Subaru could do nothing but stare at Emilia in awe. He’d only seen her like this once before: when she was telling Roswaal that she would pass the Trials no matter what.
That she would pass the trials for him.
“I am your partner, Subaru. The only way I’ll stay out of the fight is if you do too. Every danger that threatens you, threatens me too. And from now on, we’re going to face them all together,” Emilia said firmly.
“Emilia…” He murmured.
“I won’t leave you,” Emilia whispered.
Subaru bit his lip and slowly nodded. “Yeah… I recognize that look on your face.”
A moment passed and Subaru wasn’t sure how it had happened but he suddenly discovered that Emilia was in his arms and they held each other tight.
“God damn it, Emilia,” Subaru almost whimpered. “Why do you always have to be so brave?” Subaru realized that he was crying.
Emilia tittered through her own tears. “I keep wanting to ask you that same question.”
Subaru took a deep breath. “You had better not die, Emilia. If you die, I’ll never forgive you!”
Emilia chuckled.
Subaru sighed as they drew apart. He wiped his eyes. “Alright. Let’s go find Antilles and his soldiers. Then we can all make plans to do yet another thing that’s really, really stupid.”
Subaru and Emilia found the soldiers just inside the forest.
“Alright, Captain,” Subaru said. “I think we have a plan.”
Subaru quickly spelled out his idea.
Antilles scratched his chin as he thought it over. “It sounds feasible, I suppose. But how do you plan to distract the soldiers? I completely expect my men to refuse such a suicide mission, nor would I fault them for doing so. Even in the best laid plans, the bait tends to get eaten. Even if you convinced my men to try-”
“I’m not asking your men to do that, Captain,” Subaru cut him off. “I’m planning to use mabeasts.”
“Mabeasts?!” Antilles asked incredulously. He stared at Subaru and Emilia for a long moment as if waiting for either to confess that they were just joking. “Ignoring for the moment the legal and ethical implications of using mabeasts in warfare, how do you even intend to convince them to attack the camp?!”
Subaru hesitated. Oh, fuck! How am I going to explain this?!
“Subaru has a special bait from his homeland,” Emilia stepped in quickly. “It’s a very effective mabeast bait. We’ll go to a forest not far from here and lay down a trail. The mabeasts will come.”
Nice one, Mili! Subaru thought, looking impressed.
Emilia caught his glance and flushed but she looked quite pleased with herself.
Antilles was digesting Emilia’s story. “What is this bait called?”
Oh, shit. Not again.
Subaru glanced at Emilia but she hesitated.
Subaru coughed. “It’s called… umm… ‘Scooby and Shaggy,’” Subaru said lamely.
Oh God. I did not just say that!
“I’ve never heard of this substance before,” Antilles replied in confusion.
“Oh! It’s amazing bait,” Subaru assured him. “Back home it’s what people always use to… lure the monsters into a trap,” He finished lamely.
I need to get better at making up names in the spur of the moment! I can almost hear everyone back home laughing at me for this one!
Antilles thought for a moment. “A horde of mabeasts would certainly be an effective distraction,” He admitted.
Subaru nodded. “There’s a mabeast infested forest a few hours away. Emilia and I will go back there and lay down bait to gather the mabeasts to attack the camp. We’ll try to time the attack to happen a little before dawn. We’ll rescue Anri at the same time.”
While the soldiers got busy with the sesame seed oil, Emilia and Subaru raced back to the Elior Forest on Patrasche.
It was nighttime when the dragon finally stepped onto the snow under the forest eaves.
Emilia whispered, “Subaru, how are we going to find the mabeasts?”
A low growl from the woods answered her.
Emilia held onto Subaru a little tighter and Patrasche took a step back as dozens of wolgarms and a few Guiltylowe began to creep out of the shadows.
“I called them as soon as we were close enough,” He answered. “So that they’d be waiting here for us.”
Subaru was having misgivings about his plan. I know this sounds weird but… I kind of feel guilty about this. I am risking their lives here. They’re just supposed to be a distraction but some of them could easily be killed in this fight. This isn’t like throwing them at a group of poorly armed smugglers.
I’ll make sure that I tell them to keep their distance. They don’t have to kill any soldiers. Just distract them for about two minutes.
The mabeasts continued to gather around Patrasche, looking up at Subaru with loathing. In short order, there were sixty of them gathered around the riding dragon who nervously fidgeted.
Subaru swallowed hard. “Alright, let’s go!”
It was well after midnight. Malcolm an Griest had been busy writing letters and making plans for the army but he was finally ready to turn in for the night.
“Prince Malcolm!” A voice shouted.
Malcolm grumbled to himself and turned to see who had hailed him. He wasn’t very surprised to see the Generals of the four armies belonging to the other Houses standing there, all looking angry.
“What is it?” Malcolm said with an edge in his voice.
“We understand that you’ve taken Princess Kairei prisoner,” The general from House Hilde said. He was a tall, solid man with gray hair. While they’d spoken several times, Malcolm couldn’t remember his name, nor did he particularly care.
