"I do wonder," Crusch mused rigidly with a hand on her chin, "how would a lost young man find himself serving a royal candidate on his very first outing in this world?"
"That is a question I've wondered myself. Considering how almost nothing about our world is known to him except for some minor information like magic and races, he doesn't seem the type to con his way into a royal camp for leverage." Anastasia weighed in with a hint of honesty in her tone. She wasn't saying the boy wasn't smart, he's just a bit naive and trusting.
"Natsuki-san really met you on this day, Emilia-sama?" Otto questioned, slightly sweating as he noticed some of the knights, namely Felix and Julius, narrowing their eyes and thinning their lips for a moment. He needs to understand the start of Subaru's rise inside of Emilia's camp and it looked like this day was where he started… he didn't want to let the people think of his friend as some con that took advantage of Emilia's kindness to gain a leg up in this new world.
"Yep yep! Subaru's meeting with me was the first time he saved my life as well~!" Emilia excitedly and warmly held Subaru's hand and smiled at the boy with passion clear in her eyes. She wanted to learn everything that happened to make him suddenly come and save her, her chest heaved with excitement since she would finally get to understand what her knight did to get to her and keep helping her throughout all of their time with each other.
"He never tells us anything about himself. He just jumps in and does whatever he wants." She said while turning her smile into a thinned frown of disappointment as she gazed at the sleeping boy.
"Barusu's idiocy shouldn't be seen as mistrust on his part, Emilia-sama. He's just a fool with pride as constipating as his ego." The pink-haired maid regally spoke out against Emilia's visible worries, making sure to get a few jabs in to amend her favorite hobby of verbally abusing the boy.
"Please stop being mean to him, Sister." Rem whined to her unconcerned looking twin sitting in the back bleachers.
Subaru is shown to have various misshapes and messy situations that lead him to set in an alleyway with his clothes wet after dropping in a canal.
Adherence to the eleventh chapter of the bro code, no matter how embarrassing or mundane, it was a duty placed upon brothers to point, hold a hand to your tummy, and laugh as loud as your heavenly given voice can when your brother is embarrassed. It was a way of life. It was the strongest of bonds.
"Hahahahaa!"
"Haaaahaaaaaaaaa!"
And here we are, with Otto and Garfiel, breaking the floor with their fists as they laughed at all of Subaru's mishaps. They were not the only ones.
"Pffft…. Pffft… Teheehheheheheh!"
"*Snickers*…!"
"What are yo - pfftt – u l-laughing at, I suppose?!"
Beatrice stuttered as she tried to keep her laughter hidden deep away while unable to hold a glare towards the giggling half-elven princess and the blue-haired Oni behind her.
"I'm so sorry, Beatrice-chan! Pfft!" Emilia failed to stop her giggles as she held her hands to her mouth, "S-Subaru's journey was r-reaaaally hard! We shouldn't be – giggles – S-Shouldn't be laughing at his poor choices because he was new to our w-world… Tehheheheheheh!"
"Stop lying, I suppose!" Beatrice shouted in outrage as Emilia fell into uncontrollable guffaws.
Rem was better at holding her laughter in, wishing she was far away from the small spirit so she can laugh all she wanted at the silliness of her hero's journey. It seemed like her twin was faring much better at containing her own laughter as Ram sat beside their lord with a simple sharp, yet fond smirk on her face.
"Barusu's luck truly keeps him and his ego in check, even Ram-sama feels a tiny bit of guilt for his sorry state." Roswaal couldn't help but chuckle at the maid's words, watching the screen with nothing but amusement, no hidden intent.
None at all.
Other candidates simply either giggled or laughed at Subaru's reckless way about learning of their world, like Anastasia and Priscilla. Or shook their heads with smiles of amusement like Crusch and the little blonde thief sitting beside the Sword Saint.
As a break through, Wilhelm finally gave an amused smile at the young man's determination to learn and settle in a world foreign to him. A boy with such will should be expected to do the great deeds Subaru Natsuki had accomplished since his coming. Wilhelm believed wholeheartedly that this was no mere dream or illusion, even if it may be a fake world… yet he can only feel a pit inside of his stomach. Not knowing the reason why.
"It's not funny!" Petra childishly muttered while glaring at everyone making fun of the boy she admired most because he accidentally entered a ladies restroom. He didn't know! He wasn't from here!
The pouting amber-haired girl was met with a soft palm, patting her head. A blonde beast-woman with emerald-eyes smiled warmly and proudly.
"This is how its supposed to be? Wasn't I summoned into a parallel world?! Where'd my protagonist status go?!" Subaru whined as he held his head in both hands in despair.
"Subaru-kun's been having it hard since the beginning, huh…" Rem whispered while frowning a bit, having laughed her fill out, now she can see Subaru's unfortunate situation and how it must be affecting him. It seemed the giggling half-elf also thought the same, as her heavenly laughter had stopped completely. She was now watching the screen with a small frown filled with sympathy but letting her belief that all of this would get better soon when he meets with her temper her sadness with some cheer.
He picks up his phone and start looking at his contacts. His mom's and dad's numbers are shown. "Looks like it still works. But what's the point in having it! My starting gear sucks as well! I need more than this stuff since I haven't trained for anything yet. Where's my Excalibur?! Where's the cute girl that summoned me? Did she summon me and leave me here?" He asked as frustration filled his tone.
"I don't understand this child." Priscilla glared as she felt incompetent for the first time in her life trying to understand this commoner's words.
"He's basically asking why he was summoned into this world with no one to meet him or guide him, I suppose." Beatrice translated the Subaru language.
"Does he expect everything to be handed to him?" Julius muttered while holding a disappointed expression.
"Hm, he seemed like a privileged boy, if what we've seen of his world is to be believed." Anastasia mused; thinking about ways to use the boy's spoiled self for more information.
Emilia placed a hand on her chin and frowned in thought, "His hands were soft like a baby's, hmmm." Even though the boy was a hard worker ever since she had met him, she always knew that he was doing what he could to make up for a lazy lifestyle, "He's been striving to better himself ever since we've met," she whispered, giving a little pout and a shake of her head, showing her gripe with how hard her knight was on himself, she must put a stop to that.
"That metia…" A certain green-haired, noble duchess muttered with her eyebrows raised in surprise, "it's the one he used to coordinate the expedition against the White Whale." Crusch's triumphant grin split her face as she remembered the harsh battle against fate, her troops had won even though the entire army collapsed to its knees, only one thing made them pick themselves up and face the demon beast of fog that night… the lone black-haired young man, yelling and screaming for them not to give up as he escaped and carried the weight of being a distraction for the beast on his own to save the army.
Garfiel's emerald eyes shined with curiosity at the noble lady's words, he wanted to know everything about that legendary battle, he had heard so much from the village children and noble knights that were present in Costuul about Subaru's deeds against both the Calamity and the Sloth Archbishop of the cult. He could never get his Cap'n to tell him the full story, as Subaru would always deflect his accomplishments to the knights and fighters around him and would tell the story in a way which made him almost non-existent in the events of these great feats.
It was mind-boggling and frustrating for the rough blonde boy. He wanted to learn why so many people thought of his Cap'n as a legend! Why so many exaggerated his power and abilities? He wanted to know what made Subaru so cool in all of their eyes so he can be just like him one day…
But Subaru would always shoot down any praise and would say that he was too weak to help in any of these events.
"… ya think we migh' see Cap'n's adventure?"
"Hm?" Otto, focusing on his friend rather than continuing his analyzing of the metia before him, looked at Garfiel with a bewildered expression, "What was that, Garf-san? We need to keep any info that slips noted or else Anastasia-sama's camp may take us by surprise once we get outta here. Don't forget what they did to get us to join them in the water-gate city."
The blonde youth simply shook his head, "Nothin' it's nothin', ya just keep an eye out for these fucks."
Shrugging, Otto turned to the screen while keeping his solemn expression, "He does look happier here… There aren't any bags underneath his eyes," the merchant whispered, his lips turning thin.
Sudden footfalls sounded out from the front of the alley opening he was sitting in, making Subaru quickly look up with curiosity to whomever was walking towards him from the depth of the shadowed space.
