"You have no choice in the matter. Obey, or die."
—
I woke with a gasp. Breath flooded my lungs, and a cough wracked my body as I choked on my own saliva.
My hand darted under the pillow. Cold fingers found the dagger, drew it with a hiss of metal, and aimed it at the door.
The chair I'd propped against the doorknob was still in place. No sign of entry. Nothing disturbed.
Slowly, my breath began to settle. My heart stopped sprinting.
'What the fuck was that!?'
No memory. Just the feeling.
A crawling cold, like icewater trickling up from my toes to my spine.
I sat back against the headboard, chest rising and falling. My eyes fixed on the drawn curtains. Thin rays of sunlight bled through the cracks. Birds sang outside, their songs threading into the stillness.
'I'm okay. I'm fine… enough of this shit.'
Reason and Judgement
Click
Time fractured.
The world halted under my will. No breath. No pulse. Just stillness.
The room froze. My fear froze. And in its place bloomed that familiar, perfect quiet.
'This is beneath us.'
The mantra rang through my skull like a chime, steady and certain. I let time slip forward. Breath returned, calm and even. My heart beat steady.
What do I have to fear?
Nothing.
What could threaten me?
No one.
I stood up from the bed and mechanically dressed myself. Pants, boots, jacket, sword, arm bag, dagger, single glove.
At the window, I threw the curtains wide. A brilliant blue sky greeted me. In the glass, a calm smile. Eyes of dull gold, glowing faintly in the morning light.
I stood there for a long moment.
The cloak of confidence that came with my Authority was gone, but the beauty of the morning remained.
How often had I taken time to admire things like this, back on Earth?
Living in the city meant there was less nature… but even around the city, there was beauty to be found. I'd simply never bothered to look for it.
Never bothered to just watch the clouds drift by—
That was something I could get lost in here.
Who says I can't just go wandering off over the long sweeping hills in the distance? Or taking a hike through the dense forest that surrounds this manor?
Why not just go—
A rattle from my next-door neighbor shook me from the moment.
I exhaled, letting a puff of fog touch the glass.
Then I stepped away from the window, hand brushing the hilt of my sword, and walked toward the door. Picking up my make-shift barricade, I placed the chair back in the corner where it had been in the first place.
Stepping into the hallway, I glanced in both directions.
No one.
Subaru had just woken up, but it seemed he hadn't yet left his room.
Perfect. More me time.
I sat down in the same alcove as last night and drew my sword.
The blade itself was still clean. Or it looked clean. I wasn't exactly a blacksmith.
I turned it slightly, half-curious to see if I could catch my reflection—
THUD.
My head snapped down the hallway.
A couple doors down, past Subaru's room, something slammed open, and then Subaru himself came flying out, no tracksuit, and flailing like a fish launched from a trebuchet.
He hit the carpet face-first with a slap that made me wince.
"BWAGH—!"
With a dramatic cry of indignation, he hopped back to his feet, spun on his heel, and lunged for the door he'd been launched from.
SLAM.
Right in his face.
Unfettered, he grabbed the knob and twisted, but whatever was on the other side wasn't what he was looking for. He closed the door with a dejected sigh before turning and catching sight of me.
"Oh, hey! Ethan!" he called, already jogging over like we were old pals who'd just run into each other at a convenience store. "Dude, my morning's already been nuts! Remember that crazy loli from last night?"
He was bombarding me off rip.
"Yeah," I said, resting my hand on my sword. "Beatrice, right?"
"That's the one! Man, I wake up, open my door like a normal person, and next thing I know, I'm in her library. Then she acts like I'm the weirdo for being there! I was just asking her a few normal questions, you know, what she does, if she got a good sleep, what book she's reading, and bam! She blasts me out like I'd insulted her very existence."
"You've had it rough, buddy." I clicked my sword back into its scabbard and stood up, patting him on the shoulder like a grieving friend.
That was a lie. I'd tuned out after his first sentence. Who the hell has this much energy in the morning?
"Exactly! Finally, someone who gets it. Anyway, do you know where Emilia is? Or what we're even supposed to be doing?"
I shook my head and leaned around him to peek down the hallway.
No footsteps. No voices. No maids. This place was too big to be run by just Ram and Rem, right? So where was the rest of the staff?
"I don't know where Emilia is," I said finally, turning back to look him over. "Also... did you even bathe last night?"
He blinked, then sniffed his own armpit like a man checking milk past its expiration date.
"...You know what? Now that you mention it, no. I didn't."
I narrowed my eyes, and he immediately went full damage control.
"Hey, hey, not my fault! There wasn't a bathroom in my room! I went full stealth mode through the hallways at, like, the ass-crack of dawn, opening every single door I saw. You have any idea how many broom closets this place has?"
"Mhm," I grunted. "I wandered around a bit last night, too. Had to have Ram help me find the bath. But in the end, I did find it."
"Wait. Don't tell me. Was it in the one place you didn't check?"
I shrugged while nodding my head, "It was back past a stairwell that I went down. I didn't notice the secret third hallway; I was already feeling overwhelmed. I don't often get to go snooping around rich people's mansions, you know?"
"I totally get that! It's so much like a palace that all I can say is whoa."
I nodded in agreement before I gestured down the hall. "So, bath?"
He snapped his fingers and pointed at me like I'd just solved a riddle. "Bath."
