True to Frederica's declaration, the departure for the
Between her duties at the mansion, Frederica taught
—and so, gently but firmly, the offer was refused.
Subaru felt something was off about the reasoning, but even if he wanted to confront Roswaal about his suspicions, he'd never reach the Sanctuary in the first place. The cart was before the horse, as it were, so Subaru had no choice but to go along with Frederica's decision.
And so, with two idle days ahead of him, Subaru spent his time in Arlam village socializing with the villagers, tending to odd jobs around the mansion in his capacity as a servant, and otherwise keeping busy.
Similarly,
And while each of them spent those two days as described, a few changes had taken place.
For example: "Aaagh! Why has everything just been dumped here in a tangled mess like this?! There are documents that need to be filed away, documents that just need to be skimmed, documents not even worth looking at—they're all piled up because nobody bothered to organize them, and now we're stuck with this!"
Otto clawed at his hair and grumbled as he processed the documents in front of him at a blistering pace. He'd glance at a page, grasp its general contents, toss it into the appropriate pile on the desk, then move on to the next, and the next, repeating the same sorting process over and over.
Watching Otto's eyes dart and his hands fly, his mind spinning at a pace that looked like it might start belching smoke, Subaru leaned across the desk with his cheek propped on his fist and remarked in admiration: "Man, you're incredible. I look at a stack of papers and I can't make head or tail of what's written on them."
"I haven't even touched the actual contents, you know. Right now I'm simply sorting them into documents that can be handled through the accounting side, documents that fall under the petition process, and everything else—that's the whole of my efficiency strategy. I mean, ideally this should have been done the moment each document was submitted… No, judging by the way they're arranged, the system probably only makes sense to the person who created it."
Subaru's praise went in one ear and out the other. Otto stared at the mountain of documents with a thoroughly exhausted expression. If Subaru pictured Roswaal's face as the owner of said documents, then Otto's theory—lamented in passing—was probably right on the mark.
The terrifying thing was that Roswaal, capable as he apparently was, had no doubt compiled all these documents according to his own system. The problem was that his method contributed nothing to anyone else's comprehension, and in the absence of the man in charge, they simply had to be reorganized from scratch.
"All right, that's roughly the sorting done. Next I'll rearrange them chronologically… Actually, before that, maybe I should separate the processed from the pending…"
"Are you a perfectionist, or just neurotic? You're definitely Type A, aren't you, Otto."
"What's that supposed to mean—Type A? It doesn't exactly sound like a compliment."
Subaru wordlessly waved off Otto's suspicious glare, refusing to elaborate. He didn't believe in blood-type personality analysis, but it worked well enough as a conversation piece.
Incidentally, Subaru was Type B—more precisely, the Natsuki family was a Type B family through and through. No matter who he told, he always got the same "that figures" reaction, which didn't exactly feel great.
"Actually, I just realized something."
"What? Don't stop—this is a good pace, just keep going."
"As an efficiency enthusiast, I'd normally agree, but doesn't this whole situation seem off to you? Why is a mere traveling merchant like me sweating over document organization in a Margrave's office? Doesn't that seem… a bit strange?"
"You're only just noticing?"
Subaru tilted his head and smirked at Otto, who seemed to be belatedly grasping an obvious truth. There was, in fact, a method to Subaru's madness behind Otto's involvement in this administrative work—or rather, work pertaining to the duties of a Margrave.
Specifically, it was about securing personnel for the
As things stood—from Subaru's perspective, at least—Emilia's position in the Royal Selection was far from enviable. Subaru, recognized by those involved as her knight, had managed to distinguish himself somewhat, earning credit for repelling the
Compared to the other camps, Emilia was already starting from behind. And what made her situation even more difficult was the opacity of Roswaal's true intentions—the very person standing behind her. Despite being ostensibly her patron, Roswaal's conduct up to this point had been, to put it bluntly, a failing grade as a supporter.
No preparatory measures had been taken against the Witch Cult despite the expectation that they would arise—and now, even after the damage had been overcome, communication remained cut off. At this point, he was an outright nuisance, and Subaru would have been grateful just to know whether the man was friend or foe.
Yet Roswaal's associates seemed to know exactly how much they could reveal about his circumstances. Most of them kept their lips sealed tightly when it came to his true intentions.
Which meant that Emilia currently had no one she could speak to freely about her concerns.
