"Isn't this a bit much?"
Tsukasa wore a helpless smile as he watched his left and right arms being tightly held by Subaru and Rem, one on each side.
At this moment, they had finished their one-day-and-one-night 'painful' journey and had officially stepped into the Royal Capital.
They were currently walking along the bustling street known as the Commercial District, surrounded by a surging crowd of people, shoulder to shoulder.
Among the bustling pedestrians, the striking white-haired man, "held hostage" in the middle by two young girls, appeared particularly eye-catching.
"No!"
Facing Tsukasa's protest, Subaru and Rem rejected him almost in unison.
The reason this situation had formed was entirely because, upon entering the Royal Capital, Tsukasa's overly eye-catching, appearance and unique aura had instantly attracted the gaze of numerous noble ladies and even commoner women.
What annoyed them even more was that he had actually taken the initiative to go up and strike up a conversation with a few of them.
Thinking of this, the strength with which the two held his arms unconsciously increased a few notches, to the point where Tsukasa could clearly feel a certain soft yet firm pressure.
"But this is just too conspicuous."
The undeterred Tsukasa still wanted to struggle a bit, trying to reclaim some freedom for his arms.
"Absolutely not!"
Subaru immediately interrupted him, her face full of an expression that said "this is non-negotiable."
"Tsukasa, you would definitely seize the chance when we aren't paying attention to do something that gives us a headache again. So, please stay honestly by our side."
Rem, on the side, didn't speak, but her forceful nodding and equally firm gaze fully demonstrated her stance of support.
Watching the two of them with an expression of 'no matter what you say, we won't agree,' Tsukasa could only sigh helplessly and let them hold his arms.
"Tsukasa, just obediently listen to them." Emilia, who was walking slightly ahead of the group, turned back and, with a smile, joined the ranks of the "persuaders."
Just as the group was slowly moving with the flow of people and passing a stall filled with bright apples, Tsukasa's footsteps suddenly paused. His nose twitched slightly, and he raised an eyebrow—an indescribable intuition told him: these apples must taste top-notch.
He immediately switched to an extremely serious expression, pointing at the pile of bright red fruits. "Subaru, Rem. Buy a bag. No, buy more."
Watching his sudden solemn appearance, Subaru and Rem were both stunned, followed his gaze to the apple stall, and then looked at each other and smiled, amused by his sudden "foodie" attribute.
Just then, a puzzled voice sounded from behind the stall.
"Huh? Isn't this that young lady? Do you have money to buy appas today?"
Hearing this, Subaru looked carefully and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! Is it you?!"
She immediately remembered that when she had first arrived in this world, at her most confused and helpless moment, she had wanted to ask for information at this apple stall, but because she couldn't even afford the price of one apple or rather one appa, she was unceremoniously "shown" the door by the boss.
Times had changed, and at this moment, Subaru puffed out her chest and said with a confident smile, "Boss, give me three bags of the best appas."
The middle-aged boss behind the stall looked her up and down, and rubbed his chin, his face full of suspicion. "I'm telling you, miss, come back when you have money. I don't want to have to yell at a woman again."
Seeing his undisguised distrust, Subaru didn't say much and took a gold coin out of her purse, patting it onto the stall.
"Is this enough?"
Watching the gold coin reflect an alluring luster in the sunlight, the boss's eyes instantly lit up, the suspicion on his face swept away, replaced by an incomparably brilliant smile.
Almost in the blink of an eye, three bags of plump, red, carefully wrapped appas were handed to Subaru, so fast that Subaru didn't even see how he packed them.
The money on Subaru was what Roswaal had given them for expenses in the Royal Capital.
Originally, Tsukasa also had a share, but it was kept by her under the euphemism of 'preventing him from spending money recklessly.'
"Alright. Here you go, miss. Welcome back next time."
—
"By the way, if we go to the guard room, can we see that person?" Tsukasa walked while confirming with Subaru beside him.
At this moment, the four of them were heading towards the guard room near the entrance of the Knights Castle.
The reason they thought of this route was because Subaru, Emilia, and Tsukasa almost simultaneously thought of that red-haired knight—Reinhard.
Subaru and Emilia wanted to ask about the recent situation of Felt, who had been taken away, while Tsukasa's intentions were much more direct: he wanted to ask when the other party would be free for a long-awaited duel.
As for Rem, she just quietly followed half a step behind Tsukasa, her attitude very clear—wherever Tsukasa went, she would follow.
"Reporting to the guard room... Could there be something here that can do long-distance communication?" Subaru looked in the direction of the guard room and asked.
She had seen that when someone entered just now, the guard at the door said a few words to an object resembling a mirror.
Emilia smiled, explaining, "It's a Meteor. It's a magic tool that can project a person's image onto it to have a long-distance conversation. It's a type of magic tool."
Under her explanation, Subaru finally understood that this world also contained items similar to "special equipment," and magic tools were one of them.
Qhen Tsukasa had a one-sided skirmish with Elsa, judging by the fact that her presence had suddenly disappeared, she probably also had a magic tool for self-preservation—though his own carelessness was also a factor.
'Regardless, at least we found a way to contact them.' Subaru thought to herself.
While talking, the group had arrived near the guard room.
Emilia nodded at them and walked alone towards the guard room, preparing to make contact.
Tsukasa, Subaru, and Rem remained waiting in an open space not far away.
During the waiting time, Rem silently took out the appas they had just bought, carefully peeled them, and then fed them to Tsukasa's mouth one small piece at a time.
Tsukasa was happy to enjoy it and accepted everything.
Subaru sat on the steps nearby, somewhat bored, lightly leaning her shoulder against Tsukasa, her gaze aimlessly scanning the bustling street, watching the various pedestrians, vendors, and dragon carriages coming and going.
Just after this brief tranquility had lasted for a moment, Tsukasa, who had been looking in the direction of the guard room, suddenly raised an eyebrow, straightened up immediately, and said with a hint of surprise in his tone, "It looks like Emilia is being hit on?"
In an instant, Tsukasa's words woke the dazed Subaru, and she immediately looked in the direction Tsukasa was gazing.
She saw a purple-haired youth standing in front of her. His hair was meticulously combed back, he was slightly taller than Subaru, and his build was of the lean and upright type.
Most eye-catching were his amber eyes, which were unexpectedly similar to Subaru's eye color.
At this moment, Emilia had a slightly surprised expression on her face, while the purple-haired youth maintained a polite smile.
This scene made Subaru immediately make a judgment.