And with that, I led the way back to the bath chamber I'd used last night.
The halls were still silent. Still empty. No signs of life.
When I opened the door to the bath chamber, nothing had changed. The room was filled with warm steam, the lights were on, the bath was full, and it looked like the water hadn't even cooled.
"Okay… who runs this place?" I muttered. "It looks exactly the same as last night."
"I didn't see a soul when I was creeping around earlier," Subaru said, eyes wide as he stepped inside. "It's like we're in some kinda fancy abandoned mansion that just happens to be in perfect condition."
With a snort and a wave, I offered to watch the door while he bathed. Letting out a sigh, I leaned against the wall beside the door and stared out the nearby window.
The sky was still clear, the forest still stood, and Subaru still didn't seem very suspicious.
Then—
Pitter-patter-pitter-patter-THUDTHUDTHUD—
From the nearby stairwell came the sound of someone absolutely hauling ass down the steps.
Emilia came into view, flying down three steps at a time like a silver-haired hurricane.
I blinked. "Lia?"
She spotted me, her eyes lit up, and a smile bloomed across her face.
Then she paused, standing mid-stair, seemed to consider something—
And leapt off the damn stairwell.
'What the hell?' was all I managed to think as I watched her land from half a floor up like it was nothing.
Perfect posture. No stumble. No grimace.
Then she just skipped over to me, bright as ever.
I stared slack-jawed for a second before physically bopping myself in the temple to reset my brain.
"Alright, I'm awake now. What's the rush?"
Emilia shifted on her feet, suddenly hesitant. "...You're going to think I'm a silly girl."
'Wait, so there's no danger then?'
"I promise I won't laugh or think less of you," I said. "Whatever it is."
"You promise?"
I nodded.
She looked down. "I knocked on your door, but you didn't answer. So I… peeked inside. You weren't there. Then I checked Subaru's room, and he wasn't there either. I thought... You two left. That you ran off before I could properly thank you."
I gave her a look, "…So no one's invading the manor?"
She tilted her head in utter confusion. "Uh. No?"
"Right. Of course not."
I threw my arms wide. "Well, here I am. Not vanished. And Subaru's in there," I said, thumbing toward the door behind me. "Getting cleaned up so he can impress the local girls."
She let out a deep breath, and I watched her whole body relax like someone had just unclenched a knot in her spine.
"I'm so glad," she said. "I thought you didn't want to be around me."
I blinked in surprise. "Why would you worry about that now? I fought by your side, and before that, I'd walked half the capital with you. You can't get rid of me that easily."
I paused for a second, that sounded kind of bad out of context, "That is, unless you want me gone."
"Not at all!" she blurted, her voice rising with almost too much urgency.
That caught me off guard. "Uh… okay? Well, if we're on the same page, let's do this right."
"Good morning, Lia," I said with a small nod.
"You're still calling me that?" she asked, voice soft with wonder.
'Fuck. Is that bad?'
"Calling you what? Lia? Do you not like it? I can stop."
She shook her head so fast it nearly created a breeze. Her silver hair whipped sunlight straight into my eyes.
"No, no, it's fine! It's just… Puck's the only one who ever gave me a nickname. So if you do… it makes me really, reeeally happy."
I had the sudden urge to hug this poor girl. If the only person in her life who ever gave her a nickname was a floating cat, then clearly the bar had been set low.
Of course, I doubted she was being completely honest. It's not that nobody had given her nicknames, just that none of them had held any affection due to her appearance.
While I thought that, she straightened up and smiled at me. "Good morning, Ethan."
Before I could say anything further, the bath chamber door creaked open, and out walked Subaru, damp-haired and refreshed.
'He actually looks pretty decent with his hair down.'
"Man… that felt amazing! You should've hopped in with me, Ethan."
I turned slightly, and he finally noticed who was standing behind me.
"Whoa—Emilia!?"
His voice shot up an octave as he yeeted himself back behind the door like a cartoon rabbit dodging a frying pan.
Emilia and I blinked in confusion as he peeked out from the crack
"I-I didn't think we were close enough for you to see me post-bath, Emilia-tan~"
I slapped a hand over my face.
'This kid… I swear to god, he actually seemed decent for a little bit, then Emilia shows up and he suddenly loses his brain.'
"Huh? 'Tan'? What does that mean?" she asked, genuinely puzzled and completely ignoring anything about him bathing.
Subaru stiffened. Turning even more bashful.
"Uh… you can just ignore that one," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head and averting his gaze.
I sighed. Deeply.
"Alright, no more of this shy maiden routine. Get your ass out here so we can get on with the day."
I reached through the doorway, grabbed him by the shoulders, and dragged him out while offering Emilia the fakest customer service smile I could muster.
Once the boy was forcibly extracted, Emilia wasted no time launching into her original plan to give us a tour of the manor gardens.
She led us down the still-silent halls, her voice lighting up every corner with rapid-fire chatter.
She talked about her usual morning routine. About Puck being lazy. Asked us how we were feeling. Gushed about her favorite quiet corners in the mansion. Wondered aloud what the latest spirit gossip might be.
Subaru, of course, matched her mile-a-minute energy with glee. I just nodded, made simple replies, and smiled when appropriate. That seemed to satisfy her well enough.
She kept beaming at me like I was saying all the right things, when I wasn't saying much of anything.
For me?
