The two were welcomed into the entrance lobby of the mansion by— "Welcome home, Lady
—
The expression she raised to meet them was one Subaru hadn't seen in a long while: a perfect blank. Lately, she'd taken to showing her face—or rather, her smile (a.k.a. the smug face)—far more often inside the mansion, and particularly in front of Subaru. The fact that she'd now donned her outward-facing mask was plain as day.
The proof? She'd completely ignored Subaru, who had returned alongside her, and addressed Emilia alone.
"I'm home. Sorry for leaving the mansion empty. —Looks like we have visitors?"
"Yes. An envoy from the
"Of course. It's my problem, after all—I can't very well stay out of the loop."
Emilia nodded in response to Rem's reply and turned toward the staircase leading to the upper floor. Then, spotting Subaru hesitating, she looked back.
"Oh... right, what about Subaru? Can you make it back to your room on your own?"
"Do I look like a kid? Plus, it's not like I can just—"
Subaru began to object as Emilia, slightly less tense now, tilted her head. But it wasn't the troubled-looking Emilia who cut him off— "Her sister will be present as well. There is no need for additional servants to attend. Understood, Subaru-kun?"
"Hmm..."
Rem's words left no room for argument, and Subaru choked on his response.
Before Subaru, who couldn't muster a counterpoint, Emilia gave a small wave with one hand.
"Sorry about that. Rem, please show him the way."
"Yes. Subaru-kun, please return to your room."
With those parting words, Emilia didn't look back at Subaru again. As he stood there looking lost, Rem delivered the final blow, and following her lead, Emilia disappeared upstairs with a flash of silver hair.
"Ugh, damn it, this sucks."
The moment the two vanished from sight, a sigh-laced grumble spilled from his lips.
He'd been left behind. Both physically and mentally.
"Sure, I get it—with my garbage isekai knowledge, I'm basically useless, so what's the point of me being there."
It had already been two weeks since he arrived at the mansion (a month and a half in subjective time), and what Subaru had learned in that period amounted to basic household chores and a rudimentary ability to read and write. Basically the same skill level as a village kid helping out around the house.
With that level of competence, trying to get involved in noble politics—or worse, the proceedings that would decide a country's next ruler—was wildly overambitious. He knew his place.
So he understood why he'd been left behind. That didn't mean he wasn't annoyed.
"And besides, I'm not so honest that I'd just go back to my room and sulk in bed."
If he followed Emilia and Rem's instructions, he should head back to his room for a nap or review last night's handwriting practice. Alternatively, as a second-best option, he could go complain to the indoor girl holed up behind one of the mansion's doors somewhere.
Not bad, but there had to be something more he could do.
"Then it's settled. First stop—the kitchen."
Having mapped out his plan, Subaru's feet began moving, his cheeks twisting into a scheming grin.
His destination was exactly as he'd said: the kitchen. He'd start by brewing some tea.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "Waiting out here the whole time must be boring, right? Care for a cup of tea?"
The old man seated atop the driver's box looked down at Subaru, who had returned with a tray, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
They were back outside the mansion, right beside the dragon carriage parked in front of the main gate.
Still somewhat unnerved by the massive lizard he couldn't get used to, Subaru offered the tea while looking up at the startled old gentleman with a half-grin.
"I've been caught off guard. That was rather unexpected—please forgive the discourtesy of looking down at you from up here."
No sooner had the old gentleman recovered from his initial surprise than he gracefully descended from the driver's box to the ground. The landing was so silent that Subaru caught his breath ever so slightly.
The driver's box was high enough that calling it "jumped down" was accurate. The seat sat slightly above Subaru's eye level, and descending without support seemed like it would require bracing for the pins and needles in your soles.
Yet contrary to Subaru's expectations, the old man walked over with an air of composure and performed a graceful bow before the offered tray.
"I'll take you up on your offer. My throat had indeed grown a bit parched."
"Oh, thanks. Didn't know your preference, so I went with the most expensive tea I could find."
Subaru extended the tray, and a gentle smile etched itself onto the old gentleman's face. As age-appropriate wrinkles formed around his mouth, Subaru took a close look at the man who had stepped up beside him.
He stood slightly taller than Subaru, with a full head of completely white hair that showed no signs of thinning. His attire was far too distinguished for a mere coachman—a formal black ensemble. His posture was ramrod straight, and beneath his clothing, a body honed well beyond what his age suggested could be felt.
