CHAPTER 1
IT ALWAYS BEGINS WITH A VISITOR
1
The instant Subaru Natsuki flew over the white boundary, his world turned upside down.
“—Wha—?! Whoa! Gah!”
This was the natural result when one sprinted at top speed. Whether traveling by car or on foot, no one could just instantly come to a stop.
Subaru pitched forward over his feet and plunged face-first into the grass. Instantly, he threw out his hands and rolled, breaking his fall to soften the unavoidable impact, then tumbled until he was sprawled on the ground.
His breath was ragged, and his vision flickered from the lack of oxygen. He could feel the grass pressing up against his back. Through gaps between the trees, he caught glimpses of the sky beyond. Subaru breathed in as much fresh air as his lungs would let him.
Then he thrust a hand toward the sky and clenched it into a fist.
“Oooaaahhh!! That was rough! Things got really bad for a minute there! But it’s over! We made it! We hit the goooal!”
Though Subaru was covered in a sheen of sweat, his face lit up as he shouted with a sense of triumph.
His spirit had nearly been irrevocably broken on several occasions, but each time, Subaru refused to give up until he finally reached his goal. The number of repeated failures only made his ultimate success that much sweeter.
Finally, he could proudly face his mentor, who had taught him so much.
“Subaru, you’ve done quite well this time, I suppose.”
As he basked in the moment, a girl entered Subaru’s field of view. Strangely enough, she was upside down.
She looked lovely with her long, lustrous hair in extravagant curls and her elaborate dress. The sight of the young girl, who had distinct patterns in her light-blue eyes, brought a bright smile to Subaru’s face.
“Oh, it’s you, Beako.”
“Obviously. Is it not my duty as a partner to praise you for your hard work day after day, I wonder? Also, Petra was rather insistent that I should bring you a towel.”
“Ah, thanks. This is nice and cool. I feel alive again.”
“Why not thank Petra directly, I wonder? That girl will probably leap with joy.”
As Subaru set the damp towel on his head, Beatrice addressed him with an impassive face. However, he noticed a slight smile on her lips and couldn’t help grinning a bit in return.
Even though he spent every waking moment with Beatrice, it surprised him how he still hadn’t gotten tired of these kinds of little daily interactions yet. They only grew closer with each passing day.
“…Man, to think that it’s been a whole year since Beako and I made a pact, huh.”
“—? What brought this on all of a sudden, I wonder?”
“Nah, just thinking that time flies way too fast. And that I’m deeply moved by how cute you are today, too.”
“You always say that, Subaru. But is Betty being cute not something to take for granted, I wonder?”
The fact that she took pride in the compliment was undeniable proof that Subaru had rubbed off on her quite a bit.
One year. That was how much time had passed since the string of incidents surrounding the Sanctuary.
It was a span of time that seemed so long and so short at once. In that stretch, some things had changed, while others had not. If the biggest constant was the bond between Subaru and his friends, then the greatest development had to be—
“—The sheer amount I’ve buffed up this past year. No one would recognize the old me anymore.”
“Pffffft. Th-that was a good one… A priceless joke.”
“I was being serious, damn it!”
Beatrice put a hand to her mouth as she broke into uncontrollable laughter. Subaru shrugged in a show of disappointment.
“Well, maybe I exaggerated a bit, but you don’t need to laugh that hard. I mean, look at these biceps, Beako! They’re rock-solid!”
“Fine, fine, I suppose. Betty will support you even if no one else will.”
“That was not a vote of confidence! I’ve been trying so hard every day, too.”
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Subaru wrapped the cool towel around his neck as he gestured toward the area behind him with his chin. Gazing in that direction, Beatrice said, “True,” closing one eye as she made the comment.
Behind the pair was a clearing where the forest had been cut open. This developed land was a trial Subaru had taken on with determination—in other words, he’d created his very own secret training facility.
Attracted by the idea of having a place to call his own, he’d secured a fair bit of space in the forest for his personal use. By utilizing wood from felled trees, he’d built a variety of attractions, including various hurdles to leap over and barriers to climb, turning the whole area into an obstacle course.
“The place might look like fun, but when people try to run around and bust through all the attractions within the time limit, its brutal design will make even adults cry… Damn, I made something pretty wild.”
“Is that not an overstatement, I wonder? For that matter, only you and Garfiel refer to it as a secret base. Will the neighborhood children come by to play, I wonder?”
“You mean kids are going to treat it like an amusement park? Well, as long as no one gets hurt, they can play all they want. Plus, the master who drew up the blueprints should be satisfied with that.”
Taking the challenge seriously served as a form of training, while tackling it with playful heart made it a fun excursion. The obstacle course contained great potential, and it being popular with children was a happy miscalculation.
“Actually, knowing my mentor, it’s possible the whole point was to kill two birds with one stone from the very beginning…”
“He is certainly a difficult man to understand. He does know his manners, I suppose. The man should be praised for treating a Great Spirit with respect.”
“I think that’s not quite it, though.”
Subaru poked at her apparent misunderstanding, then took a moment to think.
His mentor—Clind, the ultra-capable butler who had served the Mathers family for many years. He had helped Subaru so much in the past year and taught him a great many things, including how to hone his physique. Subaru’s title for him was more serious than not.
In terms of ability and personality, Clind was more than worthy of praise, but—
“Why does Subaru refuse to allow Betty to go anywhere near Clind, I wonder?”
“It’s not just you. Same goes for Petra and, depending on the situation, Emilia-tan, too.”
Incidentally, there was no worrying where Ram and Frederica were concerned. For the record, Clind was harmless to Subaru, Roswaal, Otto, and Garfiel as well, for fairly obvious reasons.
“Anyway, it’s fine even if this obstacle course is just a secret base in name only. Still sounds cool.”
“I was shocked. The instant you called it that, Garfiel began helping you fell trees with that glint in his eyes… It’s probably impossible to understand why the two of you find it so appealing, I suppose.”
“It’s something that calls to all men. Wait, but then what about Otto?”
Subaru and Beatrice both thought back to Otto’s decidedly lukewarm reaction to the idea.
In any case, Subaru’s prodigious growth was all thanks to the secret training base in the forest. It was only a ten-minute walk from the mansion, and no one except the people from the mansion ever came by. The only real downside was how often they would show up and get in the way of training.
“How ridiculous to consider this getting in the way. Is Betty not merely fulfilling her duty as Subaru’s partner, I wonder? And what a chore it is, truly.”
“Now you’ve done it. This is what happens to young ladies who get full of themselves!”
“What are you doing, I wonder?!”
Since she was being so cheeky and cute, Subaru used all his newfound strength to grab Beatrice and put her over his knees, patting her on the head as much as he pleased.
“You’re terrible! Isn’t this spirit abuse, I wonder?! What a heinous contractor!”
“Mwa-ha-ha. Well, you’re the idiot who made a pact with a guy like me without putting anything in writing.”
Subaru laughed as Beatrice pouted while she fixed her tousled hair.
When they first formed the pact, he thought he already adored her as much as humanly possible, but he had been revising that assumption on a daily basis. The so-called Beako Development Diary—a compilation of the days he shared with Beatrice—had already entered its fifth volume. Subaru was excited to see where their relationship would go next.
After all, an album of precious memories beat the hell out of a book filled with nothing but blank pages. And if it was going to be an album, then the more pictures and the more people he recorded, the better. That’s why Subaru wanted to cram as much as he could into Beatrice’s heart.
“In other words, Beako, my teasing is just another way I show my love.”
“Did you say teasing just now, I wonder?! I will not let that slide!”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t casually brush aside the love part.”
“There isn’t much to worry about there, I suppose. I have great confidence that I am loved.”
When Beatrice boasted with a smug look on her face, Subaru only replied with a smile.
He had no words to express the joy he felt when he saw how self-assured and full of life she was every day. There was only a deep, indescribable warmth that welled up in his chest.
“Master Subaru! Beatrice—!”
