Meanwhile
In Subaru's office, the air felt dense. Scrolls lay scattered across the desk, many unopened. Subaru sat behind them, his fingers pressed to his temple, eyes narrowed over the pile in front of him.
Across his desk, Auren sat upright, hands resting on his lap. Old Man Wu, arms crossed, slouched into his chair with a grunt, his heavy boots tapping the floor without rhythm. His frown deepened as the silence lingered.
Subaru finally exhaled, a low, tired sigh escaping as he dropped the file he had been reading.
"Sigh… this isn't good."
Old Man Wu sat up slightly. His voice was rough, sharp with impatience. "What not good, huh? You call me in here, waste my time, when I could be out there doing somethin'? Eh?"
Subaru's tone stayed even, but there was a quiet edge beneath it. "I know, Wu. But we're dealing with something from the Dwarfen Kingdom. These are reports Yami sent… none of it adds up." He tapped the papers. "They lead nowhere. Just blanks and buried trails."
Old Man Wu grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Hmph. Always the same. Dead ends, always dead ends."
Auren leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying quiet concern. "That's the issue, Granduncle… Yami has been doing everything she can to heal their King, but nothing's worked. Not even close. It's taking a toll on her."
Wu let out a rough, sarcastic laugh. "Tch. Toll? She protect… Not play healer for someone who already dead in the heart."
Auren frowned. "No, Old man Wu… she's not giving up. There has to be something, some way to save him. Right, Granduncle?"
Subaru's expression stayed neutral, but his eyes said enough. He slowly let out another breath. "I understand what you're trying to say, Auren. But the truth is… the King is beyond saving. Whatever was done to him, it's rooted too deep. All Yami can do now is make sure their next King lives long enough to wear the crown."
Auren's voice sharpened, almost defiant. "I know that. But just giving up? That's not who we are."
Wu barked a sharp laugh. "Who give up? Nobody here give up. But use brain, boy. You think future by throwin' your life at the past? We protect what come next. That how leaders think. Sometimes, not everyone get saved. That real world, lah. You not like, then train harder."
Auren opened his mouth to argue, but Subaru cut in, quiet but commanding. "He's right. Harsh as it sounds, he's right. Yami can't cure him. Our focus has to shift. You already know how your father moves. He's already sent people to the Dwarfen Kingdom for diplomacy. Whatever happens now, it'll be political."
Auren looked down, his jaw clenched. "Sigh… I know. But this curse… it's strange. We still don't understand it. Not how it got to them, not how Duke Yuzuru got involved. And the Aurum Fortuna… it's unstable. It warps the mind. We've seen what it does. Not everyone has the strength to resist it."
Subaru stayed silent for a moment, processing. His eyes flicked to the ceiling as though searching for something unseen.
Wu snorted. "Tch. You two act surprised. Wasn't Subaru's boy holdin' some of that rune thing before? That Fortuna?"
Subaru nodded slowly. "Yes. Ryuu had some back then but… it was stolen. Years ago."
Auren leaned forward, his voice low. "Then how do we know it's not the same one?"
Subaru's gaze shifted back to Auren. His tone turned careful, deliberate. "It could be. But Thorn told me there's more… not just one. It's being distributed now. Not contained. That's what troubles me. Someone is spreading it. That means someone powerful is behind it."
Wu grunted, voice rough with skepticism. "You askin' wrong question.... Not how it spread. Who doin' it? Who got hands on that thing and reason to use it, huh?"
Auren nodded, the weight of it settling in. "Yes. There has to be a name behind this… someone with reach, with influence."
Subaru's voice grew cold. "Whoever it is… we can't let that thing reach inside our walls. Not into our homes. Not near the people, or the children. That's the line we never let them cross."
He turned slightly, eyes on Wu now. "Oh, Wu… how's the invention going?"
Wu groaned, his face tightening. "Not good, you think makin' things like this is easy now? Resources in this day and age not givin' me what I need…People givin' me junk, not materials. I need time, proper tools. Don't you worry, though… I finish it before end. You just keep world together till then."
Auren's brow furrowed, his voice low. "What do you mean, the end? Granduncle, what invention are you talking about?"
Subaru glanced toward the shelves, then shrugged, waving it off like it was nothing.
"Oh, nothing important. Just something Wu's working on. It's not something we need to stress ourselves over right now." He leaned forward, shifting the conversation. "Anyway, how is our guest doing?"
Auren nodded, the shift in topic accepted but not forgotten. "He's adjusting… to the very least. I followed your instruction. Gave the order that he and his family are to be treated well, housed comfortably. No reason for them to feel displaced."
Subaru nodded once. "And his background?"
Auren kept his voice steady. "We ran it twice. What Uncle Thorn gave checks out. Our own tracing led to the same results. Nothing suspicious, nothing out of place."
Subaru leaned back. "Good, good. That's how it should be."
Auren hesitated a moment before his tone shifted. "Although… Granduncle, when will you be leaving for the Elven Kingdom?"
Subaru raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand. "Elven Kingdom? Why would I need to be there?"
Auren blinked. "To meet their King, of course. Wasn't it included in the files? I reviewed everything before handing it over to you."
Subaru chuckled, tapping his fingers on the desk. "Oh, that… that old matter. Well, maybe when I prepare for the coming summit, I'll go see what that old fool wants."
Old Man Wu snorted, grumbling. "Maybe he want repayment. You owe him somethin', maybe. You always cheat people, tsk tsk, always runnin' from bills."
Subaru opened his mouth, an amused grin starting to form, but before he could speak, noise broke out just outside the office.