"Hey, is she finally here? The cute girl who summoned me…" He stops talking as the scene reveals three ragged looking young men smirking down at him.
"Who are these meanies?" Petra pouted with a worried look in her eyes, not liking where this was going.
"Hm? These three are the same ones I took in!" Felt pointed with a suspicious expression.
"These people are in your camp?" Emilia asked with her face turning sour, she did not like how her knight's luck was carrying him through this world at the moment; these people did NOT give her a good impression from their hostile looks. The half-elven girl rubbed the boy's cheek with her palm and stared at him pitifully, "Poor Subaru, he's facing hardships already."
"Barusu's luck has got to be made by the most despicable of spirits." Ram muttered dryly, remembering an encounter of her own with these same three hoodlums, knowing exactly what they specialize in, she held nothing but anger towards them when seeing them smirk at the black-haired youth.
She was feeling sorry for Subaru.
"What are you blabbing on about?"
"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!"
Subaru is picked up from his shirt by the leader.
The blonde-spirit girl growled and kept close to her sleeping master, "They better not hurt Betty's Subaru, in fact!"
Rem and Emilia looked ready to jump in and punch these three, and knowing how weak Subaru truly was, Garfiel and Otto looked just as ready to do the same.
"What an unfortunate path these three young men took." Wilhelm sighed grimly and held a neutral expression as he watched, his belief that this was all fake starting to waver a tiny bit but still present all the same. Subaru should be fine enough to come out of this situation and meet him in the future. The boy was stronger than most would believe; he could see it in his eyes.
"I want you to count everything these little shi's will do to big bro. They won't get away with hurting 'em!" Felt growled to her present knight.
"I like that lil' one." Garfiel nodded and glared at the three boys on the screen, already wishing he was in there to beat them up.
The redheaded charming youth simply smiled warmly at his mistress, delighted, "I think that may be redundant since it will be here where I meet with Subaru for the first time. It was… unusual, how we met. But I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You look like you treasure that memory dearly, Reinhard-san?" Julius asked with surprise at the emotion his powerful friend showed when speaking of Subaru.
The redhead gave a beaming smile, "You wouldn't know unless you see it for yourself, Julius-dono. Which will be right about…" Reinhard turned and almost pointed at the screen with excitement… Until.
"CRAP!"
Suddenly a voice shouted from behind. "Move it, move it! You guys outta my way!" A blonde girl ran through the alley, shouting in a panic.
"… now." Reinhard looked at the screen with confusion and bafflement.
Everyone stared at the small blonde loli sitting beside the shocked knight.
"Huh?! I never saw those four in the alley that day! That's not me!" Felt shouted as everyone just looked at her with confusion and curiosity.
"Is that the cute girl who summoned me?!" Subaru looked behind the group of thugs with a delighted smile, only for his expression to fall to confusion as soon as the blonde blinks at him.
"Summoned? I dunno what you're talking' about, but I'm busy! Sorry, live strong!" The blonde girl blurted out in a hurry and shot Subaru an apologetic smile and an encouraging thumbs up as she jumped over the wall to the alley's end, leaving Subaru to be mugged.
"Wh-Whao now!" Felt waved her hands around as Emilia and Garfiel looked at her with betrayed expression, while Beatrice and Rem glared at the girl, even the silent Ram was shooting daggers at the small blonde for leaving the boy defenseless and helpless.
"I promise you, I promise, I never met Big bro until waaay later right outside of my secret hideout! This isn't what happened at all!" Felt pleaded with the people glaring at her, mainly Emilia's group, since Emilia was the only one that Felt truly cared for after saving her and showing her kindness. She would hate it if the half-elf's opinion of her soured after seeing something not even true.
"If what you say is correct…" Beatrice hummed suddenly from her place beside Subaru, Emilia's eyes softened a bit and she turned back to the screen, staring at it in confusion.
"It seeeems we've found our first wrinkle in this little telling of eveeeents…" Roswaal disposed with a mysterious hollow smirk, stretching to his cheeks.
"It seems this truly isn't a reality, nyan!" Felix hummed cheerfully from besides his lady, almost relieved that they've found some base to the entire viewing being a wrong foretelling of events that may never come, therefore making the first part with all of the deaths and horrors void since it was clear how useless this all was now.
Some did not share this relief with the catboy.
"Subaru-kun's still in trouble!" Rem growled heatedly, not being able to hold her worry for her beloved even if this was a simple fake vision.
Emilia and Beatrice held their breaths and stared at the screen with worried looks. They too couldn't help but feel attached to this poor version of their Subaru.
"Hey that didn't make you decide to be less hostile toward me, by any chance did it?" Subaru asked as he now found himself alone with the other three angry looking thugs.
"Actually, it rained on our parade and made things worse."
"Yeah of course hehe…" Subaru laughed nervously.
"Ah crap!" Mimi shouted while holding her head in frustration. She couldn't tell if this was funny or tragic! She didn't want to watch the poor boy get hurt like this.
Crusch leaned back and watched the kid with pitying eyes, "He is honestly just a kid," the duchess shook her head uncomfortably feeling nothing but sympathy for the situation said boy found himself in, "He has no business being in our world at all."
"What's that supposed to entail, if I may ask, Crusch-sama?" Otto, having heard her, couldn't help but ask for a clarification since it sounded like the duchess was implying Subaru wasn't meant to stay with them.
The noble lady gave the young man an acknowledging grin, "Fear not, Otto-kun, I'm not implying any wish for Natsuki Subaru's banishment or return to his original home. He's a treasured person to many in both, Emilia-sama's camp, as well as my own." Wilhelm and Felix gave rigid nods at the duchess's words, remembering all of the sacrifices the boy had made to win hard fought battles with his best effort.
"That is a relief, Crusch-sama. Natsuki Subaru has become dear to many in this new world he found himself in, not just the two mentioned camps." Julius elegantly and respectfully bowed his head as he interjected on the conversation, sending a fond smirk towards a certain black-haired boy and wishing he would be awake to be taunted with this moment.
It was clear that almost every camp looked fondly towards the black-haired youth, Priscilla's being excluded for the lack of interactions.
Just calm down, Natsuki Subaru.
It's a long time rule since Ancient times that a person summoned into a parallel world will display supernatural powers!
The nervous young man's expression suddenly turned serious as he prepared himself before the three stooges.
"He's acting on arrogant impulse." Julius shook his head and let his gaze harden for his friend's delusion, his worry over-shinning his disappointment as he watched what many in the room have taken as an altered event.
"Why does he think that he will somehow get special abilities just because he's been summoned from his home?" Crusch asked curiously, eyeing the small blonde loli sitting in the front.
Beatrice simply shook her head, "It would take too long to explain to you, just know that Betty's contractor had some… misguided beliefs from his old world that entitled him to some form of power because he's been chosen by someone. Betty never learned who or what that was…"
As Crusch and the knights continued to dwell on Subaru's flawed thinking, the Emilia camp looked on with worried glances.
Garfiel was the only one who watched with a manly grin, hoping to see his captain kick these thugs' asses.
And in a moment, the black-haired boy delivered a swift hook towards the tallest thug standing on the right.
"Lumps of XP!"
"Wah?!" Emilia gasped as her eyes widened in surprise, not comprehending that her knight can be so violent yet impressed with his choreography.
"Seems he can fight at least." Priscilla muttered in boredom, looking dead inside as she loathed every second she wastes in this theater.
Turning around with haste, he delivered a kick that knocked the short guy on the ground.
"That's the first time I ever hit someone, I didn't expect it to hurt me that much… but this world is set up so that I'll be strong!" He said with an excited smirk.
"Show 'em who's boss!" Garfiel shouted with excitement, liking this version of his captain and the guts he showed more and more. His form could do with a little perfecting, but these were still good strikes for someone who'd never fought before.
"Man, he's world must've been boring if he didn't fight before." Felix gaped with surprise at the information.
Emilia and Rem's eyes widened as they realized just how weak Subaru truly was. Their worry increased exponentially.
"My adrenaline is surging! I've got this." Confidently, Subaru turns towards the third guy with a smirk and starts running towards him.
"You can take 'em, Cap'n!"