Both paused their play-fighting when they heard a high-pitched voice calling out to them. When they looked, a girl was waving as she ran over. The familiar voice and face belonged to an adorable young maid who epitomized the word cute.
“I’m glad to see that both of you are having fun. It’s good to know you two are getting along.”
It was Petra, putting a hand to her chest and smiling in relief.
Undaunted by the major incident that had occurred one year prior, Petra was currently working at the new Roswaal Manor. As expected of a growing girl, she had gotten a little bit taller and, in Subaru’s opinion, a little more charming since then. That said, she was still very much a younger-sister type in Subaru’s eyes.
“Hey now, I’m offended you call it playing around. I’ve been out here doing my best with training and everything.”
“Well, at the moment, you seem to be patting Beatrice while she’s sitting on your lap, so…”
“Whoa, it’s not as simple as just wanting to give Beako head pats. First, you have to bring her out of a burning mansion and then gradually build up your relationship with her. Otherwise, it’s impossible.”
“Doesn’t that mean no one but Master Subaru can ever…?”
Her exasperated tone and expression drew a wry smile from Subaru. That was when he remembered the towel around his neck.
“Oh, right. Petra, thanks for the towel. Pretty smart to cool it down like that.”
“Really? I’m glad it was helpful. Actually, I thought about chilling it with ice, but there was no time, so I asked Big Sis Emilia.”
“I like that practical part of you, Petra.”
He was fond of how Petra, despite her position as a servant, had no qualms requesting help from the lady of the household.
Such open praise elicited a “hee-hee-hee” from Petra, who blushed furiously before she remembered something.
“Ah, that’s right. Actually, I came here to bring you and Beatrice back.”
“What is it? Did you bake some super-tasty tarts or something?”
“What?! That is a matter of great importance, I suppose. I can understand why you needed to summon us so urgently.”
“Oh, come on, of course that’s not it. This is no time to play around.”
Puffing up her cheeks and pointedly raising a finger, Petra scolded the carefree pair. Then she grabbed Subaru’s hand and hauled him to his feet.
“There’ll be time for tarts later! More importantly, Big Sis Emilia is calling you, Master Subaru. Guests have arrived…and she wants you to be there when she greets them.”
“Visitors?”
Subaru cocked his head in confusion. He had no idea who it could be. Beside him, Beatrice made the same quizzical gesture as they wondered aloud.
“There are unscheduled guests, and the cute Emilia-tan is calling me over… Doesn’t it feel like something’s about to happen?”
“It’s the sort of pattern that leads to trouble, I suppose. Petra, tell us what kind of guests have come.”
“Errr,” went Petra as she tilted her head at the same angle as the other two. “One of them is a man who seems like he’s in a real hurry. I’d almost say he’s fidgeting like he’s scared.”
“Restless and fidgety, huh. In other words, he’s basically suspi… No, wait. Can’t go judging people based on appearances.”
“I’ve learned my lesson once already, so I don’t do that, either.”
“Ohhh, good girl, Petra. Not sure what happened before, but that’s really nice of you.”
“Last year, a stranger with a mean face came to the village. I thought he was a weirdo, but I was completely wrong, so…”
“An unexpected boomerang!! We’ll have to talk about that first impression some other time…”
After surviving that verbal sneak attack, Subaru winked at Petra. After all, based on her report so far, Petra still had more to share.
“Anyway, there are other guests, too, yeah? Pals of restless-fidgety guy?”
Petra’s cheeks grew redder as a trace of happiness came over her face.
“—He came with a cute kitty cat.”
2
Viewed from the outside, the new Roswaal Manor looked just like a European-style mansion, closely resembling the old one that had burned down.
This mansion was actually considered the main residence, and it had been constructed more recently than the one that had been lost in the fire. Accordingly, it was more grandiose and occupied more space than the countryside mansion, which likely made maintaining the grounds all the more arduous for the servants like Petra.
“And here we are, back at this swanky manor.”
After a quick ten-minute walk from the forest, Subaru and the others pushed open the double doors and stepped into the mansion’s entry hall. Subaru assumed the guests they heard about must have been brought to a reception room or something.
“For starters, we should poke our faces over the…”
“Oh, hey! If it isn’t Mister! How’ve you been?”
“Wha—? Whoa?!”
An energetic greeting and a sudden impact put an end to any other thoughts.
The voice was high-pitched, and something thumped into him at chest level. Subaru hastily reached out with his hands and caught something light. Quickly realizing who it was, the expression on Subaru’s face changed from shock to recognition.
He remembered the super-soft fur and that ridiculously outgoing smile.
“I had a sneaking suspicion after hearing it from Petra…but it really is you, Mimi!”
“Eh-heh-heh-heh. It’s been a while, Mister! How long has it been? Like, a year?”
The beast person wrapped up in Subaru’s arms had bright-orange fur and wore a white robe. She was a demi-human, or more specifically, a cat-person. She was shorter than Petra and Beatrice, and she was undeniably cute as a kitten.
“Yeah, it’s been a whole year. You seem to be having a good time. I’m glad.”
“Yep! Mimi’s having a super-good time! Also, Mimi’s gotten taller! I’m basically an adult now!”
“What kind of grown woman jumps on someone’s head the second they meet?!”
Mimi, who was now standing on the floor, puffed out her chest and swished her long tail.
She acted naive and had a super-friendly personality, but she was one of the leaders of the beast person mercenary unit known as the Iron Fangs and a powerful warrior many times stronger than Subaru. She’d also fought by Subaru’s side during the hunt for the White Whale and once again later in the battle against the Witch Cult, during which she’d gone ahead and decided she and Subaru were war buddies.
“Well, you sure came a long way to get here. Oh right, let me introduce everyone. The cute maid here is Petra, and the embarrassed baby hiding behind my back is Beatrice.”
“Ohhh, I get it! So it’s Petra the maid, and your child!”
“Would you mind remembering me in a less unpleasant manner, I wonder?!”
In response to Mimi’s questionable conclusion, Petra offered a graceful curtsy, while Beatrice shot a withering glare that broke past the bashfulness Subaru so enjoyed. Then Mimi went, “Oh!” Her eyes glittered as she stared at Beatrice. “Wow, that hair’s incredible! How do you get it all curly-wurly? It’s so cool!”
“It was all Mother’s idea. This is the pinnacle of hairstyling—both practical and elegant.”
“Uh, elegance aside, no way in hell it’s practical. How many times has your hair gotten snagged in all sorts of places? I think you’ve had your share of problems with that over the past year.”
Whether inside the mansion, outdoors, or nestled within Subaru’s arms, Beatrice’s hair constantly got in the way. By this point, Subaru’s skill at disentangling hair was probably unmatched in the entire kingdom. He practically deserved a title like Bea-trimmer.
“Right, practical and elegant! I don’t know what that stuff means, though!”
“Your gaze is like that of an uncomprehending chi… Hey, would you stop pulling, I wonder?!”
Bursting with curiosity, Mimi took great interest in Beatrice’s curls. Mimi’s movements were like a cat that had a mouse in its sights. Beatrice meekly looked to Subaru in search of rescue.
However, seeing a chance for Beatrice to make a new friend, Subaru left them to their own devices.
“Hey, Master Subaru. Beatrice looks like she’s really concerned.”
“Wrestling with your failings is what makes people grow. Beatrice has a tendency to give up without even trying, so this is her challenge. Let’s stay quiet and watch over her like a good mom and dad.”
“M-mom…? O-okay…”
Petra fell silent with a red face as Subaru stroked his nonexistent beard. The pair stood back and simply appreciated the warm exchange between Beatrice and Mimi.
“Incidentally, since Mimi turned out to be the kitty Petra talked about…that probably means the restless-fidgety man who came with her is Julius, doesn’t it?”
Crossing his arms, Subaru felt in his gut that this premonition was most likely accurate.
It was plain to see that Subaru was very fond of Mimi personally. At the same time, she was part of the faction working under Anastasia Hoshin, one of Emilia’s political rivals in the royal selection.
