5

"Even if it makes using that power of yours harder to use, it would be worth it for the results, wouldn't it? What do you say? Will you make a contract with me?"

The thread found itself being put through the needle quite easily, tying it through the hole and using his teeth to get rid of any excess thread which hung off the end. Prior to his arrival to this world, it would take him quite a few tries to be able to thread the needle, even with his apparent talent in it. But now with steady hands and eye sight that was far beyond his previous capabilities he found himself doing it with ease.

"I guess everything has its benefits. I'm not sure the consequences are worth the trouble though…" Subaru found himself mumbling out as he idly pushed the needle through the fabric of the clothing he had in his hands, it was a dark ebony black sleeveless vest he had acquired from Roswaal. The texture reminded him of a mixture between fine cloth and nylon. The opening for his head was large and in the shape of a "V". If he hadn't wore anything underneath it, it would show off his chest quite easily.

Finishing up the final touches to the vest, he slipped it on finally. It was slim against his waist but popped out a little bit towards his chest. He stood in front of the mirror that he had in his room.

Subaru was wearing a white dress shirt with his collar popped out slightly underneath the vest. The sleeves of the dress shirt were rolled up twice and stopped halfway up his forearm. He wore black pants that matched his vest in color and material. His footwear consisted of simple black dress shoes which were matte as a finish, he had gotten them from Roswaal with the rest of his outfit.

He had to tailor everything but the shoes to fit him just as he did with the vest, it took him no longer than an hour to finish. The shoes fit on their own naturally, being shoes Roswaal had owned when he was younger. (1)

His tracksuit was completely ruined, he would have to completely remake the sleeve if he wanted to salvage it, but with the lack of materials in this world, it wouldn't really be possible to recreate it perfectly. It was disheartening but at that point what could you do, at least he's still alive.

Subaru looked at himself in the mirror, his hair still somewhat damp from the bath he took shortly after leaving the room and his one-sided chat with Ram. Most of his hair was swept back in the usual style, but one side had much more bangs falling down the side of his face than usual.

But Subaru didn't really care too much about that at the moment. He styled his hair after his dad, Kenichi Natsuki. He idolized his dad and his hair represented that, but after tonight he wasn't really sure if he had the right to try and be like his dad.

He had turned into something inhuman, and he wasn't quite sure if he felt comfortable trying to be like his dad anymore, after all his dad wasn't a bloodsucker like he had become.

He shook his head at his thoughts and refocused his attention on the mirror, he raised his hand up to where his collarbone was, and his fingers lightly traced it, feeling it underneath the fabric of his shirt.

"It feels like I'm missing something, maybe a necklace?"

He didn't know where he would get such a thing, and he was honestly just grateful Roswaal had spared him clothes in the first place, asking for an accessory just for an outfit didn't seem like something he should do, even if it was likely Roswaal would approve the request after his maid tried to murder him.

Subaru raised his hand even further up, fixing his hairstyle back into its usual style. Regardless if he deserved it or not, it was something that connected him back to his parents.

The mean-eyed youth gave himself two light slaps to his cheeks, before smiling at himself. He had to admit he cleaned up well, he could dwell on what happened tonight all he wanted but he had a date with Beatrice and he kept her waiting long enough.

As he approached his bedroom door, he felt a weird feeling coming from the door, one that wasn't present just a moment ago. Subaru's lips quirked upwards into a small smirk as he realized who caused such a change.

Pulling open the door the first thing he saw was Beatrice who was sitting on her stool, legs crossed and her face resting on her palm as she gave him an annoyed look. He was in the library.

Before he could make any sort of remark, her irritated voice came out.

"You ask for my time, and then keep me waiting for so long. That's no way to treat a lady, I suppose."

Subaru paused for a moment, pondering how to respond. His smirk widened into a larger grin as if he could feel his worries washing away, he parted his lips to take in a breath as if carefully considering his wor- yeah right!

"Were you that excited for our little date? Were you kicking your feet in anticipation like a schoolgirl with her first love, Beako?"

Ah, he was flying through the air. That was probably the wrong thing to say.

