Updates: (My Autism Chart)

Prologue Removed: 9/7/18 MERGE C1

Chapter 1 Updated: 9/7/18 - 9/14/18

Chapter 2 Updated: 9/14/18 -

Chapter 3 Updated: WIP

Chapter 4 Updated: WIP

Learning Day: Conception: WIP

Love & Joy Short: WIP

Chapter 5 Updated: WIP

Chapter 6 Post: WIP

I tried writing this with one person's speech per line, so it may look a little…. No, VERY fucked up, if you remember how I usually write. But, it's generally the same, albeit with a few changes. And - yes, I've been gone a long, long time, and I'm trying to come back. This is the first time in two some odd months that I've written for Re:Zero with enthusiasm, so I'm trying not to waste it. Please enjoy!

(If you reviewed these chapters already, and want to send feedback for the new ones, send me a PM.)

Synopsis: Instead of the insignia being handed to Emilia by Felt, it is instead handed to her by Subaru, as Felt and Rom had escaped during the battle with Elsa. Some debate ensued, and it was decided that Subaru would accompany Emilia to the Roswaal mansion. However, the only one in the group aware of Subaru's candidacy is Reinhard, who comes with to ensure his safety.

Dragon King : Natsuki Subaru

Arc 1, Mansion Days

Chapter 1, The Roswaal Estate

The carriage ride was a rather comfortable one. Subaru had fallen asleep almost as soon as he sat down on the unexpectedly comfortable material that made up the interior seats. Sitting up, no less. It was much the same for the half elf, whom he finally learned the name of just before leaving, was Emilia.

Reinhard took over the helm of the carriage to allow Ram - a pink haired Oni, as what Reinhard said she was of that demi-human lineage, to sleep as well. So, the three of them ended up sleeping in the cabin of the carriage as Reinhard directed it to their end destination.

Waking up to something he was not very sure was real, he breathed in heavily as he started to blink, wiping sleep from his eyes as he slowly gained his bearings.

All around them, as far as he could see, were thick evergreen trees and shrubbery. The smell of woodland filled his nostrils as the dark green and brown foliage invaded his eyesight, it was a rather peaceful way to awaken.

And then he turned to look at Emilia, the girl he worked so long and hard to save. All of that suffering just for a stupid little insignia.. yet, here he was, and he could say that it was worth it.

Watching her undisturbed figure lightly breathing as she slept, he could only feel butterflies in his heart, and had the overwhelming urge to take her by the hand and shower her with unrelenting love. Yet,

"Pervert." Came a familiar yet also unfamiliar voice to his right. Instantly he turned to see who the culprit was, though he already knew the answer to that he had to make sure. And to his amazement, he was actually leaning on her.

"You use me as a pillow and then when you wake, you gawk at an undefended girl with vicious and hungry eyes. I would say you're a predator, but that would be giving credit where it isn't due." She sighed. "Still, I cannot overlook your… saving of Emilia sama. I will inform her of this action of yours later, however."

Subaru was assaulted relentlessly by this woman. This maid. She was looking at him with… what is that? CONSIDERATION?! No, it can't be. "Har har. Can't a guy look at somebody he's fallen in love with without being made out to be a creep? And, if I was laying on you .. why didn't you move?"

Though with a shrug, she replied. "I was asleep for the most part myself, if I had moved it would have been an inconvenience for both of us. But now that you're awake, would you mind sitting straight?"

Noticing that he was in fact leaning on the girl, he.. made himself even more comfortable at her expense. "Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can oblige." He said with a straight face, now looking up to the girl from her lap. Essentially he stretched his legs out and now took up the entire bench and truly did use her as a pillow.

The red haired maid showered him with daggers… figuratively, she was rather miffed at this man's behavior. But before she could say something, an eruption of laughter came from the other side of the carriage.

Emilia had awoken, and she was looking wide eyed in amusement at the two. It was rather easy to tell that, hilarious events such as this one here are very rare for her to see.

"E-Emilia-tan! It's not what it looks like, she forced me to do this! It's against my will!" He fake pleaded for the girl to rescue him from the evil maid who simply had her eyes closed with a thoroughly displeased look on her face, all the while the half elf only burst into more laughter as he pushed the ball forward in a way she didn't expect.

Though he decided to sit up straight, he was definitely going to get some kind of repercussions from Ram later, or maybe now, whenever she decides really.

He started conversing with the half elf in a way that would make you think he had known her his entire life, his words were said with such familiarity and closeness, it was rather difficult for the maid to ignore Subaru's blatant behavior… he definitely was as he said he was. In love. And, even with a slight tinge to his cheeks as he got the girl to laugh once again, he was definitely not being shy about it.

Actually, she started to recall what she knew about him last night. He was like this then as well.

And Emilia being Emilia, she was all too captivated by it. They had very similar mindsets actually, and with unladen trust that amounted to 'quite a lot' she seemed perfectly fine with this strange man coming with them.

"It's good to hear everyone's up, aah… we'll likely be there in fifteen minutes." Reinhard called to them from his place at the helm, and with that a single house came into view in the forest to the left of them.

"So we woke up right on time, Eh Emilia tan?" He asked her, who was still a bit outwinded due to her laughing fit.

"Tan? Er… yes, we're almost there. It's a little past the village, actually." She says, pointing forward. Sure enough there were signs of human activity, more houses and a few offshoot foot paths now. And, a few younger men all headed out on one trail.

