——As Subaru continued to glare intensely, he couldn’t help but catch his breath at the sensation of the sweat trickling down his forehead.

　It was a spacious room. Two beds were neatly arranged at the far end, and there was enough space near the door for Subaru’s entire former room from his world to fit comfortably.

　In that vacant area, some belongings brought from the mansion were organized neatly, although they occupied only a tiny fraction of the total space.

　Standing in the center of the room, Subaru was not impeded at all in putting on quite a performance.

“How can you be so determined not to let me pass?”

　Feeling his lips dry from the tension, Subaru forced the prickle in his throat to speak up.

　His voice was low, attempting to hide the tremor within it. In front of him blocking his way was a figure standing with arms spread wide, determinedly hiding the door from view.

　Despite realizing the futility of it all, Subaru directed a pleading gaze towards her. For a brief moment, he saw a flicker of hesitation in her dual-colored eyes, but it dissipated in an instant before her sense of duty.

“Even if it’s Subaru-kun’s request, I cannot let you through here.”

　The obstacle to his path—Rem, looked straight at Subaru and firmly declared.

　With a sigh at her obstinate attitude, Subaru shrugged his shoulders in jest,

“Well, think about it calmly, Rem. I’ve been left stranded like this, and it’s not like I have any sort of powerful connections or anything. In other words, even if I leave this room, there’s really nothing I can do. You understand, right?”

　He hurriedly piled on words, trying to break Rem’s caution. In response to her silent agreement, she smiled cutely, “Indeed, ordinarily speaking, simply exiting this room won’t grant Subaru-kun’s wishes. It’s not an easily accessible place, and even if you could get there, I don’t believe you’d have any means to act from there.”

“Right?”

“But that only applies if we consider Rem’s common sense.”

　With a crisp dismissal, Rem kept her smile intact while observing Subaru. From head to toe, Subaru felt her gaze sweep over him, straightening his spine. Then she continued.

“In Subaru-kun’s case, I cannot predict what outlandish idea you might come up with to achieve your objective. It’s possible you’ll find some means that are beyond Rem’s imagination.”

“Your trust—or should I say, your skepticism towards me is intense. I’m not exactly breaking out of the common sense bubble as much as you expect, you know?”

“If Subaru-kun thinks so, then perhaps that’s true, in the eyes of Subaru-kun.”

　Though he tried to correct Rem’s perspective gently, it seemed ineffective against the solidified image of Subaru in her mind.

　Regardless, persuading her with words and getting her to yield the way was quite a challenging situation. That left him with no choice but to disrupt her thoughts and seek an alternate route.

“Well, that in itself presents a tough challenge. If this is the starting point, the road ahead is actually concerning…”

　While scratching his head with a sigh, Subaru squinted at Rem thoughtfully.

　No, his gaze was directed beyond her—toward the door of the inn, where Emilia and Roswaal had left him behind.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“——What? I’m left behind!?”

　After breakfast was over and he returned to the room to catch his breath, Subaru was astounded at the plan announced to him.

　In front of the surprised Subaru stood Emilia and Rem.

　The one responsible for Subaru’s initial outburst was Emilia, hands on her hips, looking down at him and saying, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“You haven’t forgotten why Subaru came to the Royal Capital, right? It’s to confirm the safety of your acquaintances here and to get Subaru’s own body treated. That’s the promise!”

“Well, but I thought I could interpret that a bit more flexibly…”

“Absolutely not! This is no game, and outsiders cannot be brought in. Even Rem cannot accompany you!”

　Emilia ordered Subaru with an unusual ferocity, and with yesterday’s slip-up weighing on his mind, he found it difficult to counter-argue. He glanced at Rem, who stood in the corner of the room, seeking help, but the blue-haired maid shook her head at his silent plea.

“I cannot side with Subaru-kun in this instance. This has also been ordered by Roswaal-sama, and Emilia-sama’s opinion is the correct one. Please understand.”

“Damn, so no allies here! But when I remember yesterday’s blunder, I can’t say anything without feeling regret!”

