Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 

A DECAYING MIND 

1 

The clear, refreshing-looking sky spread overhead, filling Subaru’s vision as he lay on the ground. 

Thinking back, about two months had passed since he had been summoned to this other world. 

He wondered just how many times he had gazed up at the blue sky in the same way during that time. 

The thick cumulonimbus clouds intercepted the sunlight, but bright, dazzling rays broke through the thick cover, pouring down to the surface. 

The sun’s radiance was burning the insides of Subaru’s eyes when he suddenly had a thought. 

Come to think of it… I haven’t seen a single rainy day since I came here. 

He’d experienced small sprinkles late at night and showers right around sunset several times over, but there was nothing even close to resembling a long downpour that lasted an entire day. 

The temperature of Lugunica was slightly too hot for long sleeves, which felt not unlike June in Subaru’s old world or perhaps the lingering effects of summer stretching into September. Maybe the lack of rain was due to his current world’s dry season. 

“Shall we bring this to an end?” 

As Subaru lay on the ground, idly thinking, an elderly male voice suddenly called out to him. 

The boy remained faceup, raising his head to peer at the older man standing there. He was a tall man dressed in a black servant’s outfit. He stood perfectly straight, his extremely toned body inconsistent with his apparent age. His bountiful white hair was perfectly combed, suggesting his refinement. 

The senior’s peaceful face had gentle wrinkles carved into it, giving him the look of a warm, elderly gentleman, but his hand gripped a long wooden sword. 

Subaru replied to the man’s question. 

“Nah, not yet. I was just thinking about a philosophical question.” 

“Ohh, how interesting. And what did you ponder?” 

“Fire above and water below… So I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. Or something.” 

Subaru swung both legs high, and then brought them down with enough force to pull him to his feet. 

The core of his body still felt heavy in some respects, but the pain of his bruises and other wounds had largely subsided. Subaru rotated his limbs a little to check before swinging the wooden sword still in his hand to the fore—thrusting it straight at Wilhelm. 

“One more lesson, if you please.” 

“Incidentally, what was the answer to the earlier philosophical question?” 

“Nothing major—just me getting pissed even though I’m the one who wet the bed.” 

With that nonsensical answer, he stepped forward and swung with his waster, tracing a semicircular arc from a low posture. 

The tip swept through the air, the wind whipping around the full-force blunt strike. 

However… 

“Unah!!” 

“You are using too much energy. In your hands, feet, neck, hips, and in your head.” 

Wilhelm parried the hard-driving blow, smoothly deflecting it away from its target. The attack, aimed at his head, sailed above it. The old man turned his body, and the sword danced in his hand to accurately and gently rap the boy’s head, throat, and solar plexus—all vital points of the human body. The slight impact of Wilhelm’s waster sent Subaru’s body flying. 

Thanks to his extreme restraint, the damage was practically nil. But even so, the shock to Subaru’s vitals hindered his breathing, and his failed defense ended up making him groan audibly. 

“Gwoeh!” 

The hit to his back made him dizzy. He was flat on the ground with his limbs splayed out once again, the sky laughing down at him. He was starting to resent this decidedly pleasant sight for some reason. 

“Shall we bring this to an end?” 

Wilhelm inquired gently without the slightest hint of sarcasm or disparagement. 

How many times had he already voiced that question, gauging Subaru’s intent? 

“It seems you are working hard.” 

As Subaru gazed hatefully upward, a female voice interrupted. 

He lifted his head to see a woman standing at the terrace, gazing down at Subaru, limbs spread wide as he lay in the courtyard. 

“I only heard your voices, but you seem to be quite worked up about this.” 

The beautiful green-haired woman leaned on the railing as she looked down at Subaru and Wilhelm. Her long, dark locks had a lustrous jade sheen, and she gave off the air of someone who naturally stood straight, bold, and proud. Her body, blessed with very feminine curves, was clad in a rather masculine military uniform. She was the lord of the manor as well as Wilhelm’s master—Duchess Crusch Karsten. 

In spite of her young age, she was a brilliant woman occupying a critical national post—making her someone extremely important to the Kingdom of Lugunica’s present and future. 

“My, Lady Crusch. Have we interrupted your duties?” 

“No, I was just thinking of taking a break. No need for concern.” 

Crusch nodded amicably at Wilhelm before shifting her gaze toward Subaru, prone on the ground. She added, “Besides, I do not want to be so haughty as to stifle the earnest efforts of others. Employees need time off. By all means, make full use of yours, Wilhelm.” 

Wilhelm bowed deeply in thanks for Crusch granting permission in her typical manner. 

“Understood. Having said that…” 

Then, the old man shifted his attention toward Subaru. 

“Shall we bring this to an end?” 

“Even I’m smart enough to tell that you mean, ‘Let’s end this now.’” 

Subaru pulled up his grass-stained body, moving his limbs to confirm for the third—no, tenth time—that all was well. He cracked his fingers and sighed audibly. 

“I feel like getting my butt kicked while a pretty girl’s watching is kinda hard to swallow as a guy… My manliness gauge is dropping fast.” 

Subaru made a strained smile as he tossed the wooden sword back to Wilhelm, who caught it with ease. Crusch replied, “There is no need for concern. It is hardly the first time I have seen you getting hurt.” 

“Urgh!” 

The merciless statement had Subaru clutching his chest as he groaned. 

“I only heard about what happened after the fact, but I believe your words are a little too direct, Lady Crusch.” 

“Is that so?” 

Crusch reacted to Wilhelm’s comment with an innocent rise of her eyebrows before continuing. 

“It is evident when a far superior opponent is impossible to match. But I do not think an unflinching display of determination is anything to regret or be ashamed of.” 

As Crusch touched her chin and expressed her thoughts, Subaru felt moderately uncomfortable. 

Putting aside the unexpected appraisal of his humiliation the day before, he was reminded of everything that happened before and after that episode. The greatest failure of his life—when they had parted on the worst possible terms in the castle waiting room. 

“Truly, if I were you, the events last night would have been far harder to accept. I have only hearsay to go on, but…knowing myself, I imagine I would be indignant.” 

Feeling Crusch’s partially sympathetic gaze, Subaru scratched his cheek and laughed drily. 

“…Ta-ha-ha.” 

It was the only reaction he could muster when thinking about what had occurred that evening, a mere half day prior: an unscheduled meeting with Reinhard, the Sword Saint, who’d gone out of his way just to visit Subaru at the Crusch residence. 

Seeing the change in his expression, Crusch returned the conversation to the previous topic. 

“And besides, even if it is painful to receive instruction while a woman is watching, is it not something you have already done many times over?” 

She leaned halfway over the rail as her gaze, rich with meaning, crossed to the other end of the courtyard. There stood a blue-haired girl who had quietly watched everything. 

Realizing that Crusch was looking at her, Subaru grimaced in embarrassment. 

“…Embarrassment feels a little different when it’s in front of a friend.” 

“I would think continuing to reveal your hand before your eventual enemy is a problem in and of itself… But the same could be directed at me for welcoming such a person to my mansion. For once, I am somewhat at a loss about my own thoughts.” 

Crusch nodded a few times, as if her reply led her to some internal reflection. Then, she set such thoughts aside for the time being and addressed her servant. 

“Wilhelm.” 

“Yes.” 

“I feel up for a little exercise. I shall delegate the remaining affairs to others. It is earlier than scheduled, but could you give me today’s lesson?” 

“As you command. Please take as much time as you need.” 

“That is a somewhat difficult request given my current mental state…” 

A wry smile came over Crusch as she moved away from the railing, standing and returning to the study. She was the picture of dignity. Her green hair fluttered and danced, softly taking in the light of the sun until it vanished from Subaru’s field of vision. The boy watched her go as he released the tension inside him with a sigh. 

Subaru smiled bitterly at himself when he realized the raw sense of relief he felt when she left his sight. 

Put bluntly, Crusch was exactly the sort of lady he had a hard time with. Her straightforward and unyielding gaze was so sharp, it seemed to pierce straight to the heart. There had been many cases where her honest, sincere personality, and the words and deeds supporting it, left him distinctly troubled. 

She lived strong and proud, full of confidence, without a single shred of hesitation about what she should do. Comparing his position to hers, Subaru seemed all the more pathetic. 

“Shall we finally bring this to an end?” 

As the boy shook his head to change emotional gears, Wilhelm turned back to him and asked again. 

“That didn’t sound like a question, so I guess that’s that…” 

Wilhelm gracefully shifted into position with his wooden sword, and the disappearance of the question mark at the end of his sentence told Subaru that this kind yet stern session was coming to a close. The older gentleman made a thin smile when he saw the sincere regret in Subaru’s black eyes. 

“Now that Lady Crusch has arrived, I must fulfill my duties as an instructor. This is half the reason the House of Karsten employs me, you see.” 

“Hey, I’m not gonna be selfish like a little kid. You did me a big favor, spending some of your time off with me like this.” 

Subaru pointed the wooden sword directly at his opponent’s eyes, feeling intense loneliness as the training approached its conclusion. 

He’d quit kendo in middle school, but he’d still picked up the basics of swordplay. Seeing Subaru’s straight posture and quiet disposition, Wilhelm’s face abandoned all trace of softness. 

“—En garde.” 

“Any time.” 

Subaru replied to his tutor’s declaration, leaping forward across the ground. 

He didn’t even try to feint. His attack was a plain downward swing, no tricks involved. From a high position, the blade sliced through the air in a helm-splitting strike, but the tip lost sight of its mark and thrust into the ground. Subaru, missing his target, found his forceful lunge turning into a forward roll. 

Then, “—!” 

Subaru sustained what seemed like countless sword blows. 

2 

It had already been three days since Subaru Natsuki had entered Crusch Karsten’s manor. 

The home of the duchess of Karsten was located directly in the middle of the Nobles’ District within the royal capital’s upper strata—a mansion that stood out even among the luxuriant dwellings alongside it. He had been told that it was a villa used only during stays in the capital, but its size and sheer extravagance rivaled that of Roswaal’s primary residence. 

But Crusch herself had no interest in the decor of the overly ornamented manor. No doubt she saw it as a display of consideration for the many nobles who might visit the capital. 

And one of those visitors had been Reinhard van Astrea. The incident from half a day prior was bitterly etched into Subaru’s memory. 

“I am truly sorry I was unable to stop the incident at the training ground. I am ashamed of myself for being unable to do anything but watch.” 

After calling for Subaru, the first thing Reinhard did was apologize, bowing his head under the magic lamps illuminating the Karsten residence’s front gate. 

It was an apology from the man so trusted and respected by his nation that he was commonly known as the Sword Saint. Subaru, who didn’t think himself worthy to even face Reinhard, was taken completely by surprise. 

