6

'What a twisted way of thinking, and I thought we were the ones who were supposed to be witches.'

Preparations were taking up most of the time of everyone in the mansion, the royal selection was finally starting. Emilia was studying hard and preparing for a visit later today. Roswaal was busy in his office as he finalized some work before they would end up heading out, Ram being by his side throughout the process. And who knows what Beatrice was up to, but keeping an eye on him wasn't on her agenda. Or well, that's what he assumed at least.

So it was no surprise that when everyone was busy and unable to keep a vigilant eye on the two of them, that they would end up face to face again.

Even with the sun shining on her, her eyes were anything but illuminated. Rather they were cold, harsh and glaring at him. Subaru couldn't help but glare back at her.

Subaru was spending his time outside in the courtyard, going through his daily motions that Reinhard had instilled into him, training his body and his motions with his sword, and while he didn't have much of a natural talent with the sword it was better than nothing, hard work would pay off eventually.

Rem was going through her daily routine, taking care of most of the manor by herself as per usual, thanks to Ram being much of a slacker and spending most of her time by the clown's side. She had finished up with breakfast and made her way out to the courtyard to trim the hedges when she caught sight of him.

And that lead up to this moment now, with the two of them just a few feet from each other, in a stand-off. Alone for the first time in weeks, with nobody to enforce the rule that they would stay apart.

It was silent, neither of them spoke or even moved. All they could do was stare each other in the eye. The atmosphere was thick and heavy, any sudden move might set the other off. Subaru had his sword in his hand already due to his training, while Rem was holding onto the pair of shears she had brought out for the maintenance of the hedges.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" Subaru's voice finally spoke out, his tone came out light but it sounded wrong, like it was forced.

Rem would stare at him for a few seconds before gazing down to his sword silently, before shifting her eyes back up to him, which would narrow in suspicion.

Subaru would catch onto her thoughts and would raise an eyebrow at her.

"I wasn't aware that training made someone suspicious, Rem."

Rem would scoff at him, as if there wasn't a million other reasons on why he was suspicious to her.

"When you're the one doing such an act, anything can look suspicious."

Subaru would give her an exasperated sigh, and while he wanted to just turn around and ignore her, he would not take his attention off of her. The last time he did so, he lost his arm.

"You know for someone who looks pleasant, you're actually pretty vile."

"Don't stare at me with those eyes, witch cultist. You are the last one to be speaking of someone being vile. Your very presence is the essence of corrosion."

"If you don't like my presence, then why don't you try and do something about it?"

Rem would snarl at him as she would bend her knees slightly, her body tensing up at his provocation, her eyes blazing with a malice that up until today she could only convey silently to him.

Subaru knew he shouldn't be doing this, he was a knight now and he couldn't afford to go around getting angry and saying such petty things, but at the end of the day it was a part of his nature. He was someone who wouldn't let things go, especially with those who have hurt him.

Tensions rose between the two of them, Subaru would increase his grip on the handle of his sword, his fingers lightly tracing the black woven material that was wrapped around it, finding comfort in it.

As mana began to swirl around Rem, the sounds of a dragon drawn carriage would draw their attention away from each other.

Subaru and Rem would subtly glance at the carriage that was casually riding up the path towards the of the mansion, it would slow its approach and park outside the entrance.

The two of them would look back at each other, Rem would finally scoff and turn away from him, walking away to go do what she originally intended to do when she came out here.

Subaru would watch her walk away without a word and would let out the breath he had been holding in anticipation, his heart was racing from that interaction alone, not out of fear or even excitement. But rather emotions that had been bottled up between the two, being able to get anything of the ill feelings they shared out of his system and the incentive for revenge, payback of some sort.

He let out a scowl of disappointment, with his mind calming down he realized that he wasn't acting how he should have.

With a soft sigh Subaru would sheathe his sword and make his way over to the carriage that had arrived.

Wilhelm van Astrea was having a pleasant day all things considered.

The journey from the capital to the Mathers domain was calm and peaceful, there were no distraction or hic-ups along the way. They had left when the night sky was still out so they could arrive by early morning. This would give enough time for him to discuss terms with the Emilia camp and be able to return back to the capital in time for dinner.

As the old gentlemen stepped outside his eyes had to re-adjust to the sudden brightness of the day, having spent his time in a curtained carriage for the majority of the journey, his eyes were used to the darkness.

