Loop 5 - Part 22

I twisted my upper body, bending my posture about thirty degrees forward as I placed one arm behind my back and held the other across my chest, aligned diagonally with my shoulder.

This bow was my favorite above all the ones I'd ever been taught in this world. I don't remember where I learned it, but I'd bet it was from an anime.

"Thank you for having me in your home, Lady Crusch."

"I was expecting your visit, but I must admit your letter caught me off guard. I want to hear the details about that proposal you mentioned."

I nodded and looked at Rem, smiling confidently at her. Her worried expression relaxed at my determined expression. I then turned my attention back to Crusch.

"May I speak to you casually?" I asked the duchess. "I think I'd feel more comfortable that way."

"Alright."

"Okay." I let out the air that was building in my chest. "I realized you and I have some common interests. So I thought I'd form an alliance to benefit us mutually."

"Oh?" The girl clasped her hands together, her fingers interlaced as she fixed her orange irises on me. "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"I am, because I don't think you're going to reject me."

I snapped my fingers and Rem immediately moved in response, going over to Crusch's desk to place a rectangular wooden box on it.

I noticed that Felix and Wilhelm had tensed slightly when I gave the signal to Rem; they had probably prepared to defend their mistress from a possible attack.

Yeah, I'm not stupid enough to try something like that. Wilhelm could cut me to pieces in the blink of an eye, even Felix should be able to take me down without much trouble.

"What's this?" Crusch pointed at the box curiously, not daring to dig inside to see what was inside.

"A sample of the power I'm willing to share, to help you achieve your goal and for you to help me achieve mine."

"Your words are too vague. I demand a concrete explanation."

"Of course." I gestured toward the box. "Rem."

She took the lid and removed it, exposing the gleaming metal pieces underneath: a revolver and a rifle respectively.

Without waiting for the imminent questions, I cleared my throat and resumed my dialogue.

"The smallest is a revolver. It works like a sort of portable cannon, firing metal projectiles designed to pierce bodies much more effectively and quickly than arrows. You must be aware of the merchant who killed several knights with the weapon he stole from Nadir Ashveil."

Now everyone's attention was on me, which made me shake a little, but I managed to control my anxiety and continued speaking without stumbling.

"But that's not all. Considering my next goal, I decided it was necessary to produce something even more powerful than a revolver. I present to you the rifle."

I let Crusch, Felix, and Wilhelm fill their eyes with the sight of the weapons, pausing briefly before continuing.

"This weapon serves a similar purpose to a revolver, capable of firing much farther and with greater power, but with a considerably slower rate of fire and handling. Still, it's perfect for hunting, especially if you're hunting big game."

I couldn't help but smile at the rather obvious reference, so much so that the old swordsman clenched his fists with a sudden burst of bloodlust at the thought of the White Whale.

Felix's face was wrinkled with confusion. Perhaps he still didn't understand what this was all about, or perhaps he simply couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"To give you an estimate of the power of these weapons, I'll tell you that they could subjugate one of the three great mabeasts with adequate supplies (which I already have prepared) and some tactical planning."

With that I concluded the presentation, taking a step back and giving a subtle bow.

Looking back, I was much more nervous giving a lecture on economics in high school than I was this time, negotiating with a political figure on his own turf.

Well, there were two reasons why I wasn't worried that the negotiations might fail. One was the Return by Death, and the other was that I'd had this conversation before—since I didn't have the information about the White Whale's appearance back then, my meeting with Crusch stalled—except this time I'd see it through to the end.

"Leandro Lagostena..."

Crusch's voice took on a deep, resonant tone, as expected from someone with a strong leadership spirit.

"The first time I heard about you was when Felix told me what had happened during his meeting with Emilia at Marquis Mathers' mansion. Felix said there was a new employee, a butler, who had the audacity to approach Sir Wilhelm to make friends."

I won't say I planned all my actions carefully, because that would be a blatant lie, but there was certainly a specific purpose to the way I approached Wilhelm. With Felix, on the other hand, I wasn't so calculating, as his sensuality distracts me.

Damn femboys, they ruined my mind... Nah, porn already did that.

Oh, that's right, I forgot Crusch's monologue. Let's get back to that.

"According to what Emilia said when she spoke of you, you're a foreigner who recently arrived in Lugunica. I found it very strange that someone like you could recognize several local figures and be aware of the current sociopolitical situation. Your background is unknown, as far as I know, and that makes your past something you can manipulate to your advantage. Even if your history with the Witch Cult is true, the rest remains a mystery: the information you possess (including those weapons from your homeland) may be much deeper than we know, and your true intentions are still unclear to me."

I expected that approach. Luckily, Crusch would detect any deliberate lies, so I just had to be honest and say what suited me without overreacting.

"My life before arriving in Lugunica was pretty boring and irrelevant. If you're worried that I'm a potential terrorist or something, you can discard that idea already. The only wish I have is for the world to prosper, for evil to disappear, and for everyone to be happy. I don't have some evil or twisted plan to achieve those goals; I'm sincerely supporting Emilia, even if I think you'd be a better ruler than her."

At that point, Crusch made an expression of genuine astonishment: her eyebrows were raised and her eyes had rounded.

"So why are you with her?"

"Because it's what destiny requires and what my heart demands. Calm down, Shakespeare."

Someone sighed behind me. I couldn't tell who it was, but it sounded like they were either annoyed or moved by my last sentence.

"I know you want to hunt the White Whale. Join forces with me, and I assure you we can take down that beast without any casualties. I'll offer you my life if anyone dies."

"Pfft."

Of all the possible reactions I imagined, laughter wasn't one of them. But the interesting thing was that it wasn't a sarcastic laugh. Crusch seemed happy after hearing my statement.

