Re: Living Life in Another World As A Cheat Item
Chapter 1: Chapter One: First day, zero loops
Chapter Text
Subaru opened his eyes to a sky too blue to be real. The sun was hot on his face, and the air was thick with unfamiliar smellsâdirt, spices, sweat, and something sweet. He blinked rapidly, standing as the world around is suddenly changed from the one he knew.Â
âHuh...?â
He rubbed his eyes and looked around him, and then down. His tracksuit was still there. Convenience store bag in one hand. But everything else was wrong. The architecture, the sounds of horse hooves on cobblestones, the general absence of... modernity.
This stuff obviously isnât fake, so that meansâŚI'm in another world, he thought blankly.
Then he grinned.
âAha! I knew this would happen eventually. Who else but me, right?â
That was when he noticed the staff.
Long. Metallic. Smooth, with a golden circle on top of a golden sphere. Unlike anything he recognized. It lay on the ground right next to him, catching the sunlight like it was waiting for someone.
âDid I drop this?â he muttered, crouching beside it. âNo way... this is, like, fantasy gear. A drop item?â
He picked it up.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the shaft, a pulse of somethingânot quite sound, not quite thoughtâran through him.
And somewhere deep inside the staff, Alex Henderson awoke.
New bond detected.Magical interface stabilizing...Recalibrating linguistic context: Lugnica dialect detected. Adjusting.
Alexâs POV:
I didnât have eyes, a voice, or even a proper sense of time. But I knew Subaru Natsuki was holding me somehow. How did I know that? But alsoâŚ
I could feel the immense amount of mana flowing through me. But it felt.. contained somehow. I also feel a faint link between me and Subaru. Itâs almost like a contract.
But how and when did that happen? He has so much magic that he instinctively feels how natural it is to him. Was I no longer human? Then a new thought hit me.Â
What the hell? Did I get sent to another world as a cheat item? For Subaru? This couldnât be Satella, could it?
I need to try to speak to Subaru through our shared connection.Â
â Hey! Hello! Can you hear me, Subaru?â I screamed in his mind.
Subaru paused midstep as if he heard me, but then shrugged and continued walking.
â...Okay, maybe Iâm hearing things,â Subaru muttered. To Subaru, the staff felt almost... anxious? Or maybe that was just his imagination.Â
  If I could facepalm, I would.Â
Unfortunately, I couldnât do that, so I have to try again. I could feel our connection, so maybe I could try talking to Subaru again. Like maybe talk him into not getting murdered. I donât even know how return by death works. Shit, maybe I should had read the web novel like my friend suggested.Â
Third Person POV:
Subaru surveys his surroundings, blinking at the sudden brightness of the main street. Crowds bustled past. Beastmen barked deals. A massive lizard cart rolled by, loaded with crates of vegetables.
âThere really is a fantasy world,â Subaru says to himself as he stares at his surroundings. âWith typical medieval-style culture. And it seems like demihumans are common here. Wow, Iâm really here.âÂ
Suddenly, Subaru hears the scream of a child. Â
Thatâs when he saw it: a small boy lying in the middle of the street, near a bag of dropped fruit. The lizard-drawn cart wasnât stopping.
Subaru froze.
So did the world.
âUse the staff! Say a spell to save that kid!â Screamed a voice in Subaruâs head.
And then, without thinkingâwithout even knowing whyâSubaru raised the staff like a pointer and shouted: Â
â Push! â
A burst of air exploded from the staffâs tip. Not enough to hurtâbut enough to knock the child back into safety. The cart rattled past, the driver shouting, but the kid was unharmed.
Subaru stared at the staff in awe.
ââŚDid I just use magic?â
Alexâs POV:
Inside the staff, I sighed. I didnât think it would work, but apparently I can influence Subaru just a little. I tried sending out my thoughts again, hoping Subaru would take the hint.
Subaru wonât be able to use that spell again.Â
Those are the instincts that told me this, and I have a good idea about what I am now.Â
The Staff of One.Â
The same staff that Nico Minrou uses in the comics, the TV show, and even the game. But which version of it was I? Iâm powering the staff somehow, and Subaru didnât use blood (gross) to summon me.Â
I sighed internally. At least Iâm not useless. Donât want Subaru just tossing me away. But Subaru can only use the same spell once. Heâs going to have to be creative.Â
Why do I have the same limits as the real Staff of One? I tried remembering details from the comics, but I didnât have much to go on. Iâm just glad that there's no blood involved; we donât support self-harm in this house.Â
I need to figure out how to keep Subaru and, by extension, me alive. Subaru did not think things through during his first day. And he heavily relied on the kindness of others, making him susceptible to manipulation.Â
Hmm, maybe if he were depending on meâŚ
Third Personâs POV:Â Â
The crowd cheered for Subaru as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.Â
The boy scurried back to his mother, who gave Subaru a grateful look before vanishing into the bustling foot traffic. The lizard cart clattered into the distance, its driver still muttering about reckless kids and inattentive parents.
Subaru stood there, staff still extended.
His hand was shaking with excitement.
âI definitely said Push ,â he whispered. âAnd something definitely happened.â
Apparently, the metal staffâhis staff now hummed faintly in his grip, almost like a cat purring. That strange warmth pulsed along his palm again. It wasnât a normal weapon. It wasnât even like the magic wands in games or anime. It felt aware .
âOkay,â Subaru said, grinning nervously. âGuess that makes me a mage now. Sweet. This must be my starter gear.â
Alex felt almost offended. âStarter gear my ass! Iâm a cheat item! CheatâŚwait, what the hell am I talking about! I donât want to be a cheat item, damnit!â Alex thought furiously.Â
Subaru doesnât hear him. Subaru glanced around to see if anyone had noticed his little outburst earlier. No one had. Good.
With a new spring in his stepâand some light panic bubbling beneath his bravadoâhe held the staff closer to him and wandered deeper into the market.Â
âRight. I just need to find someone who looks like a quest-giver,â he muttered. âOr a guild. Or an elf girl. Yeah. Definitely looking for an elf girl.â
Alex listened in silence. âI feel bad for saying this, but no wonder this guy died so often. Heâs walking like he doesnât have a care in the world. Where is the sense of urgency?âÂ
Subaruâs stomach growled. Loudly.
It had been some time since he "arrived," and his bravado had drained faster than his energy. He wandered toward a food stall anyway. âSome kind of apple?â Thought Subaru. âBut I canât even read the signâŚhow much is it?â Subaru mutters to himself.Â
âHey, boy! Thatâs some strange clothes youâre wearing, are you a traveler?â the vendor barked.
 âWhat's this thing called?â Subaru asked curiously.Â
âAppa!â the older man answered with energy.
