re: zero warlock of life

It was the dead of night while a lone 18-year-old boy was sitting at his computer, which glared into his eyes as it illuminated the darkness of his room. With black headphones sitting over his head and covering his ears, the monitor gripped his full attention with the game he was playing. He was oblivious to the world around him and the time that it had become.

Releasing a small yawn as he finished up completing one more mission for the day he finally directed his attention to the digital clock which was sat in the corner of the screen with an apathetic expression.

00:36 in the morning… the new day had already come while he was occupied with his game.

'I guess I should cave in then…' He thought to himself as he switched off his computer, the screen swiftly fading to black as he spun his swivel chair around to stand up, allowing for the lengthy loose cardigan which he wore to fall past his knees despite him standing up full height.

As he made his way to his bed the only thing he bothered to remove was his headphones that he set down on his desk. Running his hand through his brown hair which was beginning to need a haircut if he didn't want it to start going down his neck while only giving half a thought to at least removing his lengthy cardigan before getting into bed before he was interrupted by the flickering of his vision.

"Wha…" He uttered as he put a hand to his head, blinking a few times making sure that nothing was wrong with him. "Maybe I spent too long up…" he guessed as he dismissed another thought, the constant reminders from his father as he constantly told him that using any device without the room being lit was harmful to his eyes.

Frankly, all he thought about that was that it was unnecessary, maybe it was even just lies like how his mother told him that carrots would improve his night vision…

Despite the brief period of normal vision, that's it all remained to be as once again the whole of his world flickered to a bright white that for some reason didn't hurt his eyes all that much despite the sudden change in brightness. And this time, it didn't go back…

"What's going on?" He groaned as he quickly held his head with a hand while he tried reaching around hoping to run his hand over anything that would feel familiar to him only to find that there was nothing. "But my desk should be just here…" he puzzled to himself as he reached out to an empty white space again, failing to feel the presence of anything.

"Am I dreaming right… now?" He spoke to himself as he slowly looked around the white void he found himself in gradually getting more and more frantic.

It wasn't a phenomenon that made the slightest amount of sense. There was nothing in the world that he could think of that could cause such a thing to happen, at least of all why it would happen to him. Time and time again the only thing he could think of was that he somehow found himself in a lucid dream.

"So did I faint? But is lucid dreaming supposed to feel this real?" he asked, doing his best to stay calm despite frantically looking around the place until he noticed that there was something else within the white void that he found himself in.

That thing was a lone girl who blankly stared at him with a smile so faint it almost felt ghostly, while her attire was nothing more than a simple white cloth that she wore like a poncho. The only other noteworthy things were the ribbons that were both woven into the neckline of her clothes and another one that was tied around a bang of her hair.

"You wouldn't happen to know what's going on, would you? Who are you even?" The boy sharply asked as he gave the girl his attention, looking past the fact that she appeared on the verge of being buck naked if it wasn't for her poncho.

'Even putting aside her lack of clothes, she still seems different to anyone I've ever met. She'd surely stand out amongst a crowd no matter how she dressed… but what the hell is with her dressing like that?! It's not because I'm making her like that, is it? But it is a dream so…'

"You seem rather prickly for just meeting someone." The girl calmly replied, pulling the young man from his thoughts as she continued to daintily look back at him. It was at this point he made up his mind, even if he was lucid dreaming there was no way this was what he would choose to dream. In some twisted way, it was real.

"Your choice of clothes is rather bold for just meeting someone." the boy then retorted. Hearing this the girl simply chuckled softly, making the boy lift a brow in confusion. Pondering just how she could have derived any amusement from him as she made him question himself and the situation more and more.

"I think I'll give you something, I hope that you'll accept it," she said once she stopped laughing. Calmly looking back at him with a smile she lifted her hand, opening it to reveal a purple blobby mass that sat on her palm, slowly shifting about.

"What the hell is that? Your quirks seem to know no bounds at this rate…" The boy replied as he beheld the sight of the blob. Mostly weirded out by the sight of it and not willing to reach out for it, not that it didn't stir his curiosity about it.

"A gift…" she repeated before it lifted off her hands, floating into the air before drifting over towards the boy making him more shocked at the events which were occurring before him.

"What kind of magic trick is this? Or like what I originally asked, the kind of gift that I would like is answers to what the hell is going on!" He almost shouted back in a loud voice, growing infuriated with how the girl was keeping him in the dark about everything that was going on. 'Who is she? And what the hell is going on?!'

The girl didn't respond however, she barely reacted at all in response as she continued to watch the blob making its way towards him which she appeared to be looking on in anticipation for what was about to happen.

Once it had gotten close enough the boy then reached out and cautiously probed the blob before he held it with slight disdain with only his thumb and finger, making sure that he touched it as little as possible. 'I don't know anything like this… and how did she manage to make it float over to me?'

"OK, I've got your little gift, will you now be willing to tell me anything? One thing you should know is that I don't like being ignored or being kept in the dark like this…" The boy then said, half looking at the girl, half still inspecting and squeezing the purple mass that he had been given.

"Oh, but not truly. I'll be looking forward to this next part, I hope for the best for you." The girl calmly replied, her words once again confusing the boy as he looked back at the blob. Before he knew it, the blob suddenly moved by itself, slipping out of his grip and flying towards his chest, soon beginning to sink into him.

"What the hell?!" he suddenly exclaimed as he hurriedly moved to grab the blob in a desperate attempt to remove it from himself, only for his efforts to be completely wasted as it slipped into him completely, filling his body with an overwhelming, indescribable sensation as shadows began to cover his being.

"What on earth… was that?" He asked through slow heavy breaths. "What did you just do to me?! Who are you?!" he continued to ask, slowly looking back up at the girl who stood before him.

"Amazing… this is truly magnificent…" The girl said through teary eyes while she started to clap while sporting a blissfully happy smile as the shadows around the boy began to settle down.

"The only good thing about that is that it confirmed that this is real, an event that might not be a good thing… Not to mention… I think that I've been letting you get away with a little too much…" the boy replied in a deeper, slightly more aggressive voice. "I mean it now, you're going to tell me who you are, where we are, how we got here and what you just did!"

"You would ask something like that… But I think it would be better for to you learn some things yourself now…" The girl said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "We'll meet again, I wonder what power your desire will give bloom to? And I hope that you'll readily accept my offer when we do meet again…"

"Hey!" The boy desperately yelled out as the girl started to fade from view while he hurriedly tried reaching out for her only for her to vanish before he got the chance to grasp her…

"Watch out kid!" a voice suddenly yelled out, breaking the moment and capturing the boy's attention as he quickly noticed where the voice was coming from, moving out of the way of a large oncoming object that showed little to no sign of slowing while he came right for him.

As it passed by he managed to make a clear observation of what was coming for him as it passed by him. Two large reptilian-like beings, unlike any creature that he had even known of before, were attached to a cart and reins while an ordinary man held onto them, controlling and spurring them along as if they were horses.

"What were those… mini… dinosaurs?" he asked himself in utter bewilderment before realising just where he was.

No longer was he standing in the white void where he had encountered that girl who had that strange substance enter him but instead he was standing on the side of a street that looked like a mix between a medieval and modern city.

And it wasn't just the town around him that caught his notice, but the people as well. There were plenty of people moving around him, instantly signalling that he was either in a popular or simply well-populated area but some of them were substantially different from what he called people…

'Furries?!" He internally exclaimed as he noticed the humanoid beings that casually roamed the public as if they were just like anyone else. 'Just how many things am I going to run into now?! The girl, that blob and the trick she did to give it to me… now the whole world around me effectively…'

The world…

"Would it be too crazy to consider this another world? It's no dream and that would be the only way to explain any of this…" he mumbled to himself, continuing to look around the place. 'Not that there's any way to explain getting here… unless it was that girl…'

"Did she summon me and then dump me here? She's giving me way too many problems! Playing too cryptically like that, things better work out by the time I see her again…" he continued to mumble to himself. "But didn't she say she's looking forward to seeing 'the power born from my desire'? And that she would have something to ask when we next meet... "

"Did she give me power and expect me to grow as a hero to help her out with something?" He mused with a smile before releasing a heavy sigh. 'Looking like some classic fantasy story right now… And it's all too much for me.'