Wilhelm had an air of elegance around him, he was rather tall and has a muscular physique that one would not expect from someone of his age. He had long bountiful white hair which was combed back perfectly, the length of it being tied back into a ponytail. On his old gentle and wrinkled face, he had a pair of sky-blue eyes that reflected his experience and wisdom. He is wearing a black butler's outfit which consists of a white shirt over which he wears a vest of also white colour. Over both the vest and the shirt, he's sporting a black, long-sleeved coat with some blue finishing touches around the edges. Matching the attire, his pants are purely black. As a finishing touch, Wilhelm can be seen sporting white gloves and an elegant yet normal black bow-tie.

Wilhelm noticed a pair of footsteps heading his way, he turned and met the eyes of a young-man who had rather mean looking eyes, dressed in knight attire and dawning a sword of… the Astrea family?

He looked at the youth as he approached him and turned to face him, bowing slightly.

"Ah – you don't need to do that! I'm Natsuki Subaru, it's a pleasure to meet you mister…"

Wilhelm was a bit surprised all things considered from how laidback this knight appeared to be.

"Wilhelm."

Subaru's lips turned into a smile, he kind of reminded him of Grimm.

"Oh? Is that a new knight I spot?"

Subaru and Wilhelm would turn towards the effeminate voice which had come from the carriage, out stepped a rather cute… catgirl?!

The person in question had flax colored hair and yellow eyes, a cute face and a pair of cat ears upon their head. Their casual wear consists of a blue collar with a ribbon, a blue dress, black tights, blue leggings, blue shoes, white arm covers, and a blue scarf tied around their right arm.

Subaru would stare for a few seconds unknowingly, and the person in question would grin at him.

"Did Ferri-chan catch your attention?"

"Ferri-chan?" Subaru would respond slightly puzzled.

"That's my name! I'm Ferris. I'm a knight serving under Crusch-sama. I'm here to discuss terms with Lord Roswaal and Emilia-sama."

Subaru would pause for a moment before it clicked in his head, he snapped his fingers in recognition.

"Ah! You're the emissary from the capital!"

Ferris would nod their head and clap their hands.

"That's right nya! Will you be joining us during the discussion?"

Subaru surprisingly shook his head.

"Nah, Emilia-tan will inform me about it later. You can approach the blue-haired maid attending to the hedges, she will bring you to Roswaal's office."

Ferris would wave and walk towards the blue-haired maid, who would look back at Subaru with a glare before nodding her head at the guest and led him inside.

Subaru couldn't help but smile at himself, giving her more work to do was a bit petty but…

Subaru would turn back to Wilhelm who was looking at him in his eyes.

'This young man's eyes… it's as if he has been at death's doorstep many times.' He thought to himself.

"Could I offer you some tea?" Subaru offered with a smile, with no ulterior motives whatsoever. Definitely.

Wilhelm spend the next few moments waiting as the young man disappeared back in to the manor. Eventually Subaru would return with two cups of tea on a silver platter. He would set the platter down on a nearby fountain and hand Wilhelm a cup.

Wilhelm took a sip of the tea, and his eyes softened at the taste. It was certainly pleasant, clearly a higher blend and brew.

"It tastes lovely. I feel as though I am indulging in a great luxury."

Subaru would set the plate down upon the edge of the fountain, before turning back to Wilhelm with a smile.

"It's seriously the most expensive tea in the mansion. If the pink-haired maid finds out we drank it without permission, she'll flip."

Wilhelm would lower his face to look at the young knight, his eyes narrowing knowingly.

"And what is it you wish to gain from this old man, with such a thing?"

Subaru would wave him off and smile.

"Nothing in particular, just wanted to ask if you were a knight as well? You have this look about you, it reminds me of a man I know who fought in the war."

"May I ask who this person you speak of is?"

"He's an old man named Grimm Fauzen."

Wilhelm would look at him with mild surprise.

"You know of Grimm, young man?"

"I do. I spent some time at the Astrea manor before coming here, and got to know him and his wife Carol, along with the other residents."

Wilhelm would slowly nod, while he didn't say anything regarding it, he felt a great regret when the Astrea household was mentioned.

"That would explain why you dawn a sword from the Astrea household."

"Oh you recognized that? Ah – yeah it was a gift from a friend."

Wilhelm would nod curtly and would begin speaking.

"I was indeed a knight in my younger days, I fought in the demi-human war alongside many of the other knights from that time period."