âSubaru doesnât have any money,â Thought Alex. âBut I wonderâŚâÂ
Alex concentrated as hard as he could till he felt a spark. Unknown to Subaru, Alex changes the currency in Subaruâs pocket to match the currency of this world.Â
Subaru pulls his money out of his pocket and notices something different about it. âWhat? This isnât yenâŚdid whatever brought me here also give me starter coins? Letâs see hereâŚsix coppers? Six silvers?â Subaru said to himself.Â
Subaru holds his hands out to the vendor? âIs this enough?âÂ
The vendor took one glance at the money in Subaruâs hand and chuckled. âThatâs more than enough, Friend!Â
The vendor took a few coppers from Subaru and gave him two appas.Â
âYou better be thankful I intervine or he would had kick your butt to the curb.â Said a voice
Subaru blinked, then looked around. Did someone say something to him just now? âThatâs crazy, I could have sworn I heard a kidâs voice just now,â Subaru says to himself.Â
âKid! Youâre not that much older than me! Wait, so you can hear me.â The voice says again.Â
Subaru froze and slowly turned his head towards the staff. âDonât tell me..âÂ
âThatâs right, genius, Iâm the one thatâs talking to you, my name isâŚIâm the staff of one. Iâm basically your cheat item in this messed-up world.â The staff of one said.Â
âCheat item? How are you a cheat item? And why are you explaining this and not the beautiful maiden who summoned me?â Subaru asked curiosity.Â
âThatâs your biggest concern? Jesus, do you only think with your dick? Hellooo, youâre in a whole other world with no resources, no place to stay, no allies, no plan. Shouldnât you be thinking about you?â The Staff lectured.Â
Subaru smirked. âI got a talking magic stick, I wouldnât say Iâm completely helpless.âÂ
The staff snorted mentally. âTouche, track suit.âÂ
âSo you donât have a name? You still havenât told me what kind of cheat item you are? Unless talking is the cheat?â Subaru tried to guess.Â
âCall me whatever you want, and basically, you can use me to cast any spell imaginable. Iâm basically doing all the heavy lifting, but you call the shots. Iâm tied to you, so you better take good care of me.â Explain the staff.Â
âHmm, Iâm going call youâŚRigel,â Subaru says as he snaps his fingers. âDo you like that, Rigel?â Â
The Staff, now named Rigel by Subaru, was silent for a few seconds before answering. âYouâre such a nerd, but sure, I donât mind that name. Iâm Rigel from now on. As for how Iâm a cheatâŚbasically, this worldâs magic system is very limited for you right now, thanks to your Od and gate. Your Od isâŚhow can I explain thisâŚâ
âRight so your Od is like the water tank inside your house. It holds your personal supply. The size of this tank is set when the house is built. Your Gate is like the pipe connecting your house to the city's water main . It's what allows you to draw water from the main supply into your tank or directly to your faucets.â
âSo, you need both: a Gate to get the mana (water) from the world, and an Od to store and utilize that mana (water) for magic (or life). Your Od is very small so youâre going to be able to do expensive magic with it. And you donât know how to use your gate, so I wouldnât recommend you try without a teacher; otherwise, youâll end up damaging your gate and dying due to mana poisoning,â Rigel explained very carefully.Â
âI donât have that issue. Instead of using your Od, youâll use me as an external force for you. My manaâŚletâs just say that I donât follow the same rules as other magic users from this world.â Rigel finished.Â
Subaru nods his head as he follows along. âI get what youâre saying Rigel-Sensei but man that means youâre basically busted.â
â..........â
â...........â
âHUUUH?!? NO WONDER YOUâRE A CHEAT ITEM! IS IT REALLY OKAY FOR ME TO HAVE YOU? I MEAN NOT THAT IâM COMPLAININGâŚâ Subaru shouted to Rigel.
âKeep your voice down, you idiot! Iâm not that op, there certain rules I canât overcome. For you, when youâre using me to cast spells, you canât say the same spell twice. Youâre going have to be very creative in your wording. I donât know why this rule was place on you but I know itâs there. I canât bring back the dead and I canât do major spells without you. I can do minor things like giving you money that matches this world,â Rigel tells Subaru.
âOooh, so that was you! I was wondering where those coins came from. Wow, you really saved my bacon there, Sensei,â Subaru said with gratitude. âBut I canât say the same spell twice? That sucks, I guess not buttom mashing for me then.âÂ
âItâs not all bad, youâre not bound by this worldâs magic system, so youâll be able to use spells the mages of this world canât use,â Rigel said, trying to cheer Subaru up.Â
âHuh, so I have an advantage over the magic users hereâŚthatâs good to know. So, do you know why we were summoned to this world? Is it to defeat the demon king?â Subaru asked excitedly.Â
âThere's no such thing as a demon king here, so donât go asking people that unless you wanna look stupid,â Rigel paused as if he was considering telling Subaru something. âAlthough there is someone as bad as a demon king would be. The witch of envy, Satella. Sheâs a silver-haired half-elf, they say she destroyed half the world before being sealed by a group of heroes.âÂ
Subaru was stunt. âHalf the world?!? And sheâs a witch?âÂ
Rigel mentally nodded. âThe closest thing to a demon king is her for sure. There is also the witches' cult, theyâre a bunch of insane fanatics who think they serve the witch of envy. Theyâre trying to find a way to break the seal, but I doubt they will be able to do so. Theyâre still extremely dangerous, though, so I would watch out for them.âÂ
Subaru clenched the staff as his anxiety rose a little. âOkay, avoid insane witch cultist, got it. What should I do now, Sensei? I have so many questions.âÂ
â........âÂ
âWe should try to find lodging and then plan out our next move. You still have three silver coins, thatâs enough for three nights,â Rigel explained.Â
â...Uh, do you know where an Inn is, Sensei?â Subaru asked.Â
â.......â
â......â
âHuh? You donât know where it is?â Subaru asked in disbelief.Â
âShut up! Itâs my first time here, too, genius! Do I have to do everything for you? Just pick a direction and start walking!â Rigel barked.Â
âSheesh, I was only asking, just how old are you anyway, Sensei?â Subaru asked curiously.Â
â....compare to a human, Iâm fourteen years old,â Rigel admitted.Â
âHuh! Iâm older than you! Oooh so thatâs why you sound like a kid. I did think you were a girl before..â Subaru told him.Â
âThat would probably make your perverted mind explode. Is this going to be an issue?â Rigel said as he mentally crossed his arms.Â
âOi! I resent that! But nah, weâre cool. But youâre not a Sensei, youâre more of a Rigel-kun.â Subaru teased.Â
âI still knoâyou know what? Iâm ignoring you.â Rigel huffed.Â
âAwww, come on, Rigel-kun, donât be angry.â Subaru teased again.Â
Silence was his response.Â
âSheesh, I wonder if I was that moody at that age,â Subaru said to himself as he kept walking. At least he has gotten some answers out of this exchange. And heâs a special mage compared to the others? Sweet.Â
Subaru wandered around for a long time after that. There might have been a few instances where he couldnât read the signs out front and got in trouble for it. Like going into the womenâs bathroom by accident. He didnât blame that cat lady for smacking him into next week.Â