But it wasn't like he wanted this change in his life either, he had been perfectly content with breezing through his normal, calm life. This was easily going to be more of an adventurous and easily more dangerous life in comparison. But at the same time, it did sound to be quite an exciting and enjoyable life if everything worked out in the end…

"I guess I'll give this life a chance for now… not that I currently have a choice or way back home," he said to himself before shaking off his thoughts, preparing to finally begin exploring the foreign world.

But not even a few moments later he was interrupted by the sudden scream which easily got the attention of everyone on the street. Spinning around to the source of the sound its origins appeared clear as he quickly spotted the sight of a young girl that had fallen on the road, the contents of a paper bag from shopping on the ground but most alarming was the stampeding creature and cart that was rushing for her.

It took little time for a sea of onlookers to form, almost forming a barrier between the boy and the road quickly making it nigh impossible to make it to the girl in time.

'As far as I'm aware, I'm still ordinary. There's no way I could get to that girl now, and she's not moving from her fear…' he thought to himself as he looked on at the scene with a heavy feeling in his chest.

'I'd rather not…'' he thought as he diverged his attention, fully expecting the worst and being unwilling to witness the tragedy take place. But upon doing so did he notice something else of interest. 'That guy's clothing… it's just like my world.' he noted as he caught sight of a distinguishable person amongst the crowd, simply standing by in a black, white and orange tracksuit.

"He sticks out like a sore thumb and… what is he doing?" he commented before quickly falling into disappointment and cringed at what he bore witness to.

The same individual who was likely from his world practically wasted no time dramatically spinning around and onto his knees while flailing his arms around, soon holding one out towards the girl which resulted in… nothing.

Yet, luckily at the same time, a knight in full-clad armour quickly managed to drive into the scene, grabbing hold of the girl and rolling the pair of them to safety, much to the praise of everyone around who cheered in response to the heroic act, all while the tracksuit kid remained still in stunned silence.

'What was he thinking?! That he was suddenly going to be the next Merlin just because of convenience?!' he thought to himself before sighing at the thought of talking with the slightly odd person. But that time alone was already enough for the crowds to begin to disperse, quickly making the perfect cover for the strange boy as he walked off, pondering to himself all the while.

"Just like a capital city," he sighed in irritation as he looked around, quickly looking in the general direction trying to notice the black tracksuit or just anything that would stand out in general. "There is no way that this isn't a capital city in this world, the trends with traffic are just the same…"

It wasn't like there would be an overwhelming chance that the boy would have had something incredible to say to him, but if they were both new to the world then it would have at least been a little better for them to have stayed together, but now the chances of just running into him again were looking slim…

He soon started walking along the streets, taking glances as he took in the world around him, simply taking in the sights of the new world while trying to pick out anything of interest. 'And I can't read anything here… what are the odds, same words different writing…' he thought to himself as he took glances at the shops that ran along the sides of the road before pulling out onto what appeared to be the main road.

"A colourful and enjoyable world… there's no way even a place like this wouldn't have its imperfections. Life never allows that." He continued mumbling to himself as he crossed over a bridge, stopping halfway as he leaned on the railing, peering over at the running water before looking up into the distance at the heavily expansive city. 'This absolutely has to be a capital… which means there would be slums somewhere away from here.'

It was the common thing for all capitals, the beautiful part that makes it look amazing while there is another section pushed aside, left to rot and generally ignored. The places where desperate people lived and you would always have to watch your back for the person keeping their eyes on you.

Little did he know, he was already attracting the attention of a certain individual…

"Still, everything still feels surreal… everything is so out there I still think I'm dreaming but at the same time… it's all too real, feels too real, and I couldn't dream up even half of this…" he thought aloud in a low voice, making sure that not too many people would hear him. 'I wonder how hard life will hit that…' he started to think before he noticed something hurriedly move past him, making him steal a glance.

"Starry-eyed kid…" he slowly finished, thinking in disbelief that the same guy had already shown himself. "What's he running for?" he asked, watching him dip into a nearby ally all the more to his confusion. After a moment's hesitation did he then think to quickly follow, and only when he reached the entrance to the ally did he hear a scream.

"Help! Guards! A wholely innocent woman is in trouble! Help!" A voice shouted out, an obvious attempt at a woman's voice than an actual girl's.

"Well, what else would he expect running into an alleyway like that? I'm only surprised that it happened quite that soon… maybe it's a hangout place?" He casually spectated, thinking about whatever action he should take. Looking to and from the ally with his mind teetering between his two options before with a heavy, rugged sigh he begrudgingly and hesitantly walked in its direction.

'I don't usually support idiots but…' he thought as he peeked into the ally with an awkward feeling filling him. 'He is someone that I might be better off with being alive…' he thought before taking what would likely be a risky action, dipping into the ally to see just what the situation was.

Before him was the simple slight of the tracksuit kid from before, while three punks were stood before him looking worried from his continued shouting for a guard. Looking like a simple enough situation to handle Leo took one more breath as he prepared to reveal himself until another beat him to it.

"That's enough." A voice suddenly asked from right behind him was a red-headed man who proceeded to walk out from behind him and clearly into sight for the rest of the four in the ally, making them all stop in silence and look behind at the new arrival to the scene.

"Red hair…"

"And a knight's sword, with scratches made by a dragon…"

"It can't…"

The three bandits slowly said in shock as they took in the sight of the lone knight that stood confidently before them, in a mostly white uniform with an impressive blade strapped to his waist. No one in the ally even took notice of the other guy who was standing beside him, looking back at them…

"Reinhard? The master swordsman Reinhard?!" the bandits continued to say in disbelief.

"It seems that there is no need for me to introduce myself, although that nickname is a bit much. I don't know how much my modes strength could save him." Reinhard replied as he walked down to stand beside Subaru. "However, if you wish to engage such extremities…." he said threateningly, his hands moving to his sword and scabbard.

"Screw this! It's not worth it!" One of the bandits suddenly yelled as the group of them turned and ran leaving just the two oddly dressed guys and the knight alone.

"I'm glad that we're all safe, are you alright?" Reinhard asked as he let go of his blade, turning to face Subaru quickly making him go stiff in response. "And you as well, I know you were watching but I do hope so too regardless." He tagged on, glancing back towards the corner that he knew Leo was behind and with his presence now revealed he willingly stepped out into sight and walked over.

"A-Allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart! I, Natsuki Subaru, deeply admire your selflessness!" Subaru awkwardly began to talk until he was interrupted by the very knight he intended to give his thanks to.

"Please, there is no need for such formalities," Reinhard said with a wide smile. "When I appeared, it became three against three, they completely lost their advantage. If I had been alone then it would have been difficult."

"Somehow I doubt that considering the reaction that they had. You must have some fairly recognisable strength for that kind of reaction." The cardigan-wearing boy mentioned as he began to approach the two. "And since I know your name's, mine's Leo. It makes us all equal."

"Well, thank you for coming to my aid, the both of you. I can't believe that only you guys showed up…" Subaru then continued after a short pause.

"For most, it was far too risky to face off people like them. You were right in your decision to call for the guards. I would be plenty happy that Leo came for you regardless." Reinhard replied with a smile as he glanced over at him making it recoil slightly in shock.

"It's not really like that… even I was just taking a glance to see if there was anything that could be done…" Leo said, waving off the praise. "Even then, I would say it would be something slightly uncharacteristic of me."

"Isn't this when they say it's the thought that counts?" Reinhard replied, his gentle smile not leaving.

"Say, didn't they call you a knight? And a master swordsman?" Subaru then asked as he evaluated his saviour.

