Something wet was dripping onto my neck... and it didn't feel very comfortable.
That was what woke me from the depths of sleep. Cracking open an eye, I tried to figure out what exactly was making my neck so damp, but the weight pressing firmly on my chest gave me all the answers I needed.
I had a half-elf drooling on my neck while she slept comfortably on top of me.
'...How did I even sleep through this?' I wondered, beginning to stroke her hair like I would a cat. 'When did she even crawl on top of me?'
Silly girl.
Slowly lifting a hand, I wiped the drool off my neck with my shirt before gently brushing aside silver strands of hair from Emilia's forehead and pressing my lips against her warm skin.
She shifted on top of me, and I worried she might have actually been awake, but thankfully it seemed she was just adjusting in her sleep. A cute hum came from her throat as she rubbed her head against my shoulder before growing still once more.
Emilia didn't seem to be much of a morning person, and I was right there with her. The only reason I'd been waking up earlier nowadays was because I wasn't sleeping alone anymore.
'Man, and what a crazy thought that is.' I felt a smile grow on my face as I continued to comb through her hair, my eyes growing heavy once more as I figured it was only around six in the morning.
Feeling particularly daring, I leaned down and placed one more gentle kiss on Emilia's forehead before drifting off into peaceful sleep.
—
Eventually the morning sun did rise, and with it came the pestering cat called Puck and his stare of dismay at his daughter lounging on top of me.
"Good morning, Puck," I whispered to the floating furball before yawning.
"Yes, I suppose it is morning, Ethan," he growled in response. "Though I can't say it's particularly good."
"I didn't do anything to her, like usual," I defended myself with an amused smirk, seeing as Puck was at a perfect stalemate with Emilia guarding me. "If anything, I'm the victim here. I went to sleep on my side of the bed and woke up with my rights being violated."
The cat muttered a few things under his breath before floating closer and physically nudging Emilia.
"It's time to wake up, Lia," he spoke with a considerably gentler tone than when he'd addressed me.
"Don't... wanna," Emilia mumbled back, digging her face further into my shoulder, causing me to chuckle lightly at Puck's failure and Emilia's response.
"Maybe five more minutes?" I suggested.
Puck's ear twitched, and his eyes took on a distant look, as if he were hearing something spoken to him.
For a moment, he just floated there, his expression cycling through what I could only describe as reluctant resignation. His tail swished once, twice, before finally settling into a less agitated position.
"Fine," he said, the word coming out like it physically pained him. "Five more minutes. But not a second longer, Lia."
The last part was clearly directed at Emilia, even though she gave no outward sign of having heard him beyond a contented hum and an even tighter grip around my torso.
Puck shot me one more warning glare before floating over to the window to pointedly look outside.
I bit back a grin and began stroking Emilia's hair, feeling her relax even further against me.
—
Subaru put his trusty mop away. With this final bathroom all cleaned up, his chores for the day were finished. Like Rem had said, they would be done super quick on the last day, which would give them plenty of time to focus on their super secret critical mission.
Cracking his knuckles and donning a small grin, Subaru dried his feet off and rushed to his room to get "suited up for battle."
In reality, he just changed out of his servant uniform into his trusty tracksuit. Then he picked up his holy sword (standard shortsword) and fashioned it to his waist using a belt he'd totally not stolen from Roswaal's vast wardrobe.
Standing before his room's mirror, he struck a pose, one hand on his hip, the other pointed toward the ceiling. Natsuki Subaru, hero and adventurer extraordinaire, was off to solve a daring crisis!
Then the door creaked open.
"EEK!" He squeaked in a very heroic manner as Beatrice stepped into the room and stared at him with a wry grin.
"You look quite stupid, I suppose." The short girl's voice carried a mocking lilt, but there was something almost fond buried beneath the insult.
"Yeah, and you look lovely as always, Beako." Subaru fired finger guns at the adorable girl with an exaggerated wink.
She turned her head away with an audible "Hmph," her twin drills bouncing with the sharp movement.
"See, there's always this disparity in how I treat you versus how you treat me. It really wounds my heart, Beako." He placed a hand dramatically over his chest, tilting his head back like he'd been struck. But his performance was cut short when Rem appeared in the doorway, her presence immediately commanding his attention.
"Good morning, Lady Beatrice." The maid dipped into a respectful curtsy, addressing the nominally highest-ranking person in the manor first, before her blue eyes shifted to Subaru. A hint of amusement flickered across her composed expression. "Are you ready to leave now? We have plenty of time, and the weather will hold. We can get this done by the time the sun is setting."
"Perfectly prepared for an adventure, my lovely lady!" Subaru straightened immediately, puffing out his chest and adjusting his "holy sword" with what he thought was a heroic flourish.
"Very well. Then we shall depart at once." Rem's hands folded neatly in front of her as she turned to address the spirit. "Lady Beatrice, are you certain you will be alright on your own?"
"I've been just fine for centuries at this point, maid girl." Beatrice's chin lifted with aristocratic pride, her small hands settling on her hips. "To suggest that one such as I couldn't manage a single day is quite insulting, in fact."
The words carried her usual pompous air, but there was no real heat behind them, just that familiar haughtiness that somehow made her more endearing.
