Uploading date: 6/28/2018 [M/D/Y]

Re: Life in a fantasy world ~ Arc 2: An Everlasting Week

Chapter 3: Getting to know them

Waking up again, this time, on a different bed, not as comfortable as the last one, but still did it's job extremely well. I got up and did a few stretches to shake my body up, then, I quickly went out of my room and into the bath, don't want to be late.

I walked down the hallway as I buttoned down my jacket, Rem is pretty good at sewing herself, to be able to make this in a day, and I took a whole night just to make a small plushy. I looked out my window and to my surprise, the sun was peeking out from the hill, "Wait, don't tell me I woke up too early?" I gazed over at a clock and I was right, "Three in the morning… you gotta be kidding me"

I sighed as I walked around the mansion, the lights were still on and the hallways were brightly lit. Still, with everyone else sleeping, the place really does feel empty, lonely, like a haunted house, "Heh, I doubt there'd be ghosts here…" the lights then suddenly went out, the hallways were darkened though not too dark as tiny bits of sunlight shot through the curtains, this creepy scene...

"Subaru-kun…"

"OH MY GOD!"

A sudden voice from behind me scared the shit out of me, it made my heart skip one or three beats, did I jinx myself when I said there were no ghosts here?! I turned back and to my relief, it was Rem, seriously, "Rem… y-you really know how to get the jump on a man don't you…"

"Very funny, Subaru-kun…" She said with a straight face, can't she laugh at a joke. "What are you doing up this early, may Rem ask?" Why am I up this early? That's a simple enough question, "Well, I was afraid of waking up late, so I slept in early last night, so I woke up too early today… but what are you doing up, doesn't Ram hand the chores out at Six?"

"Rem normally wakes up at this time, so…"

"I see…"

She wakes up at three in the morning? That's a surprise, wait! Who in the right mind would wake up this early in the morning? Most servants wake up at Five, any lower than that then it would be sleep deprivation, unless… "Rem Nee, what time do you sleep at?" "Eleven, why do you ask?" Yeah, she's definitely sleep deprived!

"Don't you think you're overexerting yourself, Rem? That means you only get like… four hours of sleep, is that really enough? After hearing that, I wouldn't be surprised if you fainted any moment now..."

"Subaru-kun's concern is not needed, Rem has been sleeping late and waking up early for ten years now, so it's become a habit…" Ten years ago? That's when she was hired as a maid right? Then that means she's hasn't been getting enough sleep for ten whole years? "Of course, Rem had to take it easy at first, Rem would oversleep a lot when Rem first started as a maid…" Ah, that's relief, so her body can at least reprimand itself.

"Then, would you like some morning tea, I'm gonna go brew some" She just nodded, "Rem will be waiting outside then…" and she left, guess I'll bring over some biscuits too while I'm at it.

We both sat on the porch, watching as the sun rose above the mountain, the sight was almost as good as the premade biscuits I took out from the kitchen, "So Rem, what do you normally do at times like this?" She put her cup of tea down and looked towards the distance, "Rem would take a walk around the forest and search for nuts… when Rem was young, Rem would go out with Nee-sama and do just that, it's sort of nostalgic in a way…"

"I see…"

"Other times, Rem would wait by the gate for Roswaal-sama if he was returning, or, Rem would go and practice combat in the backyard, there are also times when Emilia-sama wakes up early, though it is rare, we'd have tea by the porch, just like we are right now…"

"Hmm…" I put down my cup and bit down on a biscuit, I've never really had a taste for tea, "Does Beatrice ever leave the library? Except during breakfast, lunch, and stuff…" "No, Beatrice-sama rarely leaves, it's only unless it's an emergency, even then, it's hard to convince her to get out…"

"I wonder if she's asleep or not…"

"Beatrice-sama would be awake, Subaru-kun… Rem doubts if Beatrice-sama actually sleeps, whenever Rem runs into her, she's always awake, no matter what time of day it is… why did Beatrice-sama come to mind?"

"Why you ask? Well, I'm not sure… I guess she's just interesting, It's not every day that you see a little great spirit yeah? Hehe…" I said with a dry laugh at the end, which made Rem glare at me, "Rem didn't know Subaru-kun was interested in little girls… that was a lie wasn't it?" Eh? I really was just interested, oh well, let's see what happens when I play along for a while.