"Ah, I am off duty for the day, and I do recognize that I'm not especially that intimidating either. But about the master swordsman, that's just my family being a little bit unique. I feel I'll be crushed by expectations every day." Reinhard answered Subaru, dipping his head slightly giving a hint of the emotions that lay within.

"I wouldn't think that way if I were you. It becomes much easier in many ways to keep your mind off of that. Forget about everything except the task at hand, that's usually the best way to go about such problems in my opinion." Leo quickly chimed in.

"I see, I feel that you might be someone who can relax easier than others, Leo," Reinhard replied as he looked back, a seemingly more natural smile on his face, that despite his chosen words there was gratitude. "But Leo, Subaru…" he then started getting their full attention.

"The pair of you have some rather unique clothes, names and even hair. Where would you be from?" Reinhard asked his question enough to make Subaru examine himself, comparing the contrast between him and all the other people that he had seen all day, except for Leo. "Currently, Lugunica is a bit more restrictive than when in its peacetime. If either of you happens to have any problems then I would be happy to help either of you."

"Really? Because there is something." Leo started to say before an excited Subaru interrupted him.

"Could you come to the loot house!" he quickly asked, making Leo once again ponder his statement.

'Has he been rushing there? I thought that he arrived here at the same time as me but if that's the case why is he already on such a focused mission?' Leo thought to himself.

"The loot house?" Reinhard pondered, also confused at the statement.

"Ah… actually… I couldn't trouble you with that… Don't worry, I'll figure something out myself." Subaru then continued as he faltered where he stood, only making Reinhard and Leo more confused by his sudden change of heart as he started to walk away. "But there is something that I would appreciate if you told someone a message…" He added on.

"Of course, to whom and what message would this be?" Reinhard asked, ready to fulfil the request.

"I don't actually know her name but she wears white robes and has silver hair," Subaru mentioned making Reinhard lapse into thought, considering all the people that he had met thus far on his day. "She's also extremely gorgeous!" Subaru excitedly added on, spinning around with renewed vigour.

"No, I haven't…" Reinhard finally answered as he looked back up and out of thought.

"Well, if you ever do see her. Can you tell her not to go near the loot house? I'll find what she's looking for and I'll bring it to her." Subaru said with a smile.

"Very well, if I meet her then I shall relay your message," Reinhard replied.

"Thanks! I'll be sure to pay you back someday!" Subaru yelled back as he hurried off again, leaving both Reinhard and Leo alone.

'He's going to get an object, telling a girl to stay away and considered asking a guard for help while heading to a loot house… there is no way that doesn't spell trouble…' Leo thought to himself with a sigh. Clearly, he was the kind of person who didn't seem to worry for his own life and safety that much… but he was doing it with a big heart if it was for a girl he had never got to know. 'I guess that much of him makes it alright.'

"Leo," Reinhard called out to him, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. What is it?" Leo asked.

"There was something that you also wanted help with right? Before Subaru cut you off you were saying something." Reinhard said as he gave Leo his undivided attention.

"Well, that would be right… but I'm not too sure how much you would believe me…" Leo replied as he thought about the whole of his situation. Even in this world, how likely was it that something like that happened a lot? If at all?

"There is no need to worry on that front, as long as you are not lying then I shall know so with my divine protection of lie detection." Reinhard quickly said in reassurance, taking Leo back slightly as he pondered over what a divine protection supposedly was.

"Well, isn't that convenient…" Leo muttered, still trying to think about whatever it was. 'The way he said it was his, makes it sound slightly unique so maybe everyone gets a special effect here?' he pondered.

"Well, I hate to ask for help but… if I don't now then I will be ruined." Leo started. "You see, you're right about me not being from here. In fact, I didn't even know where I was until you mentioned it to me. I was minding my own business at my home until it was abruptly plucked from it and teleported into this city, with nothing but my clothes. I'm lucky enough that the speech is the same…"

"Really?!" Reinhard exclaimed at the unexpected news, amazed that such a thing would happen. "To be suddenly transported across the world, without even anything to prepare yourself… I have never heard of such a thing but you aren't lying… how unfortunate…"

"May I ask where you come from then? And does Subaru also hail from the same place? If you would like I will do everything within my power to assist you to return home." Reinhard was quick to reply as he looked back up at Leo who simply shook his head in response.

"I barely know anything about how I got here but I at least know that it's impossible for me to return. As for Subaru… I don't know anything about him." Leo answered ruining Reinhard's train of thought, replacing it with confusion.

"But why would you say you couldn't return? From where do you hail from?" Reinhard asked, intrigued at the special circumstances that were apparently around Leo.

"It's somewhere you likely haven't heard of at all, Japan. And I guess you can consider leaving it a one-way trip." Leo answered, hoping that he wasn't mentioned too much that would stir up a commotion. If this guy was a lie detector then he would actually listen to whatever he said, and being a knight wouldn't he try to report that they currently have some kind of otherworldly visitor? He didn't want to think about what kind of horrible commotion it would cause.

"I never have heard of such a place… and to call it a one-way trip…" Reinhard pondered aloud before his eyes suddenly widened, looking at Leo with a sense of disbelief as a seemingly crazy possibility entered his mind. "You wouldn't happen to be from beyond the great waterfall, would you?" he asked, his voice scarce in disbelief.

"I wouldn't know where Japan is located in correlation to here. And you heard of how I got here, from where I'm from there is no mention of a 'great waterfall'" Leo answered. 'Is that their equivalent to the edge of the world? Wait a moment… does that mean this world is flat?'

"Either way, I'm certain there is no point in simply trying to get me home. All I can do now is start a new life… but I have no idea where to begin. Picking oneself off the streets doesn't happen every day, and if it were easy, homeless wouldn't be a term…"

"Without a doubt… but there is still something that I can do for you. If you would like I would be willing to house you in my home, and even help train you as a knight if that would help you find your way in the world." Reinhard suddenly offered upon listening to Leo, taking him back in shock. "Of course, reading and writing is an issue as well, isn't it? You said you were lucky to understand our language but being illiterate would make everything much harder, wouldn't it? I would be happy to help you with that as well."

"But… I…" Leo stuttered trying to find the right words. "I'm literally someone you just met, and even if you know if telling you the truth don't you think that offering me so much is… a little unwise to say the least?"

"But you are a person desperately in need, as a knight there is no way I could turn away from such things," Reinhard replied, almost as if pressing his offer onto Leo who merely hesitated as he thought about it.

At the very least, there was one thing he couldn't deny. He had one hell of a stroke of luck… someone like Reinhard, it was people like him that if that filled the world, then there wouldn't be any problems left with it. Although it stung his pride to accept an offer that was basically taking advantage of him…

"Well, I guess we should at the very least learn to get along well… I don't like to admit that I have no choice but to accept…" Leo said in a slightly frustrated voice, yet relieved voice as he looked back up at Reinhard with a smile.

"Well, I am glad to hear that. I too hope that we have a long-lasting friendship." Reinhard said, smiling wider than he ever had before as if the sentiment was something that he treasured.

"You don't have to say it like that, wasn't it you who said to drop formalities?" Leo said with an amused smile, stunning Reinhard for the moment. "I'm not against you talking openly, you know?"

"I suppose so," Reinhard mused as he eased back into a smile.

"But also… you do realise that Subaru is likely running headfirst into a ton of trouble right?" Leo then mentioned, switching the topic back to the sharp-eyed man who had left them before.

"You also noticed something like that? I have to admit it he does have me intrigued, and worried." Reinhard replied. "Would you happen to have a strong idea where this loot house is?"

"Not at all, I'm as new as can be…" Leo answered as he shook his head. "Something tells me that his heart is a little too big, paired with a bit of pride and who knows what he'll do for others."

"Shall we look for him?"

"I suppose so."

It was evening by the time the pair had made it to the slums on the outside of town, the pair of them slowly making their way through, taking note of the poor conditions that everyone lived in and how they all seemingly fled at the mere sight of the master swordsman.