Subaru would look at the old man with excitement and appreciation.

"I knew it, you had that cool badass look that Grimm gave off, although don't tell him I said this… but you look cooler." Subaru would wink at him which would cause him to chuckle.

"That's quite the compliment, Subaru. I'll make sure to not tell him about your favoritism."

Subaru would laugh with him and finish drinking his cup of tea.

Wilhelm would gaze at him, studying his demeanor. It's odd that such a young man has such eyes, and yet is somehow still able to be as laidback as he is.

"Have you recently been knighted, Subaru? You give off quite the easygoing atmosphere which many knights may frown upon."

Subaru would rub the back of his head and smile sheepishly at Wilhelm's observation.

"Yeah, I was knighted about a week ago now, give or take. I know I should be a bit more professional going forward, but the stuck-up elegant shtick is not really my style."

Wilhelm would chuckle at the young man's antics.

"Worry not, it's quite refreshing to see someone in the knights be as outgoing and easy to talk to as you are."

The two of them would chat for an hour, talking about their love interests or, in Wilhelm's case his late wife. Training, and just day to day life.

"You are interested in Emilia-sama?"

Subaru would wince slightly as he looked up at the sky.

"I'm not quite sure, it's better to say I'm a bit confused about it all. I thought I liked her, but I found myself questioning the motives behind it. I still appreciate her greatly as a friend and someone I want to protect, and I can't lie about being attracted to her… but."

Subaru would look down at Wilhelm with a half-hearted smile.

"It's complicated, I guess."

'I still don't know if this is natural attraction to her, or if the witch is influencing me to like Emilia as much as I do.' Subaru thought to himself with a grimace.

He still didn't know why he was brought to this world, why the witch had interest in him and why he had a possible witch factor inside of him. It was all too convenient, everything happening just when he arrived.

"If you do end up pursuing Emilia-sama you will have a steep hill to climb. Someone who is a candidate to throne may be a complicated love interest, especially as her knight."

Subaru nodded slowly.

"Although you mention being confused, I'm sure with time you'll come to a conclusion, Subaru-dono."

A small smile formed on Wilhelm's face as he said this, which caused Subaru to smile back at him.

"Yeah, I think so too. Thank you, Wilhelm."

"Of course."

Ferris would return shortly after their conversation ended, they would spend a few minutes chatting to Subaru before bidding him farewell, Wilhelm and Ferris would re-enter the carriage and begin their journey back to the capital.

The two of them sat in silence until they passed Arlam village and found themselves on the path back to the royal capital.

"I'm surprised to see you talking to the boy, Wilhelm. I thought you would prefer to cut someone in half rather than hold a conversation, nya." Ferris's voice came out from the back of the carriage.

Wilhelm who was sitting in the front manning the dragon would keep his eyes on the road, although his eyes would sharpen.

"You misunderstand, I merely took a liking to the young man's eyes."

Ferris would tilt his head towards Wilhelm with interest.

"Oh?"

"Those are the eyes of someone who has faced death several times."

"And nyow you lost me. But if Wilhelm van Astrea, The Sword Demon says so… then that boy must have quite the bumpy path in front of him."

"I'll be heading out soon you know, you should build up the courage to confess your undying affection towards me when you still have the chance, Beako~!"

Subaru knew they would be heading out shortly to the capital, and made it his mission to find out where Beatrice was, spending the last couple of minutes going around checking doors until he found a tug towards one.

They hadn't talked much in the past week, ever since his ceremony. During his initial stay for the weeks leading up to his conferment of knighthood, they had spent at least an hour every day hanging out, with Subaru sharing stories of his world, with Beatrice in return helping him out get a better grasp at using Minya.

So it was weird on why she suddenly started avoiding him after their moment on the balcony together.

They had a working relationship, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't fond of her. It was weird. It wasn't a romantic fondness, gods no. He would still tease her about it though. It wasn't quite familial either. The best way to describe how he felt about her was someone he could confide in, place his trust into and vent to. Which is odd considering he did not want to place his problems onto others, and actively avoided talking about how he was handling things and his mental state.

So why did he feel so comfortable talking to her?

Beatrice gave him a sneer which snapped him back into reality, she had a hand raised out towards hi-

"Not this time!"

Subaru jumped into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling of the forbidden library, narrowly avoiding her magic for the first time since she began bullying him with her ability to send him flying.

He gave her a triumphant smirk, basically drowning with ego as he laughed at her.