　Even Rem, who typically favored Subaru, was sharp in prioritizing her tasks at hand.

　Yesterday’s blunder—specifically, the incident where he got lost after disobeying orders, meant Subaru’s freedom of activity in the Royal Capital was significantly restricted now.

　In this regard, even Subaru had to acknowledge his oversight freely, so with the reunion with Old Man Rom and the fruit vendor now achieved, it wasn’t too much of a problem. Reflecting on it, it was somewhat shocking that all he wanted to meet were rather scruffy men.

“Still, I wanted to see Felt again, so there shouldn’t be any problem. If I recall the people related to the Royal Capital, three-quarters of them are men… putting it all together and it’s six out of seven, right?”

　That said, excluding Elsa from the list of people he wanted to see did not raise the number of women among them in any way. Given that this was supposed to be a fantasy in another world, what was it with all these male character flags?

“It’s all good; I’ve got the main heroine flag raised already…”

“Again with that muttering, I think that’s very, very not good.”

　When the main heroine, Emilia, said that with half-closed eyes, Subaru could only fall silent, unable to retort further. Once Emilia saw that there was no argument or sophistry from him, she nodded in satisfaction.

“There isn’t much time, or so I’d like to say, but today I can’t predict how long it will take. So please finish your meal with Rem. If you wait too long, I’m afraid it will take excessively long.”

“Well then, if Emilia-chan is saying something so mean, then I’ll think of something too. Hey, Rem! Let’s have a luxurious meal for two today!”

“No. Today’s menu consists of whole roasted Ringa, Ringa salad, and Ringa pie generously filled with Ringa jam. For dessert, there’s Ringa juice prepared as well.”

“Are we having all Ringa? What the hell, that Scarf Face!!”

　Subaru, who came back with nine Ringa himself, put that fact aside and envisioned the intimidating fruit vendor who would give him a thumbs-up with a big smile. He decided to cut ties with the illusion of that fantasy and laughed maniacally in a rather reckless way.

“That’s fine! I like Ringa the best of all fruits! Seriously, it’s a Ringa Night Fever! We should devour everything together!”

“No. Rem is a maid who fulfills her master’s every desire; I won’t disturb your enjoyment, so I will let you have it all.”

“You’re so ruthless sometimes! You seem to lean toward me, but you cut me off without mercy!”

　Subaru screamed at Rem, who was well aware of her position, and while Emilia wore a contemplative look at their comedic back-and-forth, she quickly shook her head, as if to brush away her concerns.

“Anyway, I’m leaving this to Rem. I think Roswaal has instructed you to do the same, but please handle things properly. —Really, handle them well.”

“The way you emphasize that makes it seem like Emilia-chan cares about me a lot!”

　With Emilia reinforcing her point, Subaru gave a thumbs-up.

　Having seen this gesture wearisomely already, Emilia placed her palm over the hand he projected outward. Caught by surprise, he gasped. Though he had built up a considerable tolerance for talking face-to-face, he was weak at unexpected surprises.

　Unperturbed by this change in his demeanor, Emilia said,

“Subaru. I don’t ask for too much from you.”

“Uh, okay…?”

“Please, just let me believe in you.”

　She spoke in a fervent, almost pleading tone as she closed her eyes, causing Subaru to pause for a moment, his thoughts grinding to a halt.

　He mentally chewed, crushed, and swallowed what she had just said, mulling over its meaning and intent before finally exclaiming,

“Ah! Of course! I’ll definitely do it! I live for Emilia-chan’s expectations!”

　Not quite understanding what she was asking about, he reflexively agreed wholeheartedly. For now, he could accept it and then act on it later.

　In response to Subaru’s words, which had a slightly hasty feel to them, Emilia gazed back at him, her deep violet eyes filled with worry.

“Yeah. —I trust you.”

　She softly murmured this, and it spilled out like a gentle whisper.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　And then the story returned to the beginning.

　With Emilia and Roswaal heading towards the Royal Castle, Subaru, left behind at the inn under Rem’s watch, spent some time engaged in writing practice.