“Wa-wait-wait-wait. Why do you have to apologize for everything? You didn’t do anything wrong, did you?” 

“That isn’t the case at all, Subaru. I’m your friend, and Julius’s as well. Not stopping my friends from making a mistake was a failure on my part.” 

“Fr…iends…” 

Subaru’s breath caught a little at the mention of the second-to-last name in the world he wanted to hear. But Reinhard bore no malice. Indeed, he was apologizing for not intervening at the time. If he’d involved himself, no doubt Subaru wouldn’t have experienced a fraction of the misery he was going through now. 

The “duel” between Subaru and Julius might not have qualified as the real thing, but it was not the place of others to interfere with a bout that was held to settle an issue. That much was set in stone. There fore, Reinhard had been feeling guilt for something he shouldn’t have given a second thought. The fact that he still felt compelled to apologize showed why Reinhard was the “knight among knights.” 

“…Well, whatever the case, I’m real happy you came all the way over to see me. You have to be busy with a million things right now?” Subaru said. 

“I do not want to balance my schedule and my friendships on a set of scales. If I hadn’t taken the opportunity tonight, I wouldn’t have had a chance to apologize to you for some time.” 

“‘Some time’? What, you’re heading off somewhere?” 

“Lady Felt will be away from the royal capital, under the care of my family. There are many things she needs to learn, and there are new recruits who require training.” 

Reinhard talked with a thin, wry smile at the numerous hardships he expected. But at the very least, the knight didn’t harbor any unease about the rapport in his master-vassal relationship. Subaru posed a question. 

“You think Felt can really pull this off?” 

“—Strangely, more so than I ever did before. I’m sure her determination and talent will surprise everyone. I will be merely encouraging her to help bring that future about.” 

Hearing that unreserved reply, Subaru subconsciously shifted his gaze away from Reinhard. 

“…Is that so? Glad to hear it.” 

He couldn’t bear to look straight at the knight. The red-haired young man didn’t worry about hardships, nor did he hold any concerns about his relationship with his master. He had not even the slightest ambivalence about doing his duty to his utmost abilities. 

At that moment, the difference between him and Subaru was simply too great— 

Noticing Subaru was averting his gaze, Reinhard’s brows furrowed in a sympathetic look. 

“Do you…have regrets?” 

Regrets. 

…Subaru bit his lip as the word floated inside his head. 

He’d always had regrets. Yesterday, he felt remorse for the day before that. Today, he was bitter about yesterday. Tomorrow, he’d no doubt be anguished about the present day, too. 

The choices made over the course of his life amounted to a never-ending trail of regrets. It was impossible not to yearn for the world he’d missed due to choices he hadn’t made. 

With Subaru silent, Reinhard lowered his eyes. 

“I will not say anything as flippant as, ‘I understand how you feel.’ But I am equally ashamed of what transpired. Perhaps it is the first time I’ve said such a thing, but I regret what happened.” 

The words seemed not quite apropos to the chagrin that enveloped Subaru, but that was only natural. Their positions were different, so their points of view were different. The two didn’t see events the same way. That was why Subaru braced his heart for what Reinhard might say next. And yet— 

“The duel that day between you and Julius…was a meaningless battle. I knew, but I did nothing, and as a result, you were unjustly hurt. It has pained me ever since how I simply stood back and watched.” 

“ ? ” 

But his meager resolve didn’t prepare him to hear that . 

“—No meaning at all?” 

“Yes, that’s right. What happened because you and Julius clashed there? You were injured, and Julius has a black mark on his record, nothing more. Are you aware that he was placed under house arrest afterward? I’m sure Julius is regretting his own actions this very moment.” 

Julius’s punishment was news to Subaru, and it actually surprised him. So many knights watching the spectacle had been in Julius’s corner. Subaru had been convinced his opponent had made arrangements to avoid trouble afterward. And yet, he had been disciplined. 

—But Subaru didn’t think the knight felt any regret at all. He had crossed swords with him, albeit wooden ones, more than enough to understand that loud and clear. 

Unaware of what was in Subaru’s heart, Reinhard said with sincerity in his eyes, “If you had both had more time, you could have calmly discussed the matter. I should have ensured you had it… Things could have been resolved peacefully with no ill feelings instead of with a duel.” 

“…So there’d have been no fight at all?” 

“Correct. This may seem somewhat hard to believe, but normally Julius is a man who sincerely listens. If you’d fully aired your differences, the misunderstanding could have been immediately—” 

“Reinhard.” 

With an earnest voice, Subaru interrupted him. 

The red-haired young man closed his mouth, looking back at Subaru with an unclouded gaze. Not a single negative emotion resided in his azure eyes. 

In other words, Reinhard had been completely serious. 

He truly believed that duel held no meaning. 

—He couldn’t understand that it was a matter of pride, with neither side able to pull back from the brink. 

“I understand how you feel, and I’m glad. You’re…a really good guy.” 

“Then…” 

“But I won’t accept what you said. I can’t accept what you said… This conversation’s over.” 

The sight of Subaru breaking off the discussion and turning his back left Reinhard beyond surprised. When the boy passed through the gates to return to the mansion, the knight instantly began to reach out to him. 

“Reinhard. You’re a super-good guy. I totally understand that everything you said just now was out of pure goodwill, and you meant no harm at all… I get that.” 

The remark stopped Reinhard mid-motion. Sensing it behind him, Subaru didn’t turn back as he passed through the gate. 

“But…just don’t. I won’t let you rob that duel of its meaning. Anything…but that.” 

Subaru didn’t want that, and neither did Julius or the knights who had seen the duel to the end. 

Their fight had to be worth something. It had concrete, definite value, even if Reinhard, the Sword Saint, couldn’t understand it. 

While Subaru distanced himself, Reinhard attempted to bridge the gap. 

“Even if that is so… What did you gain from that duel? You’ve only lost things, haven’t you?” But the words he chose for that purpose provided the last nail in the coffin. “You’ve even lost Lady Emilia.” 

The very last name in the world Subaru wanted to hear at that moment had materialized. He replied to the Sword Saint indifferently. 

“Go home, Reinhard. Before your master gets lonely and starts yelling.” 

With a loud noise, the gate closed between them. And so they parted ways. 

“…He didn’t need to bother, geez.” 

Subaru gritted his teeth at the memory of the previous night as curses he couldn’t bring himself to say to Reinhard’s face spilled out. 

His lips twisted as he tore at his head, as though brushing away the still-raw memory. 

“Do not be like that, Subaru. You’ve been hit on the head, so behave while I tend to it.” 

As Subaru lay there, a voice full of affection gently brushed his eardrums. 

When he glanced up, he saw the blue-haired girl smiling down at him pleasantly. She was wearing a rather short black-motif apron dress. The maid with the adorable face—Rem—was kneeling on the green grass with Subaru’s head on her lap in the venerable “lap pillow” position. 

Rem, appointed as Subaru’s maid, ran a finger through his hair as she whispered softly. 

“You’ve worked hard in special training. Please, relax and rest on my lap for a while.” 

“Doesn’t really deserve to be called ‘special training’… Just simple sword practice. Must’ve been boring to watch, huh?” 

“It was not boring at all. Just spending time with you makes me very happy, Subaru.” 

Everything pouring out of Rem was positive, but in his current state, Subaru couldn’t accept any of it. He covered his face with a hand, averting his gaze from her, who saw even his most unsightly moments in a positive light. She’d watched the sword practice, hardly anything more than playing around, from beginning to bitter end without complaint. 

Even despite Subaru concealing his emotions, Rem didn’t speak a single cross word. 

She silently waited out his attempt to hide his true feelings and affectionately supported his weight, softly running her finger through his hair as if to simply remind him that time hadn’t stopped. 

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Subaru spoke first. 

“…Hey…Rem.” 

His halting voice brought Rem’s finger to a standstill. As she indulgently waited for him to talk, Subaru took a fair bit of time before continuing to speak. 

“Do you…think I’m pathetic?” 

It had come from his own mouth, but he genuinely wondered what answer he was hoping to hear. Did he want her to say yes? Did he want her to say no? What exactly did he want her to appraise about him? Did he mean right then, or three days prior, or perhaps long before that … ? 

“I do.” 

Rem easily answered, interrupting Subaru’s rumination. 

As his concerns unraveled, Subaru glared at Rem from below in protest. 

“So you think that, too? Why are you sticking with me if I’m pathetic, then? ’Cause you were told to?” 

Rem, upside down in his field of vision, gently shook her head at Subaru’s acerbic reaction. 

“Thinking you are pathetic and being with you is not a contradiction. Even without a command, I believe I would have stayed with you regardless, Subaru.” 

“…Why’s that?” 

“Because I want to.” 

Her reply was brief. 

The matter-of-fact delivery left Subaru speechless. He had no idea what to say, although the words made his chest feel light. 

It was as if his incomprehensible self-examination had received an equally baffling answer. 

“Rem… You’re really something else.” 

“I am. But Sister is even more incredible.” 

“I still don’t understand why you put your sister on a pedestal, but you’re incredible.” 

Subaru raised a hand in surrender, letting his entire body relax as he sank into Rem’s lap fully. He closed his eyes, leaving her to stroke his forelocks with her finger once more as she said, “I am here because I believe you want me to be here, Subaru.” 

“So I want you to watch me get beaten up and then act pathetic and embarrassing after? That makes me sound like some kind of masochist…” 

Rem curiously inclined her head, asking with a completely innocent look, “You aren’t?” 

Subaru could only exhale deeply through his nostrils in a wordless reply. 

Time continued in a quiet, lazy fashion, without any intrusions. Finally she asked, “Perhaps we should head back in? Any longer and we might be in the way of Lady Crusch’s sword practice.” 

When Rem’s thighs seemed about to move, Subaru grabbed hold of them, his cheek savoring the feeling. 

“Just a little longer. I’ve been hit on the head. Might be dangerous to move this soon?” 

Rem let her legs relax as she acceded to Subaru’s suggestion. 

“Yes… If that is what you desire, Subaru.” 

Thanks to her unlimited kindness, he didn’t have to think about the things he didn’t want to. He let his body sink deeper and deeper into that gentle quicksand. 

—It had been three days since the declaration of the royal selection. Three days since Subaru and Emilia had parted ways. 

Subaru Natsuki was steadily rotting away. 

3 

I must’ve done something wrong , Subaru thought once he had time to reflect. 

He knew it was an unpleasant memory, but before he realized, he was going back over and over to that evening and the sight of a silver-haired girl turning from him and walking away. 

As the sound of a closing door echoed, Subaru thought, I must’ve come up short somewhere. 