“If you’re here to congratulate me then I think this could have waited until morning,” Malcolm grumbled.
“We’re here to demand that you send her away immediately,” The Brokvar general said flatly.
“What?!” Malcolm demanded. “You expect me to set her free? Are you all aligned with House Ithil now?!”
“No. And nobody said anything about setting her free. We don’t care what happens to her,” The Craite General sniffed. “But we’re not aligned with you in this matter either!”
“He’s right, Prince Malcolm,” The Hilde general grumbled. “We’re neutral in your war with Ithil. Now, because the princess is here, our soldiers are helping you guard her! You’re making it look like our Houses are aligned against House Ithil and aligned with House Griest!”
“As you should be,” Malcolm growled. “House Ithil will be extinct in a matter of days and House Griest will once again claim the Holy King’s throne. You had better sort out where your loyalties are.”
“My loyalties are to Prince Donar,” The Hilde general said with disdain. “And I can tell you right now that he’ll be furious if we’re even giving the appearance of taking sides in this war. Send the Princess back to Sanshi with some of your men. Tonight.”
“I don’t take orders from you!” Malcolm roared.
“Do it,” The Craite General said in a firm voice. “Or tomorrow, we make separate camps. We’re not courting trouble from Siros or the Hierocracy.”
Malcolm glowered at them. “You are making a very powerful enemy right now.”
“We’ll pass that on to our Princes,” General Brokvar said shortly.
Malcolm scowled at them for a long moment. “One more thing,” Malcolm grated. “I want all our forces ready for battle just after sunrise.”
“Battle?” The General from Voivode said in surprise.
Malcolm nodded. “The Lagunican army will be here just after sunrise. Possibly with detachments from Siros.”
The Craite General looked incredulously. “Prince Malcolm,” He said in a tone that suggested he was fighting for patience. “None of our scouts have reported any sightings at all! Much less a whole army!”
“You have your orders,” Malcolm said flatly. “I have it on very good authority that the army that guards the princess will attack at sunrise and I intend to be ready for it. Be of good cheer, however, gentlemen. I am absolutely certain that we are a vastly superior force to our enemies and the princess’s army will be destroyed easily.”
“Prince Malcolm,” The Brokvar General grated. “Would you kindly explain to us the source of this intelligence?”
“It’s confidential,” Malcolm said shortly.
The four generals fumed and turned to walk away, leaving Malcolm standing beside his tent.
Some hours later, Subaru and Emilia sneaked through the dense, tall grass not far from the camp. They’d left Patrasche with Captain Antilles’s men. They crept to the very edge of the tall grass, only fifty yards or so from the outer tents in the camp.
The pair crouched low to avoid detection.
“Now what?” Emilia breathed in his ear.
Subaru hesitated. “Mili, you know… this could get ugly right?” He said gently. “We can’t risk anyone we bump into inside the camp raising an alarm. We’ll need to kill anyone we see, quickly and quietly.
Emilia nodded. Her face was unhappy but it was determined. “I’m not the fainting flower you think I am, Subaru,” She said firmly. “And I have very little sympathy for soldiers holding an unarmed girl captive. I don’t want to kill anyone but I won’t flinch from it either,” She said simply.
Subaru studied her for a long moment and then slowly nodded. “Alright. Then sun will rise in an hour or two. We want to be out of the valley before that happens. I’m going to tell the mabeasts to start prowling near the other side of the camp. Then when the alarm sounds, we’ll run into the camp. I’ll cut through the canvas of the ‘jail tent’ with Anri’s rapier. With any luck, the guards will be gone or at least won’t notice us. We’ll free Anri and flee back through the field. If we’re pursued, Antilles is standing by with fire arrows to set the field smoking to force the soldiers back. Then we all group up and get the hell out of here!”
Emilia nodded. “What about the Acolyte Knights?” She asked.
Subaru nodded. “If we’re lucky, they’ll get caught up in the smoke and lose our trail too. If not, I’ll pop Pridebreaker on them. That should reduce them to ordinary fighters. We should be able to handle them then.”
Emilia took a deep breath. “Alright, Subaru. I’m ready when you are.”
Subaru hesitated. “Mili, just… promise me that you’ll be careful,” He pleaded.
“I will,” She replied calmly, studying the camp. “I’d ask you for the same promise but I know that you’d break it and I don’t like liars.”
Subaru gave her a hurt look.
“Come on, Subaru,” Emilia said calmly. “The night is passing.”
Subaru closed his eyes for a moment.
Well. Here goes nothing.
Subaru unleashed his monsters.
Deann and Duncan were sleeping side by side in their tent. One of the nicer things about being on campaign was, due to the scarcity of available tents, no one could really object to them sharing accommodations.
There was a loud commotion outside and Duncan begrudgingly rose to wakefulness.
“What’s all that racket?” He muttered.
“I’m not sure,” Deann said in a sleepy voice. “Hopefully Lady Kairei didn’t try to kill herself again. The healers were most upset to have been woken up in the middle of the night.”