"You know, comparing how much you have told me about yourself to how everyone else is reacting to the mere sight of you. You have to be keeping something big about yourself hidden or you're way, way too humble to realise it." Leo mentioned as he saw yet another person hurry away from them in fear.

"Truly, I don't think that I'm much different from anyone else," Reinhard answered.

"We are all only human," Leo replied, catching Reinhard's interest as he glanced over at him. "It's a thought that not too many people like to acknowledge but at the end of the day, we're all human, we're all technically animals, we're all living things. What do you think about the statement?"

"I think that there could be a good world if it followed that merit," Reinhard replied with a smile.

"But the world, people, aren't that simple," Leo added, continuing to walk through the area. "Anyways, unless we know where the loot house is, we likely won't be finding Subaru anytime soon…"

"Do you have something in mind?" Reinhard asked.

"Yeah, splitting up temporally. I'm pretty sure people are steering clear of you but it might be possible for me to ask a few people on my own. Even if I can't then looking around in different places would be better." Leo suggested. 'A brilliant idea, if we weren't thinking about talking to people who might pull out a knife and attack me for my valuables… but… why am I taking these risks?' he exasperatedly thought.

"And what should we do when we find out where the loot house is?" Reinhard asked, making Leo lapse into thought some more.

"There might be something we can do to send a message, or just perform any kind of action that would be easy to notice and grab attention… not that I can do anything like that right now, but you do stand out enough to look for," Leo answered. "Is there something you can do to grab attention across the whole of the slums?"

"I suppose not without doing some damage, however, I am confident that I would be able to find you in no time should you remain in an open place within the slums," Reinhard answered, gaining some of Leo's attention.

"Some ability I don't know, or my unique clothes?" he asked with a small smile.

"I guess you could say both," Reinhard answered with a friendly smile of his own.

"Ok, well either way I'm sure that I'll work out. I'll see you a little bit later then." Leo said taking a step away from Reinhard in his own direction to search.

"Be sure to stay safe," Reinhard replied.

"You too." Leo returned with a nod before they then split up, going their own separate ways in the slums. 'Hopefully, this doesn't take too long… but since it's a loot house wouldn't it be a bigger building?' Leo thought to himself as he walked along, glancing at many different buildings to see if there was anything that would be fitting enough until he noticed someone, the first person to not run away from him.

"Excuse me, sir," Leo called out, getting the man's attention. "I'm looking for a man in unique black and white clothing with sharp eyes or just a place that would be known as a loot house," he asked while the slum man waited on his request.

"Unique clothing? Like yours?" The man enquired as he evaluated Leo whilst he merely hoped that he wasn't being sized up, "Either way I haven't seen such a person, but why would you be looking for a loot house?"

"Just preventing an acquaintance from doing something dumb." Leo nonchalantly answered getting the man to scoff in response.

"Well, there's only one loot house that many would know of. Old Man Rom's, as long as you don't upset him, he wouldn't do you any bad." the man mentioned as he pointed in the general apparent general direction of where the loot house likely was.

"Thank you very much, and goodbye." Leo hurriedly replied with a smile before he took off in the direction while waving while the man smiled back. 'Despite the odds, he was seemingly nice… unless he's deceiving. Unfortunate how life is, but I guess it can be humbling to some people.'

"Either way, just find the loot house and then find Reinhard. He shouldn't have gotten too far from where we split." Leo said to himself as he hurried along, making his way past various ruined buildings and people until before long a much larger building came into view, that had its walls beginning to fall into ruin showing the brickwork that made it. A building one could still envision how it had once been in the past when it was still new.

Slowly he walked up to the entrance, reaching for the handle of the door, opening it to take a glance inside to which he bore witness to something that he only half expected.

In the room was Subaru, standing alongside a short blond girl dressed in thief's attire and an old man who was nothing short of a giant, the three of them being faced down by a lone girl with silver hair and white robes with multiple floating icicles beside her.

"Who's there!" The silver-haired girl asked in alarm as she noticed Leo enter the room, all attention shifted to him in an instant, making him raise his hands in defence to hopefully calm the girl down.

"I have no idea what's going on but… is threatening all our lives necessary?" Leo slowly asked as he felt his heart rate rising slightly before a sense of bewilderment set in as he realised just who was threatening him.

"I am here to get back what was stolen from me, and these three are responsible for it." The silver-haired girl mentioned as she gestured back at the three. "I advise that you should leave, just in case things go badly."

"But aren't you the girl that Subaru was coming here to get the object back for?" Leo asked perplexed, turning to Subaru for answers.

"See!" Subaru hastily said, taking his chance to be bailed out of the situation.

"But we have never met before, how would you claim to know me and about my missing item?" the girl challenged again, shifting all the attention to Subaru, mainly Leo's as he questioned what was and wasn't adding up.

"But you were basically on a mission as well… did you want Reinhard to get the item back for you until you changed your mind?" Leo questioned.

"Reinhard?!" the girl exclaimed at the familiar name, quickly turning back to Leo.

"You know him as-" Leo started to say until he was interrupted.

"Puck! Make a shield!" Subaru suddenly yelled out before a responding clang was heard from behind the silver-haired girl, allowing everyone to notice a black-cloaked woman who had somehow snuck up on the silver girl, her knife that she wielded blocked by a thin yet durable wall of frost.

"Wow, right in the nick of time! You saved us!" A small cat suddenly said as he appeared out of nowhere, giving a tiny and cute thumbs up to Subaru who quickly returned with a grin. "You know, I won't forgive anyone who tries to hurt my daughter." the cat soon said as he and the girl turned to face the attacking assassin who went all dressed in black.

And in no time at all the floating cat and the girl quickly unleashed twin ice blasts that rushed towards their attacker, quickly trapping her within a massive block of ice.

All the onlookers of the assault were in stunned silence as they looked on at the ice, while Leo and Subaru were shocked, the blond thief and the giant looked on pleading that the one attack had indeed been enough.

"Is that the end of it?" The giant asked.

"Hey! Don't set off that flag!" Subaru yelled.

"Too late!" Leo mentioned as he saw the ice cracking whilst his heart sank into dread as he watched it happen.

Soon it all but shattered into pieces and faded from existence, all while the black cloak of the woman shone brightly before also fading from existence. "My, the kitty bears its claws while I get to meet a spiritual arts user." the woman said as she stood upright, leaving everyone in anticipation. "I've never sliced open the stomach of a spirit before…" she said before licking her lips.

Immediately the girl and her cat got straight back into blasting vollies of ice at the psychopathic woman who started slashing at anything that few near or dodging everything with seeming ease, yet struggling to move in closer through all the magical attacks.

"By the way, what are you planning to do, old man?" Subaru asked as he noticed the giant moving around behind them, grabbing hold of a club.

"I'll look for an opening to help the elf girl. She seems more reasonable than the other one." the giant answered, already prepared to make his move, much to the alarm of Subaru.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait! Don't try it! You'd only be a burden! You'll just have your right arm and throat ripped apart if you go, so stay right there!" Subaru suddenly exclaimed making Leo, the giant and the blond look at him in shock at how specific his words were.

"Don't be that specific! It almost feels like that actually happened!" the giant replied before touching his neck and arm already feeling the sensation from how genuinely Subaru had said it.

"How about we wrap this up? You must be tired of the same performance." the cat spirit mentioned with a wink as the crowd turned back into the fight, seeing the assassin stumble over to the ground.

"My leg." She calmly noted as she looked back to see her foot frozen to the ground.

"Just consider this the difference in experience, good night!" The spirit replied as he began to gather tremendous amounts of mana before unleashing it all in a straight blast right for the assassin, blowing right through her and into the back wall covering everything in ice.

It was an attack that surely none would stand a chance at surviving at yet…

"No way!" Subaru said in shock as he looked up while Leo remained speechless, words refusing to come to him as he watched on in horror whilst fear began to fill him the longest the fight went on.

