CHAPTER 6: ON THE ROAD TO SANCTUARY
Frederica bows as she sees them off on the morning of their departure, telling them to take care and to tell the Master that she's currently there taking care of the mansion. Her bowing is so fucking pro it intimidates you into correcting your own posture.
Anyway so Emilia and Subaru are there too, Emilia apologizes for leaving at such a busy time, and seeing as Roswaal's absent she thinks that honestly she's supposed to be acting as the regional Lord here, but...
Subaru follows in saying that both him and Emilia-tan are absolute rubbish at that kind of work. He can manage odd jobs but things with numbers are out of his league, and even with Otto's sorting it's not like that'll help things.
While they know that putting off all this document processing and shit is going to bite them in the ass later, their only option is to block their ears to it.
Subaru: “It feels like going back to school without finishing all your homework from summer break. I mean, I wasn't the type to fail to hand in my homework though.”
Emilia: “I don't really understand, but isn't that a good thing? But my chest actually hurts sooo much. It's not that I feel guilty, but I know we're doing something bad just leaving this stuff behind.”
Subaru: “It's not our fault. ...is how I can rationalize it, but might be difficult for you, Emilia-tan. I know that knowing things are visibly getting worse's really not comfortable.”
Leaving things alone that really can't be left alone is fucking frustrating. But their power is insufficient. All they can do is call on someone whose power is sufficient.
Otto, who'd been talking with with Patrasche and Frufoo (who are leading the carriage) until then, casually joins in the conversation to say the carriage's all ready, commenting that even though it's only been a few days since all the stuff that happened in arc 3, Patrasche is rearing to go.
Subaru remarks that she's a good hardworking girl which she's probably getting from her original owner and not him, and asks Otto if it seems like the directions and all that seem good.
By the way as a casual observer to Otto speaking with a couple ground dragons he looks fucking insane but Subaru decides not to comment on that.
Otto says there don't seem to be any problems and Frederica's directions are all good. He predicts they'll be able to make the journey in half a day.
Subaru: “Right right... But you're seriously coming too?”
Otto: “Isn't it a given!?”
Otto: “Since it'll be my first meeting with the Margrave. My wish was to be introduced to him, but imagining how you'll end up introducing me while I'm not present... augh it's terrifying so I really can't leave it up to you.”
Subaru: “Hey, all that trust's gonna make me blush.” Otto: “Yes, for how little we've known each other I do trust you very much. Being that you're adept at succeeding precisely at doing the things I'd really rather not be done!”
Subaru frowns, Emilia laughs and again comments that Otto and Subaru get along sooo well, they're always having these friendly squabbles whenever she looks at them and she's jealous. Subaru: “If it is what you wish, I'll be friendly as you want Emilia-tan but not squabbles, flirting. If I hand the argument dialogue patterns I have with Otto over to you, my friendly dialogue patterns with Otto won't be many.”
Otto: “All we'd have left between us would be jeering and fistfights then!” Subaru's pretty confident in the good or rather bad efficacy of his mouth, but he has some unease at the prospect of physically fighting Otto. Since he knows that even though Otto looks kinda delicate, he's actually pretty fit. Since Otto's punched him before during a loop in arc 3. Subaru'd more than likely lose in a straight fight. Subaru: “Thinking like that, my offensive worth really is low. I knew that but it's still depressing.” He loses to Otto and can't win against magic-using Emilia either. Frederica one-shotted him beautifully. There's no point even bringing up his prospects against Rem or Beatrice. So in the mansion's rankings, the opponent Subaru can win against is— Subaru: “Huh, now that I think of it the only-person-I-could-probably-win-against Petra isn't here, what happened?”
Emilia: “Just exactly how that turned into a thought of winning or not winning is scary, so I won't ask about it, but Petra-chan's been in the mansion for... ah, there she is.” Indeed is Petra running over from the mansion, her new maid outfit flapping everywhere.