"Haah!" I relaxed and stretched my body, Rem looking quite alert, "Your pretty observant, Rem…" I say with a mocking smile. "As a maid, Rem must always stay vigilant when protecting the mansion… if you think you're going to pull any cards, it'll have to go through Rem first…" Already calling threats this early in the morning, she's really paranoid.

"Okay then, there's another reason…" She stared at me with a 'hmph' and sipped a bit more of her tea, "I feel like Beatrice could be useful to me… for a goal I've set out to do, Roswaal could be helpful too, and Emilia-san… well, I'm not really sure about her, if she helps, she'd actually be a hindrance…"

Rem shot me a cold glare, was it because I labeled Emilia as useless? "So you're going to dispose of the 'hindrance' then?" She said while getting a little aggressive in her stance, "Woah, Woah there, now you're just jumping into conclusions! I mean, I only here because I saved her, not because I need her or anything..."

I was replied with a long stare, "Guess you won't believe me just like that huh… Fine, I'll what I need them for..." She sat back in her chair, still acting very cautious but it seems she's loosened up a bit, "Right then, to put it simply… I'm looking for the group of people that destroyed my village, that is all…" She had a meaningful stare set on me, and after a few seconds of staring, she said, "What village may that be? And where?"

"My, my, you're getting pretty deep into it now aren't now aren't you? Very well… but I'm not gonna give away my personal information without getting some information myself… what do you say?" I'm really playing her into my hands right now, and I mean it literally, I raised my hand towards her, "What if you choose to provide false information? Rem could just so easily do the same…"

"Contract then, we shall be bound to only speak of the truth, the contract will only be temporary, and will be undone once our conversation ends… are we in agreement?" I say with a welcoming smile.

She was a little hesitant but she gave me her hand in the end, "We are in agreement…" She replies, "Then the contract is made…" Blue light glowed from her arm and orange light from mine, signaling the contract's effects. Well, now I can ask anything I want, "So… where do we start…"

"Rem is from a village near the mountains, far away from here, Rem and Ram had stayed in the village until ten years ago, where we were taken in by Roswaal as maids, both my parents are deceased… your turn, Subaru-kun…"

"I'm from a village situated in Kararagi, I could give you the location if my memory of the Kararagian map wasn't fuzzy… eight years ago, a grouped attacked my village and slaughtered everyone there, I was the only remaining survivor, my mother sacrificed her life to protect me, same with my dad…"

After hearing the explanation, she seems to have understood my situation, "So, do you have any lead on who they were?" Looks like she's getting curious already, "No… no clear leads yet, but I do have my guesses… One thought I had would be a terrorist group in Kararagi, It would have been better to go to a Kararagian authority but hell, those guys are selfish beyond compare… another guess would be, the Witch-cult…"

"Witch cult…" Rem repeated, with a more ominous voice, "What would lead you to make such a claim?" "Well, my village was involved with some witch artifacts, you know what happened in Garkla? The Vollachian city that was destroyed by a single cult member?"

"Yes, Rem has heard of it… they had discovered a relic supposedly related to the witch of sloth, they held an auction which got a lot of attention from the whole continent, then that was when the individual, Regulus Corneas, came and wiped out the whole city… So you think yours was the same?"

"Similar I'd say… the actions of the Witch-cult comprises of two things, "The Witch of Envy" and "Leaving no survivors", One reason I doubt it was them was that I was able to slip through their grasps, though… this says otherwise…" I revealed to her, my Sage's box, the molten, metal like cube with a broken lock on its's lid, definitely looks like an artifact.

"So if it really was the Witch-cult, this would be the artifact they were after?" Rem asks me, "Indeed, it's merely a box which used to contain something powerful. Well, that powerful thing is gone now so it's just a box, though, I've been told that it has the ability to steal this powerful thing from the individual that took it…"

"Are you in any way affiliated with the Witch-cult, a spy? An ex-member perhaps? Silence will be interpreted as a yes..."

"Did you not just hear what I said about them possibly destroying my village!?"

"That doesn't answer the question, Subaru-kun..."