"If my memory serves me right, it's named Arlam. Has around three hundred living here." Reinhard chimed in, filling in Subaru. "Ram, do you recall if Roswaal sama is in at the moment?" He further said.

"He shouldn't be there at the moment, however he should be back within… the hour, if I'm correct." She replies, taking the chance to move away from the boisterous male next to her.

"Alright. I'd like to call a meeting between him, Emilia sama and Subaru sama as soon as possible. It's rather urgent." He said, though the text went over their heads awhile, Subaru was terribly confused by it. Likely, because he was already used to 'by name' redderence by Reinhard.

"Subaru… sama?" Ram asked, now rather perplexed.

"Sama?" Subaru repeated.

"Sama… Huh? Subaru, you hold titles?" Emilia got rather quiet here…

"Yes, the meeting regards that. It is actually the reason I am with you on this trip." He replied. And with that, the three occupants only held either confused looks or in the case of RAM, she was almost frozen. Did she earlier just insult a noble? That… terrified her.

"Hold on, hold on, I don't have any titles? Well actually I guess it would be King of the NEETs but that's a shitty title, and I sure don't hold anything important?" Subaru tried racking his brain for an answer, though came up… blank.

"It was dangerous to have informed you when I discovered it, and it was more by chance than anything else. Though, I'll inform you fully when we meet with Roswaal sama."

Subaru just went silent, a now perplexed face on himself, though nowhere near as frigid as Ram's. And Emilia was simply confused, and with that.. the ride went silent for a while.

At least, until the Mansion itself came into view, apparently it was uphill from the village itself along a track spanning about two kilometers. The thing was giant, and Subaru just took it all in as best he could. It looked like one of those vacation hotels advertised on TV, like for the Bahamas and such.

It was easy to tell the size was larger than it seemed. Hundreds of windows on every wing of the building, while the 'wings' spanned off to the side and slightly forward as well. It may not be as artistically unique or complex in design as some mansions and castles in old Europe, it was rather expansive and unique for this world… perhaps the only other remarkable piece of architecture he's seen was the distant castle at the capital.

"This place is huge." He could only say, simply looking at it from behind the wall of trees.

"It really is, though it's most striking feature is… well, the lack of residents." Emilia said. "It's only the four of us there at the moment…"

That was interesting. "Four… you, the Roswaal guy, Ram, and…?" He was having a hard time believing that.

"Rem. My sister, we're the maids of this mansion." Ram answers more plainly, trying at least to not disrespect the man further… though, she may resent him for his actions a little while ago.

"Two people take care of all that? Really?" All he got was nods form both the girls to either side of him. 'Jeez…'

It wasn't long for them to get to the perimeter, as they passed through a gate connected to a grand fence, the yard inside was more of a well kept field… you could easily play a full scale football game here. Really anything, actually. And only two people tended to it all? Jesus.

As they pulled up, Subaru could see another girl wearing a maid outfit standing by the door. She was almost a mirror reflection of Ram, except her hair and eye color is blue. She looked surprised, likely due to Reinhard being present.

Subaru was quick to unboard, doing a cartwheel and then stretched a bit, even if his muscles felt fine, he knew they must be a bit strained from sitting for all that time. Rem eyed him with curiosity. And even though it was hidden, animosity.

"So you're twins? Ram said sister, I wasn't expecting a color changing mirror. Nice to meet you though, Rem, my name's Natsuki Subaru! And I'm at your service!" He says in a rather rambunctious manner, shooting the blue haired maid a thumbs up. She lightly giggled at his odd yet funny behavior, and saw him as more of a.. well, clown.

She turned her attention to Emilia. "You had a nice trip, Emilia sama?" She asked, and the girl nodded.

"Yes, err no… well, it's a bit complicated. Subaru here saved me back at the capital, if he hadn't brought Reinhard… I don't want to think what would have happened, but I'm very grateful to him." She said.

It wasn't something the maid expected, so the man, Subaru, saved Emilia? And Emilia tends not to lie, if she does she usually does it in a way that would essentially tell you that it's a lie. Too much of an open book to lie, really.

The lobby captivated Subaru instantly. It was… grand. Giant, spacious, pearl white paint and gold as well, which he thought was actual real gold paint, and it probably was considering back in this age… artificial paint colors of that variety was rather hard to create.

Looking at an object set on a display case, or rather a kind of high table that would more look like a small dresser, he was just in intrigued by everything he saw, even the magic lights hanging from the ceiling. A magic chandelier.

"You know, I thought stuff like this only exists for over the top places like the Taj Mahal, or the Palace of Versailles… it's just incredible!" he said rather excitedly yet quietly, still looking at the trinkets all over the place. And this room was just an entrance, there was a grand staircase like the one off the Titanic up to the second floor, it was all the neat parts of movie locations all mashed into one, it seemed.

Reinhard and Emilia were there with him, Reinhard simply watching and Emilia standing right next to him, explaining what certain things do… it was a warm atmosphere.

But, Emilia had to go… likely get ready, considering she's not changed since yesterday. "Oh! Subaru, try not to wander too far, you might find Beatrice, and she's not very friendly!" She warns as she's at the second floor, looking down at the two.

"I can promise you that I'm probably going to do the exact opposite of what you asked, Emilia tan!" He says back.

"Thank y- huh? Reinhard, please keep an eye on him? He could end up finding her…" she says, and gets a wave in response. Alas, it was already too late. Subaru had already opened a door, heading into a hallway. Reinhard quickly followed after.