Naturally, Subaru wanted to be that person for her, and he believed he was trying to be. But his reach, even compared to an ordinary person, was painfully short. He was painfully aware that he was the kind of man who couldn't reach where it itched—and the fact that he couldn't completely dispel Emilia's unease was nothing short of agonizing.
And so the person Subaru had identified and set his sights on was
"So the strategy is: if you don't have allies around you, just grow some, right?"
"That came out sounding a little ominous! That doesn't have anything to do with me, does it!?"
"I dunno, does it? Oh, Otto—this batch of documents still needs sorting."
"Oh, sorry. Let's see—this is just the iron ore mining sites and their reserve quantities, so that's… Isn't this a document that's strictly off-limits to outsiders!?"
"Ah, you saw it. Yep, you saw it. Okay, sure. Don't worry, I'll have a nice word with Roswaal on your behalf."
"That is in no way reassuring! Quite the opposite!"
Otto made a racket, thrusting the documents away from his line of sight, while Subaru maintained his grinning observer stance without batting an eye. At that, Otto's expression turned to one of sheer horror, his lips trembling as he said: "Don't tell me you were seriously going to show me confidential documents—just to get an outsider to see them and then have them destroyed—without even offering any kind of compensation? You're planning to welch on everything, aren't you?!"
"Like hell I am. I fully intend to settle up on both your cargo shipment and every last condition of this request. And on top of that, I want to pull you in deep enough that you can't run away."
"That's even worse! Why would you saddle a humble traveling merchant starting out in life with that kind of burden?! Stop it already!"
Otto protested with a look that suggested he was terrified at the prospect. Hearing this, Subaru tapped his own head lightly—had he gotten carried away?—and then, dropping his smile, muttered, "My bad."
"I was rushing ahead, wasn't I? Things have been piling up from every direction, and none of the tangled threads seemed to be loosening up, so I got anxious. I didn't even ask about your own situation. Sorry."
"Oh, no, it's just that when you suddenly become all calm and reasonable like this, it makes me nervous in a different way. …If I may ask—why do you put so much faith in me?"
Subaru's abrupt return to a normal conversational tone left Otto looking somewhat bewildered, but even so, he voiced his question.
After all, from Otto's perspective, his relationship with Subaru had been short and hardly built on a foundation of trust. Naturally, from Subaru's side as well, their bond was neither especially strong nor especially long.
In the previous loop, thanks to their several encounters, Subaru simply held a slightly more favorable impression of Otto than the current Otto did of him.
Then why was Subaru so fixated on Otto?
"To put it bluntly, I don't have much of a personal reason to fixate on you. I'm not exactly evaluating you as an individual—it's more that the conditions happen to line up, and that played the biggest part in why I approached you."
"Direct, aren't you. —But I've figured it out now. It's about the conditions, isn't it?"
"In the context of the Royal Selection, you're unaffiliated—no faction, no strings attached. You're shrewd when it comes to profit and loss, and you're easy to read in terms of pulling someone over to your side through negotiation. And above all, you don't look at Emilia—the half-elf—with a discriminatory eye. That's about it."
"————"
Otto listened to the three conditions Subaru laid out, and stared at him in silence.
Each condition was significant, given the circumstances Subaru had described. And Otto Suwen, the person with whom Subaru had interacted thus far, had satisfied all of these minimum requirements—that was Subaru's judgment.
Otto continued to wait for Subaru's response in silence.
His eyes had changed from the bantering look they'd held earlier, now gleaming with a calm light, probing Subaru's inner thoughts.
Subaru realized he was being weighed and measured. It was hard to object—Otto wasn't hiding it. And since Subaru had been the one to assess Otto first, it was only fair.
"I'll add one more thing—my own impression."
"Let's hear it."
"I just had a feeling I could get along with you. Honestly, the more allies Emilia has the better, and it's even better if the person in question hits it off with me. Oh, and also, as long as you don't develop romantic feelings for Emilia. If that ever happens, then even if you became my childhood friend, I'd have to cut you down…!"
"A love rival is enough to qualify for extermination!?"
"If I've got competition, my confidence drops to zero! Don't underestimate how little faith I have in myself, okay? In all the people who've validated me throughout my life, I can count them on one hand."
The breakdown would be his parents,
The fact that he'd earned that kind of recognition in another world—maybe he could allow himself to think he was making some kind of progress, after all. It wasn't like anything had visibly changed, though.
Anyway.
"My, my—you're refreshingly honest about what's in your heart, aren't you? Not even attempting a poker face with a merchant? You'd make a wonderful mark at the bargaining table."