The little girl turned to look at Subaru, her unique blue and pink eyes narrowing as if weighing something important. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of saying something, her lips parting slightly. Then she shook her head and turned sharply on her heel.
She closed the door to the room while still inside. When she reopened it a moment later, the hallway beyond had vanished, replaced by the familiar towering shelves and ambient glow of her library.
"I expect you two to be back for dinner, I suppose." The words came out softer than her usual declarations, almost like a request disguised as a command. Then she stepped through the doorway and closed the door firmly behind her with a soft click.
Subaru stared at the closed door for a moment, a grin spreading across his face.
"You know, I think we're really growing on her," he whispered conspiratorially to Rem, leaning toward her like he was sharing a grand secret.
Rem shook her head with a small smile and turned toward the hallway. "Come along, Subaru. We'll stop by Arlam first to see if they've had any suspicious accidents. Then we'll enter the forest."
Subaru quickly followed after her, snapping into a mock salute with exaggerated precision. "Yes, ma'am!"
His enthusiastic cheer echoed down the corridor as the two servants of Roswaal Manor set off on their mission.
—
Stepping into Arlam village, Subaru was quick to put his special skills into action. That is, the village kids instantly swarmed him like he was made of candy.
"Subaru!"
"Baru!"
"Are you here to play tag with us again?!"
"Can I climb on your shoulders again?"
"Subaru, can you say I'm a good girl again?"
The chorus of eager voices flooded his senses, small hands tugging at his tracksuit from every direction. Though that last request sounded a little... odd.
Turning around, he spotted the source, Petra, the cute girl with orange-brown hair with a neat red ribbon tied in it, and blue eyes that shined like polished gems. She was looking up at him with that earnest expression that almost made it physically impossible to say no to her, but still, he was on a mission.
"Waiiiiit!" Subaru shouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest to form an emphatic X. The dramatic gesture made several kids stumble back in surprise. "I'm actually on super important business for Lord Roswaal. You lot wouldn't want to interfere with that, right?"
His smile at that moment might have been reminiscent of a businessman about to make a proposition that sounded too good to be true, which, knowing Subaru, it probably was.
The kids fell silent, their excited chatter dying down. But their eyes grew wider, sparkling with curiosity that had only intensified at the mention of "important business."
"So, here's the deal." He dropped his voice to a whisper, and the kids instinctively huddled closer, forming a conspiratorial circle around him. "I've heard there are bad guys in the forest, and scary monsters have been roaming around. That's why me and my highly competent coworker Rem are going to deal with them."
The kids' eyes widened in surprise, their excited energy dimming as concern crept across several young faces. A few of the smaller ones shifted closer together nervously.
"But!" Subaru suddenly straightened, throwing his arms out with renewed enthusiasm to shift the mood. "We've got that handled easily. Lord Roswaal wouldn't send us out there if he knew we couldn't handle it, right?"
The tension broke, replaced by nods of agreement and renewed confidence.
"Anyway," Subaru continued, leaning back in, "what I need from you is information. Has anything strange or suspicious happened near the village lately? Anything weird at all?"
The kids looked around at each other, some shaking their heads immediately while others put small hands to their chins in exaggerated contemplation, clearly taking their role as informants very seriously.
But it was Petra who spoke up first.
"Mhm. I know something that was strange. This girl, about our age, came into the village a couple days ago. She said she was here because her dad was a merchant, but..." Petra's brow furrowed slightly. "I never saw her dad. Not once."
Having shared her information, Petra's eyes absolutely shined with the clear expectation of praise, practically bouncing on her heels.
"Amazing, Petra! You're such a good girl!" Subaru reached out and patted her head with genuine appreciation.
Petra's smile brightened instantly, and she gained an almost smug expression as she positioned herself right next to Subaru, shooting the other kids a look that clearly said I'm the helpful one.
"Do you know anything else about this girl?" Subaru asked, his tone shifting to something more serious despite his casual posture. "Did she say anything specific? What did she look like?"
"Hmm." Petra's face scrunched up in concentration as she recalled details. "She said her name was Meili, and she was really quiet. She didn't play much with us, always just hanging in the background, watching." Her small fingers twisted together as she continued. "She had dark bluish hair, and she was always carrying around this puppy. It was kind of mean, though. It never let any of us pet it."
Petra rattled off the information with the seriousness of a detective presenting evidence.
"She always seemed a little... off?" Petra's voice dropped slightly, uncertainty creeping in. "Like she was sad about something. Then suddenly she disappeared three nights ago."
'Three nights ago? What happened three nights ago?' Subaru's expression shifted, the playful energy draining away as his mind worked through the implications.
"And the adults tried to look for her when she disappeared?"
"Mhm!" One of the boys, a freckled kid with messy brown hair, stepped forward eagerly. "Mr. Barnes is an experienced tracker. He's always bragging about how he could find a rabbit in under ten minutes no matter where he is. But he said he couldn't find her. It seems she went past the village barrier, and then just... disappeared."
'A kid has gone missing. But the kid herself seems really strange. Dark blue hair, carrying a puppy that won't let anyone touch it, disappears past the barrier... Is she connected to this cult activity? I need to ask Rem.'