In short, he was the kind of man who made you tense up just by standing in front of him.
"My personal ranking of isekai elderly just got completely rewritten. Farewell,
For someone whose setup suggested deep lore—the giant race and all—the guy had exited without ever getting a highlight moment.
Subaru hadn't confirmed what happened to him after that, but he secretly worried whether a hard blow to the head might have made things even worse. That was the one small thing that still bothered him.
"I'm nothing but a frail old man. There's no need to be on guard."
A gentle voice suddenly addressed Subaru as he drifted through those thoughts.
The old man had spoken a single sentence in the time it took to accept the cup and raise it to his lips. Subaru realized he'd been staring with unseemly boldness and felt awkward, which prompted a laugh from the old man.
"It's quite good tea. You must have splurged..."
"No exaggeration, this really is the most expensive tea they have. If I got caught drinking the top-shelf leaves that were explicitly labeled 'do not take out,' the pink-haired maid would be seriously furious."
Though she might look rough around the edges,
If she discovered he'd used the premium leaves without permission, a lecture was virtually guaranteed. Though in Subaru's mind— "I didn't take the tea leaves from the kitchen—I brewed it there and brought the tea out. It's the Ikkyū-san theory. Can't she give me a pass on that?"
"My, what a schemer."
"Unfortunately, whether that logic would fly with her is entirely up to chance."
And it was a gamble he'd lose seven times out of ten. Even the challenge itself was pointless.
Still, that was precisely the kind of risk that made this tea conversation worth having.
The old man tilted the cup once more, then let out a contemplative sigh.
"So then, using this tea as bait, what is it you seek from this old bag of bones?"
He asked with one eye still closed, his expression measuring Subaru.
Subaru slumped his shoulders at that sharp demeanor.
"Hmm. Among everyone I've met so far, you'd be second only to Roswaal in terms of being hard to deal with."
"To be mentioned in the same breath as Lord Roswaal—what an honor."
"That basically puts you on par with a pervert, you know? That last comment of mine was made fully prepared to get yelled at."
The old man let it slide with a cool smile, and Subaru once again experienced the sensation of hitting a wall. Call it seasoned or simply experienced—the man was far beyond anything Subaru, with his shallow life experience, could handle. He was nothing like that big bald geezer from somewhere.
If that was the case, all Subaru could do was raise the white flag.
"You win. —My name is
Acknowledging his position as the junior party and relying on the elder's mercy—that was the best he could manage.
As Subaru bowed his head honestly, the old gentleman's cheeks softened ever so slightly.
"How very courteous. My name is Wilhelm. I currently serve the Karsten household and have been employed there."
Wilhelm. After rolling the name around on his tongue, Subaru spoke.
"Thanks for telling me your name. And while you're at it, could you at least tell me why you're visiting today? ...Or rather, what this is all about?"
"That matter is currently being discussed inside, I believe, with the envoy."
"Right, but I was pretty smoothly banned from participating. Not keen on the event proceeding without me, so I figured I'd try my own approach..."
Subaru had already grasped from first impressions and their conversation so far that this was not the kind of person who'd be easy to pry open. But pushing boldly into someone's personal space was Subaru's specialty. It wasn't as if he'd gained experience being isolated without understanding others' feelings for nothing.
Wilhelm was momentarily struck speechless by Subaru's brazenness.
"When your expectations are subverted, you don't get heated—you'd already factored that in and still pressed forward. And even when your thoughts are seen through, you don't look ashamed; if anything, you get defiant. —Given the other party, that's a personality bound to earn you disfavor."
On the surface, harsh words. But Wilhelm's expression as he spoke them was soft. By the sound of it, Subaru's attitude shouldn't have been endearing, but the old man's magnanimity as an elder seemed to let it roll off his shoulders.
If that was how it was, Subaru raised his head.
"How about just the gist?"
"I don't know what position you hold in this mansion, so I'm afraid I cannot speak carelessly. Please understand."
Even to Subaru's borderline-rude stance, Wilhelm responded with meticulous politeness, and Subaru threw up his hands. He had nowhere near the negotiation skills needed to bend someone this resolute.