Petra: “Pl-please, wait. Suba, Subaru-sama...” Subaru: “I'm not going to do anything as mean as suddenly drive off when you're in such a rush, I'm not Otto. I wouldn't, right, Otto?”
Otto: “Did you forget what you just said three seconds ago!?” Petra puts her hands to her knees, her breathing ragged while Subaru jokes around waiting for her to catch her breath. She wipes her forehead and looks up, lets out a long breath to expel her fatigue, and smiles like an angel. Petra: “I want you to please take this before you leave. Please hold on to it.”
And she presents him with a handkerchief. It's white with golden stitching around the edges, the delicacy with which it was made, and its high quality, clearly apparent. And on the other side,
Subaru: “Embroidery, huh. Wow, it's really good.” It seems that Petra sewed the embroidery herself. Grey and pink with black outlines, it's a very familiar image to Subaru. Emilia leans in to peer at it and gives a small laugh.
Emilia: “Haha” Emilia: “It's the Puck Subaru drew. It's amazing, you did it really well.” Subaru: “I did do really well with my chibi Puck. I didn't think I'd get to see it again.” Petra: “I make sure to get my stamps after radio callisthenics every morning.” This is referring to the stamp cards that the village children have, which Subaru stamps after radio callisthenics every morning using a potato with a drawing carved on it. The one Petra's sewn is the most recent chibi Puck, GLOOMY MONDAY. Subaru: “That said, you did really good. Even a sewing master such as myself could lose to this.”
Petra: “Can you please... no, could you please take it?” Subaru: “Would you be able to accept it? Or abouts. —Of course, I gratefully accept. My heart kinda doesn't approve of using this to wipe off blood and sweat and tears, but I'll keep it in my pocket as a good luck charm.”
He carefully folds up the handkerchief and very, very seriously stows it away in his breast. He narrows his eyes with a look as gentle as he can possibly manage (objectively it looks pretty fucking nasty) and gives Petra a big, nasty-looking grin. Petra puts both her hands to her cheeks, blushing.
Petra: “I will be waiting for your safe return. Ah, and the lady and the noisy man too.” Emilia: “I feel like an extra.” Otto: “Isn't that assessment of me kind of horrible!?” Frederica begins exuding extreme amounts of pressure from behind Petra. It seems that her maid lessons are going to become a lot stricter after this. Petra, live strong. So anyway Subaru and Emilia note that if they keep talking like this it's going to get rid of the point of leaving early in the morning, so they get ready to set off. Subaru enters the carriage and reaches his hand out to Emilia. Subaru: “Here you go, Emilia-tan. Right into my chest.”
Emilia: “Maybe it'd be nice to look at the scenery from the driver's platform every once in a while?” Subaru: “Aaah, cold! EMK (Emilia-tan Maji Koakuma)! —Dah, waaah!”5 Subaru goes to withdraw his hand, but Emilia forcefully tugs it before he can, and easily walks beside him into the carriage as he pitches forward. Her hair tickles his nose as she passes, and she goes to sit opposite him, staring at him as she tilts her head. Emilia: “What is it?”
Subaru: “Uhrhumm, nothing?” Subaru goes and plops himself down beside her. Emilia smiles at how he's treating the inside of this spacious carriage as if it's small. Otto mutters about this not being a date as he goes to sit on the driver's platform and grabs the reins.
Otto: “Well then, we'll be setting off. I'll be praying you don't bite your tongues, or anything.”
Subaru: “Hey, you should be the one keeping steady. I'm counting on you to slam the breaks when I give that signal we came up with beforehand. Don't and I won't get to push Emilia-tan down.” Emilia: “That's what you're planning?” Otto: “Me!? I'm not going along with this nefarious plot, and now I'm suddenly complicit!?” Emilia looks at Otto and Subaru with something close to scorn, Otto has his yell, and Subaru idly thinks about how that kind of unreasonable yelling kind of suits Otto while he balls his hand into a fist. Subaru: “Well, destination, SANCTUARY! Departure, engage!”