Another person working for the Anastasia camp was Julius Juukulius, a knight who had a complicated relationship with Subaru. At the very least, they didn’t have the kind of relationship where Subaru was unconditionally glad to see him.
This being the case, he wanted to avoid seeing the man until he had some time to emotionally prepare himself, if he could help it.
“Mister, there’s no need to worry! Julius isn’t here today. Also, Hetaro and TB and the captain and the lady aren’t here, either! Mimi’s escorting all by herself!”
“Phew, that’s a relief. But damn, Anastasia’s crew has a deep bench.”
Subaru still felt a certain wariness even after learning of the knight’s absence. Surely, Anastasia wouldn’t send just anyone to serve as an envoy to Emilia, a rival candidate in the royal selection. Anastasia was a big-time merchant, and the Hoshin Company she ran was a massive organization based out of the western city-state of Kararagi. Neither the quantity nor quality of her followers could be underestimated.
Subaru decided he had best sit down with this envoy and gauge him sooner rather than later.
“All right, this time, we really are going to the reception room…yes?”
“Yes. That’s where I left the guest. Big Sis Emilia and the others are already there.”
“Meaning it’s Emilia-tan dealing with this guest, plus Otto and Garfiel, plus maybe Ram…? Better go rescue Otto before he dies of a stomachache.”
“Is there anyone more pitiful, I wonder? His luck ran out the moment you caught him, Subaru.”
“Hey, stop making it sound like I grabbed him and won’t let go.”
Beatrice wore an exasperated face as Mimi, in an unbelievably good mood, kept her left hand glued to Beatrice’s right. With Petra leading the way, Subaru followed as they headed to the reception room on the second floor.
When the four of them arrived at their destination, they found a single girl standing in the hallway.
“Ram? Why are you out here?”
“So you’ve finally come, Barusu. You are quite late, aren’t…?”
Ram was a beautiful maid whose charming appearance belied her razor-sharp tongue. Greeting their party with a demeanor reminiscent of someone speaking to her inferiors, she broke off midsentence to narrow her pink eyes. Then she sighed deeply.
“Indecent.”
“You’re the weirdo for thinking this lineup is indecent! How can you find this scene anything but heartwarming?!”
“Please stop basing everything on whatever passes for virtue in your brain. You would do well to remember this, Subaru. In Ram’s world, only Ram’s point of view matters.”
“Wasn’t there a lot of inconsistency just now between the first and the last part of what you said?!”
Decrying subjectivity with her own subjectivity was so self-centered that Subaru was at a loss for words. Ignoring Subaru’s reaction, Ram crossed her arms as she shifted her gaze toward Mimi.
“Dear guest, if you stay away any longer, your companion will be quite worried.”
“Ahhh, I guess I should head back, huh? Whoopsie—!”
“Yes, please do. Otherwise, it will be very bothersome, since your absence forced a certain Ram to leave the room to find you.”
Judging by the conversation so far, it seemed that Mimi had raced around the mansion without getting permission from either the master of the house or her companion.
It was natural to assume that Mimi of all people wouldn’t get up to any funny business even if left alone. Then Subaru turned to Ram as something occurred to him.
“You didn’t look for her at all, did you? You’ve just been standing with your arms crossed in front of the room.”
“Just a convenient excuse. The atmosphere inside is hard to endure. Otto will probably die if you don’t hurry.”
“I have to give it to you for not having even the tiniest sliver of guilt.”
He had to admire her complete disregard for the fact that they had guests despite her supposedly being a maid.
For Ram to say that it was uncomfortable inside the room was sincerely frightening. Still, Subaru braced himself because he found the thought of not being involved even more terrifying.
“Thanks for bringing us over, Petra. Are you going to…?”
“Ah, I’ll be busy baking some delicious tarts, so good luck in there, Dad.”
“Agh… Since Mom’s gone and said it, there’s no backing down!”
Now it was Petra’s turn to tease Subaru with more banter, like they were Beatrice’s parents. Of course, Petra had a job of her own to do. Subaru couldn’t expect her to keep him company on a whim. It’s not like she’s abandoning me or anything. At least, that’s what he wanted to believe. Probably. Maybe.
“All right, let’s go. Can’t catch a tiger cub without going into the tiger’s hole.”
“You mean a butthole?”
“How vulgar.”
“I didn’t say that! Let’s just go already!”
Ignoring Mimi’s confusion and Ram’s judgment, Subaru knocked on the door to the reception room. The door opened immediately, and a head topped with short blond hair stuck out into the hallway.
“Yo, awful late, ain’t ya, General? Our bro’s gonna wind up with a hole in his stomach any second now.”
“Yeah, I know. Honestly, it’s only a matter of time before it happens, but I’d like to keep him whole for as long as possible.”
“No kiddin’! This is basically the Arkel Lake Revolt!”
Subaru and Garfiel exchanged smiles like little mischief-makers. Immediately swinging the door wide, Garfiel still wore that smile on his face as he gestured toward the interior of the room with his chin.
“Come on in. Nothin’s happenin’ without the general, so it’s a pain for the guest, too. Watching Otto and Lady Emilia welcome our visitor ain’t nothin’ but a comedy act.”
“Now, that’s a performance worth seeing… Gah!”
“Stop saying stupid things and go in. You’re in the way.”
After getting a literal kick in the butt from Ram, Subaru was forced into the room. Stumbling forward as he entered, several sets of eyes shifted toward him.
“?”
Relief, exasperation, and suspicion. This was pretty much what he had expected. He turned away from the two familiar figures to focus on the one regarding him suspiciously.
The visitor was a pretty boy with a handsome, delicate face. His lithe body was clad in exquisite ceremonial garments, and he had gathered some of his relatively long hair in a ponytail. He seemed about the same age as Subaru, though his face looked rather tense, and the monocle he wore over his right eye only added to the stern appearance.
“So this is…?”
When this guest made his inquiry with a hard voice, the beautiful girl sitting across from him nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The delicate, silver-haired beauty who wore a charming expression that perfectly reflected her wholesome spirit was none other than Emilia. It seemed like she only became more enchanting with each passing day.
She smiled slightly, gesturing at Subaru with a gentle point of her finger.
“I am sorry for the wait. This is my knight, Subaru Natsuki.”
Emilia introducing him as her knight left Subaru’s heart trembling. Whenever he heard those words, he often thought back to the time she had bestowed the title upon him.
The fond memory always bolstered Subaru’s frail, fragile heart.
“H-he seems to be rather ecstatic about something…”
“Subaru, stop making such a strange face. People will think there’s something wrong with you if you act like that…and why are you gripping my hand so hard, I wonder? Wait, it hurts! Ow, owww!!”
“—Whoa!! Ah, sorry, I zoned out a bit there without even realizing.”
He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he’d almost crushed Beatrice’s adorable hand by accident.
In any case, Beatrice was right. Their guest was already staring at Subaru dubiously. Deciding that this situation needed to be resolved sooner rather than later, Subaru cleared his throat and raised the customary salute of knights.
After standing up straight and composing his face, he put his right hand over his chest and willed his heart to calm down.
“Please excuse my poor manners. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lady Emilia’s knight, Subaru Natsuki.”
“?”
The fact that he was clothed in a track jacket probably cost him points, but Subaru’s salute had been drilled into him by a certain versatile butler until he got his seal of approval. It was as perfect as could be.
In the past, Subaru had scoffed at all the theatrics of knightly etiquette, but when he tried it for himself, he quickly became captivated by all the trappings. Though he had not been born into the position, the customs and attitude were slowly but surely guiding Subaru Natsuki closer to knighthood. It wasn’t something stupid or just for show.
It seemed as though Subaru’s greeting had impressed everyone present, save the guest. Emilia’s smile was especially proud, which boosted Subaru’s spirits so, so much.
Surrounded by these faces and apparently unwilling to endure any more silence, the visitor rose up and bowed his head.
“…Thank you for your courtesy. I’m here to… I have come to represent Anastasia Hoshin. My name is Joshua Juukulius.”
