In the end, Roswaal did not divulge the whereabouts of the Junimo "Chili".
It wasn't that he was being stubborn, even though Suke had indeed used both coercion and bribery on him. The result? Even after Suke mentioned the "Witch of Greed," causing a flicker of shock and hesitation in Roswaal's eyes, the man's clueless blankness regarding the Junimo Chili's trail didn't seem feigned.
So, as far as the current situation went, things were slightly awkward.
"Could I have really made a mistake? Is the 'Clown Man' mentioned in the quest not him, but actually Mayuri Kurotsuchi?"
In the inn within the Royal Capital of Lugnica where Emilia and the others were staying, Suke began to question his life choices.
"But that shouldn't be right."
"I might make a mistake, but you wouldn't, Starfruit!"
"Starfruit, are you sure your friend 'Chili' is really in this world?"
"Chirp, Starfruit, chirp!"
(Although Starfruit can no longer sense Chili's traces after entering this world, Starfruit was certain before we entered that Chili is definitely in this world we are in right now!)
Starfruit lay prone on Suke's jacket pocket, its pair of small eyes reflecting a similar anxiety.
Sigh, sure enough, with Little Yuki not around, everything becomes much more troublesome. Even his style of doing things had become more irritable.
It wasn't that Suke hadn't tried activating the Statue of Yoba, wanting to use the "Perception of all cause and effect" he had used in the past to instantly grasp all information in this world.
However, although the divinity remained after the Statue of Yoba was activated, the Great Buddha that seemed to have moved in just by passing by was nowhere to be seen. Simply put, the current Statue of Yoba possessed only pure power, without all those functional utilities.
Knock, knock.
"Sir Suke, may we come in?"
"Please come in."
Footsteps and knocking sounds drifted in. Suke turned his head, and with the sound of the door opening, Emilia's group appeared before his eyes.
"Is that Clown Man from your camp able to get out of bed yet?"
"I admit that my attack earlier carried a bit of a personal grudge and I didn't consider the feelings of you guys who are in the same camp as him. That was my problem."
"But he isn't exactly a good person either. Emilia, you understand this too, though what I'm about to say might sound a bit harsh."
"On what grounds can you, who have no power and no influence, gain the recommendation of a Margrave? You should be clearer about this in your heart than I am."
Before Emilia or the others could speak, Suke spoke first.
That's right. Just earlier inside the Royal Palace, Suke had beaten the Margrave Roswaal to a pulp in front of everyone in the hall.
He admitted that this incident initially stemmed from his belief that Roswaal was just being tight-lipped. But leaving aside the matter of the Junimo Chili, was Roswaal himself completely free of problems?
When Suke watched the story in the past, he quite disliked this Clown Man. He was both a Riddler and a "Civil War Deity," with confusing behaviors emerging one after another. Not beating him until he was hemiplegic was already an act of extraordinary mercy, let alone just leaving him with a bruised face and swollen eyes.
"Mr. Roswaal's injuries are not serious. Thank you for your concern, Sir Suke."
"I can tell that you are not a villain, Sir. When you were willing to speak out for righteousness on Subaru's behalf, I felt the disgust towards 'injustice' that you harbor in your heart as well."
Emilia bowed slightly. Although Suke's current behavior seemed quite difficult to get along with, her pure nature allowed her to judge that Suke was essentially the same kind of person as herself.
Moreover, before coming to meet Suke, Roswaal, who was lying in bed recuperating, had repeatedly signaled her to make sure to befriend this mysterious man who had suddenly appeared. He seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that he was injured by Suke; instead, he kept smiling.
There was none of the fear and apprehension he had shown in the palace last night. This was an emotion Emilia had never sensed from Roswaal, who usually had extremely deep schemes.
This Margrave seemed to be genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart about being beaten by Suke?
It was just that Suke didn't know this, otherwise, he would definitely feel that Roswaal deserved that beating completely. He might even want to give the guy another two punches.
"Perhaps."
Seeing that Emilia's group had no complaints against him, Suke raised an eyebrow. He didn't know if this was under Roswaal's instruction.
He admitted that his desire last night to quickly find the Junimo Chili and speedrun the clear had led to some radical behaviors. But did that Clown Man really not hold a grudge at all?
"I would like to sincerely invite you, Sir Suke, to join our camp."