If things kept going like this, all he'd accomplish was fulfilling the conditions for getting scolded by Ram for taking expensive tea, Subaru despaired— "However, from what I saw earlier, it seems you are on familiar terms with Lady Emilia, the candidate in the Royal Selection."
"You—y—you saw that? You saw me and Emilia-tan having our sweet-embarrassing blushy-talk?"
"...-tan?"
Wilhelm furrowed his brow quizzically at the nickname, then let out a wry laugh at Subaru's transparent behavior.
"You walk a difficult road. The other party may well become the next Queen of Lugunica, you know?"
"Right now, she's just a super cute girl and I'm just a deadbeat servant. The future is infinite, so if you only talk about possibilities, you can't move! Wilhelm-san, didn't you maybe decide not to marry because your wife might be the most beautiful woman in the world?"
"My wife—"
Subaru's extreme way of putting things made Wilhelm stumble over his words for an instant.
But as he looked at Subaru again, a glint of something like admiration flashed in his eyes.
"I see... you're right. I too believed my wife was the most beautiful in the world. I felt like everyone was looking at her. To think I'd feel unworthy—how pathetic."
"Right? If someone else could have her, even if I didn't think I was worthy, I'd still make her mine. The ideal is to somehow keep her within reach and then work on becoming worthy of her day by day—a win-win."
That was how Subaru had recently taken to envisioning the future of his love.
The reason his sincerity still hadn't reached her heart was probably that he didn't yet have what it took to get there.
Well then, he'd just have to make it happen. That was what he thought now.
"That's exactly why I want to avoid staying out of Emilia-ton's affairs. She's so far ahead of me, and if I let my guard down, she'll break into a sprint—I need to chase her down, obviously at full speed, but I'm the type who'd use any shortcut available."
"You move by quite an interesting logic. Most fascinating indeed. However, I'm afraid I'll be somewhat troubled if you ask anything more of me."
Wilhelm held out his palm apologetically but shook his head.
Maintaining his earnest composure, he spoke as if soothing Subaru.
"I am, at the end of the day, merely a coachman. I don't have detailed knowledge of such affairs. I don't think I could be of much use to you."
"Hmm, I dunno. You recognized Emilia-ton even though she was wearing that hood—I don't think 'just a coachman' quite cuts it as an excuse?"
"————"
Subaru's nonchalant words suddenly wiped the expression from Wilhelm's face, and he fell silent. Subaru, glancing at the old man's reaction, raised a finger.
"Well, if someone was approaching the mansion, you could probably guess roughly who they were—but that's not the same as being certain. But you saw through Emilia-ton right away."
"Perhaps I had met Lady Emilia before?"
"If that were the case, Emilia-ton would have greeted you. She's the type who loves introducing people—there's no way she'd have someone she knew sitting right next to me and not introduce them. And more importantly, once you identified the hooded girl as Emilia-ton, the 'just a coachman' backstory becomes pretty hard to maintain."
Wilhelm's gaze silently demanded an explanation. Subaru waved his hands dismissively.
"That robe Emilia-ton wears is apparently woven with some kind of complicated spell formula that blocks people's recognition or something. Apparently, unless Emilia-ton gives permission or you're capable of breaking through the effect, you can't see her as she really is."
When they'd first met in the Royal Capital, she had been wearing that robe.
That was likely to avoid the kind of trouble her origins—as a half-elf—could invite. Subaru understood this now, at least on some level.
How harsh a handicap the silver-haired half-elf carried in living in this world—he could sense at least the surface of that.
Setting Subaru's feelings aside, Wilhelm seemed to have accepted the explanation and let his shoulders drop. He shook his head weakly, as if in surprise.
"So you had me measured from the very start... You're a rather terrible person, you know that?"
"I'm not really that clever. I just thought 'Huh, isn't something off?' while making tea in the kitchen. Pure coincidence."
Still, the fact that he'd been able to grasp that foothold was thanks to his own determination. To keep Emilia from coming to harm.
After what happened with the mabeast, Subaru had learned the hard way just how dangerous this world was. Even if it was like throwing a pebble into the ocean, he wanted to show his affection in whatever way might keep those fangs even slightly farther from her.
So he would seize whatever could be seized, and verify whatever could be verified.
With that dopey grin plastered on his face, Subaru had no intention of letting Wilhelm go. The moment the old gentleman had accepted the offer of tea, he'd been dragged into the Natsuki Subaru space-time—where the other person's position and circumstances were all thrown out the window and only Subaru's convenience mattered.
