Subaru cringed, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Y-You know, I think it's safe to say the Rasengan needs a liiiittle more…work."

Rem didn't look convinced. She shot one last heated glare at Subaru before carefully helping her sister stand. "Come, Nee-sama, let me get you some proper warmth."

As the two maids left the courtyard, Ram muttering curses under her breath, Subaru exhaled deeply, slumping to the ground. "Man, that was close."

Puck hovered over her, shaking his head with a grin. "Well, Lia, at least no one died… this time."

"Yeah," Subaru muttered. "That's something, I guess." She wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead, brushing aside strands of silver hair that clung to her face. Her violet eyes, once wide with excitement, were now dull with exhaustion.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air like a blade. "This is… entertaining, I suppose."

Subaru looked up, and there, by the window, stood Beatrice. Her usual stoic expression had softened ever so slightly as she took a delicate sip from her cup of tea.

Subaru's heart sank. If Beatrice thought this was "entertaining," she had to wonder just how much worse things could possibly get.

"Great," Subaru muttered, her head dropping back into her hands. "Just great. Now I've got a frozen maid and a murderous sister. What's next?"

And just like that, the Rasengan practice session ended.

Û~Û

At the dining table, Roswaal lounged back in his chair, the ever-present gleam in his mismatched eyes only adding to the discomfort that hung in the room. He lazily swirled his teacup, watching Rem like a hawk watches its prey. "Rem, where might your sister be this fine morning?"

The room's atmosphere shifted, heavy with unspoken tension. Subaru, sitting a little too straight in her chair, flinched as Rem's cold gaze sliced through the air toward her.

"Nee-sama is sick," Rem replied, her voice as even as her expression was severe. Subaru could feel the unspoken blame clinging to the words like frost on glass.

"Oh?" Roswaal's lips curled into an amused smirk. He set down his cup with a deliberate clink, leaning in ever so slightly.

Rem's eyes narrowed. "Apparently, there was… an accident."

Roswaal's gaze slid over to Subaru, his smile growing ever wider. "I seeee…" His voice dragged out the syllables, dripping with amusement.

Subaru, who had been mentally kicking herself for hours after freezing Ram solid, gave him a sheepish grin. Her silver hair fell into her violet eyes as she tried to hide the rising panic in her chest. "Aaaanyway, Ros-chi," Subaru said, practically stumbling over her words, desperate to shift the conversation away from Ram-cicles and murderous younger sisters. "You're a bigshot, right? A really powerful mage?"

Roswaal's eyes sparkled with mischievous delight. He didn't miss a beat, his voice lilting like a songbird's. "Indeeeed, the very best in the kingdom, dear Emilia-sama. Why, might I inquire, are you so interested?"

Subaru gulped, feeling the sweat bead at her brow. She couldn't just tell him she was scared out of her mind about getting offed again. "Umm, as the future king of this kingdom, I need to be reaaaally strong, right?" She flashed a smile, trying to channel her best Emilia impression. Not too much—just enough to seem earnest. Convincing. Not like she was hiding the fact she had frozen one of the manor's star employees.

Roswaal's laughter was soft, but it curled around her like smoke. "Thaaat's aaamaaazing, Emilia-sama! Truly, your ambition knows no bounds."

"Hehe." Subaru's nervous chuckle barely left her lips. Yeah, amazing... or self-preserving, she thought. Subaru wasn't cut out for this. Being stuck in Emilia's body was one thing, but being thrown into political mind games with a bunch of powerful people who could kill her in her sleep? That was a whole new level of terrifying.

Roswaal's eyes seemed to glow brighter. "Unfortunateeeely," he began with a long sigh, "I have quite the tight schedule these days."

Subaru's shoulders slumped, disappointment washing over her. Great, more reasons to die.

"But," Roswaal's voice cut through her thoughts like a blade. His grin returned, more menacing than ever, "I can certainly make time, hmm… three times a week, perhaps?"

Subaru's heart leaped in her chest. "Yes!" She blurted out, almost too eagerly.

The smirk on Roswaal's face didn't fade. In fact, it grew. "Splendid! We'll start tomorrow, shall we?"

Subaru nodded, forcing a smile as her mind raced. Something about this whole exchange felt off, and the feeling gnawed at her. Why would someone as busy and powerful as Roswaal offer to teach her out of the blue? And why was he always so… playful about everything, even when it felt like the room was suffocating in tension? There was an undercurrent to his tone that sent shivers down her spine—like he knew more than he was letting on.