"Be careful, Natuski-san!"
Otto and Garfiel hollered in cheer as their friend's confidence forced a will of excitement to fill them.
Emilia and Rem grew restless as they started thinking of how many times the boy placed himself in dangerous situations even though he was powerless.
"Stop! Don't get any more involved, I suppose!" Beatrice on the other hand, was already aware of the boy's weakness and already understood that this could turn bad for her contractor any second.
The last thug didn't even flinch as Subaru bulleted towards him with confidence, he kept his calm and revealed two blades that were hidden from view and got ready to fight the sharp-eyed young man.
"Subaru!"
"Subaru-kun!"
The two girls finally let panic overwhelm them.
"Ah, shit!" Al yelled while slamming a fist on his armrest.
"You said that you were there to save him!" Felt yelled out, panicking as she faced her equally grim-faced knight.
"I'm not sure if this screen is showing us the events that I'm familiar with anymore. If you say you weren't there and this screen showed the opposite, I apologize but I don't think my telling of what happened is going to come to pass." The knight said forlornly.
"We just have to watch then." Anastasia muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, her expression one of humble boredom like nothing happening on the screen was effecting her.
"Maybe the boy will grow a superpower or somethin' we can use." That, she whispered under her scarf.
"Will this be the time… the first usage of your ability, Subaru-kun?" Roswaal whispered with his eyes manic with curiosity as he leaned forward to inspect the truth of what his book had foretold.
Priscilla simply sighed and rubbed her temples in anger at this waste of time.
Seeing this prideful thief stand his ground and reveal his weapons to fight back against him, Subaru decided to honor both, his pride, and the thief's own, by employing a genius technique, one invented by some of the greatest martial scholars of his world,
Everyone watched with their breaths held to see if their outcomes happen or not.
Natsuki Subaru surprised all as he halted his charge and met the ground with his forehead before the criminal's feet.
"I'm sorry! It was all my fault! Forgive me! Spare me!" Said the honorable hero as he bravely pleaded for his life,
"Yeah, we have no connection to this man." Otto simply stated as Garfiel hid his face behind his upturned palm. The blonde shed a single tear after watching his captain's pathetic nature, in his imagination he could see a small ensemble of violins playing sad and tragic notes to accompany the shameful moment.
For some reason, Julius and Ricardo looked away as well.
"Hmph! This weakling is disgusting." Priscilla spat out as this situation began to anger her more and more, finding the lack of pride this boy held to be more infuriating than his first suicide.
"Subaru…" Emilia looked at the screen with pity, she never realized how hard it was for someone as weak as him to live in this world. In comparison she's always been blessed with power to protect herself.
"He's doing the clever thing, surrendering is the best option when the alternative might be a pointless death in an alleyway… Although, I honestly can't help but find disgusting how he was so quick to throw away his pride, even if it was necessary." Crusch spoke in an aggravated tone, not liking what Subaru was doing to himself but absolutely understanding his inability to fight.
"Nya! This was expected from someone like him after all~!" Felix muttered cheerfully, not noticing the angered looks he being sent his way.
Julius showed a bit of disappointment and anger at the way Subaru prostrated himself, seeing the boy as a close ally and companion, the knight truly wanted to berate and correct Subaru's action in giving up so easily, "To throw one's own pride for someone as petty as a mere thieve, Subaru shouldn't be forced to do such-"
"Don't forget that he's a mere common boy, plucked from a spoilt, almost peace oriented world, Julius-kun. Natsuki-kun quickly realized his inability to fight here and has chosen the best course of action in order to survive," Anastasia cut her own knight's words with her own, her gaze hardened and showing no emotion, strict, "Pride's nothin' without a body to wield it, Hoshin-sama was forced to do many unsavory things to achieve his own greatness, and from what we've known of Emilia-sama's knight, the boy understood his lackin's and quickly worked to fixin' himself."
Many of Emilia's camp, the ones that were present during Subaru's grueling hours of tireless training and work, widened their eyes in shock as the revelation finally explained to them why the boy was so hard on himself.
"Subaru's been dealing with so much!" Emilia muttered with a heartbroken expression, not able to look at her knight, for a feeling of guilt within her was eating away at her conscience at this moment.
Beatrice looked away from the half-elf and breathed deeply, "You don't even know the half of it, in fact…" The noble spirit whispered quietly, holding her contractor's hand and keeping her eyes on the screen, trying to keep some of the tears in as she remembered the horrible things she saw him committing in secret from all others…
The spirit kept silent.
Anastasia's own mind was filled with unsavory memories that forced her to sympathize with the weak boy on the screen, these memories were ones she wasn't proud of but wouldn't let go for they made her who she was today, memories that her knight was made aware of.
"I'm sincerely regretful, Anastasia-sama, I didn't intend to make light of what you've been throu-"
"It's fine, Julius-kun." Anastasia sighed and patted the knight's shoulder with a fond smile, "Ya were angry for your friend, I understand."
Julius bowed his head apologetically and moved to turn in his seat back towards the screen.
Subaru was kicked in the face.
As he writhed around in pain, the two men he had knocked down started getting up and walking towards him, making an expression of pure fear cover his face.
"Play games with us you die! Scum!" The three hooligans kicked and beat the boy down as he tried to protect himself with his naked arms.
"Damnit!" Garfiel growled out, blood boiling at the scene of his captain's first moments in this world.
Rem and most of the knights wanted nothing more than to jump in and make these thugs taste the cobbled floor of the alleyway for doing this to Subaru, especially the small blonde candidate as she felt responsible for leaving this Subaru alone to suffer, now knowing of his true origin and how unprepared he was for life in Lugunica.
Emilia looked away from the screen, unable to see this scene for the guilt was too heavy on her heart; she wished and whispered prayers that this Subaru can be saved… Someone save him…
"That's enough!"
Everyone's eyes widened, Emilia slowly turned her head back to face the screen, an expression of bafflement and wonder covering her face.
An order of authority and firmness echoed throughout the alley, making all three thugs as well as the down-beaten Subaru that had one of the thieves' feet on his head look to the speaker.
All 4 men looked towards the person now standing at the entry to the alleyway.
A beautiful silver-haired half-elf with skin as white as snow and eyes so beautiful as they shined with their purple color through the ally while the lady frowned sternly and glared at the thugs beating the young boy where no one can see him.
"I-I don't remember this… I've never been to that alleyway… I didn't meet Subaru in such a place at all!" Emilia quickly voiced out her shock as this was all overwhelming her.
"See?! I knew something was up with this thing!" Felt seethed as her anger at the three hoodlums continued to push her buttons and unnerve her.
"What the hell is going on?" Otto, confused and desperate to understand what was happening, asked, voicing out his and Garfiel's own thoughts as the blonde was glancing at the screen and those different factions spread around the theater bewilderment painting his face.
"This person that brought us here managed to return Rem-san back to us from the Sleeping Beauty sickness, I doubt that they would waste our time with such a petty joke," Finally speaking since a long time, the old man clad in a butler suit spoke from his spot beside the noble duchess, "Whatever this is, it must be watched till the very end for us to come to a rightful conclusion."
"But… why would we watch such an estranged telling of events? Emilia-sama and Felt-sama both don't know what's going on so how could we possibly relate to this viewing or understand anything out of it?" Tivey told his own conclusion, with Mimi nodding her head.
"Let's jus' watch this and see where it goes." Ricardo muttered and patted the tiny Tivey on the head with his giant hand.
"Who the hell are you?!" Shouted one of the thieves in hostility;
"Stop this now and I'll let this slide, so just graciously return what you stole." The royally dressed lady firmly assessed the thugs with a no-nonsense tone as she glared at them with her beautiful eyes.
Witnessing her beauty, Subaru's eyes were almost sparkling as he looked at her with admiration and awe.
"What we stole?" One of the thieves tilted his head in confusion.
"This Emilia thinks that they stole her insignia… that's almost too good of a coincidence." Felt sounded bummed out as her past self would've loved to get such a chance to escape, but then she remembered what could've happened had Emilia and Subaru not come and found her that day… and that got her thinking…
How did Subaru know so much about Elsa? How did he know and understand Emilia?
