Two weeks have gone by since Subaru dubbed the previous mansion-freezing event as the "Pucking Mating Incident," much to the annoyance of the great spirits and the amusement of everyone else.
Fortunately, during these two weeks, nothing particularly exciting or noteworthy occurred, allowing Subaru to settle into a comforting routine.
He would rise with the dawn, complete some light chores around the mansion, prepare breakfast alongside the twins, wake everyone up to serve the meal, and enjoy it once they finished. Afterward, he'd return to chores, take a thirty-minute break for whatever he pleased, prepare lunch, serve it, and eat afterward. followed by more chores, another thirty-minute break, and then he'd prepare and serve dinner. Once dinner was done, he would eat and then would have the rest of the evening free for activities like reading, stargazing, or watching Emilia communicate with the minor spirits.
While some might find this routine dull, Subaru embraced it with open arms.
It was a far cry from the days spent hunting Cursed Spirits or dealing with smelly old men.
However, he did miss the fun times with his cousin, Satoru. Sometimes, he wished Satoru were around so they could hang out and engage in some tomfoolery together.
Though Subaru felt lonely back home, he was grateful to have friends here: Rem, Ram, Emilia, Puck, and Beatrice—who would certainly deny it with all her being.
Currently, he was in his personal room, shirtless, staring at his mirror with his sunglasses on the drawer beside him.
"Ah, and who might this handsome, sexy gentleman be, hmm~" he mused, striking a pose and admiring his physique.
He stood tall and lean, embodying the athletic build. Not overly bulky, but just muscular enough to showcase a toned and agile form. And that six-pack? The crowning glory of his physique.
However, beyond the ego boost Subaru was experiencing, there was another reason for his actions, one tied to magic.
In just two weeks, Subaru's mana reserves had nearly tripled, and his gate was also expanding and strengthening to keep pace.
If his gate had once been the size of a baby bottle, it was now comparable to a coffee cup—a remarkable improvement.
Naturally, Puck and Beatrice were astonished by his progress, even labeling him as someone with an unnatural talent for magic, an anomaly, to be precise.
They weren't wrong; he had been considered an anomaly in his original world as well.
What they didn't realize was that Subaru had been casting spells relentlessly, nearly emptying his gate, with any fatigue or drowsiness easily remedied by his reverse cursed technique.
When it came to spells, he could confidently say he is considered an expert at "Shamak," to the extent that he could manipulate its properties. For instance, he could reduce the spell's radius in exchange for making it thicker and more potent. Plus, the cost of casting it had significantly decreased for him.
Be that as it may, he was far from the Experienced Great Spirit of Yin
On that note, just yesterday, he had learned a new spell called "El Shamak," a more powerful version of Shamak. Instead of a fog-like black cloud that caused sensory disruption, this spell made it harder for the target to control their own body.
He's been having a blast learning magic, and unlike back home, he can take his time with it, practicing whenever and wherever he likes. There are no pressures or expectations hanging over him.
Unfortunately, he couldn't cast his new spell without a target, and he was hesitant to experiment on any of his friends or spirits, even when Rem offered to be the test subject, reassuringly saying, "Subaru-Kun shouldn't worry! Rem has faced tougher challenges and can handle it!"
Still, he was terrified of Ram's potential reaction when she eventually found out, so he decided against it.
Before the magic lesson wrapped up, Puck-sensei mentioned something called the "Flow Method," which allows one to enhance their physical abilities and strength by utilizing Mana. It was, essentially, a version of Cursed Energy Reinforcement.
'Puck said that it requires a lot of training and patience to master, and since he's a spirit, he doesn't know how to do it,' he mused, a smirk creeping onto his face, 'but, that's why I have the six eyes for this,' he thought, feeling grateful for such a cheat ability.
He got to work, using his Six Eyes to scan his body, focusing intently on his gate as he gradually opened it. This time, he managed to control the mana without it bursting out like a geyser, all thanks to his training.
Instead of casting a spell, Subaru did what he usually did with his cursed energy: he made it flow throughout his body.
With careful precision, Subaru guided the mana as it moved through him. He observed intently with his Six Eyes as the mana gradually filled his body, enveloping him from head to toe.
He could already sense the effects; he felt invigorated and stronger, much like when he used cursed energy, and he noticed that his mana was slowly depleting as he maintained the flow.
'So it's just like cursed energy; I need to keep a steady flow to reinforce my body,' he thought.
And Just like cursed energy, the more mana he added, the stronger he became, and that's exactly what he did. He ramped up the mana flow, which in turn enhanced his body even further, albeit at the expense of more mana consumption.
In a brief moment, he had already used up about a quarter of his mana, due to his relatively limited reserves.