"Alright, thank you all for the help! You're all awesome!" Subaru's grin returned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "When I get back, I'll make sure to play with you guys a ton!"
Under the enthusiastic cheers of the boys and girls of Arlam village, Subaru extracted himself from the crowd and went off to find Rem.
After a brief search, he spotted her speaking with one of the village elders, an old man with a weathered face and bushy eyebrows who Subaru vividly remembered had trolled him by pretending to be the village head during his first visit.
"I see. Thank you for your assistance, honored elder." Rem's bow was respectful, her hands folded neatly. "Have a wonderful day, and rest assured that Lord Roswaal will handle this situation."
"Of course, Miss Rem." The old man's voice was rough but warm, concern crinkling the corners of his eyes. "You just be careful out there, ya' hear? It's dangerous in them woods."
"We will be cautious," Rem assured him with another slight bow before turning and making her way toward Subaru.
After walking toward the edge of the village, Rem finally turned to face him. The serious look in her eyes made Subaru realize that this "quest" might actually be far more dangerous than he'd expected.
"None of the villagers reported anything suspicious that might be related to the Witch Cult." Rem practically spat the name of the mysterious organization, her usual composed demeanor cracking with unconcealed disgust. "Which isn't unexpected. That group of filth always appears out of nowhere, like rats crawling from the shadows."
She paced around Subaru for a few moments, uncharacteristic anger flashing across her face, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. Finally, she took a deep, deliberate breath and forced herself to center.
"Lord Roswaal said they were nearby, so it has to be true." Rem's voice steadied as she carefully laid out the facts. "But aside from questions about the cult, nobody seemed to notice anything strange. Just a little girl who showed up for a while before disappearing... and the one-time appearance of Ethan Caldwell in the village around a week ago."
One point stood out to Subaru immediately.
"Oh! The kids I was talking to also mentioned that girl." He straightened, excited to contribute something useful. "I think she might be our biggest lead at this point. Petra told me she didn't seem to have any parents and kept to herself. Then a couple days ago, she suddenly vanishes, just gone."
Rem's expression sharpened with focus, her one visible eye narrowing as she nodded along.
"The tracker in the village said the missing girl vanished into the woods, the same place where all these problems are happening." She turned to stare into the forest beyond the wooden fence that surrounded Arlam.
In the trees, gleaming green glintstones were spaced at regular intervals, the barrier meant to keep the mabeasts at bay.
"Do you think the mabeasts got her, the cult got her... or that she just wandered off and got lost?" Subaru murmured from beside her, his voice dropping unconsciously.
"I'm not sure." Rem's jaw tightened. "But nothing related to the Witch Cult is ever good. You'd be wise to remember that."
She turned to look at him directly, and the rattle of chains echoed from within her sleeve, a sound that made Subaru's spine straighten instinctively. A dark look flashed in her light blue eye, making them appear deeper and more dangerous than the abyss of the ocean.
"Come along, Subaru." Her voice was soft but carried an edge sharp enough to cut. "We have work to do."
Taking a deep breath, the boy from Earth placed his hand on the hilt of his new sword. His gaze lifted to the sun nearing the middle of the sky, its light filtering through the canopy ahead. He steeled his resolve and followed after Rem.
—
The forest was eerily quiet.
None of the noise Subaru expected to hear, no birdsong, no rustling of small creatures in the underbrush. Just the faint whisper of wind through leaves and the rhythmic crunch of his and Rem's feet on the forest floor.
The silence pressed against his ears like cotton, making every step feel louder than it should.
Moving past a large bush adorned with tantalizing green berries that Subaru strongly suspected were poisonous, he found his hand drifting once more to the hilt of his shortsword. The leather grip felt unfamiliar beneath his palm, a reminder of how little he actually knew about using the damn thing.
He hadn't gotten to practice with it, aside from a few awkward swings taken in the privacy of his room. The weight distribution still felt wrong, and he had no real idea how to properly swing it in actual combat.
So yeah, he felt more than a little apprehensive about his odds if things went south.
Two thoughts kept him moving forward:
First, Rem was by his side, calm, confident, and collected as she mostly always was. If something attacked, she'd be by his side to help him handle it.
Second, he had one surefire shot with his Minya spell before he ran completely empty on mana. One destructive crystal to save his or Rem's life should the occasion arise.
Not exactly reassuring, but it was something.
Ahead of him, Rem slowed again, her head tilting up as she tested the air, searching for the scent of "miasma," as she'd called it. Something mabeasts and witch cultists apparently reeked of, like spiritual body odor.
Subaru himself couldn't smell anything strange beyond the earthy scent of moss and decaying leaves. He was desperately hoping they wouldn't actually encounter anything out here.
'So much for all that confidence and bravado,' he thought with a self-mocking smile.
Stepping up beside Rem, he noticed a tall cliffside rising in the distance, cutting through the treeline. It was the only real landmark he could identify in these woods.
If worse came to worst and they got lost, he was betting on that cliff to guide them back to civilization.
Rem's voice snapped him out of such thoughts, her tone sharp with warning.
"Subaru, get ready. I can sense mabeasts approaching."