All this light-hearted talk was draining my social meter fast.
And the day hadn't even started.
Eventually, we made it to the "garden," as Emilia called it.
Though calling it a garden felt generous.
It was less a cultivated space and more a wide, open field of soft grass. Not a flower bed or decorative tree in sight, just green stretching out beneath the morning sun near the front of the manor.
Subaru, naturally, said what I was thinking out loud. "This is really big! The mansion's huge, but this is more like a grassland than a garden. I figured it'd be like those manga, you know, dinner parties surrounded by roses, ivy, and all sorts of fantasy plants that glow."
"I'm not sure what this 'mang-ah' is," Emilia said, smiling patiently. "Anyway… is there anything you two want to do out here?"
'You brought us out here without a plan?'
I looked around. A structure a little way off caught my eye, offering shade, at least.
I pointed. "How about we sit over there? Get out of the sun."
Neither of them argued.
We made our way to a well-crafted stone gazebo, nestled near a tiny bridge and a narrow moat.
As we sat in the shade, a warm breeze passed by, brushing against my face.
I leaned back, closed my eyes, and let the wind tousle my hair.
A high-pitched, androgynous voice cut through the air.
"You look like you're enjoying yourselves."
I cracked one eye open.
"Good morning, Puck," Emilia greeted, smiling up at the floating furball.
"Good morning, Lia~!" Puck chirped back.
I finally sat up and gave the spirit a lazy wave. Subaru, for once, stayed quiet.
He looked like he was thinking about something.
Puck caught sight of my wave and, like the little menace he was, dove straight into my hand.
His fur flopped against my palm, and before I knew it, I was petting him. In that moment, he really did feel like one of the neighborhood cats back home. Not a floating elemental death machine that could blow a house up before going to bed.
"You think a lot, Ethan," he said suddenly.
"Is that a bad thing?" I murmured, scratching behind one of his ears.
"Mmm… nope!" he purred. "So long as you keep petting me like this and making Lia smile, you're all good in my book!"
"Is that so?" I questioned, smiling faintly.
Puck purred louder, completely satisfied.
"It's rare," Emilia said, watching us. "For someone to touch a spirit so easily."
"Really? What does that mean?"
"It means you've probably got good spirit affinity," she explained. "People like that can form contracts with spirits more easily."
"Though good luck forming a contract with a spirit like me!" Puck added, puffing out his chest dramatically.
"So you're a big deal, huh?" I asked, tickling his stomach.
Puck let out a noise that was somewhere between laughter and a purr. Even Emilia giggled, her hand over her mouth. The sound was… nice.
Eventually, I let the cat go, and he floated up to bop me gently on the nose.
"I'm one of the strongest spirits in the world!" he said proudly. "Which makes my daughter all the more impressive for forming a contract with me."
"She's got incredible affinity," he continued. "And while you can touch me, and your affinity isn't bad…"
Puck zipped across the gazebo and hovered in front of Subaru, who had remained unusually silent.
"You've got a really strong affinity," Puck said. "You're the one from the slums, aren't you? I remember you!"
Subaru's head snapped up. His eyes widened.
"…You remember me, Puck?" His voice cracked just slightly.
"Yup!" Puck chirped. "You're the guy who hid in a corner and then jumped out to give a big, dramatic speech to the rude girl with knives!"
Subaru blinked. That… clearly wasn't what he'd hoped to hear.
A faint flicker of hurt crossed his face, quickly buried under a confident smile.
"Well then," he said, standing up and striking a ridiculous pose, thumb to his chest, "I guess I'll just have to introduce myself properly!"
He grinned. "I'm Natsuki Subaru! Totally broke and completely lost!"
Puck hovered closer, swaying mid-air with his usual sing-song tone. "Well then, Natsuki Subaru~ What would you like as a reward for helping my Lia?"
"My reward? Did I do something worthy of getting a reward?" Subaru scratched the back of his neck, casting a glance at Emilia, then briefly at me.
Puck hummed an affirmative, while I considered that the kid didn't think getting his arm practically chopped off was worth something.
Finally, Subaru replied. "Uh… let me fluff that fur whenever I want?"
Puck paused, floating dramatically like he was weighing the request with deep philosophical thought.
"Hmmmm… granted! And no takebacks."
"Let's go!" Subaru cheered, scooping Puck into his arms and starting a full-on petting session, much like the one I'd done earlier.
But unlike with me, Puck never closed his eyes. He stayed alert. Watching.
"Sooooo…" he began, casually, "why'd you want to give my Lia back her insignia, huh?"
Subaru froze. "Wait. You heard that?"
"Oh, I was there," Puck said smugly. "Ethan had this whole plan with cloaks and fake identities; they even tried to act like they were working for some noble. I lounged around— I mean, I stayed alert in the cloak while that whole deal was going down."
"You already slipped up; there's no recovering from that one," Subaru stated with a deadpan look while shaking his head.
"So, how did you know about my insignia, Subaru?" Emilia asked, her voice soft but curious.
That caught my attention.
I sat up, folding my hands together.
"You were even willing to wager a valuable 'metia' to win it," I added. "Why go that far?"
Subaru hesitated. He kept petting Puck, but his eyes wouldn't land on any of us.
"I… uh…" He glanced at Emilia, voice dropping.
"You probably don't remember, but… You saved my life once." His tone was serious, uncharacteristically so.