But just as he was about to halt the flow, a thought struck him—one he had after his initial lesson with Puck-sensei.
Could he merge both Cursed Energy and Mana?
'Let's find out, shall we?' he thought, reaching for the longer, more familiar rope that was his cursed energy.
As the cursed energy began to flow, something… Interesting happened.
The black hue of the mana and the blue shade of his cursed energy intertwined in the center and… fused together.
It resembled the act of weaving two different colored threads, intertwining and blending, with the colors bleeding into one another.
The result was a dark blue that spread like wildfire throughout his body, enveloping him in a small yet noticeable dark blue aura.
"Wow," he murmured, completely astonished by this turn of events. Subaru felt… different. Lighter, quicker, stronger—similar to the sensation he experienced when he pushed his cursed energy reinforcement to its limits.
He quickly assessed this new energy—no, it wasn't entirely new. Subaru was so familiar with cursed energy that he could recognize it in an instant. The fundamentals of this magic was rooted in Cursed Energy, he was certain.
This wasn't a new form of magic; it was cursed energy, but transformed.
All of this analysis and observation took place in the blink of an eye, thanks to the Six Eyes.
Then, in an instant, it erupted. The aura surged wildly around him, almost like adding oxygen to a flame.
And with it came excruciating pain.
Subaru let out a pained grunt, trying to hold it in. He collapsed to the ground, twitching and writhing as his muscles spasmed.
Subaru quickly paused the flow of mana and cursed energy, and just like that, the new cursed energy ceased, taking the pain with it shortly after.
He laid on the ground, breathing heavily as he tried to regain his bearing. 'What the hell was that…? It just went haywire so fast…'
Everything had happened in an instant; one moment he was analyzing it, and the next, he was overwhelmed by pain.
Rising to his feet, he continued to use Reverse Cursed Energy to ease his sore muscles. To be honest, this was the most intense pain he had ever experienced, which was saying a lot given his previous line of work.
'I need to do more experiments to understand what went wrong,' he thought.
He still had nearly half of his mana left, and his cursed energy reserves were holding up well.
Just as he was about to try again, a knock on his door interrupted him.
"Subaru-kun, are you awake?" Rem's voice called from outside.
"Remmy? Yeah, I'm awake. What's going on?" he replied.
"Guests have just arrived, and as the butler, you need to come down and greet them." Rem stated, her tone quite formal.
'If Rem is speaking like that, this must be important,' he thought.
"Alright, I'll be right there. Just let me get dressed," he said, heading over to put on his butler attire.
'Cursed Mana… I'll call it that. I'll research more into Cursed Mana later.'
With that, he got dressed and followed Rem out of his room.
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"Welcome to the mansion of Roswaal L. Mathers, honored guests. I'm Natsuki Subaru. How can I assist you today?"
"Welcome to the mansion of Roswaal L. Mathers, esteemed guests. I'm Rem. How can I assist you today?
Both Rem and Subaru greeted the guests with a bow, just as they had trained.
In front of them stood two individuals: one was rather plain-looking, dressed in noble attire, while the other immediately caught Subaru's eye.
With yellow eyes and flaxen hair, she wore a white dress accented with light blue, a ribbon-like blue collar, black tights, blue leggings, and black shoes, adorned with ribbons on her cat ears and a large one on her back. A brown tail swayed behind her.
Indeed, right before him was a genuine cat-girl.
'Woah! They even have catgirls here—' Subaru's thoughts were interrupted as he realized something.
Now, Subaru wasn't a pervert, but he had his moments of… appreciating the female form and all of it's gifts. And he could confidently say…
This was either the flattest girl he had ever seen or just a guy in women's clothing.
'Please let it be the former! I would die if I was checking out a dude this whole time,' he silently prayed.
The nobleman tipped his hat and said, "Greetings, I'm a messenger from the capital. If possible, I would like to request an audience with Roswaal-sama and the royal candidate, Emilia-sama. It's of the utmost importance."
The cat… whatever it was, wrinkled its nose, sniffing the air slightly before waving, "Hi there! Nyow's name is Felix! But I would prefer it if you were to call me Ferris-chan! Nice to meet you!"
The voice sounded feminine, but Subaru wasn't getting his hopes up.
"Understood. Subaru-kun, please go call Emilia-sama from her room. I'll take our guest to the tea room," Rem instructed, and he nodded in agreement.
Leaving the guests behind, Subaru made his way to Emilia's room. Upon arriving, he knocked on the door.
"Emilia, are you in there?" he called out.
"Ah, Subaru! Yes, is there something you need?" came the sweet silverbell sound of her voice.
"Yeah, we have some guests who are asking for you. Please get ready," he said, receiving a simple "Okay" in reply.
Five minutes later, Emilia emerged, dressed in the same gown she wore when they first met in the capital.