Subaru immediately drew his blade, the steel scraping free of its sheath as his eyes darted frantically through the trees.
"Right! Are these the, uh... wolgarms?" His mind raced back to Rem's earlier briefing, basically oversized dogs with a psychotic streak, more intent on ripping out your throat than receiving belly rubs.
"Yes. There should only be a few of them." Rem's voice remained eerily calm as she turned and led him toward a small clearing in the forest where the trees opened up slightly.
Once more, Subaru heard that distinctive rattle of chains, a sound that made his spine tingle. But this time, he finally caught sight of the weapon Rem had been concealing within her sleeves.
A morning star.
The steel spiked ball hung loose and ready at her side, swaying slightly with her movements. It was brutal, medieval, and absolutely not the style of weapon Subaru would have expected from his dainty-looking, adorable coworker.
No offense to the girl, but she just didn't seem to have the build he would've assumed necessary to wield something that savage.
That concern was immediately buried six feet under.
Rem spun on her heel with fluid grace. A simple shift of her body's momentum, a subtle flick of her wrist, and the chain responded like a living thing, lashing out with whip-like speed as the morning star flew like a missile over Subaru's head.
"Wha—?!"
Mid-duck, Subaru heard the sickening crunch and wet splatter of something dying behind him.
Stumbling forward and whipping around to see what the hell had just happened, he found a massive dog-like creature collapsed on the forest floor with Rem's morning star buried deep in its crushed skull. Dark blood pooled rapidly beneath it, and one of its legs was still twitching.
He hadn't even heard it coming.
"Holy hell, Rem." Subaru breathed out, forcing himself to look away from the carnage and back at the maid who was already calmly retracting her weapon with a practiced pull of the chain. "You're incredible."
"Thank you for the praise, Subaru." She spoke with a slight smile, the expression completely at odds with the brutal efficiency she'd just displayed. "But keep watch. While I am somewhat skilled with my weapon, I don't feel absolutely confident I can protect you against all threats."
The gentle disclaimer while standing over a corpse with a caved-in skull was somehow more unsettling than reassuring.
Following her advice, Subaru lifted his eyes to scan the treeline, and immediately locked onto a pair of glowing red eyes staring at him from the shadow of a gnarled tree trunk. The predatory gaze made his blood run cold.
"There's one where I'm looking, Rem!" Subaru called out, his voice tighter than he'd intended, while frantically glancing around to see if there were others lurking.
A gust of cold air suddenly chilled the back of his neck, though the sensation was oddly pleasant after all the hiking and nervous sweating. A sharp thunk echoed through the clearing as a projectile of ice tore through the air and impaled the wolgarm he'd spotted.
The creature didn't even have time to howl. It simply collapsed, frozen blood spreading from the ice shard embedded in its chest.
'So Rem has both close-range and long-range attacks,' Subaru thought with appreciation, a growing sense of confidence building in his chest. 'This might not be so bad after all.'
He'd play support and keep watch. Rem would be the heavy hitter. Simple division of labor.
With that strategy in mind, Subaru and Rem pushed deeper into the forest, cutting through four more wolgarms that emerged from the undergrowth. Each one was dispatched with lethal precision, skulls crushed beneath the devastating arc of Rem's morning star, wielded with such masterful ease that Subaru found himself profoundly grateful she was on his side.
As they continued deeper, they began discovering strange sights.
Corpses of dead wolgarms, dispatched far within the boundaries of the forest, well beyond where any villagers from Arlam would venture. While Subaru couldn't glean much from the disgusting decaying bodies (which strangely enough didn't reek as he'd expected), Rem crouched beside them with and began analyzing what she could.
"Somebody with a blade cleanly cut through them." She ran her fingers along one of the wounds, her expression thoughtful. "I'd say they were quite skilled. Many of these deaths were from a single stroke that led to decapitation."
She stood up, gently smoothing out the skirt of her maid uniform before pointing toward another corpse, this one far more desiccated, its body twisted in an unnatural position.
"These rare few, however..." Her voice dropped to a murmur as she tilted her head in contemplation. "Something far more destructive was used to kill them."
Subaru had been pointedly staring anywhere but the bodies, focusing instead on the trees, the sky, literally anything else. But curiosity, and Rem's tone, made him glance at the one she'd indicated.
It looked like someone had heard the term "Swiss cheese" and decided to replicate it times one hundred. It wasn't just the wolgarm's body that had been torn apart, the surrounding forest was shredded in precise, surgical patterns.
Trees bore thin circular holes punched completely through their trunks, the wood splintered at the edges. Deep gouges carved into the ground where something had completely eviscerated everything in its path, leaving trenches of churned earth.
Whatever had done this hadn't just killed the mabeast.
It had obliterated it, and everything in a straight line behind it.
"What the hell could do that?" Subaru breathed, his hand unconsciously tightening on his sword hilt.
"I'm not certain," Rem replied, her tone growing sharper, edged with something darker. "But I think this aligns with the sightings of the Witch Cult in the area. Mabeasts are attracted to miasma, did you know that, Subaru?" She paused, letting the implication hang. "Odd, isn't it?"
She looked up and began walking with sudden purpose, her stride confident, like she knew exactly where to go now.