"When I found out something important to you had been stolen, I wanted to help. I wanted to repay you."
Emilia blinked, visibly trying to recall something. Her brow furrowed.
"I'm reeeally sorry," she said gently. "But… I don't remember ever meeting you."
Subaru looked away, face carefully blank.
Puck chimed in before the silence could drag.
"Don't worry, Lia. He's telling the truth, or at least what he believes is true. No malice, no bad intentions. Just a lot of melancholy."
"Hey!" Subaru whined. "Isn't there a law against digging around in a guy's sadness like that!?"
While they kept talking, I focused on his words.
He said Emilia saved him. But she doesn't remember it. Puck doesn't either. And I know she was with me and Reinhard for most of yesterday.
'So when did this 'saving' happen?'
"—Oh! What brings you two out here?" Emilia's voice broke through my thoughts.
I shelved the suspicion. It didn't really tell me anything and only increased suspicions I already had.
Following her gaze, I saw the only two maids I'd encountered in this place approaching us.
They bowed in perfect sync, mirror images in motion.
"Lady Emilia," they said in unison. "Our lord, Master Roswaal, has returned. Please come inside."
"Oh! Of course. Thank you, Rem, Ram." Emilia nodded politely. The twins turned and headed back toward the manor.
Subaru watched them go with an odd look in his eyes. Puck floated in slow reverse, swimming through the air like nothing mattered. Emilia looked back at us, and I gave her a simple nod.
She let out a soft, disappointed noise. "...I guess I'll have to talk to the spirits after breakfast, then."
———
Walking back through the manor to wherever this Margrave was, I finally asked the question that had been bothering me since I'd arrived at this estate.
"Hey, Emilia? Where are all the staff? I feel like I've only seen Rem and Ram, and only barely. For an estate this large, it's odd."
Emilia looked disappointed for a split second before she answered my question.
"That's because they're the only two staff on hand," she said. "Roswaal dismissed the rest of the manor's workers a little while ago… I can't remember if he ever told me why."
I hummed at that and half-heartedly swatted away Puck, who had taken to doing fly-bys on both me and Subaru while we continued marching down long hall after long hall.
Eventually, we reached a set of large double doors. Subaru, never one to hesitate when he probably should, stepped up and pushed them open.
The creak echoed down the silent hall like a warning bell. Our footsteps followed it into the room beyond, a long, lavish dining hall, complete with an ornate table and an even more ornate chair at the head.
As I followed Subaru inside, I gave the corners a quick scan.
And almost flinched.
There, standing against the wall like she had nothing better to do, was Beatrice.
"Hmm… it would seem you've yet to cause any trouble, I suppose."
"Wasn't planning on it in the first place," I muttered, not really caring if she heard me or not as I shifted further away from her to stand beside Emilia.
Beatrice gave me a huff for my actions and turned her attention to Subaru, who was now pointing a finger at her.
"You rude little loli! Don't you know it's poor manners to just throw people out of rooms all the time!?"
"Ha. It would appear you think I care about showing manners to a brute such as yourself, in fact. You are undeserving of even that basic courtesy, I suppose. Perhaps you've learned to stay out of my room now."
"Not at all." Subaru shot back with smug confidence.
"In fact," he mockingly began, "I think I'll make it my mission to bust into your room whenever I get the chance now!"
Before Beatrice could launch her next verbal missile, her expression transformed on the spot, from cold irritation to absolute joy.
And I mean squealing, starry-eyed fan-girl joy.
At what?
At the floating cat, of course.
"Hey, Betty. Haven't seen you in four days," Puck said from Emilia's shoulder, waving lazily. "Have you been doing well and staying ladylike?"
Not even close.
Is what I wanted to say.
The change in behaviour was so drastic and appalling that I took to patting myself down and making sure I hadn't dropped anything since I'd left my room as a distraction from reality.
The squealing intensified.
Sword? Still here.
Coins? Still jingling.
Dagger? Still secure on my hip.
Then—
Clack. Clink. Clack. Clink.
The sound of chains rattling and boots clicking down the hallway we came from cut through the air like a blade.
My hand paused at my belt.
I turned toward the sound.
And saw...
A clown.
"My, ohhhhh myyy! How unusual to see you in the dining room, Beatrice!"
He stepped up beside Subaru, completely ignoring him for the moment.
The man stood a little taller than Subaru, possibly even taller than me. With long, dark blue hair draped down his back, pale skin, and a slender frame, he already looked eccentric before you even glanced at his wardrobe.
And then you did.
Purple. Both light and dark, embroidered with gold. A long coat with a flared neckline, and was that a tacked-on imp tail?
Lipstick. Eyeliner. Heterochromia eyes: one gold, one blue.
Aesthetically, he looked like someone shoved a court jester, a nobleman, and a stage magician into a blender and poured the result into human skin.
Hands down, the strangest man I'd ever seen in either world.
"I'm soooo happy you've decided to dine with me at long last."
Beatrice ignored him completely.
I had the strongest suspicion that this wasn't a clown.
This was the Margrave.
Subaru, naturally, did not share my intuition, or simply didn't care.
He clapped the man on the back like they were old drinking buddies. "You guys seriously hired a clown to entertain you before meals? I don't think I'll ever understand rich people."
The man's smile didn't flicker. His eyes remained locked on Beatrice, who was still cuddling Puck like a beloved stuffed animal.