"If this were actually a negotiation, I might've put in a bit more effort, but we're not a merchant and a mark sitting here, are we? We're just two guys. If you want to make it that kind of exchange, I'll change my attitude and the whole dynamic."
"You evaluate me as a merchant and then say something like that? You really are a man of contradictions—barely a moment after the words leave your tongue…"
Otto sighed, his exasperated expression nonetheless softening—the taut vigilance from moments ago had faded from his face. He squinted one eye at the unabashed Subaru.
"I don't know if this is the right place to say it, but… Natsuki-san. Even I have a purpose… it's not anything grand enough to share with others, but I do have a dream."
"A man's dream is either too silly to talk about, or too silly to keep locked in your heart—those are the only two options, I think. But go ahead, tell me."
"I hate that I agree with that. …You see, I'm the second son of a fairly respectable merchant family. I grew up reasonably well-off, but when it came time to strike out on my own, I was in the position where my family wouldn't provide any particular support."
Subaru didn't know how much this paralleled sibling dynamics in his original world, but apparently in this world as well, family businesses and aristocratic succession were primarily hereditary—generally, the eldest son inherited the title. That meant that Otto, born as the second son, had been cast in the role typical of the second-born in a medieval fantasy: assist the heir, or seek independence.
"I learned the basics of commerce while helping my brother manage the business, and after scraping together some startup capital on my own, I went independent. I used connections to purchase an earth dragon named
"Blessing—you mean the Blessing of Soul Words, right? If it lets you talk to all kinds of animals, I can see how that could lead to some serious profit, depending on how you use it."
"It's not quite that convenient. There are a number of troublesome aspects that Natsuki-san might not imagine. Be that as it may, I worked diligently for several years—and somewhere along the way, a dream began to take shape."
Continuing from the story of his independence, Otto once again brought up the word "dream." For no particular reason, Subaru straightened his posture upon hearing it. Otto smiled warmly and prefaced his answer with, "It's a common story."
"It's the dream every traveling merchant harbors. To have a store of my own—one place to call my own castle—and to stay there, continuing to do business. If I could do that in some big city somewhere, that would be the greatest joy a merchant could ask for."
"That's your dream, Otto?"
"It's a rather unremarkable wish. When all is said and done, it means arriving at the same place I came from. But well, I suppose that environment was a symbol of good fortune for me."
Otto scratched his cheek with his finger, looking embarrassed, and spoke quickly as if to hide his bashfulness. Subaru accepted his answer, but he mulled over whether he could expect a favorable response and sank deep into his chair.
But regardless of Subaru's reservations, Otto continued with, "Therefore."
"To pass up a chance to earn the gratitude of a Margrave—no merchant worth his salt, whether the second son of a business family or a future tycoon of the traveling trade, could let that slide. And if the person you're indebting yourself to might become the future king? That's a business opportunity so large it wouldn't come your way even if you started life over."
"All right, so we're agreed—you're on board. Thanks, I appreciate it. I knew you'd say that, Otto. Now keep sorting those documents."
"Wait—! I just said something really generous, didn't I?! Isn't your reaction way too muted?!"
"Somehow, I feel like if I honestly expressed my admiration and responded properly, I'd lose. …Well, either way, once you laid hands on documents that would get an outsider in deep trouble, there was no getting out of it. Heh heh heh."
"After all that, you're still terrible!"
The lengthy exchange ultimately ended in the same place, and Otto was not rewarded for his renewed resolve despite it. Subaru razzed him some more, but inwardly, he couldn't help but feel grateful to the man. He would never, ever say it aloud.
"For the record, I'm not like Natsuki-san, who unconditionally sides with Lady Emilia. Right now, I'm cooperating on a conditional basis. Should it ever come to a factional dispute between the Margrave and Lady Emilia, I will choose whichever side my cost-benefit analysis points to. Please don't mistake me for a loyal ally."
"The fact that you're even torn between Emilia and Roswaal—that alone means you're already in my palm. I'll make sure you understand just how wonderful Emilia is from the inside out, so relax. —You heard all of that, right?"
Steering the conversation away from Otto's lengthy justifications, Subaru turned his head in a different direction at the end of his words. At this, Otto blinked in surprise, and following Subaru's gaze, looked toward the same spot. There— "Mm… I mean, yes. I was listening carefully the entire time, Subaru-sama."
—stood a lovable-looking girl with chestnut hair, dressed in a maid's uniform, smiling sweetly.
This was the second change that had occurred at the mansion over the past two days.