"Tch... no, I'm in no way part of the cult, in fact, I despise them, you happy?"

She took a quick glance at the box and gave me a look, "May Rem examine the box?" "No, I've promised to keep it out of the hands of the people I don't trust… so good luck getting it out of me..."

"People you don't trust?"

"It goes both ways, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it surely does…"

"Really now? But you drank the tea I made right?"

"Pffft!" She spat out the tea back in her cup, seems like she really didn't think about it huh, "To think that Subaru-kun would be capable of doing such deeds… you're more than a low than a scumbag..." A chuckled a bit while she glared at me, "If I did poison the tea, I'd be poisoned as well you see, I drank the same tea after all…"

She gets up and looks away, "Let's end this here, Rem should wake up Nee-sama now, and Roswaal-sama should also be returning soon…" She takes the tray of biscuits and the tea set and went back to the kitchen, shooting me a glare before she closes the door, "That man is dangerous, I should keep a watch on him… is what she's probably what she's thinking…" I say while resting my arms on the railings.

"You're a sly fox, Subaru-kun…" A voice from around the corner entered my ear. I turned around and look who we have eavesdropping onto our conversation, "I can say about the same for you too… Roswaal..." The clown had a grin on his face, still sporting his usual jester outfit, he walks up and stands beside me.

"And since when were you here?"

"Oh, right when Rem said something about you liking little girls"

"Okay, now you're really getting on my nerves with this kinda stuff, Roswaal… so, you need something? Or do you want me to get down with a smile and say, 'Welcome home Master~, how was the meeting' heh?" I joked, which made both of us laugh, "You'd~ make a good comedian Subaru-kun… I'm just a little interested in how your goals and Beatrice are related… would you want information from the library? Or from Beatrice herself?"

"Oh, actually I was just playing with her. I didn't really think about it until now actually... But I doubt she'd be able to give useful information... Her library contains information on things that occurred during the era of the witches, and she herself likes to stay alone in the library, that's what Rem told me, so if that's true, then she isn't going to know much about what happened in the present day either…"

"Ah~ that is true, so, she wouldn't be useful at all?"

"Well, not exactly... If I'm to fulfill my goals, then I'm going to need a reliable partner that would fight beside me, and a great spirit like Beatrice would be a pretty good partner…" Now that you think about it, her gate crossing is a high-class Yin spell, to make a connection to a room with this many doors in a mansion this big, and to maintain it for hundreds of years, she must be a powerful mage.

"I see… it is true, Beatrice is very skilled, she has mastered Yin magic after all, and she does have a vast mana pool, I myself am not sure where she gets the mana to sustain the library… though, you do realize what you're doing by partnering with her don't you?"

Roswaal says to me with a serious and concerned look, "Hmm? I don't follow, as far as I'm told, she guards the library which houses all of Echidna's knowledge, that being said, you shouldn't really have a connection besides being the representative of the witch, I don't see a fault in contracting with her?"

"Ah, so she hasn't revealed her own circumstances yet, now has she?"

"Her own circumstances?"

"It seems her guarding the library was a contract between herself and Echidna, and it wasn't simply to protect the knowledge, it was to hand it over to someone, Echidna never stated who she was to hand it over to, so she's been waiting ever since… it's what I've been told anyway. There have been many that had come before you, claiming to be the fabled person that she was waiting for, but she has rejected every single one of them, and though she does seem to be more tolerant of you, I can't help but fear the same may happen to you, what has happened to the others…"

"She rejected them all… huh?"

"Yes, one after another, blasted through the library door"

"Poor souls... and she was a really polite person too... Ah well, dad always told me those types of girls have to be pestered before you can ask them out, so that's what they should have done..."

"Ehe, I~ don't think I follow? Just to be clear, what kind of partner are you searching for exactly, Subaru-kun?"

"Like I said, a reliable partner that can help me achieve my goal, a partner that won't lose hope just because the light at the end of the tunnel disappears, a partner who's fit to fight by my side! Or anyone who I can give my utmost trust to anyway…"

"I… I see... Your explanation back then oddly resembles advice that a father would give to his son on how to find himself a wife, the context doesn't seem to fit in very well… But~ anyway, I wish you the best of luck…"

"Wait, I never said I was going to do it!"