"Mabeasts were created by the Witch, and the Witch's Cult worships her. Yet the two are naturally at odds with each other."
Subaru quickly caught up, falling into step beside her. "This, uh, Witch's Cult. What all do they actually do? You kind of make it sound like they're the boogeymen, appearing out of nowhere and all that. They're just a bunch of crazies, right?"
Rem stopped abruptly.
She turned to fix him with a look so intense, so heavy with something he couldn't fully translate, that Subaru felt his next words die in his throat.
"They're monsters, Subaru." Her voice was low, controlled, but trembling at the edges with barely restrained fury. "They're terrorist monsters who go around proclaiming their twisted love for the Witch while spreading chaos and misery to the innocent. They don't discriminate in their cruelty, they simply destroy. They aren't just a crazy cult. They're far too malevolent for such a simple classification."
The air around her seemed to drop several degrees.
"Right... but at the end of the day, they're still humans, right?" Subaru's words tumbled out faster, his nervous chattering kicking into overdrive under the intense pressure Rem was radiating. "Or, well, humans and demi-humans I guess I should say. Or are they racist too? Do they—"
He was babbling now, he knew it, but Rem looked like she wanted to destroy something at this exact moment, and talking was how he coped with that kind of energy being directed anywhere near him.
"Hope that you never have to find out much about them, Subaru." She cut him off sharply, her tone brooking no argument. "The only good cultist is a dead one. Never believe anything one of them says, they're all liars and destroyers."
With that, she gave him a single firm nod of encouragement before striding forward once more, her morning star swaying at her side.
Subaru followed, still having absolutely zero idea where they were going.
—
Sitting in our room at the inn, I waited as the time crystal on the wall metaphorically ticked down the hours toward evening. Emilia studied at the small desk with nervous energy, her quill scratching across parchment as she reviewed her speech notes for what had to be the dozenth time.
Puck floated lazily about the room, occasionally drifting by to let me stroke his soft fur, almost relaxing into my palms before catching himself and floating off to pester Emilia instead.
Laying my head back against my pillow, I occupied myself by practicing with my Yang magic.
'Flare.'
A simple mental incantation, and an orb of pure white light formed in my palm, no larger than a marble, glowing with a gentle brightness that didn't hurt to look at directly.
It was fascinating how easily I could modify it. According to the Yang magic tome I'd gotten from Beatrice's library, such modification wasn't supposed to be easy at all. Magic could be incredibly volatile, it was through generations of careful refinement and trial-and-error that the common spells of today had come into widespread use.
People used those established spells because they were stable. They worked and produced predictable results, and most mages didn't bother innovating beyond what was already proven safe.
But for me, the modification felt natural.
With a simple desire in mind, the orb of light lifted away from my palm, a tendril of mana keeping it tethered to my will. Another flicker of thought sent the orb rising smoothly toward the ceiling before it suddenly shot off toward Puck like a surface-to-air missile locked onto its target.
It zipped through the air toward the gravity-defying feline, who suddenly spun toward the orb with surprise flashing across his face as the Flare made an audible pop and dissipated into harmless light directly over him.
I shot the cat a smirk, thoroughly pleased with my prank.
Then I frowned as a predatory grin stretched across Puck's face, far too many sharp teeth unnaturally present in his slowly widening jaw.
'Oh fuck.'
Lifting my pillow out from under my head, I sat up and desperately fired two more Flares at the slowly advancing cat, hoping to distract him.
He took both shots directly to the face and showed absolutely zero reaction.
He hung vertical in the air now, arms crossed in a manner that reminded me disturbingly of certain aliens from a fictional empire obsessed with strength and combat prowess.
Using my pillow like a shield, I scrambled backward and prepared to deploy my last possible saving grace.
"Stand ready for my arrival, Ethan." Puck announced with a feral grin, his voice dropping an octave as he drifted closer. I felt sweat trickling down my forehead.
"Lia! Save me! I need assistance!" I cried out dramatically while feeling a solid thud impact through my pillow and rattle up my arm. "Puck is about to chomp my head off for no reason at all! This is an unprovoked attack against my fragile self!"
Suddenly I heard a soft flump from the end of the bed.
Both Puck and I turned to look at the disturbance, and found Emilia lying face-first on the covers, having apparently just face-planted onto the mattress.
"Lia? You're supposed to be coming to my rescue," I said, confusion replacing my mock terror.
"Did I get the line right, Ethan?" Puck suddenly leaned toward me, all signs of hostility vanishing as his jaw returned to normal size.
"Oh, two thumbs up, buddy. It was perfect, excellent amount of menace and tension build-up." I praised while tossing my pillow aside and scooting over toward Emilia, with Puck floating along beside me.
Flopping down so we'd be face-to-face if she looked up, I reached out and gently brushed a finger against one of her long pointed ears.
Emilia immediately responded by shaking her head and making a startled "Eep!"
She finally rolled over so I could see her face, and I caught the apprehension swimming in those amethyst eyes. Emilia didn't say anything, she'd already voiced her concerns and anxieties multiple times. At this point, it would just be repetition, and I'd already offered every affirmation and reassurance I could think of.
