Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 10 Page 3

  She’d said she wanted to understand all the concerns and worries Subaru harbored.

  Yes, he remembered Emilia had spoken those words to him. He had been so happy, he’d cried.

  Even so—

  “She’s very precious to you, isn’t she?”

  “Precious, super-precious. As precious as you are to me, Emilia-tan.”

  “…Do you realize that’s a reeeally selfish thing to say?”

  “I do. To be honest, I feel so bad about it I wanna roll over and die. But I’m super-serious, so…”

  He conveyed his honest, undisguised feelings to Emilia loud and clear.

  Scoundrel though it made Subaru, Rem’s presence inside him was simply that large. Without exaggeration, it was every bit as large as his feelings toward Emilia.

  Hence, he continued praying for Rem’s recovery, glad that he had not upset Emilia in the process.

  To find a way to make that recovery happen, Subaru Natsuki would take on any trial.

  “—I’m sure you’ll find it. A way to bring her back.”

  “Emilia-tan?”

  With Subaru engaging in that extremely selfish reasoning, Emilia gave a thin, charming smile and nodded. She ran a finger through her silver hair as she stared straight at Subaru’s raised face.

  “I think, in the sense of being motivated by selfish reasons, you and I are probably very alike, Subaru… I’m well aware I joined the royal selection for a selfish reason of my own.”

  “A selfish reason… You mean, a world of equality without any discrimination—that reason?”

  Subaru reminisced about the desire Emilia had spoken of when she declared her beliefs at the royal selection conference.

  As a half-elf, Emilia had been exposed to discrimination like few others. Was it not natural for her to want an egalitarian world?

  However, Emilia sadly shook her head in the face of Subaru’s understanding of the matter.

  “Not that. I started this with something that was reeeally personal…”

  “…”

  “…I’m sorry. I can’t really explain it with words. I don’t want to hide it from you, Subaru. But I’m not sure what I should say.”

  Emilia was at a loss for words, vexed that she could not speak well about what was in her head. If there was no tangible answer to be had, Subaru didn’t want to try to force her to give him one.

  If the details about the emotions welling in her breast were secretly related to why she had entered the royal selection to begin with—

  “—We’ll talk about everything after we catch up with Roswaal.”

  “You’ll forgive me, then?”

  “You haven’t done anything wrong, so I don’t need to forgive you. If anything, the stuff I talked about is more of a problem… Besides, Roswaal might know something about the Rem issue, too.”

  So far as Subaru knew, there was no one in that world better connected to both the top and the underside worlds than Roswaal L. Mathers himself. Considering the detail that the clown-looking eccentric had nominated Emilia for the royal selection, it was about time they got him to spill his guts.

  There was also the matter of what the hell he had been thinking, not even lifting a single finger during the Witch Cult attack.

  “But if we’re putting that off until after we get back to the mansion…”

  “Yeah?”

  “If you don’t mind, Subaru…I’d like you to tell me about Rem.”

  —For one moment, the suggestion sent pain running through Subaru’s chest.

  But this was not because he rejected Emilia’s suggestion. It was from pure worry and hesitation.

  Could Subaru speak words that could truly suffice about Rem, the girl who had saved him?

  “Ahh, yeah, that’s gonna get a bit long, but I’ll tell you all about it. To me, memories of Rem are as precious as my memories of you since meeting you two months ago, Emilia-tan.”

  Hiding his sentiments behind his words, Subaru began to speak of day-to-day life during those two months.

  When, after meeting Emilia in the royal capital, he’d awoken in the mansion, greeted by Rem and Ram—

  “”

  Once he started telling the tale, he couldn’t stop. Emilia continued quietly listening to Subaru’s story.

  And in the end, he continued without pause until they arrived back in the Mathers domain.

  3

  “Hey, you two, we’ve finally arrived at our destination.”

  When Otto shared that news from the driver’s seat, it was evening, half a day since they’d departed from the royal capital.

  The report through the shutter made Subaru break off his story and turn his eyes to look through the side window.