"I'm afraid not, though I must admit I did think I was going to die." the assassin said as she landed on the ground again, with one bloody food as she forcefully ripped it from its place.

The way that blood constantly dripped from her foot to the floor while her blade was also lined with it made it clear what she had done, she had cut off the sole of her own foot to escape. 'I wasn't prepared for any of this today! It's way too much with literally no time to digest anything topped with the fact that I'm likely to die the longer this goes on! And the worst part is… I CAN'T POSSIBLY ESCAPE THIS!'

All Leo could do was curse what horrible decisions and consequences he had made for not even a first full day whilst praying that Reinhard would find them sooner or later… if he somehow survived, he would certainly curse Subaru alongside his own foolishness for so willingly getting involved.

'Since when was I ever the stick my neck out for other's kind of guy… then again... I clearly forgot the whole fantasy world thing and didn't think about just how bad things could get...'

Whilst his emotions were wild and almost out of control, he couldn't help but feel a strange surge through his hands, filling him with a strange sensation unlike any he had ever felt before. Whilst unbeknownst to him, faint shadows began to faintly emit from his hands…

And while Leo wasn't paying attention, the woman had pressed her foot to the ice, allowing it to freeze to her skin before she cut the ice from the ground, making a makeshift ice shoe. "It's not easy to move in, but I guess it will do," she noted to herself before looking over at the silver-haired girl and her spirit.

"Sorry, I used too much mana. Will you be alright on your own?" the spirit asked his master as his body began to fade away. "If you ever need any help, just say and I'll use up all my od to help you.

"There's no need to go so far! I'll be fine by myself!" the girl said, giving the green for the spirit to vanish into thin air.

But the moment he left; the assassin acted. Despite the wounds to her foot, she had no problems rushing up to the now lone girl, while her slash with her dagger went blocked, she had expected it as he managed to get a kick past her guard sending her flying across the room and smashing into the wall rendering her unconscious behind what was likely a counter of a bar.

"Here goes!" the giant suddenly bellowed as he dashed forward with his club, making multiple untrained swings with unbelievable strength, each one crushing the floor or destroying the furniture around. But brute strength was not going to win this fight…

"My, because you're so strong, I can even do this!" the woman said in joy as she somehow managed to stand upon the tip of the giant's club much to his astonishment. But she didn't stay like it long, before the giant could act, she quickly swung for his neck, completely ready to take his head off.

"Like I'll let you do that!" the thief girl suddenly yelled out as she grabbed her knife, quickly throwing it with everything she had to strike the woman's arm, messing her cut in the process, directing it to instead badly slice through the giant's shoulder and chest. A cut that would have once killed now only severely harmed him instead, blood pouring out of him as he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Bad girl…" the woman said as she turned around with a scary glint in her eye that rendered the thief girl unable to move. Even as she approached her, she remained rooted in place, her mind overwhelmed with fear.

And upon the woman lifting her blade…

"Hiyaa!" Subaru yelled out as he suddenly dove for the girl, getting the pair of them out of the way in the nick of time. "Are you ok? It was desperate so please forgive me if I touched anything I shouldn't have!"

"I would have thanked you if you didn't say that! But, why?!" the girl exclaimed.

"No clue! My body just moved on its own! It's seriously a miracle! Make miracle! If I had to say, it's because I'm repaying a favour, although you probably don't know what I'm talking about! You don't!" Subaru yelled back, the pair of them filled with adrenaline. While the girl was completely confused at what Subaru was saying a distinct sound of clashing metal soon filled their ears making them look back in shock.

"Maybe you should remember the situation a little better…" Leo grunted with a surprisingly intense voice as he glared daggers at the woman he was clashing with, making use of a stray sword. Whilst internally, he was a complete freaking out mess.

"And you…" He said, focusing his eyes right back at the assassin, allowing only her to see how devoid of mercy his eyes were, all light having faded that they almost appeared black. He wasn't even thinking when he reached out with his spare arm, grabbing ahold of one of her arms much to her interest before it turned to shock. The moment that Leo gripped her she immediately felt her strength being sapped from her, while Leo began to feel strangely energised at the same time.

He paid it little attention, however, instead being driven by emotions and instincts that were screaming out to him with his heart beating a million times per second for what was possibly the first time in his life.

Wasting no time, the assassin broke from the clash, shaking Leo off as she stared him down with renewed interest. "My, what a unique ability. I haven't seen anything quite like it…"

"H-hey, bro… bro's…" Felt shakily said as she glanced between Subaru and Leo.

"Alright, listen closely Felt. We're going to buy you some time and make an opening when we do run for it and don't look back!" Subaru quickly commanded as he gripped Felt, making sure she heard everything he said.

"You're telling me to just turn tail and run?!" she exclaimed, horrified at the proposal.

"Not quite, if you can do that then you need to find a certain knight roaming the slums," Leo interrupted getting both Felt and Subaru to look at him. "He's called Reinhard, red hair and one hell of a sword. Tell him you know Leo and Subaru and bring him here."

"He's here as well?" Subaru questioned.

"Just get a weapon and help me stall!" Leo shouted back, spurring Subaru into action as he picked up the massive club that the giant had wielded, somewhat surprising himself when he found that he could lift the thing.

"Just one good strike with this thing! Now I see the worth in having swung around that bamboo stick all day!" Subaru noted before he rushed at the assassin, swinging the giant club at her with enough power that it would have surely killed the ordinary man, but the woman simply dodged it.

Then came a much faster sword swing from Leo but she still managed to avoid it, while Leo and Subaru did what they could to press the offensive. Moving forward with a thrust of his blade, the assassin intercepted it with her dagger and was prepared to move cleanly into a cut, if only Leo had been aiming for a simple cut.

With their blades clashing and caught together, Leo then forced her bladed hand away as he completely closed all the distance between them while reaching out with his spare hand grabbing her by the neck. Once again it was on the mere instinct but something told him to grab her physically, and the last time he did something had seemed to happen.

"Now Felt! Go!" Subaru yelled, snapping the girl out of the slight daze she was in and spurring her on to run like she was one with the wind, making her way to the door much faster than the boys would have thought possible.

"You think I'll allow that?" the woman said with a controlled voice before she smartly twirled her blade, quickly disarming Leo before slashing him in the bowels forcing him to let go of her neck and drop to the floor shouting in pain on the spot.

"You'll have to let her!" Subaru shouted out as he noticed the knife about to be thrown, using the time to kick up a table in the way shielding Felt and allowing her to escape. But the moment that she did, Subaru found himself being slammed against the wall, an overwhelming amount of pain filling his head as he eventually caught up with the fact that he had been kicked in the head.

"I admit, I feel a little annoyed right now. But now there's nothing left to help you." the killer said as she pulled a second knife from somewhere on her person as she readied it to lunge at Subaru who began to feel excitement turn to fear again as he knew how slim his chances were.

But in the last moment, an ice shard rushed between the two, making the killer leap back slightly over Leo's body.

"Don't forget about me!" The silver-haired girl proclaimed as she stood back up again, seemingly recovered from the previous blow.

"Oh, but of course not. After all, you'll all be ending up just like him soon enough…" the assassin said as she pointed her knife down at Leo's bleeding body. Or at least what should have been. Instead, he was glaring daggers at her, gripping her frozen, numbed foot with a sword in his other hand.

The moment attention moved to him, everyone was shocked as Leo held no hesitation in swinging his sword again, aiming for the bowels of the woman. An attack that caught her so off-guard that he managed to graze her stomach leaving a slight cut behind as she leapt backwards in the nick of time. But even that movement was seemingly sloppy and not as quick as before, while Leo stood up without even the slightest trace of a wound on him.

"You're alright?!" Subaru exclaimed at the sight of Leo being seemingly at the pinnacle of health.

"Now this is truly quite a surprise, by now your guts should have been pooling out onto the ground. Not to mention what you did to my poor leg..."