Or when he wandered into that demihuman bar that was only for demihumans. But certainly wasnât his fault when that asshole pushed him out and fell of the ledge. Subaru sat depressed and wet in an alley.Â
âWhy is this so hard? Whereâs my big protagonist moment, huh?!?â Subaru yelled, shaking his fist.Â
â....Why didnât you just ask someone for directions? I stayed quiet because I wanted to see what you would do, but that was just sad,â Rigel couldnât help but comment.Â
A tick mark on Subaruâs head. âWell, you werenât any help either! Cheat item my ass!âÂ
âHa! Can I really be a cheat item with someone as dumb as you for a user? Kiss my ass, Subaru!â Rigel snarked.Â
Subaru gasped. âYou kiss your mother with that mouth? And where do you learn that kind of language? Thatâs it, no more late-night TV for you, mister.âÂ
Rigel groaned. âHonestlyâŚâ Rigel sighed. âOkay, youâre right, Subaru, I should have spoken up earlier when I saw you were struggling. Iâm sorry.âÂ
Subaru looked at the staff in surprise. âWhoa, Rigel-kunâŚitâs fine, itâs my fault for not asking for help in the first place. So donât worry about it, okay?â
âIâŚSubaru, in front of you!â Rigel shouted telepathically.Â
Subaru snapped to attention as three thugs came strolling up to him. A shorty with an ugly bowl cut, an ugly tall fat man with two braids, and what seems to be a leader who likes an edgy escape prisoner wearing a dog collar.Â
âWhat are you babbling about over there by yourself?â Shorty asked. The leader stepped forward. âWho cares about that, aye! Scary eyes! If you donât wanna get hurt, cough up everything you got! You can keep the ugly piece of junk, though,â the leader said, smirking.Â
Rigel was confused. âWhat ugly piece ofâŚI KNOW he doesnât mean me? Is he talking about me? Subaru asks him!â Rigel demanded.Â
Subaru stared at the three of them warily before he registered that Rigel was talking to him. âUh, this might be an odd question butâ
A golden-haired girl came speeding towards them. âMove it. Move it! Move it! Get out of my way!â She screamed.Â
The group watched her, bewildered, while Subaru gasped. âRigel, is that the cute girl that summoned me?!âÂ
If Rigel had eyes, he would stare at Subaru in disbelief. âWhat?!â Rigel asked.Â
The girl slowed down to a stop as she tried to process what Subaru said. âEh? Summon? I dunno what youâre talking about, but Iâm busy. Sorry. Live Strong!â She does a salute and makes a turn at the corner.Â
Everyone watches her leave in silence.Â
âSubaruâŚyouâre an idiot.â Rigel decided.Â
Subaru slowly turned back to back to the three thugs. âUh, did seeing that make you feel less hostile by any chance?â Subaru laughed nervously.Â
Rigel facepalm mentally.Â
The three thugs exchange looks before the big thug cracks his knuckles and steps forward menacingly.Â
âJust use me already you moron!â Rigel shouted telepathically.Â
Subaru screamed, using Rigel with both hands, swung with all his might, and clubbed the big thug across the face in a surprised attack. He then spun midway and did a roundhouse kick the short thug in the face, sending him flying to the ground.Â
âWhoa! I didnât think that would work, but okay, Iâm all fired up!â Subaru shouted excitedly.Â
Subaru charges at the final thug with Rigel in one hand. The thug gets ready and pulls out dual blades and licks his lips.Â
Subaru aims Rigel at him. âKnock him out!â Â
A dark ball of energy bursts out of the tip of the Staff and slams right into the thug and knocking him unconscious.Â
The other two thugs' eyes widened as they saw their boss unconscious.Â
âHeâs a mage?!â The shorter one shouted.Â
Subaru points Rigel at them. âYup! Now leave me the hell alone! Unless you wanna spend the rest of your life as a frog!âÂ
The two thugs exchange uneasy looks before they run towards their boss, and the big guy slings him over his shoulder. âWeâre not going to forget this!âÂ
Subaru aims at the ground by their feet. âFireball.âÂ
The thugs jump back as a small explosion erupts at their feet, and Subaru glares at them menacingly.Â
âScam!â Subaru growled as the thugs scurried away from him. Subaru pumps his fist. âYoshi! I won my first battle in another world! Alright, Subaru!âÂ
Rigel coughed (telepathically, obviously).Â
Subaru rolled his eyes playfully. â Yeah, yeah, did a great job too, Rigel.âÂ
âUm, excuse me?â Said a feminine voice.Â
Subaru blinked as he registered the beauty right in front of him. Subaru blushed as the silver-haired half stared at him with a serious expression.Â
Rigelâs POV:Â Â
Ah hell. Emilia has entered the chat. I thought about the pros and the cons of dealing with someone like her. The rational part of me wants to tell Subaru to steer clear of her, but I donât know how I should tell him, and if he would even listen.Â
âO-oh. Yes? Can I help you with something?â Subaru asked, trying to play it cool. But I could tell through our link that heâs smitten with her already. Wow. Silver-haired elves must really be his type.Â
Emilia strolled up to him and then stared at him face to face. Subaru blushed and averted his eyes.Â
âAha! You averted your eyes because you have a guilty conscience. Looks like my judgment is spot on.â Emilia says to herself.Â
âI donât know, Lia, seems to me it was instinctive male reaction. I didnât sense any malice at all.â Says Puck,Â
Being around him makes me feel uneasy, just knowing exactly what he is. The Beast of the end. Heâs utterly ruthless when it comes to Emilia.Â
âSubaru, be careful, that cat has a nasty presence to him. Donât let his appearance fool you, but thatâs a great spirit. There are only four great spirits in the world, and thatâs one of them. Puck, the beast of the end,â IÂ said to him telepathically.Â
âThe bââ Subaru started to say before I interrupted him. âBe quiet, you idiot, before you get yourself killed!âÂ
Subaru shuts right up. âIâll speak with you telepathically, so if you have any questions, just think them,â I explained to him.Â
Subaru doesnât nod, but I could feel his agreement through our link. â That little cat is that dangerous?âÂ
I nodded (mentally). âYup, so donât piss it off or they wonât find whatâs left of you. Anyway, seems that this girl is a spirit arts user, we donât know what she wants, so be on your guard.âÂ
Subaru swallowed nervously.Â
Emilia, seeing his sudden shift in demeanor, narrowed her eyes at him. She turns to Puck beside her. âYou be quiet, Puck.âÂ
She didnât see Subaruâs eyes widen when she said Puckâs name.Â
Subaru laughed nervously. âPardon me, but do you want something?âÂ
Emilia turns back to him. âI have some questions for you. You know who stole my insignia, donât you?âÂ
Subaruâs mouth dropped. âMe? I donât know anything about any insignia. This is my first day in the city, I was just looking for a place to stay. Sorry, but I donât have the slightest idea about what youâre talking about.âÂ
Emilia scans his face for any deception before finally faltering. âWhat? Wait, it canât be. Did I really just come around the long way?â Emilia looks around for any sign of Felt.Â
Jesus, if I didnât know any better, Iâll say sheâs almost as clueless as Subaru.Â
Subaru snorted. âWell, you better get going, miss, if you wanna catch up to her.âÂ