He was well aware that his words had gone too far. 

The fact that it had come right after receiving a beating had been part of it. When Emilia’s words forced him into a corner, he’d ended up blurting out a lot of really unacceptable things. 

As a result, Subaru and Emilia had ended up separating. 

Did the suddenness of his words mean that they were just jumbled half thoughts? Or did it mean that they had been dwelling in his heart all along? 

He cared for her, and he wanted her to acknowledge that; both feelings were true. 

But how much he meant the rest of what he’d said… Even he wasn’t sure anymore. 

“—Hey, kid. Kid!!” 

Subaru was submerged in a sea of self-doubt when a throaty voice from nearby reeled him back to reality. 

When he blinked, the man standing right in front of him slumped his shoulders, lamenting as he creased his brow. 

“Come on, kid. Don’t be glaring like that in front of a man’s shop. You’ll scare off the customers,” he lamented with a frown on his stern face, marked by an attention-grabbing vertical scar. 

Subaru, back in the present, gently rubbed his eyelids, quickly recovering from the impact of the man’s fierce countenance. 

“Hey, Pops. I think it’s your glaring at customers that scares ’em off.” 

“I’m not glaring! I’m worrying about you, damn it! You come here with some weirdo in tow, and then when Old Man Rom hears your message, I can’t get in touch with him anymore. I should be giving you an earful for all the trouble you put me through!” 

The shopkeeper raised his voice in anger and pounded the counter with one of his thick arms. 

As he did, the slam caused a basket with fruit on display to tilt, threatening to send his produce tumbling. However, with a flutter of the hem of her skirt, Rem landed in the space right in front of the shop. 

“That is no way to handle food.” 

Her fingers gripped the basket on the counter, gently catching it before it could fall along with all the fruit within. 

“Ohh, thanks a lot, miss.” 

The man—Cadmon—sighed with admiration at her skillful move, taking the basket back from Rem with visible relief. 

Then he lowered his voice as he directed a look back at Subaru. “So take my advice. Get away from this mean-mug guy. It won’t end well.” 

“Hey, what are you talkin’ about here? Don’t go around spreading unfounded rumors, geez,” Subaru countered. 

“It’s not unfounded at all. You were here with a girl not long ago, and now you’ve got a different one, don’t you? The earlier girl… Ah, I can’t remember clearly, but that just means this young lady is prettier. Two-timers can go to hell.” 

“Do I look like I can handle two-timing girls? In the first place, how did you…?” 

Forget about Emilia , Subaru had been going to say. But Cadmon’s lack of memory was an effect of the anti-recognition magic she used to conceal her identity. 

Recalling that brought her face to the forefront of his thoughts, accompanied by a painful throb in his chest. 

As Subaru fell into silence, Cadmon gave him a suspicious look before resuming his speech to Rem. 

“You see? Incorrigible. You’ll end up with nothing but hardship no matter how hard you try.” 

“Thank you very much for your consideration… However, I am doing this because I want to.” Rem’s cheeks reddened as she glanced at Subaru to gauge his reaction. Cadmon’s look, even sourer than before, made plain that he thought her unfortunate. 

“I have to say, though, the feel on the street’s different today. There aren’t more people than usual, but… It’s like there’s a stir in the air. Maybe more people are…stopping and standing than usual?” 

Subaru gazed at the hustle and bustle, changing the topic to distract them from how he hadn’t finished his previous sentence. 

“Surprisingly sharp eye. Well, that’s how it is. When big stuff’s going on, it’s time for merchants to make some money. Right now, everyone’s hungry for the next rumor.” 

Cadmon nodded at Subaru’s musings as he grabbed one of the fruits lined up in front of his shop and took a bite. 

Subaru gawked at the owner holding fruit with teeth marks. “That’s your merchandise…,” he remarked before he continued. “Well, I’m not sure what business opportunities the royal selection has for a fruit vendor, but I’m impressed you weren’t left behind when it started. Guess you’re a natural genius at this, Pops.” 

“Oh, shut your mouth. At any rate, it’s because there’re more people rubbing shoulders and whispering to one another. Everyone’s talking to everyone else right now. See, look over there.” 

Cadmon forcefully pointed with the core of his fruit, indicating a sign at the edge of the street. Even among the signs desperately competing to stand out along Market Street, this one stood taller than all the rest. 

“Well, if it’s anything but I-script, I can’t read it.” 

“What? How uneducated. You can read my store’s sign, then?” 

“I feel like the characters are close to I-script, but they’re so bad that I can’t read them.” 

Cadmon was taken aback at Subaru’s ill-natured attempt to cover up his own lack of education. 

“So what is written on that sign, anyway?” 

“The same thing we’ve been talking about. ‘The Royal Selection Has Commenced.’” Subaru frowned, unsure what Cadmon’s point was, so the shopkeeper roughly scratched at his head and added, “All right. Let me spell it out to you. Miss, take care of the store for a bit.” 

“As you request.” 

The way Cadmon abandoned his station as if it was nothing, and the way Rem followed up without the slightest hesitation, left Subaru simply uneasy as he slouched. 

“Don’t let amateurs run your shop just like that, geez. And Rem, don’t make promises you can’t keep.” 

“All she has to do is exchange merchandise for coin according to the prices listed. It’s not like I’m getting customers anyway.” 

“So you finally admit it?!” 

Subaru wore a defiant look as Cadmon led him away. Rem waved after them as she headed toward the counter. 

“I have to say, though—young or old, everyone seems super interested in the royal selection. What do you think, Pops?” 

Cadmon scowled bitterly at Subaru’s words and replied. 

“Hmm. Well, there’s a lot of hot air about who’ll become the next ruler, but it’s not as if they can leave the throne empty forever. I wish they’d just hurry up and decide already.” 

“This is only what I’ve been told, but doesn’t the Council of Elders handle running the country? How badly does not having a king affect the people?” 

“Hey, if that’s a joke, it’s in bad taste. Now, some people snub the king as a figurehead when it comes to administration but… The Covenant with the Dragon is made with the royal family generation after generation. We have the Dragon protecting Lugunica to thank for the clashes with Volakia down south not turning into anything besides skirmishes.” 

Gusteko to the north, Lugunica to the east, Kararagi to the west, and Volakia to the south—those were the names of the great nations that ruled this world. Subaru had heard that smaller nations existed, too, but they were treated as client states of the great four. 

Subaru asked another question. 

“Volakia, huh… What, you think if the Dragon’s gone, they’ll invade?” 

“Their imperial motto is, ‘Many troops, strong nation, eat the weak, grow strong.’ They say Lugunica was in the middle of a war with them four hundred years ago right before the Covenant with the Dragon was first made. Some say they’re still sore about the Dragon butting in.” 

“So that’s how the people feel about not having a king, huh…” 

“Even if it wasn’t for that, a country without a ruler’s in as much of a bind as a beast without a head. The last king wasn’t a wise one, but he wasn’t bad, either. That’s what I think, anyway.” 

Cadmon cut through the throng of various races before standing in front of a sign that towered above the already tall man. He blended in with the people looking up at it with the same objective, craning his neck to read the characters that Subaru could not. 

“It’s an announcement that the royal selection has begun, and a summary. The king will be determined three years hence before the Dragonfriend Ceremony, who shall conduct the ceremony thereafter, et cetera. Then it lists the candidates.” 

Cadmon, reading the details in Subaru’s place, relayed things the latter already knew. Subaru’s interest had begun to fade, but the last word, candidates , put a stop to that. Cadmon, watching from the side as Subaru licked his parched lips, nodded appreciatively. 

“The candidates are on your mind, huh? There’re five royal selection candidates in total. The best-known are Duchess Crusch Karsten and the Hoshin company president, a girl named Anastasia.” 

“Is that Duchess Crusch famous?” 

“Well, she’s a duchess. It’d be pretty bad if people living in the capital didn’t know her name. She’s still young, but as duchess and heir to her household, she’s already considered one of the most brilliant women in national history. The tales of her first sortie in the duchy of Karsten, the reason she inherited the title, are common even here in the capital.” 

“First sortie…?” 

“The duke of Karsten at the time—her immediate predecessor—was injured by a horde of nasty monsters that appeared in the duchy of Karsten. So she took over command for him and brought things under control in the blink of an eye, and then everyone knew her name. There’d always been rumors that she was brilliant, but she was so good that her father had his seventeen-year-old daughter take over for him.” 

Listening to someone outside Crusch’s sphere of influence evaluate her made Subaru’s shoulders feel tighter and tighter. 

Not noticing Subaru’s internal turmoil, Cadmon traced the scar on his face with a finger as he went on. 

“And there’s not a merchant around who hasn’t heard about how much progress the Hoshin Company has made these past few years, even for them. That young lady at the helm—Anastasia—she’s even taken down major companies and brought them under hers. Just like that old legend, Hoshin of the Wastes. It’s like she’s a reincarnation of the man.” 

Subaru wondered if the proud way Cadmon spoke of Anastasia was due to his identifying with her as a fellow merchant. Going from a mere trader to a royal candidate was a real Cinderella story. 

On the one hand, there was Crusch, a woman with an inspired demeanor, pursuing her beliefs with an iron will. On the other was Anastasia, the girl with light-purple hair, standing out due to her Kansai accent. 

The details on the sign before them had no discrepancies from what he’d heard in the royal selection conference. The contents were conveyed to the populace with thoroughness and sincerity and no unfairness whatsoever. 

Cadmon resumed. 

“So rumor has it that those two are the leaders for the royal selection. Personally, I think Lady Crusch, in a crucial position in the kingdom, has more weight than a merchant born in another country.” 

“So both are leading the pack, huh.” 

No doubt Cadmon’s words were colored by personal opinion he’d ventured at the end. Even so, it was without doubt that Crusch’s position and family name constituted powerful backing. To the people, unaware of her speech, it was most natural to assume that Crusch would inherit the throne. 

“So Crusch is the favorite, and Anastasia is the runner-up… So who’s the dark horse?” 

After Subaru’s comment, Cadmon read the names of the three remaining candidates, crossing his arms with a conflicted look on his face. 

“It’s hard to talk about dark horses. Putting those two aside, the three others are basically unknown. I’ve lived in the capital for a long time and even I don’t know them. This Priscilla seems to have a noble’s name, but I don’t even see family names for the other two. Given how the president of the Hoshin Company became one, I really have to wonder how they’re picking these candidates.” 