Yet as soon as he got to the hallway, Subaru entered another door… And when it closed, a small burst of Mana suddenly came from the door.. and in mild panic, he went to open it, to see that nobody was there.

The smell of dust and paper was what first made an impression on him, and the appearance of a library before him solidified that. Rows upon rows of books stacked neatly on bookshelves everywhere, a second story filled as well, this was definitely not supposed to be here. No library would just be right there, no way in hell.

"Where the hell am I now?" he says, walking further into the library. At least he wanted to get closer to the other being in there, a young girl with twin drills for hair. She definitely looked to be either the sweetest, kindest most innocent girl in the world, or a massive sourpants.

"You, stop." She says, and he does so. He looked at her with even more interest, but his face simply screamed his question. 'where the hell am I?'

"Do you have any idea what you're doing? You're ruining the library's sanctity with your abhorrent stench, I suppose." She says, walking right up to him. For some odd reason she touched his leg, and a light tingling sensation went through Subaru… like as if he was slightly electrocuted just then.

"Abhorrent smell? I mean, (sniffs self) Aah, yeah, I do smell bad at the moment, but I went through a lot yesterday, and I take showers every day too, so…" but, her ever more so annoyed and impatient looking face stared daggers into him.

"You're either incredibly dense, or actually don't know what i'm talking about… do you know what you smell like, I wonder?" she asked, still looking at him with mild disgust.

"I can attest to you right now, that I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." He says. She sighs deeply, shaking her head as she returns to her… stool of a chair.

"You've had quite a bit of bad luck in the past, yes?" She asked him. He could only…

"Ever since I got here, this place… Lugunica, I've had nothing but bad luck. The luckiest thing I had was Reinhard, and that was just because of… okay yeah, I've had nothing but bad luck." He agreed.

"Your scent is largely connected to that, actually." She says. "The Witch is rather attracted to you, I suppose. Yet, you're not one of those lunatics, which does bother Betty to no end, in fact…" she looks at him oddly, like she was examining a corpse.

"Eeh… I'll take it as you're Betty, and I smell like the witch. Eeh… I think her name was Satella?" He asked her.

"Yes, my name is Betty, Beatrice… Either of those work, and as for the witch… yes, that is her name. You reek horridly of it, it's truly a wonder how that red head outside put up with it. He is the Sword Saint, correct?" She at least answered his question.

"Reinhard? Sword Saint, bingo. And what do you mean? He can smell it too? What aah… who all can smell it?" He asked her, though she did seemed to sigh at his question. Although she wasn't exactly bothered, she was annoyed… slightly.

"Not many can actually smell it, the majority of great spirits and those with certain divine protections that are able to even detect such a typically minute thing. Most animals can sense it, I suppose. But for you… it would be unpleasant even if I could not smell, I suppose."

Well, that was good, at least. "Now that that is out of the way… ahm, what are you doing in a library all by yourself? It doesn't really suit your appearance."

The reaction was rather shallow at first, then moved to mild… her face was now rather angry looking. "You insult Betty's age, in fact? Have you no understanding of great spirits, human?" She says in a low tone, glaring at him.

"Woa woa, so you're a… I suppose your eyes don't seem to be human, but why do you look like a kid?" Asking a few too many questions relating to her age, she put up her hand.

"You're asking far too many questions, human. Leave, before I blast you out of here, I suppose…" how she seemed to be throwing an empty threat was rather interesting, the girl was a great spirits after all… like Puck, and he can do some serious damage.

"Alright, alright, but do you mind if I do one thing first?" The look she gave him was rather annoyed, almost skeptical, and somewhat tired. He took that as a 'yes'

Of course, she wasn't expecting what happened next. She was figuring he'd want a book or something, though she was terribly wrong.

In the back of Subaru's head, well everywhere in his head, this was a bad, oh so bad idea. But no matter what his brain thinks, it cannot overcome this urge, this humor building up within him. This girl, she has a hairstyle that much defies the laws of physics, and he truly did want to right those laws in this land…

"Tennōheika Banzai!" Moving as quickly as he could while shouting what he believed would be his last words, the surprised loli was taken aback by his advance, and her eyes shot open wide as they physically could as he gripped her majestic golden drills, and yanked with enough might to straighten them out, too fast for her glowing hand to eliminate the threat…

As her hand made contact with him his entire body engulfed into pain, straight hot, molted pain all over, and down he went with the loli's ruined drills in hand… and when he lost his grip, a metallic sound reverberated throughout the room, as if an old metal tank was hit with a small metal pellet of some sort, and..

Her drills we're back in shape, albeit vibrating so violently that when she tried to stop them, she her to her hands with mere vibration. She was angry, teary eyed, and glared at the smiling unconscious man with disdain.

She hated him, she thought. She absolutely did, but the desire to kill what was in front of her faded rather quickly. Though, that was likely due to the Sword Saint narrowing down the options to her Gate Crossing…

And as soon as she thought about it, he showed up through that door. He looked concerned, and eyes the boy on the ground, rushed over to his side. "He's rather annoying, you know. He defiled my sanctity, and forced my hand. I merely took his Mana, In fact." She says, much to the somewhat pained relief of Reinhard.

He picks up the unconscious one and slings him over his shoulder, and goes to leave… "Beatrice." He stops. "I had a fair bit of trouble finding this place. In that time… I've received a bit of a cheat for getting here… a divine protection that detects Gate Crossing." He said to her, and she shuddered…. Now the red head could easily find her, perhaps even force the connection to somewhere near himself.