Emilia sighs. âI see, thank you for your cooperation.â Emilia turns to leave alongside Puck.Â
Damn it. If Emilia leaves and goes to the loot house by herselfâŚ
âYou should help her out, Subaru. She seems to be some kind of noble; helping her could be the next step in forming important connections in this world,â I tell him telepathically.Â
âReally? You seemed wary of them a few seconds ago?â Subaru asked, puzzled.Â
âIâm not saying donât be cautious, Iâm just saying you can use this to your advantage. Just donât hit on her. Weâre not in a time where people have modern views, disrespecting a noble can get you killed. Youâre not in a video game, so your actions and words have real-life consequences, understand?â I told him sternly.Â
Emilia paused and turned to Subaru. âHm? Did you say something?âÂ
Subaru jumped, almost forgetting that she could still hear him. âYeah, if you donât mind, but I would like to help you find yourâŚInsignia?âÂ
Emilia looked at him suspiciously.Â
Subaru waved his hand. âI mean not for free, Iâm new here and donât know much about... this kingdom. How about this? Iâll help you in exchange for information? How does that sound?âÂ
Emilia still looked at him suspiciously, before nodding her head. âWhat do you think, Puck?âÂ
Puck floats next to her. âHeâs not lying, and I donât sense any malicious intent. Iâll say take his offer, he could make for a perfect meat shield if you run into trouble.âÂ
âPuck!â Emilia scolded. âIn any case, Iâll accept the terms of the agreement. Iâm a Spirits Arts user, and we take our word very seriously.âÂ
Emilia crosses her arms. âEven so, you already told me you donât know anything. How do you expect to help meâŚâ Emilia trailed off as she realized she didnât know Subaruâs name.Â
Subaru stared at her questioningly before catching on. âItâs Subaru, Subaru Natsuki. And you are?âÂ
Emilia gave him a look. âIâm..Satella. Just Satella, I donât have a family name.âÂ
â.........â
â...........â
Subaru looked at her in sympathy. âLike the witch of envy?! Iâm so sorry, you must have it rough. Still, do your parents hate you that much? Ah! Iâm sorry! Thatâs none of my business.âÂ
Emilia blushed while Puck gave her a disapproving look. âYou have terrible taste.â Puck muttered.Â
 âItâs fine, Subaru. Now, please, tell us your plan on how to find the culprit.â Emilia says quickly.Â
Subaru blinked. âOh, right..â Subaru glanced at me. âRigel-kun, could you perhapsâŚ?â Subaru asked me telepathically.Â
I sent him a wave of approval. âNice, it seems youâre not a complete idiot, Subaru. Just say the words and I find her easily.â I told him telepathically.Â
Subaru points me to the sky. âTake us to the thief.âÂ
Short and simple, and it gives me a lot of wiggle room on how to proceed with the spell. Felt busy running around the kingdom to get Emilia off her scent. So why not just send them to her destination? Â
I warp the space around Subaru, Emilia, and Puck, and take them straight near the loot house.Â
Emilia and Puck looked around, astonished. âSubaru..was that Yin magic? And so advance tooâŚâ Emilia says in wonder.Â
Puck, however, narrowed his eyes at Subaru before smiling. âHo oooh, you just got even more interesting, Subaru. I didnât think you were capable of that kind of magic.âÂ
Subaru blushed and waved them off. âItâs nothing, anyway, letâs find your insigniaâhuh? I donât see that girl anywhereâŚcrap! Did I screw up the spell?âÂ
Emilia looked down in disappointment while Puck just kept looking around.Â
âCalm down, you didnât screw up anything, this is where that girl is heading to. Her destination happens to be right in front of us,â I inform Subaru.Â
Subaru looked around confused until he spotted Româs loot house. âYou mean that dangy place is her hideout?!â Subaru asked me telepathically.Â
Emilia notices Subaru staring at the loot house. âHuh? Is something wrong, Subaru? What are you staring at?âÂ
âOh. Itâs just..my spell brought us here ahead of the thief. I think we should check that place out and gather as much info on her as possible,â Subaru explained to her.Â
Puckâs ears perked up. âItâs funny you mention spells, Subaru. Just how did you manage to pull this off? It must have taken an astronomical amount of mana, and yet you donât seem winded at all.âÂ
Emilia turned to him, also curious.Â
Subaru looked at Puck in confusion. âWhat? Is it that strange? I mean, canât you do anything with magic?âÂ
Emilia sighs. âThough that may be true, normal mages canât do anything like this. You must have had an exceptional upbringing. Where did you say you were from again?â
Subaru opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off. âDonât answer that, this is the easternmost nation on the map. If you answer vaguely, youâll come off as suspicious. Just tell them itâs a long story and youâre trying to start over from zero.âÂ
Subaru nodded. âWell, thatâsâŚkind of a long story. Anyway, I donât like talking about my past. I came here to start over from zero. You wouldnât like it if I started digging up your past, would you?âÂ
Emilia looked like she was about to protest before stopping herself and reluctantly agreeing. âI suppose youâre right, it wouldnât be fair of us to ask.âÂ
I sigh in relief. Looking after Subaru is a lot of work, but in his defense, heâs ignorant about his whole situation, and he is just a regular kid like me. Even if he is older.Â
Subaru took the lead and knocked on Old Man Româs door.Â
âFor a rat?â Asked a deep voice.Â
Subaru exchanges looks with Emilia. âUh..â
âItâs a password, genius, for a rat you kill poison,â I tell him quickly.   Â
âOh! Poison!â Subaru answers confidently.Â
âFor a white whale?â Asked the voice again.Â
Subaru thinks carefully. âA harpoon.â
âTo the noble dragon lord, we areâŚâÂ
âHuh? Iâm stumped, do you know the answer to that, Rigel?â Subaru asked me telepathically.Â
âShitbags.â
âShitbags?â Subaru repeated.Â
The door opened to reveal Rom, a bald giant, with an imposing figure. He towered over Subaru and Emilia. Rom looks them over with a discerning eye.Â
âAre you the buyer? Felt still isnât back yet, so Iâm afraid youâre going to have to wait.â Old man Rom grunted.Â
âThisâŚFelt? She wouldnât happen to be a short blonde girl with red eyes?â Asked Subaru.Â
Old man Rom looked at him suspiciously.Â
âTell him your employer sent you and that you never met her,â I told Subaru quickly.Â
âUh, I never met her, I only know what my employer told me. Iâm just making sure I have my facts straight.â Subaru laughed nervously.Â
Emilia opened her mouth, but Puck covered it before she could say something. She gives him a curious look, but Puck just shakes his head.Â
Good. At least one of you is thinking straight, I wouldnât want Emilia to blow our cover.Â
Old man Rom grunted. âWell? What are you standing here for? Come on in. The name is Rom, and I run the place.â Old man Rom steps aside and ushered everyone inside.Â
The inside of Old Man Rom's loot house looked pretty worn down. Dim light struggled through grime-streaked windows, illuminating precarious piles of goods: rusty swords, tarnished rings, and bizarre curiosities, each holding a silent, probably sordid, history. The very floorboards, warped and grimy, creaked with every step, a constant reminder of how long this place had endured, and how little it cared for appearances.
