In the end, it took three full days before Subaru and the others actually departed for
"From my standpoint, I'd respect
The meeting of the Western Border Territory lords — in other words, the gathering hosted by Margrave Roswaal and the lords under his banner — would take place at the estate of one of those key feudal lords who had declared neutrality.
Most of the lords attending were bound together by their adherence to Roswaal's policies, but with Emilia as their standard-bearer, it was inevitable that a few would voice opposition or unease.
The majority of territories upheld Roswaal's policy of treating demi-humans and humans equally — though "preferential treatment of demi-humans" was perhaps more accurate than true equality — yet the sentiment that demi-humans were not the same as half-elves ran deep everywhere. The accomplishments of the past year lay in gradually wearing down such resistance through dialogue and conditional compliance. This upcoming meeting also served as a prelude, meant to provide a venue for direct talks with those lords who still stubbornly refused to come around.
Roswaal had left the mansion in order to perform the groundwork for just that purpose.
"I'm sorry. Really, I wanted to attend that meeting myself, but…"
"That wo—uld backfire. The whole point of this meeting is to create that opportunity. If Emilia-sama were to appear here, it would only amount to a sneak attack… Of cou—rse, if she could deliver such a brilliant speech that it quelled the chaos and silenced the dissenting lords, then I suppose a surprise appearance would be on the table as well."
"…I don't think I could pull that off yet. Fine. I'll behave."
Emilia pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes in frustration. Roswaal nodded at her with evident satisfaction.
He wanted to add one more barb to that backhanded remark, but he couldn't exactly deny that Roswaal was engaging with Emilia far more directly than before. Compared to a year ago, when she had been kept at arm's length from political matters and treated as a mere figurehead — by Subaru's own grumbling admission, Emilia had confided — the current situation was much better.
Roswaal was also proving far more dependable as a backer, given how actively he was working, though his true intentions remained as dangerous as ever, so the final balance of power was roughly even.
"Petra is confirmed as our escort for the meeting, but… who's staying behind at the mansion?"
"Since Annerose's group is also participating this ti—me, having
"I shall accompany Lord Roswaal as he sees fit."
"'As he sees fit,' she says — and here I thought you were just pushing your own opinion on him…"
Ram remained a devoted Roswaal loyalist, yet there was something different about her now — she had lost whatever hesitation she once had about asserting herself. Roswaal accepted it without batting an eye, and watching them, Subaru felt the dynamic had shifted from their old dynamic of dependency. The sweet haze of reliance had evaporated, replaced by an atmosphere of mutual understanding. Whether having someone like that beside him would work in Roswaal's favor remained to be seen.
"What are you staring at? If you're going to go into heat for just anybody, I'll gouge your eyes out, Barusu."
"Sister, just how much of a shameless creep do you think I am, in your mind?"
"…………"
At Subaru's question, Ram wore an utterly complicated expression.
It wasn't as though he had lobbed some impossible-to-answer query. But every time Ram heard Subaru address her as "Sister," she invariably made this face. It wasn't that she disliked it — the word simply carried no weight for her. For someone whose memories of being
"Honestly, if it were just Emilia-sama and Subaru alone, there'd still be room for concern, but with Garfiel and Otto joining, it should be fine. Otto won't bungle things with a clumsy negotiation, and in the worst-case scenario, Garfiel could just smash everything to bits and they'd escape, so no problem there."
"That's an incredibly destructive course of action in its own right, though… I'm going to try my best to make sure things don't get to that point."
"Stirring up trouble is my job, Emilia-tan. Whether it's Anastasia-san or Julius, bring it on. When it comes to derailing an important discussion, I've got the seal of approval from the Sage of Greed herself."
"Is that really something to boast about…?"
Emilia let out a dry laugh while Subaru flashed a toothy grin and gave a thumbs-up. Of course, Emilia understood that his flippant words were meant to reassure her.
That degree of trust was something they had built up well enough over the past year.
"Alright then,
"Beatrice doesn't need to be told that. Without Betty here, none of those people could be trusted with anything at all — what a troublesome bunch."
The girl who had been given the final word stood tall, her ringlets swaying. That irrepressible air of cuteness drew smiles from everyone present — though the girl herself seemed rather displeased with that reaction.
— In any case, with everyone on board, the trip to Priestella was officially confirmed.
"Upon your arrival, please make your way to the 'Water Pavillion.' Lady Anastasia and I shall be waiting for you there."
"See ya later — we'll be waiting!"
