“So, in the end, why did Subaru do that?”

“I told everything just as it is. If there’s another reason… ha! No way that little evil loli over there is intervening with my mind… bad little girl, short for wicked loli!”

“I can’t believe after all that, you’re trying to shift the blame! The worst! This guy is the worst!”

“Shut up! Do you really think a loli who’s day-drinking has any valid point? You must be seeing and hearing things all wrong after getting drunk! By the way, what age can you even drink in this country?!”

As Beatrice yelled, I reflexively turned to the quietly standing Rem beside me.

Without faltering even with the abrupt topic change, Rem bent slightly and replied politely,

“What does ‘okay’ mean, customer?”

“Wait, that’s where we’re starting from! I mean ‘is it alright!’”

I see, Rem nodded. Then she exchanged glances with Ram and said,

“It’s from fourteen years old.”

“From fourteen years old.”

“Seriously?!”

“What do you mean seriously?”

“Does that mean like ‘is that true’ or ‘absolutely’ or ‘is that super not okay’?”

““Oh wow””

The two of them synced in astonishment with nods. So, applying this,

“Seriously, is it okay to drink from fourteen years old?!”

““It means it’s truly fine to drink from fourteen years old.””

Our mutual understanding was achieved, and a perfect translation was completed here.

In the joy of the moment, the three of us exchanged glances, raised our hands, and shouted,

“““Yay!”””

We high-fived each other in succession. Finally, we all joined our hands raised to the sky and spun around in a circle.

“…Are we done with this little act?”

“Seriously, you’re such a buzzkill, Drill Loli.”

“Rii-rii, you’re so noisy! What’s with that?!”

Beatrice crossed her arms, reclining in her chair, clearly angry. Judging from her silence afterward, I could tell she no longer wanted to argue with Subaru. Meanwhile, I noticed Pack on the table following up with his chestnut hair, deciding to leave that situation to the little cat.

Then, looking earnestly at the still unresolved silver-haired girl, I found her staring at me with cold white eyes, perhaps feeling a bit colder than before.

“That gaze is almost cute; it’s just cruel at this point…”

“…Huh. Somehow, I’m starting to figure out how to deal with Subaru. I can just ignore the petty comments he likely throws at anyone and get to the main topic.”

“It’s insulting to say I might throw those around! I only say such things to Emilia-tan, seriously! For real! Seriously for real!”

“Uh-huh, fine, I’ll let that slide, so let’s get back to the topic.”

Clapping her hands to reset the discussion, Emilia quietly returned to her seat. Reluctantly, Subaru sat down too, just as Roswaal said,

“Alright then, we’ve definitely diverged a bit, but let’s get to the main point, shall we, Subaru-kun?”

“Well, considering I’m still attached to my head after everything, I’ll pray this isn’t a bad story.”

At Subaru’s words, Roswaal whistled. Emilia looked somewhat surprised, thinking Subaru had acted so disrespectfully to uncover their intentions.

Of course, it was just fleeting nonsense coming from someone who was talking without thinking.

Before the facade crumbled, Subaru stepped forward and piled on more conversation. Keeping control of the topic reduces the chances of being led astray.

“So, on a side note, here’s my prediction. Since you’ve brought up the topic of Emilia-tan being a queen candidate, it’s probably connected, right?”

“Is Subaru really a pervert or what? Like, seriously?”

“Those two choices are way too extreme, aren’t they?!”

Eyes wide, Emilia’s soft apology of “sorry, sorry” was almost too casual. Subaru felt somewhat unjustly offended, but Roswaal picked up after her apology.

“Well, your prediction is spot on! The earlier talk about queen candidates does tie into the matter concerning your treatment. —Emilia-sama.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Emilia replied softly, putting her hand into her pocket.

Suddenly, Subaru realized the atmosphere in the dining room had lost its softness. While the faces around the table remained unchanged, the heavy air had completely transformed.

Even Subaru unconsciously straightened his spine. Before him, Emilia placed something she took out from her pocket on the table. It was,

“Isn’t that the emblem?!”

The one stolen by Felt, which had seen Subaru die three times before finally getting returned to its rightful owner—the emblem shaped like a dragon.

The red gem sparkled in its owner’s hand, glowing so brightly it suddenly made Subaru feel a sense of reverence.

“The dragon signifies the emblem of Lugnica. It’s grandly referred to as the ‘Parent Dragon Kingdom Lugnica’. It’s a symbol used on everything, including walls and weapons. That emblem is especially important. Because…”

Roswaal paused. Nodding at Subaru’s eager gaze, he motioned Emilia to continue. She closed her eyes and then explained,

“It’s the qualification for participation in the Royal Selection. —To see if one is fit to sit on the throne of Lugnica.”

The weight of the disclosed fact left Subaru’s eyes wide as he turned his gaze back to the shining red jewel on the table. The emblem of the dragon with its wings spread wide — the gem’s dazzling light confirmed her words and prompted him to think,

“Wait, wait a sec… did we lose the qualification emblem for the Royal Selection?!”

“It’s not ‘lost’; it was stolen by a little sticky-fingered brat!”

“Same difference—!!”

Shouting and slamming his hand on the table, Subaru stood up.