Otto: “Who are you to speak like that!?” Subaru mutters about Otto not playing along while he pokes his head out of the window and turns to look at Frederica and Petra.
Subaru: “You two take care of the mansion. And... I'm counting on you for Rem.” Frederica is like leave it to me, in exchange I'm trusting Emilia-sama and the Master to you. Petra: “Be careful, and come home safely.” And blah blah blah, thus ends their pre-departure tension release back-and-forth.
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Emilia-tan is Seriously a Little Devil
FREDERICA and PETRA scene.
It's basically just Frederica grilling Petra for not having good enough consciousness of the master-servant relationship esp. re: Subaru. Getting touched is a no go. Gonna make Petra write lines on that. And can't slack off on cleaning and meals and providing Beatrice-sama service. Get back to work Petra or we'll run out of time for studying.
Petra enthusiastically runs off to finish her work. Frederica watches her go, smiling faintly and exposing her fangs. She hides her smile with a practices gesture as she looks towards where the carriage was—where Emilia and the others have departed from.
Frederica: “I have done exactly as ordered, Master. Whether or not Sanctuary is overcome will depend on Emilia-sama and Subaru-sama.”
She closes her eyes, bathing in the wind.
Frederia: “Will Emilia-sama be able to overcome it? Bound by witch's blood, that inescapable, deadlocked paradise.”
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Subaru: “So Puck really hasn't shown up the whole time.”
Emilia: “No, he hasn't. I've called him so many times, and I can feel him inside the crystal, but... this is the first time he's gone so long without coming out, I'm a little worried.”
So they're sitting next to each other talking in the carriage, which is under the effects of the WINDBREAKER blessing and thus there's no annoying noises getting in or shaking.
Subaru: “Thinking back, he hasn't shown at all since we went back to the mansion. The last time we saw him was...”
Emilia: “For me it was in the Royal Capital, when we were at Crusch-sama's mansion. I thought everything was the same as usual, but for some reason I didn't see him from that morning on. He wouldn't come even if I called him... I thought I might've made him mad, and was kinda anxious.”
She fiddles with the ends of her hair as she bows her head, her face not visible to Subaru. Her hair's in a braid and has been the past three days. Subaru stares at it, and Emilia guesses what he's getting at, nodding.
Emilia: “The last contract I had on the day I talked with Puck was 'HAIR IN A BRAID.' He didn't tell me what to do with it afterwards, so I've been keeping this."
Subaru: “That thing about you having a contract with Puck over your hairstyle was actually serious. That's crazy light.. or is it? They say a girl's hair is her life, so that'd mean your contract with Puck has your life in its grips.”
Emilia: “I think it's sooo light as compensation. I didn't know about this until I left the forest, but Roswaal was shocked at how light the conditions were, when I was contracting a spirit on Puck's level. That honestly there would need to be a more enormous amount of mana given, or more complex conditions.”
Emilia smiles without strength. Subaru nods and comes up with some bullshit to get rid of her weak smile.
Subaru: “Well, 'restricting a piece of Emilia-tan's time' in itself makes for outrageously heavy compensation, if we're saying how I'd go about it.”
Emilia: something about talking too friviously about this kind of thing = wind up being impudent “I kinda want to keep important things off for more important times.”
Subaru lightly raises his hands and shakes his head.
Subaru: “I've got all the lines to tell you in more important settings right in store, Emilia-tan. Right now what I'm doing is showering you with the sweet words that're safe for me to tell you.”
Emilia gets kind of flustered, saying Subaru's mouth is definitely in good condition seriously holy shit, no don't look I think I'm blushing. She hides her face in her hands, and Subaru smiles as he recognizes his goal as complete.
Subaru: “Either way”
Subaru: “Without Puck, we've really got some worries on our combat strength for this journey. We can't count on Otto as a fighter, and there's no need even mentioning how useless I am. But things'll be pretty dicey for you without Puck, right?”