On that point, Subaru imagined he’d be in perfect agreement if he didn’t personally know the details. You had the current heiress of a hereditary duchy, the young president of a foreign trading company, an unknown bearing a family name of noble pedigree, and two remaining candidates with no family name and uncertain origins. Withholding information about the basics of how they’d been selected was unfair to the general populace. Even Subaru, who knew that the crests with the Dragon motifs had been used to select the candidates, had no idea what the Dragon’s motives were in choosing the girls. 

But just when Subaru was about to burst into laughter at all the idle speculation, Cadmon narrowed his eyes, twisted his lips in disgust, and spat his opinion. 

“But I’m hopping mad they included a half-elf. I can’t help it. It lists some basics about each royal candidate, but this Emilia… Apparently they made a half-demon a candidate. I tell you, it’s stupid any way you slice it.” 

“Half-demon…huh?” 

“It’s what we call people who look like witch accomplices. What the hell are the high and mighty thinking…?” 

Cadmon glared up at the tall sign that was a full two heads above him, his eyes filled with disgust. Subaru couldn’t immediately react. 

“…” 

He had a not-insignificant amount of goodwill toward the scarred shopkeeper. This was the first man he’d spoken to in this other world, and when reunited with him later, he’d grown to view the man as someone he could trust. In contrast to his stern appearance, his personality and character were amiable, and he was full of love for his wife and child. At the very least, Subaru didn’t doubt that he was a benevolent person. 

The boy couldn’t help but be surprised to hear such a man speak such slander about another as if it were a matter of course. Besides, to Subaru, it couldn’t be casually dismissed. And so, his lips blurted out a denial. 

“…It doesn’t mean everyone who looks like that is involved with the Witch, does it?” 

“Hah?” 

Under Cadmon’s curious gaze, Subaru’s emotions got the better of him as he pushed on. 

“D-don’t go judging her just because she’s a half-elf. That ‘Emilia’ girl, she’s incre… She might be doing this for the sake of the country. She might be a good, incredible girl for all you know.” 

“Hold on. I don’t know why you’re trying so hard, but stop covering for a half-demon. If someone else overhears, they ain’t gonna understand.” 

“Yeah, I suppose so. And you wouldn’t want the pretty girl doing on-the-job training to see a grown man making a scary face, talking trash about someone he doesn’t even know.” 

Subaru’s large helping of invective mixed with sarcasm made Cadmon put a hand to his forehead. 

“I get it, give me a break. I said too much. I apologize, okay?” 

“…Tch.” 

Though it was an apology he was pushed into, Cadmon’s mature reaction made Subaru back down. 

Yet as Subaru relented, Cadmon carried on. 

“You’re free to think what you like. But it’s not possible for a half-elf to become king.” 

“You’re still…! Why not? Because of the Witch of Jealousy? What, because the Witch was a half-elf, that means all half-elves are dangerous?!” 

“—That’s right.” 

To Subaru, worked up again as their argument resumed, Cadmon’s voice had a shockingly cold ring to it. 

“There you go again…!” 

Subaru was about to make a rebuttal when his voice caught in his throat, because he saw the look of fear in Cadmon’s eyes. 

“The Witch is scary. That goes without saying. It’s a feeling everyone shares. I don’t know how you grew up not knowing this, but at the very least, the vast majority of people avoid half-demons for the same reason.” 

“…” 

“Look. They say the Witch…the Witch of Jealousy…is a monster completely off the charts. Four hundred years ago, her shadow swallowed up half the continent. Famed heroes and dragons succumbed one after another before that. If it wasn’t for the Holy Dragon’s power, the Sage’s knowledge, and the Sword Saint of the day, the world would’ve been destroyed for sure.” 

Subaru had never heard this before, and he was unable to avert his eyes from Cadmon’s deadly serious expression as he heard the details he couldn’t dismiss. 

“But in spite of all that the Witch of Jealousy has done, we know next to nothing about her. What we do know is that she’s a half-elf with silver hair. That, and the fact she can’t be reasoned with, can’t understand how others think, and she seems to rampage around out of a hatred for everything in the whole world.” 

The wave of surging emotion behind Cadmon’s trembling pupils conveyed the raw emotions of every person living in the world in a way dry sentences alone never could. 

Like the picture book Subaru had seen, the story of the Witch was passed down orally and through the printed word. Depending on the storyteller, the means and the amount of repetition varied, but the final result was always the same: absolute terror that the people born in that world would never shake, as if it were a nail driven through their very hearts. 

“The Witch is a symbol of terror. Everyone’s afraid of things they don’t understand. So people want to use the few details they do know to keep as far away from them as possible.” 

“…And that justifies discriminating against half-elves?” 

“At the very least, a lot of half-demons having twisted personalities is the literal truth. I will admit that I don’t know if it’s just their natures or if it’s the circumstances that make them like that.” 

Cadmon was grimacing as if chewing on a bitter insect, likely because Subaru’s words had backed him into an uncomfortable corner. The man seemed well aware that what he was saying was irrational. But the emotions about the Witch welling up inside dimmed his view of any rebuttal of that logic. 

Moreover, that thinking may well have been a universally held opinion in their world, from the lowest rungs to up on high. 

When Subaru realized that, only then did he truly appreciate the meaning of the plea Emilia had made at the royal selection conference. 

“—” 

She was a half-elf. Her destiny was something she could not divorce herself from no matter how hard she tried. She wore an iron shackle that others starting in the same position did not, one she could never remove. 

Cadmon crossed his arms and spoke sullenly. 

“And since that’s what people think, she has no chance of winning at all. Someone being fond of that half-demon and promoting her like this… It’s a bad joke, I tell you.” 

The object of his argument, and his anger, seemed to have shifted from the candidate herself, Emilia, to whoever had hoisted her onto a palanquin when she had no chance of victory. 

It was a benevolent concession on Cadmon’s part, but it was small comfort given the thoroughly negative image of half-elves. 

The girl Emilia first needed to overcome the obstacle of prejudice. 

To the uninformed Subaru—ignorant of the tyrannical history of half-elves and why people feared the Witch as a result—Cadmon asked, “Why put her through it if she has to carry a handicap like that?” 

Certainly, Subaru was completely inexperienced where the history of that world was concerned. He couldn’t know about the wicked deeds of the Witch beyond the details written on a page. It was hard for him to imagine just how much people feared half-elves, how deep their aversion ran, and for that matter, what half-elves living in such an environment thought of other people. 

But he’d heard the girl’s words, spoken with a voice clear as a bell… 

“—Hold it right there, evildoers!” 

She had saved Subaru, who had been crawling on the ground in pain and humiliation. 

Where were the expectations and calculations behind her actions back then? 

Subaru didn’t know their world’s history, about the Witch or half-elves. But he knew Emilia. 

“My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. Thank you, Subaru.” 

He understood that the girl with silver hair and stubborn benevolence who always acted with no regard for her own loss or gain might resemble the Witch of Jealousy, but that had absolutely nothing to do with her. 

He knew that she, who had lived in a world that showed no kindness to her whatsoever, possessed heartfelt good will toward others even so. 

No matter how badly the world might treat her, at least Subaru would— 

Suddenly, a chill ran up his spine as a frosty voice interrupted his thoughts. 

“—It was all for your own benefit, wasn’t it?” 

In the back of his mind, her lovely, charming smile transformed into a sharp gaze and a stern voice. 

“I wanted to believe you…but you’re the one who stopped me, Subaru!” 

He had trampled her trust underfoot, and her pained voice reverberated inside his cramped skull. 

He tried to understand. He thought he got it. He’d acted as if he did. And he’d frivolously broken and tossed aside the promise he’d made to her. The blame impaled his chest once again. 

“—If you don’t say it, I can’t understand, Subaru.” 

In his memories, Emilia berated him for his actions on that day over and over. 

He felt agony as if pieces of his chest had been ripped off, and sadness bore down on him to crush him, but Subaru’s anger toward the girl glaring at him also surfaced. 

He’d worked so hard. He’d helped her so much. He’d been hurt so much. What was wrong with hoping for a reward? What was wrong with wanting her to respond? 

—If I don’t say it, you can’t understand? I could say the same to you. 

Emilia hadn’t told him anything about the royal selection, discrimination, or her feelings on that day. She’d shunned Subaru, pushed him away from her goal, treated him like he was barely a side character. 

Of course Subaru didn’t know anything about Emilia. She wouldn’t tell him anything. 

He didn’t know how she had lived up until then, how she felt as she aimed for the royal throne, what she thought about the world seeing her as the Witch herself… 

And as for what Emilia thought about Subaru, he didn’t want to know. 

“—Kid. You all right? Hey!” 

“…Eh?” 

Subaru, realizing that Cadmon’s face was leaning in extremely close, recoiled with a start. 

“Waah! Pops, don’t do that! Your face could kill someone like that, damn it!” 

“That’s a horrible thing to say! You were staring into space again, just like earlier. You got some chronic illness?” 

“W-well, if the passionate feelings burning in my chest are a disease, I might have been infected with something. It’s a feverish, nasty illness that seduces mankind, sometimes gently and sometimes severely…” 

Cadmon, unable to keep up with Subaru’s joking attempt to hide his empty, wounded heart, shook his head. 

“Yes, yes, you’re afflicted with poor character is what it is. Fine, let’s head back to the shop.” 

Subaru, following him on the way back, came to realize that his entire body was drenched in a cold sweat. Perhaps it was due to the roiling emotions inside him, but each step felt very heavy. 

His head drooped as Cadmon abruptly murmured, his back still turned, “And this might be sticking my nose in, but stop talking about the Witch out in the open. If anyone hears you, they’re not gonna be understanding…me included.” 

It didn’t seem like an effort to revive the earlier debate. Sensing the seriousness in Cadmon’s voice, Subaru silently indicated his acceptance. 

With such thorough prejudice, there was no telling whose ire he would earn by running his mouth. At the very least, he had no desire for any more trouble in the royal capital. 

Cadmon ignored Subaru’s agreement and repeated himself for emphasis. 

“—You never know who’s listening.” 

As they cut through the throng and made their way back to the shop, the air between them seemed weighty somehow. Subaru hadn’t managed to sort through his feelings, and Cadmon seemed annoyed and embarrassed about the dispute. There was barely a word spoken between them as they returned to the shop. 

However… 

“Welcome back. The final customer was just departing.” 

Cadmon’s mouth dropped open, and he stared agape at the sight of Rem exchanging merchandise for money and seeing off a customer with a polite bow. 

Dumbfounded, he peered at the empty display cases on the counter. For a moment, perhaps he thought that he’d abandoned his shop, trusting it to Rem only to have her sell his merchandise at fire-sale prices, but the store’s till filled with coin showed that wasn’t true. In other words, she’d sold it all. 

Cadmon sank to his knees, covering his face with his palms, his pride as a merchant apparently wounded. 

