The garden within the grounds of the Water Hemming Inn had been designed in the style of a Japanese garden, complete with gravel paths that gave it a distinctly traditional Japanese inn atmosphere.
While one couldn't expect a pond or a shishi-odoshi, the stepping stones laid out in a path and the bamboo-like plants growing alongside them were more than worthy of praise.
"Still, I guess Wilhelm really didn't come down after all."
Sitting on the veranda overlooking the garden, Subaru idly toyed with the gravel at his feet.
What drifted through his mind as he murmured to himself was the apologetic look on the white-haired old man's face. Having turned down Subaru's invitation, Wilhelm was probably alone in his room right now.
He'd be bored with nothing to do until dinner.
"Then again, he's not the kind of guy who'd come along just to kill time sightseeing."
"That makes those of us who came along with your invitation sound rather odd, doesn't it?"
"I wouldn't call it good taste, personally. Me included, though."
Directing his sarcasm at Julius, who sat beside him with legs elegantly crossed on the veranda, Subaru received a nod and a laugh of agreement—"Indeed"—from the knight. But the person sitting on Subaru's opposite side couldn't so readily agree with that assessment.
"Oh, that's so mean!
"Well, I do feel a bit bad about that. Having you around means I can take risks I otherwise couldn't, just in the worst case. Though it turned out we didn't need you after all."
Subaru replied with one eye closed in response to Ferris's complaints, the cat ears on her head twitching indignantly. The eye he kept open faced forward, watching the high-speed sparring match unfolding in the garden.
To put it bluntly, the level of skill on display was just barely beyond what Subaru's eyes could follow—but there was one thing he could say with absolute certainty.
"That Reinhard bastard really is a monster."
"The problem is that it's rather difficult to deny, though that's not exactly the sort of compliment I'd want directed at a friend."
"Can't deny it either, can we, nya."
The three of them shared their common sentiment as the scene before them proved their conclusion beyond any doubt.
Facing each other across the gravel-covered garden, putting on a fierce sparring display, were the golden-haired boy baring his fangs with a roar and the red-haired hero who effortlessly deflected each savage assault.
The challenger, Garfiel, used every spring in his body to attack Reinhard with literally boundless movement, striking from every conceivable direction. Yet Reinhard saw through each claw, each fang, each foot, each elbow and knee, and dodged them all with unruffled composure.
And what's more— "He really hasn't moved a single step from where he started, has he?"
"He's adhering to the conditions they agreed upon from the start. Reinhard would never break those terms. That said, the fact that Garfiel can't force him to break them must be the greatest humiliation of all."
Garfiel attacked relentlessly, striking high and low, trying to find an opening in Reinhard's defense. But none of his attacks found any opening whatsoever—instead, each one was easily deflected, leaving Garfiel's own stance crumbling time and again.
Reinhard still had not moved from his initial position when this reckless challenge began.
Planting both feet in place, he was deflecting every last one of Garfiel's attacks without taking a single step.
—Back when Garfiel had first appeared in their guest room and declared his challenge to Reinhard, Subaru had considered it reckless from every conceivable angle.
For one, he couldn't imagine Reinhard accepting Garfiel's provocation.
To put it plainly, Garfiel was being selfish, and there was nothing to gain for Reinhard. The kind of manly yet childish pride over whose strength was greater didn't seem to be something Reinhard cared about—and that was part of the reason too.
Given the complicated relationship between them as rival knights, Garfiel's challenge, viewed cynically, could even become an unnecessary source of friction. While Subaru believed Reinhard wasn't the type to pull such petty schemes, the negative conditions for accepting the challenge were practically endless.
From all these perspectives, Subaru had more or less resigned himself to the belief that this challenge would never come to fruition.
But deep down, he had wanted to see it happen.
Garfiel Tinsel was, without question, the pinnacle of individual combat power that the
Even so, within the group that had been built up over the past year as the Emilia camp, Garfiel himself was the backbone of its fighting force.
Everyone in the camp acknowledged this, and Garfiel himself surely took pride in it. He had earned those results and achievements through sheer effort.
However, while Subaru thought this, there was also a complicated issue with Garfiel.
It was that since leaving the
The only one who had fought Garfiel head-on in a serious battle was Elsa, theSerial Killer who had attacked the old Roswaal mansion. Even she had been ultimately overwhelmed by Garfiel, and in the opportunities he'd had to fight since then, he had never been pushed to anything resembling a struggle.