He started to leave, with a hand in the air as if waving to the girl. "I do suggest coming out for a bit, either for fresh air or to see Puck, I recall that Emilia may have mentioned it?" He questioned himself, but the door closed as he finished.

While Beatrice took hostility towards his words, she was quick to disregard the 'meaningless' part for the more favorable one. "Bubby's here?" Of course she should have known it already, he followed the white haired girl everywhere. "They're idiots, I suppose…"

The time that passed between being knocked out and waking was extremely short, the loli, Beatrice, had zapped him pretty good… but apparently focused on 'pain' not 'longevity' in her strike. At least it was worth it, and now he felt as though he was laying on a cloud in heaven…

And his body not only felt like it was in heaven, he also had the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Essentially, he shot out if bed in such a way that shouldn't be humanly possible.

And his environment was different. "You're finally awake, Subaru sama." Reinhard said from his chair nearby, looking to the other who was in a fighting position on the floor now.

His eyes however drifted around the room, if you discounted the library, everything about this place was ludicrously over the top. He was, as of a moment ago, sleeping on a king sized bed that felt like heaven. Now he's standing on a great rug that was a bit bigger than the bed, a kind of comfort setting… well, the entire room just screamed 'high class' in you face.

Yet, looking to himself, he was startled. "I'm not gonna ask who changed me, but where're my clothes?" he asked the knight, and he simply gestured to another chair closer to the door. "Freshly washed and dried, however there are some other on hand already in this dresser." He said, patting the dresser right next to him. Of course he wouldn't elaborate about how he chose the clothes in there since they would actually fit Subaru's physique. And no, he didn't have to measure the man to know what fits him. He's the sword Saint, he just knows!

And within a few minutes of Reinhard waiting outside for him to change, Subaru came out wearing… his tracksuit. "Those other clothes are way nicer than mine, but I'd rather not partake in things I wasn't granted access to by aah.. Roswaal?" He said to the redhead, who nodded in response.

"Where is Roswaal, anyways?" he further said, rather asked, and the knight pondered it for a second.

"I suppose he would be in his office right now, he arrived around fifteen minutes ago… so if we go there now, he should already be prepared for the meeting." He said. Well, that was good.

He decided to follow the courteous and rather friendly knight hall and up two flights of stairs, seems that Roswaal's office was the entirety of the third floor main wing, on the entrance side. Rather typical, really.

At the door Emilia was waiting for them, seemingly wearing a new set of clothes that were the exact same as her last ones, they were probably just cleaned or they are a mirror pair… either way, she was ready.

Though the waiting ensued, Subaru being rather quiet with his cheeks lightly tinted pink, though unnoticeable to most it was nervousness and the fact that Emilia was literally half a foot from him, looking at him. Reinhard was as passive as ever.

Yet before any of them decided to speak, the door opened to Ram carrying out some old formalwear, she acknowledged them and said for them to enter, and headed away.

The office was more or less the same as a bedroom, however was angled awkwardly… the two wings actually protruded inwards on this top room oddly enough, something that wasn't true of the floors below, so it was almost like a cone, and there were quite a lot more… trinkets everywhere.

Two chairs facing towards the window and one large one facing towards them at a table, it was quite the office. And standing shortly ahead of them, a man wearing what could only be described as a Jester's outfit, was smiling rather broadly at them.

"Welcome, Emilia sama. The esteemed Natsuki Subaru, and Reinhard-kun~ it's nice to have you~ here today." He says, dragging out a few words here and there, though he was rather fluent otherwise.

This guy really got to Subaru. Not only was he not what Subarus had expected, he was the personification of the opposite of 'Margrave' in the sense that, he was likely the most eccentric person Subaru has ever met, and ever will meet.

With a quick introduction the man gestured to the chairs, allowing Subaru and Emilia to sit down, and Reinhard hovered over Subaru's shoulder as things settled down.

"Reinhard kun~ I understand that you've requested a meeting~ between the four of us?" The jester, err Margrave said, peering rather interestedly at the Astrea before him.

And the Astrea presented an insignia, much like Emilia's, however… it was not hers. This was one that had no owner yet. And he was holding it in his hands. All of them looked at him and the object with great interest, and followed as it was set onto Subaru's hand that was suddenly open for some reason that definitely had nothing to do with Reinhard…

It sparked to life. The little stone, the thing that was most likely a Ruby, started glowing with a calming hue. How red can be calming was beyond Subaru, but it was. And it was glowing in his hand.

"What?!" Roswaal suddenly burst out of his seemingly solid appearance, surprise written all over the Jester's face.

"What? So…" Emilia too, she also was amazed. She had no idea that Subaru was…

"This is absolute proof, that Subaru sama is the final candidate to be the 42nd ruler of Lugunica." He says, finally filling in Subaru on what this meant. The other two had already figured it out… but, he just said what he thought he said, right?

"So I'm a candidate to be the King of Lugunica?" He says to himself, overcome with the news of such gravity. Maybe this was why he was brought here? He still wasn't sure, but now, he could be a king?

"Why didn't I realize it… yesterday, when you handed my insignia back to me, it blew then as well…" Emilia muttered that, probably feeling a bit dumb that she hadn't noticed it.

With about a minute passing by, it seemed composure had been regained for the people here. "Is it your desire to stay here, Natsuki sama?" Roswaal asked, and.. well, it was.