Duncan flinched. Poor girl. Denied even a death of her own choosing… He fought to go back to sleep to avoid the harsh realities of the world for a few more hours.
Deann opened her eyes. “No,” She said in deepening concern. “No, this is too much excitement for that…”
The urgent tone of her voice pulled Duncan from sleep and they both sat up.
There was a chilling roar from outside.
Horns blared and men were running toward the other side of the camp.
“Best chance we’re going to get!” Subaru said.
Subaru and Emilia sprinted toward the camp as every guard they could see raced in the other direction.
Emilia easily outpaced Subaru and reached the tent, looking around for any guards.
It took Subaru almost another half minute to get there and he was panting and trying to muffle the sound.
“Subaru, don’t try to run so fast,” Emilia chided in a whisper. “You don’t have mana to support you. This is a marathon not a sprint.”
Subaru nodded as he drew Anri’s rapier and slowly cut a vertical line in the tent canvas from the bottom to just above their heads.
The two slipped into the tent.
Subaru grabbed Emilia and gestured toward the door. Two soldiers still stood guard there, their attention riveted on the disruption across camp.
Subaru made a stabbing gesture at the guards and Emilia nodded, conjuring up her ice sword.
Subaru barely glanced at the cages as they tiptoed past but it looked like Anri and another prisoner were still asleep.
They were almost within spitting distance of the guards, Emilia creeping silent as a shadow when Subaru accidentally kicked a stone.
The guards started at the sound and began to turn around.
Emilia sprang forward and thrust her sword through the first guard’s throat. His face contorted in shock as his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to his knees.
Emilia’s face was mournful. “Sorry,” Emilia whispered apologetically to the soldier as he died.
The other guard jumped and groped for the horn at his belt, raising it to his lips.
At the last moment, Subaru decided not to use his sword, uncertain if he could deliver an instant kill with it.
Instead, Subaru leaped toward him and triggered Indomitable. He drove his fist into the guard’s face and his skull exploded in a great glut of blood. The headless body fell to the ground.
Subaru bit his lip, looking at the great puddle of blood spreading across the ground.
Emilia looked down uncomfortably at the spreading pool of blood. “Subaru, should we hide the bodies?” Emilia whispered.
Subaru shook his head. “No point! We don’t have time to clean up the blood and the guards being missing from their post would arouse suspicion anyway!” Subaru hissed as they charged back into the tent and raced to Anri’s cage.
Anri was stirring from all the noise. The girl looked up with a studied expression of bored disdain. When she saw who was standing there, her eyes opened wide with wonder.
Subaru triggered Indomitable and shattered the lock on the cage door with a single blow.
Anri shoved the door open and flung herself into Emilia’s arms.
“Emilia! Subaru!” Anri whispered in joy.
“Anri!” Emilia said, holding her close.
Subaru chuckled, patting Anri’s head. “Come on, kid. You weren’t really going to leave us without saying goodbye, were you?”
Anri grinned at him.
Emilia shook her head and let go of Anri. “Subaru, we need to get out of here!”
Subaru nodded. “Right. Let’s go!”
“Wait!” Anri hissed. “You need to save Julius too!”
“Save who?” Subaru said, looking at the other cage.
Julius Juukulius stared back at him from inside the cage with a glower of profound contempt.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Subaru said in a flat voice. “What the hell-”
“No time!” Anri whispered. “Break the lock!”
Do I have to? Subaru muttered to himself.
“Subaru!” Emilia hissed. “This isn’t the time!”
Subaru sighed but triggered Indomitable and broke the cage open.
Julius stepped out of the cage and gave a slight bow, a bow that was directed to Anri and no one else. “Thank you, Princess,” He said stiffly.
Julius! I can put you right back where I found you, you know! Subaru seethed.
Subaru shook off his irritation. “Come on! We have to get out of here!”
The group raced out of the back of the tent, Julius pausing only long enough to grab his sword belt from a nearby chest and buckle it around his waist.
The four sprinted into the tall grass and raced through it.
“Emilia! How did you find me?” Anri said in wonder.
“Subaru and I followed your tracks,” Emilia explained. “Then we worked with some Siros soldiers to rescue you.”
“Princess,” Julius said, ignoring Subaru and Emilia, “We need to escape this valley quickly. Whatever distraction bedevils the camp, it will not take them long to resolve it!”
Oh right, Subaru thought. He sent a mental command to the mabeasts to withdraw. He sensed that none had been seriously injured and he told them to run back to the wood.
There’s no point in keeping them here. Even if we do need to fight our way out, sixty mabeasts is a joke against ten thousand soldiers. There’s no point in them dying beside us.
…Am I seriously concerned for the safety of mabeasts now?
A horn blew behind them.
“OK,” Subaru grumbled. “I’m guessing that our grace period has run out.”
Emilia’s ear twitched. “Subaru, they found our trail!” She said in a worried tone. “I can hear them running through the tall grass!”
“How will we escape?!” Anri gasped.