After having that long talk with Roswaal, I walked around the mansion, thinking on what to do next, Ram should be awake by now, that means I have an hour before work starts, "Guess I'll fill this house full of mayonnaise until then!" I say in a voice that was a little too loud. The door beside me opened and surprise, surprise, Emilia came out, with Puck of course.

"Ah, you're up early Subaru"

"Yo, Emilia-san, sleep well?"

"Actually... I couldn't sleep last night, my stomach kept on rumbling... it's all your fault Subaru! The mayonnaise was too good, I couldn't stop thinking about it..."

Looks like I've successfully caught her in my grasp, now I can bribe her with mayonnaise! That is, if I wanted to of course, but that's not a good thing to do, so let's not do that. "Well, I was actually going to make some more just now..." "Really! Hey, can you teach me how to make some? Pretty please!" she begged to me with puppy eyes, I can see Puck facepalming himself.

Is this person really going to become Lugnica's next king? May the dragon guide you well... "Sure, why not?"

.

And so we went to the kitchen, she geared up with an apron, a cooking hat, oven mittens, safety goggles, hairpins, "Hold it Emilia-san, that's way too much equipment! It's mayonnaise we're making not a buffet!" I say while grabbing out the ingredients. "Eh? We won't be using the oven?"

She really isn't cut out for this, hate to say it but whoever is marrying her, you'd better be prepared, "Mayonnaise is simple to make, you just need oil, mustard, eggs and other things, then you mix them together, simple as that" I started pouring in the ingredients into the bowl while Emilia does the same, "Really?! It's that easy?"

"Yeah, it's that easy"

"Waaah..."

Puck watched on as we continued our mixing, all the while, he remarked, "Hard to believe something so tasty could be made so easily, normally, we're served something that takes hours to make..." I dipped in my finger to get a taste, "Well... 'Even the simplest of things can rival the complex' is a popular saying in Kararagi, much of our dishes are made from simple ingredients, we have udon and sushi which don't take long to prepare, though I can prepare some, I doubt it'd beat Rem's cooking, she beats me in every sector..."

"Yeah, the blue maid is by far the most skilled cook I've seen before..."

"Hey Subaru, how's this?" Emilia called over to me, I turned over and had the sudden urge to laugh, I looked over to Puck, him almost covering his eyes with his tiny paws, probably dying trying to contain his laughter, "Ehe... the color looks just right, Emilia-san... but..." She's got mayonnaise everywhere, on her hat, hands, it's even dripping out of the bowl.

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind..."

I dropped my whisk and went over to her, looking over at whatever was left in her bowl, "Let's have a try then, shall we?" Using a spoon I took a sip, and "Pft-" Too much salt! I nearly slammed my hand to the table, my face scrunched up so bad as I forced this salty substance inside my mouth.

"So, how was it? Was it so good you can't express it in words!? I had maid training before, you know, so if you expected something average you're in for surprise Subaru, haha!" Maid training? What did you get on your cooking test, an F? How much salt did you put into this!

"W-Well... augh, can't express it in words would be correct..."

Looking over to Puck, he's practically rolling over the table bursting into tears, I'll get him for this.

Just then the door opened, and in came Ram, all ready for work "I was wondering what was with all the commotion and here I see Barusu defiling Emilia-sama, what a gruesome sight..." She said jokingly but with a face of clear disgust.

"That's enough Ram, don't tease Subaru too much, anyway... here, I made some mayonnaise, please tell me how you think of it!" She said with a smug smile plastered on her face, Ram, I pray that you'll handle this well.

"As you wish, Emilia-sama..." She took the bowl off her hands and noted that the bowl was dripping, she sighed. She dipped her fingers into the runny mixture and stuck it in her mouth and, "PFFFFFT!" resisting the urge to hurl it all out, she covered her mouth with her arm, quickly facing the other way to hide her mortified expression.

"So, so, how was it!"

Emilia said with a beaming expression, Puck and I looked over to her with a mocking smile, "Come on Ram Nee-san... don't keep her waiting..." she gulped it all in and slammed the table with her fist, "Emilia-sama, it's good... just a tad bit too much salt, though, you shouldn't trouble yourself with such chores..." she said with a shrivelled voice, probably due to the salt.