“I-in that short time, you sold more than my shop normally sells in an entire day…” 

With no regard for the store owner’s dignity, Rem smoothly slipped around the counter and rushed to Subaru’s side. She glanced expectantly toward the boy, and it seemed like an invisible tail was swaying behind her. 

“How did I do, Subaru? I heard he helped you in the past, so I worked my very best to at least be of assistance. You can praise me if you like?” 

The rare sight of Rem going, Praise me, praise me! made Subaru realize his heart felt just a little lighter. 

“…You really are incredible, Rem.” 

“I am. But Sister is even more incredible.” 

Subaru forced a smile and, following Rem’s lead as she offered her head, gently petted it. He savored the totally familiar texture of her hair, and Rem’s throat let out a small sound from Subaru’s soft touch. 

“I still don’t get how that logic of yours works, you know…” 

Watching the interaction between the two from behind, Cadmon stroked his own scar with a finger and slumped his shoulders. He murmured, “I guess appearance does matter…” 

The reason for his shop’s slow sales was now all too clear. 

4 

“Interesting. So that’s why he gave mew these abbles for your troubles.” 

Cat ears twitching, the speaker thrust a fork into a mountain of sliced red fruit and raised a juicy morsel to smiling lips with perfect grace. 

Those short feline ears were the same color as the shoulder-length flaxen hair below them, and the white ribbon adorning those locks joined large, round, teasing eyes to complete the picture of a pretty girl—who was actually a boy. 

Subaru replied, “Well, I already taste tested them, so all I had to do was hand them to the kitchen. Setting that aside, don’t give me sidelong glances and lick your lips. It’s giving me chills.” 

No, knowing both his external appearance and his actual gender, the proper term was definitely pretty boy . 

It was in between meals, some time prior to supper, and abbles had been brought in as a light snack. Cadmon had given them the fruit as a souvenir, looking both grateful and deeply burned at how Rem had broken his store’s sales record in a short span of time. She had returned to her quarters for a change of clothes, intending to rendezvous with him later in his room as the daily ritual during Subaru’s stay in the capital continued until suppertime. 

Subaru remarked, “That said—man, returning to my room only to find a pretty boy sneaking into it ahead of me… I was careless for not leaving the door locked, but isn’t that, you know, impolite for a knight?” 

“Aww, it’s fine, no, isn’t it? It’s just proof how much Ferri can relax around you. Besides, Lady Crusch could never see Ferri act so lazy, even by accident.” 

The pretty boy—Ferris—flopped right down next to Subaru’s flank. As Subaru felt the bed bounce against his rear, Ferris looked up meaningfully from his position on his belly. 

“Did your heart flutter just now?” 

“It skipped a beat. I don’t think anything bad about you, but I just don’t have those kinds of interests at all. I like girls, as ordinary and regular as they come.” No matter how adorable he might look, the fact they were the same gender was a barrier that Subaru had no intention of crossing. He shook his head in exasperation at Ferris’s shocked expression. “In the first place, I have no idea what your reason is for being so relaxed around me. I mean, it’s not like I remember getting along especially well with you before. I’m not giving off some kind of pheromones I should be worried about, am I…?” 

Ferris put his chin on his palms and responded blithely. 

“Ah, that’s pretty simple, actually. It’s because there’s no doubt meowtsoever that you’re weaker than Ferri, Subawu. You’re a weakling, so no worries.” 

Subaru blinked once and murmured, “You have a really bad personality, geez.” 

“Wooow, what a surprise! Ferri was sooo sure mew were going to blow your lid there…” 

“Hey, facts are facts. I’m not gonna get bent out of shape over that.” 

Subaru had learned many times over just how feeble he was. Since being summoned from his own world, he’d had his powerlessness repeatedly pounded into him. If the day of the clash with Julius at the parade square was the greatest example in terms of quality, the number of times Wilhelm had smacked him to the ground there at the mansion provided quantity. Besides, that sense of powerlessness wasn’t particular to his new world, either. 

The pain of his own frailty was something he’d experienced everywhere he had ever lived. 

“Well, you can keep saying I’m weak, but how about you? I mean, since you’re a part of the Knights of the Royal Guard, you’ve probably been trained some, but…” 

“Mm, me? Ferri doesn’t have any skill with a sword at all. Knights’ swords are heavy, so Ferri doesn’t carry one—just the dagger from Lady Crusch. Nothing good will come of waving it around, so Ferri doesn’t.” 

Ferris’s cackling laugh and kicking feet embarrassed Subaru. The sight of the cat-eared boy so casually admitting his own shortcomings made his chest burn, plain and simple. His attitude—not thinking of weakness as a failure—was not one Subaru could dismiss so easily in his current state. 

Ferris seemed to see right through the silent Subaru’s inner thoughts as he made an addendum. 

“But Ferri has other redeeming features, mew know? That’s why being completely mewseless as a knight isn’t upsetting at all.” 

“Good save. Well, if you accept it then that’s totally fine… Totally fine.” 

Ferris’s confident declaration was no doubt built on a very strong foundation. Subaru, with no such footholds, averted his gaze in distinct discomfort. 

Perhaps because Subaru turned his back doing so, Ferris sat up from where he lay on the bed and nestled into Subaru’s shoulder, letting it support his weight. Then he asked a question. 

“Nervous?” 

“On the first day I was, but not anymore. If you’re gonna do it, please, go ahead.” 

“Boooooring.” 

Pouting, Ferris sat Subaru up and put his hands on both of his shoulders. It was a shoulder rub posture, but Ferris held still in that position, silently closing his eyes. 

—The warmth passing from Ferris’s palms began to circulate from Subaru’s shoulders into his whole body. The power of the water mana in his hands met the magical mechanism inside Subaru’s body called a gate, rising and flowing through it. 

Ferris spoke again. 

“Gently, slowly, softly. Ah, found a split end. It feels like you’ve been working unusually hard, Subawu. Ah, a gray hair, too. Yanking that…” 

“Ow! And could you not babble when you’re working? All this mana sloshing around in my body feels pretty icky. If you aren’t careful, you’re gonna make me dizzy.” 

His head felt a little heavy, and his limbs were sluggish. His body felt like it was reacting poorly to the attempted treatment. 

Ferris was the preeminent water magic user in the royal capital— real name Felix Argyle. The reason Subaru was lodging at the Crusch villa was so that he could take advantage of the healing magic to heal his damaged gate. 

The idea of healing via water magic might have called to mind something cool and refreshing, but in practice, it was nothing that simple. A gate was the means by which one used magic. The direct cause of the damage to Subaru’s gate was repeated overuse, as well as doping when his mana was depleted. 

Thanks to that continual abuse, just bringing his gate back to a normal state required rather rough measures. 

Subaru offered a comment. 

“So this healing technique is like taking a hose that water only trickles out of, plugging the leak and pushing out all the mold and junk that’s built up inside…” 

“What? From the way you’re speaking, it feels like mew aren’t very happy about this, meow ?” 

“I’m just beating myself up. Don’t worry about it. Ugh, this feels gross.” 

Subaru shook his head, enduring the sensation while trying to placate Ferris, whose mood had worsened. 

It was the third day he had been living at Crusch’s mansion—in other words, the third day of Ferris’s treatment—so perhaps he had begun to grow a little accustomed to that part, too. On the first day, he’d groaned out loud from the very start, unable to silently endure the urge to vomit. 

It was Ferris’s turn to speak up. 

“Well, that first day couldn’t be helped. Ferri had to pump this directly through the worst, ickiest part. That’s what happens when you’re a living corpse with wounds all over your mind and body, meow ?” 

“You don’t go halfway when you poke at uncomfortable stuff, do you?” 

Subaru hated how Ferris, who should have been unable to see the look on his face, seemed able to read his thoughts through his body. One might say that the way he unflinchingly dug at Subaru’s scars was far craftier than how Reinhard unconsciously peeled the scabs off his heart without even realizing. 

“Oh, Subawu, it feels like mew really are thinking of getting payback. The training you’re doing with Grandpa Wil isn’t unrelated to that, is it?” 

“Can you stop jabbing at a guy where it hurts? I’m sure even you understand how I feel… Wait, do you?!” 

“Of course. Ferri’s been like, ‘I wanna be strong!’ too… Well, Ferri’s given up on doing anything reckless like that, though.” 

Ferris’s tone sounded slightly more serious as he used his pretty-boy speaking style to dance around the matter. 

Subaru was a little surprised, sensing Ferris’s reaction contained his real feelings on the matter. Even someone as unflinching as that had had moments in the past when he was uncertain or lost. But eventually, he had realized his potential for magic and gave up the path of the warrior. 

What about Subaru, then? Did he have anything he could boast of to others? And if he could find such a thing, would it be able to drive away the miserable aching in his chest…? 

“Point being, you should give up on dark thoughts like getting payback, okay? It’s a little hard to say, but… If there is a next time, you might die, mew know?” 

With a sulky look, Subaru closed one eye, his reply a barely spoken murmur. 

“…Even I know that.” 

The earlier battle with Julius had ended with Subaru being pummeled beyond description. And in spite of the pounding he had received, he understood that the knight had gone easy on him. 

There was no other way to explain how he had been struck so many times yet had not suffered any lasting effects. That wasn’t due to Ferris’s skill as a healer alone. The difference between Subaru and Julius had simply been that overwhelming. 

Fully aware of this, Subaru had asked Wilhelm to teach him. He wasn’t dreaming of becoming exponentially stronger in a mere several days of training. It was just… 

“Can’t you just let yourself be lazy? Your body’s in bad shape, Subawu. No one would blame mew for sleeping the day away in recovery. Who would complain if mew take it easy and give your mind and body a rest?” 

Ferris’s words came out in a rush, not giving Subaru any time to make excuses. The way he said it grated on Subaru’s nerves a little, but the message was extremely seductive given his current state of mind. For some reason, his heart wavered at that moment, though normally he would feel indignant. But… 

The sound of a gentle voice pulled him back from his chaotic emotional state. 

“—Master Felix, please do not toy with Subaru too much.” 

Rem was standing at the doorway of the room with a neutral expression on her face. She had supposedly returned to her room for a change of clothes, but her outward appearance was not visibly different from when she had been sightseeing with Subaru in the royal capital. 

Noticing the questioning rise of Subaru’s eyebrows, Rem grasped the hem of her skirt and twirled around as she said, “I changed out of my maid-uniform-for-errands into my maid-uniform-for-visiting.” 

“R-right, is that so. You always seem to know what I’m thinking, Rem.” 

“Yes. I always want you to see me fresh.” 