　Incidentally having nearly mastered the ‘I-letter,’ his next goal was to tackle the ‘Ro-letter.’ If the ‘I-letter’ corresponded to Japanese hiragana, then the ‘Ro-letter’ seemed to align with katakana, and despite some changes in shape, its patterns were similarly laid out, making it likely to take less time than the previous lesson to master.

　Having started on ‘Ro-letter’ copywork for about an hour and a half, though claiming to be a little bored wouldn’t quite fit, it was undeniably accurate in the sense that he couldn’t remain still.

　Learning the characters felt like absorbing the other world into himself, which provided him with a rather fitting sentiment. Every daily assignment, he tackled without complaint and with appropriate enthusiasm.

　However, if the weight on the scales of that enthusiasm was Emilia, then it wouldn’t be feasible.

　As he stood up and casually headed for the door, Rem quietly obstructed his path. The versatile maid, who was simultaneously cleaning the room, organizing belongings, and supervising his studies, had completely discerned Subaru’s intention of escaping the inn.

　——Namely, his plot to leave the inn for the castle.

　Subaru felt a twinge of guilt for going back on the promise made to Emilia.

　Her concerns—if they could be called that—were certainly well-founded, and her judgment, having ordered Rem to keep an eye on him, displayed an acute understanding of Subaru as a person.

　And despite knowing all of this, Subaru could not remain still in the inn.

“I think it’s a bit excessive to be worried about the Royal Capital because I only have bad memories from it…”

　Subaru could easily guess how Emilia must have suffered during her previous visit to the Royal Capital.

　She likely came incognito, yet her royal badge was targeted by enemies who aimed to usurp her – nearly costing her not only her position but her very life.

　It was evident that without Subaru, her fate would have ended there that day.

　——Recalling the day he met her, Subaru couldn’t shake off the awareness of his own position.

　Being suddenly summoned to another world, Subaru had not been given anything he could call a purpose. On the surface, he was cheerful and optimistic, but internally, he was somewhat reckless and left things to chance.

　To put it simply, his outward demeanor and inner nature matched closely, and so the developments that had led him here felt largely like drifting with the tide.

　He wouldn’t deny that he had been pushed along by circumstances, but he believed he had made the choice to swim in a current of his own making.

　While it was true that he wouldn’t have arrived at this moment if he hadn’t been carried along, he could have also chosen a route that didn’t lead him here at all.

　Whenever he thought of the nothingness surrounding him, he took a deep breath and decided.

　He hadn’t been given a purpose, so he’d come up with one for himself.

“I’ll help Emilia.”

　Not solely because she had saved him, but because the desire to be there for her welled up from the farthest reaches of Subaru’s heart.

“Which means, yes, love power!”

“What did you just say?”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to say that again; it just feels a bit embarrassing.”

　When Rem tilted her head in confusion, Subaru reflected on his own remark. He cleared his throat and geared himself up to think about how to get past the obstacle before him.

　With no idea how he would even enter the castle after getting past this point, though. However, it was essential to leave this place first.

　While he had been swept along so far, he had equally relied on momentum, a signature of Subaru’s.

“Still, the situation hasn’t changed, but…,”

　In front of him, standing firmly with her arms spread wide, Rem made for an insurmountable barrier.

　When purely considering it, this was indeed impossible.

　There was a clear gap in their physical abilities, and while Subaru wasn’t in peak condition, he had no special abilities to overturn such a significant disparity, and most of his schemes would be buried under their overwhelming power.

　He contemplated deploying a smoke-screen strategy with Shamak, but given that he currently lacked the fruit that made it possible, he’d only end up choking on smoke.

　The use of the Shamak spell itself was already strictly prohibited by the mansion’s residents.

　Thus, Subaru had arrived at a dead end. For someone whose mind wasn’t particularly sharp, he had only one course of action left.

　That was——,

“Wait… Could it be…!?”

“Subaru-kun?”