  “Oh, really? Faster than I thought.”

  “It seems you were caught up in your story. We made excellent time down the highway as well. Perhaps, thanks to departing in the early morning and arriving before nightfall, everyone from the village will be that much more relieved.”

  “I’m so glad. Otto, thank you very much. It’s a relief we made it to the village safe and sound.”

  As Subaru leaned forward, Emilia was right beside him, gazing through the same window as she thanked Otto.

  “I am honored that you would say so, Lady Emilia… I wish Mr. Natsuki would praise my endeavors in a more straightforward manner.”

  “Hey, don’t be that way. My personality means I say a lot of things that don’t match what I’m actually thinking. Catch on already.”

  “How can those words come from your mouth after all the things you’ve said to date?!”

  Otto’s voice rose at Subaru’s poor treatment. “Now, now,” said Emilia, scolding Subaru for his attitude toward Otto. “I’m sorry, Otto. It’s Subaru’s bad habit to tease the people he is fond of…”

  “Wait, wait, you’ve got it all wrong! I don’t do that to you, Emilia-tan!”

  “But you do it to Beatrice, don’t you?”

  “Considering how much of a loli that girl is, that statement’s all kinds of wrong!”

  In terms of experiencing Subaru’s teasing, Beatrice and Otto certainly had something in common. But how he felt about either of them wasn’t related in any way to his being nice. It was simply an issue of the company he kept.

  “Mr. Natsuki, Lady Emilia.”

  “What? Right now, I’m busy clearing up Emilia-tan’s grievous misunderstanding…”

  “We’ve arrived at the village… But there seems to be something amiss.”

  “”

  The abrupt call in a low voice made Subaru and Emilia make eye contact. When they hurried to follow Otto’s gaze, they were drawing near Earlham Village, their destination right down the road.

  The village was a familiar sight. The lack of human presence made this eerily similar to the last time Subaru had seen it: an uninhabited village, right after the villagers had been evacuated to flee from the Witch Cult. In other words—

  “—Ram and the villagers in the Sanctuary haven’t come back?”

  That was the conclusion they reached after Subaru and the others split up to check out Earlham Village. Concern stood out clearly on the faces of the returning villagers after they failed to find any sign of the others—the ones who had split off and fled to the Sanctuary midevacuation, and who should have long returned by now.

  “According to Ram, the Sanctuary is a seven-to-eight-hour trip from here. To not have returned ahead of us after we spent three days in the capital…”

  “We mustn’t be hasty. It might be simple prudence until they’re certain the village is safe.”

  “Would Roswaal act that passive once he heard the circumstances? During the demon beast incident a while back, he immediately ended it with brute force. It’s just weird that he hasn’t done anything this time.”

  Roswaal possessed magic that gave him the ability to fly through the sky. That was a simple and effective way to reconnoiter his own territory, even if he was being cautious. Even discounting th
at, Ram, with her Clairvoyance, would be right by his side.

  It was obvious he had already learned about their victory over the Witch Cult. The fact that he had not returned to the mansion despite that meant—

  “There’s a reason he didn’t come back… Did something happen in the Sanctuary?”

  Subaru and Emilia turned their faces toward each other, both having arrived at the same point of view.

  The pair’s concerns were shared by the remaining people of Earlham Village. They had hoped to be reunited with the family members who had returned to the village ahead of them. Considering the villagers’ mental state, they all had to find out what had happened as quickly as possible. They had to, but—

  “So, Emilia-tan…do you know where the Sanctuary is?”

  “Eh?! S-Subaru, don’t you know where it is?”

  Emilia’s surprise at Subaru’s question raised a fundamental issue. It was simple, and large: they didn’t actually know where this Sanctuary was actually located.

  “It’s kind of late to be asking this, but this Sanctuary, what sort of place is it?”

  “I don’t know… Roswaal said it was kind of like a secret hideout. Besides…”

  “Besides?”