“Hang on, Anri! We’re almost out!” Subaru said, panting for breath as well.
The group broke through the last of the tall grass and sprinted up a rocky hill toward valley cliffs.
Patrasche stood waiting there.
Shit! Can Patrasche carry four people?!
I guess she can. At least for a short distance. We don’t have to go very far before they’ll give up on coming after us.
And if we need someone to sacrifice themselves, maybe I can talk Julius into doing it…
Subaru scanned the ridge above him for Antilles’s men but he couldn’t see anyone.
Don’t panic! That’s good. They’re supposed to be hiding. They’ll set the fields to smoking when they see the soldiers. Right now, they don’t know if anyone is in the fields! Look on the bright side, if you can’t find those soldiers then there’s no way that the soldiers can!
At that moment, Subaru saw dozens of flaming arrows lance out over the valley and plunged into the tall grass that carpeted the valley and was filled with thousands of charging soldiers.
Subaru paused to look back with a smile that faltered quickly. Subaru saw that the three Acolyte Knights had emerged from the grass, all looking very angry and a handful of other soldiers were with them.
The arrows struck the grass and as Subaru had predicated the areas struck immediately began to smoke, a heavy, greasy smoke that caused a fit of coughing and choking that Subaru could hear from a hundred yards out of the grass.
Then the flames spread. The fire swept across the entire field like a great wave until a patch of the valley hundreds of feet wide burned bright as the sun. The tall grass became towering tongues of flame.
There was a deafening wail as thousands of soldiers screamed in terror and pain.
Subaru gasped.
The four stared at the killing field as did the Acolyte Knights. For a moment, everyone could only stare at the spectacle in horror.
The field burned as if it had been doused in lantern oil. The flames licked at the tall grass in plumes of fire at least ten feet high that completely obscured the field. Subaru was standing a hundred feet from the edge and he still was forced to avert his eyes from the heat.
The enormous field was an inescapable trap for the soldiers. Those soldiers who were standing at the very edge managed to roll out of the burning field and frantically beat out the flames on their bodies. But for everyone else, there was no escape. Just a few feet away from the edge of the field, the fire and smoke were blinding and the soldiers were surrounded by their comrades, all bumping into one another and knocking each other down.
In less than a minute, the screams stopped and there was nothing but coughing and gasping. Then all was silent as thousands of soldiers succumbed to the heat or passed out from the smoke.
Subaru could only stare at the conflagration in shock and horror.
What have I done?! I didn’t… This is sesame seed oil not gasoline! I told the soldiers to soak that field in something that you put on salads! I thought that the smoke would blind them! Scare them! OK, I knew that they would get scorched but I didn’t… I didn’t mean to them burn alive!
Subaru was gasping for breath. He looked around helplessly. Julius gave him a look of loathing and Anri stared at him in shocked disbelief.
Subaru looked at Emilia in desperation. Emilia was crying but she managed to give Subaru a sad smile and wrapped her arms around him.
“What have you done?!” A man roared.
Subaru looked down the hill and saw Malcolm an Griest staring up at him, trembling with fury.
Subaru wanted to ask himself the exact same question but instead he forced himself to laugh. “I’d say that should be obvious, even to you!” Subaru said, knowing that his voice sounded shrill and frightened even to himself. “I just destroyed your army, rescued your prisoners, and led you around on a merry chase like a pack of fools!”
Malcolm gaped up the hill and his face turned bright red. A few of the soldiers who had survived the fiery Holocaust began to limp over to him but they were badly burned and their eyes were wide with horror. The fight had been knocked out of them.
Floating spirits drifted among the surviving soldiers like shining balls of brilliant light. The fire was no threat to these glowing spirits.
“Princess Kairei!” Malcolm roared. “I was foolish enough to offer you a quick, merciful death! No longer! You and your degenerate allies will burn for this, just as you burned my men!”
Subaru and Emilia stepped forward, quickly followed by Julius. “Hey! Leave Kairei out of this!” Subaru said quickly. “I beat you! Me! This was my trap that you blundered into like an idiot. I’ve destroyed your army. And if you want to do anything to Kairei, you’ll have to get past me first!” Subaru shouted back, drawing Anri’s rapier.
“Subaru!” Anri hissed, grabbing his hand.
Subaru looked at her in surprise as he felt two tiny stones pressed into his hand.
“Take these!” She whispered.
Subaru looked down at the lightning stones.
Alright! At least I have some kind of edge now!
Malcolm, Deann, and Duncan began to climb the hill toward Subaru and his friends.
“You’re a fool, boy!” Malcolm snarled. “You are now about to face three of the Acolyte Knights in battle! But don’t be thinking that you’ll die cleanly in combat! Once you’re all captured, you will be brought back to Sanshi and tried for this atrocity. When all the niceties are wrapped up, I intend to see that you’ll be given living to the fire just as you did to my men!”
“That remains to be seen!” Julius shouted back as Subaru quickly slid the lightning stones into the rapier. “A wise man once said, ‘Forbear celebration until after victory is secured!’”