“No, thank you. A fine name you have, Joshua…Juukulius?”
In the middle of exchanging perfunctory greetings, Subaru faltered when he heard the familiar family name. Seeing his reaction, Emilia pulled her hands to her chest.
“Ah, it seems you’re surprised, too, Subaru. That’s right, Joshua is apparently Julius’s younger brother. It’s really wonderful that both brothers are helping Ms. Anastasia, isn’t it?”
Subaru’s cheek twitched as he listened to Emilia’s explanation, her violet eyes filled with admiration all the while. It was just as Mimi had said. Julius hadn’t come himself, but—
“Sir Natsuki, is it? I have heard about you from my older brother, as well as from, shall we say…various rumors.”
Almost seemingly taking advantage of Subaru’s distress, Joshua spoke with some amusement. The sharp glint in his eyes and his refined yet biting attitude convinced Subaru that this was most certainly someone related to Julius by blood.
Subaru kneaded his brow in consternation before looking back up.
“I’m afraid to find out what he might’ve said about me to his family.”
“There is no need for concern. My brother is an exceptionally impartial man.”
These words drew a strained smile from Subaru. Joshua raised an eyebrow, unable to decipher his reaction.
That’s exactly why was what Subaru wanted to retort, but he refrained.
“Anyway, Julius’s younger brother, is it? Now that you mention it, that nast…er, that keen look in your eye, the sarcas…uh, the refined manner of speech, and the terribly…lovely hair color are all the same, huh?”
“Would you please stop with the unnecessary flattery? It’s fairly obvious how bad you are at it.”
Otto, chief domestic adviser of the Emilia faction, could not conceal his cold sweat as he asked Subaru to rein in his choppy attempts at praise.
“Dude, have you lost weight since I last saw you?”
“It has only been a few hours, but every day is a new struggle! Someday, I will undoubtedly succumb to the chills and stomach pain! Also, I completely heard your conversation with Garfiel earlier!”
“Well, I wasn’t particularly hiding it. I don’t intend to keep anything from you if I can help it.”
“Could you try a little harder to hide some things?!”
Deflecting Otto’s complaint with a superficial “yeah, yeah,” Subaru smoothly took a seat at Emilia’s side. Once there, he sat Beatrice down on his lap, moving his hands around her tummy to support her.
This put Emilia, Subaru (plus Beatrice), and Otto in a row on the reception-room sofa.
“Now, then. Sorry to make you wait. Could we continue the conversa—?”
“W-wait a moment, please! Who is this girl?!”
“—? Is something the matter with Betty, I wonder?”
Flustered, Joshua pointed at her, and Beatrice cocked her head quizzically.
“Wait, what…? Am I the only one who finds this strange?”
“No, I am quite sorry. Your reaction is only to be expected. If anything, this is a place where common sense goes to die.”
When Joshua leaned forward with such force that his monocle came loose, Otto apologized with a sympathetic look in his eyes. It seemed that Joshua was not nearly as unflappable as his older brother.
Subaru also apologized even as he privately thought that this made Joshua the easier brother to get along with.
“Having Beako on my lap has become so second nature to me that I did it without thinking.”
“It’s so normal now that even Otto didn’t bring it up. I’m flabbergasted, too.”
“No one says flabbergasted anymore…”
Emilia had skillfully woven yet another outdated term into the conversation, but Subaru agreed with the message nonetheless. His and Beatrice’s relationship had been normalized to the point that it no longer elicited witty quips from Otto.
“Sheesh, Joshua’s so sloooow—”
Mimi cut in as she hopped over, settling into her seat beside Joshua. She helped herself to the sweets on the table as she poked Joshua’s cheek with her long tail.
“That’s Beako! Mister and Miss’s child—!”
“What?!”
“Right, right. This is my and Emilia-tan’s adorable baby, Beatrice.”
When Subaru took advantage of Joshua’s shock, Emilia immediately slapped him on the shoulder.
“Goodness. Of course not. Now look. You’ve gone and startled Joshua. I may have kissed you, Subaru, but babies don’t come from a kiss. I’ve learned that much, at least.”
“Ah, sorry, Emilia-tan. It’s really embarrassing, so could you stop revealing details like that so, um, bluntly? I’ll stop messing around and introduce her properly.”
Emilia’s incredibly innocent openness quickly forced Subaru into submission.
Incidentally, Emilia’s knowledge of baby-making had yet to progress past the kissing doesn’t make babies level. Discussing anything beyond that was a high hurdle for Subaru, and the others generally agreed to a vague consensus of we’ll worry about it when she’s older. In the end, everyone was simply overprotective.
“See, this is what happens when you use Betty as the butt of a joke. Have you learned your lesson yet, I wonder?”
“Yes, I’ve thought long and hard about what I did wrong. From now on, I’ll think up even better pranks.”
“Errr, so this Lady Beatrice’s actual position would be…”
“Ohhh, sorry, got off track again. Beatrice is my contracted spirit.”
“Contracted…spirit…”
Putting his fallen monocle back in place, Joshua lowered his voice slightly in response to Subaru’s explanation. The change in tone and the complicated emotions that reaction seemed to express made Subaru furrow his brow.
“Hey, dear guest. Ya got a problem with the general bringing his Great Spirit with him?”
Garfiel honed in on the young man’s distress without the slightest hesitation.
“No,” replied Joshua, briefly shaking his head. “I had heard the rumors, but I am merely surprised that Master Natsuki truly is a spirit knight. I believe you are well aware, but my older brother is also a spirit knight…previously the only one in the entire kingdom.”
“Ahhh, of course we know that. He was a big…gnhhh, big…help to us…”
“Is that how badly you hate admitting he helped you?!”
Subaru wasn’t quite that stubborn. This had more to do with the fact that whenever he thought back to how he had felt during the battle where he fought side by side with Julius, he found it difficult to reconcile those emotions with the pain of the wounds he suffered after his thrashing at the training square—plus a whole host of other annoyances.
“I see now. There certainly was talk about another knight who’s also a spirit user, I suppose. If that person is your older brother, I offer my condolences.”
“Condolences? What do you mean by that?”
“Is it not obvious, I wonder? His eventual downfall is inevitable. It is only a matter of when. At the very least, he can serve as a stepping-stone for Subaru and Betty’s spectacular exploits… Gahhh!”
“Don’t go picking fights out of the blue. Besides, my strength can’t even compare to Julius’s. I’ve got no chance against him on a level playing field. Who goes around challenging puzzle masters to a puzzle game? You obviously challenge them to a round of Smash Brothers. That’s how we win.”
After mussing Beatrice’s hair for her provocative remarks, Subaru bowed in apology to Joshua. With her head still a complete mess, Beatrice followed suit.
“Sorry. We have no intention of insulting your older brother. For that matter, I am fully aware that my abilities are beneath his. Forgive my cute and vain girl, would you?”
“Yes, of course. It’s only natural to be humble when compared with my older brother.”
“Huh?
Even though it had seemed like they were getting the conversation back on track, Joshua’s sudden haughty statement racked up the tension once more.
Not noticing the bewilderment around him, Joshua’s monocle seemed to give off a concerning gleam.
“Yes, my older brother is an incredible man. At the young age of twenty-two, he is already recognized as one of the greatest knights in the kingdom and is effectively the second-in-command of the royal guard. Though he is currently not performing that duty to better serve Lady Anastasia, there is no doubt that my older brother shall become captain of the royal guard once she rises to the throne. Even Sir Reinhard, this generation’s Sword Saint, cannot compare to my older brother when it comes to knightly virtues. Truly, my brother is a knight among knights! It would be ridiculous to even speak both your names in the same breath.”
“…R-right.”
The sheer force and speed of the tirade overwhelmed Subaru. Even Beatrice was taken aback.
“Apologies, I didn’t get a chance to warn you. This is the second time he’s gone on a rant.”
Otto clutched at his head while whispering regretfully into Subaru’s ear. When Subaru glanced around, he could see that Garfiel was obviously aggravated, while Ram had now you see? written all over her face.