"This isn't an altered showing, is it?" The young girl muttered wistfully, unable to understand what the hell was happening, what this was, why they were seeing it… only trusting her gut as it spelled out the answer for her.
This was not a fake, no matter the evidence against it.
Emilia held that same feeling in her chest, keeping her eyes on the screen to watch this other her interact with Subaru for the first time.
"Is… Is this what he told me…" A distant memory of a crying begging boy telling her, 'You saved me.' a confusing thought. A sentence without merit or base since she couldn't remember a time where she did anything remotely close,
"H-How…" Emilia asked as her confusion made her want to pull her hair apart, was this what he was talking about? Was it here where Subaru was saved by her?
"Now please. It's important to me. I'll give up on the other stuff but I can't let you have that. Be good and hand it over, please." The lady reasoned with grace and kindness yet still kept a stern tone that left no questions to the criminals before her.
"You didn't come to save this kid?" One of the thugs pointed at the beaten Subaru with a raised eyebrow.
"Glad someone remembers Betty's contractor at least." Beatrice mumbled with her glare raging furious intent to all of the thugs and the other Emilia with them for forgetting about her dearest Subaru under their feet.
"What strange clothes he has, if you asked me if I had a connection with him, I'd have to say no." The confused girl shook her head and directed her eyes away from the pathetic sight of the downed kid and back to the thugs standing over him.
Priscilla couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sudden rejection this Emilia had shown to him.
"That's just nasty princess," Garfiel shook his head in disappointment, he would've helped any kid he found that was in such a situation.
"That was very cold of you, Emilia-sama." Petra muttered softly, not liking the way Emilia dismissed Subaru so easily.
Frederica didn't stop her because she agreed.
The half-elf in question was trembling with confusion and rage, "H-How could she say that?! He's in dire need of her help!" Emilia stuttered in rage, unable to know if she should be angry at herself or at this version of herself.
"It seems even Emilia-sama doesn't agree with this event, maybe this is telling us of a world where Emilia-sama was different somehow?" Julius kept on theorizing the nature of the screen's showings, trying to provide an answer to please his lady as she silently watched with a small hidden smirk.
"It seems Emilia-sama's treatment of the boy is poor no matter the time or situation."
"Then you have no business with us! If someone stole from you then it might be that brat who just ran by!"
"Ohh they don't seem to be lying, I need to go after her." The white-robed girl swiftly turns her attention to the end of the alleyway and lets her long legs carry her forward, passing the thugs and the bruised up boy.
"Just how many people will abandon him, I suppose?!" Beatrice shouted in outrage as she watched Emilia abandon her contractor like Felt had done.
"I'd never do that! What is wrong with this me?!" Emilia, now completely sure this was not her, decided to shout her anger with a cold glare aimed towards… herself.
But then suddenly, she stops in her tracks and turns to the group of thugs and broken boy, her expression morphing to one of anger.
"I can't let this slide either." Emilia raises her hand and shoots ice chunks into each of the thieves' faces.
"Magic?" Subaru asks weakly from the ground.
"Go, Emilia-sama!" Petra shouted for joy as Subaru was free from the thug's foot because of Emilia's help.
"Finally, something good happened to my hero." Rem sighed with relief as she held a hand to her chest, unable to contain her gratitude for Emilia's intervention.
The half-elf herself, stayed silent, looking at the screen with a wide-eyed expression.
'Because… you saved me!'
"How…" Emilia whispered, not understanding how she could not remember such a real event… How could Subaru remember it?
The half-elf only watched with a silent stare, afraid of what she might see.
"Mess with us you die! You think just because you have magic you'll win?! Three against one is still to our advantage!"
"You're right. Three against one may be unfair." Emilia smirked as she opened her palm revealing a cute little cat.
Emilia's eyes shrunk back as her chest heaved with excited emotion, the sight of her eldest companion and adoptive father spirit brought tears of joy to her eyes.
And just like her emotional reaction, Beatrice gave a small excited 'Bubby!' from her seat while staring at her older brother with a joyous face.
"That's the Great Spirit of Fire, Emilia-sama used to contract." Tivey explained to his confused sister as Mimi had no idea why the cat got such a reaction.
"I would like to know how lower members such as you have learned of Emilia-sama's loss of Puck-sama." Ram quickly capitalized on getting information out of Anastasia's camp, her eyes seething with cold-blooded contempt to show her hate for this camp's manipulative ways.
Anastasia quickly patted Tivey's head and faced the maid herself, "Ya got a problem with the information passed down to us, then you have to take out the entire merchant network since that's where we got tha goods."
Not satisfied with the answer, the pink-haired maid turned away from the ever smug merchant queen as Julius turned his head to deliver a warning glare for her not to push further.
Ram got a small pat on the leg from her lord, giving her a sign that he approved of her action to protect the camp, but his eyes remained glued on the screen before him, unlike all of the others, he believed each and every scene had happened to the poor boy and his curiosity and maybe even something like guilt were making him watch with a heaving chest.
"You're right, maybe two against three will make it a bit more fair." The cat chirped suddenly as if it was normal for cats to speak while smiling innocently towards the three thieves.
"Y-You're a spirit's arts user!" The big thug spoke in a terrified tone.
"These guys are screwed when I get home, make a punishment fit for the worst of the worst, Rein."
"Yes, Felt-sama."
"Correct. Back off now and I won't come after you." Emilia smugly threatened while placing a hand on her hip as she carried her cat spirit on the palm of her other hand.
"Emilia-sama is too kind." Rem softly spoke with a small grin on her face, enjoying the way Emilia scared them off tactfully.
The half-elf herself was still looking at the screen with a thin-lipped expression, trying to understand what was happening.
"You bitch! Next time I see you, you're dead!" The blade wielding ring leader shouted but took a step away from Subaru and began lightly backstepping with his brothers.
"Do anything to her and I'll hunt you and your kin forever," the gray cat said as he growled with his jaws changing into a vicious form that made him look like a beast, growling at its prey.
Said prey all ran screaming out of the alley after the Great Spirit's threat.
"Poor fellas didn't have a choice." Al chuckled and shook his head at the boys; his lady only shook her head and sighed in annoyance.
"Mineself is already disgusted enough with that boy; I don't need to dwell on mere cowardice-worshiping swine." Priscilla spat, thinking about the three thugs and how gross they were.
Now free of torment and abuse, Subaru managed to sit upright and look up at the robe dressed girl with grateful eyes. "Thank you for saving me-"
Emilia's eyes widened in awe and recognition, her breath withheld as she wanted to consume the moment with her very soul.
"Betty's Subaru should recognize how she was about to leave him at first, I suppose." Beatrice grumbled from the side with crossed arms.
"Don't move!" Subaru looks startled as Emilia stares him down intensely, which made Subaru blush a red hue on both cheeks as he tried to avert his eyes away.
"See? You averted your eyes because you have a guilty conscience! Looks like my judgment was spot on," Emilia nodded her head and smirked in satisfaction for being proven right.
"I think the boy's got a crush." Al bemusedly said from the top while some in the theater chuckled at his notion.
Emilia ignored it and kept watching silently.
"I think it was just an instinctive male reaction. I didn't sense any malice at all." The small cat reasoned with the girl with a confused expression.
"You be quiet Puck. You know who stole my insignia from me, don't you?" Ignoring her spirit, the suspicious Emilia glared sternly at the bruised Subaru and questioned him.
"Can't she see how beat up the boy is?" Felix whispered his question while shaking his head, making Crusch nod her head as her frown deepened at Emilia's ignorance in this scene.
"S-Sorry but I don't have the slightest idea." He answered in a hoarsely unclear voice and shook his head.
Setting her eyes right into his a bit more to see if he was lying, Emilia pouted and stepped back from the boy's personal space, turning her eyes away as worry began to fill them. "Did I really just come the long way around?" She whispered in a panic-filled tone that makes Subaru smile in amusement as he starts to get up.
"Oh, Emilia-sama…" Otto face-palmed in pity,
"Shouldn't have wasted time on some cur!" Priscilla spat, finding pleasure in insulting and berating the camp that got them into this annoying situation.
Rem pursed her lips and kept herself from jumping up and slamming her knuckles against the lady's cheeks.