She let out a small, resigned sigh before reaching out and pulling Puck against her cheek in a gentle embrace.
The cat was clearly pleased by the affection, making soft purring noises while giggling in that distinctly Puck-like way, somehow managing to sound both adorable and smug simultaneously.
Smiling at the scene, I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, letting the comfortable quiet settle over us.
Just as I was about to pose some philosophical question about the meaning of life, mostly to break the tension, a short, crisp knock at the door made me sit up.
I exchanged a confused look with Emilia, who simply shrugged, equally puzzled. We weren't expecting anyone.
Standing and crossing to the door, I opened it just enough to see outside while keeping the visitor from peering into our room.
The face that met my eyes belonged to a clown.
The clown, in fact.
"Well hellooo to you tooo, Ethan Caldwell~!" Roswaal greeted with his signature elongated vowels and that infuriatingly theatrical speech pattern that made me immediately regret opening the door.
"Yes, good day, Lord Roswaal," I greeted slowly, deliberately stalling to give Emilia time to get off the bed and compose herself.
As I heard her feet tap softly against the floor behind me, I finally opened the door fully and stepped aside, though I notably didn't extend a verbal invitation.
Not that Roswaal needed one.
He strolled forward without bothering to wait for permission, moving with that distinctive grace as he promptly claimed the largest, most ornate chair in the room, settling into it like it was a throne.
"How arrrrre you doing, Lady Emilia?" His mismatched eyes swept the room before landing on the spirit floating protectively near her. "And of cooourse, Puck as well~"
"Doing just fine, Ros." Puck's answer was almost curt, a notable departure from his usual playful demeanor.
Emilia's reply carried considerably more dignity and composure.
She moved to take the seat directly opposite Roswaal, her posture straight and formal, every inch the royal candidate she was meant to portray. Her hands folded neatly in her lap, though I noticed the slight tension in her shoulders.
"I'm well, Lord Roswaal. Thank you for asking." Her voice was steady and polite. "We were just preparing for this evening's address."
"Ahhh, yesss, the speech~" Roswaal's grin widened as he leaned back in the chair, fingers steepled together in front of him. "I have noooo doubt you will perform admirably, Lady Emilia. You've always had suuuuch a gift for reaching people's hearts."
While he spoke, I positioned myself beside Emilia's seat, just over her shoulder.
"Though I must say," he continued, his gaze sliding between Emilia and me with deliberate slowness, "the two of you seem quiiite close these days. How delightful~"
I felt my jaw tighten slightly. There was something about the way he said it that rubbed me the wrong way.
"Ethan has been an excellent teacher and companion," Emilia replied with a little more emotion in her voice than necessary, and I caught faint color rising to her cheeks.
"Oh, I'm certain he haaas been." Roswaal's smile never wavered. "It's sooo important to have someone you trust by your side during... difficult moments, wouldn't you agree?"
Emilia gave an earnest nod to that, even more of her mask slipping. "Mhm! I'm reeeally happy that Ethan's by my side. I think this would be so much harder if he wasn't."
The clown seemed pleased by that.
"Excuse me, Lord Roswaal," I interjected before he could launch into whatever nonsense he had planned, "I had a few questions about tonight. We're still set for the evening address, correct? No changes to the schedule?"
"But of cooourse~" Roswaal's grin remained fixed in place. "Everything is proceeding exactly as planned."
"And the security arrangements?"
"All taken care of, I assure you~" He waved a dismissive hand. "Seven guards will be at your disposal during the speech. Quite adequate for such a routine event."
"Is there anything else we need to handle before the speech?" I asked. "Any last-minute preparations or people we need to meet with?"
"Nooothing at all~" Roswaal leaned back in his chair, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "Simply arrive at the venue, deliver the speech, and handle whatever may arise. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities."
'So why the hell are you even here? Just to smile at us in a creepy way?'
"Is there anything specific you came here to discuss, Roswaal?" Puck asked, mirroring my thoughts.
"Mmm? Oh, nothing in particular~" Roswaal stood with fluid grace, brushing imaginary dust from his garish outfit. "I simply wanted to wiiish you all well before the evening's festivities."
He moved toward the window and placed one gloved hand on the frame.
"Do remember to stay clooose together this evening," he added, glancing back over his shoulder with that perpetual grin.
Before any of us could respond, Roswaal opened the window fully and simply stepped out, his body catching air as he floated away with casual magic, his colorful form drifting toward the city center like some kind of demented butterfly.
The three of us stared at the open window for a moment, saying nothing, before I let out a long sigh.
"Y'know, I can't say I've ever liked that clown."
I watched as Emilia's shoulders slowly relaxed, tension bleeding out of her posture. She stood up and returned to her desk, settling back into her chair before reaching once more for her speech notes, seeking comfort in the familiar ritual of preparation.
Puck gave me a knowing look before shrugging and returning to his lazy orbit around the room.
I went over and closed the window with perhaps more force than necessary, shutting out the lingering presence of Roswaal's visit. Then I flopped back down on the bed and resumed practicing with my magic, letting the familiar flow of mana center me.
All in all, nothing changed except the steady passing of time.
The afternoon sun crept across the floor, marking the hours until evening.