Leave it to Julius, Subaru thought, rolling his eyes. Even his taunts are overly formal!
“Princess,” Julius said in a whisper. “I urge you to flee while you can. This bracelet seals my magic and connection to my spirits. I fear that this fight is without final hope.”
Anri shook her head. “I’m not leaving you!” Anri said defiantly, looking at her defenders.
“Bracelet?” Subaru asked. He looked at Julius’s arm and saw a small bracelet of shiny black stones wrapped around his wrist. “What is that?”
Julius grimaced. “It is called an Evil Sealing Stone bracelet. They are very expensive and used to seal the magical power of extremely potent foes. Perhaps I should be flattered that the Gusteko soldiers saw fit to waste one on me.”
Subaru frowned. “Aren’t you going to take it off?”
“If I could do that, do you not think that I would have?” Julius said with an edge in his voice.
Subaru’s eyes narrowed. He stomped over to Julius and grabbed his bracelet.
Julius snorted. “You are wasting your time. It is easy to apply such a bracelet to a person but nearly impossible to take it off. It often takes a dozen mages working in concert to remove one! The only person I know of who could remove such a bracelet singlehandedly is Rei-”
Subaru triggered Indomitable and snapped the stones apart. The bracelet came off with a sound like thunder that made them all jump.
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The Acolyte Knights paused in their climb, staring up at Subaru in confusion and disbelief.
Subaru stared at the bracelet in confusion. There seemed to be no string that the cold glossy stones were strung on but they still clung together as if they were magnetized.
Subaru shook his head. Figure this thing out later, He thought, tucking the bracelet into his satchel.
Julius stared at Subaru in shock.
“Is your magic back?” Subaru asked impatiently.
Julius shook off his astonishment. “I have some,” He emphasized. “Remember that your witchcraft has damaged my connection to the spirits and much of my magic is temporarily sealed,” Julius trailed off in a growl as his eyes bored into Subaru’s.
Subaru blinked. I damaged his connection to his spirit partners? Shit, I didn’t mean to do that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that Julius is taking a fall. He deserves one. But damaging his connection with the spirits…
Subaru looked down at Julius’s wrist where the six spirits still orbited peacefully with no sign of any damage.
Being separated from Beatrice is bad enough but imagine if Reinhard had done something to damage our connection… If I knew that she didn’t feel the same way about me anymore…
I’d be furious. I’d want to drink his blood.
Don’t tell me that I owe Julius an apology…
Unfortunately, I really can’t come up with a good argument against it.
Just do it, Subaru.
Subaru let out a hiss. “I’m sorry, alright?” He said, quickly. “I just wanted to hold you off long enough to escape. I’m still figuring out my power and I didn’t know that it would do that to you…” He grumbled.
Julius blinked and frowned.
Anri scoffed. “Hey! Can we talk about who’s to blame for all of this, later?” Anri hissed.
“Subaru,” Emilia whispered. “When are you going to use your magic on them?”
Julius stiffened. “Subaru Natsuki, do you truly mean to use the same witchcraft you applied to me on the Acolyte Knights?!”
Subaru snorted. “I trust you have no objections?” He asked sarcastically.
Julius’s face was stony. “To my shame, no. My death in this conflict means Princess Kairei shall fall for certain and I can not permit this. This pragmatism in the face of witchcraft fills me with shame. A truly good man would refuse to associate with witchcraft, even to save his own life.”
Subaru snorted. “I guess that explains why there aren’t more ‘good’ people around. They throw their lives away for stupid reasons,” Subaru muttered.
“Subaru!” Emilia hissed as the Acolyte Knights began to climb the hill where Subaru, Emilia, and Julius waited. Anri stood nervously behind them. “Are you going to use it now?!”
Subaru sighed. “I’m not springing that trap until the last moment, Mili. I don’t want any of these knights to have second thoughts about running away.”
Julius made a sound of agreement. “I must admit that your grasp of strategy is sound, Subaru. You appear to be an admirable tactician, even if that is your only admirable quality. Lady Crusch must have greatly appreciated your counsel during the Whale Hunt.”
Subaru burst out laughing, much to Julius’s confusion.
Julius shook off his confusion and gave Subaru a look of annoyance. “Subaru Natsuki, it seems that a duel is in the offing. Perhaps we should each choose our targets.”
Subaru thought for a moment. “Malcolm an Griest is the target. If he goes down, I’m guessing that his plans for war with Siros go into indefinite hiatus. I’ll fight him. I’ll try to take him alive if possible.”
Julius stared at Subaru in shock and then he started to laugh. “I see that Felix wasn’t exaggerating about your confidence!”
“Hm?”
“Felix told me all about the Whale Hunt. He said bluntly that he and Lady Crusch found your relentless optimism and fortitude most annoying.”
“Fuck,” Subaru bit off a curse. “And just think, I wasted a full two weeks during the Whale Hunt desperately trying to make friends with those jerks! Alright. I’ll take Malcolm an Griest. Julius, you good with fighting Deann?”