"And I should have gotten my karma." Leo rebutted, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "Unfortunately, we both die-hard…"

"I thought that the girl would have been the strongest among you, I'm quite elated to see we might just have a dark horse!" she replied in excitement, seemingly completely pleased with the development she was faced with.

"What did you do?!" The silver-haired girl gasped as she realised the state of the assassin's leg. While previously she was the definition of a cold-hearted beauty, the leg of which she wore her makeshift frozen shoe was now withered and tired in comparison.

"To be perfectly honest, I have no idea I could do that, it was pure instinct. I healed at the same time so…" Leo replied.

"You can suck the life out of people?!" Subaru exclaimed, his voice somewhere between horror and pure amazement

"To be able to drain a person of their od…" the girl muttered in disbelief. And he said that he didn't even know that he could do it, even if she excluded that the very nature of the effect was beyond anything that she knew magic to be capable of such effects.

"Surely she's even slower like that, all we have to do is stall but who knows, give me the chance and I could drain her dry," Leo mentioned as he readied his blade again, prompting Subaru and the girl to do the same.

Wasting no time, Leo and Subaru moved in while the girl formed icicles ready to assist in backup as she carefully watched the two guys charging the assassin. The first to attack was Leo, quickly swinging his blade only for it to be effortlessly deflected as Subaru brought down a crushing blow that went nimbly dodged despite the horrible state of one of her legs.

Their attacks were those of amateurs, unused to wielding weapons and devoid of any experience but even so they continued to try and press their advantage, swinging their weapons. Whenever there was an open chance, the silver-haired girl would be quick to respond, firing ice forward in an attempt to either strike or pin their foe down. Seeing this, Subaru and Leo then changed their strategy to simply trying to limit her movement assist with the aim of the ice.

All three of them could tell that they could have been doing much better had they fought together before, simply being a ragtag group made up on the spot alone was enough of a disadvantage that ruined their teamwork, making some unnecessarily hesitate in the worry that they would hit one another as they struggled to predict their teamwork.

It was a back-and-forth fight that felt like it lasted hours but only minutes that were spent in constant high tension, an emotion that wasn't shared at all by the killer woman who never had a smile leave her face. Despite the odds and how badly her leg was doing, she still managed to outperform the team of three with ease.

Back and forth was merely what they wanted to believe, if there were any onlookers then it would be obvious to them that they were only being led on instead…

"This little game of ours is beginning to bore me, I wonder how I should make this a little more interesting again?" the woman said, leisurely avoiding all the attacks thrown her way before suddenly changing up her attack pattern, landing a spinning kick right into Leo's back as she passed off Subaru's bat with her dagger before grabbing and lifting his leg.

"Now then, I wonder what your blood is like? Do you have any tricks up your sleeves like the other two?" she continued to ask as she lifted her knife into the air, a deadly glint coming off of it as Subaru's eyes widened in response.

"She's a complete psycho?!" Leo exclaimed in horror, failing to keep his thoughts internal as he was aghast at the situation while the silver-haired girl was completely horrified at how poorly the situation had turned out. Of course, it wouldn't be beyond her as the unbelievable sadist she appeared to be. Even the situation at hand could never have been considered an "if" but only "when" with how she loomed over them in combat prowess.

"That's enough." A new voice suddenly cut through the area to everyone's alarm before the ceiling came crashing down as a new figure entered the area, cutting between Subaru and the Sadist.

"Reinhard!" Leo exclaimed with a massive surge of relief at the sight of the familiar face that had busted his way in.

"Didn't we agree to meet up before entering this place? I'm sorry that I'm late." Reinhard replied with a gentle smile, glancing back at the ragtag team, noting the ruin of the building and the collapsed giant in the corner of the room. "Elsa, The Bowel Hunter, yes? You meet the full description of what I've heard." he then asked as he glanced back at the assassin.

"What a disturbing nickname…" Subaru muttered.

"She got it from the unique way that she kills. She's a rather well-known criminal, even if she's just a mercenary." Reinhard explained, giving his full attention to her.

"After what she did to me? Yeah, I buy it." Leo quipped to the alarm of Reinhard. "BUT, I'll tell you about it later! I'm fine and dealing with her is important!" he then interrupted before Reinhard got the chance to say anything, making him nod in agreement.

"Reinhard, the knight of knights of the family of sword saints. I never thought that I'd even get to fight such interesting opponents! This is something to thank the employer for." Elsa said as she got into a battle-ready stance, something that had been yet to be done before, making a clear showing of seriousness.

"I recommend that you all stay back with the giant, it appears there won't be any choices," Reinhard mentioned getting a resounding agreement from the three. "And Leo, may I borrow that sword of yours?"

"Gladly…" Leo replied, quickly tossing the blade over for Reinhard to easily catch before he joined the rest to watch in anticipation of the showdown between what were likely two incredibly powerful people.

"You're not going to fight me with that impressive-looking blade on your hip?"

"It can only be used when it is necessary, the fact that it has not left its sheath means that it is not one of those times." Reinhard calmly answered.

"Then it seems I'm being underestimated."

"I find it troublesome as well."

"I won't find it that way at all if you can still entertain me!" Elsa declared before rocketing from where she was, with far more speed than she had ever hinted to before, not initially heading for Reinhard but rather the walls before she began bouncing off of them, moving all around the room at speeds that were simply a blur but despite it all Reinhard stood firm and unwavering without the slightest hint of concern.

There was a glint in the air as a multitude of blades were thrown through the air, but still, Reinhard did nothing, making both Subaru and Leo look on in concern, until by some miracle the blades changed their directory in mid-air, not even under the influence of any noticeable phenomena.

"The divine protection of arrow evasion," Elsa noted, still not stopping in her movements.

"He's got more of those things?" Leo noted as he heard her, making Subaru perk up at Leo's apparent knowledge but he didn't ask, he couldn't find the time to do so if he didn't want to miss any part of the fight unfolding. A fight that was developing by the moment as Elsa continued to ramp up her attempts and seriousness.

Noting that projectiles were useless, she changed her strategy to the only one that would work for her, making a direct assault. It all seemed to transpire in a moment from when she lunged at Reinhard, yet it was somehow all so clear, the one gentle yet swift action seemingly made by an entity unrivalled by any, a single clean strike from the old sword that Reinhard took that managed to cleanly cut through Elsa's dagger.

When she stopped for a moment to look down at her weapon she was in temporary shock upon seeing how perfectly her dagger had been cut, leaving her with just the handle.

"You have no weapons left, I suggest surrender," Reinhard spoke with confidence as if it was already a done battle, not that Elsa seemed to share the same sentiment.

"Reinhard, she has another one!" Subaru suddenly yelled out however just before Elsa took her swing with Reinhard leaning back in response managing to avoid the tip of the blade, even if just barely as it cut off one of his locks.

"My, aren't you the perceptive one," Elsa commented as she glanced back at Subaru.

"But of course, I've experienced it before!" Subaru shouted back making Leo confused whilst Elsa just disregarded the comment, clearly noting it as nonsense.

"You know, nothing about you makes sense…" Leo mentioned as he glanced sideways, tuning out from Reinhard and Elsa leaving them to begin their battle again.

"What do you mean?" Subaru asked as he looked back at Leo despite taking the occasional worried glance at the fight that was before them.

"Like you know a ton of things that you shouldn't… and some of the time you make yourself sound insane. Do you also have some sort of ability, like foresight?" Leo guessed as he thought more about how Subaru conducted himself. But then, he saw Subaru acting like a complete fool, like someone new to the world.

And yet, not too much later in the day, he was a man on a mission, seemingly pretty used to and knowledgeable about the world, or at least much more so than him…

"You would see the future, and despite now being in the least bit involved you would take action to try and set things right?" Leo continued as he thought about it. There was still the question of talking like he had lived through it but, how selfless could a guy get?

"You might find it a bit alarming but, it turns out I can Return-" Subaru began to pridefully boast until something suddenly gripped him. Leo couldn't tell what but from one moment Subaru was prideful and the next, he was clutching his heart and panting profoundly with dread etched into every fibre of his being.

