...
(3rd POV)
"You really didn't have to come with me, Reina," he said, letting out a long sigh as he glanced sideways at the Sword Saint walking beside him.
"Zero, you will be my future Lord. And as both your friend and knight, how could I possibly allow you to walk into potential danger without me?" she replied firmly, her eyes set ahead. Though her tone was composed, deep down, she wasn't completely honest with herself.
Truthfully, she felt a surge of jealousy the very moment she learned he was heading out with Beatrice.
'Why didn't he call me instead? I'm stronger than that girl!' she thought bitterly, sneaking a sideways glance at Beatrice who was walking just ahead of them.
In her heart, Reina had already claimed a place for him—he was her hero, her future king. If it ever came down to choosing between him and the Kingdom, she knew without a shred of doubt that she'd betray the Kingdom in an instant for his sake.
That was how deeply she had fallen in love with him.
And her love wasn't the pure, fairy tale kind. No, it was a blend—a dangerous cocktail of true affection and raw obsession. If not for the fact that there was genuine love mixed in, she would have already made her move, consequences be damned.
(A/N: Nonsense layered over more nonsense. Who are you trying to fool, Reina?)
"Hmph! Just don't get in the way of Betty's tutoring, I suppose," Beatrice said sharply, eyes narrowed as she shot Reina a pointed look.
Reina's eyebrow twitched at the remark, but she didn't respond directly. Instead, she changed the topic.
"We're quite deep in the forest now. Running into Mabeasts is no longer out of the question," she commented while scanning the surroundings carefully.
"Alright then, let me try something—Murak!" he shouted, activating a spell instantly. In that moment, his body felt significantly lighter, almost as if gravity itself had reduced around him. It was a unique spell that operated differently from the Vita series, a standalone spell with no prefixal hierarchy.
Feeling confident, he bent his knees and jumped with all his might.
And he immediately regretted it.
In the blink of an eye, he shot up into the air—soaring nearly a hundred meters high like a human cannonball.
"ARGHHHH!!!" he screamed as panic took over, the wind roaring past his ears. A sonic boom followed his ascent, cracking the ground below. Reina's eyes widened as she stepped forward, launched herself up with precision, and caught him mid-air. With grace only the Sword Saint could manage, she landed softly in front of Beatrice.
"Stupid Zero! Do you not understand your own strength, in fact?!" Beatrice scolded, cheeks puffed in frustration as she put her hands on her hips.
"I-I'm sorry! That was reckless of me... Thank you, Reina. You really saved me there," he said, genuinely grateful as he looked at the silver-haired knight.
Reina grinned with a spark of mischief in her eyes. "Don't worry, Zero-sama! Your knight is here to clean up your messes!" she said proudly, giving him a playful wink.
His cheeks flushed slightly. The idea of having someone as beautiful and capable as Reina serve as his personal knight... it wasn't a bad thought at all.
Just then, a low growl echoed through the forest, and all three of them went on high alert. From the thick bushes ahead, a large Wolgram emerged, its yellow eyes glinting with hostility.
"Let me handle this! Minya!" Subaru yelled, extending his hand forward. A spear of crystallized mana, engulfed in flickering light-purple flames, shot out like a missile. It tore clean through the Wolgram's natural defenses, obliterating its head in an instant.
The momentary silence was broken by another growl—then another. More Wolgrams crept out from all directions, their red eyes locked on the trio.
Reina reached for her sheath, prepared to strike, but Subaru placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Reina, let me take care of this," he said calmly, his voice firm yet soft.
She gave a silent nod, though inside, she would've said yes to just about anything he asked. Subaru had no idea that she was, quite literally, a 'Yes girl' when it came to him.
Drawing the sword he had brought from Roswaal's mansion, Subaru's body blurred with mana-enhanced speed.
"El Huma!" he cast wind magic that shredded the first Wolgram apart, then slashed through the neck of a second before its corpse could hit the ground.
Another Wolgram lunged at him, its jaws wide open.
"El Goa!" he shouted, blasting a burst of searing fire that melted the creature's head before it could even touch him.
He didn't stop moving. In a sequence of fluid and violent motions—
SlashStabSlice
—he danced through the battlefield like a storm, cutting down enemy after enemy.
By the time it was over, twenty-nine Wolgrams lay dead around him, and Subaru stood panting in the center of the carnage. His sword was stained with blood, his mana nearly depleted, and the spirits of fire, wind, and Yang that assisted him were completely exhausted.