Emilia tried to clue Subaru in gently. "Um, Subaru, that man is—"
"Oh, nooooo, it's quite all right, Lady Emilia," the man interrupted, stretching his words with the elegance of a sleazy violin.
Subaru blinked. "Uh… what's going on?"
The man turned, dramatically sweeping a hand across his chest. "What she meeeans is that I am the lord of this manor, Roswaal L. Mathers. It's goooood that you feel so safe and comfortable under my roof…"
He leaned in.
"...Natsuki Subaru."
His voice dropped.
Flat. Emotionless. A void where his exaggerated theatrics had been.
Subaru flinched, taking a step back on instinct.
Roswaal simply smiled again, mask back in place, and strolled past him like nothing had happened.
And headed straight for me.
"And helloooo to you toooo, my dear boy. Are you finding your stay here to be… adequate?"
He stopped in front of me.
Our eyes met.
Gold and blue met gold and gold.
Reason and Judgement
Click
Time fractured.
His face.
His expression.
His eyes.
This is a man who knows far more than he lets on.
He matches the profile I'd thought up in the loot house when I first learned of him.
A man capable of holding the northern flank of the Kingdom must be intelligent. Skilled.
He plays the fool, but he is no idiot.
He looks at us like he sees through every layer.
We must remain calm. Collected. Controlled.
Don the mask, just as he dons his own.
I let Reason and Judgment fade. Breath returned. Heartbeat resumed.
The mask slid carefully onto my face, and the confidence from my Authority sealed it in place.
"I'm being well cared for, Lord Roswaal," I said evenly, giving a small bow of my head. "Thank you for your hospitality. My name is Ethan Caldwell, an honour to meet the Margrave of the West."
I laid it on a bit thick, but better to be careful than dead for somehow insulting the bastard.
Roswaal's smile widened, but it lacked true warmth. It was the kind of smile you'd see painted on the lips of a predator in a pantomime. Merely imitated to fool the less observant.
"Ooooohh~ so proper! I do appreciate a guest with manners." he placed a gloved hand on my shoulder, hand slowly brushing against the Astrea crest woven into the jacket I wore, "And hoooow would you say our manor compares to that of the Astrea Estate in the capital, hmmmm?"
That was a trap, plain and simple. A not-so-subtle jab at the Astrea crest stitched into my coat, me, flaunting another noble's colors while standing in his halls uninvited.
Before I could respond, he cut me off.
"I doooo apologize, that was a rather tactless question."
Tactless, sure. But definitely not accidental. He was seizing the reins of the conversation, steering it, shaping it, setting the tempo.
And that was fine by me.
The more he talked, the less I had to reveal.
I nodded politely, letting just enough warmth reach my voice.
"You have a beautiful manor, Margrave. There's a certain atmosphere here that I found lacking in the capital. Must be the countryside charm."
His smile deepened, the gleam in his eyes sharpening like the edge of a concealed blade. Without another word, he turned and glided to the head of the table.
Two sets of footsteps echoed behind us, Rem and Ram, pushing food trolleys adorned with plates and platters.
As they began setting the table, my attention shifted to logistics. Where to sit?
Memories flickered, movies, political dramas, fantasy novels. Generally, the closer to the head of the table, the more influence one held. The seat beside Roswaal? Off-limits. That was a throne for someone of equal or higher standing. Emilia, a royal candidate, would claim the spot to his right.
Which meant I should, logically, aim for a seat farther down. Keep a respectful distance, blend in, don't draw the wrong kind of attention—
A soft hand slipped into mine.
Before I could finish the thought, Emilia gently pulled me forward, guiding me without hesitation to the seat beside her. The exact seat I'd predicted she'd take.
'Damn it. That was a misstep.'
'Now I look like someone who can't make his own decisions. Worse, like someone being led.'
'My competence is on the table now. And so is the nature of our relationship. A touch like that, however innocent, can be read a dozen ways by the wrong eyes.'
I maintained my calm, the confidence of my past Authority use still guiding me, and I kept my eyes on Emilia's hair as she led me forward.
Reason and Judgement
Click
Time halted again, and my gaze drifted to Roswaal in the frozen stillness. No need to look around like a nervous fool in real time.
And of course, he was already looking at me. A look of calculation flittered across his features even in the still moment.
I considered panicking.
But my Authority crushed the impulse flat.
'Enough. No more pointless anxiety.'
'We're just here for a "reward." One we don't even particularly care about anymore. Sit down. Eat. Watch Subaru. Adjust as needed. Whatever the clown thinks doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't become a problem.'
Time resumed.
I gave Emilia's hand a light squeeze that she returned instantly.
Approaching my chair, I removed my sword from my hip and placed it down on the chair next to me.
Finally sliding into the seat beside Emilia, I tracked Subaru with my eyes as he flopped down next to Beatrice, who had claimed the chair directly beside Roswaal. It hinted at the strange relationship held between the clown and the girl.
The twin maids set the table with quiet, mechanical precision. Not a word between them. At least Rem was keeping her harsh glare to herself this time.
I held off, watching to see if there were any customs before eating. Reinhard never made a fuss about such things, but he was fairly easygoing by nature. Roswaal was less predictable.
With a theatrical clap, Roswaal broke the silence.
"Pleaaaase, do enjoy the fooooood~!"