"HA! You thought you would get me this time, but - !"

"Murak."

Beatrice chanted out an unknown spell, he watched as she started floating towards him in the air, defying gravity. The look on his face could be best described as being flabbergasted.

She rested her hand on his chest as she finally reached his level in the air, and with an application of magic she chanted another spell.

"El Vita."

It was as if someone just threw a truck onto him, his weight and mass increased a hundred fold, it was as if gravity itself had decided to fuck him in the ass and multiply its hold on him specifically.

With a yell Subaru found himself cratered into the floor of the library.

He watched from his position on the ground as Beatrice floated back down to the ground elegantly, although the look on her face was anything but elegant.

While her body moved with grace, she had a sneer resembling a smug smile on her face as she looked down upon him as if he were an insect.

"You've got to show me how to do that."

"I'll teach you the basics I suppose, but only if you make that stuffed animal of nii-chan like you promised."

Even with him basically cratered into the floor, they held their usual conversation rather well, as if this was something that just happened every-day between the two.

"I promise I will! I'll work on it while I'm in the capital! So please teach me, Beako-sensei!"

"Hmph! You're such a hopeless man I suppose. Desperately asking for Betty's help when you can only provide promises. Luckily for you I am feeling generous today."

Subaru's face lightened up, as he sat up as he felt the force of gravity release its increased hold on him. He probably could have moved while the spell was still active, but it would be more trouble than it's worth to strain himself like that.

"You seriously are the best Beako, giving me special treatment like that."

Beatrice would let out a loud "Hah?" at him as her expression would darken.

"I'm sorry, I'm joking please teach me."

And that's how they would spend the next few minutes, Beatrice giving him a basic rundown of how the spell works, how to weave his mana for the two spells. Hammering the concept he had to envision down into his head.

Beatrice would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't giving him special treatment, after all there was a chance that he was "that person". There wasn't any other reason that she would consider it… definitely not. She had definitely not grown just a little fond of the idiot. Definitely not.

The question would come up eventually. But as they spoke today, she wondered why she even bothered avoiding him after his knighting in the first place.

Subaru finished loading his luggage into the carriage, he wasn't bringing much. A bunch of clean clothes consisting of underwear, a few pairs of the clothes he wore before his knighting ceremony, and as of most recently a recreation of his tracksuit. The materials weren't quite the same, but he could still appreciate it as a reminder of home.

Stepping out of the carriage he looked towards the front of the carriage, finding Ram with a harness in her hands. She was attaching it to the ground dragon. She noticed him looking at her and gave him a glare.

"Barusu you pervert, you can't help but stare at the lovely flower in front of you. I'm sure your head is filled with indecent thoughts. Go die."

"That's unreasonably cruel?!" Subaru shouted out, pointing a finger at her.

Ram would give him a smirk, bending her elbows and raising her hands in a shrug.

"My honesty is one of the many great features about me. You may give me my applause now. Bask in the glory of Ram-sama."

"Of course, thank you for gracing us with your presence, oh mighty Nee-sama – like hell I'm going to say that!" Subaru would respond with a shout, waving his fist in her direction.

"For a second there I thought you finally put that brain of yours to use, but it would appear that there was never a brain there in the first place, how disappointing, Barusu."

And the bickering started, if it wasn't for Emilia arriving and intervening, they might have argued for hours.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Emilia would pop up and say, giving the two of them an amused smile as they bickered.

Ram would switch to professional mode in an instant, giving Emilia a slight bow.

"Yes, Emilia-sama. The preparations are finished, we may leave at any time."

"I don't know what scares me more, Ram acting professional or when she's being herself." Subaru would idly remark which would cause Emilia to giggle and Ram to give him a grin.

"You'll get to find out, Barusu. I'll be accompanying you two on your journey to discuss an alliance between the two camps."

Subaru had known about this prior, he had found Emilia shortly after Wilhelm and Ferris left. Another candidate had agreed to give them accommodations for their stay in the capital. Crusch Karsten. He didn't know much about her besides what he read up in his spare time, but she seemed like a nice enough person if she was willing to host them, especially when they were rivals for the throne.

"I don't know if I'll make it out alive at this rate, having to deal with Ram. At least I'll have Emilia-tan to give me strength throughout this whole ordeal!"

"I should be the one saying such a thing, I fear I may be infected with the brain disease you're plagued with the longer I have to spend time around you." Ram would respond smoothly.