Rem was still glaring at her, which didn't help ease the growing dread creeping up Subaru's back. "If there's nothing else, Emilia-sama," Rem said, her voice cold, "I will attend to Nee-sama."

Subaru opened her mouth to respond, but the words died in her throat. Rem had already turned and was walking briskly toward the door. Her footsteps echoed in the quiet room, the sharp click of her heels growing fainter as she disappeared down the hall.

"Such loyalty," Roswaal murmured, his eyes following Rem until she was gone. "Quite remarkable, isn't she?"

Subaru forced herself to breathe. "Yeah… remarkable."

But her mind wasn't on Rem anymore. No, something was brewing. She could feel it in her bones. There was something about Roswaal that wasn't sitting right with her. Maybe it was the way he smiled—too wide, too amused. Maybe it was the way he knew things. Too many things. And that playful lilt in his voice—like he was toying with her, waiting for her to slip.

Subaru wasn't sure what it was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking straight into a trap. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not the next day. But soon. And she had a gut feeling that it would be her undoing if she didn't tread carefully.

She swallowed hard, her throat tight. There was something lurking beneath the surface, hidden in the shadows of the manor, waiting to pounce.

Û~Û

In his room, the heavy curtains were drawn back, letting the pale light of the moon pour in like liquid silver. The atmosphere was still, save for the soft flicker of candles casting long, twisting shadows on the walls. Roswaal sat, draped in his usual flamboyant attire, though the layers of his clothing did little to contain the air of menace that clung to him like a second skin. His mismatched eyes glinted, one gold, one blue, as he stared out the window, glancing at the night sky, lost in thought.

At his feet, Ram sat cross-legged, bundled in a thick blanket that wrapped her slender form tightly. Her usually composed face was tense, her skin pale from the chill that crept up her spine. A faint shiver ran through her body as Roswaal's mana flowed into her, replenishing her strength. She bit her lip as the familiar warmth spread through her veins, though the process was never without discomfort.

Roswaal tilted his head slightly, his ever-present smile curling at the edges of his lips. "Sooo, Ram," he drawled, stretching his vowels in that peculiar way of his, "how was your daaay, hmm?"

Ram, still trembling as she absorbed his mana, tried to compose herself before answering. "It was uneventful, Roswaal-sama," she murmured, her voice quiet but steady. "Aside from the incident with Emilia-sama, everything proceeded as normal."

Roswaal's smile didn't falter, though his eyes seemed to gleam with a sharper interest. "Incident, you say?" His voice was soft, almost playful, but Ram knew better than to mistake his tone for a lack of seriousness. He never asked questions without reason.

Ram shuddered again, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Emilia-sama… she's been acting… odd," she admitted, her eyes lowering to the floor. "She seems… different. On edge. Like she's constantly expecting to be attacked. She avoids talking to people, especially new faces."

Roswaal let out a low chuckle, the sound unnervingly soft in the quiet room. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs as he continued to stare out into the night. "Oh my, my," he whispered, his voice laced with amusement. "Poor Emilia-sama, so paranoid…"

Ram glanced up at him, confusion flickering in her crimson eyes. "Roswaal-sama?"

Without looking at her, he waved a hand dismissively. "It's fiiine," he assured her, his tone almost sing-song. "She's just being careful, that's all. Perfectly understandable, reaaally."

Ram's brows furrowed, her unease growing. "But, Roswaal-sama, she seems genuinely frightened. It's unlike her."

Roswaal chuckled again, a sound that sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the arm of his chair, a slow, deliberate pattern. "And what of Beatrice? Puck? Rem?" His eyes flicked toward Ram, curiosity dancing in his gaze.

Ram hesitated, unsure where he was going with his questions. "Beatrice-sama remains in the Forbidden Library, as usual. Rem is attending to her duties. Puck is with Emilia-sama… though even he seems to have noticed something is… off."

Roswaal's smile widened. "Is thaaat so?" He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "How… iiiinteresting."

Ram's heart raced, though she didn't fully understand why. She opened her mouth to ask more, but the words wouldn't come. There was something about the way Roswaal was reacting that made her uneasy, like he knew something she didn't.

Roswaal's gaze drifted back to the window, his smile fading ever so slightly as his thoughts turned inward. 'After all,' he mused to himself, his eyes narrowing, 'that is the Great Sage…'

Author's Note:

I hope you liked this chapter. Drop your thoughts in the review section. Your words encourage me to write better.

Till next time!