"You're going to the royal capital, right? I'll follow you!"
The guests had departed, and the reception room was breathing a sigh of relief――Subaru had brilliantly shattered the atmosphere with those opening words.
Without warning, he opened the door and placed a tray of tea on the table. He handed the cups to the two people in the meeting, who were looking at him in silence, saying, "Here you go."
"Snacks are limited to 300 yen, and you can't stay up late just because you're looking forward to leaving."
Subaru spoke as if he was going to accompany her. The two who received the cups, Emilia and Roswaal, exchanged glances,
"See?"
"...I see."
Roswaal, with one eyebrow raised and a grin on his face, was met with a tired-sounding response from Emilia. Not liking the atmosphere of just the two of them understanding each other, Subaru squirmed slightly in frustration, "What's that?"
"Don't look at each other with your eyes, you jealousy! Let me join in the conversation and sing you a lullaby."
"In the first place, who told me about going to the Royal Capital... was it me who let it slip...?"
Ashamed of her mistake, Emilia places her hand on her forehead and slowly shook her head. Turning to Subaru, she prefaced it with a "You see," as if to convince him,
"I'm not going out to play. I've been called away on important business... yes, it's important."
"I know that. It's related to the royal selection, right? I understand that it's a major event that could shake the country. But, even so, please. I'm asking you to take her."
Subaru kneels on the carpet and puts his hands together in adoration.
Emilia looked around the room, asking for help, unsure of how to respond to that plea.
"Where is it? Ah, I think it would be best to choose according to your will without worrying about me."
One of them was watching from the sidelines with a grin on his face,
"The smell of these tea leaves…could this be Ram's treasured…no, that's a bit of an exaggeration…but, I don't think Barusu could do it…"
One of them was very curious about the tea leaves used in the tea that was brought to him.
And as for the last one,
"Isn't that great? Since he wants to go so badly, I'll take him there. It seems Subaru-kun has some acquaintances in the royal capital, and he was originally brought to the mansion after being injured. I need to let him see my face and put him at ease."
Up until now, one would have expected the most sensible response from him, but now he found himself in the position of having to defend Subaru.
"Uh, nice assist. Rem, Rem, Reim, come here."
"yes!"
Responding to Subaru's beckoning as he sat on the carpet, Rem smiled cheerfully and slid over next to him. As if it were a chore, Rem held out her head to him, and with a smile on her face, Subaru used his expert technique to stroke and praise her blue hair so as not to mess it up.
Seeing Rem purring with a happy look on her face as she was being held back by her curiosity, "Ah, maybe I want to try too," she thought.
"In the first place, what is Subaru planning to do by coming with us? It is true that it has something to do with the royal selection, but that is something Subaru…"
Subaru: "I'll cry if you say it's irrelevant or that it's sad. Emilia-tan is king… queen, I guess. I want to be involved, even if just on the fringes, on the brink of whether or not she can become one. And to do that, I need to at least be within reach."
"That's why I said you can't bring him."
Staring back at Subaru's eager eyes, Emilia frowned and spoke.
He was happy about his feelings, but he had already owed him a lot. His life had been saved, and just a few days ago, he had almost lost his own life in order to save many people. It was a pity that he himself was so unaware of this, as the gratitude he owed to Subaru was immeasurable.
On top of that, there's no room for such indulgence, expecting him to give her anything more than that.
"If I take Subaru with me, he'll definitely push himself too hard again. I don't want him to do that. Understand?"
Subaru: "You're the one who doesn't understand, Emilia-chan. I hate the impossible, the reckless, and the reckless, so I won't do anything beyond my capacity."
Subaru folded his arms and puffed out his chest in response to Emilia's plea.
He made a bold and defiant declaration, but added,
Subaru: "If it's within reach, then it's a different story. And especially if it's Emilia-tan. Right? Please understand that."
"That's... I don't know..."
Emilia didn't understand why Subaru was persisting like this.
Emilia thinks that since Subaru has been through so much pain and suffering, she wants to let him rest.