"If it's fine with you, yes." He replied. Now, here's where it get a bit strange, as …

"While I would not wish to disrespect your wishes as you're my superior, yours residence here, as a candidate, would conflict with Emilia sama's own candidacy. It would be very contradictory to allow you to stay here, as an opposing faction."

Logic was certainly simply to grasp with this explanation, it would be political suicide to allow two opposing factions to stay under the same roof in a race. It went rather quiet, and even Emilia seemed downed by this… as this was actually true, and she could not counter it.

"Courtship is an option." Reinhard broke the silence with this, much to the surprise of the candidates and the amusement of Roswaal. Courtship? As Subaru knows it, dating?

Of course his line of thought was exploding with excitement and joy over this option, as he adored this woman, there was also that doubt edging at the back of his mind that, 'it'd never happen. And if it did, it's a dream.'

Though he ignored it, and turned to the girl with as blank a face as he could muster… one slightly reddened, at least he wasn't a beet.

Though when she locked eyes with his, a fair bit of information was relayed to one another. To her, she could not see any ill intent or hatred, not even disgust. He was… neutral, if not happy with her.

And as for herself, after realizing this, her staring eyes softened a bit, going from tense to relaxed in an instant. And seeing this, Subaru was praying it was true.

"I suppose we could give it a try?" Subaru cautiously said after a while, he was sure now that she would agree. But saying that, he was dreading a 'no' from her, but still… he doubted that.

"Really? We can?" She asked him genuinely, wishing to trust his words as she did the day before…

Subaru was starstruck. It was happening, it absolutely was. He was quick to nod to her question, much to the amusement of the jester. He could see the man smiling in a way that could only be… well, in this moment, he looked very punchable.

The girl was beaming, she'd never done this before… well, the only person who talks to her on a daily basis is Puck, and a little bit Roswaal. The maids were generally quiet… only offering advice if she was distressed.

But Subaru? He seemed nice and genuinely… well, even if she can't quite understand it, she knows at least that he likes her a fair amount. And she liked him, though nowhere near in the same regard… she would have to learn quite a bit about relationships in order for this kind of thing to work.

She thought it was worth it, considering all of this… not even over the Royal Selection, if this was an option excluding that, she may have taken it as well. Because… so far, Subaru treated her just as another person, not a half elf.

But most importantly, it would only be testing the waters. If it doesn't work out, then Subaru would likely end up going to the Astrea mansion… and doing whatever he will do there instead. He had nothing to lose here, no really.

"Then… if it's settled on courtship, do we have any more to discuss?" Roswaal turned his attention to Reinhard, at least in a way that didn't disrespect the candidates… they were mostly too engaged in a contained staring contest to notice.

"That… actually, quite a bit. It would seem that Subaru sama cannot-"

"I can't read." He cuts in on his knight, at least he could hear that. Though not being able to read was uncommon for a boy his age, it wasn't very uncommon either. And with Reinhard, learning to read won't be much of an issue… what with his interesting ability to seemingly gain divine protections out of thin air.

"Not an issue, we have plenty of materials here regarding that." Roswaal said. "Though reading isn't the issue, is it?" Of course he caught on.

"No. Subaru, are you able to use magic?" The knight asked him, though just received a shaking head in response.

"Odd, his gate is taking in Mana as we speak… hmm, I suppose that is a problem. Left unsolved, that would be fatal." Roswaal added, taking notice of something invisible to Submit aru entirely. "And with your shattered gate, I suppose you'd need the held of a master?"

A Curt nod later, and the Jester simmered down in thought. "I would help whenever I have the time to do so, though that time… is rather hard to find. You could possibly enlist the aid of the great spirit, or Lady Beatrice in the library." Roswaal suggested, holding out six small orbs of magic.. one for each 'element' plus one black and one white.

Silently admiring the small lights, Subaru was thinking on who to take…. "I guess I'll call out that favor from Puck… though, what about the library? There's tons of magic books in there, isn't there?"

"Thousands, however that would reside on Lady Beatrice's willingness to have company." He replied rather quickly.

"Yeah, she's very antisocial. But, I think I made the perfect impression on that girl, that it'll be no issue!

With this, Reinhard was a bit… well, he almost wanted to laugh. Subaru was certainly indifferent in his humor, even if it ended up with himself getting hurt. And of course, messing with a great spirits usually has grave consequences… yet, he felt that this would not be the case.

From here on, the meeting delved into more basic and political spheres, with Reinhard promising aid here or there for Subaru. It was almost ridiculous the entire list of things that Reinhard would do, was it within human gasp to do so? Well, he is Reinhard, so it likely was… within his own abilities. Rem would be jealous…

Around an hour later, the meeting was ended and the group made their way to the dining room. The entire spectacle was crazy, Subaru thought, yet it was real. Him and Emilia would be courting, which hopefully - to the fullest of his own abilities, he would be able to successfully woo the girl. The girl… who wanted to tell him a few things after breakfast. Alone.

As they enter the room, they see a rather enraptured Beatrice playing with Puck, and Rem was putting out dining ware. Ram was likely keeping food warm, as the meeting… it went a little past schedule.

"S-subaru?" Emilia asked him, and he turned his head to her. She looked rather uncertain, or nervous, and she pointed lightly to the table. "Should…. Should you… uhm.." she was, undoubtedly, worried about the seating arrangement.

"Eh? Oh, don't worry, just sit where you normally do and I'll be next to you. Can't be leaving you alone after my promise, my heart couldn't allow it!" Though his words were quiet and passionate as well, and it did warm her slightly knowing that he was being honest with her, it still was bothering that it was plain to tell that… aside from Puck, she rarely had company.