Julius nodded. “I can’t remember the last time I fought without the full strength of my spirits at my side. Without a doubt, this will be one of the most intense fights of my life but I am resolved to succeed. I owe Princess Kairei my life and I will not fail to repay that debt.”
Subaru chuckled. “Hey. You’re not so bad in the confidence department either.”
Julius gave him a slight smile.
“Then that leaves me with Sir Duncan,” Emilia said calmly.
Subaru gave her a worried look.
As Malcolm and the others slowly climbed the hill. Even from a distance, Subaru could see Malcolm grinding his teeth. The big man roared, “Know that you will die today and that your death will not be an easy one. Do you have the slightest idea who I am?!”
“Not really,” Subaru said. “Do you know who I am?”
Malcolm hesitated for a moment. “No,” He admitted.
Subaru shrugged. “Well, there we are then,” Subaru said sarcastically.
Subaru thought that he heard Duncan swallow a snort. Deann and Malcolm both gave him a dirty look.
Subaru marched forward and threw back his hood. “I am Subaru Natsuki,” Subaru proclaimed. “I call Princess Kairei my friend and I intend to bring her home today! You whelps are impeding my progress. It would amuse me if you would each contend with me and my companions in single combat! If, however, you are all such spineless dogs that you have no stomach for such a contest, then please stand aside so that your betters may pass!”
A few feet behind Subaru, Julius was making strangling sounds.
Malcolm an Griest was purple with rage.
Julius was hissing like a boiling teakettle. “Why would he do something like this?!” He whispered to Anri.
“He always does things like this,” Emilia replied calmly before Anri could respond. “Subaru likes to make people angry before he fights them. He claims that it’s to prevent his opponents from thinking clearly during the fight but personally, I think he just does it for his own entertainment.”
“Oh, Gods!” Julius said in despair.
“Calm down!” Subaru snapped out of the corner of his mouth. “Look! We want them to attack us without thinking so that they’ll blunder into our trap. This should do it.”
Julius made a face. “You are correct,” He admitted, “But this is not at all virtuous behavior to my mind.”
“Julius,” Subaru sighed. “At the moment, I’m just worried about saving Anri’s life. Not to mention our own. I couldn’t honestly care less how ‘virtuous’ my behavior is.”
“You little fool! I will teach you respect myself!” Malcolm proclaimed, marching up to Subaru.
“Will you?” Subaru replied in a bored tone. “Maybe you should study the subject a little before you try to turn instructor.”
Julius took a position across from Deann while Emilia conjured her ice sword. She approached Duncan who wore heavy armor and carried a heavy flanged mace.
Subaru swallowed hard. Can Emilia handle that? A sword made out of ice is no match for a mace! And her sword certainly won’t pierce his armor! Maybe we should swap opponents. But can she fight Malcolm? Malcolm is supposed to be the strongest one! What if-
The few soldiers standing at the base of the hill who had been worriedly murmuring to one another suddenly became silent. Then their faces twisted in disgust and they started shouting, hurling curses and slurs.
Subaru glanced at Emilia and saw that she had lowered her hood. Everyone could see that she was an elf. However, she ignored the curses being thrown from the Gusteko army. Subaru saw Emilia looking back at him calmly. But more than that, her eyes held an unspoken plea. He heard her request as clearly as if she had said it out loud:
Subaru. Please. Trust me.
More than anything else, I need you to trust me. I need you to believe that I’m not just baggage on this journey that we’re taking together. I need you to know that I’m more than just someone that you need to spend your life protecting. I need you to believe that we can work together to protect each other. I need you to believe that together we can accomplish more than either of us could alone. Please, Subaru. Trust me.
Subaru took a long, slow breath. He bit his tongue until he tasted blood. Finally, fighting every instinct that screamed at him not to do it, Subaru deliberately turned his back toward Emilia so that he could give Malcolm an Griest his full attention.
This is crazy! Why am I doing this?! Why am I letting Emilia do this? Fuck me, I hate this!
The three Acolyte Knights stood ramrod straight and then they each began to glow. Malcolm gained a red aura, Deann’s was green, and Duncan’s was blue.
They were close enough for Subaru to see their spirits. They looked like tiny balls of light spinning around their wrists, just like Julius’s.
Malcolm drew a huge two handed sword. “I hope that you realize,” Malcolm growled. “That you are hopelessly outmatched!”
“Yeah?” Subaru spat back. “Well… I hope you realize that you’re just hopeless!”
Malcolm’s eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. Julius winced.
OK that was a very dumb retort, no question, but I have bigger problems on my mind right now.
“I’m sorry, Grease,” Subaru said as insultingly as he could. “This isn’t really about you but I need to blow off some steam!” Subaru roared.
Subaru raised his hand toward the Acolyte Knights. “Pridebreaker!” He shouted, bending all of his rage at the three knights.
Julius flinched as he felt Subaru’s power wash over him like a great wave. His spirits all clung tightly to his arm as if afraid that Subaru would seize them again but the power Subaru had unleashed paid them no heed as it surged across the area.