I find it strange that he would willingly push his body, which had not yet fully healed, to do something so reckless.
Surely his usual light-hearted banter wasn't actually serious.
Emilia's thoughts were drowned in a sea of confusion, and Subaru looked up at her with eyes like a stray dog. Then, as silence fell over the reception room,
"Yes, yes, that's it."
And then, as if to shatter the mood, it was Roswaal who literally clapped his hands.
He was looking at the exchange between the two of them with deep emotion,
"Since there seems to be no progress in this matter, I'll just get this over with quickly. Subaru, please accompany me to the royal capital. That's an order from my master."
"Roswaal?!"
"Yay! I can talk, Roz!"
Roswaal scorns Emilia's hesitant opinion, and Emilia looks taken aback by his words, while Subaru responds with a thumbs up and an expression of joy.
However, in response to their reaction, Roswaal shook his finger and said, "Tsk tsk tsk."
"But the reason why Subaru-kun came to the royal capital is for medical treatment. It's a completely different story from the royal selection and all that. Do you understand?"
"Treatment…?"
Subaru tilts his head in doubt at Roswaal's words.
He didn't understand what was going on, tilting his head in confusion as he tried to stand up - but his legs had gone numb from sitting upright, and he fell forward, and Rem, who was next to him, quickly grabbed him around the scruff of his neck to stop him.
"Guh! ...Nice assist, Rem. But do it a bit better next time."
"Hmm, I guess I'll have to wait for the petting..."
Subaru rubs his throat as he makes his harsh comments, causing a dejected Rem to step back. Subaru then turns to Roswaal once more, leans forward and asks "So?" as if to question the true meaning of his previous remark.
"What do you mean by medical purposes? I shouldn't say it, but apart from the scars, you're basically in perfect condition. I'll admit that there's still some room for rehabilitation though."
Subaru stretched out his arms and swung them around to show that he was in good health, but everyone in the mansion, including Emilia, knew that his body was not in perfect condition.
It was clear that he had some inconveniences in his daily life, and this was reflected in his work at the mansion and his morning "radio exercises." It was obvious that he was trying to hide it from those around him, which made him even more pitiful.
The topic of Subaru's physical condition had become an unspoken understanding. Subaru still tried to play dumb, but Roswaal shook his head and said, "No, no."
"There's no point in hiding it. Everyone knows that your body is still suffering from the aftereffects. Using the Bokko Fruit while you were depleted. Being hit by Urgarm's fangs and having too many curse marks carved into your body - these are the main factors, but because of that, the mana circulation in your body is now very poor. It's mush."
"...You can't tell me you're not feeling well if you can't see that."
"Subaru. The mana that fills your body is your lifeline. If that flow is halted, then the circulation of life is impeded. …Please, listen carefully."
Emilia told Subaru, who didn't seem to be taking it seriously, perhaps because he felt embarrassed that his condition had been noticed. Subaru seemed to understand, as he softly apologized, "I'm sorry."
"I understand that my body is in a pinch. So, how does that relate to the idea of treatment in the royal capital?"
"Your body will require the power of an expert in water mana to heal. Have you met the messenger who was there just now, Subaru-kun?"
"A tall cat-eared girl? To be honest, she wasn't really my type."
"That girl is an exceptional user of water mana, even in the royal capital. If you borrow her powers, she should be able to heal your ailment."
Subaru grimaces in obvious disgust at Roswaal's words.
Emilia silently agreed with him that he was a difficult person to deal with. He could see right through you and then try to confuse you, which was just not her forte.
He came to inform me of the invitation to the royal capital, but under the pretext of that, he made me talk about a lot of things I didn't want to talk about.
However,
"She even owed that child a favor in order to give me the opportunity to treat you. Don't you think we should take advantage of Lady Emilia's kindness?"
"Huh?"
"Hey, Roswaal! That's..."