"Thank you, Subaru." She said back, a bit of happiness washing over her. With confidence not usually accompanying her, even if she did this every day, she took her seat with a person sitting beside her that was not Roswaal himself…

And this interaction between them, to the maids and Puck looked… "What happened in that meeting? I demand to know this instant." Puck was, within a half second, at Subaru's face. Or throat, if you counted his entire face as his throat. He was a great spirits and Subaru has zero magic ability, so he might as well be prepared to slice the boy's throat.

"Ack! N-nothing worth killing me over! Well… maybe a beating or two, but not killing me!" Subaru was quick to retort, though this only made Puck shudder. And stealing a glance at Emilia, the spirit shuddered more… she looked rather embarrassed over this ordeal.

And it was here that Ram entered the fray with food on a hand cart, which she slowed to a stop at feeling the tense, and cold, atmosphere. "Well…" Reinhard began, snapping his fingers to catch the spirit's attention.

"It's been revealed that Subaru sama is the final candidate for the throne." Reinhard started, which startled the four people that weren't in the meeting with them. "And it was decided that… He and Emilia, would court."

Caution was rather high, telling Emilia's 'father' that she would be courting this boy, Subaru, was a rather dangerous mine to walk past. "Is that so?" He asked the boy himself, as he refused to shrink any further into his chair.

"Yes." He answered, looking to the spirit releasing immense amounts of pressure just a foot away from him.

He seemed to sigh, and in an instant, the pressure was gone. "If it were anybody else, I'd likely have killed them by now. Subaru, if you're going to do this, then… mark my words, if you take advantage of Lia… you'll get the same treatment." the threat was clear as day, though Subaru wouldn't mind it at all.

"Of course, I respect Emilia tan to the ends, no, beyond the ends of the Earth! I'd never do such a thing to her!" Though boisterous and quick to state, it was entirely truthful. The spirit nodded with approval, and hovered on back to Beatrice.

"I see… you're less cautious of him than you still are towards me…" Roswaal said in a somewhat hurt voice, however that was possible was beyond the spirit.

"Of course." He says, "Your mind is dark and clouded, his is bright and clear. Of course I'd trust him more than you." He said, not in a hurry to way but just matter of factly. The Margrave drooped for a minute, though soon recovered from the 'damage' he had received.

Though, conversation ensued soon after as they enjoyed their breakfast, with Subaru leading in on how it's the best food he's ever had, praising the cook, who Roswaal described with a 'despite her appearance' which related to her being a demihuman, an Oni, as Reinhard had said before.

"Hold on, Roswaal, despite her appearance? That doesn't sound nice." He was quick to say, taking offense for the girl who cooked his meal. "I mean, does appearance or lineage have anything to do with the ability to cook food?"

While this was seemingly angry, it was mostly a question out of concern. It surprised the maids and it was certainly a warm thing for Emilia, if he really was the 'I don't care what you are, I care who you are' kind of person.

'If he's a cultist, he sure is going about this in a strange way…' Rem thought, peering into the man's eyes. Yet as she saw them, he was not harboring any kind of hostility, and his piercing gaze and seemingly angry face was due to inherited traits. He likely wasn't angry at all. 'Even if he is… I can't do anything, he's too important… and Reinhard is protecting him. I should just ask him…' any hostility she had prior was gone, and if he tried something… only then would she retaliate.

"Most people hold hostile views towards demihumans, Subaru sama. Roswaal was speaking this way due to not knowing your opinion on them." Reinhard butted in, saving the Margrave.

It was left with that, mostly fading away as breakfast went on. It was a well rounded talk - shedding light on the other people at the table, with Reinhard explaining the Royal family and dragon covenant in better detail that Roswaal could have. It was a good way to pass the time, though nearing the end of breakfast…

Subaru managed to snag Puck away from Beatrice… her whining afterwards was self explanatory, Subaru just stole her 'brother' of sorts from her and was doing over him happily, she must retake what is hers… especially since he promised to spend the day with her, it was imperative that she get the cat back.

"Banzai, I suppose!" Hearing such words, Subaru turned to the one who uttered them… She had no idea what they meant, but still, it was effective. A piece of potato slathered in sauce was flying towards him, with Beatrice's fork standing upright as it had just been fired.

She initiated war.

"Ack! Surprise attack! Nobody expects the Loli's Inquisition!" Subaru had his face impacted with the artillery barrage, and was quick to return the favor. His Japanese pride wouldn't allow this crime go unpunished!

"Yaaa!" She squealed, the piece of meat hit her forehead dead center, the drums of war were beating hard, the overall atmosphere suddenly took a turn for the heated exchange of food…

She in turn loads a heap of wet, falling apart food onto her fork and launched it, as it was now apparent that the maids would have to clean this. Roswaal and Reinhard were merely observing, and Emilia's eyes were widening as she saw the fragmenting projectile coming into to hit her as well.

It was a mess.

The main clump all hit Subaru fairly evenly, though it splattered all over Emilia's face, hair and clothes… she looked to Subaru for aid, though he was already loading another pile of food onto his fork. He was not giving up.

And so she followed suit. Puck looked betrayed, the cat looking at her with eyes of surprise as she threw her own food at the loli, and having fun while doing it. She giggled, not minding the food on her, and continued.