He was sitting down on the ground beside her, resting his back against a bookcase as he tended to his aching body. Beatrice gazed at him with a smug and cruel smile as if taking great delight in his pain.

"That'll show you to mess around with me, in fact!"

Subaru sat up straighter as he felt his body slowly stop aching, as his regeneration kicked in. He looked up at Beatrice from his sitting position and gave her a glowering look with his mean eyes, smiling as if he were trying to look scary on purpose.

"That's not a way to treat your date, Beako."

"As if I would ever consider a romantic outing with a blubbering fool, I suppose!"

"Ah, I guess you're right. It's safer to say I'm the babysitter that was hired to watch over a little girl."

"You were the one who looked at me with such a pleading and pitiful look that just screamed for my attention."

"Ah - nope! I can't hear you!"

As the two of them bickered back and forth, Subaru felt his spirits lifting from the sour mood he was in prior, and for a moment he had forgotten about everything that was plaguing his mind and heart.

In the moment it was just the two of them, and that was fine enough for him.

Quicker than he had realized, an hour had come and gone by as Subaru continued to bicker with her throughout the duration of his stay in the library.

"And these are like these 'cars' you spoke of earlier?"

"Sort of – the concept is the same but instead of using an engine to power wheels on the ground, airplanes travel in the sky with large metal wings and rutters to change the direction it flies in."

"How would one even get something that heavy up there?"

"You'd be surprised, and they are typically super high up too! I'm talking upwards of 10,000 meters in the sky!"

Beatrice looked at him with disbelief on her face, skepticism lacing her tone as she gave him an inquisitive look.

"Surely you jest, I suppose."

"I'm telling the truth, jesting seems like a Roswaal thing to do."

"While the clown does fit that role, it might fit you just as well, in fact."

Subaru let out a dramatic gasp as Beatrice said that, clutching his heart as if he had been gravely wounded and taken critical damage.

"Ah- how could you wound my heart so?"

"I'm sure you can handle one more wound tonight."

"Huh?! That's awfully cruel you know!"

Subaru yelled out, and while his tone remained lighthearted, Beatrice could notice the wince on his face at the reminder of what had happened.

She let out a soft breath of annoyance, bringing her fingers up to pinch the bridge of her nose. After a moment she looked at him, uncrossing her legs and getting up, making her way over to him.

"How long do you intend to put this off, I suppose?"

As if being struck by lightning, or being caught in a snow storm. Subaru froze up at her words, his body rigid and his eyes wide. Eventually his tensed body relaxed, as he slumped his shoulders. His head lowered slightly and his gaze shifted up to look at her, whom was now standing in front of him.

"I'm that easy to read, huh?" his voice was uncharacteristically low, the lack of energy in his voice revealing how tired he truly felt, not in a literal sense but rather mentally, emotionally.

"Trying to hide something from Betty is quite the foolish endeavor, in fact. You wanted to talk to me did you not? So, talk."

While her words were blunt and her face was unchanged from its neutral state, the message was clear. She was willing to listen to him open up about how he felt, even if it was just for tonight.

"Honestly… you really are a kind girl in the end. You definitely fit the tsundere troupe to the letter."

"Don't make me change my mind, I suppose."

Subaru cracked a small smile at her words, although it didn't make it to his eyes which were downtrodden. He raised his gaze up facing her, his lip quavered as he opened his mouth to say something. He closed his mouth again with a breath, not sure where to start.

A moment would pass before Subaru finally managed to say something.

"Am I really marked by the witch?"

Beatrice expected such a question, after it was constantly mentioned earlier, he would probably want to know about it.

"In a sense, I suppose. You have her scent, or rather her miasma."

Subaru's expression turned into a confused one, his jaw clenching.

"Miasma?"

"Miasma is essentially contaminated or corrupted mana that exudes from those who hold the powers of a witch in the form of 'Witch Factors', or those who are connected to the witch in some way. It's typically harmless in small doses, but when an abundance of it, there is negative effects that effect all living things, easily capable of sending someone into madness."

Beatrice paused for a moment to allow him to process her words, before continuing.