　With his face suddenly pale, Subaru pressed a hand to his forehead, causing his body to tremble violently.

　His knees shook as breath became hitching gasps, and Rem hurriedly reached out to steady his faltering shoulders, saying,

“What’s wrong, Subaru-kun? Are you despairing at the recklessness of your own thoughts…!?”

“How do you quantify what you think of me?! No—wait, wait… this is so hard to bear…”

　While holding his chest with one arm, Subaru finally knelt down in agony. Rem followed suit, kneeling beside him.

“Not your head this time but your chest? Are you okay?”

“Wait, is it my head? No, it’s my chest that hurts… this is—”

“It sounds a bit shallow, but do you know what the cause is?”

　Watching Subaru’s agonized expression, Rem appeared somewhat worried yet slightly critical. Hearing that, Subaru grasped Rem’s collar and leaned close, his lips quivering.

“—Mayo.”

“Mayo?”

“—I’m suffering from a mayonnaise deficiency.”

　What other options could there have been? Subaru chastised himself internally for slipping into a second joke.

　However, having voiced it now, he would see it through to the end; that was his unyielding policy as Natsuki Subaru. A pathetic man’s pride.

“Symptoms of a mayo lover in dire need… I was fine thanks to Rem, but after leaving the mansion for a day… it progressed so quickly.”

“What… What should Rem do?”

“Make me mayonnaise… If I can just get my hands on some mayo, my life can be saved… I’m so miserable…”

　Finally unable to endure the discomfort, Subaru toppled over onto the ground, clutching at Rem while laying sideways. Resting Subaru’s head on her knees, Rem gently caressed his forehead and muttered, “Mayonnaise.”

“I need eggs, oil, and more… but…,”

“It’s so painful… I’m going to die. Please, Rem. You’re… you’re my only hope…”

“—Rem is your only hope, huh?”

　Unable to watch Subaru suffer anymore, she could not afford to look away for even a moment.

　In a balance weighing her feelings against her orders, Rem appeared to have made a decision based on those last words from Subaru.

　She tightened her fists and firmly declared, “I will be the one!”

“I’m counting on you! You’ll save me!”

　With that, Rem abruptly got to her feet, causing Subaru to tumble and bump his head, and her enthusiastic impulse trampled on his ribs.

　Not realizing her own violent movement, Rem quickly prepared herself.

“Then, I will immediately gather the materials to make mayonnaise! Subaru-kun, don’t lie on the floor, please rest properly in bed.”

“This agony… has nothing to do with mayonnaise…”

“Eh? Yes, I understand. Rest assured, Rem will do her best for Subaru-kun. And in the end… heh, I’m looking forward to it.”

　Taking Subaru’s desperate words and interpreting them through her own lens, she left the room quickly, a remarkably cute smile lingering on her lips.

　While Subaru pressed his pained chest, he watched her leave, confirming that his goal would soon be achieved. Despite that confirmation, he found himself immobile due to his incident.

　As the pain began to settle and he casually rubbed the bump forming on the back of his head, Subaru stood up and brushed off his clothes while swiveling his neck.

“Well, I admit that was a stupid plan, but it worked. I’m a bit worried about Rem’s future, but I’ll just say I was saved by her naïveté.”

　He assessed the necessary sacrifices of his ribs and skull.

　If opening a path came with pain, then this moment should be considered worthwhile.

“All that’s left is to leave a note for Rem and get the hell out of here. It’d be a disaster if I ran into Emilia at the door…”

　Leaving a hastily written note on the table, Subaru opened the window and glanced down. The room was on the second floor, and grabbing onto the window frame to descend wouldn’t be that dangerous. With the alley below being rather deserted, he wouldn’t run the risk of being seen as a panty thief.

“——Alright, here I go. I didn’t grow up in a house where I could sneak in through the balcony for nothing.”

　Skilled at climbing up and down buildings like a pro, getting through the barred window was also a skill he had picked up out of necessity. Self-proclaimed the “Rubber Men” skill, he had humorously named it in plural.