The dishes almost fell from the table, but managed to stay put, thanks to Rem stepping in. Ignoring her, Subaru looked down at a now flushed Emilia, her eyes filled with embarrassment and humiliated shame.

“Even making that face you know just stirs my S instincts! Seriously, what’s going on?! Is there a way to get it reissued at the office if it gets lost?!”

“I don’t even know what an ‘office’ is, but it’s going to be tough to just go get a new one.”

Watching Subaru panicking, Roswaal calmly fiddled with his large collar while saying,

“A king is one who bears the weight of the kingdom. If someone wishes to take on such a grave duty but can’t even protect a small emblem, how could we ever trust them with the nation?”

“Right? It’s like putting that careless Yabusame in charge over and over; only a similarly careless lord would do that.”

“Careless?”

“Yabusame?”

As the twins shared the names of ambiguous figures, Subaru began to piece the situation together.

The stolen emblem, the encounter in the alleyway, the tug-of-war in the Thieves’ Repository, and this reception—there was only one conclusion that formed.

“If the guards find out we’ve lost the emblem, it’ll be a real disaster. So, Emilia-tan had to solo her way in her lonely wolf hunt for the emblem.”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

“It was Felt who stole it, but Elsa was the one who got her to do it. She said she was hired by someone. Meaning, there’s someone looking to sabotage Emilia-tan’s chances at becoming queen, right?”

“That’s probably it. It’s easy to think of stealing the emblem as a way to eliminate her from the Royal Selection.”

Once that thought was verbalized, various parts of yesterday’s interactions started aligning.

Stubborn Emilia, the requestors Felt and Elsa, and the value of the emblem—directly responsible for Subaru’s frequent deaths.

“Looking at everything again, I did a super awesome job! Like, is that not seriously nuts?! Emilia-tan was almost about to drop out of the Royal Selection! You can’t just say ‘oops, I lost the emblem’ and take it lightly, can you?!”

“I didn’t understand about sixty percent of your last sentence.”

“That’s not important! What matters here is the fact that all along, I’ve done a pretty decent job for Emilia-tan!”

Unexpectedly realizing the impact of his deeds filled Subaru with elation. He stood up once more, leaning in close to the seated Emilia, exhaling heavily.

“Hey, hey, how about it, Emilia-tan? Haven’t I been pretty nice and happy in my efforts? I think I can expect a reward, right? Right, right?!”

As he added a little chirp to his voice, Subaru gently raised Emilia’s chin to meet his gaze.

With narrowed eyes, he acted all lecherous, resembling a darned villain. His mood was high, causing him to brace for the inevitable backlash. But,

“…That’s right. Subaru is a huge benefactor to me. It goes beyond just saving my life. So, ask me for anything.”

“Huh…?”

“If it’s something I can do, I’ll do it. No, I can be made to do anything. What you’ve connected for me holds that much significance.”

Feeling a serious return gaze while Emilia pressed her palm to her chest left Subaru speechless.

His hand, which had been on her chin, dropped, as the atmosphere had taken an unexpectedly serious turn that didn’t match his expectations.

—Oh man, I totally misread the vibe.

Being socially awkward like that, Subaru’s talent at picking up on ‘the time when he failed to read the air’ was sharpened, of course. But because he couldn’t read the more subtle signs others might be giving, he inevitably still came up with embarrassing statements.

Again, he struggled as mismatched tension between his obliviousness and Emilia’s serious look led him into a bind.

“Saying you’d do anything so easily is not something girls should say, you know? I mean, that could lead to pretty bad scenarios with someone like me who has, uh, certain interests.”

“…Even still, I would follow. Whatever the situation, whether it’s bad or ‘ah, ah’, even if it gets lewd I…”

“Girls shouldn’t say such lewd stuff! Plus, you’re about to cry there!”

Seeing Emilia hug herself with teary eyes brought Subaru relief.

If she had seriously made such a sorrowful promise, he wouldn’t know how to respond. However, the fact that she seemed to be held up with emotions made it a little less sad.

Subaru placed his hand gently on the top of Emilia’s silver hair and lightly stroked it.

For a moment, Emilia looked surprised by the sensation of his palm on her, but as Subaru continued silently, she submissively accepted his gesture.

While finding her little animal-like reaction adorable, Subaru turned back to Roswaal.

Watching their exchange with genuine joy, Roswaal noticed Subaru’s gaze and raised an eyebrow as if to say, “What’s up?”

“If this is a disturbance, let’s see… we’ll take our leave.”

“Having my first experience at a dining table is too abnormal. What do you plan to use this silverware for, you dirty, perverted noble…!”

“Well, I didn’t intend on going that far.”

Subaru smirked at Roswaal’s dramatic sigh, then, with the hand not stroking Emilia’s hair, touched his own chin. It was the typical pose of a young detective lost in thought.

“Well, well, well, listen here, Rozzo. I know this situation is more than favorable for me. It’s like a carrot dangling in front of a horse. But I’m not brainless enough to run headlong into it all without asking some questions first, got it?”

“Oh, let’s hear it then.”

“Okay then, here’s the question. Please answer sincerely: if Emilia-tan is a queen candidate, then what are you?!”

Pointing the finger he had on his chin at Roswaal, Subaru asked. The magician twisted the corner of his mouth, forming an even more amused smile.

 

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