Emilia was outraged by the fact that this was not just a careless act, but a deliberate one, and approached Roswaal. However, Roswaal himself calmly ignored Emilia's angry words,
"Lady Emilia isn't very good with that child either. But, there's the matter of Subaru-kun's health, right? So she listened to his story wholeheartedly, somehow managed to get him to make concessions and arranged for your treatment. She's quite the adorable girl, isn't she?"
"LOS WA A RL!"
With her secrets now completely exposed, Emilia calls out to him, cutting off each syllable.
His silver hair was shaking with rage, and I could clearly feel the blood rising in his face from rage and shame. I wanted to use my rage to create raging mana and throw it at his long indigo hair, but...
"Emilia-tan, seriously?"
Subaru, who was at the center of the situation, asked, and that too vanished into thin air.
As Subaru tries to ascertain the truth of the matter, Emilia turns away in embarrassment,
"Well, it's my fault that Subaru's body won't heal. The reason he came to this mansion was originally because he was trying to protect me… and also, in the case of the incident in the Demonic Beast Forest, it was actually me who should have taken action, but Subaru. So, this is just a way of repaying him, or a fair compensation for my losses…"
Subaru: "Emilia-tan, you speak so stiffly. It feels very businesslike and takes the emotion away."
As Emilia quickly defends herself, Subaru gestures at her to interrupt. Emilia firmly says, "Anyway!"
"Subaru, you've worked so hard, so you have an obligation to repay me for it. If you don't, we won't be able to face each other as equals in the future. This way, I won't have to feel a strange sense of guilt every time I see you in the morning, so it's for my own good."
"It's been a while since I've seen that pattern, but did you think about that every morning?!"
"I didn't think so! I was grateful!"
It was a complete mess.
No matter what, he just wasn't very good at expressing his thoughts to others. Thinking that Subaru must be annoyed, he timidly looked at him, only to find a wry smile on his face.
However, he still had that bitter smile on his face and folded his arms.
Subaru: "In the end, Emilia-tan was also in favor of me going to the royal capital, wasn't she? If so, why did you pretend to be against it at first?"
"If he thinks that his demands will be granted so easily, then he'll get carried away and try to do something that's too much, knowing Subaru. I know what a mischievous boy he is."
"I haven't heard of a naughty boy lately..."
Subaru muttered softly and tilted his head, and Emilia stuck out her tongue in frustration.
Subaru looked enthralled for some reason after hearing that, but if it turned out to be some sort of revenge then Emilia would be overjoyed.
and,
"Well then, the deal is settled. Subaru-kun will accompany us to the royal capital. We will spend the whole day tomorrow making preparations, and then leave the next morning—is that okay?"
"Okay."
"It's pointless."
"Understood, Roswaal-sama."
Everyone in the room responded in their own way to Roswaal's closing words.
And so, the plan for the Roswaal Mansion to travel to the royal capital was decided.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
A trip to the royal capital was planned, with Subaru accompanying them, and it was decided that departure would be the day after tomorrow.
Even with such a hectic schedule, the reality remains that the servants still have to carry out their daily work around the mansion.
Subaru, too, was assigned the simple task of tidying up the guest room as part of his rehabilitation as a servant apprentice.
"So, Ram will be staying at the mansion?"
Subaru asked Ram behind him as he carefully straightened out the sheets in the guest room.
Ram, who was doing nothing under the pretext of supervising Subaru at work, nodded reluctantly to his words,
"Yes. We can't leave the mansion empty for everyone. Usually, Rem would stay behind, but this time she was being selfish and said she wanted to go, so I let her go."
The older sister, having got her younger sister's point across, relaxed her lips slightly.
Ram, no matter what, always has a soft spot for her sister. Despite being kept away from her beloved Roswaal, she doesn't seem to be unhappy about it.
"You look kind of happy."
Subaru: "She seems happy… that may be so. Ram may be happy that the girl who had never thought of anything but doing her best with what was given to her now has a will of her own."