Realizing that maintaining the mansion with Frederica alone was becoming physically unsustainable (Subaru was helping too, but his abilities as a servant were half-baked at best, and he still hadn't fully recovered), Frederica had descended to Arlam village to recruit helpers. The one who had eagerly raised both hands and volunteered was none other than—
A resident of Arlam village who had also been among the evacuees to the capital, Petra had safely returned to the village. She must have been spending anxious days there, since more than half of the villagers still hadn't come back.
And yet, the moment she heard Frederica's report about recruiting new maids at the mansion, she jumped at the opportunity. Between her enthusiasm and the fact that there were no other candidates, she was brought into the mansion as a provisional hire.
"You're so brave, Petra—leaving your parents' side to become a maid, even though you're still so small."
"I'm twelve now, so I'm a perfectly respectable adult who can work… that is, I'm an adult. Subaru-sama, please treat me like one too."
"Show me proper manners, and once Frederica grants you full certification and takes that 'provisional' off 'provisional maid,' I'll consider it. Until then, you'll be treated as cute by me forever and ever."
When he roughly ruffled the head of the girl darting about the room, she latched onto him with a "Kya~" as he messed up her neatly arranged hair. He wasn't sure what reaction he'd expected, but it was certainly better than being cursed at and spat on.
In any case, Petra might be of an age where she liked to dress up and act older than she was, but her aptitude as a maid was surprisingly high—she had a solid character and a good upbringing. While she still had many shortcomings, when it came to cleaning and meal preparation, including her role as Frederica's backup, Subaru had to admit she was already above his own level. Subaru was, frankly, useless.
She had been standing outside the office door, eavesdropping on the conversation inside. This was, of course, at Subaru's instruction—a scheme to draw out Otto's unguarded words and cut off his escape route.
Otto noticed, and his face flushed red as he glared at Subaru.
"You—this was all orchestrated!?"
"It's not that big a deal. All that happened was a third party stepped in, and your statements just now were officially recorded, both in name and in fact. Think of it as a tear-jerking bit of scheming to secure the impression of the jury…"
"What's so tear-jerking about it when you're the one calling it scheming?!"
Otto clutched his head, now fully aware that his escape route had been sealed, and shouted through half-tears—but it was already too late. Subaru grinned at Otto, then turned to Petra at the door and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Good job, Petra. But you won't get in trouble with Frederica for spending your time on something like this?"
"This time slot is my hallway-cleaning time. If I spend a little longer than usual cleaning the hallway in front of the Lord's room, no one's going to scold me."
"You're a sly one. So even girls are girls no matter how small they are…"
Subaru muttered the last part with a wistful look on his face. Petra, catching only that part, beamed with delight. Her unchanged demeanor and attitude were, in truth, a relief.
Petra, like Otto, was a collaborator who existed outside Roswaal's sphere of influence.
Compared to Otto, there was less that Petra could do for Emilia as a supporter, and her presence's influence might even fall short of Subaru's. But she did not fear Emilia. Subaru had not forgotten how she had spoken to Emilia directly and openly during the evacuation to the capital. Presumably, Emilia felt the same way.
The simple fact of her existence would surely, someday, bring Emilia some measure of salvation.
"The more allies, the better. It's not about what you can do—it's about what you want to do for that person, and what you're working toward being able to do. If we're talking about the number of things I'm capable of, I'm in a pretty sorry state myself."
Weighing the pros and cons, Subaru was well aware that the cons would come out ahead. But since he wanted to be Emilia's ally, he would simply have to make do with what he had and hustle for what he didn't.
If you wanted to call it a rationalization, he couldn't deny it—but it was a satisfying bit of self-serving math.
"We're still a long way from where we need to be, but let's start building from here. This is our founding lineup—the initial members of the Emilia Camp."
Subaru clenched his fist and thrust it forward as he made his declaration.
Left behind, Otto and Petra exchanged glances.
"I never once agreed to join any faction, you know? Please don't get the wrong idea!"
"I want to be Big Sis Emilia's ally, but when it comes to the important stuff, I don't want to lose to her…"
Otto scratched his head with a look of exasperation. Petra clasped her hands behind her back and looked down, fidgeting as they each mumbled their caveats.
And yet, in the end, they both played along and bumped their fists against Subaru's—and there was no doubt at all about the kindness of these people.
—And thus, during the two days before departing for the Sanctuary, time passed with only the smallest of steps forward—yet each one something Subaru could feel, solid and real.