This was unacceptable. Puck slinked on over to the other side of the table to Beatrice and pulled Roswaal's plate over, using the amused Margave's food as his weapon, and flung it as well. Seeing a small floating cat weiling a fork was a bit… well, imagine a cat the size of your fist, that is mostly fur, weilding a fork. Is that not insane?

Well, the food fight was long and we'll faught. Reinhard was musing the thought that, perhaps Beatrice's relationship with Subaru may be mended with this… As, of course, an outburst like this was rather… rare, for spirit like herself.

After the spectacle, it was more than obvious that the participants needed a bath. At least, three of them did. Puck merely shined, with him being a natural Great Spirit, he could change his form and such at will, or even fade into nonexistence as he retreats to Emilia's crystal.

For Beatrice, Subaru learned that she's an 'artificial' spirit, made by man, though the 'who' that made her is… vague. Somebody powerful from long ago that nobody knows. Or that's what Roswaal had said.

Emilia led Subaru to the bathing area, smiles on their faces as their first meal shared together was quite fun. it went without saying, the atmosphere was too rich for that.

Inside the room, there was but a single, giant tub. A swimming pool, essentially, resided here. And it was already filled with hot, soapy water.

"Erm… there's only one…" Subaru muttered, looking to see that there were absolutely no other places.

Not going over the whole debacle of how to two properly got into this tub without seeing each other, or how awkward and red faced the two were during the whole ordeal, they sat at opposite ends rather comfortably. Let's just say that an ice wall or two may have played an important role in.. protecting their sanity.

"You wanted to talk with me?" He opened, having remembered her request from earlier. She was quick to nod, though she seemed shy once again.

"It's… really personal, erm… you won't tell anyone else, will you?" She looked to him rather carefully, trust heavy in her eyes. She wanted to sort this out, her 'age' situation, since… she really isn't what she appears to be.

"Not unless you explicitly tell me so, nothing's gonna leave this room. Have… Ahh, have at it." He responded as sincerely as possible. She visibly sighed in relief, though still it was worrying.

"Alright… ah, I'm not sure if this'll affect your ideas towards me.. I'm a bit worried." She says mostly to herself, but then breathes in deeply and exhales… more prepared.

"You see… when I was seven… or maybe eight, I was caught in an event that… well, have you heard of the Elior Forest? It's within Roswaal's domain…" she say, though he raised a hand.

"Never heard of that, let alone other history. I hardly even understand the crisis this nation is in." He says, so… well it's be easier to have Reinhard explain Elior to him.

"A little over a hundred years ago, the forest was frozen over, everyone and everything inside was encased in a kind of ice that cannot simply melt… but Puck managed to unfreeze me seven years ago. He said it took almost all of his power to do so…"

Putting two and two together, "So you're older than you look, and look older than you are?" More specifically it would be 114-115, 18-19, and 14-15. He did the calculations, though… 'so she's both younger than me, and also way older. She'll like a… nah, not a reverse loli, but close.'

"I actually thought something was off about that, but it's perfectly fine. So what if you're a little younger, you're way more mature than I'll ever be!" Subaru was actually glad it wasn't something serious, however… this also meant that he'd have to be at least a little careful, try to let her do things at her own pace. Of course he'd help, but either way… no, he'd be throwing her kind remarks and flirting all the way, no doubt about that, but pushing limits for a fourteen or fifteen year old girl in the mental department won't end well. In fact, it would end in trauma.

She was happy. It would work. "Thank you, Subaru…"

"Eh? But that just means it'll be easier to embarrass my cute to be wife even more!" He declared, striking a pose in the deep water. If he thought about it, if you looked, it would remind you of a certain movie based in the future, after the fall on mankind… just add a golden object to his striked out hand, and it would be very memorable.

She was, although embarrassed by that, very happy that he proclaimed such a thing. She let out a giggle, much to his pleasure. This was the day that Natsuki Subaru… turns his life around.

Getting out of the bath was as much of a debacle as getting in, yet as they exited they encountered a source looking Beatrice, food still on her. We should just say that, a few obscene insults later, and she was happily - no, sourly enjoying her soak in the tub.

So Subaru was now in his room, dried, dressed, wearing something new. And while it may just be one of those outfits Reinhard already 'fitted' to him, it was a bland white one. One could almost say it was too bland, a white shirt of average thickness and white pants that were also average in almost every way possible. At least they were comfortable.

He kicked his legs as he sat at the edge of his bed, looking over a fine piece of paper that Reinhard had just handed him. It was a schedule, not that he could read it specifically, though with an explanation form Reinhard, he wrote down what each was in Japanese.

It was a very… busy schedule. And it essentially takes up all days with schooling magic, writing, history, swordsmanship, everything really.

Swordsmanship and magic; alternating times: 7:30AM - 10:30AM, and 11:30AM - 2:30PM.

And from 4:00PM - 8:00PM was studying various subjects, starting with writing, and history.

As it goes on, the less magic and swordsmanship training needed the more he would be learning things from Reinhard, which was more of a grace time, since Reinhard doesn't need to have him be anywhere in particular to only spew random facts around. Only for the writing bit, actually.

"It's like an all day school for adults." Subaru remarked, looking to his knight. He was still slightly smiling, or rather grinning, to the former. "If you ever need time off from this, or it needs to be adjusted, I'm more than happy to accommodate." He replied.

Well, at least he was.

The day was young, the sun still high, and Subaru wanted to 'pester' his to-be wife. Of course this was not that hard to do, just find her and hang around. It wouldn't take long for his imagination to think of something, especially due to the revelation of her 'three ages' of reality.