The two who departed the Roswaal estate were messengers sent by Anastasia. They would return to Priestella ahead of the group, carrying the reply to the invitation.
"Alright, take care of yourselves!"
"You too, Garf! I'll be waiting all plump, so you'd better absolutely come, you hear!"
"'Plump,' she says — what's that even supposed to mean? Well, see ya. You lot would just worry without me around, huh? I'll settle things on my side. You just wash your necks and wait."
"Okay! Got it — we'll wash and wait!"
At the parting, the warm exchange between Garfiel and Mimi left a lasting impression. Garfiel had apparently been dead-serious about keeping an eye on the two messengers' movements during their stay, but judging by Mimi's behavior, his vigilance had been unfounded. If anything, she had taken to him remarkably well — she had even started calling him "Garf" by now, and there had never been any real hostility on her part.
"Mimi may have been won over, but I… I won't be going easy on them."
And then there was Joshua, attempting to act serious while being dragged along by a frolicking bodyguard. The sight of him being hauled by one arm, tilting sideways with a stern expression on his face, was frankly a little comical.
Subaru had grown enough over the past year to know better than to say that to his face, but the angel seeing them off from the same vantage point had no such restraint.
"Joshua, are you alright? You're wearing such nice clothes, and your sleeve is about to come off…"
"I-I'm fine! Please don't worry!"
But even though Subaru had come to understand the boy's stubbornness, the angel watching from the same position couldn't extend him the same courtesy. Emilia, whose concern was entirely devoid of irony, only made Joshua more flustered. He couldn't raise his voice at her and instead wore a pitiful expression as he tried to pry Mimi off. But as one might expect, Mimi's arm strength surpassed Joshua's, so his efforts came to nothing.
"My brother calls you a friend, but from my perspective, he is simply too lenient. That is his virtue, of course, but it falls to me as his younger brother to compensate for it. So please do not expect any mercy from the Euclid house."
"Hold on — are you done pretending you only refer to yourself as 'I' now?"
"P-Please listen carefully! Don't mock me…! You're a horrible person!"
"You're the one who's completely forgotten his role as a messenger — that's what worries me. If you spew that kind of garbage in a public setting, won't it count as a mark against the Euclid house?"
"———!"
Joshua's face went blue, but Subaru had only been poking fun — he had no real intention of going after the kid. And if it came to inappropriate outbursts at official functions, Subaru himself was far more dangerous. Of course, Joshua had no way of knowing that, and Subaru would never volunteer the information — that was precisely the kind of person
"Subaru, don't bully someone younger than you. Joshua, I'm sorry. Subaru has, well… a side like that."
"——! N-No… I was the one who was terribly rude. Please accept my apology."
"Me? Ow — ouch, Emilia-tan!"
Subaru reached for the quick counter-retort, but Emilia's fingers found his ear and pulled without mercy. Seeing Subaru's tearful reaction, Joshua felt a measure of satisfaction settle in his chest and decided to leave things there for now.
After taking a deep breath, Joshua climbed into the dragon carriage they had arrived in — though since the coach was being pulled by Ligers rather than a dragon, "dog carriage" would perhaps have been more apt.
Perhaps there were dog-sled races somewhere out there too.
"Maybe I should try promoting some kind of entertainment event — horse racing or something."
Truth be told, his "modern knowledge unlimited" ideas remained exactly that — ideas that never got past the brainstorming stage. But perhaps there were things within Subaru's knowledge range that he could actually implement more seriously.
First, he would need to carefully weigh the merits and drawbacks of establishing horse racing, of course.
"What's wrong, Subaru? You're making a really scary face."
"I just had a flash of inspiration from the modern knowledge unlimited vault. Full-on Subaru-ism explosion."
"Oh, a new seasoning? I love mayonnaise, but the tartar sauce you made after that was great too."
"Next, I want to try something that breaks even further from common folk's sensibilities."
Incidentally, tartar sauce — like mayonnaise — was kept in stock at the Roswaal mansion. It was generally well-received by everyone, which was something of a sore point for Subaru.
In any case, even as these idle conversations were taking place, preparations for the return trip progressed, and the dog carriage slowly began to move.
Driving it from the driver's seat was not an actual coachman but Mimi, who straddled one of the two Ligers pulling the coach directly. She flipped the hem of her white robe, gripped the Liger's mane, and laughed brightly.
"Well then, big brother and big sister and Garf — see you later!"
Subaru watched Mimi go with a warm smile, then waved at Joshua, who was glaring with maximum wariness through the window.