"Mabeasts are also attracted to Miasma, and will attack those who carry the scent of it."

Subaru recalled back to the forest just prior, before Meili had revealed herself and controlled the mabeasts to actively avoid him and attack Rem, they had shown up to him in droves as if he had something they wanted, completely ignoring Rem and attacking him.

He was connected to the witch, which is odd because had never even met her. He recalled from his studies at Reinhard's that she was sealed away 400 years ago. Did he have one of these 'Witch Factors' Beatrice had mentioned? Wait.

Subaru's eyes became widened with realization as he brought a hand up to his mouth.

Return by Death. He was summoned to this world with that power, dying several times over and resetting the world each time. Reinhard had confirmed that he had no divine protections, and such a thing should not be capable with magic alone.

Was Return by Death a by-product of these 'Witch Factors'? Was… was the witch the one who summoned him to this world?

But why? For what purpose? Why him? Was there a reason he was chosen specifically or was it just chance? Wasn't the witch a silver haired half-elf? If that's the case then wasn't it really convenient for him to run into Emilia almost instantly after getting his bearings together? He felt an unnatural attraction for her instantly, giving up his life a few times trying to save her. He always liked elves and silver haired girls from the shows and manga he used to read… but was that all there was to it?

"-ubaru!"

He snapped out of the spiral of thoughts that he had found himself in at the sound of Beatrice's voice calling out to him. His eyes flicked up to look into hers.

"You called me by my name?"

Beatrice gave him a huff of annoyance.

"Is that really so surprising? Do you really prefer if I refer to you as a pest? You are quite the disgusting man, in fact."

"Or maybe you're just a tsundere loli."

"There you go with that word again, it irritates me."

Subaru let out a soft laugh at her annoyance, raising his head up he pulled himself up to his feet and stood in front of her.

Beatrice watched him get up.

"You seem to be in higher spirits than before."

Subaru smiled at her and nodded his head, bringing up an arm up and grabbing onto his bicep with his usual theatrics.

"You really helped me out, Beako. I'm feeling pretty good right now."

"I haven't done a thing, don't go giving me your gratitude for nothing."

Subaru shook his head at her remark.

"Honestly, I thought I was going to cry and hold onto you as I ranted about everything. But you really calmed me down just by talking to me, you're seriously the best."

Beatrice looked at him with a smirk that just radiated smugness.

"Betty does have natural charms, in fact. It's only natural that my mere presence is soothing to an avera-"

She was cut off suddenly as Subaru picked her up by her waist and spun her around in an embrace.

"Beatrice is the best! I love you!"

She let out a shout as he picked her up and spun around, quickly getting dizzy and embarrassed at having being picked up so suddenly.

"L-Let Betty go this instant, you fool!"

Subaru was suddenly hit with a blast of magic, sending him flying out the doors of the library.

"Huh?!"

Subaru could see as he was flying out the doors, as they were closing. Beatrice's reddened face with had an embarrassed frustration.

'So you can give off such a look too, huh Beako?'

And he promptly got shot through the window which had opened, and landed directly into a flower bed, covering him once more in dirt.

Ram who was sitting outside got startled as she heard yelling. She watched as Subaru fell into a flower bed, from the window and landing directly into the dirt which had just been fertilized.

Subaru noticed her and just stared at her with an awkward look, he opened his mouth to say something but all he got in response was Ram letting out a laugh at him.

"Hah!"

Back in the library, Beatrice was sitting back on her stool with a bit of redness still dusting her cheeks, an annoyed look on her face as she read through the book which was in her hands. Her eyes seemed to skim over the words as she let out a sigh.

"What an infuriating man…"

But even with those words she couldn't help but feel hope in her chest, it was so small part of her wanted to shut it down, it couldn't be him… but even so she asked in a quiet voice to herself.

"Could he be?..."

After having hopped into the bath again, and having his newly tailored clothes washed, he set them to dry. He was wearing a simple black tee-shirt and his jumpsuit pants. While they were ruined, they could make for good pajamas in the meantime.