"So, Subaru, who are these guests?" Emilia inquired, while Subaru shrugged.
"I don't know. They mentioned they were from the capital, and the messenger specifically requested your presence. I think it might be related to the royal selection," he explained, causing Emilia to look at him in surprise.
"The royal selection? Oh, I see…" she said, trailing off. Subaru could sense her nervousness, and he completely understood; the thought of being a chosen candidate to rule a nation would make anyone anxious, even him.
He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and flashed a big smile. "There's no need to worry. You've got this! I believe in you!"
Emilia felt her worries melt away and returned his smile softly. "You're right. Thank you, Soubie."
"Ugh! I told you not to call me that!"
With a light laugh, he guided her to the tea room, where they would welcome and chat with their guests over tea.
"Here we are, Emilia. Roswaal should be inside. Just remember to act like a proper princess and be on your best behavior, okay?" He winked, and she giggled before stepping into the room.
He closed the door with a sigh. With Rem already there, he didn't need to stick around, giving him some free time until everything was settled.
'What should I do now…' he thought, it's at these moments that he started to miss the luxuries of the modern world.
'Should I try experimenting with Cursed Mana? No, I got hurt last time. It's better to wait until there's nothing important happening.'
His gaze drifted outside the window. A walk through the garden could be nice; they had recently planted new flowers, and they should be beautiful now that the blooming season has arrived.
But then his eyes caught sight of the stairway leading to the front door, where he noticed an elderly gentleman cleaning a carriage, a ground dragon sleeping on the floor nearby.
An Idea then popped up in his head, and he went to the kitchen.
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An elderly gentleman clad in a butler's attire was diligently polishing a carriage, ensuring that the immaculate red paint gleamed without a flaw. As both a butler and a coach driver, it was his duty to maintain such standards.
While inspecting his reflection, he noticed someone standing behind him. Turning around, he saw a tall young man dressed similarly, with an unusual object covering his eyes. The youth was slightly taller and sported strikingly white hair.
"Yo! It's quite a lovely day, isn't it? How about we take a break and enjoy a cup of tea? My treat!" he said, holding a tray with two cups, a teapot, and some cream.
The old man gazed at the cup before reaching for it and taking a sip, closing his eyes to savor the flavor.
"It tastes lovely, I feel as though I'm indulging in luxury," he remarked.
"Right? This is Yasmin Tea, the best we have at the mansion," Subaru replied, settling down with his own cup.
"Hmm, even so, what do you hope to gain from an old man like me with such a bait?" he inquired, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Subaru shook his head lightly, "Nothing much, I just had my eye on this tea and wanted to try it. But Rammy would be furious if she found out," he chuckled.
"Good thing you showed up when you did; she got busy, so I snatched some leaves and brewed a batch. I saw you outside and thought I'd share," he said, taking another sip.
"Is that so…" the old man replied, sipping his tea as well. "Are you certain you won't get into trouble?"
Subaru shrugged, "Nah, I'm sure what I took was just enough to go unnoticed. No need to worry about me."
The elderly man decided to let it go. While he wouldn't typically approve of such insubordination, he figured it wasn't his place to intervene since he wasn't part of that household.
"By the way, I don't want to keep calling you 'old man.' How about we introduce ourselves?" Subaru suggested.
"I'm Natsuki Subaru, just an average guy trying to live an average life. What about you?" he said, gesturing to himself.
The elderly gentleman chuckled softly at the introduction before saying, "You can call me Wilhelm Trias. I'm just a butler serving my lady, Crusch Karsten."
Subaru nodded, and they both settled into a cozy silence.
While his primary reason for visiting was to enjoy tea with this man, there was more to it. He had observed Wilhelm with his Six Eyes when he first spotted him from the mansion.
Though his gate wasn't particularly special and he only had one magic attribute, what truly caught Subaru's attention was the mana coursing through Wilhelm's body.
It appeared that, similar to Subaru, he was unconsciously reinforcing himself with mana, much like how Subaru would with cursed energy.
So, he had come to learn how it was done and to jot down any details he might have overlooked.
However, such opportunities don't last forever, as the mansion doors swung open, revealing a peculiar cat-like creature and a noble messenger.
"I'm back, Old Man Will!" the cat exclaimed.
"Sorry for making you wait outside; it must have been boring, huh?"
"Not at all, I enjoyed a delightful cup of tea with this gentleman," he said, gesturing toward Subaru.
Subaru turned to the cat, ready to respond, only to be met with the sight of it flapping its ears at him. 'Eeh?'
"Meow Meow Meow… Meow!" Suddenly, Subaru found his personal space violated as the cat sniffed him, exploring every inch.