And so, two days after sending the messengers off, Subaru and the others followed after them.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "No matter how fast we push the dragon carriage, it's a journey that will take over ten days. There's no particular reason to rush, so let's take plenty of time and travel at a pace that won't wear us out."
Everyone accepted Otto's itinerary without complaint.
Among the Priestella-bound party, he was the most seasoned traveler, and in terms of sheer physical endurance, averaging things out, he was probably on par with everyone else. The pace and route he deemed least taxing on himself would make for the safest journey for all.
"For the dragon carriage, I'll have my
"Sitting on that dragon carriage being jostled the whole time is gonna dull my body, Bro Otto."
"If that's the case, Garfiel, you can hop down and run alongside sometimes."
"Then I'll do that."
"You actually will?"
Between Otto and Garfiel's usual back-and-forth, punctuated by Emilia's occasional startled reaction, the curtain was officially raised on the Priestella trip.
That said, as it turned out, the journey itself passed fairly uneventfully.
There were a few minor incidents — trouble at a mountain pass when crossing into another territory after leaving the Mathers Border Domain — but the Mathers family crest and Emilia's presence generally smoothed things over. The royal selection and its candidates were by now known in most parts of the kingdom.
Of course, that reputation could just as easily attract unwanted attention, but throughout this journey, they encountered no one with ill intent.
When stray dogs or magical beasts foolishly attempted to attack the dragon carriage along the way: "Perfect timing. I've been itching to punch some living things for the first time in ages."
Garfiel shattered the packs with overwhelming force, scattering their coordinated wild instincts with sheer terror. As a bodyguard, his performance was beyond reproach — though the beasts themselves were perhaps more to be pitied.
Even this fearsome side of Garfiel, when he had spare time, saw him gnawing on a knife to kill the hours — a surprisingly boyish habit that stood in stark contrast to his ferocity.
Incidentally, the sight of that blade of hard steel being chewed to pieces was impressive no matter how many times you saw it.
"Hmm. This earth dragon is rather promising. Perhaps Betty will grant her approval."
So saying, Beatrice sat beside Subaru, who held the reins.
It might come as a surprise, but holding the reins throughout the journey wasn't exclusively Otto's job. Thanks to a year of practice and the fact that the earth dragons were tame enough to understand their quirks, Subaru had become capable of handling the dragon carriage himself.
That said, it was limited to Patrasche, whom he knew well, and Otto's earth dragon Frufoo — the only two among those stabled at the Roswaal mansion. There were also Rascal and Peter, though as for who had named them, that went without saying.
"If you're not going to do anything but act high and mighty, why don't you try holding the reins yourself? Patrasche is brimming with maternal love, so she'd be gentle with little Beatrice too, I'm sure."
"I'll pass on that. Besides, that earth dragon is definitely glaring at Betty with hostile intent. Those are not the eyes of an ally. Maternal love — what a laugh."
"Hey now, if you badmouth Patrasche, I won't forgive you. There are only four people whose names I'll never let anyone speak ill of: Emilia-tan, Rem, little Beatrice, and Patrasche."
"And yet you've somehow lumped Betty in there with the rest of them and it doesn't even register, does it?"
"Because anyone who makes it into that circle is off-limits. Simple as that."
Beatrice tried to escape, but in the cramped driver's seat, there was nowhere to go. Subaru reached out, caught her by the neck, and pulled her in. She thrashed about but ended up settling on his lap. He was about to subject her to a tickle torture when her bouncing hair grazed the tip of his nose — and Subaru let out a tremendous sneeze. The dragon carriage lurched.
"Hey, Mr. Natsuki! Stop making erratic movements! If we accidentally slip out of the 'Wind Warding' blessing, the three of us are going to be catastrophically seasick!"
"Sorry, sorry! Little Beatrice was just too excited, and I couldn't help it…"
"Stop blaming Betty! It was Subaru who was — tickling! Stop it, pfft — ahaha, stop!"
Hearing the commotion erupt from the driver's seat, Otto let out a thunderous sigh from inside the coach. Emilia giggled at the sight.
"Those two really are the best of friends, aren't they? A little while ago, I never would have imagined Subaru and Beatrice getting along like that."
"Personally, it's the period when those two were apart that I find hard to believe. The way Beatrice-chan clings to him and the way Mr. Natsuki spoils her — it's enough to give me heartburn."
"That might be true. But I think it's wonderful. Everyone always thought that Beatrice looked best when she was smiling like that."