"That was incredible! You took down an entire group of Wolgrams—something that usually requires a full platoon of knights or at least a specialized squad of elites!" Reina said, her eyes sparkling with admiration. In that moment, she seemed to forget that she herself was hailed as the strongest knight in the entire world.
'Damn it, she's stroking my ego too much,' he thought, resisting the urge to cover his face from the flattery. But seeing the radiant joy on her face, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
In the original timeline, Rem's praises had always sent Subaru soaring into the clouds. It was those very emotions that made him overestimate himself and make that fatal mistake at the Royal Capital.
'Still, I can't blame him. If someone insulted the love of my life to my face, I'd be furious too.'
He also believed the Council of Wise Men were far too arrogant for their own good. If it hadn't been for Reinhardt—well, Reina in this case—what exactly did the Kingdom even have?
Without Subaru saving Emilia, half of the Royal Capital would've been reduced to ice shards by Puck.
Crusch Karsten—that woman—would have been killed during the battle against the White Whale.
Priscilla would likely have vanished, and Anastasia would have perished as well.
And there would have been no 'Felt' for the Sword Saint to pledge his loyalty to.
The Kingdom of Lugunica might've collapsed altogether, with its enemies swallowing it whole.
It was already economically crippled. Tens of thousands lived in filth and squalor. For many, having even two meals a day was a distant luxury.
'I hope things aren't as bad in this version of the world,' he thought, though he knew his hope was fragile. 'Still, a man can wish, right?'
He rubbed his nose with a smirk and looked back at Reina.
"Thank you, Reina. If it wasn't for your training, I wouldn't have been able to do this."
Reina beamed. "Then... I suppose you'll have to reward me, right?"
"If it's within my power, I'll definitely give you a reward," he replied with sincere resolve.
Her eyes sparkled, and she shyly looked down at his hand. Then, softly, she whispered, "Pet me."
"..."
"..."
Both Beatrice and Subaru stared at her in stunned silence, expressions blank.
Realizing how that sounded, Reina's face turned crimson. She quickly corrected herself.
"I-I mean... pat me! I just... I like it when you do that..." she mumbled, lowering her head.
He couldn't help but chuckle as he stepped forward, raising his hand and gently patting her head.
She visibly melted under his touch. As he continued running his fingers through her silver hair, she closed her eyes in contentment, and then reached up to guide his hand to her cheek, pressing into his palm with a warm sigh.
'Yeah, there is definitely something off here,' he thought with a wry smile. How could he possibly miss all the hints?
'Then again, maybe she's just starved for affection and sees me as her elder brother,' he considered, deciding to observe her behavior a bit more before jumping to any conclusions.
(A/N: Here in India, girls call boys "bhaiya" (brother), but our hero calls the girl "deedhi" — it really shows the mindset of someone single and hopelessly confused XD)
Betty, witnessing all this, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
"Betty accompanied Zero too, so Betty should be praised as well, I suppose!" she said, puffing her chest proudly.
He looked at her in mild surprise. "W-well, there you go," he replied with a smile, gently patting her with his other hand. Betty let out a small squeal of happiness, unable to hide her delight.
Reina's mere presence had sparked Betty's jealousy, and that in turn seemed to accelerate his own progress.
…
The day passed in a haze of training. His exhausted spirits found comfort within their master's body—though, to be honest, Subaru wasn't entirely sure where they resided inside him. Nor could he ask them directly.
After all, they were Lesser Spirits—incapable of speech and able only to communicate through their emotions.
When they finally returned home, the sight that greeted them was quite telling.
On Subaru and Emilia's side of the table lay an array of sumptuous dishes, carefully prepared and artfully arranged.
Yet on Roswaal's side, there was nothing but a humble plate of boiled potatoes sprinkled with salt.
The stark contrast between the two sets of food begged the question: who was truly the master of the mansion?
"Betty… to think you would actually come," Roswaal said, narrowing his eyes as he looked directly at the Great Spirit of Yin.
"Rem, I invited Reina to eat with us as well. There shouldn't be any problems, right?" Subaru asked, glancing at the blue-haired Oni who simply nodded in agreement.
"I prepared enough food for all three of you," Rem said, casting a glance at her sister who was practically drooling over the delicious dishes laid out.
Unfortunately for them, Subaru had strictly forbidden her from cooking for Roswaal and Ram.
It pained Rem to see her older sister in such a state, but she understood the need to accept the punishment.
Roswaal's eyes flicked between Subaru's lavish meal and his own meager boiled potatoes, and any appetite he had seemed to vanish instantly.