"You're a disconcerting person, Leandro Lagostena. I've never doubted my Divine Protection so much as I do right now. Do you really think you can pull off such an unprecedented feat? Not only do you intend to kill one of the three great mabeasts, but you're convinced you can do it without losing a single life during the battle. How can you think like that when you're sane? Or have you gone mad?"

"I'm a little crazy, but crazy doesn't make me stupid, it actually enhances my imagination."

Crusch nodded, still smiling at me.

"It takes a great deal of imagination to have such a conviction. If what you claim is true, what do you want in exchange for those weapons?"

My face darkened noticeably, and the air around me seemed to chill. I'd been practicing my act to make this feel real.

"I want you to lend me a portion of your forces to repel an invasion of the Witch Cult into Roswaal Mathers' lands."

Hatred seeped through my voice like drops of water through a crack. The intensity of my gaze was comparable to Wilhelm's when the White Whale was mentioned.

"I see, that makes sense." Crusch commented. "Are they already there?"

"No, but I know they'll be there soon. Emilia has just become a public figure, after all."

The Duchess narrowed her eyes for a moment, looking at me with a hint of understanding.

"Is that why you approached Emilia? You knew from the beginning that the Cult would attack her, and you want to use her as bait?"

"That's one of the things that motivated me, yes."

"It seems I've underestimated you. You have a fearsome mentality."

Again, Crusch changed her opinion of me in amazement.

"However, what your proposal implies is that my faction collaborates with Emilia's. What makes you think what you're offering is enough for me?"

"I haven't told you everything yet. I know exactly where, when, and when the White Whale will appear."

Once again, my words shocked everyone present, except for Rem, who was already aware of this information.

"But I also thought this might not be good enough. So I brought something else to the table."

Just like Subaru, I offered a share of the magic stone mining rights in Elior Forest, in Roswaal's domain. I was happy to think I was making the damn clown lose money.

However, Duchess Karsten was still not satisfied.

"One last question. How do you know the details of the White Whale's next appearance?"

"Let's just say I'm pretty good at guessing what might or might happen in the future."

My answer was short and ambiguous, but Crusch didn't protest this time. I wasn't lying, so I had the right to say only what was necessary.

Furthermore, my honesty was backed up by everything I'd said under lie detection. Crusch knew this, and found it disconcerting.

"The future?" She grimaced. "I really don't want to doubt my Divine Protection, but this isn't helping..."

"I know, I'm amazing, aren't I?" I winked at her.

"Just a little." She unexpectedly joined in. "Don't let it go to your head."

"We will achieve victory without a hitch. Even if I have to die, I will make sure everything goes smoothly."

I stood up and approached her with an outstretched hand.

"And that's not a lie either, huh?"

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Crusch accepted my handshake to seal the deal.

***

I was at Crusch's residence, hours before departure.

"Come on, Leandro, choose nya."

"I remember this."

I was seeing a good number of earth dragons lined up. I had to take one to use as a mount during the expedition.

I didn't waste any time on them and searched for one in particular. I finally found it: a familiar black dragon, the slender type, with beautiful golden eyes that emitted a serene gaze.

"Hi, we've met before."

I placed my hand in front of her, and as I expected, the dragon gently pressed her head against my palm. I laughed happily and scratched her chin like she was a kitten.

"Wow, it's just like Grandpa Wil said." Felix murmured, seeing my interaction with the dragon.

"I chose her. Her name will be Patrasche."

Although I could have given him another name, I felt it would have been disrespectful to do so. Anyway, I was already used to that name; there was no point in changing it to a new one.

"Her?" Rem looked at Patrasche when she learned her gender.

"Oh, you have experience with earth dragons?" Felix tried to guess.

"Not exactly." I petted Patrasche a little more and then walked away. "I'll be back soon."

Felix stayed behind, and we returned to the mansion, where quite a few soldiers had already gathered; Anastasia and her mercenaries were also there.

She and Russell lent me their assistance with this plan, partly out of gratitude and partly out of convenience.

"So you're the boy who saved the boss! My name is Ricardo, Captain of the Steel Fangs!"

A towering beastman with canine features came to greet me. I smiled and reached out to pat him on the head, as if he were an ordinary dog.

"Good boy."

My peripheral vision caught Anastasia covering her mouth at my boldness. The furry man opened and closed his mouth in embarrassment.

"You just..."

Ricardo spoke slowly, his gaze hidden under a shadow and his voice intimidatingly deep.

Beside me, Rem prepared to defend me if the mercenary decided to attack. But what happened next was very curious.

"Man, that was unexpected! You sure know how to say hello!"

Ricardo burst into laughter, splattering saliva all over my face. With some difficulty, I kept my poker face and wiped the substance away with my hand.

He slapped me back, but on the back. My body suffered the impact of what felt like a sledgehammer blow to my spine. Still, I didn't make a sound to betray my pain.

"This son of a bitch is so strong... He almost took my lungs out with that slap."

I had to put up with Ricardo until Crusch appeared, commanding attention with her presence. After her came the veterans Wilhelm had summoned.

One of them came up to thank me for making his desire for revenge possible, which made me feel uncomfortable, but not because of the situation itself.

Every time something like in canon happened, I felt like an imposter taking Subaru's place.

It was uncomfortable living someone else's life, but it wasn't like I was doing it on purpose. Subaru wasn't here, so I took his place.

After a while, Crusch determined it was time to leave and gave a motivational speech that lifted the spirits of the soldiers, both the young ones who were nervous and the veterans eager to get to work.

"Now the hard part is really going to start..."

I clenched my hands tightly, trying to give myself courage and stop my body from trembling. I had to prepare myself for what was coming.

So, we finally headed to Lifaus Road, heading for the Great Flugel Tree.

"Time to speedrun."