Chapter 56: Arguing between Two People.
[ [ "So, I came to see you. I want you to accompany me somewhere, what do you think? The location is the training grounds. The purpose is—to tell you reality, how about this?" ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"So this... is what it means, right? To make Natsuki-san clearly understand that he is not worthy of being a knight in any aspect at the moment..."
However, it's ultimately an excuse to vent anger. Otto thought as he spoke, not voicing his inner thoughts.
"…"
Yuriusu seemed to have seen through Otto's thoughts. He remained silent, not explaining.
"Seriously. Self-pity should have its limits, right?"
Ferris scratched his head in dissatisfaction.
"Ferris?"
Yuriusu looked at Ferris.
And Ferris continued:
"Don't you guys think about how furious those knights were when Subaru said those words that defiled knights? Therefore, Yuriusu needs to publicly teach Subaru a lesson to vent the anger of the other knights. And such unreasonable behavior, to put it seriously, could even result in a sentence to death. Yuriusu also needs to carry out and end the punishment in advance. It's truly Yuriusu-style gentleness, self-pity."
Ferris was very dissatisfied with Yuriusu's self-pity and directly stated the fundamental reason why Yuriusu wanted to publicly engage in a mock battle with Subaru.
"Thank you, Ferris. However, this was also my arbitrary decision, and perhaps there was a better solution at the time, but I chose this method instead."
"Although I can probably guess the reason, I indeed don't agree with this solution either."
Reinhardt said.
"So… that's how it is?"
Emilia murmured.
"Ah… he really is the optimal knight… I'm truly sorry, I underestimated you."
Otto apologized to Yuriusu inwardly.
Then, a loud sound came from the screen, attracting everyone's attention—
[ [ "…Next, we shall punish the unreasonable person who defiled the pride of knights! Any objections!"
The training grounds were silent.
The Royal Guard Knights seemed to all be present, sitting in the spectator stands.
It seemed Yuriusu had gathered them to let everyone vent their anger.
"Then, before we begin, I ask you one more thing: will you apologize for your previous unreasonableness and ask for our forgiveness? If you are willing to offer a suitable apology for your repeated disrespect now, then I will forgive you."
"I refuse."
"Originally, your unreasonable actions would not be surprising even if you were executed. However, it's unavoidable that you are Lady Emilia's attendant. Therefore, I shall engage you with a wooden sword. Do you have any objections?"
"No problem."
"Then, the witness shall be—Ferris."
"Alright, alright—alright. No matter how serious the injury, as long as he's not dead, I can save him, so do your best, Subaru. Did you hear that, everyone? Ready—start!"
Ferris raised his hands and waved them around, then loudly announced the start of the mock battle. ] ]
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~Inside, the Theater~
"First—of all, to everyone, this is a disciplinary action, and after the mock battle, it means the disciplinary action has ended, and there should be no further punishment. Then—since Emilia-sama said 'he is not my attendant' before taking Subaru away, if she truly didn't acknowledge this status, then Subaru would be a commoner, and could even be killed. Therefore, it's to show that he is still Emilia-sama's attendant and is still protected. Last—ly, a witness was chosen to prevent anyone from denying it later. Am I—right, Knight Yuriusu?"
Roswaal spoke as if he had seen through everything.
And Yuriusu did not deny it, nodding his head.
—
[ [ "Shouldn't you recognize your limits by now?" On the screen, it was a complete one-sided battle.
Yuriusu had no injuries on him; rather, his clothes were still so clean, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.
Meanwhile, Subaru was lying on the ground, being unilaterally beaten.
"You should have personally felt that the gap between us is irreparable. You also understand what kind of people you insulted and belittled 'knights' to be, and the gap between you and them, right?"
Yuriusu said while beating him, "Don't you think continuing will endanger your life?"
"How could I die from this extent? Don't pretend to be knowledgeable!"
"You speak as if you've experienced it."
"I understand this more than anyone else in this world." On the screen, the Royal Guard Knights, who were spectators, initially cheered and mocked Subaru, but later were surprised by Subaru's persistence, and finally felt it was too gruesome to watch. ] ]
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~Inside, the Theater~
"Not necessarily."
Al quietly denied what Subaru said, shrugging.
"Subaru…"
Emilia, Beatrice, Rem, and others looked at Subaru's miserable state with heartache.
"Don't feel heartache, nya, only this way can it achieve the effect. Have you noticed that the spectators no longer have the initial mockery and cheers? The goal of venting anger has been achieved."
Ferris spoke.
—
[ [ And Yuriusu's next actions on the screen seemed to confirm Ferris's words outside the screen, indicating that it was time to end.
"How unseemly. You are both incompetent and incorrigible—you shouldn't be by that person's side."
Finally, Emilia arrived at the last moment, but immediately after, Yuriusu knocked Subaru unconscious. ] ]
The screen went black.
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~Inside, the Theater~
"If I remember correctly, next is…"
The following content might be the most heartbreaking part of this story for Emilia.
"Next…"
Rem and Natsuki Rem also murmured.
She remembered that the next day, Lady Emilia had left, telling Rem to take care of Subaru-kun.
Undoubtedly, they argued.
—
[ [ "I… remember… So that means I didn't die?" The screen lit up again. In front of him was an unfamiliar ceiling, and next to him was Emilia.
"Subaru."
"Has the discussion about the royal candidates finished?"
"Yes, it's finished… We basically said everything we wanted to in the main hall. After that, it was truly just discussing the details of the royal selection. Most of it just needed to be confirmed with Roswaal, and then it was done."
"Is that so. Then you must have wasted a lot of time accompanying me, who overslept. Anyway, let's go back to the inn immediately, pick up Rem, and together research future strategies for the royal election."
"Subaru."
"There might be eavesdroppers in the city, so for a safe discussion, it's best to return to the mansion, or should we negotiate with the powerful figures in the capital first?"
"Subaru…"
"No, no, at this time, should we instead form a certain level of truce with other royal candidates? After all, in this battle, we don't know when, where, or how the opponent will launch an attack…"
"…Subaru!"
Subaru fell silent and looked at Emilia.
"…Let's talk." ] ]
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