"You should probably hurry after her, miss. I can help…" The boy stops his sentence as he suddenly faints on the ground.
"Aw, you shouldn't have tried to get up. What should we do?" Puck looks at Emilia.
"None of our business, He won't die so we'll just leave him here." She said sternly as she turned her back to the fallen kid.
"What?!" Beatrice shouted once more while holding her contractor in outrage, Otto and Garfiel where looking at the screen with looks of disgust and disbelief.
"W-Wait, now hold on… that's not something big sister would do!" Felt stuttered but came strong for Emilia's defense, most of the people that knew of the half-elf's kind nature understood what she meant and nodded their heads.
"Emilia-sama isn't this harsh," Frederica nodded along with Petra for the half-elf's defense.
Emilia kept staring at the screen, wondering if Subaru had remembered this part about her as well… if he remembered her leaving him to bleed out in an ally.
The silver-haired girl was pursing her lips hard.
"Really?" Her cat questioned with a raised brow.
"Yes, Really," She nodded firmly and started to walk away from the boy's unconscious form.
"You say that, but I bet you'll still help him." The spirit cat bemusedly challenged, not at all floating away from the boy.
"I'll not!" Emilia stopped in her tracks and turned to face her cat with a look of authority… which turned into a pout.
"Yeah, right." Puck snorted and crossed his arms together.
Neither noticed how the beaten boy struggled to open his eyes for a few seconds, witnessing Emilia yelling at a smirking Puck with a flustered glare on her face.
"I'll absolutely not save him!" Subaru heard the silver-haired girl shout at her smug cat as his world suddenly turned dark.
"Who bets she saves him?" Anastasia called out and laughed as everyone raised their hands with deadpanned looks, more than understanding why the Great Spirit was teasing the girl, she was too kind to let Subaru stay like this.
Knowing she's been had, Emilia couldn't help but flush her head a little, blaming her dearly missed father for being outed like this.
She's even super cute when she's mad… that's a parallel world fantasy for you.
The boy thought as he saw one last image of the beautiful girl arguing furiously with her spirit above him before his eyelids closed and his world went dark.
"Yep, crush." Al nodded and laughed loudly as some of the knights and the candidates chuckled at this.
Emilia held her ears and hid her face on Subaru's chest; she was full on blushing from the boy's words.
"Even when he's being left behind by her, he can't stop thinking about her, such a tiresome contractor, in fact." Beatrice sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration… and jealousy.
"Subaru-sama never seems to think of himself when he needs to." Rem softly chuckled as she watched this little scene with a warm heart, remembering all that he said to her the last time he was speaking.
A memory she loved to replay, over and over.
As his eyes began to open and adjust to the dim lighting of the alleyway, Subaru's head was shown fully laying on a person's… furry lap?
"This seems… interesting?" Reinhard tried to say without chuckling as he noticed right away along with the cast just how much fur was on those legs.
"Poor Cap'n. I'm never letting him live this down." Garfiel chuckled with a gruffish smirk.
"I don't understand." Julius looked at the blonde boy in front of him and the merchant.
He would've been ignored had it not been for Otto silently pointing at the three girls sitting around Subaru.
Julius noticed Emilia and Beatrice were red in the cheeks as they held their hands to their mouths, while the blue-haired maid kept her composure but her trembling lips clearly showed how badly she needed to let something go out of her system.
The knight was still confused.
"Is my head on someone's lap?" He asked with a sudden blush blooming on his cheeks.
"S-Sure is! Pffft!" Emilia choked out before falling into a fit of angelic giggles.
Beatrice and Rem soon followed, making all three girls lean on their tummies and laugh.
"You're awake?" He heard a soft voice ask from above him, making the blush bloom further across his cheeks.
"I didn't know cute girls could be this hairy… Wait! That can't be right!" Feeling the sheer amount of soft fur his head was resting on, the boy immediately stood up and jumped away to see the just who it was that his head was resting on… To find a humanoid over-sized cat sitting on the alley's stairway with an innocent smile.
"Oh!" Crusch voiced out with a small grin as she understood why the girls found this all humorous.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" The boy's terrified scream filled the alleyway as he jumped back and glued himself to a wall while staring at the human-like Puck with petrified eyes.
"Hahaha!" Emilia, Beatrice, and Rem were soon joined by the twins, Al, and Ricardo.
"Never living this down!" "Never!"
Garfiel and Otto, did what was expected of them… preparing to be dicks to their brother once he awakes.
"It's just a thoughtful arrangement we made, so you could at least feel happy until you woke up." Puck explained thoughtfully with an expression of mischief.
Subaru glared at the giant cat, "First of all, don't talk in that high voice! No sane guy confuses a cat for the main heroine!" the boy shook his head with a look of despair at his honest mistake.
"He looks so horrified… Pffft!" Felt finally exploded into her own fit of giggles, her bro's facial expressions were just too much!
"Aw, seeing you so happy was worth making myself bigger." The cat giggled while kicking its long legs to further tease the boy.
"I'm not happy!" Subaru shouted, pointing at the criminal cat with nothing but hatred and anger.
Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice all calmed down from their hysteric fit and watched the scene with beaming expressions of delight.
No one understood Subaru like those three did, they all learned just how much sanctum Subaru holds for his lap pillows, and seeing how that was defiled by Puck was so humorous and comedic to the girls that had lent their laps to the black-haired knight.
Subduing his anger for the moment, Subaru's eyes suddenly turned to the person sitting right beside the demon teasing cat… The silver-haired ice-using girl that had saved him sat behind her spirit's form and had her eyes squinting at him in distrust.
"You seem a bit too distrustful of him here, Emilia-sama." Frederica muttered as she found this behavior to be very unusual from the kindhearted and monotonously shy half-elf.
"I don't know what's wrong with her." Emilia whispered, bitterly, her expression one of held back cringe as she hoped that whatever this reality was, Subaru wouldn't remember her treatment of him here… "If he even lived through this that is…" Emilia whispered, not knowing what she should trust out of all of this, but wishing she could at least be in this other version of herself's stead so she can provide all the comfort and help Subaru needed and deserved instead of being a distrustful brat.
"I'm sorry about this, you stayed with me the whole time I was unconscious…" The boy's guilty plea was ignored as Emilia sternly cut him off.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I had to stay because there are things I want to ask you. Healing your wounds and making puck your pillow until you woke up were for my own benefit so you need to repay the favor."
"That doesn't sound exactly…." Al was cut off, not knowing how to finish his sentence.
"Genuine." Julius said, having the same thought about the half-elf's way of phrasing things.
"For such a normal favor, you're making it sound like I really owe you big."
"No such thing. You have some idea who stole my insignia, right?" Emilia asked with a raised brow.
"Insignia, you mean one of those badge things that shows your affiliation?" Subaru questioned back with a confused expression.
"It has a jewel in the center and it's this big." The girl explained with her fingers measured together in the shape of her desired item.
"Sorry, but no matter how many times you ask, I have no idea." The boy shook his head with a guilty expression.
"There's no helping it then, but you've given me the information that you know nothing. So you gave me my answer for healing you." Emilia sighed with a bit of relief and turned away from the boy, who just looked confused.
"Well, I'm in a hurry, so I'm going now. Next time don't wonder into alleys like these alone. I'm only warning you because if it happens to you again, saving you won't be of any benefit to me, so don't expect me to help." The girl left no room for the bewildered boy to respond as she began walking out of the alley.
"Emilia-sama is really bad at playing stern and tough, isn't she?" Anastasia mused humorously as the twins giggled beside her.
Emilia simply blushed and hid her face in embarrassment.
The spirit cat hovered closer to the boy and shot him a small smile.
"Sorry about her, she's so insincere. Don't think badly of her." Puck said as he watched Emilia's back disappear around a corner with Subaru.
"I miss Bubby." Beatrice muttered, pouting as she watched her older brother floating on the screen.
Emilia just smiled through her reddened face, feeling the warmth she had missed all this time since Puck had broken his contract with her.
"Me too," The princess whispered, fondly.