"Subaru?" Leo asked, perplexed at the sudden change. "Did you get cut or something?"

He didn't answer right away, but instead, he seemingly shook his head, quickly changing his expression to a forced smile as he pointed back to the fight. "I'm fine, but I'm wondering if even Reinhard can beat her, he can't move to do anything else," Subaru said, choosing to push past all the questions thrown his way.

"It's because he's holding back in consideration for us." The girl suddenly spoke up from behind, getting the two guys to turn back and face her, noticing that she was knelt over the giant's unconscious body, a soft light emitting from her hands as she diligently focused.

"Are you healing him?" Leo asked, earning a nod in response.

"But he's one of those who stole your insignia," Subaru mentioned.

"Which is why I'm helping him, if I do so then he couldn't lie to someone who saved his life." the girl countered to the slight amusement of Subaru.

"You like making up excuses huh?" he thought aloud, making Leo smile as he realised it for himself.

"But, why would he need to hold back then?" Leo then asked, as his curiosity took over the sense of happiness he had.

"Because I'm using the spiritual arts to do so. If Reinhard were to fight seriously then all the mana in the air would turn away from me and go to him instead." she answered, "When I'm done, tell him for me."

"Right, wait a moment! Leo, you healed yourself from a worse cut in no time, couldn't you heal Rom super quickly as well?" Subaru responded enthusiastically.

"Um, I wouldn't know how though… I mean I even healed myself by taking away someone else's life. Assuming that I have the power to give and take life, I would have to sacrifice someone else's life to do so, wouldn't magic be a much better alternative?" Leo responded making Subaru settle down again.

"I don't know how you can manipulate people's od but… It's not something to be done likely. Making use of Od would be the equivalent of playing with people's lives." The silver girl mentioned as she listened to the two.

"I agree, I mean, I still have no idea how I did it or how it works… It wouldn't be pretty if things went wrong…" Leo said.

"It doesn't matter now, please." The girl said in exhaustion as she wiped her brow.

"I don't get it but sure! Reinhard! You can do your thing now!" Subaru yelled out in response while Leo watched in interest, wondering just how things were going to heat up.

"Oh? What are you going to show me now?" Elsa asked in curiosity as she steadily came to a standstill before Reinhard, looking on with interest herself.

"The swordplay of the Astrea family…" Reinhard gently answered as he perfectly readied his blade beside him, his focused gaze on Elsa unwavering, and then it happened.

Suddenly the very air began to thin as traces of light began to form and travel through the air, everything seemingly gravitating towards the blade of the sword saint which began to brightly glow from the accumulating power as cracks began to form from it being pushed right to its limit.

"Excuse me… please…" the girl suddenly said as she slumped against Subaru, much to his excitement before he soon calmed down after having noticed something.

"You're burning up, are you sick?" Subaru asked, worried by the sudden change in her health.

"It's the mana… you understand right?" she answered, something that neither of the boys completely understood. They could only guess that her health was impacted by Reinhard sucking it all up instead, their thoughts dragging back to the man of the hour.

But upon doing so, there was the faintest scream, its source completely unknown as a blinding light filled the room before Reinhard began to swing his blade, his power and aura filled everything. And the split second that Reinhard had completed the cut, an explosion obliterated everything before the sword saint…

Both Subaru and Leo were a speechless mess as they looked upon the remains of the loot house, of how one side of the building had been completely removed and blown away, revealing a very stunned Felt standing just outside while Elsa was nowhere to be seen…

"I thought she was a monster, but you're something else!" Subaru yelled out in response.

"I thought you were a master swordsman, not a demolition expert…" Leo noted earning a dry chuckle from Reinhard.

"Even I get hurt from words like those," Reinhard replied as he looked back at the pair before noticing the state of the blade in his hand. Watching it crumble into countless pieces that one would have thought it had turned to dust, leaving just the handle in his hand. "It seems I pushed you too far, I'm sorry…" he said as he dropped the handle to the ground.

"Well… karma finally came for her." Leo nodded to himself as he stood up, finally being freed of the burden of overwhelming stress, fear and panic as he couldn't help but release a large sigh of relief. Meanwhile, his legs were overwhelmingly happy at being able to stand up again after such an intense passage of time.

"Is it over?" The silver-haired girl asked as she slowly started to regain herself.

"Yeah, just barely though," Subaru answered the girl who he still supported.

"You managed to find him then?" Leo called out as he walked away from Subaru, out into the open and closer to Reinhard while his words went directed to Felt who was still standing in shock until Leo's words snapped her out of it. She didn't move but instead simply nodded as she began to walk towards him and Reinhard, an abundance of gratitude on her face. "So, are you sure you don't have any other occupation other than a knight?" Leo asked as he glanced up at the knight beside him.

"Are you not going to let that go?" Reinhard mused.

"What friend would? It's a free way to mess with you." Leo replied, his words sparking a wide smile from the knight.

"So it is, friend," Reinhard replied, seemingly elated.

At least until a slight rumble of wood was heard…

"Subaru!" Reinhard suddenly cried out as he began dashing towards the sharp-eyed kid who was immediately alarmed by the sudden change in mood. The reason for his actions became all the more clear as suddenly Elsa burst out of some rubble.

Immediately Leo found himself standing in front of Felt in her defence before they noticed what Elsa was aiming for, dashing towards Subaru and the silver-haired girl as quickly as she could with a dagger ready in her hand. But with quick thinking, Subaru hurriedly grabbed the wooden club again as he shoved the girl completely out of the way before he received the blow from Elsa in her stead, sending him flying back.

"Tch, stupid boy," Elsa said in annoyance as she noticed who she had sent flying before noticing Reinhard nearly by her side, prompting her to take better action. Before she could be grabbed she promptly lept on top of the rubble of the building out of range, not even waiting before leaping away into the distance and out of sight…

"How does one survive something like that?!" Leo exclaimed as he stayed with Felt, not appreciating the near heart attack he just experienced as he watched the rest hurriedly rush over to check Subaru.

"Well, are you alright?" he then nonchalantly asked as he turned to Felt, "Or are you perhaps worried about the giant? You seemed close."

"Old man Rom! Is he alright?!" Felt then exclaimed in desperation, closing some of the space between them.

"Yeah, he hasn't woken up yet but we healed him," Leo said as he pointed across to where the unconscious old man spurring the Felt to rush over to him and kneel by his side, while Leo walked on over to her side. "He'll be fine, he just needs some rest. Although I don't know how well he can rest here. By the way, on behalf of Reinhard, sorry for the obliteration of your home…"

"Yeah, you've really made things harder for us now," Felt said, not taking her attention away from tending to the giant. "But, I would rather this than having lost him. He's my only family, like a grandfather to me… so, thank you..." she then added on in a softer voice, letting her gratitude show alongside her care for the giant.

"Thank Reinhard, all I did was stall some time. At best, I blocked one blow from getting to you. Besides, we all would have died if you didn't manage to find and bring him here." Leo replied as he looked over the giant and the girl, picturing the odd yet somehow fitting family of two they made.

"I think that you don't take enough credit." another voice said from behind, getting both Leo's and Felt's attention.

"I'm a realist," Leo said before he noticed who was talking to him, finding it to be the silver-haired girl he had fought beside. "Oh, you didn't get caught up in anything too bad right? I saw Subaru take it for you at the end, but you all reacted like it was fine…"

"Oh, he did get a little bit injured but I healed him for now. I wanted to thank you for everything." She said with a smile. "I'm Emilia by the way."

"Leo," he quickly replied, "But if Reinhard was number one, you and that cat of yours would be number two."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short!" Emilia was quick to rebuttal with a pout.

"Don't worry, I'm aware that I saved lives. Otherwise, Subaru and Felt might have met their end at the same time." Leo replied, making the blond girl at his side jolt as her name was mentioned to Emilia, the one who had been her target that she stole from.

