Garfiel stood in front of the carriage that had just crossed the barrier. The driver was a frail-looking man, but the scents the demihuman picked up indicated there were two more people in the carriage.
In fact, Garfiel immediately recognized one of the scents. Just as he was about to shout her name to lure her out, Rem emerged from the cabin.
"You're finally here, Rem!"
"Garfiel, have you seen a black-haired boy?"
After the incident with the pendant, Rem had examined Emilia's condition, relieved to find that she had only lost consciousness, but Leandro was missing.
She knew she couldn't leave the boy alone, as he was a magnet for trouble. Garfiel's appearance at that moment was very convenient, as he could track Leandro by his scent.
Rem quickly explained the situation to Garfiel.
"Is this the same guy Ram told me about? Did he really do all that with the White Whale and the Witch Cult?"
"That's right. I was there when it happened."
"I see... How does a guy like that get lost in the woods?" He crossed his arms. "Isn't that a little suspicious?"
The maid grabbed the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"Just help me find him, Garfiel."
"Fine, fine." He walked away reluctantly. "I'll go get him now."
"I'm going with you."
"Huh? Why?" He frowned suspiciously. "Me is more than enough."
"I won't let you go alone. You'll do something reckless, like challenge him to a fight."
"Good idea! What are you talking about, Rem? I would never do something like– hey, what is that?" Garfiel pointed at the carriage and Rem looked over, thinking Emilia had woken up, but it was a trap. "See you around!"
With that, Garfiel disappeared into the trees with an agility that Rem couldn't match without using her demonic horn, though that didn't stop her.
"Master Otto! I'm leaving Lady Emilia in your care!" She made that declaration before leaping into the forest to follow Garfiel.
Poor Otto was still trying to comprehend what had happened and why he was suddenly in charge of a Royal Candidate's security. If he had to make it to the settlement on his own, how would he look when the Marquis showed up with his unconscious charge, without Leandro or Rem to lend him credibility?
"Ah, why do I always end up in these kinds of situations? And this time it's not my bad luck, it's Leandro's fault!"
Patrasche looked at him sideways, as if she didn't like what he'd said. Otto sighed in resignation.
"Sorry about that. Let's move on."
On the other hand, Garfiel arrived at the ruins following Leandro's scent, just in time to see the black-haired man coming out of there.
"There you are, stranger!"
The blond man ran toward him, leaping up the stairs and landing in front of the butler. At first glance, Leandro's appearance made no impression on Garfiel, beyond his unusual hair color.
No, there was actually something strange about him. There was a gleam in his eyes, and his presence radiated something Garfiel recognized as murderous intent, tensing his body to protect himself from the imminent danger. However, Leandro sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, the bloodlust was gone, as was the menacing light in his gaze.
"I'm sorry about that."
"You bastard... You're Leandro, aren't you?" Garfiel instinctively understood that the man in front of him couldn't be underestimated, and while he still wanted to test his prowess, the earlier demonstration persuaded him to be cautious for the moment.
If, on the other hand, Leandro had provoked him in the slightest, Garfiel wouldn't have hesitated to start a fight. The good thing was that Leandro didn't do anything as stupid as that... He wasn't so immature as to get into a fight with a fourteen-year-old boy and lose because he was arrogant.
Cough, cough.
"Why do I feel like someone's making fun of me? Could it be Echidna?" The black-haired man wondered, nodding at the demi-human's question. "Yeah, you must be Garfiel."
"In the flesh! My great self protects this place from external threats." He stated proudly. "You can say I'm the eye of the Sanctuary."
Garfiel didn't want to be left behind by another's exploits, especially if it was Ram's companion. Leandro understood this thanks to what he knew about him. He extended his hand to shake the teenager's hand, who looked at him suspiciously but returned the greeting so as not to appear cowardly.
An electrifying pressure coursed through Garfiel's body upon contact, and though he tried to resist the squeeze, he couldn't exert any force at all. The blond grunted, feeling indignant at the intimidating gesture, but the butler smiled innocently and released him.
"You have a powerful physique, worthy of a great warrior." He patted him on the arms. "I wouldn't want to be your enemy."
Garfiel was flattered and forgot his earlier anger for a moment.
"Heh! It's good that you noticed so quickly! By the way, what the hell did you do just now?" He frowned.
"Just now? Oh, excuse my bad manners. I was testing your strength with one of my techniques. I promise I didn't mean to be rude."