Emilia's gentle, warm smile in that moment — to Otto's eyes, it radiated the same kind of maternal affection a mother or an older sister might show. Not that Otto was tactless enough to point that out, nor did he intend to inflate Subaru's ego.
"Well, we can leave them to their fun. As for us, let's have an important conversation of our own. I've said it many times, but we need to discuss Anastasia's camp's objectives and our own stance in response."
"So it's not just about creating a sense of debt — that's the real picture, right?"
"The royal selection is set to be decided within three years, and with one already passed, the initial phase of solidifying one's base should be reaching its climax. For us, this meeting serves as the prelude — after it, we'll consolidate support in one go at the next Western lords' meeting. The other camps, aside from those that were already unified from the start, aren't that far ahead of us in terms of progress."
"And what about Anastasia's side?"
Emilia had been deliberately kept away from the details of other camps' movements for some time. The reasoning — shared between Roswaal and Otto, the kingdom's domestic policy duo — was that before turning her attention outward, she first needed to be taught the mindset of a ruler from the ground up, and that process took time. Only after that should she be exposed to outside affairs.
They had agreed that during this trip, it might be appropriate to partially lift that restriction, which was why Otto now tucked his chin and organized the information in his head.
"First, let me give you a rundown of the current support ratings among the royal selection candidates. Initially, this selection was understood as a two-horse race between
"…Yeah, I can't really deny that. But the way you're phrasing it…"
"Indeed. Over the past year, public perception has undeniably shifted — and the reason is the notable achievements of candidates beyond those two. Chief among them are Emilia-sama's camp."
The most conspicuous accomplishments of Emilia's camp were the Subjugation of the
At the same time, this also drew unwanted attention to her lineage. Love it or hate it, Emilia's name became known to all as someone caught in a whirlwind of rumor.
As the other candidates likewise drew public scrutiny, the ones who benefited most from this spillover attention were
In particular,
Her personal temperament — the kind that danced when you fed her momentum — combined with her beauty meant that Priscilla's support in the southern kingdom was growing by the day.
Felt, for her part, had started from a far more disadvantageous position. The Astrea family — the house of Knight
Yet this young girl, Felt, broke through the deadlocked situation in an unexpected way. Rather than courting the support of powerful nobles — those who could afford to keep their options open — she gathered people from the fringes: those who had fallen from grace, those from the streets, those who had reasons to live outside the system.
One could say Felt possessed an extraordinary talent for spotting latent ambition and unrecognized potential in others. Setting aside the wild rumor of her being of the "Royal Blood," she had what was perhaps the most crucial quality for a person in a position of leadership: the ability to discern others' abilities and entrust them with responsibility.
Thus, using a small spark as a catalyst, the Astrea household and its surroundings came alive with activity in short order. The lords who had been watching from the sidelines began to show gradual shifts in their stances.
The fire was still small, but the footprints it was leaving were undeniably being etched into history. No one of consequence in the kingdom could afford to ignore that current.
"So — that's the kind of movement we're seeing across the board. In terms of major accomplishments, our camp holds its own, but when it comes to solidifying one's footing, both of those two are performing better. If the Subjugation of the
"You're starting to sound just like Subaru, Otto. But if that's the case, can't we be a little smug and say we're practically on even footing now?"
"For the time being, yes. Ah, but… there have also been changes in the Karsten camp. For us, it's a tailwind, though."
"A tailwind for us?"
"Yes. Crusch Karsten — the candidate herself — has apparently been a shadow of her former self this past year. They say she used to be strict yet active in both public and private life, to the point where even those who had supported the late duke had to acknowledge her."
Her policies and governance had taken a completely different quality from before. Her once-decisive judgment had gone quiet, replaced by a softer, more tentative approach. Rumors were rampant that she had been exposed as playing the part of a duke despite being a woman. She had even been forced to bring the retired former duke back from retirement to manage the discontent of her subjects and neighboring lords.
"At the start of the selection, thanks to the White Whale subjugation, it was said the throne was all but hers… but you never know what spark might set off a decline. Emilia-sama, you should stay thoroughly on your guard."
"…I see."
At Otto's explanation, Emilia's gaze fell, her violet-blue eyes filling with something like sorrow. Even toward a political rival, she could not suppress her sympathy — and Otto considered that a dangerous fragility. They would inevitably become opponents who sought to crush each other. Excessive empathy would lead to dysfunction.
That was the lesson the past year had taught Otto — a lesson equally true in business and politics.