Voices filtered through the wood. Liora's sharp, innocent question bounced down the hallway, followed by Ruin's soft reply and Luna's calm correction.
"It's enough," Luna said, her voice patient.
"But Mama," Liora protested, "do you think Grandpa will like me?"
Subaru stood, his eyes suddenly alert, tone half-joking. "Oh no… do you think that's…"
A knock landed on the door.
Then Liora's voice rang out, loud and sweet. "Mama, are you sure, grandpa will like me?"
Luna answered gently. "Yes, he will."
Subaru raised his voice. "Come in."
The door opened. Ruin stepped in first, her voice quiet. "Sorry for the disturbance, Grandpa… but we have visitors."
Luna followed, carrying Liora in her arms. Behind her came Alya, walking calmly. Subaru's face lit up at once.
"Welcome, Luna… and my Liora!"
Old Man Wu scowled at the child, arms crossed. "Tch. Why this troublemaker here, huh? She not supposed to be near my workplace."
Luna laughed softly, her tone warm. "Oh, Old Man Wu… are you still angry about that?"
Liora's eyes widened. She pointed. "Grandpa!"
Subaru crossed the room quickly, arms open. "Yes, that's me!" He lifted her gently from Luna's arms, tossing her lightly into the air with a grin. "It's me, your grandpa… your grandpa!"
Liora squealed with delight. Her laughter echoed in the office.
Auren smiled, the tension of earlier forgotten for a moment. Ruin gave a soft laugh, while Alya's grin stretched across her face.
Old Man Wu still frowned, unimpressed.
Luna's voice was kind, touched with affection. "Oh, Father-in-law… it's good to see you alive and well."
Subaru nodded as he caught Liora again. "Oh yes… really good."
Luna's smile softened, but her tone shifted slightly. "Please… where is my son?"
Subaru looked away for a second, his voice cautious. "Kibo? He's still at Balmount. You know how much he still has to learn… you understand, don't you?"
Luna chuckled, but there was weight beneath the sound. Her voice came out calm, yet carried something colder. "Ah, yes… but his mother hasn't seen him for a very long time. Why would you decide to leave him there?"
Liora, unaware of the tension, tugged at Subaru's sleeve. "Grandpa, when will big brother come back? I want to play with him."
Subaru looked down at her, trying to force a gentle smile. "Uhmm… he will come soon, just not now."
Liora's eyes widened with doubt. "You serious? I hope so."
Luna folded her arms, her tone matching Liora's words. "Yes, Father-in-law… I hope so too."
Subaru's lips parted slightly. He didn't respond. Auren let out a low chuckle, almost to cut the thickness in the air, but it came off sarcastic. The room went quiet again.
Old Man Wu stood abruptly, pushing his chair back with a scrape. "I go… Don't want that little one to be hindrance. Always runnin' about, messin' up workshop."
Luna turned slightly to the side, making space as he grumbled his way toward the door. He didn't wait for anyone to follow, slamming the door shut behind him with a mutter under his breath.
Subaru crouched a little and set Liora down, patting her head lightly. "So… Luna, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?"
Luna opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Liora jumped in excitedly. "Oh, oh, Grandpa… Papa said we should come!"
Subaru raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, little one?"
Luna nodded. "Yes, that's true. Since he wanted Liora to meet her big brother."
Subaru's expression softened just a little. "Oh. I see."
Luna's voice sharpened quickly, and her eyes didn't waver. "And he also said that… what you did was stressful. On his own end."
Subaru laughed, trying to brush it off. "Ryuu is still up so tight, isn't he?"
Luna shook her head. "No, no, no. My darling is right. You really caused a mess."
Subaru laughed again, though it was thinner now. "And you are still the same."
While the adults spoke, Liora, already bored, began glancing around. Her eyes darted to the hallway, the door half-closed. No one was looking. Quietly, on her toes, she tiptoed away, a mischievous smile forming on her lips.
Auren, chuckling quietly at Luna's scolding, turned back to glance at Liora, only to pause.
"Uhmm… Lady Luna? Granduncle?"
They both looked at him.
Auren pointed. "Where is Liora?"
Luna's smile vanished instantly. She spun around. "Liora!"
Alya darted to the door. "Young Mistress, where are you?"
Subaru blinked. "Wow… how did she move without any of us noticing?"
Ruin moved closer to Luna. "I will go and check if she went to Old Man Wu's workspace."
Luna nodded, tension creeping into her voice. "Yes, do that… thank you."
Alya was already gone, her voice calling out along the corridor. "Young Mistress, come back! Liora!"
Subaru let out a low chuckle, glancing toward the door. "Is Liora always like this?"
Luna let out a soft sigh, rubbing her temple. "Yes… she is. She's really good at sneaking and hiding."
Subaru nodded slowly. "Reminds me of how Ryuu used to behave when he was her age. Or maybe older."
Luna's voice turned soft, but tired. "It's fun at first… but she just wants to play. I can't even keep up. Oh, my baby is growing up."
A loud thud echoed from the hall, followed by the raised voices of Alya and Ruin.
"Liora, come back here!"
More noise, crashing sounds, a giggle somewhere between victory and mischief.
"Catch me! Catch me!"
Luna didn't hesitate. She strode out the room quickly, her expression unreadable. Subaru followed behind her, adjusting his cloth.
Auren shook his head and started gathering the scattered files. "Granduncle, let me clean up."
Subaru, half-turning at the door, nodded. "Alright, then."
As they moved through the hallway, Luna muttered under her breath, her pace quickening.
"What am I going to do with my baby?"
Subaru walked beside her, smirking faintly. "Young ones."