Old man Rom gets behind the bar and downs a cup of booze. âWhat can I get you two?â Rom asked after he was finished. âI donât have much, but do I keep some things for instances like this?âÂ
Subaru and Emilia take a seat at the bar. âIâll have some juice if you donât mind, Old man,â Subaru tells him cheerfully.Â
âHa! You donât want anything stronger than that boy? Youâre already an adult in the eyes of the nation. And you, little lady?â Rom asked as he turned his attention to Emilia. He hands Subaru the appropriate drink.Â
âWater will be fine, mister Rom,â Emilia tells him politely.Â
Rom poured her a cup and took notice of Puck floating next to her. âA Spirit Arts User, we donât see many of your kind around these parts. Felt must have snagged some very good loot if nobles like yourselves are looking to buy.âÂ
Subaru shakes his head. âNot me, I donât know about Satella, but Iâm from an oriââÂ
âSubaru, youâre making yourself sound suspicious again. No one is going to believe youâre not nobleâŚjust tell them your family were wealthy traveling merchants from kararagi but were killed by the white whale.â I ordered Subaru. â The white whale erases their victims from the memories of everyone in the world. It would be near impossible to prove youâre lying about like that, but itâs the best I could come up with.â
Rom and Emilia notice Subaru freeze midway through his explanation. âSubaru? Is something the matter?âÂ
Subaru rubbed the back of his head nervously. âSorry, itâs just thatâŚIâm from a wealthy merchant family from kararagi but lost my family due to the white whale. Thatâs why Iâm trying my new life here inâŚâ Subaru trails off as he realizes he doesnât know the name of the country heâs in.Â
âLugunica.â I helped supply.Â
âLugunica,â Subaru finishes.Â
Old man Rom put his drink down sombrely after that, and Emilia gasped. âOh, Subaru, is that whyâIâm so sorryâI didnât mean toâ Emilia says frantically.Â
Subaru cuts her off. âItâs fine, Satella, itâs not like I could remember my parents anyway. Canât really mourn what you donât remember.âÂ
I could tell his words struck a chord in Emilia, who doesnât remember her past at all.Â
Old man Rom shakes his head. âIâm sorry for your lost kid, but why are you calling her that awful name. Are you two not friends?âÂ
Subaru frowns. âWell, you see..âÂ
Emilia stands up abruptly. âA-ah, Subaru, can I speak to you in private for a minute?âÂ
Subaru exchanged confused looks with Rom, who shrugged his shoulders.Â
She pulls him with her forcefully and drags him to the corner.Â
Subaru looks at her in worry. âIs something wrong, Satella?â Subaru asks her in genuine concern.Â
Emilia fliches. âIâŚI..â Emilia trails off as she struggles with something internally.Â
âI just wanted to thank you for your help so far.â Emilia finishes weakly.Â
Subaru sighs with relief. âWhoa, you were scaring me there, Satella. I thought I tripped a flag and triggered a sudden side quest just now.âÂ
Emilia stares at him, puzzled. âSide Quest? Subaru, you dunderhead, you say the weirdest things.âÂ
Huh. Emilia was about to tell him her true identity just now, I wonder what stopped her? Then again, in the show, she originally didnât want to get involved with Subaru. Even with the royal selections. Honestly, Iâm kinda glad she didnât. Besides not wanting her and the others to die such a cruel death, I also want to prevent a loop.Â
Puck would surely kill everyone in the capital in a surprise attack, well, everyone but Reinhard, who could survive his initial attack.Â
âHuh? Who says âdunderheadâ in this day and age?â Subaru asked, confused.Â
What is a dunderhead anyway? Subaru says it like itâs an old word, but I donât think I heard of it outside the anime. Huh, maybe it is an old sayingâŚ
Subaru and Emila sit back down. âSorry, old man, itâs sort of like this..â Subaru explains the situation about Emiliaâs name, not knowing sheâs lying about her identity. Old man Rom gives her a sympathetic look, taking everything Subaru said at face value.Â
Emilia just squirms uncomfortably while Puck shakes his head at her.Â
âYouâre welcome to wait here, Felt should be back at any moment,â Old man Rom tells them again.Â
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
âSpeak of the devil,â Rom puts his face to the door.Â
âFor a rat?âÂ
âPoison.âÂ
âFor a white whale?âÂ
âA harpoon.âÂ
âTo the noble dragon lord, we are...âÂ
âShitbags.âÂ
Old man Rom opened the door and gave Felt a kind smile. âSorry to keep you waiting, Old Man Rom. My target was more persistent than I thougââ Felt says before she stops suddenly. She blinks once, twice, and then âEh. EEEHHH?!? How the hell did you beat me here?! I thought I lost you for good!â Felt demanded.Â
Old man Rom looks at her in confusion. âYou mean you donât know them? They knew who you were and the password. Is this not the buyer?âÂ
Felt turns to Rom in shock. âThey even knew the password? Even so, I'm not giving back what I stoleâuh, acquired from you. My client should be here soon, and theyâre paying ten holy coins for this baby. If you want it back, then youâre going to have to fork over enough holy coins for it.âÂ
Subaru crossed his arms and smirked at her. âNo problem, Satella here is loaded sââÂ
Emilia fidgets. âUh, actually, Subaru, I donât have any money on me.âÂ
Subaru slowly turns to her. âEh? Huh?! You mean youâve been walking around without any money this whole time?! I thought you were some kind of noble?â
I sighed. âItâs fine, Subaru, Iâll just summon twice the amount of holy coins as the buyer. Itâs within my capacity to do something like that without you, so you donât have to waste a spell. Besides, even powerful mages canât do something as simple as this without breaking the natural laws of this world. So donât go around telling people youâre capable of this. Youâre probablygoing to be arrested,â I tell him telepathically. âJust reach into your bag and it will be there.â Â
Subaru reaches into his convenience store plastic bag and pulls a small brown pouch that weighs in Subaruâs hand. Everyone gathered around Subaru in curiosity before as he unwrapped the poach and offered it to Old Man Rom. âUh, is this enough for the insignia?âÂ