True, Subaru and the others had defeated Garfiel by combining their full strength, but that victory had relied entirely on unorthodox tactics to seize a narrow winning condition.
Rather, if the condition was strictly a one-on-one fight, then Garfiel Tinsel was a man who had never tasted defeat from the day he was born.
—And so, despite knowing how cruel it was, Subaru had fervently wished for the fight between Reinhard and Garfiel to happen.
If Garfiel could reach the summit without ever knowing defeat, then so be it.
But to remain at the pinnacle without ever having tested himself against it, living on the fortune of having only fought those weaker than himself—that was far too uncertain.
That was why Subaru had decided to place his faith in the strength of the one hero whose combat prowess he had seen, just once.
"Faith, huh... but I never expected the gap to be this wide."
Things had proceeded exactly as he'd hoped beyond his expectations, but rather than shock at the result, Subaru could only respond with exasperation.
When Garfiel, brimming with fighting spirit, had led Subaru to Reinhard's room, the Sword Saint had cheerfully agreed to the impudent request. It had been so effortless that Subaru felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him.
And when Garfiel had suggested moving outside the city to avoid collateral damage, Reinhard had simply smiled and said, "The garden is spacious enough. I'll let the inn staff know so they don't fuss about the grounds getting messed up."
To Reinhard, the words had probably been innocent of any malice. But as far as provocation toward Garfiel went, it was top-tier.
In fact, after hearing Reinhard's proposal, Garfiel had radiated such murderous intent that Subaru, standing beside him, felt genuinely uneasy—and the ferocity of his rage was directed like a blade straight at Reinhard.
Descending into the inn's garden, they set a few rules—no weapons, a sparring match that wouldn't result in injuries, a prohibition on using especially dangerous blessings—and the match was underway.
During that time, Subaru had called Ferris in case either combatant got hurt, and invited Julius and Wilhelm to serve as commentators for the fight itself. Unfortunately, Wilhelm had declined the moment he heard the gist of it, but Julius and Ferris had stayed to watch the battle as it unfolded. Otto, meanwhile, had yet to return.
"I didn't ask the women or Mimi's brothers, though."
"Quite wise, I think. Lady Anastasia is merciless in situations like that. If she found out about this, she would have immediately turned it into a paid spectacle. And if word reached Hetaro and the others, you can be certain Mimi would have made a huge fuss."
Julius agreed with Subaru's words without taking his eyes off the battle. That said, his attention was focused entirely on the fight before them, and even he was visibly stirred by the intensity.
And so, with a small gathering of spectators assembled, the battle commenced.
At the outset, Garfiel had probably been thinking something like this: —I'll make him regret ever taking me so lightly, and then force him to fight for real.
The inn's garden was spacious, sure—but only as a general aesthetic, something to admire.
If you wanted to fight seriously on that ground, it was obviously not spacious enough. And Reinhard had even added the condition of "not messing up the grounds."
There was no shame in thinking the Sword Saint was being overconfident. That was only natural.
And so, as any boy would, he had resolved to make Reinhard regret it.
But the moment he opened his lid, so to speak, the result was— "Hey, Julius. Can I ask you one thing?"
"There's no limit to one—ask me anything you like. Whether I answer is another matter."
"Don't be such a smartass. That's why I don't like you."
Going through their usual back-and-forth, Subaru rested his cheek on his hand and faced forward.
After searching for the right words for a moment, he spoke.
"From your perspective, what do you make of Garfiel?"
"—He's strong. I'd heard the rumors, and the title of one of the twin pillars protecting Lady Emilia is no idle boast. Since I was told you were the other one, my psychological expectations were rather low, but—"
"I'll deck you, you know."
"He is strong. His ability is genuine. If someone asked me whether I could hold my own against him using only swordsmanship, I'd have to say it would be uncertain. And it looks like he still has tremendous room for growth. Without a doubt, he's a prodigy who will claim the throne of martial supremacy once he breaks through his shell."
There was a quiet excitement in Julius's powerful declaration—a sense of having glimpsed that much potential. Even from his eyes, the talent sleeping within Garfiel was the real thing.
And with it came an almost unbearable envy at seeing that in someone else.
Only natural. Julius was a man who walked the path of martial arts, and above all else, he was a man.
"But even a Gar-chan with such a brilliant future ahead of him, nya, is sadly just getting played with like that right now with nothing he can do about it, nya."
Thus did Ferris cruelly verbalize reality.