Subaru looks at Emilia as she's leaving, "Insincere? I think it's beyond that. She was in such a hurry to find what was stolen from her, she stayed to help me and came up with a lame excuse for a favor so I wouldn't feel I owed her, even though I'm a total stranger. Anyone who lives like that…"
Subaru picks up his things and runs after Emilia with a smile, "… is gonna end up wasting their whole life!"
The cat spirit simply let his lips turn upwards as he watched the boy run after his master.
"He had Emilia-sama figured out from the start, ha!" Ram snorted, grinning as she enjoyed the two's innocent interaction.
"Of course he did, Emilia-sama wasn't really good at her facade." Otto sighed and shook his head exasperatedly.
The elven princess herself only pouted and looked away from everyone to hide her face, she was glad that this Emilia wasn't being mean without purpose and she was even more thrilled that Subaru didn't hate her for it even if this wasn't her Subaru… But it was shameful to think so many people have her figured out, even a boy from another world!
"S-Stop talking about it, please!" Emilia pouted, making a few chuckle at the scene.
"Did something like this happen with our Subaru's meeting with Emilia-sama?" Julius asked Otto, curious as to how this screen's events and the real ones differed.
Otto's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing that whatever he may say will be used to Anastasia's advantage, "I don't really know, Julius-sama, the meeting happened way before I came into Emilia-sama's gracious servitude."
Julius slightly grinned, knowing why the boy was nervous, and gave a short nod of his head, "Whatever may be the case, we will see what the difference is anyways."
Otto cursed under his breath at the smug prick of a knight above him.
"No matter how it was, I'm sure the way you've met our Subaru-kun is what made him hold you so dear to his heart, Emilia-sama." Rem softly encouraged the princess sitting in front of her, telling the truth from the bottom of her heart because she wanted the princess to see how much the black-haired youth cared for her.
The half-elf just caressed her knight's unmoving hand, an unreadable expression on her face.
"You guys keep talking as if this isn't something that happened…" Emilia whispered while feeling the boy's hand in her own, her mind replayed the very first moment she came across this wonderful person that was her knight…
The way he smiled brightly once he laid eyes on her, as if she was familiar to him, as if she was someone he deeply worried for…
The way he saved her from a danger she herself didn't anticipate…
Subaru looked and acted like he had met with her before, but she couldn't remember any previous meeting with him so he just confused her with his amazingly accurate knowledge…
The half-elf princess was deep in thought now, thinking of this entire viewing and its relation towards her own Subaru.
"It could be why this screen is showing you this, I suppose."
"Beatrice-san?"
The small spirit sitting beside the boy held a forlorn gaze, giving the elf a nod, Emilia understood what it meant.
'This is not a fake. This is not unrelated. Keep watching.'
So many questions filled her head, but Emilia kept watching with a dreaded feeling slowly crawling over her.
"Hey, wait up!"
A voice stopped her walk into the marketplace and made her turn back to meet the caller's gaze with her own impatient one.
"What? Just so you know, I can only spend a little more time with you." The pointy-eared girl said firmly yet a bit hesitant.
"I sense you're being a tiny bit lenient… forget that. You lost something important, right? Let me help you." Subaru pointed at himself with an excited smile.
"But you said that you knew nothing-" Emilia was cut off by Subaru.
"But I remember her face at least! If I see her again I'll know!"
Emilia appears to be thinking as she looked him over. "You're strange… I can't repay you if you help me."
"I don't need you to. I want to thank you that's why I want to help you." The black-haired youth smiled sincerely towards the hesitant Emilia.
"I didn't do anything deserving of thanks. I told you that I already received compensation for healing your wounds." The half-elf refuted sternly, unable to understand why this kid wants to help her so much.
Subaru's smile widens as he holds a finger up. "Then… I'm going to help you for my own sake… let's see… yeah! One good deed per day!"
"This Emilia seems adamant on doing this on her own." Crusch noted absentmindedly while watching, earning a small interjection from a stoic pink-haired maid.
"Emilia-sama's probably distrustful that someone would be trying so hard to help her. She doesn't get that type of charity from the common citizens usually," At Ram's words, some of the people in the room, like Anastasia as well as members of Crusch's camps all looked uncomfortable, admitting silently what the Oni was saying was true, Emilia's half-elven traits would not have made for a good impression to interact with.
"Big sis is put off by Bro's efforts to help her?" Felt simply registered with a confused look, allowing a small maid to come to Emilia's defense.
"Emilia-sama's just nervous because she doesn't talk to many strangers and she didn't know Subaru would be her friend!" Petra weighed her own opinion in, innocent and yet mature at the same time, ready to defend the kind princess that helped her and the village so many times.
The silver-haired girl looked surprised by this but held a small trembling smile towards the two maids, "Yeah… I think that's something I would've done, too." Emilia admitted sadly, keeping her smile on.
Otto and Garfiel simply looked at her with worry and sympathy.
Priscilla rubbed her temple once more, fucking bored to her wits end with all of this, wondering why the world would send her into this shitshow, "Mine royal self should not be wasting time hearing about a Half-Wit's deserved treatment!" Many in the crowed, especially Rem and Garfiel, glared at the furious royal.
Emilia looks away with a confused look on her face. Puck shows up and smiles at her.
"I don't sense any malice. I think you can just accept his offer," he looked at Subaru with a smirk as he teased, "After all, the more shields between you and ruffians, the better."
"That's what you want me around for?!" Subaru glares at the cat in outrage.
"I mean it, though. I can't do anything to thank you." Emilia affirmed one more time, trying to convince him to stay away.
"No problem, just leave it to me."
Subaru and Emilia are shown in many different scenes where they look all over to find Felt. They end up sitting on a high area in the city and looking over the sight.
"I talked big but this town is too huge to find one little girl huh?" Subaru said as he slumped on a ledge with disappointment clear on his face.
"Man, sorry for causing you so much trouble again, sis." Felt, feeling shameful for causing the two to go through so much, apologized awkwardly, only to be met with a small smile and a nod from an absentminded Emilia.
"It's okay," she said, her eyes quickly returning to watch the interactions between the Emilia and Subaru on the screen, her face thin-lipped and emotionless as she was deep in thought…
Not liking that she didn't remember any of this time she had spent with her Subaru. Or maybe she did…
"It's the capital of Lugunica. You didn't even know that… umm…" Emilia pauses and gives Subaru a sheepish look.
"That's right. We haven't asked your name yet. Should we introduce ourselves?" Puck asked the boy.
"Oh, yeah right. I'll introduce myself first then."
Subaru does a weird pose with his finger aimed at the sky. "My name is Natsuki Subaru. Not only am I clueless, I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet you,"
"As hopeless as ever, I suppose."
"That is just how shameless Barusu is."
"So he's always so rash, huh?" Felix asked.
Crusch shook her head with a smile of amusement.
Emilia smiled at the scene but with a pain filled squeeze from her heart, knowing that she couldn't witness it when he was just a normal boy and not some savior she needed to feel indebted to… She had to admit that he looked adorable when he did his pose to her…
"Cap'n's pose is cool!" Garfiel shouted with star's in his eyes.
"I guess so, yeah." Ricardo agreed with the demi human boy.
"When that's all you say, you really do sound hopeless. And I'm Puck! Nice to meet you!" Puck floats really fast towards Subaru only to be met with his hand and begins shaking it. Emilia looks at how Subaru and Puck are shaking their hands with a surprised face.
"It's very unusual to see someone who can touch a spirit so casually. Where are you from?"
"Subaru does have a high affinity for spirits." Julius spoke calmly remembering when his own spirits were easily able to contract with the boy, he was absolutely not jealous or envious of the boy's blessing, he was merely pointing out an amusing fact-
"Stop being jealous, Julius-kun," Anastasia gave a knowing smile at her Knight as he huffed and looked away.
"Doesn't matter, I suppose. Betty is the only spirit for Subaru, in fact." Beatrice looked proud at the fact…until Ricardo came in and ruined said fact for her.
"Of course, he wouldn't be the Lolimancer without you!"
Everyone laughed at Ricardo's joke.
Beatrice simply puffed her adorable cheeks at the disrespect both, hers and her contractor's names were subjugated to.