She looked over to me and Puck as we clapped her on, "Well played, Ram Nee-san" "Well played indeed, Red haired one..." she scowled at the two of us, while Emilia sighed, "If you say so Ram, well then, I'll see you later then Subaru"

"See ya"

We waved her off as she left the kitchen, leaving the apron and cooking hat behind, "Barusu, never, under any circumstances, let her enter the kitchen ever again..." I sighed while dumping her mayonnaise into the trash, "Roger that, Nee-san..."

After that whole ordeal, we cleaned up the kitchen and I bottled up the edible mayonnaise and stashed it away. Retreating to the employee's lounge, Ram handed out the chores once again, only this time, it's for the whole day. Three, one-hour breaks after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and after eight, we have the rest of the night to ourselves.

As Ram was giving out the chores, I've been getting sudden stares by Rem, to which Ram questioned, "Is something the matter Rem?" the fact that Ram asked means that Rem hasn't told her about our conversation this morning, I wonder how she'll reply, "Subaru-kun's hair disturbs Rem, it's unsightly and sloppy..."

"That's your excuse?" I say in a whisper while sighing, "Fine then, Barusu, tomorrow, we're all going to restock on spices by the village, while we go shopping, you're going to get a haircut by the village barber, understand?"

"The one down the road right? Arlham village, I think Emilia-san said its name was, sure, why not"

And after that, we all split up to our own chores, my days as a butler, chapter 2 of the series, has started.

.

First things first, I had to clear up the fireplace and replace all the burnt logs with fresh new ones, unfortunately, the replacement firewood is on the other side of the mansion, so I had to journey all the way over there, get the firewood, then make it all the way back.

Next, I had to solo it out with the bathing room, which wasn't hard cause all I had to do was some light scrubbing and after replacing all the water, I was done.

Right after that, I had to sweep up the front lawn that was littered with leaves from last nights winds. Coincidentally, Rem was sweeping it with me, we shot each other stares as we went on with our work.

"It~ seems you two are getting along"

We turn our heads to the owner of the voice, and see Roswaal over by the porch waving at us, I sigh while Rem bows down to him.

"We're practically best friends, right, Rem?"

"Don't spoil yourself with such delusions, Subaru-kun"

She replied sharply, "Ouch, my feelings..." Roswaal chuckled to our antics as he walks down the lane, "Going somewhere Roswaal?" I ask while wiping off the sweat on my forehead, "I'm~ off to check to the village for business related to the royal election, you~ see..."

"Ah, informing them early on Emilia-san's candidacy? Good luck with that then"

"Much~ appreciated, Subaru-kun... I'm off then..."

He goes off with a bang, by that I meant he flew up and out of sight in a matter of seconds, that's the court magician for you. While he leaves, I and Rem go back to our staring contest, until Ram called us back in to prepare breakfast.

I was tasked with making a butt load of mayonnaise on Emilia's request while Rem and Ram got going with the main dish and the dessert, and with due time we completed it all quickly and with five minutes to spare as well.

Rem went ahead to prepare the table while Ram got the dishes on the tray, Roswaal has left for the village so he's probably going to dine there, I used the five minutes to ring up on Beatrice, which took a while to find, it's not easy getting the door but when I get a certain feeling, I usually get the right door.

"What brings you here, I suppose?"

"We're serving breakfast soon, you're coming right?"

"And what makes breakfast so special that you have to go and call me, I suppose?" she said with annoyance plastered all over her face, "Isn't it my job to call you?" I say matter of factly. "Was it stated in your job description to 'Call Betty to breakfast', I suppose?"

"Nope, but there's mayonnaise?"

"Then... give me two minutes... I suppose..."

"I thank you for your patronage"

I left, feeling very satisfied. I feel like I've accomplished something worthy of praise, though it's probably just my imagination. I walk back to the kitchen, getting everything ready to serve. I pushed the tray over to the dining room, I can smell the aroma of beautifully fried fish seep from the bottom of the tray, damn, why did I have to be a servant!