Emilia: “Ah, so that's it. I'll just say, I can still use magic fine even without Puck. And it isn't just Puck, I'm contracted with the minor spirits, too. We don't have any problems understanding each other, so they can fight. No matter what happens, I'll protect you.”
Subaru: “Oh no he's so courageous. And wow I'm pathetic. Someday I'll be the one telling you that line Emilia-tan so just wait a little.”
Emilia: “I'll be waiting without expectations.”
A group of spirits start gathering and glittering around Emilia's fingertips—their existence feels slightly weaker than the lesser spirits that Julius uses: these are minor spirits. This is a wide departure from Puck but at least they're not powerless.
Subaru: “And if you start saying that, then my dependency on others hasn't changed at all since the White Whale. I relied so much on Rem, and before then... wait, have I never actually gotten through anything by myself!?”
Subaru has a moment of fucking horrified amazement at this.
Subaru: “But, SANCTUARY. Wonder what it's like.”
He stares at the scenery out the window. He thinks he heard the word SANCTUARY during the loops in the mansion—somewhere in the middle of the second loop. He'd let the opportunity to talk about it get away and now this was the result.
Just going by the name, Subaru doesn't figure SANCTUARY's a dangerous place, but Frederica's warning is enough to make him raise some caution.
Subaru: “Be careful of Garfiel, huh.”
Emilia: “You haven't met him either, then. All I've ever heard of him is his name. Frederica wouldn't tell me anything more specific.”
Subaru and Emilia had tried to get more out of Frederica on this 'Garfiel' character, but she'd just stubbornly refuse by saying “I'm under pledge.” For some reason Emilia seemed to draw back on questioning further at that.
Subaru: “Man, we really should've gotten more out of her. Someone who knows this guy is someone dangerous, and then says all they know is their name is way too bipolar.”
Emilia: “There's nothing we could do, it's a pledge. Avowals are sacrosanct and divine, not to be infringed upon. Contracts and pledges and covenants, their firmnesses are identical even if their weights differ, and they should be treated evenly.”
Subaru can only think of this contract, pledge, covenant stuff as some kind of wordplay, and he suddenly has a thought come to him.
Subaru: “What ties you and Puck is a contract. Frederica's refusal to stop upholding her duties to Roz-chi is a pledge. And what the Kingdom and the dragon share is a covenant... right? I haven't got anything wrong here?”
Emilia: “There isn't that much of a difference in how you'd use them but, contracts are avowals made between individuals. A pledge is an avowal directed from one person to another. Covenants are binding in a way that exceeds the individual and even time. Is how I think of them, since that's how I was taught them.”
Subaru: “Got it. Yeah, if you have that it mind it does fit with the conditions.”
Subaru: “But you know,”
Subaru: “You sure decorated that with some really fancy lines. Avowals are sacrosanct and divine, was it.”
Emilia: “Avowals... promises are important things. This is kind of obvious for pledges, but contracts don't have any kind of force that compels you to keep them. They don't, there isn't any, but you still keep the promise. You work hard to keep them. Even if no one sees you do it, even if nobody notices it, you keep the promise. You and your partner devote yourselves to that.”
She stares at Subaru as she speaks. Her tone is soft, and definitely not anything accusatory. That in itself causes Subaru's heart anguish.
Emilia: “And because you believe in that, you work your hardest to fulfil the avowal shared between you. Promises, are things made to build ties of trust between you, right?”
Subaru: “I cannot apologize enough for that time!”
Subaru gets down on his hands and knees, head bowed down and brow touching the carriage's floor. Emilia blinks in surprise, and after a few seconds of considering what she just said and how that lines up with Subaru's behaviour,
Emilia: “Ah, it wasn't like I was blaming you or anything. It's true you didn't keep your promise, and that because you went on speaking without apologizing for that properly I did get all 'aughhhhhh.'”
Subaru: “Ithurtsithurtsmyearstheyhurt!”
