Chapter Text
Surging forward, Subaru let loose his first attack towards his sparring partner, a snapping diagonal cut which aimed to draw a reaction from the maid in front of him, followed by another slash aimed for her throat.
Instead of retreating backwards, Rem took a step inward, the sparring weapon she had chosen for the match, being a wooden sword, rising in a smooth diagonal line as it knocked the first of Subaru’s blades aside.
Feeling the shock permeate through his arms, Subaru couldn’t help but feel jealous of the innate physical strength advantage that Ren had over him as Rem quickly closed the distance.
Her skill with a sword was miles below the efficiency she had displayed when she wielded her morningstar, and the destructive power she controlled was also inferior to what she could usually command, those drawbacks were not enough.
Twisting, Subaru swung his left blade around in a backhand to create space between the two. Despite this, Rem easily dipped under his blade, her body compact and balanced as she tapped Subaru’s ribs lightly with the flat of her wooden blade before sliding out of range.
If it were a real battle, this would indicate a loop. And so, Subaru’s eyes narrowed as he took mental note of the engagement, rolling his shoulders before he began his counterattack.
Alternating attacks followed in mere moments, high, low, high, a strike to the midsection, one at the throat, clean and efficient while wasting as little energy as possible. Despite this, Rem intercepted every blow, her strikes taking minimal movement as Subaru’s momentum was quickly turned against him.
Rushing forward, he crossed the short, wooden knives which he wielded to trap her blade before following with a knee strike. Despite this, Rem easily overpowered him, shaking free without a hint of resistance as she caught his knee, striking Subaru’s shoulder with a controlled blow that sent him backwards.
Springing back into combat, Subaru felt his own lungs scream at him as mana flowed through his body. The ring which he was wearing guaranteed he would last far longer than he would have typically, but it wasn’t even close to enough to match Rem.
Ignoring the strength disparity, Subaru entered Rem’s range, with Rem’s speed increasing to match his own. Despite this, Subaru’s eyes narrowed, flicking his left blade into the air before striking it with his right, sending it flying towards Rem’s eyes with the speed of a full power pitch.
A speed normally impossible to react to from close range, Rem swatted it aside effortlessly, yet Subaru used the opportunity to close the distance, grabbing the left blade, which had been deflected mid-flight as he brought them down in a crossing stance, prepared to shatter Rem’s collarbone if needed.
Yet, it still wasn’t enough.
Disappearing from his view, Rem appeared behind him, tapping him lightly on the head before sweeping his legs as Subaru staggered forward, with Rem pointing the weapon at the back of his head with an invisible smile on her face.
“This is Rem’s win.” She said, as Subaru raised his hands to the air, displaying the universal sign of defeat as he continued to pant on the ground breathlessly.
Seeing that Subaru wouldn’t be capable of speaking for a while, Rem offered him her praises.
“Rem did not expect Subaru-kun to throw the second blade. Rem is very impressed.” She commented, a beaming smile on her face as Subaru turned backwards slightly to witness her expression.
“You’re…ridiculous. The ring is working a little too well for you.” Subaru said between breaths as he watched Rem gently grab him by the arm and easily lift him to his feet, as he immediately ruffled her hair in response.
It had been a month since their date, with constant research and innovation alongside both Roswaal and Beatrice, Subaru had managed to perfect the ring, now capable of giving Beatrice the regular amount of mana absorption as a regular spirit as she walked about.
And as for Rem, the results were even more drastic.
“Rem feels she is about as strong now as when she had her horn fully unleashed,” Rem said, opening and closing her palm as Subaru allowed a smile to settle on his face. His heart did not shift, but she deserved to see a pleasant expression for her efforts.
“That’s amazing, and then you won’t need to go into ‘Super Rem mode’ whenever you need extra strength,” Subaru teased, with Rem jabbing him lightly in the side as he yelped, jumping backwards slightly before taking off his shirt.
“God, I’m sweaty, I’m surprised you managed to do that without even breaking a sweat, I don’t know if I should be jealous of your stamina or your strength,” He commented, stretching his sore muscles from side to side as Rem’s face flushed red, her eyes entirely fixed on his form.
“Hm? Rem? Oi! Earth to Rem!” Subaru repeated, walking up to Rem and tapping her gently on the forehead as Rem’s face flushed into an even deeper shade of red as a trickle of blood leaked down her nose.
“Typical Barusu, Ram is unclear whether you choose to be an exhibitionist or a pervert.” A voice said, coming from outside Subaru’s range of view as Subaru turned his head slowly to Ram, flashing a smile at her as he turned to Rem with a worried expression.
“Do you know what I did to her? It seems like I broke her.” Subaru said, cocking his head to the side in confusion as Rem simply took her sister by the arm before slowly pulling her away as Rem’s eyes remained fixed on his form.
“Don’t bother, Ram will save her sister before you can get your lecherous hands on her,” Ram said, walking away from Subaru as the two quickly disappeared back into the mansion. Exhaling audibly, Subaru sat on the grass, staring into the clear blue sky as he reflected on the peculiar answer Emilia had given him.