We entered and saw Emilia sitting in the head of the table, looking just a tad bit lonely. When we entered she immediately asked, "Hey, do you guys want to eat with me? Since Roswaal's not here and all..." Eating alone isn't something she likes, I guess, but this is the perfect opportunity to eat this exquisite dish.

"Emilia-sama, it is unbefitting for a servant to eat alongside their masters..."

"But Rem Nee, isn't it a disgrace to reject an order from your master?"

"Then only if Emilia-sama orders it..."

We all look over to Emilia, her getting a little tensed up, "Ah, well, I don't want to look like I'm forcing you or anything... uh, but..." Are you really that shy to ask? Looks like she'll need a little push, "Emilia-sama, as your servant, I have a duty to advise you in such times, during the royal election, do you think you'll get anywhere with that attitude?" I say with a stern look.

"Ah, I... think so?"

"Do you think this country needs a selfless king? A king that tries their utmost to make living easier for any and all citizens? Providing them with all their needs?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Wrong! If anything, a king should be selfish! A selfless king will surely perish to dust! By being selfish, people will work under your will, growing strong through hardship!"

"Ah, but-"

"A selfless king that always helps his people will only make them more dependent, and when the day that their king dies, they will all fall down into an abyss of helplessness!"

"You're... you're right!"

"Of course I'm right! You should ask for what you want, make your authority clear, show everyone that you can govern the country with a firmness no one else has seen!"

"Yeah!"

"So, my king! What is your first order" I say while I kneel down on the ground, shocking Emilia a little bit.

"Uh, ahh... Okay!" She slams her hands onto the table, "From today onwards! Everyone shall dine together, under any and all circumstances! I order it!" Yes, I've scored myself a luxury dining experience for life! Thanks a lot, Emilia.

"Nya, bending my daughter for your own benefit is not a good thing, Subaru..." Puck said with a hint of hatred, "But it seems Lia was able to express her wishes, for that, you're off the hook..."

"Mutual benefit is the best form of partnership, another popular saying in Kararagi, Puck"

After that boisterous lecture, I sat down on the table, looking rather proud of myself. Rem gave me an annoyed look while Ram only sighed, just then, Beatrice came in.

"Oh, your all dining together? Does that mean you have forgotten about Betty, I suppose? Even though you came to ask?"

"Ah, Beatrice, I was wondering what took you so long, and you'd understand why I hadn't told them you were coming if you were in my position" I said while pointing over to the big metal tray in the middle of the table, more exactly, on the big and delicious fish being served.

"Hmph, you're a greedy pig, you know..."

"Says the one who hogged up the cheesecakes to herself the day before..."

"What!? You're the one who gave them to me, I suppose!"

Emilia and Puck chuckled as they watched our banter, "Nee-sama, Nee-sama, could it be that Subaru-kun has a secret divine protection that allows him to befriend little girls?" Rem whispered loudly to Ram, "Rem, Rem, that seems to be the case..." Ram replied.

"Hey, it isn't nice to talk about someone behind their backs, you know!"

"Hey, it isn't nice to talk about someone behind their backs, I suppose!"

We said in unison, which made Emilia and Puck burst out in laughter, annoying the both of us, "Rem, Rem, I think it's more like the secret divine protection of thinking exactly what little girls think..." Ram whispered loudly to Rem, "Nee-sama, Nee-sama, such a horrid blessing exists?"

"Enough already!"

"Enough, I suppose!"

After all that bickering, we went on with breakfast, with Beatrice deciding to sit beside me. We all practically fought over who gets the mayonnaise, all except Rem, of course, seems she isn't a fan of mayonnaise. I made a mental note, to make an even bigger butt load next time. There was some leftover fish, which Puck finished off on his own pretty quickly.

"Ah, meals are always better with more people" Emilia remarks with a full stomach, "Sure is... but still, I can't believe we managed to finish five whole bottles of mayonnaise in a single eating session..." I say while grabbing all the emptied bottles from the table. We're going to have to find a way to mass produce these on a large scale if we're going to keep this up.

"Then Rem can prepare a batch of Five hundred before lunch..."

"Yeah, thats- Five hundred!? W-Where are we gonna keep that much mayo?"