　With those memories resurfacing, he placed his hand on the window frame and slid down into the alley of the Royal Capital with little hesitation.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

　——Just after Subaru carefully slipped out of the room.

“……To think that Rem would be quite shocked to think I’d fall for such a trick.”

　In the center of the unoccupied room, Rem returned and muttered while touching the table.

　Retrieving the note placed on the table, it had messy and hard-to-read ‘I-letters’ scrawled upon it, reading simply, “Chichikito kusugukaeru.”

　Instantly interpreting it as a complex joke, Rem judged it based on Subaru’s character.

“There was no need to lower yourself to climb out the window; I would not have prevented you from leaving the room.”

　Rem intended to stay hidden in the hallway, watching for Subaru to exit through the door. Upon returning when sensing the absence of a human presence, she found the open window and the hastily written note—clearly, Subaru had chosen an excessively dangerous method to leave.

“……Subaru-kun, you really are quite incorrigible.”

　Though she muttered those words, a hint of amusement lingered on Rem’s face.

　Having carefully folded the note addressed to herself, she tucked it lovingly away into her maid uniform’s inner pocket.

　For a moment, she placed her hand over where she stowed the letter, closing her eyes as she sank into thought. After a while, she sighed in satisfaction and opened her eyes.

“—But what is Roswaal-sama thinking?”

　Tilting her head slightly, Rem pondered the orders given to her by her master earlier that morning.

　It was simply this: “Do not interfere with Natsuki Subaru’s actions. No matter what Emilia commands you to do.”

　She quietly rejected the idea of questioning the meaning of such orders. As such, Rem had no choice but to comply without a word as a servant. While feeling some guilt about going against Emilia’s instructions, the priority of her orders was certainly Roswaal > Emilia. With a minor exception for Subaru, who ranked somewhere in there.

“——Please return safely, Subaru-kun.”

　She didn’t think he would charge out without a plan. Even so, he was a boy unafraid to put his own safety second for the sake of another.

　What Rem could do was to pray that his wish would come true and that he wouldn’t sustain unnecessary injuries along the way.

　——The first hope was overromanticized, while the latter was a bit too idealized.

　Ultimately, with an overly elevated assessment of Subaru, Rem closed the window through which he had departed, turned back into the room, and shook her head to forget the conflict she had felt earlier as she dived back into her work as a maid.

　Thus, Natsuki Subaru was set free into the Royal Capital for the second time, although it was uncertain under whose control he actually stood.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“And so, Natsuki Subaru-kun has taken off without any particular destination in mind.”

　Having safely landed in the Royal Capital, the Rubber Man known as Subaru found his thoughts to be downright empty—more or less, he was essentially thinking about nothing.

　There was no chance that he could go to the castle, and in fact, he wouldn’t even make it past the guard station leading to the noble district by himself.

　Considering stepping through the guard station with the hope of relying on the trust and accomplishments of Shamak, it ultimately concluded with just collapsing and smoking on the side of the road.

　Pushing Shamak’s supposed versatility too hard could lead to serious trouble.

“Shamak sounds versatile enough, but the reality is that my own capabilities just aren’t cutting it. At the very least, if I could regulate my mana usage while casting magic, it would alter my situation…”

　Since the incident involving the magical beasts had calmed, he’d spent some time at the mansion receiving a few pointers on how to use magic from Roswaal.

　If his judgment as a court magician was accurate, the time required for Subaru to handle mana on par with a proper magician would take around two years. Training him to the limits of his potential and graduating him as a high-class magician would take about twenty years. And to recover from his overused body back to its previous state would take more than six months, apparently.

“Going without magic is impossible, and while I don’t regret that, however…”

　With the next spell he might misuse leaving him in uncertainty as to what might happen to his body.

　As such, there was no choice but to remove Shamak from the options for the time being. The sudden loss of a choice he never had in the first place didn’t hurt all that much.

“The romance of being able to use magic being lost feels sad; it’s truly unfortunate…”

　At any rate, those were Subaru’s sentiments.