Emilia: “Maybe I have a part of me which considers avowals too heavily and deeply. Look, I'm a practitioner of spiritual arts, so contracts are more familiar to me than they are to ordinary people. Contracts with spirits are what spiritual arts practitioners should respect more than anything else, so they get oversensitive... uh-huh, to me promises are so, sooo important. Subaru, do some reflecting after all.”
Subaru: “Ithurtsithurtsmyheartithurts!”
Now Subaru understands clearly why Emilia got so pissed that time in the Capital. That wasn't just the anger of having a promise broken. For Emilia, promises in themselves held extremely heavy meaning. When faced with Subaru's casual breaking of them, even someone kindhearted like her couldn't keep calm. Because Subaru trampled over something important to Emilia's heart.
Emilia: “Did you reflect?”
Subaru: “I reflected. Deeper than oceans, taller than mountains, wider than sky, grander than space.”
Emilia: “Then alright, I'll forgive you.”
Subaru lifts his head, Emilia pokes him in the forehead. Emilia puts said finger to her lips and gives a thin smile. Relief from the fact she's not mad, and recognition that what she just did was adorable stops Subaru from saying anything further. He's sucking air in and out like a fish, Emilia oblivious to this turns her head in the direction of their travel.
Emilia: “SANCTUARY and Garfiel. And then Roswaal and the villagers... there's so many people we have to talk to, it's making my heart pound.” Subaru: “What'reya saying, you're not gonna be exposed to any danger. Believe in me, shield #2.” Emilia: “You're second? Where's the first?”
Subaru: “Sitting on the driver's seat flirting with my Patrasche.” Emilia really does crack up at this one, smiling. Fully satisfied, Subaru goes to think about the various barriers waiting ahead of them.
Ever since he came to this world, problems have been arising consecutively leaving him no time to rest. The anxiousness he has swirling in his heart about going to this unseen Sanctuary is larger than he anticipated. There's the fact that Frederica kind of inspired that type of thought, and the many doubts including Roswaal and the villagers' failure to return. And Puck's lack of response to their calling him, and all the factors provoking anxiety which have been left behind in the mansion.
Emilia: “Were you thinking about Rem-san?” Subaru: “...You can tell?” Emilia tilts her head as she stares at a silent Subaru. Her silver hair spills from her shoulders, and she fiddles her fingers through the edges, the end of her braid swaying. Emilia: “I can tell.” Emilia: “You know, you're allowed to think that I'm paying as much attention to you as you're paying to me.”
Subaru: “So Emilia-tan, that's a 'please assume I'm watching you round the clock every hour of the day'?” Emilia: “Ah, no call it a half of a half of a half of that.” Subaru: “...Three hours....!” Emilia: “From there a half of a half of a half of...” Subaru: “Hearing the exact number'll hurt me that's enough!” Subaru says that he's not worried, since Frederica and Petra are taking care of her, but there's still this feeling of anxiety that he can't really express. Emilia says that's a shouganai since it's what worry is after all, and that that's how important Rem is to him. It's enough to make her a little jealous. Subaru goes to tell her that he loves Emilia-tan just as much as Rem before he catches that that was what Emilia was dangling for. Emilia confirms that she was bullying a little and apologizes, sticking her tongue out, and Subaru winds up completely forgiving her over that.
Emilia goes on to restart the topic, this time pointing out that the person Subaru's more worried about is Beatrice. Subaru asks Emilia if she can read his mind. Emilia points out that he hasn't been acting as if he isn't worried (like he usually does), so it's proof that he's sooooo worried.
Subaru says it's not anything serious enough to be 'worry', it's just because he never got to meet her again after ending that conversation like a couple breaking up. Leaving the mansion without seeing her again is just a little bad. Juuust a little. A tiny bit. A smidge. A crumb.
Emilia: “That sounds like a cowardly way of saying it, but perhaps I'm just hearing things.”
Subaru: “No 'hearing things' more like hearing me.”