"Well, following the usual pattern, a small island nation to the east." Answered the clueless boy as he played with the small gray cat;
Emilia looks to be in thought. "Lugunica is the easternmost nation on our continental map. There is no island nation to the east."
Subaru looks surprised at this. "No way, really? There's nothing east of here?"
Emilia looks at Subaru with pitying eyes. "You have no idea where you are, you have no money, you can't read, and you have no one who can help you. You might be in an even more precarious position than I am… um, Subaru, was it?"
Subaru blushes red as he looks away from her, "Yes, that's my name."
Puck floats around the boy. "Hmm you look really well built from where I'm looking."
Subaru opens and closes his palm, "I do work out every day. Even for a shut-in like me, I still need to be ready to guard my house."
"What does Shut-in mean?" Crusch raised a brow, asking the expert in speaking fluent Subaruios.
"It's what you call a person that wastes their life doing nothing but sit in their room or house. Not wanting or needing any interaction with the world outside, I suppose." Beatrice mumbled in a low voice, not liking the way her contractor always referred to himself with something so degrading… even if it did make her feel more closer to him, for she had been in that same position for eons herself.
"So Subaru is someone who wastes his life?" Reinhard asked, a little concerned for his friend's laziness.
"So… he was just a normal boy with no friends and nothing to live for in the outside world." Rem looked at the sleeping boy with sympathy.
"No wonder he doesn't feel that attached to his own world, if I had been summoned into another world from my own… I wouldn't be taking it so cheerfully like he did." Petra's mature outlook made many look at her with surprise.
"Not to mention how unprepared he was for this world and how much worse things started off for him here…" Emilia muttered sadly, thinking of how Subaru preferred to keep smiling even though this world was clearly not better for him just because he had nothing to live for in his old one. A prospect that made the girl really think about how sad her knight's life truly was, "Oh, Subaru…"
"That explains his mannerisms… Dear spirits this feeling is getting worse and worse." Julius waved his hair in frustration as Subaru's weak and pathetic nature was getting revealed more and more.
"I mean, it's not the true Cap'n, righ'? Maybe the details are different in our Cap'n's story." Garfiel calmly theorized, still thinking about this screen's showings as untrustworthy, not noticing the many downturned heads of the people that started to doubt these events being nothing short of reality, Felt, Emilia, and Beatrice being the most prominent.
"I don't know what 'Shut-in' means but you sound like you come from a respectable family."
Emilia moves and picks one of Subaru's hands to inspect them, ignoring the boy's blush.
"Your fingers too, they're pretty. They're evidence that you don't live the peasant life."
Subaru steps back from her and changes the subject. "U-Uh anyway, I know your cat's name now, but I haven't heard yours yet."
Emilia looks away as she appears to be thinking about something.
"I'm… Satella." Emilia looks at Subaru sternly awaiting his reaction. Puck looks at her in shock.
"What?!" Felt shouted ludicrously.
"What's the meaning of this Emilia-sama?!" Julius was next to call for an answer, not expecting something so rash from the half-elf and needing something to calm the situation down immediately less some of the candidates call for a fight against the elf and her camp.
Everyone looked at their Emilia in shock waiting for an explanation. The girl herself was just staring at the screen with shock. "I-I don't know what this 'me' is doing! I wouldn't use the name of the witch like this!"
She could only look on helplessly as the rest seemed to calm down and watch with her, they too wanted to find out what was going on.
Anastasia however only looked a bit apprehensive with the backed-up girl, "You don't know how dangerous what ya'r doing is to both you and the boy-"
"She's not responsible for this version of herself's actions, Anastasia Hoshin. We've still yet to determine if this is even relevant to our own Emilia, so I don't think lecturing her for something she didn't even do would help us."
The merchant queen relented and gave a small huff towards the preying duchess, "Fine, I just wanted to make it clear."
Crusch stayed silent and continued to watch with a look of stern suspicion, needing answers of her own as well.
Priscilla simply clicked her tongue, the facade annoying her more and more, the only thing holding her back from just up and killing the half-elf was her intense feeling telling her to calm down and watch this to the end.
"I have no family name. You can just call me Satella."
"I see… Satella… That's a nice name." Subaru smiles at her.
"He doesn't know what the name means." Felix shook his head at the boy's stupidity.
"He's not from this world Felix. He has a good excuse." Reinhard interjected, slightly reprimanding the healer's mistake of their friend's name.
Felix just shrugged, letting out a sigh as his shoulders fell.
Emilia flinched hard, not liking the way Subaru said that name so softly and so fondly, loathing this version of her for ever giving him the chance to say that name. In all of her days with Subaru, her greatest fear was that he would start seeing her as the Witch of darkness… Hearing him call her by the Witch's name was something Emilia absolutely hated and was disgusted by…
"Wait... Wait…" Emilia silently whispered as her eyes began widening…
"Your name, I want to know your name."
"…"
No doubt about it, the evidence was too much… This was all a real happening of events that Subaru somehow still remembered…
"What is going on with you, Subaru?" A sense of relief filled her even though this brought on more confusion than anything else. Emilia continued to watch, this time, knowing that this is all true and something she couldn't remember for some reason. How else would Subaru work so hard just to know her name? He must've found out she gave him a fake one, Satella isn't that well received of a name after all.
"What is going on?" She whispered once more, watching with a pained look.
Emilia looks shocked at his reaction as if she was waiting for something else. Puck floats closer to her ear and sighs in disappointment. "You have terrible taste." He whispers before disappearing into her silver-hair.
The elven princess flinched, her father's disappointed tone filling her with regret.
"Hmph! Indeed." Priscilla snorted in agreement with the cat's words.
"Then, time to get back to asking around!"
The scene changes to show Emilia pointing at a crying girl. "Hey Subaru, does she look lost to you?"
"Hm!"
"What's the matter, I suppose?"
Emilia only blinked with surprise as she answered the spirit's question, "That girl, I've met her before, almost in the same exact way… just without Subaru." Many gave the silver-haired girl a questioning look.
"So far things have gone according to what happened with our Felt-sama and Emilia-sama with a certain difference," Julius mused skeptically as he thought how weird this version of events was, "Subaru's presence is the only constant."
Emilia, Felt, and Beatrice all looked at the screen with their faces pursing in silence.
"But what about our questioning?" Subaru asked as he looked between the lost child and Emilia with an apprehensive face.
"That's also important, but if she's lost, we have to do something." Emilia pressed brashly.
"I'm in no position to talk since you saved me but do you understand the position we're in?"
"But… she's crying! Is she not, Subaru?" Emilia had a look of conviction on her face. Subaru looked surprised for just a moment at Emilia's abrasive attitude.
"Ha! He just looks like a lovesick pup~!" Mimi teased excitedly, making Ricardo and her brother chuckle at the boy's expression.
"Emilia-sama's kind heart never ceased to amaze my Subaru-kun." Rem softly whispered while looking at the scene with an air of fondness.
Emilia just looked at the scene with curiosity, wondering how different this interaction will be since she will have Subaru with her… She won't be on her own this time.
The half-elf's lips quirked into a small downward circle,
"Thank you for all your help, Subaru. After I help that little girl, I'll handle it on my own from here." Emilia spoke firmly and walked away from him without leaving a chance of argument.
Watching this firm stance, Emilia shook her head at her counterpart and looked on to see what her knight will do now that he's been let free… almost like a natural habit, a feeling of warmth filled her as she quickly theorized what he will do now that she had left him.
"Bet number two, he doesn't leave her side." Anastasia announced cheerfully with a raised hand, laughing as almost every single person in the room raised their hands with deadpanned or fond expressions.
Even Emilia herself was chuckling softly as she had her arm raised, fondly touching the boy's limp hand with her fingers rubbing the soft skin, reminiscing about all the times she tried to force him away only for him to return right back to her side and berate her cheerfully when she was being a dummy.
The girl noticed Emilia standing in front of her with a soft smile on her face. She noticed Emilia's features and recoiled in fear.
"Oh… Emilia-sama," Rem whispered in a gentle pitying tone.
Julius and Reinhard just looked down away from the screen, not wanting to watch such a displeasing moment of one of the royal candidates to their throne.