He finally realized what had compelled Ram to flee the room. Joshua’s obliviousness here was on par with Subaru’s infamous episode during the meeting of royal-selection candidates.
Considering how Joshua’s sole ally, Mimi, was too busy stuffing her face with sweets to pay attention, clearly someone else had to smack some sense into him…
“Hee-hee. Joshua really likes his big brother, Julius, doesn’t he?”
But before anyone inevitably snapped, Emilia smiled at Joshua. She was completely unfazed by his intense demeanor.
After that comment brought him to his senses, Joshua went red in the face and put a hand to his ponytail in embarrassment.
“I—I am very sorry. I tend to lose my composure when it comes to my family…”
“Oh, that’s no problem. Julius has been a great help to me, too. If you like, I’d love to hear more about you and Julius both…”
“Whoa there! Let’s do that another time. Right now, we need to get down to business! Hey, isn’t that right, Otto, Garfiel?!”
“—Eh?!”
When Subaru interrupted, forcibly changed the subject, and asked for aid, it was clear from the pair’s reaction that they were clearly thinking, Don’t drag us into this! Even so, the two immediately nodded, agreeing with Subaru. Though Joshua’s eyes lit up for a moment, he seemed to have regained his self-control as he cleared his throat.
“W-well then, I shall recite the tales of my older brother’s glory on another occasion. I better be, ahem… It is of the utmost importance to conclude this business and return to Lady Anastasia with all available haste.”
“Yes, I am looking forward to that… Now, we’ve put it off for quite some time, but let’s get to the issue at hand…”
As Joshua resumed acting as an envoy, Emilia seamlessly shifted back to Royal-Selection-Candidate Mode. Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became ever so slightly weightier. Emilia seemed like a completely different person.
Subaru and Beatrice weren’t the only ones who had grown over the last year. Emilia had spent that time honing herself in all the fields a royal-selection candidate was expected to handle skillfully.
“—Representing Lady Anastasia Hoshin, I shall now convey the words of my master to you, Lady Emilia.”
The noticeable change in the air brought a tenseness to Joshua’s expression as he produced a letter from his pocket. He spread it out on the table, revealing its contents, which were written in black ink.
“Lady Anastasia wishes to invite Lady Emilia to the Water Gate City of Pristella.”
“Pristella…”
Bewilderment lingered in Emilia’s eyes as she rolled the name around in her mouth. Subaru was no different.
What was the true motive behind Anastasia’s sudden request?
“The Water Gate City of Pristella, you say? Why ask us to go there?”
With their leader hesitant to reply, Otto took the initiative on probing for answers. Amusement crept into Joshua’s golden eyes as he drew a thin smile.
In that moment, his face and expression made him the spitting image of Julius, which gave Subaru a bad feeling about what would come next.
“It would seem my master would like to invite you to a party. Lady Anastasia wishes to call upon Lady Emilia out of goodwill—and also to convey that she has found that which Lady Emilia seeks.”
“What could that be?”
“—!”
As soon as Emilia took the bait, Otto’s reaction was instant. It was obvious he was thinking we’ve been had! and Subaru understood exactly why; Emilia’s reply had cost them the chance to discuss the matter among themselves first.
Still, Subaru couldn’t see where this was going, either. Being late on the uptake had forced them to completely relinquish all initiative.
“—A specialist trader in Pristella seems to possess the type of high-quality magic crystal Lady Emilia desires. You are currently searching for a catalyst to call back a Great Spirit, are you not?”
And with that, the next steps were as good as decided.
3
“I feel bad for Otto that I just decided this all on my own.”
When it was just her and Subaru in her bedroom, Emilia’s eyes were downcast as she spoke.
Sitting across from her, Subaru wore a concerned smile.
“Well, Otto was pretty shaken up, but I mostly agree with your decision, Emilia-tan. What worries me is the idea of leaping into someone else’s backyard without being properly prepared.”
“But would Ms. Anastasia genuinely try something after sending Julius’s younger brother as a messenger? I think that’d be crossing a really dangerous bridge for their side.”
“You have a point. Sending a blood relative of their knight means they’re acknowledging us as peers. I used to wonder why important people who were sent as messengers in Taiga dramas and stuff never got killed. Who would’ve thought I’d figure it out by living it?”
Subaru understood now that it was an issue of reputation. Anyone who became known for being untrustworthy would quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. That was a poor way to conduct business, whether you were a Warring States–era samurai warlord or a royal-selection candidate. The powerful had to take care when it came to subterfuge.
In any case, the meeting with the envoy Joshua Juukulius had already come to an end, and evening had fallen on the new Roswaal Manor.
It’d be a shame for you to leave so soon, Emilia had said in an attempt to convince Joshua’s party to stay for the night, but he had politely declined her offer and departed the mansion with Mimi in tow not long after.
He had received a favorable reply, so there was nothing left for him to do here.
Well then, when you arrive at Pristella, please visit the Water Raiment. That’s where we’ll… Ahem, Lady Anastasia’s party shall await you there.
Later, Garf! I’ll be waiting, so make sure you come, okay?
As they had said their farewells, Subaru couldn’t help but notice the clear expression of relief on Joshua’s face. Meanwhile, Mimi had been in an extremely good mood as she addressed Garfiel specifically.
Garfiel, who had been escorting their guests out while keeping a watchful eye on them, seemed to be wary. He probably suspected there might be ulterior motives to inviting him.
“There’s no way Mimi is up to anything, so maybe she just likes Garfiel?”
“Mimi seems really fond of Garfiel. I might even be a little jealous.”
“Yeah, she ranks high on the cuddly scale, that’s for sure. I didn’t talk to Joshua for all that long, either, but I get the feeling I can get along with him a lot more than with his older brother.”
“Subaru, you are so stubborn. Are you still holding a grudge because of your fight with Julius at the castle?”
Emilia had a mischievous look on her face as she poked at his old wounds. Subaru winced as he recalled the unpleasant memory.
“I’ll admit it’s not something I can bring myself to laugh about just yet. I was young back then. I know better now…but I still think he went too far!”
“I think it’s very uncool to cling to the past even though you’ve already made up and everything.”
“Nghhhhh…I’m only human!”
Subaru stubbornly turned away when Emilia stared at him with her adorable face. She kept her gaze on him for a while, until finally, her endurance ran out, and she simply burst into laughter.
“Okay, okay. Goodness, Subaru, you really are a stubborn blockhead. But you can’t get into fights with Julius in Pristella. You’ve become a fine knight, Subaru, and knights don’t use their strength lightly.”
“Yes, ma’am. The lady is always right, that she is.”
Playing the fool to conceal his embarrassment, Subaru rubbed his nose with a finger.
“Anyway, I don’t know much about this Pristella, but it’s a famous city, isn’t it?”
“You haven’t been studying, have you? Pristella is one of Lugunica’s five major cities and is located on our kingdom’s border with the city-state of Kararagi. It’s a really pretty city with canals all over.”
“Interesting. Your explanation makes me wanna print it in a brochure. But man, a city floating on top of water, huh? I guess Venice is the closest thing I can think of. That’d definitely make it an impressive place.”
When he thought of the waterfront cities from his own world, Venice naturally came to mind. It also had canals crisscrossing the city’s interior. Images of naturally flowing water winding its way through a stonework cityscape made him want to visit such an enchanting place at least once.
Subaru was projecting all that onto the city of Pristella, but the reality was a little different.
“Nah, that ain’t right, Subaru. Pristella isn’t a city on the water. It’s usually known as the Water Gate City.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yes, Pristella sits in the middle of a lake, so the city gets flooded when rain falls. That’s why they have high walls to protect the city and several sluice gates to control the water levels. Those gates are famous, which is why it’s called the Water Gate City.”
“Somehow, my impression of this place suddenly went from a magical city of water to a watery prison…”
His mental image of a charming city was ruined when he learned about the high walls. He wondered why anyone would choose to build a city on a plot of land that demanded such radical safeguards.