Subaru walked through the halls of the mansion, not quite tired yet. It was around midnight but sleep would not claim him, he was anxious. His fingers gently traced the handle of his sword which still dangled by his waist and felt relief. It was odd that he felt safe with it by his side, as his skill with the sword was average at best, his natural ability and quick-thinking doing most of the heavy lifting when it came to his combat ability.

But even so, having the weapon by his side brought him some ease of mind. Maybe it was the connection he had with the Felt camp which the sword bound them, reminding him of less worrisome times.

At least there he didn't have to constantly watch his back, lest there be another attempt on his life.

And while he had brushed with death before, it was unpleasant. A cold sensation that overtook his body and his mind, his heart filled with fear, anger and resignation. Even if it wasn't the end for him, he hated that feeling.

'Even with that power, I refuse to let myself die again.'

Subaru reached the kitchen of the manor, entering it trying not to make sound. He reached for a glass that was resting in one of the cabinets, and poured himself a cup of apple – appa juice.

Taking a sip of it, he rested his back alongside the counter.

"I don't think I'll get used to calling it appas" Subaru mumbled out to himself.

"What else would you call it?"

Subaru let out a girlish scream at the sudden voice, jumping and nearly dropping his cup. He quickly turned to the side to see Emilia standing there, a small smile on her face. She was dressed in a white blouse that clung to her form rather nicely, it seamlessly connected into a skirt which hung low but not too low, he could still see her pale thighs and the thigh-highs she usually wore.

"E-Emilia-tan!"

Emilia let out a giggle, bringing a finger up to her mouth at his reaction.

"Did I startle you, Subaru?"

Subaru coughed into his hand and shook his head.

"Just a little bit – were you already here? I didn't hear any movement following me. You're quite sneaky at the end of the day, aren't you?"

Emilia nodded her head, keeping her eyes trained on him. Holding her gaze against his, he could get lost in them. Those amethyst eyes that almost glowed in the night, ah Emilia-tan was truly an angel.

He grimaced, but were those really his own thoughts?

"Mmh! I was conversing with the lesser spirits and came to get myself something to drink, you came in a minute or so after me. I didn't know if you wanted to talk, so I just stayed silent and watched."

Subaru took another sip from his cup of appa juice and nodded slowly, swallowing the savory liquid. His lips pursed and he took a breath in, a smile on his face.

"I have been in a bad mood lately, haven't I?"

"It's to be expected Subaru! I can't believe Rem would do such a thing to you!"

Rem. He didn't think he would ever end up liking her, he loathed her, and for good reason. At best he could remain cordial with her but that's all he could do. He doubt he would be able to keep the distrust and anger out of his eyes when being around her, but he needs to be better. With his knighting ceremony coming in the following weeks, he would have to learn to be neutral even around people he couldn't stand.

"You mentioned that we would talk tomorrow, so I was going to wait for you to be open to talking about it."

Subaru snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at her which surprised her.

"At first, I really was not feeling good at all, but after visiting Beatrice and spending some time with her… I feel much better now. There are some things I still have on my mind, but the vast majority of those feelings have been laid to rest for now."

Emilia tilted her head at him before giving him a smile.

"You and Beatrice are really good friends, aren't you?"

Subaru crossed his arms and looked off to the side dramatically, pouting.

"No way! I just like bothering her, that's all! There's nothing more to it!"

Emilia laughed at his antics, a knowing smile on her face.

"You like hiding your true feelings, don't you?"

Subaru suddenly gasped as he took a few steps back, playing up the theatrics of the situation. He fell to his knees, setting his cup on the ground as he raised his hands up and gazed at his palms with a look of despair on his face.

"Am… Am I the tsundere?!"

Emilia couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she wiped a tear from her eye, this situation was really too much!

"S-Subaru you're so silly!"

Subaru grinned at her as he got back up, joining her in her laughter with his own. The two of them just enjoying the moment, laughing a laugh which he didn't expect he'd be doing so soon.

"I'm glad to see you're doing okay, Subaru." Emilia said in a gentle tone, her eyes glimmering as she gave him a small smile which made his heart flutter, he couldn't stop the blush from appearing on his face.