Emilia would tilt her head at Ram's words before turning to look at Subaru.

"Subaru, I wish you told me about such a disease, don't worry! Crusch has the best healer under her employment, we'll get you all fixed up!"

Subaru could only face palm at this situation, with Ram snickering at the whole interaction.

The bustling sounds of the Royal Capital were deafening, there was sounds of laughter, people chattering, street vendors yelling trying to get the attention of potential customers and many more sounds in the air. It made him wince as his ears adjusted to the sudden influx of sound.

Is this what demi-humans dealt with every time they travelled somewhere with an abundance of people? It definitely wasn't pleasant, but he slowly tuned it out, the sounds only becoming a minor annoyance.

"Are you alright?"

Subaru would turn to look at Emilia who was looking at him with a worried gaze, she must have noticed his wincing.

"Is it the brain disease? Don't worry Subaru we're almost there!"

"I don't have a brain disease! That was just a joke Ram said!"

Ram who heard his yelling would turn back through the gap that allowed the driver to converse with the carriage.

"Please do not listen to him, Emilia-sama. He is clearly confused and delusional. I fear the illness may have taken over his brain completely." She would muster with the most deadpan and neutral voice she could manage.

"I will throw you into a nearby lake."

"You could try, but I don't think you have the brain capacity to do such a thing, Barusu."

Subaru would just let out a groan as he close the gap effectively cutting the conversation short. He would turn to Emilia and sigh.

"Trust me she's just playing around. Don't look too much into it, Emilia-tan."

Emilia was more confused than ever, but she slowly nodded.

"If you say so then I'll put my trust in you, Subaru. But please don't be afraid to tell me if something is wrong, I have to make sure my knight is doing alright too you know."

Did the carriage suddenly get a lot warmer or was it just him? Subaru had a light blush forming on his face at her words, turning his gaze away from her as he muttered out "E.M.T" under his breath.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright? Your face is suddenly red."

Emilia would get closer to him and would raise her hand to his forehead, he could feel her warmth.

"You don't feel feverish…" she muttered out lightly.

Bringing his hand up he gently grasped hers and pulled her hand away from his forehead, the blush on his face deepening. Holy shit this girl was going to overload his heart, he's not used to this kind of attention.

"I promise you I'm alright! Thank you for worrying Emilia-tan, but I'm all good!" He just wanted her to stop making his heart race like crazy.

"Alright alright. Since you promised I'll hold you to it."

Emilia backs away and sits back in her seat, glancing at him one last time with a smile before turning to look out the window again.

Subaru's breath was labored, she had gotten way too close! This girl really did not understand social cues at all!

The carriage finally came to a halt; the sun was beginning to set as the day was coming to an end. The journey had taken several hours but they finally arrived at the Karsten manor.

Subaru stepped out of the carriage first, and held his hand out. Emilia would step out of the carriage after him, taking his hand and touching her foot down to the ground beneath her.

It was time to act like a knight, he was in public with his lady now. How he acted would reflect on her, he could lighten up later.

He turned his head towards the front of the mansion, taking in the sights. It was much smaller than the Roswaal estate but still pretty impressive to look at. There was a garden and courtyard that had plenty of space, and the manor was gated.

His eyes trailed from the scenery and onto the three people standing at the entrance of the manor. He recognized the first two as Wilhelm and Ferris, they stood on either side of the third person.

The third person in question he assumed was Crusch Karsten, a royal candidate to the throne. Crusch was certainly beautiful. She had almond-shaped amber eyes and long dark verdant-green hair that reaches down to her lower back.

She wore a formal outfit which consists of a deep purplish-blue long-coat trimmed in white with golden epaulettes on the shoulders - white blouse underneath, blue trousers, black white-laced knee-high heel boots, white gloves, and a blue cap with a single horizontal white stripe along the middle. The cuffs on her coat are burgundy red with white frills; the inside of her coat and an armband on her left arm bearing the emblem of the Karsten House are very much the same shade of red.

Decorative items include seven golden cross pattée–two on each cuff, four on her mid-section connected in pairs by golden aiguillettes, and one in the middle of a red flower on upper left side of her chest, also connected to the shoulders by its own aiguillette. Her long hair is tied at the end by a single white bow.

All in all, quite a beautiful regal looking woman who gave off a noble aura.

Emilia would step forth and Subaru would closely follow her. Emilia and Crusch would step face to face. Crusch would give her a welcoming smile, offering her hand out.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Emilia-sama."