“In the end, we still don’t have a clue why Anastasia is asking us to visit a place like that… Hard to think it’s just a social call.”
“Hmm, is it not okay to believe they really might just want to get along?”
“Unfortunately, for better or worse, the royal-selection candidates all have their quirks. To be honest, there isn’t a single one you can trust a hundred percent even under ideal circumstances, masters and servants alike.”
Subaru carefully recalled and considered all the royal candidates and their respective knights before concluding every last one of them could be considered bona fide weirdos.
He trusted Crusch because of her character. However, because she had lost her memories due to an encounter with Gluttony, he actually couldn’t rely on anything except her intrinsic character traits. Ferris was dangerous because he’d do anything for Crusch’s sake, and Wilhelm’s issues with his departed wife also made him an unknown element.
When it came to Anastasia, he still couldn’t get a firm grasp on what she was thinking. That applied to the invitation they were currently considering, too. Though Subaru had very reluctantly come to trust Julius, that didn’t change the fact that the leader of the faction was still none other than Anastasia. Also, she had a formidable private army in the Iron Fangs, and that could not be underestimated.
Felt’s camp included Reinhard and Old Man Rom, both of whom Subaru considered decently trustworthy, but that didn’t matter, since he still couldn’t figure out Felt. If nothing else, now that she’d committed herself to fully participating in the royal selection, they couldn’t let their guard down when dealing with that spirited, crafty girl.
If she and Reinhard had formed a close bond, the odds of claiming victory over them would become extremely slim.
And when it came to Priscilla’s faction, their attitude was honestly the hardest to predict of all.
There was no mistaking that master and servant alike were far, far removed from words like trust and faith. Al and Subaru hailed from the same homeland, but Priscilla’s knight was a man of strong loyalty. He probably wouldn’t give Subaru any special treatment, and Priscilla’s own whimsical, irrational character made her akin to a natural disaster.
In other words, even after a whole year had passed since the start of the royal selection, the other candidates remained inscrutable.
Learning more about them could be accomplished only by interacting more. That was another reason to accept Anastasia’s invitation.
“I gotta say, I’m more scared than I want to be at the idea of owing a debt to Anastasia. For starters, how did they know what Emilia-tan wanted?”
Subaru murmured this with twisted lips, referring to the magic crystal Joshua had mentioned as a bargaining chip.
The high-purity magic crystal that had been the pretext for Anastasia’s invitation was the kind of catalyst Emilia needed for a chance to form a pact with Puck once more.
To awaken Puck, who had fallen into a deep slumber after expending all his mana, she absolutely needed a magic crystal infused with great power. For a whole year, she had searched high and low for a suitable one to no avail.
“Everyone at the castle would’ve seen Puck, and they know I’m a spirit mage. We tried to keep the catalyst thing a secret, but it seems there was no hiding it after all.”
“Just means people didn’t keep it to themselves. Besides, even if we do end up bringing Puck back, from the others’ point of view, that’s basically us returning to square one. It’s a good deal for them to get a chance to put us in their debt.”
That said, if Puck really did return, the benefit to Emilia’s mental state would be immeasurable.
In addition to that, Emilia’s combat ability would go up as well, but that was just frosting on the cake. Her individual performance in battle would probably have very little effect upon the royal selection’s ultimate outcome.
At most, it added more credibility to the camp’s claims of victory over the Great Rabbit, which was considered more fictional horror story than anything else.
—The Great Rabbit, one of the three great demon beasts that had been soundly defeated at the Sanctuary.
Unlike the hunt of the White Whale and the battle with Sloth, the public had not acknowledged their struggle against the Great Rabbit. After all, there were no impartial witnesses, and the Great Rabbit itself had been exiled to another plane of existence, leaving no trace behind.
Subaru and the others had long since concluded that no one would believe their words no matter how hard they tried to convince the public. If there were no confirmed appearances of the Great Rabbit for several years thereafter, their claim could be strengthened with a formal report, but there was a distinct possibility the royal selection would be over by then.
“Well, it’s not like people would believe we ran into two of the three great demon beasts in such a short time, let alone took both down. At the very least, we can pray that the third doesn’t show up, too.”
“—Yes, I agree.”
The last of the three legendary monsters was said to be the Black Serpent. Putting his faith in the power of words, Subaru hoped with all his might that he would never come face-to-face with it. However, Emilia’s reply had been strangely hesitant.
If he didn’t know any better, Subaru would almost think she knew something about this Black Serpent…
“So about Pristella.”
However, she moved on to the next subject before he could follow up.
Emilia’s behavior made it clear that she didn’t want to talk about it. Though that left him a bit uneasy, Subaru had learned enough about her heart to know better than to try and force the issue at a time like this.
“I wonder if it’s all right to accept the invitation and go together just like we discussed earlier?”
“I think it’ll be fine. Obviously, that means Emilia-tan will go, and of course, I’ll follow you as your knight, with Beako as my partner. After that, Garfiel will come along as our muscle, and Otto will come as our adviser and out of pity. Really, I’d like to bring Petra and Frederica just in case, but…”
“You know we can’t do that. Roswaal’s busy gathering the western nobles for an assembly. It’s already been decided Petra will go with him as part of her education…even though she really didn’t like the idea.”
“That’s because Petra’s hate for Roswaal is baked in. Ram doesn’t say anything ’cause Roswaal finds it funny, but my heart’s always beating hard whenever I’m watching them interact.”
Ever since the series of events at the Sanctuary, Petra’s feelings of distrust toward Roswaal ran deep. It was bad enough that it wouldn’t be strange if she wrung out a sweaty towel over the tea she served him.
Of course, even if Subaru had seen her do something like that, he would pretend not to have seen a thing for Petra’s sake.
“Then because we want Petra’s mentor, Frederica, to also attend the assembly and keep an eye on her, that leaves Ram at the mansion… Aaand now I’m worried.”
“There’s no need to be concerned, Subaru. After all, the mansion still has—”
At that point, Emilia faltered as she lowered her violet eyes. Subaru knew very well what words would have followed, the words she’d tried to say.
It was guaranteed that Ram wouldn’t shirk her duties. She had plenty of reason not to.
“Well, we should worry less about the mansion and more about what’s in front of us… Right, Emilia-tan?”
“Mm, that’s right. Also, I need to apologize to Otto for moving the conversation ahead without him.”
“He’s not the type to take that kind of stuff personally, but he is the type to drag things out. Let me talk to him. I’ll say I scolded you until I broke into tears.”
“Tee-hee, thank you.”
Emilia smiled faintly as she watched Subaru wave his fist around. Then she touched the azure magic crystal pendant resting against the milky skin of her chest.
Its blue radiance declared that this was the cradle where Puck the Great Spirit lay as he slept.
It was her link with the family member whose existence she could confirm but, at present, with whom she could not speak—Emilia gently stroked the surface of the magic crystal with a slender finger, as if wishing she could talk to him somehow.
“I want to talk to Puck, and there’s so much I want to ask him. That’s why…”
Emilia sank into silence. Shutting her eyes, which had strikingly long eyelashes, she kept the rest of her thoughts unspoken.
Seeing her eyes tremble ever so slightly, Subaru quietly scratched his head. A vague understanding of what Emilia was experiencing was all that he could offer.
“Come back soon, kitty spirit. I’ve got a mountain of complaints with your name on them.”
Though he griped, Subaru was also Emilia’s knight, and he hoped her wish would come true.
4
“I will have you know, I’m always trying to do what’s best for everyone!”
Slamming his wine cup against the table, Otto Suwen raged that evening.
After talking with Emilia and having dinner, Subaru paid Otto a visit in his room before his nighttime routine, only to find himself humoring the domestic adviser, who was drinking and had many complaints to get off his chest.
“He’s been goin’ at it this whole time. Even my ears are startin’ to hurt.”