Subaru hides his happiness that she focused on that part of what he was saying and smiles as he looks over Emilia, who tilts her head.
Subaru: “Leaving Beatrice's shut-in status to get worse kinda makes me feel as an original shut-in like I've sorta got an extreme responsibility here a little.”
Emilia: “Shut-in... Subaru, you really do know a lot about this. Do you think Beatrice will come out?”
Subaru: “It's a hard one, this. It's no good to just forcibly pull them out without having some big occasion for it, but just letting have their time is spoiling them way too much. Honestly every single goddamn shut-in out there is just a pain for... ah! And so was I!”
Subaru: “When we get back, I'll have to talk with Beako 'bout lots of stuff. Didn't manage to get her to talk about the things I needed to make her talk about.”
Emilia: “It feels like Beatrice and Puck both know things, but are hiding them.”
Subaru: “Agreed. Frederica's the same, but everyone connected to that mansion has this habit of dropping implications and leaving the answers for later. Call it a syndrome. A bad syndrome. That Beako, everything she said while giving back the gospel bothered me.”
So Subaru is still holding onto the gospel in his luggage, worst case scenario so that he can ask Roswaal about it. That said the gospel's creepy so he's keeping it in the very bottom of his bag, as if to hide it.
Emilia: “—Looks like we've entered the forest.”
Emilia suddenly says that, although she doesn't look outside the window to confirm it. Subaru does and behold yes it's certainly getting greener.
Subaru: “It's impressive you knew without even looking outside.”
Emilia: “It's mixed, but I do have Elf blood. Elves have an unbreakable connection to forests, to the point where we're called the race of the fore—”
Subaru: “—!? Hey, hold on!” Emilia: “—” And Emilia's body wavers, looking about to collapse, before Subaru swoops in and catches her.
Emilia looks to be in anguish, her breathing shallow. Subaru: “E-Emilia-tan? What happened, Emilia!?” Emilia can't reply. Discounting her shallow, rapid breathing, she has no fever and isn't sweating.
Subaru immediately determines he won't get anywhere dealing with this himself, so he runs to the front of the carriage and jams his head through the window connecting to the driver's platfrom. Subaru: “Otto! There's trouble, Emilia suddenly collapsed! Do you have medicine, or...”
Otto: “Ah—Natsuki-san, I'm sorry.” Sweat arises on Otto's brow, his voice devoid of strength as he turns to look at Subaru. Subaru notices two changes—the carriage has stopped, with Patrasche and Frufoo standing still between the trees. Subaru hadn't even noticed.
And the other, bigger change— ???: “Comin' so boldly face-to-face, pretty brave'f ya, outsider.” Says someone, spoken as if they're spitting it at them, with not a speck of good will present. With that single line alone, it's enough to get a grasp of personality of who said it. And the appearance of the person standing before their carriage does nothing to betray that impression. He has short, spiky blond hair, with a conspicuous white scar on his forehead. The sharp look in his eyes is enough to be neck-in-neck with Subaru's sanpaku, and his feline canines are frightfully white. His slouch makes him short for a man, but the ferocious aura exuding from his body would make any refrain from belittling his petite stature.
Guy: “Ain't like I care where yer from, but you sure're a case of BRITTLE AS A WHITTLED PICKET.” Subaru: “Uh, wha?” Says Subaru dumbly at this phrase he's never heard before. The guy gives a single short, breathy
“Ha.”
Guy: “Hmm? Quit freakin' out, oi. Sure, yeah, yer luck's not good. Since right here where you tried sneakin' in, you would up runnin' into the amazin' me.” He gives a ferocious smile, his fangs clicking together. His fists fill with further power and he takes a low combat stance. Guy: “Yer run outta luck, showin' up in fronta the amazin' Garfiel. Yer wound up bein' a
BANZOMANZO SWEPT LEFT N' RIGHT!”
With that assertive but uninformative phrase, the punk stomps the ground. The next instant, a great impact comes rushing at Subaru, world turning upside-down.
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