"So the 'just a coachman' excuse doesn't fly, huh? ...As you've deduced, I am indeed connected to the Royal Selection—or rather, a connection of a connection, I suppose."
"A connection of a connection..."
Cornered into admitting it, Wilhelm began to speak slowly and deliberately, as if choosing each word—fulfilling his obligation as the defeated party.
Chewing over the content, Subaru processed the meaning.
"So basically, you're in a similar position to me?"
"The difference between you and me is that my motivation isn't a crush."
"Well, if you had the world's most beautiful wife, you wouldn't think about cheating either. I'd say Emilia-ton's cuter, though."
"No. In terms of cuteness as well, my wife should be superior."
Subaru had meant to joke, but Wilhelm firmly rebutted him, and Subaru couldn't help but flinch.
Smirking through a twisted corner of his mouth, Subaru glared at the dead-serious Wilhelm.
"You're surprisingly stubborn in weird places, Wilhelm-san. ...More playful than I expected."
"Please take it as the stubborn pride of an old man who's been outwitted by his junior."
That remark sounded entirely sincere, which Subaru wanted to call out on but restrained himself. Instead, he spun his head trying to figure out how to dig for more.
He needed to somehow hook him, appeal to his sense of humanity underhandedly— "It seems we're out of time."
"Huh?"
A dopey sound escaped Subaru. Wilhelm silently pressed his lips together and gestured toward the mansion with his hand.
Subaru turned to look. In the distance, the mansion's front door was opening, and— "Who's that besides Rem?"
From beyond the double doors emerged the familiar blue-haired maid. Beside her was a person Subaru didn't recognize.
Given the flow of conversation and Wilhelm's attitude, this was likely the envoy in question.
"Man—now that's what I call fantasy."
The reason that remark slipped out involuntarily was probably that the person's appearance carried an air that was completely at odds with the word "envoy."
Noticing Subaru's gaze fixed on them, the figure approached with a mischievous grin—striding right toward the dragon carriage.
"Hey now, hey now. Just because there's a beautiful girl, doesn't mean you can stare like that—that's rude, you know?"
The moment they stood before Subaru, they pointed a slender white finger at him and delivered the line with a wink, one eye shut tight.
The person—likely the envoy—was a girl with shoulder-length flaxen hair and an adorable face.
Her height was tall for a woman—roughly the same as Subaru. But her frame was, naturally, incomparably more delicate and slender, and every gesture she made carried a femininity—no, a girlish sparkle—that was dazzling.
Her flaxen hair was adorned with a white ribbon, and her large eyes sparkled with curiosity, giving her the charm of a cat. And atop her head, in fact— "Contact at last. A non-mob with cat ears."
"Nya-nya?"
As if responding to his murmur, what trembled were the beast ears perched atop her head, the same color as her hair. In a world where demi-humans were commonplace, Subaru hadn't had the chance to interact with any beyond the ones he'd seen in the Royal Capital. But seeing one in the flesh was something else entirely.
Because— "Fluffy-list-er that I am, my soul yearns for the existence before me...! Dammit, settle down, my right arm...!"
He could practically feel the sensation of those cat ears covered in unmistakably fluffy fur. The girl's mere presence standing before him was essentially a lethal toxin.
With a look of desperate resolve, Subaru clamped down on his trembling right arm and managed to back away to put some distance between them.
Watching Subaru's suspicious behavior with a puzzled expression, the girl tilted her head.
"Oh dear, did I scare him off? Felis messed up~"
She tapped the top of her head with her fist, stuck out her tongue, and showed him a playful face.
That gesture brought a different kind of chill than before, freezing Subaru's throat with shock.
—She tapped her head and then did a tongue-out wink!?
It was the legendary, cliché "act cute" move so old-school that even in Subaru's original world it was rarely seen in the wild. She was so over-the-top that he'd always secretly sworn that if he ever met someone who actually did that, he'd slap them— but— "Facing the real thing... it's so powerful I can't do anything...!"
It meant her affectation was so potent it sapped his will to even raise a hand. And when the target of that cuteness was being cute, it was impossible to strike. The two meanings layered on top of each other, and as a result, Subaru had no choice but to watch.