But no one could refute her words. Those watching understood everything. And no one understood it better than Garfiel himself.
Garfiel, who might one day reach the level of the strongest.
Yet as things stood, before the world's current strongest fighter, he could do nothing but be toyed with—hands and feet both tied.
"—!"
"Close. But you rushed it."
Garfiel's wide-open guard was slipped past, and the Sword Saint closed in to point-blank range.
His arm was seized, his body spun high into the air, and he was slammed unceremoniously onto the gravel, back-first.
A cloud of dust rose. Garfiel lay on his back, winded by the impact.
When Reinhard's hand was placed on his forehead, Garfiel went completely still as though every movement in his body had been sealed, and let out a long, long breath.
"I lose."
Before anyone else could say it and make the defeat feel all the more pathetic, he had been able to acknowledge it himself.
That alone was surely enough for Garfiel to preserve his dignity.
All Subaru could do was hope that it served as some small comfort.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ —Garfiel did not appear at the dinner table.
"Why does everyone always go and do something that sounds so fun without telling me, nya?"
Surveying the men gathered in the tatami room, Anastasia let out a resentful sigh.
She was not wearing her usual white fur dress. Instead, her deep purple hair was swept back and she wore a yukata, her pale skin carrying a faint rosy hue that gave her an air of mature allure entirely at odds with her youthful appearance.
"I had a feeling you'd say something like that, so I chose not to invite you this time. You and the others seemed to be deepening your bonds already, Lady Anastasia."
Julius smiled wryly and settled down beside her in response to the early greeting. The men had just finished tidying up after the garden spar and returned.
Anastasia listened, then put on the shrewd smile of a money-grubber that was so at odds with her lovely face.
"Hmmm. Our knight is as silver-tongued as ever, I see. It's not like I connect everything and anything to money, you know? It's just that my
"Please stop—my little brother's heart can't take any more wounds. Ah, he'll probably snap out of it after moping around with his head in his hands for a night or so, so please treat him as usual when that happens."
Receiving Anastasia's words, Subaru asked the group to be considerate of his heartbroken junior.
Everyone present nodded in understanding. But— "Let me guess, right? This clueless knight went and beat the snot out of his opponent without holding back again, didn't he? Sorry about that, big bro."
Having heard the broad strokes,
"Lady Felt, speaking of it that way invites misunderstanding. Besides, our match wasn't a case of me unilaterally beating him down. There were numerous moments where I myself was genuinely alarmed—it was a thoroughly fulfilling experience."
"Coming from someone who beats
"I cannot afford to pull my punches against anyone. And I'm not so arrogant as to believe I could produce results while doing so."
Reinhard's composed response made Felt snort and lose interest.
Honestly, Subaru had his doubts about whether this master-servant relationship actually functioned properly. But more than that, it was Reinhard's words that had truly pierced Subaru's chest.
If you'd watched the garden fight, it was abundantly clear that Reinhard's earlier words had been considerate of Garfiel. But to take that as mere surface-level politeness didn't feel right—there was no ring of hypocrisy in what Reinhard had said.
He had probably just spoken his honest feelings. Even though the words could easily be taken as backhanded, there was a sincerity to them that made it impossible to think otherwise.
Perhaps that was his most dangerous quality of all.
"Oh, by the way, Lady Felt—your attire—"
"What about it? You got a problem with it? I just got changed into this along with the rest of the bunch after we all hit that big bath together. Don't tell me you're gonna get all stuffy and lecture me or something."
"No, nothing of the sort. I only wished to say that it suits you very well."
"How annoying."
The praise of the kingdom's most respected and trusted knight—the knight among knights—was delivered with full sincerity. But Felt waved away that bouquet of admiration with a genuinely disgusted look. Her yukata was worn sloppily and loose, giving off the overwhelming impression of a girl who had abandoned all pretense of femininity.
—Indeed, just as Felt's words suggested, the women had apparently been sweating it out in the large bath during Reinhard and Garfiel's match.
As a result, every woman present at the dinner in the tatami room was wearing a yukata.
Not just Anastasia and Felt, but Mimi and Crusch as well. And Emilia, and for some reason, even
"Beako, when did you even go to the bath..."
"After Subaru went off to the garden and left Beatrice behind, I was walking around the inn by myself and got caught by Emilia. Beatrice said she was fine, but I was dragged along whether I liked it or not."