Most of the surviving Gusteko soldiers had no reaction to it at all but the three knights were driven to their knees with a gasp. The numerous spirits that drifted among the surviving soldiers all shuddered in midair. As one, these spirits all turned tail and fled back into the valley, their glowing bodies dancing across the waving grass in blind panic. Some shot straight out over the cliffs, their bodies streaking through the air like comets and throwing the remaining Gusteko soldiers into mass confusion.
“What… did you do?!” Malcolm demanded as the knights fought their way back to their feet.
Subaru spread his arms wide. “I have given you but a small taste of my vast power! I am Subaru Natsuki! And the magic of this world is mine to command!”
The knights’ spirits sped away from their bodies. They all flew to Subaru’s outstretched arm and took up orbit around it. In seconds it looked as though his arm was swarming with giant fireflies.
In his mind, Subaru suddenly heard dozens of voices fervently singing his praises.
Emilia stared at the spirits with a puzzled expression. She started to ask Subaru a question, then she remembered herself and turned her attention back to their foes.
Deann and Duncan stared at Subaru in horror. They looked at each other desperately.
Malcolm scowled at Subaru, raising his sword. “I am not defeated so easily, Subaru Natsuki! You have crossed the great nation of Gusteko once too often! Now you will pay for your insolence!”
“Blah, Blah, Blah,” Subaru called back. “You going to talk me to death or are we going to fight?”
Sir Duncan was the first to attack. He clapped his visor down over his face and leaped forward. He raised up his great mace and brought it down on the elf girl’s head.
But Emilia leaped back and the blow struck nothing but air.
Emilia retaliated by summoning a blizzard of ice crystals that hit Duncan head on like a hailstorm, violently rattling his armor.
When the storm finally subsided, the elf girl stared at Duncan in disbelief. His armor wasn’t even scratched.
“I’m afraid that such attacks won’t work on me,” Duncan said almost politely. “You have just seen my ‘Divine Blessing of Magic Nullification’ in action. It renders me immune to direct damage by spells.”
Emilia’s face twisted in outrage. “Again?!” She screeched. “Another person immune to magic?! That is so unfair!”
Duncan blinked and his face grew confused.
Then Duncan mentally shrugged. The fight had already started. He didn’t feel the need to warn the elf further.
Duncan swung again, not giving the elf time to recover from her shock. He swung the mace in a great horizontal sweep forcing her to duck under the mace’s head. She regained her balance and struck at Duncan’s face guard with her ice sword, trying to slip the blade through his visor.
She missed. Her sword chipped and pieces of ice went flying but it did no damage to Duncan. He brought his mace down again and the elf leaped back as the heavy weapon smashed into the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.
Think! What would Subaru do in a situation like this?
He’d come up with something clever and have no trouble dealing with Duncan. But what can I do? Duncan doesn’t have a cape that I can burn to make him vulnerable. If he’s immune to magic then I’m helpless!
No. I refuse to accept that. I told Subaru that I wouldn’t let him down. That I could take care of myself. That we could do more together than we could do apart.
It would be better for me to die here than to prove that my declaration of strength was nothing but words. If I really can’t support Subaru in our ordeals then at least I’ll stop holding him back…
Enough of this self-pity! Think! How can you fight this mountain of armor?!
Seemingly out of ideas, she turned to flee up the hill. Duncan pursued eagerly.
“Julius Juukulius,” Lady Deann murmured, bowing and spreading her arms and twin short swords wide. Her elaborate robe added an elegance to the gesture, as if she were a butterfly spreading its wings. “I’ve heard a great deal about you. I am sorry to see that you have taken up with a coward and a mass murderer like Subaru Natsuki. It is a most unfortunate way to end one’s life. Regardless of this regrettable fact, I do hope that you will entertain me well.”
Julius gave her a calm smile. “In Lagunica, I am considered ‘the Finest Knight.’ I would hate to disappoint you.”
Deann laughed. “My opinion of Lagunican knights is so poor that you would have to work very hard indeed to disappoint me.”
Without another word, Deann threw herself toward Julius, her swords flying toward him in a deadly arc that was almost too fast to see. Julius parried her right sword but her left blade thrust toward his face and he was forced to leap back or be impaled.
Deann didn’t pause for a second. She continued her relentless attack with both swords. This time Julius parried her left sword but he was forced to fall back to avoid a thrust to his stomach from her right blade. This pattern kept repeating itself, Deann constantly surging forward like a whirling storm of flashing blades and Julius constantly on the defensive, barely able to hold back her furious, unrelenting attacks. He called on his spirits for aid, forced to use all of the limited magic available through their damaged connection to enhance his speed and agility, just to keep Deann’s twin swords from claiming his life.
“You have mocked Gusteko once too often, boy,” Malcolm snarled at Subaru. “I will enjoy killing you slowly.”
Subaru yawned. “I can’t help noticing that you seem to do everything slowly. Do you get paid by the hour?”