　While the sisters Ram and Rem and Roswaal all felt responsible for this situation, Subaru himself did not care much about its gravity. Having always maintained a flimsy relationship with mana and magic, the absence of something he never had resulted in an intangible sense of loss.

　As far as that emotional state carried over, at least at this moment, it didn’t.

“Point being, I’ve got to find a way to get into the castle without relying on any magical powers. Feel free to lend me your cleverness or connections—whatever works, please!”

“……And what do you think I should do about that?”

“Before anything else, don’t discuss dangerous topics on the edge of my store. I’m trying to run a proper business that won’t catch the eyes of those in power; what will you do if weird rumors start spreading?”

“Even if you claim to be in a proper business, with a shopkeeper whose face is suspicious, it’s clear your operation’s hardly on the level. With you linked to an old man in a back alley, it’s too late to worry about rumors now.”

“What a persistent kid you are…”

　Scarf Face, who had a white scar running vertically from his forehead to jawline, made a sour face at Subaru’s crude remarks. The bald old man with a robust frame squeezed himself into the cramped shop.

　Surrounded by the smell of sweat, Subaru sighed and said, “But seriously,”

“It turns out that the shop connected to Old Man Rom was yours. It’s a small world, or maybe the Royal Capital is just small; should it be said that ‘birds of a feather flock together’?”

“Don’t lump me in with you.”

“Don’t both of you start arguing at once. Unlike the beautiful maid sisters I know, who would want to see a scary bald guy with scars involved in the action?”

　The two exchanged glances, making distasteful expressions. Meanwhile, the shop was still in operation, but the foot traffic was low by choice, with the presence of Subaru and Old Man Rom unconnected to patron visits.

　Even with a reasonable location on the business thoroughfare, the shopkeeper had made things hard mode just with his choice of appearance. His shop seemed a challenging play—indeed relatable to Subaru’s own experience.

“What’s this? Why are you placing your hand on my shoulder?”

“I’m just feeling a bit sympathetic for my fellow ‘fellow’ in wanting to live an easier life. Seems like the gods were never equal, huh?”

“Don’t drag me into your despair. Unlike you, I have a wife and daughter. I’m winning at life.”

“Liar! No way!”

　Subaru was struck with shock at the unexpected betrayal from a fellow misery.

　Stepping back, he turned to Old Man Rom, attempting to inquire into that statement’s veracity. The bald elder nodded firmly in response to Subaru’s trembling black eyes.

“It’s true. And they’re both a beautiful wife and a cute daughter.”

“Damn it! This sort of thing has never happened since I’ve arrived in this world, dammit!!”

　Fuming at the injustices of being summoned to another world, Subaru surged forward at the shopkeeper but was promptly met with an immediate brawny counter.

“I’m… I’m powerless…”

“Maybe if it were a different scenario, but here and now, that’s just an excuse.”

　While towering over the now-downcast Subaru, Old Man Rom stroked his chin, deep in thought.

　At the beginning of this meeting, he had expected it to be good news regarding Felt, but instead, the content of Subaru’s underhanded request must’ve angered him.

　Yet while seemingly irritated, his genuine benevolence surfaced as he earnestly joined in Subaru’s dilemma.

　Feeling guilty and anxious about taking advantage of that goodwill, Subaru pushed those thoughts aside and persisted with his self-interesse.

“Anyway, I ask again: how can we sneak into the castle safely?”

“If you maintain that sort of thinking, you might inadvertently commit a serious crime. You could end up locked in the castle dungeon, achieving your goal, only to have your head roll.”

“Can’t you give me a more constructive opinion? No wonder this place isn’t thriving.”

“Don’t say that, boy. The reason Kadmon’s shop isn’t thriving is that it allows us to have private conversations like this. So it isn’t all bad, right, Kadmon?”

“Are you two holding a grudge against my shop?”

　Kadmon shot a piercing glare at both Subaru and Old Man Rom, and in turn, they exchanged a look and shrugged, denying it while saying, “No way.”