Starting with finding her at the gazebo outside, Subaru went on to endlessly throw compliments and praise at her for every little thing possible. He even verbally made a list of what make her his favorite person ever. This was all of course played into an 'I love you' at the end, making the poor girl blush madly. Even if it was mostly embarrassment, knowing that he actually meant that brought a lot of warmth to her heart.

Alas his fun was soon coming to an end, even as he showed her 'calisthenics' an exercise routine he knows from his world, which did seem terribly… odd, unsightly, embarrassing, to perform. Though she followed through with it as he guided her by the hand, at least he was fearless in doing so… and if this was all a rush to get her embarrassed in front of the approaching maids, it certainly was a good one.

"Sister, Sister, it appears that Emilia sama is being force to perform obscene acts for him."

"Rem, Rem, it appears that Emilia sama is being subjugated to this man's perverted fantasies."

The two maids say as they approach, mostly confiding in each other, yet making sure that the two heard them.

"What?! Calisthenics is nothing more than a simple exercise routine, even if it were not so, I'd never do something to put myself into Puck's crosshairs!" Subaru quickly recoiled over to the two, who were lightly snickering as they stood there.

"It's more odd than scandalous, but… I guess it is fun?" Emilia said, looking to the three in a normal manner. Not too bothered by the whole ordeal afterwards, it did seem to not post anything truly strange about it. 'calisthenics' are a legitimate exercise method, she found.

"Alright, Subaru sama. Emilia sama. Lunch is ready, please come inside." Ram informed them, and so they went.

The rest of the day was a breeze… a breeze that was filled with many memorable events. Taking Emilia by the hand into the woods with Reinhard, him teaching them things atop a hill with his insane divine protections, constant berating his to-be wife with affection that she rarely ever received before, in an attempt to 'compensate for the century lost to ice' as he said it was.

Things were both fast and slow. It was like the day had disappeared, went by in a flash, and he learned so much just today from Reinhard's teachings, yet…. There seemed to be so much more to do, to say, that there was quite a lot more that should have been done.

And at the end of the day… he was having quite a bit of trouble getting to sleep. He felt fine, his mind was at ease, but he just couldn't get to sleep. Maybe it was excitement? It erred him into sitting at the edge of the bed, and look out to the night sky. A sky filled with foreign stars… the stars he grew up with…

*Knock knock* suddenly came from the door, it was light knocking. "Subaru sama? It's Rem. Do you mind if I come in?" The maid asked, quietly enough that he hardly heard her.

"Sure, come in." He said, though he didn't stop staring at the distant stars in the sky.

She came into to see him looking distant, clearly thinking about something. "Subaru sama? Sorry to intrude… erm, I… I did have something I wanted to know about…" she trails off, seeming shy herself.

"Aah… I'll answer to the best of my abilities, but I can't say the answer is gonna be well worded." He said, finally turning to the maid. She was surprised quite a bit, seeing his face be lax like it is right now… if she wasn't here for a reason, seeing him in this light would have made her swoon.

"Are… I… are you an ummm.. a…" she was at a loss for words. But, he shook his head.

"Reinhard explained to me something rather important earlier today… I smell like a certain somebody according to Beatrice, himself, and you, right? I'm certain I know why, though… it's not that I've lived near the sealing site, or that I'm apart of some cult I only found out exists earlier today, but rather… it's a kind of course, and a blessing? I'm not sure exactly how to explain it, but why I smell like her, is because she somehow moved me from one place to another, and I ended up in Lugunica because of it."

She was quiet. His explanation was truthful, she could tell, there was no reason to push further into it for the reason she was here to begin with. "She… moved you?" She elected to pursue her curiosity instead.

"Yea.. I was in Japan, another nation…. An island nation, though it's far away… you probably wouldn't believe me if I said it was on another world, but I got plucked away as I left a convenience store. And then I ended up looking at a square in the capital. It's quite concerning, actually." He explained.

She was again quiet. But, she nodded. "I believe you. I may not understand it myself… but you've given enough evidence as it is. Your clothes were… all the evidence I needed to be sure." She bows to him. "Please excuse my

intrusion, I'll be going… Subaru sama." She then rights herself, and moves to leave…

"Just… call me Subaru."

She could understand it… he was only just today found to be a 'sama' anyways.

"Yes… Subaru Kun." She says, closing the door. He may have smiled to this, yet laying back down on the bed… he realized his reason for being anxious.

You can't quite say sorry to your parents if they're a world away.

I don't quite like the single line character speech too much, it's a bit screwy with my quirks in writing. So, hello! New chapter 1, not that much changed but it's new anyways. And still only 9K words!

If you cannot tell, the story is being fully updated, and as soon as that's done, chapter 6 will be worked on. Haaaa…. It's tiring, you know?

Anyways, see you guys next chapter!

End Of Chapter Discussions

MNR: "Back from the dead, king? You alive?"

King: "yeah, finally. You… I really thought you were dead."

Knight: "I actually am dead. And due to lacking a computer, MNR can't send me to Roger without going insane, apparently."

Red: "About fucking time. Work on chapter 6 already, ReviewR ain't got a new chapter out in fooorreeeeeevveeerr."

MNR: "Have you heard of real life complications? It sucks here."

Red: *Grumbles* "Fine."

ReviewR: "Heya man, I was worried you weren't coming back."

MNR: "No worries, it's just… slow. Also - Thanks for the art and feedback!"

MNR: "As for you, readers, I'll see you in… hopefully, less than a week!"