"Yeah, it was a rough day but… I'll be alright. Sorry for making you worry, Emilia-tan."

Emilia took a step towards him and gently touched him on his shoulder.

"You don't understand, Subaru. It's more satisfying to hear a single 'thank you' than a 'sorry'."

Subaru's eyes widened for a moment, processing her words. His eyes closed, and when they re-opened, they were much softer, he smiled at her.

"Thank you, Emilia-tan."

Emilia gave him a smile, sticking her tongue out.

"You're welcome, Subaru."

A few weeks had gone by since that fateful night, the residents of the mansion had gone back to a sense of normalcy for the most part, although there were some changes.

Subaru and Rem were constantly away from each other, even during meals, often at the opposite sides of the room from each other.

They stole glances at each other occasionally, and tensions were still there. In fact, they might have been worse. Rem could not stand to see the sight of him, still very adamant that he was a witch cultist with ulterior motives.

Subaru could not stand to see the person who had attempted to murder him be anywhere near him, it set him on edge and set his heart ablaze with anger. They conveyed their feelings with their eyes to each other every time they saw each other, much to the chagrin of the people who noticed their silent interactions.

It was safe to say that Rem and Subaru loathed each other, despised each other.

The relationship between Emilia and Rem was also strained, not that they were on good terms before. They always had a master-servant relationship, but as of recent Emilia preferred for her sister to tend to her instead of Rem. She was curter and more distant towards her and gave her short responses when only necessary, but Rem did not seem to mind.

Emilia remembered Rem making an analogy towards her and the witch when accusing Subaru that night, and it hurt. But she was used to such things, she was more upset that she had attacked Subaru.

Ram and Subaru on the other hand had gotten along well surprisingly all things considered, even though she was Rem's sister she didn't seem to care that much of the tension that was between the two.

She didn't like seeing Rem filled with so much anger and hatred, and sure it might have been caused by Subaru's existence. But she understood fundamentally that wasn't his fault, and even though she wouldn't admit it. Ram was grateful towards Subaru.

Grateful that he didn't have her sister sent away from her, even if he had every reason to agree to such a thing. Her suspicions were confirmed when she approached him that night, he didn't send Rem away because he didn't want to separate the two, as the only things they had left was each other.

Ram and Subaru would often bicker with each other, with Ram hurling insults at him and Subaru rebutting every insult sent his way, or rather trying to.

Ram had a sharp tongue, and the admittedly good insults came from her naturally.

Although neither would admit it, they saw each other as friends.

Roswaal had kept a close eye on both Subaru and Rem, making sure no other incidents would occur. For the most part nothing had happened.

They had to be on good behavior today especially, as residents from Arlam and a few other nobles began to trickle into the manor.

Today was the day of Subaru's knighting ceremony after all.

Subaru found himself being attended to by servants from an off-branch of Roswaal's family. Maids and servants from the 'Miload' house had come in accordance to Roswaal's request.

Subaru stared at himself in the mirror, gone was the vest and dress shirt look he had been wearing for the past few weeks, and instead he stood there dawning the outfits of The Knights of Lugunica.

The outfit consisted of high-quality fabric, woven in an intricate fashion making it feel quite durable. He couldn't quite tell what it was made out of, but it reminded him as a mixture of suede fabric and polyester.

He wore a black regal looking shirt with white accents on the trim, running up the middle and up to the turtle neck design, dying the top edge of it white, with a golden clasp at the front of it.

On top of the dress shirt was a white long overcoat with an overlapped trench design, with red accents running alongside the inner part of the layered design, running all the way down to his ankles.

The second overlaying part covered his shoulders with red and black accents, the rest of it a silky white which flowed down into a cape that also went down to his ankles.

The inside of both the overlaying coat, and the underlying one were a magenta.

A black belt with red accents and a golden clasp ran diagonally around his upper waist down towards the opposite side where it reached around his lower waist. Attached to this belt was his sword, forgoing the typical knight sword for his custom Astrea one which Reinhard had gifted to him.

Towards the top of the overcoat nearing his chest was a golden clasp that connected the two sides of his cape together, holding it in place loosely as the cape flowed around him.