Old man Rom inspects it carefully and counts the holy coins one by one. âNineteen, twenty, there are twenty holy coins here, yup, these are the real deal, Felt.â Felt grinned and looked at Subaru in excitement. âWhoa, youâre loaded, big bro, but Iâm afraid I canât give you the merchandise just yet. Youâre not the only one Iâm negotiating with, I still have to see what the buyer has to offer before I accept this.âÂ
As they were busy speaking, I began analyzing the insignia that Felt has on her. I begin analyzing Felt herself and Emilia alongside her. Looking for what connects the three of them and the divine dragon. Iâve been thinking about this for a while butâŚI havenât felt any kind of drain when either I or Subaru uses my magic.Â
And even then, I donât bend to the magic system of this work, so I canât be using the mana here. I tried feeling for an Od or gate too, but nothing. I have a theory that the world doesnât recognize me as a human being or even a spirit. Otherwise, it would try to impose the worldâs rules on me. No, it seems to me this world is rejecting the very idea of my existenceâŚjust like an Authority.Â
My powers are tied to something not from this world. And from what Iâve been able to do so far, breaking rules to the point of reality warpingâŚAnd yet Iâm still limited to the one spell rule and Subaru himself. I donât have enough to go on; thatâs something I will have to test with Subaru after we get ourselves out of this mess.Â
Anyway, I have a hunch that whatever my power source is, it allows me to make the impossible possible, even rewrite the rules. I shouldnât have been able to teleport us here or create holy coins, but I did.Â
Now Iâm about to do something very reckless and dangerous. I refuse to be in the hands of someone like Roswaal or Echidna. I canât trust Subaru not to be misled or tricked by either of them. Not to mention, my existence, along with my return by death, could lead to Subaru becoming corrupted. Heâs just a normal person, he canât handle the stress of dying over and over again.Â
No. Subaruâs happiness will become my main priority, along with figuring out my situation. Heâs my only ally, and Iâm almost useless without him. Hopefully my plan works and if it doesnâtâŚwell, Iâll just have to see if I return by death with Subaru.Â
Unknown to Subaru, I begin casting my spell.Â
Subaruâs POV:Â Â
Subaru could feel himself panicking on the inside. âCrap, what if the buyer shows up with more money? Do we make more? But I just handed them everything I got. What Should I do, Rigel? Rigel?â Subaru asks him telepathically.Â
But Rigel didnât respond to him. Subaru could still feel him, though. He thought their connection was his imagination at first. But gradually he has gotten used to Rigelâs presence in his mind. He could feel Rigel focusing on something. What? He doesnât know yet.Â
âThere's something I want to ask you, Felt was it? You said you already have a buyer? But you only just stole my insignia today, that means your client paid you to steal it from me,â Satella starts off. âI would like to meet them.âÂ
Subaru looks at her in surprise. âSheâs wearing such a serious expression, I wonder why this thing is so important to her.â Subaru thinks to himself.Â
Felt nodded to Satella. âDonât worry, negotiations will be held here. If a little thing like me dealt with them alone. Iâd be sunk if a client decided to bilk me. But with old man Rom here, I donât have to worry.âÂ
Subaru glances at Old Man Rom, he does look intimidating to Subaru.Â
âSUBARU USE A SHIELD! QUICK!â Rigel shouted in Subaruâs head. Subaru doesnât know whatâs going on, be feels Rigelâs intense fear. Â
Subaru jumps up and yells with all his might. âShield!âÂ
A magic blue barrier forms around the group as an assailant tries to stab Satella in the back. The bounces harmlessly off the shield as it fades away.
Felt and Old Man Rom jump up, and Old Man Rom grabs his club.Â
âMy, My, Iâve never seen that spell before, do you happen to be a mage, little boy? I canât wait to see what your insides look like.â Said the strange woman in a revealing purple outfit as she licked her lips.Â
The group froze as they tried to make sense of her words. âHey now! Whatâs the big idea? Just what do you think youâre doing!â Felt demanded.Â
âWe canât really enter negotiations if the itemâs original owner is here now, can we? And because of that I change my plans, Iâm going to slaugher every last one of you. You failed to see your job through to the end. You certainly talk a good game, but honestly, you do terrible work. I was hoping you were more than just a common rat, but I guess I was wrong.â The woman taunted Felt.Â
âWho the hell is that?â Subaru asked Rigel frantically. âAnd why is she trying to kill us?â Â
âThatâs Elsa the Bowel Hunter. Sheâs an assassin with a regeneration ability. Physically, she outmatches everyone here. Donât let your guard down.â Rigel warns him.Â
Subaru aims Rigel at Elsa. âSince she has regeneration, that means I donât have to hold back.â Subaru thinks to himself.Â
âCannonball.â
A cannonball materializes at the tip of the staff and fires itself at Elsa at high speed. Boom! Elsa swiftly dodges it while charging at Subaru with her large knives. Subaru panics, but Satella shields him with aâŚis that an Ice Shield?
Old Man Rom roared as he jumped up and slammed his club down on Elsa, but she flipped backwards and dodged him. They start engaging and melee combat, and Elsa overwhelms him with her speed.Â
â Sheâs too fast for him, youâre going to have to bind her and give Puck enough time to finish her off. Youâre too inexperienced with this kind of fight, so weâre going to play support for the others.â Rigel advises Subaru.Â
Subaru nodded and aimed his staff again. âBind her.âÂ
Chains erupted from the ground around Elsa and quickly tightened around her body and bound her to the floor. âOh my, what is this? Youâre beginning to look interesting.â Elsa says sweetly.