Beatrice turned her gaze away, dressed in a pale blue yukata. Even on the distinctly Western-looking beautiful girl that was Beatrice, the functional beauty of the yukata looked surprisingly fitting. And speaking of surprising, while Beatrice's hair wasn't fully dry, it somehow still maintained its usual vertical curls—bouncing back with just a slightly heavier feel when tugged.
"So, Beatrice has given her testimony—but what's the real story?"
"Huh? Beatrice looked so lonely saying Subaru was being cold to her that I invited her to join me in the bath when she was already being invited. Beatrice seemed to be having fun too, I think..."
"That's fabricated! That's completely fabricated! Who does
"That's basically a confession right there."
Synthesizing the testimony of the dishonest Beatrice and the overly honest Emilia, Subaru reached a straightforward verdict.
Beatrice was sulking with her head down, but seeing that, Emilia laughed happily. She too was wearing a yukata, and her long silver hair after the bath was gathered into a single ponytail at her back.
The glimpse of her fair nape was, it had to be said, spectacular.
"Subaru, why are you breathing so heavy? Do you have a fever or something?"
"Just a slight case of love fever. Hey, Emilia-tan, can I braid your hair?"
"You can, but dinner's going to be served any minute now. How about after?"
As Subaru reached for the tip of her tied-back hair, Emilia gestured toward the table and made her suggestion. Reluctantly, Subaru withdrew his hand, only to find everyone staring at him with odd expressions.
Subaru tilted his head and called out to Felt directly in front of him.
"What? Did I do something weird?"
"You and Big Sis are so weird together, honestly. You act like that but there's nothing remotely sexy about it, and the last time I saw you guys your relationship was total garbage anyway."
"What's not sexy about the flirting of two young people of opposite genders? And please don't dig up what happened at the castle—my heart aches just thinking about it."
Subaru responded while thinking he actually understood what Felt was getting at.
Over the past year, he'd been intensely aware of how closely he'd served as Emilia's knight. But he felt no sense that their relationship as a man and woman had grown any closer.
If anything, his awareness of her as a woman had actually diminished since before their master-servant relationship was established.
That was because Emilia's emotional maturity had finally crystallized.
For Emilia to properly receive Subaru's feelings as those between a man and a woman, her emotional side hadn't quite caught up yet. Because of that, Subaru's way of being around her had naturally become more relaxed.
His love hadn't faded—but the way he oriented himself toward the person he loved had changed. As long as Emilia's own awareness didn't shift, Subaru felt things would stay this way.
At the very least, he'd come to understand it was a problem he couldn't force no matter how eagerly he tried.
"If I had to put it into words, it might be closest to how I feel around Crusch-san."
"Our relationship?"
Crusch tilted her head curiously at Subaru's absent murmuring, a hand on her chin.
Of course, she too was wearing a yukata—having been part of the women's bath. The feminine curves that had been hidden during her usual masculine attire were clearly asserting their presence through the thin fabric.
With her beauty preserved but her usual severity stripped away, Crusch now looked more like a defenseless young lady—and even in the yukata that Ferris had properly helped her put on, she somehow looked alluring.
Meeting Crusch's even more innocent gaze, Subaru rubbed his upper lip with a finger.
"Yeah. Ferris is also incredibly attached to Crusch-san, but when it comes to the romantic feelings between men and women, she actually holds back depending on who the other person is. The conditions are a little different from me, who started out with ulterior motives, but the way we each approach someone we like has its similarities, I think."
"Oh my. Hearing you say that makes me blush. Hehe. Right, Ferris?"
"Ferris is fully loaded with ulterior motives toward Crusch-sama, nya."
"—"
For a single instant, Ferris's declaration froze the air in the tatami room.
Crusch's expression locked in place exactly as it had been during her smile just moments before, and Ferris stared at her with a beaming grin. Incidentally, Ferris's outfit had also been changed into a yukata at some point, and she looked no less attractive than the rest of the women—which was frankly irritating.
But there were more pressing matters at hand.
"I'm sorry for exposing a secret you didn't want out there. Alright, why don't we get dinner started—"
"Don't you dare blow that bomb up and then try to run away!"
As Subaru moved to have the food brought in, a teary-eyed Crusch grabbed onto him.
It may have come as a bolt from the blue, but Subaru hadn't wanted to find that unexploded ordnance either. As Subaru's gaze drifted around the room, searching for help— "Ferris. You really shouldn't startle Crusch-sama like that. Your mean streak has been even more pronounced lately than before."
