"Whoa!"
Just then, an exclamation from Subaru sounded from the side.
The old man turned his head immediately, worried that the Ground Dragon might hurt her, only to see the dark-furred Ground Dragon lightly touching Subaru's shoulder with its nose. The Ground Dragon's sharp gaze was fixed on Subaru, who, after the initial shock, smiled and reached out to gently stroke its head.
Subaru said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir. I was startled by this little one."
"Hohoho." The old man let out a low chuckle.
"This Ground Dragon is our master's finest partner. It's just that it has a fierce temperament and rarely allows strangers to touch it."
His gaze then fell upon Subaru, carrying a hint of scrutiny. "Pardon my intrusion. May I ask if your tutelage comes from that white-haired young man?"
Subaru blinked, then gave a somewhat awkward smile. "Ahaha. Is it that easy to tell?"
The old man explained, "Your aura is quite similar to his, and your fighting style likely follows the same lineage, hence my guess."
Subaru nodded in admission. "That's right. My fighting style is the same, but we aren't exactly in a master-disciple relationship."
"I see."
The old man looked thoughtful, then asked, "I have yet to ask for your names?"
Subaru replied with a smile, "I am Subaru Natsuki, and he is Tsukasa Tokito. Pleased to meet you, sir."
"Forgive my rudeness."
The old man bowed slightly again. "My name is Wilhelm, and I currently serve the Karsten Family."
"The Karsten Family?" Subaru was a bit surprised.
"In other words, the one meeting with Lia inside is an envoy from the Karsten Family?"
"Indeed." Wilhelm nodded, his gentle yet firm gaze stopping Subaru from asking further questions.
He then changed the subject, his tone becoming solemn, "Walking this path alongside Emilia-sama... the road ahead is fraught with obstacles. After all, what she faces is the trial to become the next Queen of Lugunica."
Subaru was about to answer, but Tsukasa spoke first, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable power, "To us, she is just a lovely girl. No one can predetermine her future. We believe she can become the Queen, just as you once firmly believed that the one you loved would become your wife."
"My wife, I see."
Hearing this analogy, Wilhelm was momentarily speechless, but then he nodded solemnly, a complex light flickering in his eyes.
"You are right. My wife... indeed."
Just as Subaru intended to say a few more words to Wilhelm, he shook his head slightly, his tone polite. "My apologies, but I'm afraid our conversation must end here. I look forward to meeting with you again, Sir Subaru, and Sir Tsukasa."
The moment his words fell, his finger pointed steadily toward the mansion's main entrance.
"Look who's here. The lovely Rem, and a... well, a cat-girl?" Tsukasa spoke in an amused tone, looking in that direction along with Subaru.
They saw the familiar blue-haired maid, Rem, accompanying a strange figure out of the mansion.
From the manner of their conversation and Wilhelm's immediate shift to a respectful posture, it was clear that the stranger was the envoy from the Karsten Family.
"It's really unexpected." Subaru couldn't help but whisper.
The reason she said so was that the appearance of the envoy before her was a far cry from the solemn image an "envoy" should have.
And that envoy clearly and keenly caught the gazes the two were casting. A playful smile immediately appeared on their face as they walked toward them with light steps.
"I say, you there, nya."
Their voice had a unique, almost kitten-like coquettish lilt, but those words weren't directed at Subaru.
Their gaze bypassed Subaru and landed on Tsukasa. "It's normal to be stunned by a beauty, but staring like that is quite rude, you know."
The figure speaking had medium-length flaxen hair, with the ends trimmed very neatly. Their face had a playful and cute charm. She was tall for a 'woman', though still slightly shorter than Subaru, and her build was quite slender.
Every move she made radiated feminine charm, but even stronger was a cat-like agility and cleverness, even carrying a hint of slyness.
White ribbons were tied in her flaxen hair, and her large eyes sparkled with unabashed curiosity. Her demeanor and aura were just like a living, adorable cat.
'Is she a cat-type demi-human?' Subaru couldn't help but wonder internally.
"You couldn't actually be a cat, could you?"
Tsukasa was the first to break the silence.
Completely ignoring Subaru's tugging, he leaned down slightly and looked at the flaxen-haired 'girl' with great interest, his gaze filled with undisguised curiosity.
"Nya?"
As if in response to his question, the pair of animal ears on top of the 'girl's' head, matching her hair color, twitched slightly.
For Tsukasa, who had only encountered Oni like Rem and had never truly interacted with a demi-human before, this sight caused an uncontrollable surge of excitement in his heart.
After all, who could resist the charm of a cat-girl?
However, his rising interest was immediately and ruthlessly interrupted.
"Control yourself." Subaru said softly and stepped forward without hesitation, tightly grabbing Tsukasa's restless right arm.
Almost simultaneously, Rem on the other side silently grabbed his left arm.
The two girls, one on each side, formed a solid "defense line."
"What is this?" Tsukasa felt helpless.
Did he really seem like someone who couldn't control himself in their eyes?
Unlike the subtle atmosphere here, the cat-eared girl, after a brief greeting, turned to Wilhelm, who had been waiting respectfully nearby.
"I'm back, Old Man Wil. I'm very sorry for making you wait out here so long, it must have been boring, right?"
"Not at all."
Wilhelm shook his head with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the "captured" Tsukasa and the nearby Subaru.
"Chatting with these two young people made the time pass quite pleasantly instead."
"Nya?"
Hearing his response, the girl lightly tapped her cheek with a finger, tilting her head slightly with a cute, puzzled expression.
Her cat-like pupils narrowed slightly, her gaze landing on Tsukasa, who was being held tightly by the two girls.
"Ah! I remember now."
She said, as if suddenly realizing something, "This gentleman wearing... well, very unique clothing, and this lady, you must be Tsukasa and Subaru? I see."
She looked Tsukasa, whose face was written with resignation, up and down and nodded. "Just as Emilia-sama described, you feel... very powerful."
But then, her next move completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
(End of Chapter)
[New Book]
Danmachi: Aurelion Sol
Aurelion Sol, the Star Forger, arrives in the world of Danmachi, now only with a fraction of his original power.
The method of recovery is simple: Absorb Magic Stones or gain feedback through Familia members.
Armed with an arsenal of LOL Champion abilities, which he can even teach others, Aurelion Sol builds his Familia from the ground up.