"We have large barrels and we can buy more from the village so it shouldn't be a problem, we have large pots and we still have a large number of ingredients left, and the freezing room is more than enough to store five hundred, Rem is sure to make it by lunch..."

"But, five hundred!? Isn't that overkill?" If she's really able to make that much in that short amount of time, then I'll be damned. And also, does this mansion really have enough for five hundred whole bottles worth of mayonnaise!?

"Yes, yes it does Barusu"

"Gah! Did Nee-san read my thoughts?"

"It's written all over your face..."

The day went on, chores had to be done, sweat had to be wiped. Roswaal had returned from the village with some good news and by lunch, I'm shown a mountain of barrels, all filled with mayonnaise, normally, this would be a blissful dream come true but I was utterly terrified, terrified of the monster of a maid that made this happen.

I looked over to Rem who was dusting her maid uniform, not looking tired in the least, "Rem... you'd make a great wife you know?" She seemed to choke on that single compliment, "A-As... as if Rem would be your wife!" She said with a killer look on her eyes, well that's an overreaction I kinda expected, "Hold your horses, it was just a compliment, I don't think I'd want to marry you anyway"

"Barusu, are you saying my Rem isn't attractive..."

"Ram Nee-san!? When did you get here?"

"Mind you Barusu, I'm always here... always watching, I'm this mansions eyes, so you can't do a single act without me knowing, that being said, you make a move on my little sister or Emilia-sama to add, and you'll answer to me..."

Okay, now I'm really terrified, it's like staring two demons in the eye right after angering them.

Later that night, everything seemed to have calmed down, Ram was with Roswaal for some sort of review? Rem was busy doing her night patrol of sorts, Emilia was doing her political studies and I was left alone in my room, with absolutely nothing to do.

"I don't feel tired... and I've run out of wool for making things..."

I look over to my desk and notice the Puck plush I made the other night, "I wonder... is Beatrice still up?" Might as well give it to her now, not like I have anything better to do at the moment.

Grabbing the plush of my desk, I dressed up in my usual Kararagi-Lugnica hybrid attire and went out of my room. Through several doors, I felt like one stood out and opened it, to my surprise that door was the right one, "Got it on my first try huh..." I looked in and I was met with an annoyed look by Beatrice.

"Just so you know, I won't have a midnight snack with you, I suppose"

Ah, looks like she doesn't want me to go in there then, "Don't worry, I didn't bring any cheesecake this time..." She flashed me a disappointed look for a brief moment, my, what a dishonest person she is. "Instead, I brought something else... may I?" I say while pointing into the room, she just huffed and went back to reading her book.

I walked in as I please and went beside her, "How does this look?" I show her the Puck plush, "Why are you giving me this, I suppose?" "Well..." Why indeed, if I tell her I just want to give it to you, she'll probably reject it and kick me out, "It's been hard to get some actual advice on my sewing skills when people say 'What are you? An aunt or something?'. So I thought that you'd be better suited to ask for..."

"Hmph, those people just say as they please, I suppose..." Huh!? Did I actually do it? Have we finally found common ground! "It's well made and looks almost identical to Bubby, though Bubby's ears are more pointy and his feet are furrier..." Okay, what are you? A Puck connoisseur!?

"When did you make this, I suppose?"

"Ah, I did it just the other night"

"Impressive, I suppose..." Yes! I just got praised, at this rate, we'll be best buds in no time! "Right then, could you hold onto that? I was planning on making another one, I'll come back to show you so we can compare them" Her eyes beamed as she faces away, "Is... is that really okay? I suppose..."

Hah, looks like she isn't that prideful when it comes to things she wants now is she, I was expecting her to go 'Hmph, if I really must, I suppose...' but looks like I've found a weak spot, time to take advantage, "If you let me crash here for a few minutes then I guess that's okay..." She only nods silently while marveling at the plush.

And so I was granted a permit into the library, lucky me. I stayed in the library for a little over a few minutes, getting my hands on any book that seemed to catch my eye, including that one about magic algorithms. They all proved to be somewhat useful but were so complex that I couldn't grasp the concept in a single read, so I made a note to come back during my free time to read back on them.