The one who spoke up and completely shifted the atmosphere of the room was Wilhelm—who had been silent until then.
The old man was the only male present wearing a yukata, matching the women's timing for the bath. He radiated the same overwhelming aura of Japanese composure he'd exuded while sitting in seiza, now harmonizing perfectly with his yukata attire.
If only he'd had a katana resting at his side, the picture would have been complete.
"Oh my, even Grandpa Wilhelm is gonna go and say something like that, nya?"
"Admiration, affection, romantic love. For any master and servant gathered here, it is only natural to harbor fond feelings toward one another. To deliberately conceal one's true intentions with the aim of causing confusion—that is childish without being endearing. If you won't reflect on it, I may have to speak a bit more sternly, you know?"
"Hmmm, nya. You're so harsh, I'm giving up, nya."
Ferris pouted her lips in defeat at Wilhelm's weighty lecture.
He then leaned over to the troubled Crusch's shoulder.
"There's no need to be so wary, nya. It was obviously just a joke, nya. If Ferris here really were harboring serious ulterior motives toward Crusch-sama, all sorts of problems would arise and become quite troublesome, nya."
"R-Right. Phew, you startled me. I've been having trouble using my blessing properly lately, so I thought I might have been misreading all of Ferris's various feelings..."
"That's... not the case at all."
Crusch let out a sigh of relief, but Subaru caught a fleeting emotion pass through Ferris's eyes as she looked at Crusch—something that bothered him.
That complex feeling might have been a glimpse of the hesitation Ferris normally never showed.
Over this past year, Ferris was no different from Subaru in having been unable to fulfill the recovery of their master.
During that time, Ferris must have suffered and agonized just as Subaru had—and yet had still been forced to support a master whose memories had been stripped away.
"The dinner preparations are complete. Shall we bring everything in?"
Just as the conversation reached a natural lull, an inn staff member called out. Joshua, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, gave the go-ahead, and dish after dish was carried in by the inn's workers.
Everyone stared at the food being lined up along the long table with uniform surprise.
However, the nature of that surprise was, once again, different between Subaru and the rest.
The others were astonished by dishes and cooking methods they had never seen before. Subaru's surprise was of an entirely different variety—seeing things he recognized in the most unexpected of places.
Since there was no ocean in this world, there was no surprise of familiar fish served sashimi-style—yet even so, the impact of a raw sashimi platter did not spare Subaru.
"You can eat this just as it is?"
"It's not a custom here, is it? This kind of dish is something you can only experience near the Water Hemming Inn. They put it on the menu as one of their signature dishes, after all."
The unusual cuisine didn't stop at sashimi—numerous other dishes resembling Japanese fare were lined up as well. While everyone else hesitated, Anastasia was the first to reach for the food—though Subaru moved even before her.
He dipped the mysterious fish sashimi into a condiment similar to soy sauce and popped it into his mouth.
Beside him, Emilia and Beatrice both let out a small "Ah!" simultaneously, but it was nothing consequential. He'd only thought to worry about parasites after eating, but in an inn of this caliber, there was no chance of that being overlooked—especially given today's clientele and their host's attention to detail.
In short, all Subaru had to do was savor the flavor.
"Delicious! Ah, real sashimi—just like I remember! This is incredible! You really treated me to something amazing!"
"It's... tasty?"
"Tasty doesn't even begin to cover it—this is exquisite. Maybe it's because it's so fresh, but even by the standards of my old world, this ranks among the best. If I had some sushi vinegar and rice here, I'd show you guys what my Edomae nigiri skills looked like after all that practice back in the day."
"Sorry. I have no idea what you're saying. But, okay. So it's delicious."
Most of Subaru's rapid-fire rant sailed over Emilia's head, but she tried mimicking him—dipping her sashimi into the soy sauce-like condiment and eating it. Immediately, her purple eyes went wide and she pumped her fist happily with a cheerful "Mmm!"
Watching the genuine reaction between master and knight, the others one by one began helping themselves to the food.
Anastasia was the only one who seemed slightly miffed at being upstaged, but the reactions from Subaru and Emilia were so endearingly sincere that her expression softened naturally, and she murmured "Well, I guess there's no helping it" as she started on her own meal.
There were a few anxious absentees, and the dinner was attended by those with complicated expressions—but even so, every participant managed to enjoy the evening in a spirit of warmth and harmony.
—On this night alone, it was as though the moon, the world itself, had granted them a reprieve, allowing a peaceful time to unfold.