Chapter 72: For Oneself
"Uh... then could you tell me your name? By the way, my name is Subaru Natsuki, and I am a servant at the manor."
Hearing Subaru's words, the old man was momentarily stunned, then carefully scrutinized Subaru's entire body again, finally resting his gaze on Subaru's eyes.
"Subaru Natsuki? That's quite a strange name. I am Wilhelm van Astrea, as you can see, also a servant."
So long! I definitely won't remember that. But somehow, the name sounds familiar...
"Nice to meet you," Subaru said a bit embarrassed, then poured some more tea into Wilhelm's cup.
The old man silently looked at Subaru, not quite understanding why Subaru had come to him. Regardless of Subaru's purpose, he wouldn't reveal any information.
Subaru fell silent for a moment, trying to recall why the name sounded familiar. Since the man came from the royal capital, there was a high chance they were related.
"Um, excuse me, do you know Reinhard?"
"...I do. He is the Sword Saint of the kingdom. There is no one in this world who does not know his name."
Subaru observed the old man's expression, which didn't change.
He thought he must have misheard or mistaken him.
"Oh, Reinhard is really that famous? I thought he was only known in the royal capital."
"From your words, it seems you know the Sword Saint?"
"Yes, he saved me once."
"I see."
Subaru nodded, glanced around to confirm no one else was nearby, then asked,
"Um... may I ask how much your salary is?"
"Hm?"
Wilhelm looked at Subaru strangely, unsure why he would ask such a question. Subaru sighed and said,
"Actually, this is my first time doing this kind of work. I have a bunch of things to do every day, and my salary isn't much, so I wanted to ask about your salary."
"...Young man, isn't it a bit improper to talk about your own master this way?"
"I'm not saying anything bad, just complaining about work. Also, this is the first time I've met someone dressed like me, so I'm just a bit curious. If you don't want to answer, that's fine."
Saying this, Subaru put the teapot on the dragon carriage.
"Well, I'll leave this tea here. I'll come back to clean up later."
"No need. I'll probably leave soon."
"Is that so..." Subaru picked up the teapot again. "Then I'll keep you company here. Of course, it would be nice if we could talk more."
Wilhelm took a sip of tea and said,
"Have you recently begun practicing swordsmanship?"
"Huh? You can tell?"
Subaru looked himself over in confusion.
He wasn't even carrying a sword, so how could it be obvious?
"You have some new calluses on your palms, and there are still some healing wounds between your thumb and index finger."
"Oh, really? I didn't notice. I probably hurt myself while training."
Wilhelm watched Subaru's hand and said,
"I have a question, too. Normally, you should know some 'self-defense techniques.' Why do you want to practice swordsmanship?"
"Huh? Except for some sword techniques I just recently learned, I don't know any self-defense techniques at all. If anything, I'm only somewhat good at running away."
Wilhelm saw the honesty in Subaru's eyes, which deepened his curiosity.
As someone who once lived by the sword and achieved great feats on the battlefield, he could sense in Subaru's gaze a familiarity with death.
Moreover, Subaru did not seem afraid of death.
No one is completely unafraid of death — even the strongest and bravest on the battlefield feel fear.
But such people do not let that fear consume them entirely.
Still, it is impossible to be totally without fear of death.
Those who are either mad or seeking death alone show no fear at all.
However, standing before Wilhelm was Subaru, who was hard to read.
He did not fear death and seemed accustomed to it.
His words and actions were normal, and he showed a certain attachment to life. People who cherish life could never be so casual about death.
After all, a fondness for life naturally distances one from death.
"I see. No self-defense techniques, huh? You're quite a strange person."
"Well, you're not the first to say that. Do I really look that strange?"
"Not strange exactly, just an interesting person."
"Basically the same thing," Subaru sighed.
Being called strange no longer affected him; after all, in this world, he truly was an odd person.
"By the way, I have some knowledge of swordsmanship. If you don't mind, I can teach you. But first, you have to answer one question."
"What question?" Subaru asked excitedly. This person, who clearly had a strong presence, offering to teach him, made Subaru eager.
"Why do you want to learn swordsmanship?"
"For what? Of course, it's for myself."
"But your eyes don't look like someone doing it for themselves. Although I have not lived as long as those who seek immortality, I have seen enough. Generally, people who become strong for themselves don't have such a self-disparaging look."
"Do I?" Subaru looked at Wilhelm, puzzled.
"But I really am doing it for myself. If I can't become stronger, I can't achieve what I want."
"What do you want to do... Young man, go fetch a wooden sword. I will teach you some training methods."
"Okay! Wait for me!"
Wilhelm watched Subaru quickly put down the teapot and leave.
He took another sip of tea, feeling somewhat satisfied with this trip, as he had met a rather decent person.
.
.
.
"Alright then, Lady Emilia, we will be leaving now."
"Yes, then please take care of things."
"Okay."
The speaker turned to look at the dragon carriage but found that the person beside it was gone.
"Sir?"
The one calling walked to the dragon carriage but didn't find the person he was looking for.
"What's wrong, Felix?"
"Hmm, Sir Wilhelm is missing. That's strange. He usually wouldn't disappear without a word."
While Felix was puzzled, a distant cry of pain was heard.
"What's that sound over there?"
Emilia smiled at Felix's question and said,
"Ah, it should be Subaru training."
"Subaru? Oh, that guy? Well, I still need to find Sir Wilhelm, so why don't you take me to see? It's a good chance to check on things."