"Mineself thinks this child is smarter than the rest of those bumbling buffoons." Priscilla stated about the people surrounding Emilia with a cold smile, enjoying the slight flinch the silver-haired candidate gave.
Ram and Rem both narrowed their eyes from their respective seats.
Emilia ignored this and knelt with a gentle smile aimed at the kid. "I'm sorry I'm not who you were looking for. So what's the matter, aren't your mom and dad with you?"
Although she was gentle with her, the small child seemed to be frightened of Emilia and began shedding tears.
"Uh….um… please don't cry alright! I won't do anything to you, all right?" Emilia started to panic and tried to calm the girl down to no avail.
"Can't even stop a kid from crying, some leader you are! How can you lead a nation if you can't stop a child from whining!? Haha!"
"I would like to see how you deal with a distressed child." Crusch came to Emilia's defense and glared at Priscilla.
Suddenly, Subaru's hand was in front of both girls showing them his ten edge coin.
"What I have here is one grooved-edge ten-yen coin. I will now clutch it tightly in my hand. Tight, tight, tight… like that! And now imagine that!" He opened his palm to reveal it was empty when it should have had the coin in it. The girl looked amazed at Subaru to which he gave a gentle smile.
Petra's eyes sparkled with joy as she saw one of Subaru's many magic tricks being performed on the screen, "Whoa!"
"How'd he do that?!" Garfiel was just as amazed as the child.
He moved his hand to her hair, "And this… is where the coin was hiding." He gently showed the kid his coin. The girl smiled with awe and astonishment but looked up at him with an asking look.
"You can have this. It's rare so take good care of it." Subaru chuckled and extended his coin to the girl.
The little girl smiled brightly and took the coin. "Thank you!"
"I see. You got separated from your mom, huh? it'll be fine! Just leave it to me and this young lady here. We'll find them for you in no time." Subaru assured the little kid with a charming smile as he walked her throughout the marketplace.
"Subaru seems really good with kids." Frederica smiled at the sight of the happy girl.
"Yeah, everyone in the village loves Subaru-sama," innocent and cheerful, the smaller maid sitting beside Frederica praised with a beaming expression.
"Did ya deal with this the same way without big bro?" The ex-thief asked the girl with silver-hair and white-robes sitting in the front curiously.
Emilia only shook her head silently, keeping her expression hidden behind locks of silver hair as she watched the way her knight would've handled the child had he been there to help her during her time.
The scene showed Subaru and Emilia, walking alongside the girl with each holding one of her hands as they looked around the marketplace. "When they see us like this, people who don't know us probably think we're a married couple and child, huh?"
"Barusu can't keep a handle on his pervy intentions no matter the difference in worlds, Ha!" Ram laughed humorously at Subaru's clear abysmal attempts at flirting while her own sister was just pouting sadly while watching the scene.
Beatrice only huffed and glared heatedly at the small girl, finding herself extremely disliking the way he referred to her as his child.
"The young man wears his heart on his sleeve." Crusch found herself chuckling softly at Wilhelm's fond musing; liking the relaxed-state the old butler seems to have sunk into as he watched the lovely scene.
"What a disgusting image, tck!" Priscilla spat haughtily in disgust, not finding the showing of Subaru, Emilia, and some random child from the streets in such a close manner comfortable enough for her standard.
"At best, I can't see you as anything more than her older brother." Emilia scoffed and carried on walking over the crushed pieces of the young man's heart.
"What makes you think I'm that much younger than you?!" Subaru cried out in misery.
Julius and Otto chuckled loudly at the comeback, finding Subaru's expression to be amusing.
"Ooooh," flinching back, Mimi sounded with sympathy after seeing Subaru's crushed expression.
"That's so cold, big sis!" Felt laughed heartily and tapped her knee in approval.
Blushing madly with the embarrassment, the royal half-elf could only find it appropriate to slightly pinch the limp hand beside her while muttering, "Stupid Subaru," pouting in displeasure.
"Wake up already…" Rem whispered sadly, wanting her hero to see these scenes even if they weren't a reality. She knew that he would be more than overjoyed to have seen this with them as well, Rem always knew what made her hero happy, her best efforts went into making him smile even if a little.
"Mommy!" the girl suddenly let go of their hands and ran into her mother's embrace.
"Looks like she found her."
Emilia smiled at him. "I'm glad."
The scene changes to them sitting on a fountain ledge.
"I think we took a pretty long way around, but what benefit will you insist that you got out of this?" Subaru asked as he watched the water flowing below his ledge.
"That's easy. Now we can continue our search with our minds at ease, right? Anyway why did you help me? You were against the idea." Emilia inquired as she kicked her legs on the ledge.
"I could say I just wanted to show off my magic trick, but that would be a lie. I told you that finding your insignia is my good deed for the day!" Subaru charmed with a pose and smile but Emilia instantly refuted him with a raised brow.
"Then, since you helped the little girl isn't your one good deed over?"
"The comeback was way too logical! Come on it isn't bad to do more than one good deed for a day right? I just got tomorrow's out of the way. My plan is to get a week's worth of good deeds taken care of early!"
"Subaru, you're the type that basically wastes your whole life, aren't you?" Emilia refuted again with a look of pity aimed at the boy.
Subaru slumps, "You're the last one I want saying that to me." He moaned.
"He's just trying to help you, Emilia-sama." Chuckling along with the others, Rem warmly told the girl sitting in front of her.
"I was not in that place though, I can't recall a reason for why this me is treating Subaru so uncompromisingly-"
"I think this Emilia is just suspicious of Subaru-sama's kindness toward her," calmly interjecting on Emilia's thoughts, Crusch firmly attested her point of view, sharing what she had been theorizing in her mind for a while, "It was the reason why this copy of Emilia-sama used the Witch's name."
"To scare him off?"
Crusch gave a firm nod at her healer's assumption, "A boy that came out of the blue with kindness and pure intent should be very suspicious to someone of Emilia-sama's status," staging her amber irises towards the half-elf, the duchess formed an expression of pity, "Not to mention Emilia-sama's appearance may cause her a lot of trouble so she probably was trying to get Subaru-sama away to not involve him."
Hearing the duchess' theory, Emilia flinched a bit while holding her head down, wondering if she really would do these things, using the forbidden name of the Witch, trying to leave the injured kid behind at every turn…
She couldn't deny the feeling deep inside of her that compelled her to believe there was a chance that she would indeed to these things had she met Subaru the same way this she, did.
"That seems plausible." Anastasia affirmed with a surprised look, nodding her head in approval now that she actually agreed with the way this Emilia had conducted herself by using the witch's appearance she resembles to her advantage.
"To bad big bro is from another world, he has no idea about the Witch." Felt muttered with her hands behind her head.
"You aren't a bad boy though." The royal-robed girl said with finger on her chin.
"Why are you treating me like I'm younger than you again? I doubt there's much difference between us." Subaru asked, turning to face the girl sitting on the ledge beside him.
"I don't think making guesses on that will help you. I'm a half-elf." Emilia looked down with a dark expression suddenly covering her face, one of sadness and frustration.
Not many gave an outward reaction to this, most of the people that understood the girl's tragic treatment because of her appearance only gave slight frowns of displeasure, like Julius and Reinhard, others opted to bring forth the nastiest of glares towards the invisible forces plaguing the half-elf's life with sadness, or just glared at the screen furiously, like Garfiel, Otto, Rem, and Petra. The little maid specifically has grown to like the princess quite a whole lot compared to the days before Emilia started coming out to the village every week with an excited Subaru hopping beside her.
Subaru looked up at her in surprise as he noticed her ears for the first time.
"Now I understand…" He whispered in an astonished tone as he noticed her pointy white ears…
Emilia gripped her knuckles tight as she waited for a certain reaction once more.
"She's really nervous…" Petra whispered anxiously, feeling bad for what her royal friend was going through because of self doubt and hesitation.
"This is the first time she's been beside someone that liked her for more than a few hours." Pity filled the many faces across the room at Emilia's saddened explanation, no one able to look at her, her tone being the only thing telling of just how much the girl was isolated because of her appearance.
"… No wonder I thought you were so cute! Elves are always beautiful huh?" The boy quipped with a shining smile once more