  “…No, it’s nothing. Sorry, I wish I’d asked him more properly at the time.”

  When Emilia made that rather awkward-sounding apology, Subaru shook his head and reflected on his own sins. However much in a hurry they’d been to evacuate the villagers, it was Subaru’s fault a thousand times over for being careless. Worst case, they’d probably find some sort of clue about the location of the Sanctuary inside the mansion, but…

  “For that, too, we’d better go to the mansion for now. I want to put Rem where she can have proper rest… Otto, you don’t have a place to stay, do you? Come with us.”

  “Ueeeh?! T-to the marquis’s mansion?! I-I would be more at ease sleeping in the dragon carriage!”

  “Oh, shut up and play along. —Sorry, everyone! Just wait a little longer!”

  Squishing Otto’s tearful words flat, Subaru called out to the people of the village. His appeal to them could not wipe away all their anxiety, but they sent spirited voices back Subaru’s way nonetheless.

  With the villagers watching them go, they had the dragon carriage gallop once more—and ten minutes later, they saw Roswaal Manor in all its familiar splendor.

  “It is even larger than it appears to be when seen from afar… I feel even more out of place…”

  “Don’t chicken out after coming this far. Even if you do, you’ll never make it all the way back home.”

  With Otto struck by the majesty of the mansion, Subaru offered those words of persuasion as they headed through the front gate onto the manor grounds. They proceeded to stop the dragon carriage outside the front door, inside which, in a sense, the mansion of old times awaited.

  “It’s supposed to be three days for me, same as Emilia-tan, but…”

  When Subaru looked up at the mansion, deeply moved, he murmured as he felt complex emotions in his chest.

  As a matter of fact, Subaru had returned last to the mansion four days prior, engaging in an elaborate act to get Emilia to flee. However, emotionally speaking, he didn’t want to think of that as coming home.

  It was at this very instant that he felt he had finally returned.

  “Well, that’s what I think from the bottom of my heart…”

  “Mr. Natsuki, setting aside whatever you may have thought, shall I put the dragon carriage in the stables? As for Miss Rem sleeping in the bed in back…

  “—I’ll carry Rem. You don’t need to do anything.”

  Subaru closed his mouth, realizing he’d unconsciously let out a hard, barbed voice. Otto, who had no doubt his own suggestion had been a good one, appeared stern at the sharpness of Subaru’s reply.

  Subaru couldn’t help having an exaggerated reaction where Rem was concerned, even though he knew that Otto and Emilia had shown plenty of consideration for her to that point on their journey.

  “…Sorry. Please put Patlash and the dragon carriage in back of the mansion. I’ll get things ready on the inside.”

  “Understood. Think nothing of it, Mr. Natsuki.”

  Otto accepted the apology, heading for the stable without any sign of offense. Subaru disembarked from the carriage with Rem on his back, headed toward the mansion’s front doorway along with Emilia.

  “Come to think of it, I don’t remember locking the door when we left. Could burglars get in?”

  “Not that…it’s her job, but I don’t think we need to worry with Beatrice here. I wonder if she’d…come greet us at the door if we knocked?”

  Without touching on the exchange with Otto, Emilia voiced a very un-Emilia-like joke.

  It was rather difficult to picture that Beatrice greeting Subaru and Emilia at the door with a face full of joy, particularly considering the way she and Subaru had last parted.

  Even so, there was no harm in trying.

  “Maybe she’ll rush out to set eyes on Puck…”

  “It really would be odd of her, though.”

  Half-jokingly, Emilia smiled as she made the door knocker resound. The sharp, hard sound reverberated inside the mansion. Naturally, there was neither master nor servant in the mansion to repl—

  “—Yes, please wait a moment.”

  “Eh?”

  Subaru and Emilia were both dumbstruck by the reply that ought not to have existed. Then, before the pair could recover from being frozen stiff, the entry doors to the mansion slowly opened.

  “Welcome back, Lady Emilia. I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

  Standing on the other side of the open double doors was a woman greeting the pair with perfect courtesy.