—
The trail of dead mabeasts was what Rem had been following, and after some careful backtracking through the woods, Subaru and the combat maid found themselves standing before the giant cliff that towered over the surrounding forest.
Up close, it was even more imposing, a sheer wall of stone that rose at least a hundred feet, its surface weathered and pockmarked with age.
"This is where the trail leads," Rem said quietly, her morning star rattling softly as she shifted her grip. "Whoever killed these mabeasts came from, or went into, this cliff."
There was one obvious cave entrance at ground level, a dark maw in the cliff face that seemed to swallow light. Before Subaru could voice his concerns about entering, Rem was already pushing forward, striding into the open clearing before the cave with determined purpose.
As they neared the entrance, a disgusting smell washed over Subaru, thick and cloying. It was hard to describe, but the only word that came to mind was "decay."
Not just death. Rot.
Lifting the collar of his tracksuit to cover his nose and mouth, he shot Rem a look of apprehension. But she seemed entirely too focused on the investigation to notice his discomfort. She calmly entered the shadow of the cave entrance, her shoes tapping lightly against stone, inadvertently dragging Subaru along with her, as much as he loathed following.
The smell only intensified as they moved deeper, the darkness pressing in from all sides. Subaru was having serious difficulty seeing anything beyond vague shapes and shadows, until inspiration struck.
Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out his flip phone and flicked the screen on.
The artificial light practically flashbanged him, the sudden brightness searing his adjusted vision. He blinked away spots before quickly switching to the phone's flashlight function. The beam cut through the darkness ahead, revealing rough stone walls and an uneven floor.
A quick glance at the screen showed 30% battery remaining. He hoped they'd be long gone before he even hit half that charge.
Rem looked mildly surprised by the sudden appearance of his phone, her head tilting slightly as she observed the strange device casting light without fire or magic. He idly realized he'd never thought to show off his so-called "metia" to her before.
"It's my metia," he whispered, and saw her give a small nod of curiosity before she shook her head and turned back down the path they'd been following.
The silence inside the cave was oppressive. Subaru half-expected cultists to come leaping out of the shadows at any moment, chanting their mad devotion. At least there were no torches providing light, which probably meant nobody was currently here. This was likely just a mabeast den, hence the disgusting stench.
Just a den. Nothing more sinister than that.
He clung to that thought as they ventured deeper.
But as he turned a corner and swept his phone's light down the new section of tunnel, he almost stumbled backward, stopped only by Rem's steadying hand on his shoulder.
The stench was strongest here, concentrated and overwhelming.
And it was immediately clear why.
What lay before Subaru was absolute carnage.
Dead bodies were strewn across the rock floor in grotesque arrangements that made bile rise in his throat. Limbs twisted at impossible angles. Dark stains pooling beneath mangled forms. The stone walls were painted with—
He gagged, once, twice, his vision swimming. Rem's hand glowed with soft blue light as she cast healing magic, trying to ease at least the physiological response threatening to make him vomit.
At the very entrance to this wider cavern, partially illuminated by his trembling phone light, lay two corpses dressed in what had once been jet-black robes.
"Well. This is a strange sight," Rem murmured from beside him, her tone far too clinical for the horror show before them.
Subaru really wanted to scream, 'Only a STRANGE sight?! Are you seeing what I'm seeing?!'
Instead, he opted for something more reasonable, and also guided by the primal fear currently tap-dancing on his spine. "What or who did this to them!? These are witch cultists, right?"
"Mhm, they are members of the cult." Rem approached the nearest of the two bodies with unsettling calm, crouching down before reaching out and roughly yanking a medallion from the corpse's neck. The chain snapped with a metallic clink.
She held it up to Subaru's phone light, twin swords crossed over a red background, tarnished with dried blood.
"You can tell from a number of factors," she explained with the detached air of someone giving a lecture. "The Witch Cult coat of arms they all wear, for one."
Without warning, she kicked the body in the chest, hard, and forcefully rolled it over in a brutal display that made Subaru flinch.
"The cross-guard daggers they wield," she continued, gesturing to the weapon now visible beneath the corpse. A wicked-looking blade with an ornate cross-guard. "And of course, their disgusting uniform. Black robes with hooded masks designed to cover all their features."
She stood, dropping the medallion with obvious disdain, letting it clatter against the stone.
"Cultists are like rats," she said quietly, her voice carrying that edge of barely controlled fury again. "They hide in the dark, spread filth wherever they go, and multiply when you're not looking."
She turned to survey the rest of the scene.
"But someone exterminated these rats thoroughly."
Subaru took a shuddering breath, trying desperately to smell his own body odor, anything, over the overwhelming stench of death and decay.
"Yeah, which brings me back to my first question. What or who did this? Because if it was a mabeast, I don't think I want to be here when it gets back."
The thought of some massive predator returning to its kill-cave made his grip tighten on his phone.
Rem glanced at him, her expression unreadable, before walking deeper into the chamber with measured steps.
"It wasn't a mabeast," she stated, her voice echoing off the stone walls with eerie certainty. "It was whoever killed the mabeasts outside. I can tell because of this."
She pointed toward a section of wall just behind a small pile of corpses, bodies stacked like discarded dolls.