"So, Felt's your name." Emilia gently said as she turned to Felt, still on the ground beside Rom remaining stiff and nervous about what confrontation was to come. "I heard that you consider him your grandfather… I have someone I consider a father like that, but he's usually asleep most of the time when I need him. Not that I could let him hear that."

"Huh?" Felt puzzled at the words she was hearing. "Y-yeah, I couldn't let Rom hear me say that either…"

"I'd thought you'd be harsher…" Felt then said after a moment, her red eyes meeting Emilia's amethyst ones.

"I guess I would be, but because of that boy's sleeping face I'm feeling a little better, only a little though," Emilia replied as she pointed back at the slumbering Subaru, guiding Felt's frail eyes over to him while Leo simply remained quiet for the two girls.

"I'm sorry…" Felt faintly said. "I'll give back what I stole, you saved my life and Rom's, I can't be ungrateful," she said standing up before pointing down a nearby ally. "But I hid it in there, I had no idea what would happen after I left so…"

"You were cautious… I'll wait here then," Emilia replied with a smile.

"Really? But what if I'm just trying to make a run for it?"

"You saw what Reinhard did right?" Leo quipped in as he gestured to the knight who stood tall and ready. The reaction was a slight 'eep' from Felt as she rapidly nodded her head before she hurriedly took off leaving Leo, Emilia and Reinhard alone.

"Excuse me, Miss Emilia, but could I ask what your relationship with Subaru is?" Reinhard asked, breaking the silence of the three.

"Oh, we're just passing acquaintances. Nothing more. I believe this is the first time we met." Emilia answered without hesitation, her answer shocking both Reinhard and Leo.

"But he talked as if he knew you, he was trying to get something back for you, he even…" Reinhard replied in shock, trailing off at the end as horrible thoughts began to fill his mind.

"He kept knowing things that he shouldn't have…" Leo mentioned as the three looked at Leo, "He was about to tell me how but something happened and he suddenly stopped…" Hearing this they all just stayed silent looking down at Subaru, all pondering the mystery that he was…

"What shall we do with him? I could take him home with me as a guest of my family." Reinhard then mentioned.

"No, I'll bring him home with me. I'll see if he's connected to Roswaal that way, and at the very least he saved my life." Emilia answered before turning to Leo. "But what about you? You helped me as well so I will be perfectly willing to let you come with me if you want."

Unbeknownst to Emilia, her words made Reinhard disheartened but he never voiced his thoughts, he couldn't dare against Emilia and if this was what Leo wanted then he wouldn't intervene.

"Actually, Reinhard's already helping me… is it still alright for me to stay with you?" Leo asked as he looked back at Reinhard, who acted slightly shocked before he pulled himself together.

"But of course, it would be my pleasure to welcome you as a guest," Reinhard replied with a smile.

"Well, that's my plan," Leo said with a weak smile as he turned back to Emilia who appeared a little upset. "But if you really want, I could make a trip to yours at some point if that helps with your feeling of debt," he added on, hoping that it would be enough to make her perk up, which to some extent managed to do so.

"I'll be waiting for you then!" Emilia replied. "Oh, but Reinhard, what do you plan on doing about the old man and the girl?" she worriedly said, realising the likely fate of them.

"As a knight, I should take them under arrest." He calmly answered, looking at the other unconscious body among them.

"But?" Leo chimed, predicting what was about to be said.

"Unfortunately, I'm not on duty today and without any complaint, it would be hard to continue this any further. I truly know barely anything which transpired." Reinhard continued with a smile.

"Fufu, aren't you a bad knight?" Emilia teased in response before Reinhard looked away, sensing the presence of another.

"I brought it back, ok?" Felt said in embarrassment as she walked on over to the group.

"Aww… Now we don't have to hunt you down." Leo said, faking a sense of disappointment.

"Don't say it like that! I couldn't handle it if you sent the sword saint after me! I've never seen someone faster than me!" Felt shouted back in response before turning to Emilia, fishing through her jacket around her chest. "Don't leave it so open all the time, otherwise it'll be stolen again," Felt warned.

"I find it strange getting a warning from you, but maybe you shouldn't be doing this at all," Emilia replied.

"I'm not gonna, I can't and I don't think I'm doing anything wrong. Even now only giving it back in gratitude for my life." Felt immediately responded with a grin much to Emilia's disappointment while Reinhard closed his ears to her words, choosing to let the statement pass this one time.

"It is a lifestyle forced on you… can't judge your character on that. But you are giving it back." Leo said with indifference, giving his thoughts on the situation.

"If food appeared without me having to do something then I would be willing to stop," Felt said as she held out her hand. "Anyways, here you go." she finished as she presented something that made Reinhard completely freeze up in shock.

The presented item was a black insignia, marked with a golden dragon emblem while a glowing red gem rested in its centre. The key part for Reinhard was that it was glowing. He wasted no time in moving forward and gripping Felt's arm with an iron grasp, one that she stood no chance of escaping and threw everyone for a loop, with the first being to speak up being Emilia.

"Reinhard, please wait! I understand that it's not easy to let her off for something like this, but she didn't know its true value, I got it back and I'm ok with everything!" Emilia pleaded, trying to get the knight to calm down despite her slightly shaken state.

"I don't know anything about that thing, but is that much force necessary? She isn't that bad of a person." Leo added on, trying to help change Reinhard's mind from whatever he was thinking.

"I'm sorry, Miss Emilia, Leo, but this is something far more important than that." Reinhard swiftly answered, his voice far firmer than he had ever used before to either of them. "What is your name?" Reinhard asked, turning to the girl he intently gripped.

"Felt…" she grunted in response while trying to keep her voice steady.

"What is your surname? And your age?"

"I don't know! I'm an orphan you know, I don't have anything fancy like that! My age is roughly fifteen though, or at least I was told! Let me go!" she cried out doing whatever she could to try and escape his grip, not that it did yield any results.

"Emilia, I'm sorry but I can no longer uphold my agreement. I'm taking charge of her."

"Um, is this about the insignia?"

"It is no small sin but, compared to this, it is trifling," Reinhard replied, making Emilia and Leo look at him perplexed at whatever he happened to be talking about. "I would like to take you with me. I'm sorry but you have no choice." he then said to Felt, making her glare at him intensify.

"Don't screw with me! Just because you saved…" Felt tried arguing back before she quickly felt her body going limp. "Go… to hell…" she said moments before passing out in Reinhard's arms.

"That's not very knightly either, and what about her gate?" Emilia spoke up again, seemingly understanding a lot more about what happened than Leo did.

"Unfortunately, this is something that I've had to get used to at birth, I've made sure that her gate is fine. But it appears that you may soon receive some summons," he replied before noticing Leo's awkward expression. "Leo, I know that this might seem worrying, however, I assure you that it isn't quite what you think this is. You are still perfectly more than welcome to join me at my residence." He said, turning back to him.

"Well, it's been short but sweet enough for me to feel like I know you enough. If it still doesn't bother you then I would still be glad to take you up on your offer." Leo replied, getting an earnest nod in response.

While the whole sudden arrest situation had taken him off-guard, at the same time Reinhard didn't strike him as someone simply taking Felt for arrest. The way he had reacted made it seem that he found her as someone incredibly important while ignoring her apparent grave crime. Instead, it made him interested as to just who Felt possibly was to him.

"Then I leave Subaru to you," Reinhard said to Emilia with a bow, handing her back her insignia before walking off.

"I'll be sure to keep up with everything, and later I'll come to visit, ok?" Leo said, grabbing Emilia's attention. "I'll be sure to explain what I can then."

"Ah, ok! We'll be waiting for you!" Emilia quickly responded as she quickly began to face him, doing her best to put on a smile.

"Bye!" Leo said before hurrying after Reinhard, walking by his side leaving Emilia by herself as she watched them leave…

Unbeknownst to everyone, there was one other set of eyes that watched over them...