Sitting at Otto’s workbench with a feather pen in hand, Garfiel wore an exasperated expression. He was taking little sips of the cup of milk he had in his hand while lending his ears to his senior’s complaints.
Garfiel had turned fifteen over the last year, meaning he could legally drink alcohol according to the kingdom’s laws; however, he was surprisingly weak against it. Ever since Otto had tempted him to drink and subsequently gotten him dead-drunk, which had earned the merchant a baleful glare from Ram, the mere sight of a wine bottle was enough to make Garfiel frown.
Of course, Subaru also took to heart the laws of his original world and respected that alcohol was off-limits. He chalked up his having once engaged in a bout of drinking at the mansion as the result of his youthful exuberance.
Thus, Subaru could only sigh deeply as Otto got drunk and continued ranting.
“Don’t be so sore about it. Emilia regrets how things went this time around. Sorry for leaping ahead without consulting you and stuff. To be fair, I think the result would’ve been the same even if she had talked to you.”
“The result isn’t everything, you know. The process itself is important. Deciding the outcome of a conversation before having the conversation is utter nonsense. This is why I insisted we must not surrender the initiative no matter what…and yet, we played right into our opponent’s hand! That was the worst thing we could have done!!”
When Subaru tried to soothe him, Otto only got more worked up, slurring his words all the while. On top of that, even while drunk, he still presented a perfectly sound argument. Subaru had to admit he was impressed.
“Man, you’ve totally gotten used to being a domestic adviser. The way you deny it every time is kind of a running joke at this point.”
“Yeah, you’ve changed so little that it’s no fun. That ain’t good, Bro.”
“Well, the two of you have changed so little since I’ve met you that it’s like a splash of water in the face!”
Subaru and Garfiel high-fived when Otto shot back at them for their perfect tag-team combo.
With the three being similar in age, a special kind of friendship linked them and naturally led to them spending a lot of time together at the mansion. Their banter had settled into a familiar routine that they had practically gotten down to an art form.
At present, Otto was spending his days employed as the chief domestic adviser of the Emilia camp. Armed with the formal education he’d received as a son in a mercantile family and his worldly experience as a traveling merchant, the calculating, quick-witted Otto was an excellent addition to the team. It was a miracle they’d encountered him before he ended up deceived, abandoned on the roadside, or sold into slavery.
Albeit, even as he continued work as a secretary, he often muttered to himself that “it wasn’t supposed to be like this…” He really didn’t know when to give up.
“And what exactly is that pitying look in your eyes for?”
“Well, you know, it’s not like you can just back out now after getting to know so much sensitive information… So yeah, I was mostly thinking about what terrible luck you have.”
“Could you really stop pitying me already?!”
“Hey, calm down, Bro. You’re gonna spill your booze. And, General, don’t tease him too much, all right? Last time, we decided we’d do ten Ottos a day.”
“What are you two even counting?! Why are there ten in a day?!”
Otto was red-faced and shouting, so that was one Otto down.
Of course, Subaru and Garfiel weren’t toying around with Otto for no reason whatsoever. This was a ritual with the objective of letting Otto yell like he was doing now and blow off all his steam from overworking day after day.
“If we don’t do this, you probably wouldn’t even be able to eat or sleep. Just leave the stress reduction to us!”
“I believe the possibility of this backfiring is rather high!!”
“Hey, hey, don’t get so bent outta shape, Bro. If ya keep that up, I ain’t gonna make any progress with this letter. Granny asked me to and all.”
Garfiel pointed the tip of his feather pen at Otto, who had been cowed into silence. Otto was a man with the unfortunate physical condition of not losing his senses even when blackout drunk.
Subaru smiled wryly as he peeked at the letter Garfiel was penning.
“Whoa, that’s some awful handwriting. Is Ryuzu really gonna be able to read this letter?”
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh, General. How long do ya think me ’n’ Granny have been together for? Granny can even read the stuff I write left-handed.”
“That makes Ryuzu really impressive, but it’s nothing for you to be proud of.”
Poking fun at Garfiel’s display of pride, Subaru faintly lowered the corners of his eyes.
Ryuzu was both Garfiel’s grandmother and the representative of the Sanctuary—presently, she was not dwelling at this mansion but rather at Earlham Village, which was close to the old mansion. The reason was that she bore the duty of granting “an everyday life” to the twenty-four people who had been born just like her: replicas derived from Ryuzu Meyer, with bodies constructed of mana just like Ryuzu herself.
These replicas had been liberated from the Sanctuary and cast into the world like innocent babes. Stating that it was her responsibility to teach them about life, Ryuzu had parted with her two grandchildren.
Though it would be best if she could someday complete that duty so she, Garfiel, and Frederica could live together as a family once more, the circumstances demanded that this be put aside for the time being.
And it was this Ryuzu whom Garfiel was drafting a letter for. An unexpectedly prolific writer, he held unconcealable feelings for his grandmother, which resulted in him writing letters with frequency far beyond the norm.
“I have mentioned this before, but Ms. Frederica also sends letters, though I believe not even she writes as many as Garfiel.”
“Well, all joking aside, Garfiel writes every day, so that has to be a mountain of letters.”
Even so, Ryuzu was delighted to receive letters from both her grandchildren. Apparently, she stored every one she received like they were all precious treasures.
“Guess you could almost say I’m taking advantage of Ryuzu’s way of thinking, couldn’t you…?”
Subaru had been the first to approve of Ryuzu’s desire to guide the other replicas. Perhaps it was a poor choice of words, but Subaru just didn’t want them to stay “dolls.”
Or perhaps that was Subaru’s self-serving sense of guilt for having used the girls like sacrificial pawns once during a previous loop.
“General?”
“…Never mind. There’s a lot to tell Ryuzu after what happened today, so I’m sure you won’t have any problems with your letter. It’s a lot worse to have nothing to write about. That’s when you got no choice but to try and make up something funny.”
“Ah, that would be pretty painful. If perchance you end up writing Bro was boring in a letter, I really will have to punch you to make up for it.”
“Well, relax. I wrote that Bro’s bein’ plenty funny today. Ah, besides that, General, there’s somethin’ I wanted to ask ya.”
After using his pen to point out the part about Otto, which earned him a grimace, Garfiel floated Subaru a question.
“I wonder what the enemy’s target was this time around. Until now, the other candidates ain’t been in any skirmishes, so why go openly pick a fight all of a sudden?”
“A fight… You sure have a simple way of looking at the world.”
“As if ya need complicated logic for a fight. It all depends on what the other side wants. Settin’ that pale dude aside for the moment… Despite her looks, the cat-person runt who came with him seemed pretty tough.”
Garfiel might have called her a brat, but age-wise, Mimi was about as old as him. The reason Subaru didn’t interrupt him with a wisecrack was because he saw the serious look in Garfiel’s eyes.
“When I first met her, she gave me a real long stare. Kept that up the whole time we were talkin’. That, there’s no mistakin’ it’s to figure out a good chance to pick a fight with me.”
“…You sure? I’ll admit Mimi’s pretty strong, and it’s a fact that she talks like a combat maniac, but, uh…”
She didn’t strike him as the kind of cunning character to secretly scheme or rely on subterfuge. Her companion Joshua didn’t seem well-suited for wickedness, either, in a good way.
“Anyway, if we’re takin’ ’em up on the invitation, we better stay on guard. General, that means you and Lady Emilia are banned from movin’ around on your own. Bro may be one thing, but if our general or the lady get taken out, we’re done.”
“For the record, without me, everything would grind to a complete standstill, got it?! Good grief, I wish you would understand that and appreciate me more already!”
Otto sulked, but of course, Garfiel wasn’t slighting Otto at all. Though he was not one to make a big show of saying so, Garfiel actually respected Otto a great deal. Given Garfiel’s personality, under no circumstances would he refer to anyone so familiarly were that not the case.
It deeply moved Subaru when he thought back to when they’d first met and how far they had come.
“Wha—? What’s the big deal with that strange look, General?”
“I was just thinking how glad I am to have you on our team. You’ve become really dependable, Garfiel.”