Subaru internally groaned before making his way over, being extremely careful not to step in the dried and cracked pools of blood that covered much of the floor like some macabre mosaic.
Aiming his phone's light at the wall, he found those same surgical holes from the forest, dozens of them, clustered in a devastating pattern.
It looked like someone had lined the cultists up against the wall before a firing squad executed them. But the scene was far too brutal, far too excessive for any normal execution.
The holes were of varying sizes, all punched through stone with tremendous force. The bodies themselves were torn through with power that far exceeded any guns Subaru knew of, not that he thought firearms even existed in this world.
"So is that it then?" Subaru asked, his voice higher than he'd intended. "I mean, somebody killed a bunch of mabeasts, and then slaughtered these cultists. Pretty strange, but maybe they were some... I don't know, vigilante? Someone who hates the Witch Cult?"
"I'm not sure... it's strange." Rem's brow furrowed as she surveyed the carnage. "It's almost like they were caught off guard. To be killed in such a way..." She gestured at the wall of destruction. "The two near the entrance were running away, but that means they were already inside the room with their killer. There weren't any bodies leading in, only destruction and death leading out."
She turned slowly, reconstructing the scene in her mind.
The tactical breakdown was giving Subaru a splitting headache, and combined with the smell, he was genuinely feeling sick now. His stomach churned dangerously.
"Well, I don't see anything else we can figure out from in here," he said quickly, fighting the urge to bolt. "So why don't we hit reverse and get the hell out of this death cave?"
Rem glanced around a bit more, her mind still working. She crouched and picked up a dagger whose blade had been completely shattered, only a jagged stump remaining attached to the cross-guard hilt.
She examined it for a moment before letting it clatter back to the stone floor.
"Fine. They're dead, which is... good." Her voice carried uncertainty that was unusual for her. "But I'm not sure if that just means the person who did this is a bigger threat we need to worry about." She looked back at the execution wall one more time. "Something isn't adding up here, Subaru."
The unspoken question hung in the air: What kind of person could do this?
—
I was usually the type of person to put in minimal effort where I could, so for the times I did have to exert myself, the level of dedication I could muster often surprised even me.
Adjusting the sleeve of the white suit Emilia wanted me to wear, I shifted the collar once more before pulling on the white leather gloves that completed the ensemble.
Looking in the mirror, I felt that I looked... too white. Honestly, white hair combined with white clothes was a bit much, the purple embroidery accents and my golden eyes were really having to put in some heavy lifting to break up the monochrome.
'Whatever. If it makes Lia happy, then it's fine.'
Finally stepping out of the small changing area, I paused, my breath catching slightly, as I laid eyes on Emilia.
She was dressed in a similarly colored white dress, but with golden accents instead of purple, the fabric flowing elegantly and catching the evening light streaming through the window. The gold embroidery traced delicate patterns along the bodice and hem, complementing her silver hair perfectly.
She gave me a beaming smile as Puck continued to expertly braid her hair, his small paws working with surprising dexterity to weave intricate patterns.
"You look beautiful," I said honestly, unable to keep the admiration out of my voice.
Her face grew a shade redder, the blush spreading to the tips of her pointed ears, but she didn't avert her eyes, meeting my gaze with that direct sincerity that was so distinctly her.
"You look... dashing," she whispered.
'Not the word I would have expected, but I'll count that as a win.'
I saw Puck shake his head from where he floated, clearly suffering through this exchange, but he kept his commentary to himself.
"You're going to do great tonight, Lia," I said while approaching her and giving her shoulder a reassuring pat before moving to look out the window.
The sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky, painting the city of Costuul in warm shades of orange and amber. The streets below were already filling with people preparing for the evening festival.
"Perfect weather too. Not too hot, nor too cold." I turned back around and found that Emilia had silently moved to stand directly behind me. "Maybe you and I could enjoy the festival after the speech is over, hmm? Our own little celebration for a job well done."
She drew closer without a word, then reached out and buried her face into my chest, her arms wrapping around me in a tight embrace.
"Woah there, Lia." I carefully placed my hands on her back, feeling the slight tremor running through her. "It's a good thing you're so gorgeous you don't need makeup, or that move would've just set the two of us back half an hour of preparation."
The awkward joke fell flat as her arms grew even tighter around my waistline, her fingers gripping the fabric of my suit.
I looked around and tried to spy Puck, but it seemed the cat had abandoned me.
"I know what I have to do," she spoke into my chest, her voice muffled but steady. The warmth of her breath ghosted through my suit. "And I'll do my very best."
"And that's all you can do," I said softly, one hand moving to gently stroke her hair, careful not to disturb Puck's braiding work. "That's all anybody can ever do, Lia. Give the best you can give."
She was quiet for a long moment, just breathing.
"Let me hold you for just a little bit longer," she finally murmured, her grip not loosening even slightly. "And then we reeeally need to get going."
"Sure." I settled my chin gently atop her head, accepting the weight of her trust. "I think I said it before, but you can hold me whenever you want."
"...I know." Her voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it. "You promised."
"That I did."
We stood like that as the orange light of the setting sun painted the room in warm hues, the distant sounds of the festival beginning to drift up from the streets below.