“I’m happy you feel that way, but your phrasing makes you sound like fresh vegetables…” 

Subaru answered Rem’s apparent request to evaluate her freshness, and the maid did not follow up. Rather, she shifted her gaze toward Ferris. 

“I am grateful for the treatment you conduct for Subaru day after day. However, please desist from using that as an opportunity to lure him into temptation.” 

Ferris made a suspicious-sounding laugh and nestled into Subaru’s back once more. 

“‘Luring into temptation’ sounds so bad, meow . Ferri is only saying these things out of concern for his well-being.” 

The flow of power from his palms, coursing in via Subaru’s shoulders, suddenly flooded through his back and into his entire body. 

The influx of mana beyond Subaru’s capacity to bear distracted him for a moment. 

However, a soft impact against his head brought his wandering mind fluttering back into place. 

“Master Felix. Please give these pranks a rest. There are some things I cannot let pass as a joke.” 

When Subaru gasped and regained his senses, white fabric covered his face. Straining his eyes, he realized that his face was pressed into a very familiar apron dress and that Rem was caressing his head. 

“Hey, um, Rem, this is a little embarrassing to do in front of someone else…!” 

Subaru tried to cover up his bashfulness with his usual jokes as Rem embraced him even tighter. 

“Subaru, be quiet for a moment—Master Felix?” 

Her tongue formed polite words, but they carried cold emotion. 

Ferris traced little patterns on Subaru’s back like a child whose prank had been figured out. 

“Oh. They did say you can use a few water arts, Rem. Guess that would make you object to what Ferri has been doing…” 

“Hey, Ferris. Having a pretty boy do weird finger stuff like that doesn’t make me happy one little b… Er, wait, Rem? My head, ah, feels good, but don’t…hug…so…strong—l… Gyah!!” 

“Ahh, Subaru, I’m so sorry. Master Felix just wouldn’t pull back… I thought, if someone was going to take you from me, it was better that I…” 

“That statement’s going dangerous places!!” 

Feeling like his skull was creaking, Subaru rolled to the floor to escape from both Ferris and Rem. He warily glared at the other two from the corner of the room, while Rem visibly lamented as she shook her head. 

“Subaru, you poor thing. You’ve gone through quite an ordeal, haven’t you?” 

“What you were saying at the end was the scariest of all, Rem! There’s a crazy little yandere in you, isn’t there?!” 

Ignoring Subaru’s objections, Rem faced off against Ferris across the bed. She gazed emotionlessly as the cat boy twirled his finger around his flaxen hair with a mischievous expression. 

“You have a reason to be angry, Rem, but it wasn’t all some scheme by Ferri, mew know? It was for Subawu’s sake, just a teeny widdle bit.” 

“And everything besides that ‘little bit’?” 

“The rest was for my friend’s feelings, and everything else was for Lady Crusch. That’s natural for a retainer, isn’t it? It’s no different for you, is it, Rem?” 

“It is not. Accordingly, you must understand what my reply must be, Master Felix.” 

Ferris must have sensed something in Rem’s stare, because he soon raised both hands in surrender. 

“Okay, okaaaay . Ferri will stop using the treatment to brainwash him.” 

“From here on, I shall be present for all treatments.” 

“ Meow , no trust at all. Well, that’s fine, really.” 

Ferris glanced sideways at Subaru. When Rem shifted, as if protecting Subaru from that gaze, Ferris stretched up and looked down at him over Rem’s shoulder. 

“So that’s enough lecturing from Rem for today. Our next date will be somewhere she won’t find us, meowkay?” 

“I don’t remember dating you, and you just said ‘brainwash,’ didn’t you?! I’m not meeting up alone with a guy who’ll say something freaky like that!” 

“Okay, okay, that sounds like a yes.” 

“No doesn’t mean yes, geez!!” 

Ferris, waving as if the matter were settled, hopped off the bed and stretched as he headed toward the door. He stopped right before putting his hand on the doorknob as he looked back. 

“Rem.” 

“Yes?” 

“You might not believe this, but… The part about this being for Subaru’s sake, it wasn’t a complete lie, mew know?” 

“…I…understand.” 

Since Subaru was standing behind Rem, he couldn’t see her expression. But he sensed that her brief reply held just a slight bit of hesitation. 

“Ah. Well, that’s good. Bye-bye, then!” 

With a smile, Ferris gave his carefree salutation and finally left the guest room. 

Subaru, feeling utterly exhausted for some reason, flopped down from the sudden rush of lethargy. 

“I’m supposed to be getting treatment. Why do I have to feel this tired from it?” 

“Are you all right, Subaru?” 

“Mmm… I’m all right…I think. I don’t really get it, but you saved me from something?” 

“That is unclear. Master Felix does not appear to hold any ill will toward you, so… I do not know the true motives behind his previous behavior.” 

Seeing Rem ponder the matter, Subaru turned his head, perplexed. 

“Errr, so what state was I in earlier, anyway?” 

“Until just now, Master Felix was interfering with all the mana in your body, Subaru.” 

“That so? Just figured healing required it. It’s not a good feeling, and it’s pretty awful, to be honest, but somehow I put up with it…” 

“Having another person’s mana in you like that is the same as taking that person inside you. That made Master Felix’s words much easier for you to accept, you see.” 

“The way you said that sounds pretty bad, you know?!” 

Subaru stood up in a hurry, patting his body down to check things out. 

“Am I all right? There’s nothing weird going on? My heart isn’t becoming more womanly or my speech having more feminine twists to it or something?!” 

“It is all right, Subaru. You are quite splendid. I am always watching you, so please believe me.” 

Subaru thought for a moment that he couldn’t allow the peculiarities of her statement, but instead, he let it roll over him as he patted his chest down in relief. He also gained a new appreciation for just what position he was in. 

“Now that I think of it, this is, like, one of the enemy’s main headquarters. I’ve been relaxing and letting my guard down a lot, though…” 

“Please be at ease. It is true that you are incorrigibly laid-back and slow to catch on, but I am keeping guard, so there is nothing for you to be concerned about.” 

“You couldn’t leave out the ‘incorrigibly laid-back’ part?!” 

That moment, the truth struck him clear as day. Just imagining how much Rem had been waging a one-woman war while he was idly whiling away his time made him want to run out the door. 

“I’ll try to be a bit more careful from now on. Everyone here is an enemy, after all.” 

“…An enemy, you say?” 

He was trying to pull himself together after having been so focused on one thing. But in his determination, Subaru didn’t notice that Rem was murmuring something. 

After ensuring his body was safe and sound, Subaru gazed at the magic crystal on a wall of the room to check the time. 

“Oh, time’s a-wasting. How about you help me study until we get called for dinner, Professor Rem?” 

Subaru headed to a desk in the room. The remaining abbles were on top of the desk, sitting alongside study material he had brought with him from Roswaal’s mansion. 

In other words, it was study time for Subaru, who had not yet mastered the language of this other world. 

“I really cannot get accustomed to being addressed like that.” 

“Well, I think it’s all right, since you’re the one doing the teaching… If you don’t like it, I can stop, Professor.” 

“No! Please continue! It is something you call only me by! So Subaru may not call anyone else that! If you do, I will be upset!” 

“Well, if you’re gonna be like that, I’ll be relentless, too! Nggggh, you won’t outdo me…!” 

Subaru chose an odd point to make a show of stubbornness, fiercely turning toward the table. Rem stood behind Subaru, watching him affectionately. But from time to time, she would stare into the distance, her mind wandering as her face showed faint signs of strain. 

“Professor, I don’t understand this part very well…” 

But all traces of that look vanished the instant she heard Subaru’s voice. 

“Oh Subaru, you are helpless. You could not get anything done if I were not here with you. I would not mind if you demonstrated your gratitude from time to time…?” 

5 

“Excellent timing. Subaru Natsuki, would you come with me for a while?” 

Subaru had finished bathing and was on his way back to his room when someone addressed him in the lobby on the second floor of the Crusch residence. The long-haired woman was ascending the stairs and carrying a tray when she called out to him. 

For a moment, he wasn’t sure who it was, since the outfit and aura she gave off were completely different from usual. 

Subaru’s only reaction was to raise his brows. 

“…Miss Crusch?” 

“It is. Is there something odd about…? Ah, I see, this is the first time you have seen me in an outfit unrelated to my duties. I imagine it has startled you.” 

Crusch seemed to realize what had unsettled him. The outfit she normally wore that resembled an army uniform was gone; in its place, she wore a nightgown with thin, dark fabric and a cape over the shoulders. Unlike the scrupulously buttoned-up military uniform, the nightgown showed off her very feminine physique with every step, greatly altering the aura she projected. 

Subaru was averting his eyes, feeling vaguely embarrassed, but Crusch apparently hadn’t noticed. She continued, “Either way, it is fortunate that question has been resolved. To return to the original question, do you have some spare time? If it pleases you, I would like to have a drink with you this night.” 

“…I don’t drink alcohol, though.” 

“You may sip water if you wish. I do not intend to drink enough to become inebriated.” 

Crusch smiled a little as she rose farther up the stairs. Subaru was a little thrown off but, finding no reason to court her displeasure, made a short run to catch up. 

She led Subaru to a balcony on the third floor of the mansion. A white table and chairs had been placed in one corner of the terrace. Crusch sat down first and indicated the opposing chair with her gaze, so Subaru meekly complied. 

“The breeze is very refreshing tonight. It’s the perfect weather, since I like to drink my liquor while watching the night sky.” 

“I’m wondering why you invited me today, though. You could have invited Ferris or someone?” 

“Of course, normally I would have Ferris with me… However, he must work late this evening.” Crusch must have been referring to Ferris’s work as a healer, in great demand even in the royal capital. Just as Ferris had done for Subaru in the evening, he treated numerous people on a daily basis. It was a packed schedule that made almost no allowance for free time. “Besides that, it’s good to exchange drinks with someone of a different rank and position once in a while.” 

“I said it once already, but I don’t drink alcohol, you know?” 

“You can simply add plenty of ice. You may even fill it with cold water if you wish. Now, then?” 

The tray on the table had a pair of wineglasses on it. In one, she poured amber-colored alcohol; in the other, she poured clear water. Subaru accepted the water, reluctantly touching his glass to Crusch’s. 

The light clink was accompanied by the sound of the ice shifting within it as Crusch narrowed her eyes. 

“It seems you are anxious about a number of things, but please be at ease. I have not brought you here out of any desire to interrogate you. I swear that it is no such petty trick.” 

“Ah, no… I wasn’t worried about that.” 

“There is no need to try to hide it. I can see anxiety and doubt in the night breeze around you. As we belong to rival camps, I am actually relieved by your wariness. That way, I do not forget my own principles.” 