His pants were the same intricate material and was a pearly white, and his footwear was a mixture between boots and shoes, being primarily black with an undertone of red going towards the soles.

This was the standard issue outfit for the Knights of Lugunica. (2)

On top of it all, he wore a deep purple robe made of silk, with an accentuated collar which had a pinkish accent of fur running along it. On the back of the robe was the golden symbol of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica. This was the ceremony robe that was used for knighting.

As the servants tended to him, and made sure everything was in perfect place he couldn't help but admire his look with an excited smile. It was finally time for him to become a knight, he had spent the past few weeks reading up on the knights, and how they have to act and the codes they follow to make sure he would be prepared for it.

Although he didn't quite feel like being stuck up and constantly acting regal, it wouldn't hurt to skip that part would it?

After finishing up being tended to, Subaru made his way to the hall where everyone was gathered, he scanned the room and smiled, it would appear they had accepted the invitation after all!

There stood Reinhard with his lady Felt. Surrounding them was the twin maids he was so fond of, Flam and Grassis. Even Carol and Grimm were there!

He walked over to them and gave off a wave as he approached.

"You guys came!"

Reinhard had turned to look at him, having noticed him the second he entered the room. A smile on his charming face, ah was that one his divine protections making his heart flutter? Surely.

"Subaru, it's good to see you again. You could imagine the surprise and joy that we had gotten when we received your invitation. Congratulations."

Reinhard's voice was smooth and kind. He was quite happy for his friend who managed to pull through and officially be recognized as a knight for the kingdom, especially so soon.

Felt and the others turned towards him, although Felt basically jumped at him.

"Big bro! You're becoming one of those stuck-up fuckers too, huh?"

Felt completely ignored everyone chastising her for her words, as insulting the knights was not something that should be done lightly, but she flipped them off. She was a god damn princess now, she could do as she pleased!

Subaru laughed at her antics and took in her appearance, she was wearing a red dress that complimented her nicely, matching it with a pair of red high heels and a flower in her hair.

"Did Reinhard force you into that dress, or was it Flam and Grassis?"

Felt clicked her tongue as she could hear the twins snickering at her, she turned to look at them but they quickly went back to being as stoic as ever.

When Felt turned back around, Subaru saw them begin snickering again and he couldn't help but snicker as well.

He approached the two and raised his hands up, patting Flam with his left hand, and Grassis with his right.

Flam tried to shy away from his touch with a deadpan, while Grassis seemed to openly enjoy it.

"Ah, please do not touch me as if we are friends, Subaru-sama who is broke beyond compare."

Subaru snicked at her and doubled his efforts, a smirk forming on his face.

"But I've missed you, Flam! Let me spoil you some more!"

"Even if she won't admit it, the days aren't as lively with you not around, Subaru-sama who is clueless beyond compare." Grassis spoke up, being the more outgoing one she wasn't as shy as Flam was. Openly stating that she missed his presence.

Subaru smiled at the both of them, Flam with a light blush on her face at being called out, and Grassis snickering with a sly smile at her sister's reaction.

Subaru would spend a few minutes messing around with the twins, he had truly missed this. Part of him thought it was bad for him to be more at ease with an opposing camp, but after all that has happened, how could he not? He had nothing but good memories with the Felt camp and was fond of all of them.

Carol and Grimm approached him as he continued to play with the twins, he turned to look at them and straightened his back.

"Congratulations, Subaru-sama. It would appear you are making strides in your career already."

Subaru blushed at Carol's words. He respected both Grimm and Carol a lot, both of them fighting for the kingdom a long time ago and being war heroes. He was sort of following in their footsteps and he'd be lying if he said they didn't inspire him.

Grimm slowly opened his mouth and spoke as well, his gravelly voice coming out broken and slow thanks to the injury he had sustained long ago, but even so he made sure to congratulate him.

"I… look forward to how far… you can go, Subaru."

Subaru gave them both a beaming smile.

"Thank you, Carol, Grimm. It means a lot to hear that coming from the both of you."

Subaru would continue to mingle with the Felt camp for a few minutes, enjoying the time he spent with them.