Emilia would take her hand and shake it firmly, giving Crusch one of her usual kind smiles.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay here, Crusch-sama. We really appreciate it."

As the two talked their pleasantries and greetings, Subaru would wave at Wilhelm and Ferris.

Wilhelm would give him a curt nod and a smile, with Ferris instantly walking over to Subaru to greet him.

"Came to see me so soon, Subaru-kyun? Did I catch your eye?" Ferris would begin with a teasing smile, getting close into Subaru's personal space which caused his back to straighten.

"You're quite c-close, Ferris."

"Do you dislike that?"

"I m-mean…"

Crusch would notice her knight conversing with what appeared to be another knight, was this Emilia's knight? From what she heard he had been recently knighted, he had unusual black hair and mean eyes. Perhaps he was from the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko?

"Natsuki Subaru, I presume?"

Subaru would look over to Crusch who was staring at him with an inquisitive glance. He straightened up from his aloofness with Ferris and nodded. He took a step forward and bowed slightly to her.

"That's right. I'm Natsuki Subaru, I'm a knight serving under Emilia-tan – ah I mean Emilia-sama." He caught himself with an awkward laugh, which caused Emilia to giggle at his antics and Ram to facepalm from behind them.

He would look up at Crusch to see her giving him an amused smile, he wondered how she even knew his name. He looked over to Ferris and Wilhelm. Ah they probably told her about the meeting. It would make sense.

"Please come in, a servant will collect your luggage and prepare room for you three. We can discuss terms after the selection begins. For the time being let us get to know each other."

As they all began to head inside, none of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them from afar with a smile.

The manor was nicer on the inside than it was on the outside, it had this nice cedar smell most likely coming from the candles that were lit everywhere. It was spacious and the floor was made out of a nice burgundy wood.

It would appear that Crusch had expected them to come around this time, and had dinner made for all of them. It was more on the later hours but it seemed like they had waited for them.

They had a short and relatively peaceful dinner. Crusch and Emilia had done most of the talking, they spoke about aspirations and goals, day to day life and other things.

Subaru had tuned out most of it, although he did pay attention to some of it. He was more focused on enjoying the meal which consisted of some meat, vegetables, salad and condiments.

He really wished they had mayonnaise. Maybe he could introduce it to this world if nobody had already.

"What about you, Natsuki Subaru?"

Subaru would zone back in as he raised his head up to look at the head of the table, where Crusch was staring directly at him. He didn't hear the question, he should have probably paid more attention.

"Sorry, could you repeat that? I kind of zoned out."

"What made you want to become a knight?"

His mind wandered back to his very first day on this world, the day he was summoned here.

Death.

The feeling of having his abdomen sliced open, being taunted and mocked as he died. The sheer terror in his system, the panic. Realizing you were going to die before you even had a chance, knowing that you couldn't save yourself or anyone around you.

Even with paying with his life three times he did not have the strength or ability to come out on top of his own, he needed help.

He managed to do it in the end, but when he saw Reinhard effortlessly deal with a problem he wouldn't have been able to solve in a million years, it made something spark inside of him.

It felt vile to think that way about a friend, but if he had to describe the feeling…

Jealously.

He didn't want to be helpless like that again, he didn't want to have to die again and again to fix a problem, especially with someone else's strength instead of his own… no matter what it took he wouldn't let himself become useless like that.

Whether it was a curse or not, he's been giving an opportunity. And he was sure as hell going to take it.

He never wanted to feel like that again.

"Subaru?"

His pupils which had unknowingly dilated refocused back up, he turned to look at Emilia, giving her a reassuring smile and turning to look back at Crusch who was still staring at him patiently.

"To become someone who was capable of doing better, for those around me and myself."

His eyes caught the twitch in her eyes, she stayed silent for a moment looking almost thoughtful, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, it was a small movement but he still caught it nonetheless.

"That is surely an admirable goal, I wish you well in your future endeavors, Sir Subaru."

Subaru responded with a smile and a nod, looking back down to his plate. Those honeyed words conveyed some level of truth, he did want to help the people he cared about… but that's not all there was to it.

He would not admit so casually the full motives behind his decision, it made him feel ashamed.

Gazing back down to his plate, he let out a soft sigh as he brought his fork up to his mouth.

Would you look at that, he lost his appetite.

"Where are you off to, Barusu?"