âReally? Because I gotta say Iâm just not that into you! Get her Puck!â Screamed Subaru, as he pointed to Elsa dramatically.Â
âNice work, Subaru. I try not to get violent with women, but as you just tried to kill my dearling daughter, I have no choice but to send you to your grave,â Puck says playfully. A barrage of ice spears appears around Puckâs small frame, and he launches them at Elsa. âSee you in the next life!âÂ
The Ice spears slammed into Elsa, picking up a lot of dust. The others shield their eyes from the dust storm.Â
âDid we get her?â Asked Old Man Rom warily.Â
âOi! Donât raise that flag, old man!â Subaru retorted.Â
A shadowy figure emerges quickly from the dust and charges straight towards Satella at high speed.Â
Satella gets into a defensive position as Puck launches more ice spears at Elsa with Satella assisting him.Â
 Subaru, Old man Rom, and Felt moved into the corner to stay of Satella way.Â
âPuck is going to run out of mana soon and disappear. Elsa is too fast for you guys to handle. But we have another fast person with us too, Subaru. Ask Felt to run out and get help.â Rigel advises him. âOtherwise, that lady is going to kill all of you,â Rigel says matter-of-factly.Â
A shiver ran down Subaruâs spine. Why was he even here in the first place? This doesnât even have anything to do with him. Why didnât he just go to an inn like they originally planned?Â
âYouâre really going to leave them to die?â Rigel asked, almost as if he was disappointed.Â
Subaruâs eyes widen, and he shakes his head. What is he thinking? Satella is fighting hard right now, He couldnât just leave her to die. Subaru grabs Feltâs shoulder. âFelt! Youâre the quickest one here. Do you think you can run out and get help?âÂ
Before she could answer, Satella was sent flying into the bar by a kick from Elsa.Â
Rom roared and charged at Elsa again. âGet going Felt!â With a powerful swing, Rom destroyed tables and chairs as he tries to take out Elsa. Rom lifts up his club real high only to realize Elsa had vanished. âHuh? Where did she?âÂ
âYouâre so strong I was about to stand on your club,â Said Elsa excitedly. âNow..â Elsa slices Româs shoulder to ribbons. Rom screams in pain and collapses. Elsa tries to kill him only for Felt to intercept her by throwing her blade. âLeave him alone!â Felt roared.Â
Elsa turns her gaze to Felt. âYou naughy girl. You could just stayed hidden in the corner.â Elsa strolls up to her with her kukri rised, ready to end Feltâs life.Â
Felt froze with fear.Â
Subaru swings Rigel with all his might. âHome run!â Elsa tried blocking him with her blades but the force of the spell sends her flying to the wall anyway. Â
 Felt looked at Subaru in shock. âYou saved me..â
Subaru shakes his head. âWe donât have time for that. Our group is clearly under level for our first boss. Youâre the quickest of us, Felt, if you donât want Old man Rom to die you gotta get helpâShit!âÂ
Elsa tries to slice Subaru from behind, only to be force to dodge Satellaâs barrage of ice spells.Â
âNice work Satella! Go now, Felt!â Subaru shouted. Felt nodded and made her escape. Â
Elsa pause in her attack. âSatella? Oh my, who knew I was in the presence of the witch of envy?â Elsa says mockingly.Â
Satella narrowed her eyes at her. âYouâre very unpleasant!â She wave her hands and unleash a barrages of ice attacks.Â
Subaru aim Rigel at Elsa, his mind racing about which spells to use. Heâs never been in a real life or death battle before. âGotta keep her in placeâŚno, got to slow her down for Satella.â Subaru says to himself.Â
âSlow down Elsa!âÂ
Elsa starts moving painfully slow to point that she was moving in slowmotion. She finally getâs nailed with one of Satellaâs ice attack and crashes to the floor.Â
Subaru and Satella stared at her wideeyed as her wounds healed themselves right in front of them.Â
Elsa glares at them with killing intent. âIâm beginning to become not amuse, letâs finish this shall we? I have a gutter rat to hunt down.âÂ
Subaru steps back in fear while Satella watched her uneasily. Elsa blurs as she bops around with her immense speed and targets Subaru first. Subaru couldnât keep track of her with eyes but Rigel auto blocks her attack. Still, the force of her blow knocks Subaru to the ground.
âThanks Rigel!â Subaru shouted.Â
âHow strange, Iâm sure you couldnât keep track of my attack and yet you were able to block me anyway. Just who are you I wonder,â Elsa asks him curiously. âI guess it doesnât matter, I have a job to do.â Â
Subaru groan as he got up. Elsa speeds behind only to dodge an attack from Satella. âTch, your attacks are beginning to bore me. You donât have anything else in that arsenal of yours?â Elsa asks mockingly.Â
Satella glares at her. âIf I fought seriously, I would be the only one standing.âÂ
âSo you canât go all out because of that boy and giant over there? What a pity. Let this be a lesson to you in your next life.â Elsa throws her blade with deadly accuracy.Â
âProtect her!â Subaru roared.Â
Elsaâs blade freezes in midair. Subaru sighs in relief before feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder. Subaru looks down to see his arm that was holding Rigel in his hand was on the floor.Â
âHuh? AAAAAHHâ Subaru screamed in pain.Â
âThere, I notice you only been casting spells with that staff of yours so I figure why not separate it from you.â Elsa purrs. âAnd I was right, It seems you are out of luck.â Elsa rise her blade.Â
âThatâs enough.â Ordered a voice from above. A figure crashes through the roof of the loot house and forces Elsa to jump back. âLooks like I was cutting it pretty close but I made it just in time.â A tall man with red hair stands protectively in front of Subaru.Â
Subaru grabs Rigel with his other hand while Satella came running to him. âSubaru! Here, let me at least try to stablize you.â Satella hands glow as a bubble of blue energy forms around Subaruâs wound.Â
Subaru looks at her shakely. âI donât suppose you can reattach that?âÂ
Satella shakes her head. âHealing arts arenât my specialty, but there is someone who could.âÂ
âSubaruâŚIâm sorry, Itâs my fault, I have neverâNo, even if this girl canât do it, I have the power to do it. Use me.â Rigel tells him seriously.Â
Subaru nods. âI can do it, Just put my arm back in place, can you do that for me?â Subaru asks Satella gently.Â
âBut howânevermind, I can do it, Subaru.â Satella reassures him. She places Subaru back in his socket while Subaru tighten his grap in the other arm.Â
âFix me.âÂ
His arm starts to stitch itself back to his body, steams rise up from it as he performs healing close to regeneration.Â
Tall red haired man glance at Subaru. âIncretible, Iâve never seen magic like that before, itâs far different than Felixâs healing magic. Please, you two step back for your own safely.âÂ
Subaru gave the man a skectical look before Satella takes his hand drags over to Rom. âDonât worry about him, Thatâs Reinhard, the Sword Saint, there no way someone like her could beat him. Letâs stay out of his way for now, Subaru.âÂ