Technically they weren't supposed to be here, as the Royal Candidates weren't supposed to be mingling before the selection began, but due to certain circumstances being as they have already met, there was no real harm done in it.

Subaru noticed Roswaal calling him over for a chat, he nodded his head and turned back towards the group.

"I'm being called over, thanks for coming you guys! I'll see you during the after party?"

"Of course, we shall meet again soon, Subaru." Reinhard responded.

"Don't accidentally cut yourself when handing the sword to big sis!"

Subaru snickered at Felt's comment, he waved at them as he walked across the room and stood beside Roswaal, who had his back resting against a wall.

"How are you feeling, Subaru-kun? Neeerrvous?~"

Subaru looked towards the hall, taking in the sight of everyone mingling with each other, he cracked a small smile as he turned to look at Roswaal.

"Juussst a bit~." Subaru would mimic Roswaal's voice, bringing his hand up and making a pinching motion with his index finger and his thumb.

Roswaal chuckles at him, crossing his arms as he turns to look at Subaru, maintaining eye contact.

"You have a long road ahead of you, Subaru. You will come to face great turmoil in the coming months, I am sure of it. But for today, you can relax and enjoy the festivities."

Subaru tilts his head at his words, great turmoil?

"What do you mean by that, Ros-"

He was cut off by an announcement being made, the voice of a young lady resonating through the hall they were all in.

"The conferment of knighthood of Natsuki Subaru will now commence!"

The young lady who had spoken was Annerose Miload, she was the heir to House Miload, an off branch of the Mathers family.

Annerose has light blue eyes and long, dark indigo colored hair which is braided around her head. She wore an extravagant pale blue dress, with a white collar which folded inward, and a yellow bow resting beneath it.

"You'll come to see soon enough, Subaru-kun. For now, enjoy today… and congratulations."

Subaru looked at Roswaal and gave him a smile, while he didn't know what he meant by that, he was right. He could worry about it later.

Subaru made his way to the center of the room where Emilia was standing, stopping short of the steps that led up to the throne. He knelt on one knee and lowered his head. He reached to the side and grabbed onto the sword Reinhard had gifted him, taking it out of its scabbard and holding it in two hands, offering it up towards Emilia.

Emilia was dressed well for the occasion a white silk dress, with light blue accents, a white cloak with purple trims with a golden clasp holding the two together.

Emilia reached out and grabbed the sword, lifting it up and pointing it towards the ceiling. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"The sun that looks down upon a brilliant world, the stars that keep watch over the world while it sleeps, the wind, to the water, to the earth, to the light, the spirits that dwell within all things…"

Emilia held a short pause before continuing.

"The world will accept you, and nurture you, the vast world into which you will be sent forth. The pride that has supported you, protected you, and created you. May you find a way to live that will not shame all that watch over you, the world that nurtures you, and the pride that supports you. May you live as your heart dictates, never fearing, never cowering, never hesitating. Have you all the will to do this, as all things surrounding you have done, to swear that you will henceforth protect the one standing before you?"

Subaru would keep his gaze low towards the ground as Emilia finished speaking. Shortly after she had finished, he would make his vows.

"On the sun, the stars, the spirits, the world, my pride…"

Memories flashed before his eyes, recalling the looks of his parents, their smiles as they would spend time with him, nurture him and give him love even when he felt he didn't deserve it. A small smile slowly formed on his face.

"And on my father and mother, I swear it. I will protect you. I will grant your every wish. My name is Natsuki Subaru…"

Subaru rose his face up, gazing into her eyes with a smile.

"Your knight, Emilia. And yours alone."

Emilia had a feint smile on her face as he said this, her eyes glistening in the light, she gave off a small approving sound that only he could hear.

She brought the sword down gently onto his right shoulder, before handing it back to him. Subaru took the sword in his hands, and slowly slid it back into its sheath.

He stood up and faced her with a smile, he was now officially knighted.

"This is nothing new, but you look super cute and sexy in that outfit."

Emilia chuckled at him, he could feel Puck's invisible eyes glowering at him.

"Idiot." She responded with a lighthearted laugh.