"I want to change this country and sweep away all the injustice here. I believe that with your assistance, Sir, this goal will certainly be achieved very soon!"
"Yes, Mr. Suke, you are also from 'outside,' right?"
Beside her, Natsuki Subaru also spoke up. Unlike the reverence he showed yesterday, the way he looked at Suke today held the trust of a fellow countryman meeting another. After all, as people who came to another world, their original nationalities and races didn't matter anymore; what mattered was the shared cognition of "modern civilization"!
"Since you also can't stand the injustice here just like us, why not join us and change it together!"
"And I believe that you and I, Sir, will definitely have a lot of common topics to talk about!"
Natsuki Subaru had specially worn his tracksuit, afraid that Suke wouldn't see that he was also a visitor from another world.
"You kid."
Faced with the hand Natsuki Subaru enthusiastically extended, Suke didn't take it. Instead, he conjured a wooden stick and tapped him on the head.
"You want me to join your camp so badly... actually, you're mostly just afraid that Emilia will fail, aren't you?"
"Well, actually, I have both intentions..."
"If it were before, I might have worried about Emilia-tan a bit more, but now, I feel that the act of changing the kingdom itself is more worth pursuing!"
"There is nothing cooler than realizing one's own ideals and aspirations, don't you agree, Mr. Suke?"
Natsuki Subaru's eyes shone with light, his words so firm that Suke suspected he was about to join the Party in the next moment.
Suke: ?
Suke somewhat suspected that Julius had beaten Natsuki Subaru's brain into a malfunction last night, but he hadn't been like this after getting beaten in the original plot, had he? Could it be a problem with the Life Elixir he gave him?
"Is something wrong, Mr. Suke?"
Seeing Suke looking him up and down with amazement, Natsuki Subaru was a bit puzzled.
"Nothing. Since this is what you desire, young man, then give it a go!" Suke patted his shoulder in gratification.
Whether it was the "Defend a Wave" after his mentality collapsed in the original plot, or the "Give it a Go" after Suke stood up for him now, it was all actually the growth of the boy named Natsuki Subaru.
Natsuki Subaru himself was extremely malleable; it wouldn't be strange for him to do anything. Aside from the original plot, many different story lines had branched out from him. He had lived ignobly, he had dominated slaughter, he had been crazy for love, and he had been cold-blooded and ruthless.
It was naturally not strange for the boy to now birth a great ideal of wanting to change the world. Perhaps this was a good thing?
"So, Mr. Suke, you agree to join us?"
"That I didn't say. What's the rush?" Suke pushed down Natsuki Subaru's head, stopping him from looking at him with those fanatical eyes.
"As you can see, I am a Farmer. I have plenty of farm work to do usually, so I didn't plan to join any side from the start."
"But for you, Emilia, I can provide some special support."
Suke took out ten bottles of Life Elixir and lined them up. These were obtained from bombing mining runs in the Skull Cavern and opening Mystery Boxes.
For others who didn't possess a system backpack or the trait of stopping time while eating, the Life Elixir was a rare recovery item far more convenient to carry than dishes produced in Stardew Valley. Its efficacy had already been demonstrated on Natsuki Subaru; that kind of heavy injury with fractures all over the body could be completely healed in just a few seconds after drinking the Life Elixir.
Of course, Suke wouldn't use it. Wasn't Pizza delicious? Why drink this bitter medicine?
"I gift these Life Elixirs to you. Consider it born of a few degrees of curiosity regarding what you might achieve in the future, sparked by this kid Natsuki Subaru's words."
"I don't ask for any return from you either, just keep an eye out for some news for me."
Suke took out two photos of the Junimo Chili. A bright red apple spirit; highly recognizable.
"Additionally, I'll give you a piece of intelligence for free. This is also the main purpose of my trip to your inn today." Suke looked at Natsuki Subaru.
"If I remember correctly, in at most three days, the Witch Cult believers will attack the Roswaal Mansion located in the border territory."
"You, the blue-haired Oni maid over there, you have a pink-haired sister, right?"
Hearing Suke mention words related to the Witch Cult, Rem, who was standing in attendance behind Emilia, tightened her expression.
"If you don't want her and those innocent commoners to die helpless and alone in the border territory, I advise you to act as early as possible."
"Also, prove to me that this ideal of yours to change the kingdom is not just empty talk..."
____
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