"Master, it's not too late. Would you like me to make some soup for you?" Ram asked with genuine concern.
He shook his head stubbornly.
"Nooooooooo, Ram! I think boiled potatoes are juuuust fine," he grunted, clearly displeased.
Meanwhile, Emilia glanced at Roswaal with a hint of guilt and tugged on Subaru's sleeve.
"Zero, I feel bad that we're eating such delicious food while Roswaal and Ram have to settle for boiled potatoes," she said softly.
'Feeling bad for the guy who's trying to turn you into his puppet?' Subaru rolled his eyes at her.
"Emilia, don't you remember that Lord Roswaal is sick, and Ram actually likes boiled potatoes?" he explained.
Their eyebrows twitched, and Ram quickly added, "No need to worry, Lady Emilia. Lord Roswaal and I are both perfectly fine!"
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved," Emilia replied, and without another word, she resumed eating her food.
"…"
"…"
Emilia really was quite naïve.
…
A full month passed peacefully, with Subaru's abilities growing stronger every single day.
Not a day went by without Reina arriving to train him and spend time at his side.
She seemed to have entirely forgotten her Knightly duties elsewhere.
According to Reina, Subaru's current sword skills were only surpassed by the likes of Julius.
He also learned how to reinforce his physical body with mana, dramatically increasing his already monstrous strength several times over.
Reina estimated that Subaru's raw strength without reinforcement was nearly half that of Julius, but his speed slightly exceeded Julius's.
With mana reinforcement, the gap between them narrowed significantly, as Subaru had a rare talent for boosting his strength tremendously over short bursts.
On this particular day, a carriage was parked outside the Mather mansion.
An elderly man and a young Knight, accompanied by a demi-human femboy, stood beside it.
The elderly man, Wilhelm, had come on behalf of Duchess Crusch to escort Emilia to the Capital.
"I apologize for parking the carriage right in front of your mansion," Wilhelm said politely, looking at Emilia, Subaru, and Betty who stood nearby.
"Hmph! How dare you disturb Betty when she's about to conduct a scientific experiment!" Betty snorted, tugging on Subaru's sleeves with a hint of annoyance.
Over the past month, the two had grown considerably closer. Subaru taught Betty something new every day, and at that moment, they were just about to head outside to carry out a scientific experiment together.
Wilhelm observed the little girl carefully. 'I've heard about her before—she must be the Great Spirit of Yin,' he thought, his eyes showing no doubt.
'She seems surprisingly close to that boy,' he continued, watching Subaru intently.
"You can call me Zero. On Lord Roswaal's request, I'm currently acting as Emilia's bodyguard," Subaru explained, recalling how Roswaal had asked him to take on the role.
He decided to accept the request for two main reasons: first, he wanted to visit the capital, and second, he was curious to meet other people—to see just how much this reality differed from the original and to better understand the personalities of those around him. After all, he couldn't rely solely on what he'd seen in an anime.
'He probably thinks I'm in love with Emilia,' Subaru sighed, shaking his head at Roswaal's ridiculous assumptions.
"On Lord Roswaal's request?" Wilhelm repeated quickly, catching the key phrase.
"To be honest, I am a guest of honor at Lord Roswaal's invitation, and I consider myself a friend to Emilia. However, since she lacked a suitable knight or bodyguard, he asked me to serve as her protector for the time being," Subaru explained.
Wilhelm nodded, and soon Felix appeared.
"Nyah I greet you, Lady Emilia, and Mister Zero," Felix said cheerfully.
They both nodded in response and were soon escorted inside the mansion.
"Sir Zerooo, this matter concerns the Royaaaal Selection. You should wait outside," Roswaal said with a strange glint in his eyes.
Emilia hesitated, glancing between the two men. Subaru simply shrugged and said, "Fine."
Unlike the original Subaru, he was Emilia's bodyguard here, which gave him more reason to pay attention to the discussions inside. Still, it was obvious Roswaal was scheming something, and whatever he was plotting was bound to end badly.
'I expected Emilia to stand up to me,' Subaru thought bitterly. 'But she's so naïve, so I guess I can let it slide.'
He stepped outside to meet with Wilhelm.
"Sir Wilhelm, if I'm not mistaken, you are the famed Sword Demon, correct?" Subaru asked, and Wilhelm nodded solemnly.
'Lord Roswaal didn't allow him into the discussion? I guess his standing isn't as high as he pretends,' Subaru thought, considering himself merely a hired bodyguard.