The room erupted with applause and congratulations, all but from one person, a blue-haired maid who glared at him through all of the festivities.

Subaru would spend the rest of the night enjoying his time with everyone, even Beatrice was here surprisingly, although she had stepped out to the balcony shortly after the room began to get too loud.

He had watched as Reinhard would seemingly beat Ram in a drinking competition, his divine protections making it so that he couldn't become intoxicated. To be fair, Ram had put up much of a fight but even her tolerance wasn't enough against the sword saint.

Rem had excused herself shortly after the festivities began, and he couldn't help but feel relieved at that.

"Won't you have a drink, Suuuubarruu-kun?"

Subaru looked at the drink Roswaal was offering him, but he only shook his head with a smile.

"I'm not old enough to drink, so I'll pass on that."

Emilia would turn to look at him with confusion.

"Subaru, the drinking age here is 16."

Ah –

"Well, where I'm from you have to be 20 to drink, and while my 18th birthday is coming up, I still rather wait until then."

"I wonder, would you turn bright red from the smell alone and say, 'I don't want to go home tonight…' or something like that?" Roswaal followed up with a smile on his face, taking another sip of the drink he had poured from himself.

"Even this world has that type of troupe, huh?"

Subaru looked over at the balcony where Beatrice was residing, and clicked his tongue.

"Honestly, that girl…"

Subaru turned over to Emilia and gave her an apologetic smile, but she waved him off and motioned for him to go do what he had to do.

Subaru walked over to the glass door of the balcony, sliding it open and walking onto the balcony. He closed the door and went to stand beside Beatrice, who was gazing up at the stars.

"Do you enjoy the stars, Beatrice?"

Beatrice looked up at him, and turned her sights back up to the night sky.

"They're not bad, I suppose. I'm a bit more interested in them ever since you told me about the history from your world."

Subaru would smile a sly smile at her words, leaning in towards her with a finger on his chin.

"Oh?~ You are interested in them because of me?"

"I will send you flying off this balcony and ruin that little outfit of yours."

"Ah, please don't do that."

Beatrice would smirk and turn to face him.

"You managed to complete your goal, now what will you do?"

Subaru looked up towards the sky, pondering what he wanted to do now. Sure he might be busy helping Emilia with the selection now, as her knight. But besides that?

Subaru turned his gaze back towards Beatrice, and grinned.

"I think I'll spend some more time bugging you."

Beatrice merely clicked her tongue at his response, her eyes softening as she looked down towards the ground.

Subaru noticed this and quickly questioned her on it.

"What's the matter, Beako?"

Beatrice would raise her gaze up to his with a seriousness that caught him off guard, it's as if she was struggling with something.

"Why do you spend so much time around me, I wonder?"

Subaru pondered her question before smiling.

"It's because I'm quite fond of you, obviously."

"You say that, but you're also fond of the others. Why not spend more time with them? Why do you insist on bugging Betty?"

Subaru looked down into her serious eyes, she wanted a proper answer. He let out a breath and he nodded his head, if that's what she wanted then…

"I don't really know how to explain it, but you put me at ease. I've been bothering you everyday for the past few weeks, and it's like all my worries wash away. I can always count on you to bring me some form of comfort, I love spending time with you. And you seem to be enjoying the knowledge I share with you as well. It's like I'm just drawn to you in some way, if that makes sense."

Beatrice widened her eyes at his response, her lip seemed to quiver slightly. She looked down at the ground as if she was pondering something, a few moments of silence would pass before she finally looked back up at him.

"Are you that pe-.."

She would not get to finish her question, as a loud noise reverberated from inside the room.

Subaru tilted his head towards the noise, to see Ram with her face on the table, with Reinhard tending to her. Ah it would appear she would not accept defeat and ended up drinking too much.

"Honestly…"

Subaru turned back towards Beatrice.

"Sorry, you were saying?"

But Beatrice had already walked away, towards the door. She turned back towards him with a neutral expression.

"Forget it, nevermind, I suppose."

She entered the room and left Subaru standing outside, donning his knight outfit with a confused expression on his face.