The sun had set in the royal capital, and the sights were incredible to behold. The bustling of the capital had not exactly disappeared, but rather had a completely different atmosphere to it. The moon was out, but the amount of light pollution coming from the number of torches and magical gemstones that were used to emit light in the higher-class districts caused the stars to be washed out. You could see a few here and there, but that was all.

He stood in the courtyard of the manor, enjoying the night breeze. It had been a while since he had been at the capital, he hadn't really had a chance to enjoy this side of it, as he was fighting for his life and trying to save everyone. Once he made it to Reinhard's he didn't really go out either, spending his time with the residents. There was no need to go anywhere, so now having the chance to explore would be nice.

"I'm going out for a stroll, never really had the chance to appreciate the night here. Emilia-tan said it was fine, and Crusch-san said she didn't mind if I went out and enjoyed myself."

"Ah, in other words you are going out like the predator you are to go and stalk people late at night, truly a pervert."

"Well they would certainly be more interesting than spending my time being verbally abused by some short pink maid!"

"Silly Barusu, to be verbally abused by me is an honor, you know deep down you like having insults thrown at you."

Subaru pinched the bridge to his nose, even Beatrice thought he liked being insulted. Did he seriously give off that vibe?!

The sounds of footsteps made him raise his gaze to see Ram walking towards him, she raised a hand and poked him in the chest.

"Be safe, Barusu."

The look on her face hadn't changed much, she still looked as condescending and smug as ever as per usual. But she had a smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile back, at the end of the day beyond their teasing. They were still friends even if they wouldn't admit it.

"Yeah, I'll see you soon!"

Subaru turned away from her and walked towards the gates of the manor, before leaping high up onto one of the pillars, as his foot touched the top of the pillar, he shot off high up before landing on a nearby building.

He turned to look back towards Ram who was looking up at him, she raised an eyebrow before scoffing at him, he couldn't really hear her over the other sounds of the capital, but he could see her lips moving.

Show off.

He couldn't help but laugh at that, he turned away and shot off.

He felt free, truly alive. The wind pushing against his skin was cool and moist, every breath he took felt rejuvenating. If someone were to look up, they would see someone in a knight outfit jumping between buildings with a dumb smile on their face, which might raise a few questions but it didn't matter.

Subaru jumped towards a chimney, his foot touching down upon the surface of it, his knees bend down into a crouch against the wall, and just as gravity was about to catch up to him he leapt off it in a completely new direction.

He was in a full sprint now, he leapt and twisted around objects that were in his way, he slid down an angled roof and leapt to the next building.

He spent the next few minutes running around the capital until he reached the merchant district, there were a few people still going around the streets. He spotted someone with ashen white hair and a green outfit stumbling into a nearby alley, he couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Looks like someone had too much to drink."

He watched the merchant from atop a nearby rooftop, he watched as they would sit down and pull out a clear flask, he couldn't tell if it was water or an alcohol. But from the relieved sigh that came from the merchant… ah he really couldn't tell.

The sounds of chatter caught his attention; he saw three people who noticed the merchant and began to approach him. Wait was that?..

"Those three… honestly I guess I can't fault their determination when it comes to this type of thing."

It was the three stooges who had tried to rob him back on his first day, and it looks like they found themselves a new victim.

Subaru leapt down from the rooftop, channeling his mana into his legs to soften the landing, he had spent the past few weeks getting better at it, he still made a sound as he landed but it was much quieter than before.

He watched as the three began to speak to the merchant, who widened his eyes as he realized these people may have not had the best intentions.

"Just hand over everything you have, it would be a real shame if you resisted."

The one who spoke was who he liked to refer to as Chin. He has an unusual white complexion with black eyes. He wears a prison suit and has chains around his wrists and throat. He has long grayish blue hair with pink at the end.

The one who had stabbed him in his back on one of his loops, the leader of the group it would appear.

"Or you could resist, it might be fun." came out a rather annoying voice, ah that would be the short one. Who he liked to call Kan.

Kan was abnormally short, he had brown mushroom hair and large black eyes, he wore a pink sweater and green shorts. (1)

The third one remained silent for the most part, seeming to be the intimidator of the group, that would be Ton.

Ton has a large body with purple hair and eyes. He wears tan clothes, an orange sash around his waist, a green vest, and black shoes.

"W-Wait a minute! I don't really have anything of value!"