Subaru was of course not the only one who found Rem's nature annoying. Ram had been a twin since birth. There must have been many times, many times more times than Subaru, when she had wanted to do something about it.
In that sense, Subaru and Ram could be said to be comrades who shared the same opinion regarding Rem's nature.
However, Ram gave Subaru a sharp look, who shared the same aspirations, and
"The only thing I don't like is that it all started with a guy like this."
"I'm tired of hearing it, and the fact that I had a small influence on Rem's heart remains true! Now, feel regretful!!"
"Hooray."
"Whoa!?"
With a single chant, a gust of wind rose up, and Subaru's body was pushed by the wind and sent flying onto the bed. He landed like that, crumpling the sheets he had just made, and, buried in the white fabric, he rose to the surface as if swimming through the soft sensation,
"You! There's no magic, no magic! Retaliating with magic after losing a verbal fight? That's extremely nasty!"
"It's not revenge. I just let out the dark emotions that had been building up in my stomach by lashing out at Barusu."
"People call it revenge, or taking out their anger, or letting out their frustration!"
Subaru told Ram, who turned her face away, and then quickly straightened the sheets out.
Although my body was still not in top condition, my fingers were still as dexterous as ever, and I found myself entranced by the beauty of the arranged white fabric.
"Even so, being a coachman, personal attendant, bodyguard, and guide… even I'm speechless at Rem's versatility."
"Rem has recently started calling herself the 'Subaru attendant' but it seems she's missing something."
"It's his unofficial club."
However, I can't really deny it because I'm grateful for all the help I get.
Anyway, the main guests on this trip were four people from Roswaal's mansion: Emilia, the person involved, her patron Roswaal, Subaru who'd snatched the tickets after throwing a tantrum, and Rem who was accompanying them as the caretaker for the three of them.
And the ones who stayed behind were Ram and Beatrice――
"Now that I think about it, this is a really worrying program. Is it okay?"
"Don't worry. Demons won't die even if they go without food or drink for three days."
"You're not planning on cooking for yourself?"
Subaru retorted at the bold resignation of his duties,
"If it was just you it would be one thing, but what about Bearko? She comes down and there's no food prepared. I can just see her making a fuss, saying, 'What on earth is going on? Ugh!'"
"I imagine that if she asked him about it, he would definitely blow me away. I wish Lady Beatrice would go too."
"Don't you dare casually reveal how troublesome it is to take care of them, caretaker! Just make them some steamed sweet potatoes! If you serve them with some salt and some mayonnaise, alternating between each meal, it should last about three days, I think. At worst, you could just soak them in the mayonnaise."
Subaru makes a remark that makes it seem like a better suggestion, but it quietly exposes the abnormality of mayonnaise lovers. Ram nods in agreement, as if she doesn't have any particular thoughts about it.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Beatrice's disastrous eating habits were confirmed without her knowledge.
With that confirmed, Subaru waved his hand and said, "No, no."
"If just eating is enough to fill you with anxiety, what about the rest of it? Can you even manage to properly clean the mansion?"
Subaru: "That's a stupid question, Barusu. Ram is better at cleaning than cooking."
"Even your best subject is below Rem's! You're really just my older sister!"
"Yes, and that's all."
Even though nothing had been decided yet, Ram looked at Subaru with a smug look on her face.
Seeing her awkward reaction, Subaru scratched his cheek and said,
"So, what will happen to the business at the mansion in the end?"
"I gave Rem a condition in exchange for her selfish request to go to the royal capital."
"Let's hear it."
"It's simple. I promise that when I get back, I'll work one day for the time I had free."
Ruminating on Ram's words, Subaru was now completely speechless.
He looks at Ram with a suspicious look. Looking back at him, Ram suddenly lifts her cheeks in a fearless manner.
"Now you know what it means to leave the mansion in Ram's hands."
--It was a refreshing declaration of abandonment of duty that betrayed Subaru's expectations.
It was such a refreshingly blunt statement that it made the reclusive Subaru decide to receive proper treatment and help Rem.