　Observing their irritating gestures, Kadmon ran his fingers over the scar on his face.

“Taking actions to sneak into the castle is dangerous. The king is absent right now, so its importance isn’t as high, but getting caught while sneaking in would lead to penalties.”

“Well, the level of risk is as I would expect. Boy, get caught if you want, and prepare to die.”

　Old Man Rom agreed with Kadmon’s words.

　Their conclusion on Subaru’s actions was simply to abandon them. After all, neither of them had any reason to push themselves.

“Well, it’s kinda hard to act when you put it that way…”

　Unlike before, Subaru had no clear reason to stake his life for the time being.

　In fact, he could just return boldly to the inn, take a nap, and savor the mayonnaise Rem had prepared while waiting for Emilia and the others to return—such would have been an option.

　In fact, they would likely be delighted if he did just that.

　It’s absolutely true, but—

“Why do I have to be this desperate?”

　Subaru had half-convinced himself that he had to be where Emilia was.

　He couldn’t gauge how much that helped her. He didn’t know, but he felt that if he were around, he might be able to seize the opportunities to assist her when she needed it.

　Without being there, he wouldn’t even have the chance to help. So—

“Even if it seems selfish, I just want to be with her…”

　Having moved just a little further away created a tension of anxiety within Subaru that burned fiercely.

　That reason was enough to push him toward action, even weighing his own life towards it.

“On that note, the ominous jinx surrounding the Royal Capital also serves to urge me on.”

　Given the unease surrounding the Royal Selection, Subaru’s apprehension was far from exhausted.

　The risk that Emilia might be harmed in his absence—had that scenario transpired in a less dispiriting setting—or he would have had no pressing reason to feel this way.

“Even if I couldn’t stay by her side, I’d want to be at least close enough to see her face. Is there some way to make that work?”

“Such things don’t come easily. You could bribe your way out of the guard station, but getting to the castle from there—”

　While it wasn’t as if he was genuinely impressed with Subaru’s attitude, he had picked up on his unwavering drive to keep going. The prospect of letting him run afoul, whereupon he was apprehended and paraded to his execution, hardly appealed.

　Without any direct interest, Old Man Rom finally showed some earnest desire to help develop a plan to infiltrate the castle, while his companion Kadmon was somewhat less invested in the situation.

　As he watched the two exchange serious thoughts, Kadmon, with a shrug said:

“Either way, just make sure your actions won’t trouble my shop.”

　And that was said halfheartedly.

　Compounding their motivations lies the fact that there was little point to push them too much.

“Don’t say that. If we’re going to make the effort to run a proper shop and work it hard, I’d like some tips out of your tenacious way of living?”

“Just so you know, I’m merely having a rough day today; my shop’s still doing fine, okay? … Instead of making bizarre schemes, how about you talk to the guard at the station? Your friend’s in the castle, right? … By the way, what was her face like again?”

　Kadmon voiced this sound suggestion, narrowing his brows as he recalled.

　It seemed that he was struggling to visualize the beautiful silver-haired girl within his memory. The power of the concealment technique had evidently left an impression.

“Anyway, I can’t follow that route. Emilia-chan would definitely find out! The plan needs to be more covert, where I can watch from the shadows and pretend I’m not doing anything of the sort. I’d call it the ‘Underneath Striking Power’ plan!”

“What is that—a plan that’s all about hiding yet actively making a statement?”

“Geez, you’re killing me here. So how about we disguise ourselves as some cargo that’s being sent to the castle? I think they’re sending food from the merchant association today, so if we’re lucky…!”

　Kadmon laughed at this line of thought, but the expression on his scarred face turned serious.

　Having caught sight of Subaru’s eyes lighting up at his suggestion, he swiftly covered his mouth, trying to retract his comment.

“That idea—NO WAY!”

　But Subaru, all too fast, beamed a bright smile and gave a cheerful thumbs-up.

　Old Man Rom looked up to the heavens, lamenting Subaru’s recklessness.

　The sun above cast a pale and warm glow onto his bald head.

 

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