The merchant spoke with a stutter, he seemed to have a shy demeanor. Subaru looked at him from the entrance of the alleyway, surprisingly nobody noticed him yet but that gave him time to study them.

The merchant's hair resembled more of an ashen gray rather than the white he initially thought, must have been the lighting. His hair frames his face and falls just below his chin. He has sharp, bright blue eyes and a fair skin tone.

he wears a green, belted wardrobe, as well as a dark green hood, held up by a red bow. He also wears a green Ushanka, decorated with a white feather. His hat is rimmed with gold and so is his outfit to an extent.

"Do you think we're idiots? Just look at your outfit, you're clearly a merchant. Hand over everything if you don't want to get hurt!"

Subaru decided that would be enough and began walking towards them, his footsteps caught the attention of everyone in the alleyway.

"You three really need to find a better way to pass the time, with how dedicated you guys are at this it's like you guys are underpaid civil workers."

"Wait you're the guy from back then!" Chin would yell out.

"A knight?..." The merchant would whisper out with hope in his eyes.

"What's with the get-up? You became a knight? As if, you're just trying to scare us." Kan would speak up.

Subaru would tilt his head at that remark, he gave him a look that basically said 'Are you serious?'

"Right, because I'm going to walk around wearing an outfit that could get me arrested for impersonation. Are you stupid?"

Subaru lightly traced the hilt of the sword dangling on his waist, which caused the three to take a step back.

"Wait that brandishing, isn't that an Astrea sword?" Ton finally spoke up, which caused the others to look aghast.

"Oh? You noticed that huh. Well yeah I spent some time training with Reinhard after you three tried to mug me… want to see how much I improved?"

The trio turned to each other, as if silently conveying something. They turned back to the merchant and scowled before turning around and running out the alleyway.

"We'll remember this!"

"Yeah yeah." Subaru would mumble out before turning to the ashen haired merchant, walking up to him and holding a hand out to him.

"Are you alright?"

The merchant in question would look surprised for a moment, before grabbing his hand and getting up.

"I'm alright, thank you for your help, sir!"

"Don't mention it. I'm Natsuki Subaru, and you are?"

"Ah, where are my manners! My name is Otto Suwen. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Subaru."

Subaru would smile and make a waving motion with his hand.

"You can just call me Subaru."

"No no, I couldn't! You are a knight who deserv-"

"It's fine I said, I just recently got knighted anyways. I'm not much of a stickler for that type of stuff anyways."

Otto would sweat-drop at the lackadaisical attitude of the knight in front of him, what a strange fellow. He showed up out of nowhere and saved him from a group of thugs before telling him not to worry about respect.

Subaru would suddenly smile at him.

"Hey hey, did I look cool?"

"H-Huh? Oh… Yeah, I would say so."

Subaru would pump a fist in the air, which caused Otto to look at him with more confusion.

"My first crime stopped! Ah shit but wait I didn't arrest those three. Wait I failed! Well, I guess it's okay I'm not the average knight anyways…"

He was the personal knight of a royal candidate, he wasn't exactly obligated to do arrests… right? That's right! He doesn't even know where the jail in this city is! He could let it slide!

Otto would suddenly bring a hand up to his mouth and laugh at his antics, causing Subaru to look towards him. Otto let out a kind smile at him.

"Thank you for your help, Natsuki-san."

Subaru would pause for a second but eventually smile back at him.

"I guess that's an improvement from Sir Subaru."

The two of them would walk out of the alley together.

"Make sure to stay out of trouble, and maybe don't go stumbling around when you have had too much to drink late at night?"

Otto would blush slightly before nodding.

"Yeah… I'll see you around, thanks again!"

Otto would bid Subaru farewell and walk away, leaving Subaru alone in the street.

"Well, with that done I guess I should head back."

"Leaving so soon?~"

Subaru's blood ran cold, a raw primal fear took over his heart in a second, he could feel the wild thumps in his chest. His hand which had gone to reach for the hilt of his sword froze up.

That voice…

"Ara? It's quite rude for you to not to look when being addressed you know? You're going to break my heart."

He swung around in an instant, drawing his sword and pointing it in the direction of the voice.

His eyes widened at the sight before him, the crystals that lit up the streets shined ominously behind the person in front of him, their gaze was predatory but held an amusement in them. Those eyes looked deep into his, their purple color glowing in the dark.

"You…"

"I do hope you kept your bowels in good condition, my little experiment.~"