Crusch made a show of enjoying her half-filled glass, savoring it with her red tongue. Subaru, desperate to wash away the sense that she could see right into his mind, poured the cold water down his throat. 

“So these last few days, you’ve been pretty busy… Is it related to the royal selection?” 

“—Ha-ha-ha! As soon as I tell you caution is unnecessary, you plunge straight into the heart of the matter. I certainly did not expect that. I do think that is exactly how rival camps should be, however.” 

“Not knowing my place and not reading the mood are kind of my defining characteristics.” 

“I would add spinning your own vices into virtues to the list. Certainly, it is the royal selection that has kept me occupied these last few days. It has added to Ferris’s and Wilhelm’s labors as well.” 

Her wineglass held at an angle, Crusch spoke smoothly and in good humor. She seemed even more attractive than usual to Subaru’s eyes, so he shifted his attention to the courtyard, which was in sight of the balcony. 

“And it’s related to all the stuff you’ve been hauling into the mansion and the people coming and going?” 

“A sharper eye than I expected… Or rather, the scale was large enough that you could not fail to notice.” With no sign that her good mood was waning, Crusch loosened her lips and replied to Subaru’s question. “It’s not unrelated at all. My house is currently assembling all the men and materiel possible for a particular task. It may cause you and Rem some trouble in the coming days.” 

“I feel like it’s us who are causing you a lot of trouble, but… What’s this particular task?” 

“—Have you heard the details of how Wilhelm came to enter my service?” 

After his question was answered with another question, Subaru couldn’t say anything. He understood only that the “particular task” Crusch had mentioned concerned Wilhelm—and that the details were not a topic he could broach without the old man’s permission. 

“You are free to speculate… It seems I have said too much. Wilhelm might well scold me for this.” 

“Wilhelm doesn’t look like someone who’d talk to his master like that, though…” 

“He is a man without mercy. You should watch him instruct me in the sword at least once. He must think of our first meeting as a rather embarrassing one himself.” 

Crusch made a wry smile, savoring the wine with the colorful tip of her tongue as she switched subjects. Subaru also sought a change in subject to reset his mind. 

“So you have sword lessons every day, too, huh?” 

“Surely you are not saying I should not wield one because I am merely a woman?” 

Subaru instinctively responded with embarrassment, but Crusch winked at him. 

“I jest. It is merely something I am accustomed to hearing since my youth—that the little Karsten princess is both a maiden as well as a crazed fencer. I was considered the fool of the duke’s house for my love of getting my hands dirty more than flowers.” 

“…That’s pretty different from the rumors I’ve been hearing. In public, all the common folk are praising you, saying you’ll leave your mark on the kingdom’s history.” 

“The people changed their appraisal when they learned of my exploits. The sudden shift was rather calculating of them in my opinion, but it is my own fault for not having produced results in all that time. I do not intend to blame lords for altering their public stances. As for the rumors in the city, I can only call them embarrassing.” 

She was apparently a big enough person to accept whatever people said about her deeds, for good or ill. Crusch never averted her eyes from discussion about being “merely a woman.” Public opinion had dramatically changed because of her exploits—which jogged Subaru’s memory about something. 

“So that famous first battle was what changed how everyone thought of you?” 

“Mm…” 

As Subaru pursued the topic, Crusch rested her lips on her wineglass as she let out a small sound. Her amber eyes narrowed. 

“It is embarrassing.” 

She turned her head with an uncharacteristic pout on her face. Subaru countered, “How can it be embarrassing? I heard demon beasts attacked your land, and you handled it great in your father’s place. That’s pretty cool for a first battle, isn’t it?” 

“Of course not. Let me correct one misperception. I did not fell the demon beasts. I merely drove them off. I was a princess hastily and impudently taking command in place of her injured father.” 

“But it worked, didn’t it?” 

“Of course it did. I could not allow my first sortie to end in failure after I brushed aside my father’s objections. However, the problem is the extent of the results. To me, my naïveté at the time is a shame most difficult to bear.” 

Her mood had not fallen, but Crusch wasn’t sugarcoating anything, either. She didn’t think it was worthy of heroic tales. The topic Subaru had chosen was, from her perspective, a sore point of sorts. 

Thus, Crusch concluded the topic, shooting Subaru a jovial look. 

“You are rather fond of needling people yourself. As expected of a political rival, I suppose?” 

Subaru was completely unaware that he was such a person, but she’d given him no room to argue. He brought the ice-cold glass to his lips and tried to change the topic in an attempt to smooth over the awkwardness. 

“S-so incidentally, what else has changed besides that?” 

“—Let me see. Since word of the royal selection spread, the number of proposals has increased by leaps and bounds. Though such talk comes with the territory of being a duchess to begin with.” 

“Pfft!” 

Subaru spewed out water without thinking when his probing of a rival’s internal circumstances took an unexpected turn. 

“P-proposals, as in, proposals for marriage?” 

“I will soon be twenty years of age… Marrying then is not uncommon. It is awkward due to my gender and position, so I have deftly evaded such talk until now.” 

“Ahh, the…duchess thing must really intimidate the men…” 

“A rather blunt way to put it. But that is indeed the case. A few have come forward to take my hand, each trying to make me his, but… That was then, and this is now.” 

Crusch closed her eyes as a larger sip of wine flowed across her tongue. 

Her position as a royal candidate made her an especially pivotal person for the nation. No doubt there was a horde of potential suitors coming out of the woodwork who’d never made an attempt for her hand. 

“Miss Crusch, you’re pretty optimistic about this proposal talk. Are you looking to get married?” 

“I wonder. It is a topic I have pondered myself. If I were to marry someone, he might be of great assistance to me in many situations, including ascendance in the royal selection. But all the candidates are single women, so the conditions are the same for all. I suppose matters are slightly different for Priscilla Bariel, who is a widow.” 

Hearing Crusch’s opinion, a wave of anxiety pressed against Subaru’s innards. 

“I-I see… Everyone’s single. Similar conditions… Marriage, huh…” 

Marrying someone of high status meant bringing that person into one’s political camp. If Crusch had received marriage proposals, the other candidates probably had, too. 

Naturally, the same could be said for the young Emilia. 

“Forgive me, Subaru Natsuki. I have been somewhat mean to you in revenge.” 

“…Eh?” 

Subaru, distracted by the possibility of Emilia marrying, was slow to react to the apology. 

“All individuals chosen as candidates for the Dragonfriend Ceremony are forbidden to marry during the royal selection period. Nominally, it is because one should put the kingdom before the self, but in reality, it is more of a desperate measure to prevent marriage ties from exacerbating political conflict.” 

“Th-then all these marriage proposals you’ve been getting?” 

“I will assess them all after the royal selection is complete. Making the proposals beforehand rather than after the fact is more acceptable, I suppose. I will not make empty promises only to revoke them later, however.” 

Subaru sighed with relief. If marriage arrangements were prohibited, there was no danger of Emilia being married off to someone behind his back. 

“But one can hammer out all the details while leaving the actual marriage for later.” 

Subaru sullenly complained, “…Miss Crusch, do you enjoy toying with the hearts of men?” 

“You prodded at my own source of shame first. The least I could do was to return the favor.” Crusch tilted her glass without a single hint of guilt. “Besides, people are usually too conscious about differences in rank to be honest with their own hearts. I have a rather deep interest in how such affairs will be settled.” 

“Worry about your own love life before someone else’s, sheesh. If you’re pushing twenty, you must have one?” 

Since she’d been toying with him, Subaru tried to counterattack, but the reply he received was unexpected. 

“Unfortunately, having been born a Karsten means I cannot hope for freedom in marriage. I am still a woman, however much I may deviate from the conventional norms.” 

In contrast to Subaru’s romantic fantasies, Crusch had already given up on her own freedom to decide her relationships. It was a natural view of marriage in a world where status and family determined partners regardless of personal interest. 

As Crusch’s eyes gazed at the melting ice in her glass, they quietly held unshakable will and resolve. Subaru took his time trying to form a rebuttal, but he was unable to speak a word. 

With the night breeze blowing across the balcony, Crusch ran a hand through her fluttering hair. 

She had pale skin. Almond eyes. Beautiful green hair, and a profile filled with such beauty and elegance as to shake others to the core. As much as she said that she deviated from the norm, Crusch was a beautiful woman. That fact did nothing to detract from the sublime nobility of her beliefs. 

Unable to bear the silence, Subaru chose a topic that might have been overly vague. 

“Miss Crusch… What do you think of the royal selection?” 

“Mm,” she began in response, closing her eyes as she thought it over. “I spoke of it at the royal selection conference, but I harbor misgivings about the state of this country.” 

“…You did say that, yeah.” 

“If I take the throne, my policies will be as I stated. In spite of that, the Dragon Tablet selected me as a candidate, someone who would surely reject the Covenant. This is either the Dragon’s will or that of some divine being. Do you not think so, Subaru Natsuki?” 

As Crusch posed her question, Subaru fell silent. Since he was unable to immediately give her a reply, she continued. 

“I do not overestimate or underestimate my own abilities and position. Reputation comes not from within but from others. That is especially so for one who rose to the status of candidate as I did, judged by those who thought nothing of me. It’s not how I have lived until now that should be judged but how I live from now on.” 

“It sounds like you want to make people pay for judging you like that.” 

“Quite the contrary. Reputation is something granted by others, but I believe it should be granted after the fact, not before. If someone has a certain level of ability, judge her once you have seen the results. And yet the Dragon Tablet brought me, one convinced of these things, within reach of the throne… Perhaps that was a smart thing to do.” 

Crusch’s amber eyes narrowed slightly as they gazed at the ice in her glass. Subaru couldn’t think of a response. He felt like she viewed the world in a very different way than he did. 

Unable to bear his silence, Subaru tossed the ice in his glass into his mouth and crunched it down. 

Just as he tried to use the sound of crushing ice to break the silence, a scornful voice suddenly interrupted him. 

“Aaah! Why is Subawu here with mew, meow ?!” 

In the direction of the cry, he could see Ferris rushing onto the balcony, his shoulders heaving. He hurried to the table and banged a hand on it, shaking the glass bottles as Crusch thanked him for his labors. 

“Thank you for your hard work, Ferris. I’m sorry, I thought you would be back much later, so I had a drink with Subaru Natsuki as an appetizer.” 

“Did you just call me an appetizer?!” 

“Goodness, Ferri can’t leave you alone for one second, meow ! Ah? And Lady Crusch, you’ve had much more wine than mewsual, haven’t mew?!” Ferris looked at how much liquid remained in the bottle as he spoke. “Being all friendly with Subawu… Having such a fun conversation… Aaaagh, so jealous!” 