"Don't dwell on it too much. There will be more conversations like this in the future."
"Mm. Thank you, Otto. I know you're looking out for me."
"That's all I needed to hear. Now, let's finally move on to Anastasia's camp. They lack an established base in the Kingdom of Lugnica, but in exchange, they have a backer like no other: the great trading house of
"So what does that mean? Having more shops doesn't necessarily mean more people on our side… Oh, wait — more people who know them, so greater recognition?"
"That would be a secondary effect. The simpler objective is this: they can deploy a great deal of money. Simple as it sounds, this financial muscle works on everyone. Nobody is impervious to being punched in the face by economics."
Securing merchants as allies meant gaining allies in the world of commerce. And as long as commerce sustained a society, wielding power in that domain was synonymous with possessing both offensive and defensive capability against that society.
As long as your opponent was indiscriminately gathering allies, matching them head-on — especially when they'd wrapped themselves in economic might — was an extraordinarily difficult task.
"That is why, in the current situation, I consider Anastasia's camp the candidate most worthy of caution. That camp's invitation… one that would put us in their debt from the very start — I wish you could understand how much of a headache that is for me."
"…I finally get it. Really, truly get it. I'm sorry for acting on my own."
"As long as you understand, that's enough for now. Going forward, you'll think twice before doing anything reckless — I'm sure of it… I'm sure!"
As Otto shook his head — finding such deference to her excessive — Emilia hung her head, and he let out a long breath.
With Otto's explanation broken down so thoroughly, understanding had seeped into Emilia, and she nodded repeatedly. Indeed, the world of politics was complicated and difficult in so many ways.
She had long known that heartfelt words like "I'll do my best" and "Let's do our best together" were far from sufficient, but keeping track of all the external maneuvering as well made her head spin. Learning about the parts that had been kept secret from her was a relief, but the corresponding growth in anxiety was undeniable.
"You don't have to carry all your worries alone."
Spotting the change in Emilia's expression, Otto spoke up.
As Emilia raised her head, Otto tousled his own gray hair and said: "Emilia-sama, you are the central figure — but that does not mean you have to do everything yourself. It's the same as this dragon carriage."
"The same as the dragon carriage?"
"Right now, Mr. Natsuki is holding the reins. Beatrice is keeping an eye on him so he doesn't slack off. Garfiel is keeping watch from atop the coach. And I'm the one who planned this carriage's itinerary. As for you, Emilia-sama, you're checking in on all of them, telling everyone 'good job,' and making your way to Priestella as best you can."
Understanding what Otto was really trying to say, Emilia's eyes widened. And at the same time, that roundabout way of putting it reminded her so strongly of a certain someone that she burst into laughter.
"Otto. That way of explaining things — it sounds an awful lot like Subaru."
"Ehh!? Really!? No way… Don't tell me that being around him for so long has rubbed off on me… D-Don't say things like that! That's a terrifying thought!"
"Hey, Otto! What are you happily chatting with Emilia-tan about? Emilia-tan's cute smile is my staple food, so don't you dare try to steal it!"
The voice of the very person in question cut in, making Otto flinch involuntarily. Seeing this, Emilia's smile burst into full bloom, and Otto — with a helplessly exasperated look — laughed along.
"Hey! What's all the excitement about!? What's going on — that's not fair! Beatrice, hold the reins for a sec. I'm crashing this."
"No! I can't! Stop it! Betty can't do this… Oh, we're going to flip! We're definitely going to flip! Look — she's got those eyes that say she'll flip us!"
Hearing the overlapping screams from the direction of the driver's seat, Otto sighed and rose to his feet. The overly impatient knight had probably reached her limit by now. It was time to take over the driver's seat and see to the earth dragons' moods himself.
"Otto."
As he prepared to move from the coach to the driver's seat, Emilia called after him from behind. Turning at the sound of her voice, Otto involuntarily held his breath.
Emilia's trusting smile pierced him right through the heart.
"I know I'm a burden in all sorts of ways, but I'm going to do my best too. I'm counting on you."
"…Yes, please do. I'll be enjoying the fruits of that effort myself."
"That answer sounds kind of like Subaru too."
With a wry smile, Otto stepped toward the driver's seat. Between Subaru and Emilia, this pair of master and servant could charm just about anyone — and for Otto, who was the type to want to deliver when someone placed their trust in him, they were a fatally attractive combination.
And so, twelve days after departing from the Roswaal mansion — after all these exchanges — Emilia's party arrived safely at the Water Gate City of Priestella.