Oblivious to Subaru, who was trembling with existential dread aimed in every direction, the girl bowed silently, then turned to Wilhelm with a smile.
"I'm back, Wil-sama. Sorry to keep you waiting outside. Boring, wasn't it?"
"Not at all. This gentleman kept this old bag of bones company with conversation, so I had a surprisingly enjoyable time."
"Fumyu?"
At Wilhelm's words—so deftly reframing what had actually transpired—the girl reacted sharply, pressing a finger to her own cheek. The pupils of her cat-like eyes narrowed, and her mouth took on a shape that somewhat resembled a deformed ω. Then— "Ahhh, I see, I see. So you're the boy Emilia-sama told me about. Yep, yep, makes sense."
Looking Subaru up and down as if licking him with her gaze, she clapped her hands in understanding. Under that stare, Subaru instinctively covered his body with his arms and squirmed away.
"No, stop. Even if I'm a guy, it's embarrassing to be stared at like that."
"Don't be like that, honey. You've got a nice body—hardly any wasted meat on you. If you weren't someone else's property, I'd totally want a taste~"
To Subaru's playful resistance, the girl played along, wiggling her fingers.
Under normal circumstances, Subaru would have gotten into the rhythm of this flirty back-and-forth with a girl. But— "Somehow, I've got zero energy for this. What is this feeling... Like, instinctual?"
It wasn't exactly revulsion, but Subaru's instincts had been screaming at the top of their lungs ever since.
The girl with the mischievous eyes standing before him was, for Natsuki Subaru as a human being, a straightforward natural predator.
Snails to snakes. Frogs to snails. Snakes to frogs. Subaru and this girl's compatibility was always skewed with him on the losing end and her on the winning end—and his instincts had grasped that fact.
That was why, from Subaru's side, his usual tactless behavior didn't emerge. But while Subaru had completely lost his rhythm, the girl kept accelerating without pause.
Specifically, she extended her arms, gently looping them around Subaru's neck and pulling him close.
"W-Wha—!?"
"Don't move. I'm checking something right now."
Since they were nearly the same height, her face as she embraced him was right beside Subaru's. Her voice whispered practically inside his ear, sending a tickling sensation coursing through his entire body.
Subaru's face flushed at the embrace. But as his expression darted around pleading for help, he spotted Rem standing near the mansion entrance—and his face instantly drained of color.
Even from a distance, he could see that the temperature had dropped further from Rem's already expressionless work face.
As Subaru continued flapping his mouth wordlessly, Rem suddenly raised both hands and performed a series of small gestures.
There had never been any agreed-upon sign language between them, yet Subaru understood perfectly what she was communicating.
"—I'm going to tell Lady Emilia about this."
"Stop—!!"
Instinct took over and Subaru's body moved. He managed to pry the girl away from him. Not roughly—just grabbing her shoulders and pushing her back. If anything, it was Subaru who stumbled and fell on his rear afterward, staggering backward.
Unable to process the whirlwind of emotions from the past several seconds, Subaru sat on the ground, dabbing the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.
"Against my own will, how did it come to this... I'm devoted to Emilia-tan, you know!"
He whined through a mock-crying act while lamenting his situation. Then, a gentle hand tapped his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that Wilhelm had placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I understand."
The gentle murmur came with a white handkerchief in the man's raised hand. Subaru accepted it, said "Thanks," and stood up.
He was struck by an almost overwhelming urge to cling to that adult composure—no, to that paternal warmth he was witnessing firsthand. But Subaru crushed that weakness with a sharp internal bark and tucked it away.
"Because that man has a wife he loves more than anyone else—right, time to wrap up the dramatic bit and sort out my emotions. So, mind if I ask what that was about?"
He returned the unused handkerchief to Wilhelm and asked the girl for an explanation of her behavior.
The girl pursed her lips in thought— "—Just like I heard, the water flow inside your body is all stagnant. I'd love to help, but there's no time right now, so maybe next time~"
With those ambiguous words, she closed the subject on her own.
Before Subaru could press her for what any of that meant, she extended her arms skyward and turned back.
"Well then, let's head back to my beloved Crusch-sama soon, Wil-sama. If we leave her alone too long, who knows what she might do to us."
"—As you say."
To the girl's briskly delivered instructions, Wilhelm responded with few words.