–
“So, do you have an answer yet?” Said Subaru, resuming his daily round of juggling within Emilia’s room, except this time, it was with minya balls. There wasn’t any particular reason relating to Emilia herself; instead, it served as a safety measure in case Puck did anything stupid.
“Do you really~ have to juggle every time you’re in my room, Subaru?” Emilia asked, her voice exasperated as she quickly found herself mesmerised by Subaru’s juggling as he painted different patterns in the air.
“Hm? Just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean you can stop me, y’know? Plus, you make a funny face whenever I do it, so it’s a win-win for me.” Subaru replied, never placing his eyes on her as Emilia scoffed at his comment.
“You say that, but you aren’t even looking at me!” She whined, pouting as Subaru shot to his feet, startling Emilia while still juggling, glancing at her for a moment before flopping onto the bed again.
Throughout the entire process, he hadn’t stopped.
“See, as expected, you’re pouting. Anyways, what was the answer to the question? If you had a choice between taking the life of two or four, who would you choose? Are you willing to take the life of whoever you choose personally? I want to know.”
At this, Emilia paused, falling silent as she stewed over her answer for a few moments before a triumphant smile settled on her lips as she got up and placed her hands on her hips.
“You said there were more than two answers, so I’ll make my own. I’ll keep the hypothetical situation exactly that, hypothetical!” Emilia exclaimed, with Subaru dismissing the minya’s which he had conjured before finally looking Emilia in the eyes.
“And that entails?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as his dark eyes bore into her own, but Emilia did not relent for even a moment as she stayed true to her answer.
“I’ll work my hardest to stop those situations from happening, do as much as I can so I am never put in a situation where I am forced to do anything, it’ll be really~ hard, but I’m sure I can do it!” Her voice was not filled with the same naive idealism it once had, forced to put herself in the shoes of both the slaughterer, the slaughtered and the people who benefited from the slaughtering.
“And you can accomplish that on your own?” Subaru asked, fully facing her this time, his eyes never leaving her. His tone was not mocking, filled with genuine curiosity at the choice she was making as Emilia shook her head.
“Although I’ve begun to change, I’m really~ not as good at this as I should be, and while that isn’t ‘oh-kay,’ I’ll make it work! I can’t do it on my own, so that’s why I have you, no?” Her accurate assessment pierced into the heart of the matter as Emilia continued without an end in sight.
“If I can’t think of something, you’ll help me, you’re my advisor, and that is your duty. So I’m going to work you really~ hard because we’re aiming for the top!”
Pointing her finger to the ceiling with her hand to her hips, Subaru’s surprise was visible, his face splitting into a genuine smile as laughter escaped his lips. But Emilia did not stop smiling, as there was not a hint of mockery in his laughter.
Almost rolling off the bed, holding his sides, Subaru let genuine laughter escape his soul as Emilia’s words echoed throughout his mind once more; his breath was light, yet he spoke anyway.
“You complete idiot, you’ll work me to the bone, right? Fine. It’s not like I expected this to be easy.” Getting up with light laughter escaping his lips, Subaru extended his hand towards Emilia for a handshake.
“Half-elf candidate Emilia, I’ll try my best to make you queen, and once you’re queen, you’re going to shower me in as many riches and benefits as you can offer. How does that sound?”
Without saying a word, Emilia took his hand, shaking it firmly before pulling him into a hug as she let out a long sigh. “Ah~, I thought that was the wrong answer!” She whined, hitting his back lightly with her fists as Subaru mimicked the gesture.
‘Things are about to get interesting from here on out, lucky me, I guess.’
–
In Subaru’s eyes, Emilia was no longer an idiot, but an interesting idiot.
Rough around the edges though she was, Emilia was someone who Subaru could liken to a blunt blade. One that had its edge dulled by years of self-hatred, manipulation and control by the people around her.
Despite this, blunt blades could be sharpened. And oftentimes, they could become sharper than blades which had been honed their entire lives.
The sword which Reinhard had used was a mundane, blunt sword. Yet, using sheer physical strength and excellent sword technique, Reinhard had brought out the full potential of the sword and allowed it to cleave space itself in two.
And people were not much different from swords. As complicated as the human mind was, once one narrowed their gaze enough, they could see the world simply, for what it truly was.
Pushing himself off the ground in a single leap, Subaru shot to his feet before making his way back into the mansion. He was sweating far too much from the sparring match, if the one-sided beatdown he received could even be called one, and so, he needed to freshen up.
As someone believing extremely in the spirit of efficiency, it didn’t take him long to finish his shower and put his clothes back on. And yet, as he exited the room, he was greeted by the sight of Beatrice, who was sitting in her library with a confident smile on her face.
“Betty must admit, this ring of yours is quite useful, I suppose,” Beatrice said, a smirk on her face as Subaru returned it in full force as he made his way towards Beatrice, patting her gently on the head.
“How does it feel to have that much mana? You must feel pretty strong, huh?” Subaru said, as Beatrice exhaled slightly, too eager to offer herself praise as she gave her reply immediately.
“The mana Betty normally took fifty years to accumulate, she now can do so in merely an hour, in fact! Betty is in top form!” Flexing her small arms, Subaru lifted her in the air, waving her through the skies as he laughed at her.