"Hey..." She called out to me, "Yeah? What is it" I turn around and was met with her facing me, an indifferent look was painted on her face, "Could it be possible... that you're the person Betty has been waiting for?" The person she has been waiting for? Must be the person Roswaal was talking about this morning, a person that she was to pass the library onto.

"That person..." Sorry Beatrice, but, "Is not me..." I can't be the person you're talking about, "I see..." For a moment, even though it was for a brief moment, I felt like she was going to cry, bawl her eyes out, scream out in frustration, but all she did was sigh, "Of course, I suppose..."

Looks like she wasn't expecting much of an answer anyway, still, she must be pretty bummed out, might as well comfort her, "I've heard a bit of it from Roswaal... there have been people claiming to be this person your waiting for, but you rejected them, right?"

"So he's told you about it, I suppose... Yes, Betty has rejected every single one of them... their pleas, those worthless pleas... they meant nothing to Betty, if anything, it mocks the very contract that bounds Betty to this library, each time one comes in, they give Betty just a little bit of hope, but they were all the same, no different from the last, honestly, it's frustrating..."

"Huh, I get what you mean... people coming to you, claiming that they can help you... I met a bunch of people like those, the moment when things turn south for them, they dump you and bail out, using you as some sort of item. Seriously, all of their eyes are the same, eyes that mock you, thinking your some weakling who can't fend for themselves, thinking they can use you as they want as long as they play pretend..."

"You met people like that, I suppose?"

"Too many to count, each and every one of them even worse than the last... help find a place to settle down, they say, help get a huge grab from an easy job, they say, all of them just using me as they wish... I despise them... but more than that, I despise myself for falling for it almost everytime... there was even this one time... no, I probably shouldn't spill this one on you..."

"After going so far? Come on, you can tell Betty, I suppose"

"Promise you won't think of me badly?"

"A spirit never breaks her promises, I suppose..."

"There was this one time... I was invited to join in on the witch cult..." hearing this her eyes widened in shock, "They said I was bathed in the smell of the witch, that I belonged in that place... they even had my gospel ready and everything..." "D-Did you accept them? I suppose..." she said in a slightly fearful tone, "Accept the people who slaughtered everything I cherished and loved? I don't think any level of depression would get me to do that... Betelgeuse was his name, I spat at him and made a mad dash out of that place, I was able to escape but lost a dear friend as a cost..."

"..."

"Sorry for dumping all that onto you, must be really annoying hearing a depressed man cry out all his problems..." I say while getting up, "I'm gonna go and sleep now... sorry for taking your time, Beatrice..." I walked over to the door and looked back.

Beatrice sighed as she looked at me, "A depressed man you are... feel free to come back anytime, I suppose" She said with a smile on her face. Looks like I can say we're friends now, right? "Then, next time, I'll let you cry out all your problems to me, hehe"

"What kind of great spirit would do that, I suppose!? Though, I may take you up on that offer... someday..."

"Night then, Beatrice..."

A/N

Currently on a trip and stupid little me forgot to inform yall, sorry... Chapter uploads will be on burst mode now, two or three chapters at once, but the time between will be extended because Internet is a scarce resource over here.

Yall remember Lyra? Yeah, she died while helping Subaru escape Betelgeuse in this story, something you should remember for Arc 3.

Also, this is officially the longest word count I've reached in a single chapter, 7300 words!

Basscus

The Cake was NOT a lie

Will Subaru get his ass beaten by Julius or will he give Julius a run for his money?

Again great chapter looking forward to your next update

He got a good match against Elsa, pretty sure Julius would get a good one as well… though, it might not even happen since I doubt this Subaru would belittle the knights, then again, he is Pride… But let's not talk about arc 3, he's got bigger problems right now...

Tales from Puck

Ok. This was a very informative chapter. I now know how to make mayonnaise. The maids and Puck still don't trust Subaru. this leaves the question: will Subaru remain with the camp?

The answer may seem obvious but his personality is not the same. the only real reason he joined her was because of the witch cult. When he's introduced to the other candidates I can see him siding with them for a loop.

I love this chapter. keep up the work and make Typhon proud!

Hmm, looks like someone's being very observant… him siding with another camp would be very possible, and it would be very beneficial for him, would he do it, I wonder...

I think Typhon will be more thrilled with pictures included, gonna have to work on those...