Unbeknownst to Garfiel, his encounter from the previous loop had enlightened Leandro. Since the Sloth's authority was weakened, trying to suppress someone's movements by simply wrapping their body wouldn't work if the target was overwhelmingly strong, like Garfiel.
Leandro then recalled what Subaru had done to Emilia in the fifth arc, when he removed the Lion Heart that Regulus had imposed on Emilia. Testing his theory, he was able to confirm that the energy of his authority could enter the target's body and affect it from within.
All the butler did was touch some nerves in Garfiel's arm, producing a much more effective result than the other method. Out of curiosity, he also tried to see if he could damage his heart or brain, but when he tried to spread his energy to those areas, the power was deactivated, and the same thing happened when he approached other vital organs.
"Is this another self-imposed limit my brain imposes? Maybe it's because it's related to a taboo? It's true that I still don't feel capable of killing someone in cold blood..."
But that wasn't the point. He'd found a solution for using his authority effectively, even against formidable opponents. With such power, he might not have to fear for his life in the near future. He felt relieved.
Garfiel still stared at him curiously. All he saw was a young man barely into adulthood, with no detail in his appearance or body language that could have indicated combat experience. Leandro was an average man in every way, but the oni sisters' words and the fleeting emanation of hostility that made Garfiel's skin crawl told a different story.
If that man was so cunning, so skillful, as to do all those things, Garfiel had to make sure he wasn't a threat to the Sanctuary and its people, especially since he would soon learn what was going on regarding the demand to liberate the Sanctuary. Therefore, Garfiel didn't allow himself to let his guard down.
"I ran into Rem on the way. She's been looking for you like you're a lost child. I don't understand why she's so worried."
"Was she alone? Wasn't there a carriage?" Leandro grabbed his chin, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, yeah. There was one: I saw a guy driving by and Lady Emilia was supposed to be there."
The butler sighed, acting as if hearing that brought him relief.
"Good, so nothing happened to them... And how did you find me?"
"By your scent. I followed your trail here."
"Great, looks like you have quite a few tricks up your sleeve. Could you help me find Rem, please?"
"You even say the same thing she said... However, that won't be necessary." With a satisfied expression, Garfiel turned around and pointed at some trees, from between which Rem's figure emerged a few seconds later.
The blue-haired maid hurried to catch up with the two figures she had glimpsed, but when she was close enough, she realized they weren't fighting. Her heart relaxed at the sight of Leandro safe and sound. However, the witch's scent was a little more intense now. Rem wondered what could have happened to her companion during the short time he had been separated from her.
"Are you okay?" Rem wasn't referring to Leandro's physical health, and he knew it.
"Yeah, nothing much happened." He replied with a wink.
Rem nodded slowly, getting the message. Leandro had had some experience he couldn't talk about in front of Garfiel. The change in his scent implied that the witch's gift had recently been activated.
Garfiel looked at them both, irritated by their mutual understanding. He longed for that level of intimacy with Ram. Besides, he didn't like people hiding things from under his nose. It wasn't as if Garfiel was doubting Rem, but it was clear she had a connection with Leandro, which limited Rem's objectivity when it came to analyzing and understanding his motivations.
"I should ask Ram about this guy."
***
For the rest of the way to the settlement, Garfiel kept asking me pointed questions about how I defeated the White Whale and about my fight with the Archbishops. I told him almost everything, including the creation of the weapons we used to execute the beast. When I showed him my revolver, he jumped with excitement and asked me to lend it to him so he could use it, which I flatly refused.
"You selfish bastard! In that case, I'll create my own firearm! I'll even do it better than you!" He declared with determination. I shrugged at his childish, fleeting whim.
"You'll have to find a blacksmith if you want to do it. However, no one is as good as Nadir. Any other blacksmith would take more time and effort."
I shook my head in denial. Creating firearms in this world was a very dangerous thing to do, but I doubted Garfiel could pull it off. As for those who could, I hoped they'd never get the chance. If something like what happened in the royal capital were to happen again, I'd be the one most to blame.
Rem kept staring at me, as if she wanted to bore a hole in my head. Evidently, she wanted to be alone with me to find out what I saw. As strange as it may sound, the inability to speak privately with Rem right now was actually working to my advantage. My plan required waiting a little longer before doing that, as I needed to set the stage properly for the occasion.
We finally arrived at a small village full of demi-humans, who looked at me with distrust and fear, just like the women did when I tried to talk to them. Damn adult traumas...
Moving a little further, we meet Ram, Otto, Patrasche and Emilia.
"Leandro, you didn't tell me Rem's sister was so terrifying!"
I gave Otto a wry smile.