“Heh, just leave it to me. I ain’t much good at any hard thinkin’, but I’ll buy you time so you can. I’m countin’ on ya for the rest, General.”
Speaking those words, Garfiel grabbed his cup of milk and drank it dry, laughing with white all around his lips.
This went for Emilia, too, but the trusting gaze Garfiel turned toward Subaru was a strong restraint upon him. It made him think he had to work hard in order to do that trust justice.
“So with Garfiel, that puts us in a safe place fighting-strength-wise…but you’re really coming, Otto?”
“Well, of course I am! If I am not there, I will not have any rest wondering what kind of harebrained conversations Lady Emilia and Mr. Natsuki might be having!”
The unreliability of the pair’s negotiating ability to date was still in sharp relief. Emilia was as cooperative and sincere as she looked, and for all of Subaru’s personality and stubbornness, he was unversed in the ways of the world. From Otto’s point of view, they had to look like a wild duck paired with a green onion—easy pickings whether alone or together.
“Also, Pristella is a place deeply connected to Hoshin of the Wastes. As this is a legendary individual to all merchants, I had always wanted to visit it once someday.”
“But you washed out from being a merchant a long time ago, so why bother now?”
“I did not wash out! Now, listen, if you think I’ll remain your domestic adviser forever, you are sorely mistaken! My dream is to be a great merchant with my very own store! My presence here is nothing but a temporary stop!”
“Ain’t no guarantee that there’s a place you’re gonna spend the rest of your life at ahead of that stop.”
When Garfiel amusedly chimed in to tease him, Otto grimaced but made no retort.
Of course, to Subaru, having Otto tag along was a wish come true. Whatever they might say out loud, neither the negotiations nor the camp itself would go anywhere without him. Everyone in the group understood that.
It was because Otto himself was aware of his own worth that he continued carrying such arduous burdens on his back.
“Well, it also feels like you’re just a masochist, but I’ll set that sentiment aside.”
“I get the sense that is an even ruder form of acceptance, but perhaps that is just my imagination?”
“Yep, just your imagination. Either way, our rival is a great merchant and real sharp. I’m counting on you, Otto. Garfiel for the martial, Otto for the cultural, and me to keep things lively.”
“Work harder, would you?!!”
Subaru’s decision was made in accordance with the right man for the right job. Even if Subaru worked himself to death from that moment onward, he would never be as strong as Garfiel, and even if he cost himself sleep at night, he’d never be as useful an official as Otto.
But the position in which Subaru Natsuki stood was not so soft that he could simply rot on the vine.
“I’ll do whatever I can do. That’s the forward-looking way Beako and I are handling the situation after talking it over.”
“Well, with Lady Emilia ’n’ Beatrice there, ya should be all right, General. And I guess that means I gotta protect Bro. Just be careful, ’kay?”
“That somehow feels like I am the element of greatest concern… It really does not sit well with me.”
Subaru turned serious, Garfiel acted like he was taking on babysitting duty, and Otto complained while bringing more wine to his lips bit by bit.
In so doing, their weighty conversation switched to the trivial, adding a pinch of spice as the night deepened.
“Well, I think I’ll finally turn in for the night. How about you, Garfiel?”
“Me, I’m gonna stick with Bro a li’l longer. Letter writin’ is done, but I see my chance to finally win at shatranj. Now that he’s drunk, it should be a snap.”
Replying as Subaru rose to his feet, Garfiel pointed to the game board on the table. Shatranj was a board game similar to chess or shogi. Otto was fairly skilled at this game, and Garfiel’s eagerness to challenge him in a weakened state suggested he’d been on a big losing streak.
Incidentally, Subaru was pretty good at othello, but he was bottom-feeder tier at shatranj.
“Well, good luck. Don’t stay up too late. You won’t grow any taller like that.”
“Hey, is that even true? I believed that and always went to bed early but don’t think it works at my age.”
“I’m not sure in your case. I think Frederica sucked some out of you.”
“Damn you, Sis!”
Baring his fangs, Garfiel prepared for shatranj so he could direct the power of his anger toward the game. Subaru let a small smile slip, watching from behind as Garfiel set the pawns in neat rows.
“And don’t drink too much, Otto. If you’re hungover and useless, Petra’s gonna get real scary.”
“I feel as if that girl is being particularly strict with me of late. Say something to her, would you, Mr. Natsuki?”
“That she’s too soft on the offense?”
“Could you not ask her to be gentler instead?!”
“No way, no how. Good night.”
Waving his hand, Subaru left the room as the remaining pair huddled with the game board between them.
The color indicated by the magic crystal clock on the wall of the mansion corridor announced that it would soon be midnight. He’d lingered a little longer, making him later than usual.
“It was a talk among men. Gotta let something like that slide.”
Letting slip those words of excuse, Subaru went not to his own room but in the direction of the west wing, where the women’s bedrooms were.
And then—
“—Excuse me.”
Subaru always knocked before entering the room.
He knew there would be no reply. Even so, was that any reason to abandon hope?
Or perhaps not forgetting to do so was simply to confirm that there was no reply—
—so that he might never, ever forget the heat of the unquenchable flame that continued to burn within his chest.
This room that gave no reply was a simple, unadorned bedroom.
It was arranged in a manner unchanged from the mansion’s many other rooms, with only the most basic of furniture. The bed at the center of the room, the curtains over the windows, and the simple table with a flower vase on it were the only real furnishings.
The flowers in the vase were changed regularly, and the water was replaced on a daily basis. Even though he knew that the beauty and scent of the flowers brought no repose, this was an everyday routine for Subaru.
Subaru’s sentimental actions were observed in silence by the other people at the mansion.
—I think that if he could easily set things aside and just move on, I wouldn’t have come to an understanding with Subaru no matter how many times we argued. That’s why I really like Subaru as he is.
It is a bad habit to be greedy when one is so lacking. Can Subaru be anything save rash and reckless, I wonder…? That is why, now that he is not alone, we shall indulge his avarice even so.
That’s what the two girls closest to Subaru thought about his behavior.
“They’re such softies. Also, Emilia-tan’s suggestive comments push my buttons way too much.”
He wished she wouldn’t say like and cool so casually.
The words clearly conveyed her feelings, but there had been no romantic developments between Subaru and Emilia. Put simply, Emilia wasn’t prepared to accept a confession, and Subaru’s heart didn’t seem prepared for it at all. Two years, maybe three— No, in the worst case, it might take even more time than that.
“It’s kind of rude to come here and always talk about Emilia and the others. Petra or someone else would seriously scold me if they heard.”
Perhaps when you got down to it, there really was no one in the Emilia camp who was more of a social person than Petra. The defining feature of Subaru and company was that every one of them sucked at interpersonal relations. The fact that a girl not yet thirteen years of age was ahead of them all made for a pretty pathetic tale.
“I’ve really got to wonder. If you…were awake, Rem, I don’t feel like you’d be moving the needle all that much. Either because I’m useless at this whole relationship thing or because you always put me first.”
As he spoke, Subaru pulled a chair over and sat down beside the bed.
The girl’s sleeping face was exposed just enough that the moonlight filtering in through the gaps of the curtains made it stand out against the night.
He could make out her white cheeks, pink lips, and blue hair. Her beautiful figure was clad in a thin negligee. The chest of Subaru’s Sleeping Princess rhythmically rose and fell.
—That was how this precious girl—Rem—had continued to slumber for more than a year.
“There’s lots to talk about today. An uninvited guest dumped one hell of a problem in our laps. First, this morning, I did the usual—”
Subaru had a tender look on his face as he told the still-sleeping Rem his tale.
He spun his stories in a witty fashion, and the tone of his voice was very gentle. Speaking with great care, like he would with an infant taking a nap, he amusedly recited the day’s events.
The girl offered no reply. Even so, these midnight trysts continued.
On nights when there was a great amount of news to share, Subaru often insisted on whispering dreamlike tales to the Sleeping Princess until the moon had largely run its course.
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