And just like that, the meal began.
The spread was modest, nothing compared to the meals Flam and Grassis had laid out back at the estate, but it was serviceable. A bowl of steaming soup, salad with vibrant greens and something resembling tomatoes, warm baked bread, and a cup of… something I didn't immediately recognize.
Beatrice dug in first, cradling Puck in one arm as she spoon-fed him from her soup between little giggles. He looked perfectly content to let it happen.
Subaru launched into conversation, saying the food was leagues above what he was used to, then pivoting to the maids. He threw questions at them casually, as if trying to get a rise.
Behind Roswaal, the twins stood still as marble statues.
The clown-lord himself only chimed in occasionally, offering exaggerated praise for the maids' cooking, until, eventually, the conversation shifted.
Subaru's loud mouth quickly made it clear he wasn't from around here. He let slip things no local ever would, like not knowing the royal family was dead.
To be fair, I didn't know much either.
I just had the good sense to keep quiet and eat my food.
"It's truly astonishing that you've made it to the Kingdom of Lugunica, bypassed royal customs, and yet know nothing of the single most significant event in its modern history," Roswaal mused, amusement curling at the edge of his voice as he took a slow sip from his cup.
Even Emilia joined in, with less mockery, more concern. She referred to him as a "child," an innocent turn of phrase, though I got the impression she genuinely saw him that way.
Which was… strange.
Maybe it was a half-elf thing. Maybe she was older than she looked, older than her demeanor suggested.
The discussion shifted again, morphing into an impromptu history lesson. Subaru was brought up to speed: the royal bloodline was gone, wiped clean. In its place, an election had been organized by the Council of Wise Men, with the Dragon Stone used to identify worthy candidates.
Emilia placed her insignia on the table between us, a deliberate gesture.
I glanced at it. Subaru stared.
"Holding this insignia is the qualification for a royal candidate to be found worthy of sitting on the throne of Lugunica," Emilia explained, voice taut with tension.
Subaru, as expected, reacted the way anyone with half a brain might.
"Wait a minute… You seriously lost the badge that proves you're a royal candidate?!" he blurted, all tact abandoned.
An awkward back-and-forth followed. Emilia tried, mostly in vain, to justify how it had happened. Subaru kept pressing, incredulous at how catastrophic the loss could've been if things had gone differently.
I tuned it out.
They were having a conversation I'd already had with myself. The consequences were obvious. And again, it wasn't my place to yell at either the lord or the royal candidate seated at the same table.
So I remained silent. As I had from the start.
But there was one thread of thought that did hold my attention.
A theory I'd come up with back in the loot house, the possibility that all of this was part of a larger, deliberate conspiracy.
And that Roswaal himself might be involved.
'Well… conspiracies back on Earth were mainly about theories. This one feels a little too real for that.'
Emilia had told me she received the insignia the same day it was stolen. Roswaal, in all his wisdom, had apparently been fine sending her off into the capital alone, save for Ram.
Even now, seated in his own manor, the man didn't seem particularly invested in staffing it properly.
You could argue that fewer personnel reduced the risk of an information leak about Emilia's candidacy.
But for a margrave of his status? Surely he had more than a handful of trusted allies.
Still, it was speculation. And speculation wasn't the mission.
I was here to keep an eye on Subaru—
Though the more I reminded myself of that fact, the more irritated I became.
What finally pulled my full attention back to the present was the shift in conversation: rewards.
Subaru had just wrapped up a long-winded speech about being a concerned citizen who threw himself into danger for a stranger.
Which… to be fair, wasn't entirely untrue.
He puffed himself up, speaking of the assassin who nearly killed us all, then veered toward something sharper, blaming Roswaal, at least partially, for putting Emilia in that position in the first place.
"You're the one who dropped the ball by taking your eyes off someone as important as Emilia," Subaru said flatly. "Now, I'm not entirely sure where Ethan came into play, but I'm pretty sure he isn't associated with you in any official capacity."
"Indeeeed~," Roswaal replied, completely unbothered by the fact that a no-name peasant had just lobbed a thinly veiled accusation of negligence across the table.
"Ethan is not part of my staff, and it does make me wonder why he was present in the first place," he mused, eyes dancing. "But that can be discussed laaater, nooo? Still, you dooo have a point. I share responsibility for Ram's lack of discretion. But what is it you're trying to say, I wooonder?"
Subaru snapped his fingers and pointed, something that might've been offensive, if I remembered right. Pretty sure you weren't supposed to point at nobles.
"What I'm trying to say is that if you had properly had Emilia taken care of to begin with, then none of this would've happened. I wouldn't need to have stepped forward and offered up an expensive metia to try and buy the insignia back, and Ethan wouldn't have needed to engage in battle with a crazy assassin, which I took part in by the way."
Blunt, but not wrong.
Subaru was brash, sure, but there was a kind of clarity to his outrage. And it echoed my own lingering question: Why was Roswaal so lax when it came to Emilia's safety?
"I seeeee," Roswaal replied, voice slow and theatrical. "So you seek a reward from me, Natsuki Subaru? For aiding the candidate I have chooosen to support… and failed to properly protect?"
Wait.
Wait a second.
Didn't Emilia already say she was going to reward us?
I triggered Reason and Judgement.
Time shattered into stillness.