"Indeed, though that title belongs to the past. I was once called that," Wilhelm replied, recalling some bittersweet memories.
"Sir Wilhelm! I have a request! May I spar with you?" Subaru's eyes gleamed with excitement as he asked.
Wilhelm looked surprised but paused to consider before answering, "Hmm, if it's just a sparring match, I suppose we can pass the time that way."
"Rem, did you hear that? Quickly bring us some wooden swords," Subaru said to the Rem who stood quietly nearby.
"As you command, Master Zero," she replied, promptly fetching two wooden swords.
"We shall spar in the garden," Subaru declared.
They moved to the garden and finally assumed their battle stances.
'He seems very experienced,' Wilhelm noted silently.
Subaru charged forward, closing the distance with a single step, then unleashed a flurry of sword slashes.
StabSlashSlash
Their swords clashed and danced at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.
"A fine display of pure swordsmanship," Wilhelm praised as they exchanged blows.
"Sir Wilhelm, I want to take this to the next level," Subaru said with determination. Wilhelm smirked knowingly.
"Very well, young man," he replied, and suddenly his figure vanished.
This time, Wilhelm switched to the offensive. Subaru struggled to keep up, managing only to block and parry.
Wilhelm was half-serious now, while Subaru began to sweat, his senses straining to keep up with every precise movement.
Each of Wilhelm's attacks caused Subaru's hands to tremble. Then, with a sharp clash of their swords, Subaru's sword shattered, and Wilhelm's blade stopped mere inches from his neck—
Suddenly, Subaru vanished. For the first time, Wilhelm was taken by surprise. He felt the broken sword press against his own neck.
"I lost," Wilhelm admitted, though Subaru sighed, looking at himself in frustration.
"Nope, I lost—I used magic," Subaru lied without hesitation.
"Really?" Wilhelm's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Though not a magician himself, he knew how to enhance his physical abilities with mana. His control and senses rivaled those of an experienced mage, making it easy for him to counter magical attacks.
Yet, he felt no trace of mana or distortion when Subaru vanished.
"Very well—let's call it a draw," Wilhelm proposed, but Subaru shook his head firmly.
"Nope, I lost. I used something I shouldn't have," he insisted.
"Hmm," Wilhelm nodded, choosing not to press further.
"Though I must admit, your skills are well-polished, and you don't seem to lack experience. If we both used mana to enhance ourselves, I doubt I could win easily," he complimented.
"You shouldn't praise me. You should praise my teacher who trained me. She really is the best of the best," Subaru replied, giving credit to Reina.
"If I'm not being too presumptuous, may I ask who your teacher is?" Wilhelm inquired, clearly curious.
"She's someone you know very well," Subaru smirked. Wilhelm's eyes narrowed.
'It can't be… Is it her?' he wondered, then shook his head, doubting that Monster would train anyone.
"Her name is Reina Van Astrea," Subaru declared proudly. Wilhelm was stunned.
"R-Reina?" he whispered in disbelief, falling silent.
Soon Felix returned and looked surprised to see Wilhelm deep in thought, while Subaru stood quietly nearby.
"Nyah What happened?" Felix asked.
"Nothing, my friend. Just a small spar between a junior and a senior," Wilhelm replied, nodding toward Subaru.
"Sir Zero, I hope you can become a Royal Knight soon," Wilhelm said before climbing into the carriage.
Soon after, they departed.
…
Meanwhile, Subaru tried to replicate what he had involuntarily done—and successfully teleported.
'Amazing! It seems I have unlocked a new psychic ability!' he thought excitedly. His control over psychic energy had apparently met the criteria to unlock teleportation.
He tried again, this time teleporting to the village.
He appeared successfully but immediately grabbed his head in pain.
'I guess I can't teleport too far. It drains too much of my psychic energy,' he thought.
However, looking back at his progress over the past month and his sparring match with Wilhelm gave him much-needed confidence.
Finally, he wasn't so weak anymore.
To be continued...
(A/N: I was debating whether to divide this chapter further, but you guys deserve a long chapter anyway. Also, I won't be uploading any other fics this week, so please give all your powerstones to this fic—I want to break into the top 50 to gain more exposure among readers.
Don't donate powerstones to my other fics; you won't get any new chapters there.
Just so you know, this fic has a comfortable total of 50 chapters, with 22 currently released.
Some chapters are super short, some are medium length, and a few are as long as this one.
EDITED NOTE: IT IS 3k words now!)