"That's true, I just mentioned that she's bitter because she has a flat chest."
Ram glared at me with murderous eyes, but her attention shifted to Rem, who went to greet her with Garfiel. Emilia quickly approached me.
"Roswaal wants to see us. He asked me to wait for you."
"Come on, I'll tell her Otto spoke ill of her favorite servant. Although I did too."
Hearing this, Otto turned pale and panicked.
"WAIT, THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!"
I laughed out loud, and Garfiel joined me, finding Otto's desperation amusing as he began to cry and beg for his life. I let him be a little longer, but then I made it clear to him it was a joke.
"Idiot, do you really think I'm going to betray you after you kept Emilia safe all the way here? Right now, I'm the one who owes you."
I patted him on the back (the foolproof male therapy technique) and headed to Ryuzu's house, where Roswaal was currently staying.
"Oh, Lady Emilia and Leeeeandro. It's been a whiiiiiiile."
The Marquis greeted us with a new look: his entire body was covered in bandages.
"Hey, how many times are you going to change costumes? First a clown, and now you're a mummy?"
"Don't mock Master Roswaal, Leandoor."
The pink-haired maid bared her teeth at me, like an aggressive pet protecting its owner.
"It's okay, Ram. It's his way of expressing affection and concern."
"Ugh, no." I gag.
As the atmosphere became a little strange, Emilia took the initiative.
"Roswaal, what's going on here? I've been feeling nervous ever since I crossed the barrier. People call it Sanctuary, but it feels more like..."
"Like a witch's graveyard?"
Emilia was speechless at Roswaal's suggestion, who proceeded to explain the origin of the Sanctuary, although obviously without giving many details.
When he mentioned Echidna, I felt a slight shiver run through my body as I remembered our kiss. It was my first kiss in years, and I'd never had such a grown-up kiss before.
Unconsciously, I brought my hand to my lips and smiled. Roswaal didn't miss my gesture, raising an eyebrow at me reacting that way after the allusion to his beloved.
"Do you have anything to contribute, Leandro?"
"Ah... Well, actually, yes. I assume you're already aware of the things I did in your absence, especially regarding dealing with a problem that was your responsibility to solve. I'd like to hear an explanation as to why the hell you didn't come and stand up when the witch's cult was about to commit a massacre. Were you involved or something?"
"Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm afraid I'm not without my flaws. Even today, I make mistakes from time to time."
"That's a fancy way of saying you're a fucking idiot." I mocked scathingly.
"Enough, I won't tolerate any more disrespect!" Ram shot me a small wind slash, an action that took Emilia by surprise and brought an amused smile to Roswaal's face.
"What's wrong? Does it bother you when someone points out your master's incompetence?" I sneered as blood oozed from the gash on my cheek. "Why won't you let him talk? Do you think he can't defend himself against my accusations?"
"You...!"
Roswaal stopped her with a gesture. His smile hadn't faded, quite the opposite.
"Enough, Ram. It's true that I've been negligent, Leandro. That's why I'm happy to have found you. You can do everything I can't accomplish on my own. That's why I feel confident in putting everything in your hands when mine are tied."
"Whatever that means, how are you so sure I'm going to do what you want, or the way you expect?"
Ram growled. Emilia looked at us in anguish. I just sighed.
"You don't need to know. As for the explanation you demand, it's a simple one to answer. Ram, the villagers, and I... We're all prisoners in the Sanctuary. In fact, now that they've come, Lady Emilia and you will also be involved in this matter."
"What? What's this all about, Roswaal?" Emilia also wanted to understand what was going on.
As if waiting for the right moment, Garfiel opened the door and entered the room.
"It's about liberating the Sanctuary."
"Garfiel? What are you talking about?" Emilia was dismayed.
"People of mixed blood who have crossed the barrier to come here can never leave. But for the rest of us, the barrier is of no consequence. Don't you think it's unfair, Lady Emilia?" He asked pointedly. "There's only one way to break the barrier, and that's by going through the cemetery trial, but if someone of pure blood tries it..."
He looked at Roswaal, implying that the bandages on his body reflected the consequences of attempting the tests without being qualified.
"How are the villagers?" My voice sounded a little harsher than I intended.
The demi-human smiled and crossed his arms.
"They're fine. We haven't hurt them, and they're getting three meals a day. Of course, that's as long as you don't try to be too clever."
"What do you want from us?" I finally asked.
Garfiel pointed at Emilia.
"Let her break the barrier. If she can't do it, we won't let anyone go, and she won't be able to leave either, of course."