My mind raced as I flicked through every interaction I'd ever had with Emilia, every conversation, every detail, every offhand comment. Then I rifled through the ones I'd tuned out of between her and Subaru, which my Authority had still quietly archived.
And there it was.
The truth.
She'd never told him.
Back in the capital, she had said she wanted to reward both of us; she claimed that to Reinhard, me, and Ram. But each of those times, Subaru had been unconscious.
He doesn't know.
He's arguing for something that was already guaranteed.
'That's both depressing and kind of funny.'
I let time slip forward again and glanced at Emilia.
But I couldn't read her expression; she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were turned toward Roswaal, fixed and unreadable. Why was she not saying anything?
"Yep," Subaru said aloud, voice brimming with confidence. "And you're not gonna turn me down, are you, Rozchi? In fact, I think Ethan deserves a reward too! We totally saved Emilia's chance at being a candidate for the Royal Selection!"
He sounded so sure of himself.
All while fighting a battle that was already over.
Roswaal's eyes glittered with amusement. The margrave wasn't engaging because he had to.
He was playing along for the same reason someone keeps watching a play.
Because it entertained him.
"Wellll, Ethan," Roswaal cooed, tilting his head slightly, "do you also desire a reward from my raaather considerable personal fortunes?"
'Why did you have to say it like that, dude?'
'Just flexing on us lesser folk now?'
"I suppose a reward for the actions I took the other day would be fitting," I said evenly, "but only if Subaru chooses first. That way, I'll understand what you consider appropriate, Lord Roswaal."
"Hmmm~ The well-mannered response, it would seeeem. Very well! I cannot deny your request, Natsuki Subaru, if only to keep this matter from becoming puuublic knowledge."
Roswaal rose from his seat with deliberate flair, the embroidered edges of his robe shifting as he turned his gaze to Subaru.
"And what is it that you would seek from me?"
Subaru, up until that point, had remained seated, but clearly felt compelled to rise in kind.
It was a valiant attempt.
But Roswaal's height advantage rendered it almost comical. The boy still had to tilt his head up just to meet the margrave's gaze.
"Whatever reward I want. And you can't say no, Rozchi! A real man doesn't take back his word!"
'He's really leaning into this 'you can't reject me' bit, huh?'
"Hmm! That is quiiite the amusing saying. Very well~ A man should not go back on his word once given."
Subaru nodded, satisfied. Then he struck a ridiculous pose, one hand raised high above his head, finger extended toward the ceiling like he was pointing out a constellation
"I want one thing and one thing only. I want you to hire me."
The room went still.
Everyone turned to stare at him, except Beatrice, who remained absorbed in petting Puck.
Ram let out the fakest sneeze I'd ever heard, and I shifted my blank stare from Subaru to Roswaal.
But it was Emilia who broke the silence.
"Hmm. Is that really all you desire, Subaru? Even with Puck, it was something simple you asked for."
Subaru hesitated.
Just for a second.
But then he buried the uncertainty beneath his usual bluster.
"Hey, hey! What's with tarnishing a man's wishes like that? I thought long and hard about both of my rewards, I'll have you know! Getting to pet Puck whenever I want is a top-tier reward for a fur connoisseur like myself, and this second one lets me stay here, and thus I get to benefit from both rewards simultaneously!"
He tugged at his shirt, his voice growing more animated as he spoke.
"Like you said, I don't know anything about this country, I've got no money, no family, no education. Living here gives me a place to build from! This is me setting up a long-term plan."
"But then," Emilia asked gently, "couldn't you have just asked for a monetary reward and permission to stay here for free?"
Subaru's growing confidence evaporated instantly.
His expression went blank.
A thousand-yard stare crept into his eyes as he slowly turned his head toward Roswaal.
"Uhm… hey, Mr. Roswaal… would you maybe let me live here for fr—"
Roswaal was already shaking his head, lips curled in faux sympathy as he drew an X across his chest with his gloved hands.
"Ah, ah, ah~ I shall honor the first request you made. A real man does not back down on his woooord, is that not riiiiiight?"
"Oh… yeah! Of course! Totally, ehehehe! A man doesn't do that, huh?!"
The boy collapsed back into his chair and nearly planted his face in what was left of his soup.
He picked at a piece of bread and muttered something to the tablecloth about losing his shot at a perfect, easy life.
With Subaru's "reward" settled, or rather, with his gainful employment confirmed, both Roswaal and Emilia turned to look at me.
Their stares said everything without a word.
But I needed a moment to reconfirm.
Reason and Judgement
Click
Time snapped to a halt, and I used Reason and Judgement to jump back to a moment in the past.
A time of peace.
Back when things were simple and there was no time loop.
Just Reinhard and me sitting together at that cafe, quietly watching the street. He gazed into the distance with a faint smile, steam curling up from his cup of tea.
I watched the scene play out a few times. Let it wash over me.
Reason and Judgement dulled emotion, replaced it with clarity… with ego.
And yet, even through the filter, I still felt it.
A faint burn deep in my non-existent chest.
I pushed the feeling down but kept the scene running in the background, something for my eyes to watch while my mind ran.
'Subaru's staying here now, as some kind of employee. That means I'll be staying here too, at least for a while. My reward should be simple: staying here as a guest, for free. I've no need for coin at the moment, not with what I took from Elsa and Rom. But that shouldn't be all I ask from this manor.'