“It is true I’ve enjoyed more wine than usual. He is a rare conversation partner, and we leaped from topic to topic. Some of it was rather embarrassing, however.” 

“People are gonna get the wrong idea if you put it like that!” 

“Grrrrr! What is this?! And Lady Crusch, you’re wearing such a defenseless outfit!!” 

When Ferris pointed it out, Crusch looked down at her mere nightgown. She inclined her head slightly, raising her glass a little. 

“What of it? Do I not always dress like this when I have drinks with you in the evening, Ferris?” 

“That! Is! The! Problem! Mew can’t compare your time with Ferri to a ravenous beast of a man like this! Men are wolves, meow !” 

As Ferris admonished Crusch like an aggrieved parent, Subaru yelled back. 

“Hey, don’t single me out here! You’re a man, too, aren’t you?!” 

Subaru had not forgotten about how Ferris’s gender had thrown his heart for a loop. 

“That’s because Ferri would never cast a lascivious gaze upon Lady Crusch! But the way Subaru wanders this way and that, he can’t be trusted, meow .” 

“That’s enough toying around, Ferris. All at the royal selection conference know who Subaru Natsuki cares for. He would not set his sights upon a woman as lacking in charm as myself.” 

When Crusch eyed Subaru in search of agreement, he hesitated for a moment. 

“Err… Well, that’s true…I suppose?” 

Ferris instantly cut in. 

“Haahh? What? You’re disappointed with Lady Crusch in some way…? Do you want Ferri to kill mew?” 

“Why do I need your approval for my answers?!” 

Crusch interrupted. 

“Wait. Why did a wind of hesitation and deception flow from your direction just now…? What does this…? Ah, I see. You have Rem as well. Certainly my words were not adequate.” 

“And now she really has the wrong idea!” 

Crusch wore a very accepting expression while Ferris glared frostily at Subaru. The conclusion she had come to was trouble enough, but the usually adorable cat boy was quite intimidating when his expression was serious. 

Subaru desperately tried to explain and clear up the misunderstanding as the night breeze again washed over the three on the balcony. 

In front of Subaru, who was taking little sips of his water, Crusch and Ferris filled their glasses to the brim with wine. As he watched them, he abruptly voiced something that had been nagging at him. 

“You two get along really well. Been with each other a long time?” 

“Hmph. Continuing to gather intelligence on the enemy?” Ferris asked. 

“Not at all. You just look so close, I wanted to come out and ask.” 

Ferris sat alongside Crusch, glancing at his master while enjoying the same wine. Subaru didn’t think feelings that ran as deep as Ferris’s were formed in a short period of time. 

“You are right. Ferris and I have been together for a long time… Ten years now, is it?” 

“Ten years, one hundred twenty-two days, six hours. Give or take, meow .” 

“That’s so specific it’s scary, you know.” 

Ferris glared at him. Subaru regretted his comment as the pretty boy put a hand to his own cheek. 

“Even now, Ferri can’t forget that first glimpse of Lady Crusch. It’s engraved in my meowmery. Since that day, Ferri has been Lady Crusch’s eternal servant.” 

Crusch commented, “You make too much of it, Ferris. I did no more than what was required of me. The fact that doing so earned me your loyalty is what I would call the most fortuitous event of my life.” 

There was no distance between them. From a simple crossing of paths, they had become so incredibly close. Their relationship as master and servant surely made them the pair with the strongest foundation out of everyone vying for the royal throne. 

“We get along fabulously, right? Unlike some other pairs I could meowntion?” Ferris said. 

“—!” 

“Goodness, Subawu, you’re too easy to see through!” 

Ferris smiled, having bluntly revealed the thoughts currently rising to the surface in the back of Subaru’s mind. His cheek twitched as he glared at Ferris, but the feline eyes watched him innocently as their owner tilted his wineglass. 

Crusch took up the topic instead, closing one eye and giving Subaru a stern look. 

“I presume that what has brought you to a standstill is your relationship with Emilia as lord and vassal.” Crusch drew her chin in a little, gently licking her alcohol-drenched lips. “You cannot use my relationship with Ferris as a reference for resolving that stalemate. The issues between Ferris and me were resolved an entire decade ago.” 

“…My ‘stalemate’?” 

“Perhaps I should call it a rite of passage… Something that must be overcome by people before they can become lord and vassal in a true sense. Now that I think of it, right after Ferris decided to serve me, he explored what he could do through pure trial and error.” 

Like a child being teased, Ferris’s face turned red at having his past abruptly revealed. 

“W-wait, Lady Crusch! Please don’t talk ameowt that. It’s embarrassing!” 

Crusch watched Ferris and shook her head. 

“It is nothing to blush over. How could the sight of one doing his best to locate his place and appropriately serve another be shameful? Impressed by your resolve, I went to equal lengths to be a master who would not bring you disgrace. Even now, I do not know if I have achieved such a thing.” 

“Ferri will never harbor dissatisfaction toward his lady Crusch, not in an entire lifetime!” 

“You spoil me. You would say the same thing if I spent all my days in complete idleness. This is why I must have a strong character: to resist the temptations of depravity.” 

It was a very humble-sounding statement, and Crusch seemed to be earnestly speaking from the bottom of her own heart. Ferris sent her an even more passionate look, but Subaru simply wanted to run away. 

Seeing their relationship, and the absolute, unshakable trust between them, tore at his heart. 

Crusch said to Subaru in a sharp voice, “—Do not lower your eyes, Subaru Natsuki.” 

“…Eh?” 

“If your eyes become clouded, your soul will go astray. That will mean your future is closed and you have lost your purpose for living.” 

“—” 

“When you follow your own sense of justice, you can do any number of things if you just look at the ground. Lift your face, look forward, reach out your hand. Even when doing something for others, you must be able to see them for your feelings to get across.” 

Subaru’s throat caught. Every drop of blood in his body froze. For a moment, Crusch’s words drove a nail into his heart. 

Still, she didn’t look at the frozen boy, but at the wine in her inclined glass. 

Subaru wondered: if those eyes pierced him at that very moment, what would have happened? 

—Perhaps, at that instant, he would have fallen on his hands and knees without a single moment’s hesitation. 

Subaru was not only surprised at her seeing right through him, but he also had to take his hat off to her skill as a great stateswoman. Still, he was able to avoid kneeling before her because Ferris was the first to respond to her words. 

“Ahh, Lady Crusch… I swear again to exhaust my life in service of my master.” 

“Then I can only respond to your loyalty with the entirety of my spirit— Subaru Natsuki, strive to do nothing that would diminish yourself. I do not want to think of you as an insignificant foe.” 

Ferris’s loyalty, Crusch’s nobility—both stirred Subaru’s heart deeply. He wet his parched tongue, failing to form words several times before he managed to speak. 

“Lending an enemy a hand, huh… It’s awfully nice of you to give your opponents a fighting chance.” 

“This matter is important enough to decide the future of the entire nation. This may be highly impudent of me to say, but if I must struggle for the throne, I wish for it to be against worthy rivals. A crown earned by defeating weaklings will do nothing to impress the lords of the land.” 

“…Wanting strong opponents means you’re confident about beating them, huh?” 

“I have no such confidence whatsoever. What I have is will, and I have poured effort into achieving optimal results so that I can do what I must. Furthermore, I hope that my rivals do the same.” 

This was the individual named Crusch Karsten, her every thought humble until the bitter end. 

Having exchanged drinks with her like this, the impressions he held of her—“sincere,” “high-class”—changed. This was a woman like a sword, fierce as a firestorm, pitiless as a naked blade. 

Ferris relaxed his voice, clapping his hands together as he dissolved the tense atmosphere. 

“Somemeow, the conversation became so formal. Let’s unwind now.” 

Bathed in a cool breeze, Subaru realized that his brow was covered with sweat. 

Crusch replied, “I am sorry for speaking so stiffly. I mustn’t get carried away with entertainment or my drinks.” 

“No, no, mew needn’t apologize for anything, Lady Crusch! Subawu understands what he needs to do meow.” 

Ferris’s words, summarizing the earlier conversation, sounded very hollow to Subaru’s ears. 

“What I…need to do now…?” 

Surely he understands had been the implication, but Subaru couldn’t put his finger on it. The only things he’d picked up during the evening spent over drinks were that Crusch and Ferris shared an unshakable bond and that he was small and confused. 

Subaru didn’t see anything about what was to come or what he needed to do. 

Yet in spite of that, what could Subaru tell them that he now understood? 

“—” 

“As far as Ferri is concerned, having Lady Emilia and Subawu all split up is kinda fun, but that’s not what Lady Crusch wants at all. Sooooo you need to make up with Lady Emilia as soon as meowssible. And do what mew can do to make that happen.” 

“What I can do?” 

Could he really accomplish anything, worn to the bone as he was? 

“Yes. A long time ago, back when Ferri became Lady Crusch’s knight, he thought very, very hard about what he could accomplish.” 

Ferris put a hand to his chest as he returned to that time in his memories. Crusch’s lips slackened slightly as she glanced over at him like that. For a moment, Subaru heart beat faster in his chest. 

—Something only Subaru Natsuki could do? 

He realized it, as if it had come down to him like a revelation from the heavens itself. 

“There…is something I can do.” 

Both of the others glanced at him as he continued, “There’s something only I can do—Yeah, that’s right. No one should’ve had to tell me that.” 

Now he knew. No, he’d always known. 

He’d been reminded when he had been on the verge of forgetting. 

Truly, Crusch and Ferris were benevolent people. They were providing aid to the enemy with everything they had, like the famous Kenshin Uesugi. 

—They had reminded Subaru of exactly what he could do for Emilia’s sake. 

“Yeah… I have something. I’ve always had it.” 

It had nothing to do with power, or knowledge, or rank, or status. It didn’t need to. 

For, just as Ferris had said, Subaru possessed a single, ultimate weapon. 

It had been in him from the beginning. But everything that had happened to him had shoved it into a dark corner of his mind. 

Images of Julius, Reinhard, and Emilia came to him, one after another. All of them looked at Subaru with contempt sharp enough to cut his soul. 

—These were the people Subaru Natsuki had to prove himself to. 

“I just need a chance. If I can get that… I can make all my problems go away.” 

Subaru felt like a dark cloud had lifted as doubt left his heart and he gained confidence in its place. 

He clenched a strong, tight fist, picturing a silver-haired girl in the back of his mind. 

Crusch gently turned her wineglass around in her hand as she murmured offhandedly. 

“The wind blows stronger. It would seem tomorrow’s weather will be somewhat stormy.” 

Then, with a small sound, the melting ice cube within her glass neatly split in two.