Subaru eyes widen as he saw Rom was still breathing. Satella immedaity get to work on him. âItâs not too late, I can heal him too.â Satella decides. Subaru looked at her in confusion before he turns his attention to the sound of a boom.Â
Reinhard took one powerful step that sends a shockwave throughout the Loot House, he speed blitz Elsa and kicks so hard her so hard that she had to use her blades to stop herself from slamming into the wall. âYouâre just as the rumor say, what fun opponents I have today.â Elsa purrs. âStill, you havenât pulled out that sword by your side. I would love to experience itâs legendary sharpness.âÂ
Subaru looks at her in disgust. âWhat the hell is wrong with her?âÂ
âSheâs biting more than she could chew but even if Reinhard wanted to draw the sword he canât. The Dragon Sword Reid can only be drawn when facing worthy opponents. Besides, thatâs overkill, even for someone like her.â Rigel explains to Subaru telepathically.Â
Reinhard picks up a nearby sword. âunforurnate for you, Reid has deem you unworthy. But Iâm sure this will have to satisfy you for now.âÂ
Elsa used her speed to try to confuse Reinhard and attacks any openings she thought she saw. Reinhard blocks and counters every one of her blows.Â
âAre you sure heâs going be okay, Rigel?â Subaru asks him telepathically.Â
âYes, donât worry, unfortunately he wonât be able to fight at full strength as long as EâSatella heals Rom.â Rigel answers him.Â
âWhat? Why not?â Subaru asks confused.Â
âBecause all the mana in the atmosphere would run away from her if he did. Thatâs why heâs holding back. Pay attention to Satella and let Reinhard know when itâs okay.â Said Rigel.Â
Subaru nods and turns to Satella. âHey, are you almost done yet? Reinhard holding back for your sake.âÂ
Satella nods as Româs wounds finally finish healing.Â
âHey! Weâre done over here, Reinhard! Donât hold back!â Subaru screamed at the top of his lungs.Â
Reinhard glances at them and got into a piercing position as mana begins flowing to his sword. âYou really Elsa? It ends here.âÂ
Elsa laughs manically and charges straight to Reinhard. âThis is the most fun I had in quite awhile! Donât hold back, Reinhard dear.âÂ
Reinhard finishes gathering mana and with one swing of his sword destroys half the Loot House in a explosion. The shockwave pushes Subaru and Satella to the wall.Â
Subaru looks around him, stunt, as more than half the loot house is gone and Elsa nowhere in sight. âWhat kind of monster are you?! Thereâs practically nothing left!âÂ
Reinhard chuckles. âYouâre going end up hurting my feelings, dear sir.â He looks down as the sword in his hand detorites. âIâm sorry I asked too much of you.âÂ
Subaru rubs the back of his head. âThis has been the most strange night of my life. But at least everything ended up okay. Still, I canât believe he did all that with one swing of his sword. There not even a body left..âÂ
âIs it all over now?â Asked a weak Satella. She stumbles and Subaru catches her. âWhoa, easy there, you must had use a lot of your power if youâre this tired. HeyâŚwhereâs your little friend, Puck? Actually, now that I think about it, I havenât seen him for the rest of the battle. Donât tell me..â Subaru trails off.Â
Satella shakes her head. âItâs after five now, I could only use Puck during the day. Heâs still with me but was unable to help.âÂ
âOooh, well, thatâs a relief.â Subaru turns to Reinhard. âThanks for your help back there, who knows what could had happen if you didnât show up.âÂ
Reinhard smiled and pointed to the corner as Felt stepped from behind pillar. âYou owe all your thanks to this friend of yours. She was desperately running around screaming for help so I came here.âÂ
Satella pull up her guard again. âItâs her.â
Subaru quickly puts a hand up to stop her. âHang on, I know we had our issues but at the end of the day she helped saved us. She could had just escapeââÂ
Rigel flashes in his hand. âSubaru! Sheâs going straight for you!âÂ
Elsa knocks off the debris off her in rage and charges straight for Satella.Â
Subaru steps in front of her with Rigel pointed straight at Elsa. âGet lost.â
Elsa looks at him in surprise as she vanishes suddenly. Subaru relax his guard as he stares at the spot where Elsa disappeared. âUh, what just happen?â Subaru asks Rigel. âI was kinda expecting you to shoot a magic beam at her.âÂ
âAnd how was I suppose to know that what you meant?! You said get lost and thatâs what I did. Sheâs somewhere far away from here completely disoriented, I made sure of that. Be grateful youâre not dead,â Rigel snarked.Â
Reinhard and the others gather around Subaru. âWas that Yin magic? I never seen it before. Youâre one interesting person.â Asked Reinhard.Â
Satella stomps as she got right in Subaruâs face. âAre you crazy! That was far too reckless! She could had killed you!âÂ
Subaru laughs and scarch the back of his head. âItâs fine if it got a beautiful girl like you scolding me.âÂ
Satella blushed and turn away from him. âYouâre such a dunderhead, Subaru.âÂ
Felt looked at her strangely. âWhat an old way of speaking, you sound older than Old man Rom, big sis.âÂ
Satella faltered. âYou too?! Whatâs wrong with how I speak?â That got a laugh out of everyone. You wouldnât they were fighting for their lives awhile ago.âÂ
âStill, are you okay?â Satella checks him over for injuries.Â
Subaru glances at his arm and begins to move it again. âItâs good as new, although I donât want to feel pain like that for as long as I could live. Anyway, should you really worry about me right now? Donât you have something important to ask Felt?â Subaru said pointedly.Â
Felt give Satella a guilty look. âYeah, yeah, I know what youâre about to say. Hereâhuh?â Felt checks her pockets again. âItâs not here.â Felt says in a small voice. Satella glares at her. âYou lost it?!âÂ
âIt was right here! I swear!â Felt defended herself.Â
While Satella and Felt begin arguing, Subaru looks around the floor until he spots something small. âHm, is that what Satella was looking for? Felt must had dropped it.â Subaru muttered as he picks it up.
âHey! Is there it?â Subaru asks as he shows Satella and Felt. Reinhard gasped and grabs Subaruâs wrist. âWhoa, have anyone teach you personal Space? Whatâs the big deal?âÂ
Reinhard ignore him and stares at the Insignia. âThis shouldnât be possibleâŚwhat did you say your name was again?âÂ
Subaru stares at him in confusion. âI didnât. My name is Subaru Natsuki, why is that important?Â
âSubaru Natsuki..â Reinhard says as he test Subaruâs name. âApologies, Lord Subaru.âÂ
âHuââ Before Subaru could ask him, everything goes black.Â
The last thing he could remember was the look of shock on Satellaâs face.Â
Author's Notes: If you like this, follow me on...
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