“You’re too happy! Don’t forget, no matter how much mana you have, you won’t stop me from doing this!”
Yet, Beatrice did try to stop him, but the spell which she had conjured in her mind to make Subaru too heavy to lift her was overshadowed by the tickling which he gave her, causing her to say the incantation of the wrong spell.
“Murak, I suppose!” She exclaimed as the gravity around them was lessened, sending the two flying upwards into the non-existent ceiling of the infinitely high room. Reacting on instinct, Beatrice conjured a door above them, flinging it open as the two toppled through it.
“What the fuck was that!” Subaru exclaimed, coiling his body around Beatrice unconsciously to protect her as the two lay on the floor, with Beatrice letting out a long sigh as she narrowly escaped being sent infinitely into the air.
“Betty may have used the wrong spell, I suppose,” she mumbled sheepishly as Subaru prepared to scold her, but before he could, Ram’s voice pulled the two out of their rhythm.
“Barusu, you are requested downstairs. Someone has come to meet Lady Emilia. Ah, and stop trying to force your lecherous fantasies onto Mistress Beatrice. It is unsightly.” Levelling a disgusted glare at Subaru, the target could only laugh as he raised himself to his feet, gently holding Beatrice's hand as she also stood up.
“I’d never do something like that to a cutie like Beako, isn’t that right, Beako?” Subaru asked, turning to the Great Spirit as she levelled him a heated glare.
“Betty told you not to call me that!” She whined, rushing off into her room with a heated blush on her face before slamming the door. Subaru sighed, mumbling about Beatrice’s ‘Tsundere-like’ nature under his breath before turning to Ram.
“She didn’t tell you what it is, did she?” He asked, with Ram shaking her head as Subaru sighed, dusting himself off before making his way downstairs.
–
As Subaur pushed open the door boldly, he witnessed a sight he never thought he would see. Emilia was sitting across from Felix, with Roswaal nowhere in sight.
Despite Roswaal’s peculiar absence, what was most unusual was Felix. From what Subaru had heard, he was a knight from a rival party, so his appearance was a bit unusual. Threw as too much about Felix that he found odd, even disregarding his clothing, and so–
“What’s that guy doing here?” Subaru asked bluntly, sitting down directly beside Emilia as she stared at him with a flabbergasted expression.
“‘That guy!?’ That’s Felix, the Blue of Lugunica, if you didn’t know?” Emilia replied, with Subaru sighing loudly in response to her scolding.
“You get what I mean, don’t you? Cat-ears-san. You’re from the Crusch camp, if I’ve heard correctly, so why are you here? Is there something you want to say? Or are you switching allegiances?”
Bombarding Felix with questions, Subaru watched as the catboy’s eyes narrowed at him, rage clearly bubbling underneath his facade as he replied in his distinct way of speaking/
“Ferris simply wishes to deliver a letter to both you and your mistress that the royal selection will be beginning soon. I’m sure you know what it entails, yes?” Felix asked, with Subaru sighing, reaching over to the table and taking the letter from Felix’s hands.
Leaning backwards, Subaru whispered something into Emilia’s ears before placing the letter into her hands, fixing his gaze onto Felix once more as he smiled at him.
“Well, thank you for taking the time out of your day to do this, cat-boy-san–”
“Ferris.”
Subaru cocked his head to the side as he saw Felix smiling at him, his smile appearing slightly strained, clearly offended by the tone of voice and terminology Subaru had used to refer to him as he clarified himself.
“My name is Ferris, please do use my name.”
At this, Subaru ran a hand through his hair slightly as his gaze locked onto the demihuman features which stuck out on Felix’s form.
“I would, but before I do, could you answer a few questions for me. Seeing as I’m new to this whole advisor thing, I have but one question to ask.”
Felix’s body stiffened as Subaru’s smile widened, his slow nod clearly indicating his willingness to participate in conversation as Subaru took that as a sign to continue speaking.
“If you are aware, Wilhelm, the Sword Demon, has butchered far more of your kind than anyone else, excluding the Sword Saint. Now, this isn’t to bring up old wounds, but why did you even choose to ally or associate with him? Do you have no pride for both your gender and your race?”
Felix slammed his hand on the table, causing the jar which sat on its surface to shake slightly as Felix levelled a glare of anger towards Subaru. His eyes glanced at Emilia, expecting her to act, but her face revealed nothing as she watched the engagement continue.
“You know nothing about Ferris or why Ferris does what he does! So don’t go labelling Ferris as things when you don’t even understand me!” Felix said, his blood boiling as he lost his accent, rage showing directly on his face as Subaru didn’t regard his outburst with a response.
Instead, he simply raised himself off the chair, turned to the door and began to leave, never taking his eyes off the two members of the room as he turned to Emilia slightly.
“Don’t apologise to that guy. Also, I was right about what I initially thought: Felix Argyle is no threat to our chances of victory in the Royal Selection.” Pausing, Subaru turned to Felix as he winked at him…
“Let’s hope your Mistress is much better, ok?”
Shutting the door behind him, Subaru left the room without uttering another word.