Earlier, during breakfast, while I half-tuned out of the history lesson Subaru was being spoon-fed, Roswaal had claimed to be the Court Mage of the kingdom. A claim Emilia had readily supported as fact.
'Then there's Beatrice's library. A source of information of... unknown sorts.'
I still wasn't sure what was actually housed in there.
My Authority flared again, and Reason and Judgement pulled me away from the cafe and back to the exact moment I'd first stepped inside the teleporting library.
My eyes scanned the memory, row upon row of books, shelves crammed with volumes of varying colors and condition. Some of the titles I could now clearly read:
'How to Build a Barm – A Comprehensive Guide for Peasants'
'What is Water? Why Do We Need It?'
'Refining Process for Glintstones - Property of Garalli Mining Corp'
'What the hell? 'Is this a junkyard collection? Did someone just hoard every printed word they could find?'
There were hundreds more like that, random, bizarre. Trivia in book form. Or with titles on spines in a language unknown to me.
But then, tucked away in the far corner of the room, nearly invisible to my human perception, I saw it.
A single tome.
Pure white and gold.
I never would have noticed it in the moment, not without my Authority. But now, with infinite time and heightened perception, it stood out like a beacon.
'Yang Magic - The Power of the Light'
Now that was something that piqued my interest.
While I was stuck here, I could get more familiar with magic. Get some basic training for my body. Deepen my understanding of my Authority. And generally become more acquainted with the world I'd found myself in.
I might be a prisoner, to some degree. But that didn't mean I couldn't grow stronger.
Everything I learned would bring me one step closer to my goal—
To kill the Witch of Envy.
'I will claw back control of my life.'
I let time slip forward.
The stares of both Emilia and Roswaal continued, and I finally deigned to answer.
"I suppose, if you're offering," I said, folding my hands neatly on the table, "I'd like to remain here at the manor. At least for the time being."
Roswaal arched an eyebrow, his smile still perfectly intact. Beside me, I caught the faintest tilt of Emilia's head.
"You've both been generous already. I won't ask for coin, just lodging and access to the grounds for as long as I desire. That's more than enough."
I gave a small nod, as if that were the end of it.
"But…" I added, meeting Roswaal's gaze with calm neutrality, "if your household permits it, I wouldn't mind putting that time to good use. You're the Court Mage, after all. And Beatrice's library appears… extensive."
I let the word sit there. Just curious enough to imply interest.
Just vague enough not to make it sound like a request.
Then, with a faint, agreeable smile:
"Room. Board. A quiet place to recover and read. That's all I'd ask."
"Ahaaaa~. The opportunity to expand the mind rather than grow your wealth, hmmmm? Do you faaaancy yourself a scholar, Ethan?"
"I don't turn down the opportunity to learn," I replied calmly while watching Subaru stare at Puck being massaged by Beatrice with envy. "Whether that makes me a scholar is for others to decide."
"Ohhh? And what about magic? Are you capable and leaaarned in the arts of mana?"
'What is this? An interview?'
"I'm a relatively new caster," I said. "Capable of using both Fire and Yang magic to a decent degree. I've been told my gate is… remarkably developed, given the circumstances."
"Ohoho~. Yang magic is raaaather rare," Roswaal said with interest. "Sooo, to summarize—you wish to stay as a guest within my manor, read from Beatrice's library, and potentially learn the greaaat art of magic from my moooost esteemed self?"
"If that is within the limits of my reward for aiding Lady Emilia in her bid to reclaim her candidacy for the throne of Lugunica, then yes, that would be what I request."
Roswaal stood there for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly, as if weighing the worth of my soul.
"I belieeeve I can agree to the conditions you desire," he said at last, "though I am afraaaid I am not the one you must ask to gain entry into the Forbidden Library. Yooouuu will need to convince Beatrice to permit your study of her collection."
The girl in question gave me a sharp "hmph," but I wasn't deterred. She seemed awfully fond of Puck. And I happened to be on good terms with Emilia, Puck's master.
"Well then," Roswaal continued, turning toward the double doors, "if that is all, I must be off. Rem, Ram, do take care of our new butler. Show him the rooopes, if you will."
He began to walk away, robes swaying, boots clacking against tile. But halfway through the doorway, he paused.
"And Ethan?"
I was in the process of standing when he called my name. Our eyes locked, his golden one boring into mine.
"Yes, Lord Roswaal?"
"I will be personally tutoring you in the use of magic later this week," he said. "Do make time for that."
"I will keep that in mind when considering my schedule. Thank you for your generosity."
Roswaal hummed lightly but gave no further response. The clack of his boots and the rattle of his chains faded into the manor's distant halls.
And with that, breakfast was over.
Author's Note:
Damn. This one took waaaaayyyy too long to write out. I'm not gonna lie, I think I overwhelmed myself in thinking too deeply on the writing process. I started worrying over every single line of dialogue I wrote and whether I was accurately portraying each character as they should be.
But the thing is, I'm not Tappei. I'm gonna make mistakes, and some characters are going to act OOC, if not due to context from the different actions I've made happen in what I've written, then due to the nature of fanfiction in general.
I'm not the most avid or well-read Re:Zero fan, I just wanted to have fun. So that's what I'm going to focus on doing. I'll do my damndest not to slaughter a character, but if I fuck up a characterization too badly, just lemme know and I can workshop things.
Aight, enough yapping.