He wished he could stuff his head into the nearest hole, as this situation presented him with two revelations.
First, he was able to analyze the cat with his Six Eyes and discovered it had a significant mana reserve, along with a small star in its Od, indicating the "Divine Protection of Water",making it a highly skilled water mage.
Second, he confirmed the creature's gender, and to his dismay, the cat was a male all along.
How did he know? The slight bulge at its crotch gave it away.
'Damn you, Cat-Ears! I swear I'll get my revenge for this embarrassing shit you're putting me through!'
"Ah, you must be the person Emilia-sama spoke of!" the cat-boy exclaimed after giving him a thorough sniff.
"…She did?" He finally found his voice.
"Yeah, she mentioned you quite a bit, actually. Anyway, we're all set here. Let's head back home, Old man Will," the cat-eared boy said, as he opened the door and hopped into the carriage.
Wilhelm took one last sip of his tea. "Thanks for the tea, but I think it's time for me to be on my way. I hope we cross paths again," he said, placing the cup on the tray and driving the carriage away.
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"Aha! So it did have something to do with the royal Selection!"
Subaru found himself in the tea room chatting with Emilia, while Rem lingered quietly behind him.
"Yes, they didn't share much detail, just that it was an urgent summons. I'm supposed to head to the capital tomorrow," Emilia explained.
'An urgent summons, huh? I wonder what that could mean…' he thought, trailing off. 'Emilia mentioned they still haven't found the fifth candidate yet… Oh!'
Suddenly, a realization struck him, connecting the dots he had long overlooked.
The insignia he had helped her retrieve would glow whenever it came into contact with someone deemed worthy of being a dragon priestess. He remembered seeing it shine in Felt's hand back at the loot house when she was about to give it back.
'Felt is a candidate! How the hell did I forget such an important detail? I'm such an idiot!' He would have slapped himself if Emilia hadn't been right there.
"Well, it sounds like you'll be quite busy this week, huh? Good luck with everything!" he said, giving her a thumbs up.
"Well, about that…" she hesitated, twirling a strand of hair. Subaru recognized this as her little quirk whenever she felt shy or was unsure how to ask for something.
"I was hoping… you could come with me?" she requested.
Subaru Blinked. "Huh? Me, go with you?"
"Yes. You helped me find my courage when those kids were kidnapped. I know you said you're happy living a normal life, but I could really use your support for whatever's coming. It would mean a lot to me."
She looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please."
Subaru stared at her in silence. His main goal was to lead a quite life, and being involved with a royal candidate was already a step away from that—though he didn't regret it.
But getting wrapped up in such a significant event while just being a butler was counterproductive to his goal.
Yet, this was Emilia, his first friend in this world. What kind of friend would he be if he said no?
"Emilia-sama is right," Rem stated, catching his attention. "Rem saw how your support and belief in her encouraged her bravery. Rem thinks you should go, Subaru-kun."
"I wouldn't mind at all," Roswaal chimed in from his chair, engrossed in a book. "If this is Emilia-sama's desire, then I shall honor it." He then turned to Subaru, adding, "But ultimately, the decision is yours."
'Why am I being triple-teamed here?!' he thought, glancing between Rem, Roswaal, and Emilia.
He then let out a tired sigh and said, "Alright, if Emi wants me to join, I suppose I have no choice."
Emilia's face lit up with a bright smile. "Thank you so much, Subaru!"
"Don't mention it—" he began, but was interrupted by the loud creak of the door swinging open. It was Ram, glaring at Subaru with a look fierce enough to cut through the Sword Saint himself.
"Barasu," she said, making him gulp nervously. "Why is the jar of Yasmin empty? Did you steal from it?" she asked, her pink eyes promising pain.
Subaru gulped, "Uhhhh, you know what? I think I'll go pack my bags. I'll see you soon, Emilia!" he exclaimed, hastily trying to escape the room.
Unfortunately, he was caught and ended up having to clean the chimney that day.
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On the dirt road, the red carriage from the Mathers estate was making its way back to the capital.
Wilhelm was at the front, guiding the carriage, while Felix relaxed inside.
"Nyow was surprised to see you speaking with that man. I thought you preferred to slice people in half rather than converse with them," Ferris teased.
Wilhelm simply smiled. "That's a serious misunderstanding. The man referred to himself as 'average,' yet I can sense immense power within him."
Felix was intrigued by this, "Really? How so?"
"When we were having tea, he didn't just invite me for company; he was studying me, analyzing me. He may be trying to hide it, but I can tell he's a warrior of strong caliber just by looking at him."
Felix's interest was piqued. "Oh? Nyow you've got me curious. If Wilhelm van Astrea, the Sword Demon says so, Then Ferris will believe him"
And with that the carriage contained on its path, uninterrupted