He gave Subaru one final bow, set the empty cup back onto the tray that had fallen on the ground, and said: "Thank you for the tea. Then, Master Subaru—stay well."
With effortless agility, Wilhelm hopped back onto the driver's box and took hold of the reins to the lizard.
Subaru watched his movements in silence. This time, the girl pressed her palms together as if in prayer.
"Well then, we haven't even properly introduced ourselves, but I'm busy too, so sorry about that!"
She left a板に着いた wink (a practiced wink stuck to his memory), then turned her body toward the dragon carriage. Subaru instinctively reached out toward her back, the questions swirling in his mind threatening to spill out— "Wait. I have a million questions..."
"I think you should just ask Emilia-sama directly. Anyway, if fate permits, let's meet again in the Royal Capital. Bye-bye~"
She cut him off cleanly, leaving behind a smile before disappearing into the carriage.
Fully aware that he'd been swept along in her pace, Subaru withdrew his hand in frustration. Wilhelm left a final "Well then," and the dragon carriage lurched forward with a guttural hiss from the lizard.
The body creaked. The wheels began to turn.
The lizard stomped the ground several times to build momentum—then acceleration came almost immediately.
Once the wheels pushed forward and the body began to move, the rest was fast.
The dragon carriage gathered speed in no time, crossing the road and kicking up a plume of dust as it raced off into the distance.
In the end, all that remained at the scene was the thoroughly outmaneuvered loser Subaru, and the faint lingering fragrance of premium tea he'd barely had a chance to taste.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Meanwhile, on the dragon carriage pulling away from the Roswaal mansion.
"—Did you fulfill your duty as envoy?"
"Of course! The task Felis asked of Crusch-sama—there's no way it could fail. Wil-sama, you worry too much~"
The conversation took place atop the driver's box.
Wilhelm sat at the reins, controlling the lizard without difficulty. Behind him, the flaxen-haired girl poked her face out the window of the carriage cabin the lizard was pulling.
The carriage was moving at considerable speed, but wrapped in the blessing of the wind, it was unaffected by the gale—and there was no concern about their conversation being drowned out.
If there was ever a setting perfectly suited for a private conversation, this might be it.
Wilhelm smiled wryly at the girl's response.
"It was an unnecessary worry."
"That reminds me more," the girl countered, "I was more surprised that you were talking with someone while you waited, Wil-sama. You absolutely hate chatting with people, don't you?"
"That is a terrible misunderstanding."
Wilhelm denied it immediately, but the girl waved her hands.
"Oh, right, right. Sorry, sorry. —You prefer slashing to chatting, is all."
"That... is also an awful misunderstanding."
The girl's teasing words were met with no further response from Wilhelm.
Pouting at his lack of reaction, the girl pressed further.
"Boring~. Is chatting with Felis really less interesting than chatting with that boy? You liked him that much?"
Her tone was that of a child sulking for attention.
As if trying to squeeze a reaction from the unresponsive Wilhelm, she leaned further out the window and brought her face closer to him.
"I didn't sense anything special about him, but did something resonate with you, Wil-sama? Like, he seems like a loser but is actually super strong? Or you caught a glimpse of his potential?"
"No. My assessment of him isn't particularly different from anyone else's. He's an amateur—a completely green amateur with no notable talent to speak of. There's no question he's an ordinary person."
"Then why? Isn't mediocrity the very thing you hate the most, Wil-sama?"
She prodded at Wilhelm as if trying to paint him as some kind of character defect case. This time, without even a wry smile, Wilhelm quietly raised a hand and pointed to his own eyes.
"His eyes."
"—His eyes?"
At the girl's questioning tone, Wilhelm drew his chin in and simply recalled what he'd seen.
"That boy's eyes interested me, somewhat. They are the eyes of someone who has stepped into the realm of death—not once, but several times. Many people approach that threshold and turn back. But..."
He paused, then closed his eyes quietly.
"I don't know of anyone who has returned from that realm not once, but repeatedly. That is what drew my interest."
"Hmm, I don't really get it."
She dismissed Wilhelm's contemplative words with a brush of incomprehension.
This time Wilhelm did smile wryly, but the girl continued: "Regardless of what you just said, Wil-sama—his road can't possibly be an easy one, can it?"
The girl's eyes narrowed as if recalling something. Then, fixing her gaze on the broad back seated atop the driver's box— "To be taken a liking to by