  She had long, gleaming blonde hair, and emerald eyes that seemed as transparent as gemstones.

  Her tall figure was clad in a classical maid outfit; she carried herself in a splendidly tidy, feminine manner.

  Her age was twenty years, more or less, and any way he looked at her, she was a maid through and through—the problem being, she was not either of the two maids who had been assigned to Roswaal Manor.

  Subaru was frozen solid at the sight of the unfamiliar maid. But his tension soon eased.

  Emilia, standing stiff at Subaru’s side, furled her refined eyebrows and said, “…Frederica?”

  She knew the other party’s name. When addressed, the woman replied once more.

  “Yes,” she said, and the woman—Frederica—released her hands from the hem of the skirt they had held as she said, “I am Frederica Baumann, returning to duty from leave granted by the master.”

  Slowly lifting her face, Frederica sent a warm, amiable smile the pair’s way.

  When that smile struck Subaru’s eyes, he opened his mouth wide.

  “You must be tired from your long journey. First, allow me to show you inside the mans—”

  “Scary face—!!”

  Subaru’s very, very loud shout echoed across the sky of Roswaal Manor.

  Frederica’s smile was completely ruined by the bizarre fangs filling her mouth.

  4

  When looking at her as a maid, Subaru found the woman named Frederica to be perfect.

  She dressed in a maid uniform that was not gaudy in any way, her words and gestures were exceedingly refined, and her behavior bore not a single trace of waste. Seeing her standing straight like it was natural made one’s own body straighten up.

  In all functional matters, she scored a perfect 100 as a maid—appearance-wise, too, that mouth excepted.

  “Subaru, you idiot! You can’t go saying that to a girl! Apologize properly!”

  “P-please cease, Lady Emilia. It is fine. I am accustomed to people being surprised the first time they meet me. I do not mind it whatsoever.”

  “No, I will not! When you do something bad you need to apologize, especially when you’ve hurt someone. Isn’t that right?”

  Frederica, the aggrieved pa
rty, had a conflicted look on her face at Emilia’s red, anger-filled expression. Emilia’s point of view was good and proper, something Subaru deeply acknowledged when he went down on his knees on the entryway’s floor.

  Subaru proceeded to bow his head deeply toward Frederica to show he had reflected on the error of his ways.

  “No, what Emilia-tan’s saying is right. I was completely in the wrong just now.”

  “Err…”

  “I’m sorry I said something terrible all of a sudden when meeting you for the first time. Boil me, fry me, do whatever you like…though I’d prefer it be as painless as possible.”

  Subaru apologized in a manner that was more effeminate than manly. After he’d said such rude words to a woman he’d just met, he couldn’t blame Frederica for any reply she might wish to make.

  “Um, Frederica, listen, Subaru’s not a bad child. It’s just, he has a bad habit of saying things without thinking from time to time…”

  Emilia added her own words to bolster Subaru’s apology. The oddly maternal words weighed on his mind, but Subaru was happy she’d spoken up nonetheless.

  Frederica fell into silence at the look of the pair for a time, but—

  “—Tee-hee. Lady Emilia, Master Subaru, you are both quite amusing…”

  “Frederica?”

  “I said I am not upset in the slightest, yet you did this anyway. And Lady Emilia, acting so maternal in making Master Subaru apologize like this… Oh, this has become so amusing.”

  Frederica forgave Subaru while hiding her mouth behind her sleeve as she smiled. Even with Subaru kneeling in proper Japanese fashion, she cut his feet right out from under him. “Besides,” she continued, “I cannot put off asking about the circumstances forever. There is the reason I have been recalled, the absence of the master…and that girl, the spitting image of Ram.”

  “”

  Frederica’s gaze shifted toward a sofa—the sofa upon which Rem had been laid down to rest. The words she used—“Ram’s spitting image”—proved that she had a prior association with both sisters, Ram and Rem.

  “Oh, now I remember. There was a maid who quit a little before I came to the mansion.”