Despite his seeming boredom, Subaru was on edge.
I need to be careful! I can’t use Indomitable in this fight without letting the spirits go and that will put everyone in mortal danger! Make another mistake like I did against Julius and I am going to die. And if I die, Emilia dies with me!
Malcolm raised his massive sword for a quick slice at Subaru’s neck. Subaru slipped into Reason and Judgment and managed to parry the strike but it was much harder than fighting against Julius. Malcolm an Griest’s swordsmanship might have been far inferior to the knight’s but he was a bear of a man and every stroke that he delivered had a mountain of muscle backing it up.
Malcolm came back with another overhead slash. Subaru parried it and had to throw all his body weight into pushing the blade back.
Malcolm quickly stepped back and Subaru lost his balance, nearly falling on his face.
Malcolm went for a thrust but Subaru’s rapier was faster and he swiped at Malcolm’s face. Malcolm was forced to jump back to avoid it.
The fight had barely started but Subaru was already sweating and panting for breath while Malcolm still looked fresh and relaxed.
Duncan raced after the fleeing elf as she flew up the hill that led to the sheer valley wall. Duncan had spent years training in his armor. He knew that it made him slow but apparently the elf was in extremely poor shape as Duncan had no trouble keeping pace with the girl. He got a bit closer every second as they approached the top of the hill. Duncan had already realized that the elf was running toward a dead end. Once she reached the pinnacle she’d have nowhere left to run. In a few moments, he’d be in range to finally bring down his great mace down a top her head.
However, he felt slightly uncomfortable with attacking from behind.
To strike a clearly inferior opponent from behind is dishonorable. And yet, I have no facility to take prisoners at this time. I am uncertain what a knight is expected to do in such a case. I wish that I could ask for a cessation of hostilities and discuss the matter with Deann.
I’m certain that I know what Malcolm would say: ‘Honor has no place in a fight like this. This is not a duel, this is war. One might as well ask if it is more righteous to step on a cockroach immediately or wait until you are sure it has seen you and had a sporting chance to run. However, the fact remains that a roach is a roach and the goal is to step on it.’
Little as I like to admit it, Malcolm’s words hold some wisdom. This is a battlefield where one must expect attacks to come from any direction without warning. Death in meaningless battle such as this is always unfortunate but this is the way of the world and it is too heavy for me to shift.
The girl reached the top of the hill with Duncan only a half step behind her. She suddenly spun around and waved her hand through the air. Duncan saw a thin layer of ice form, covering the steep and rocky hilltop just as he put his foot down on it. The elf set herself, braced both hands against Duncan’s chest plate and shoved hard.
Duncan was stunned at the strength in the slender girl’s arms and now that he was standing on ice, he had no traction with which to catch himself. He felt his feet slide out from under him on the narrow pinnacle. He made a frantic grab for the elf girl to steady himself but she leaped back and he missed.
Duncan fell backwards, tumbling head over heels as his heavy armor brought him crashing all the way back down the steep hill to the ground far below.
A moment later, Duncan hit the hard dirt with a crash. He found himself flat on his back, panting for breath. He looked up at the smirking she-elf and made what he knew to be a futile attempt to rise. His armor was too heavy. He had no more chance to regain his feet than a turtle on its back.
With a growl of frustration, Duncan closed his eyes and passed out.
Deann was a whirlwind of flashing blades and Julius could only fall back, parry, and dodge.
Deann laughed at him. “I’m considered one of the best duelists in Gusteko! Nobody can match my skill with a blade. Especially a duelist with only one sword because you can only parry one of them at a time. It’s an elemental question of mathematics, Julius Juukulius. Two blades are always better than one! You should surrender and save your life!”
“I must disagree,” Julius said politely. “Nothing in battle is ever an absolute advantage. Wielding twin blades does give considerable advantages but have you stopped to ponder the disadvantages?”
“What disadvantages?” Deann scoffed.
A moment later her rhythm was interrupted as Julius parried her stroke. Deann started to lash out with her other sword but Julius bent all his strength onto his blade and forced her sword’s cutting edge back toward her shoulder.
Deann was forced to step back or risk slicing herself open with her own sword. She recovered herself and tried to resume her relentless, whirling attacks.
She thrust her swords forward and Julius again parried her right sword. He had to step away from her left sword to avoid being impaled but this time he forced her right hand back hard and her sword nearly cut into her own neck.
“Two blades are a significant advantage,” Julius continued calmly, as Deann fell back and Julius took the offensive. “It allows you to attack and defend all at the same time! However, there are also corresponding disadvantages. For example, because both of your blades are so much shorter than a normal long sword, you have sacrificed reach. This allows me to be able to thrust and parry while you can not respond. Secondly, because you wield a sword in each hand there is no way for you to put all of your muscle behind either blade. This makes it much harder to parry and defend successfully. It’s just like my old fencing instructor told me: ‘When dual-wielding, any move not an attack is ground lost.’ Unfortunately, it is not practical to attempt to do nothing in a fight but attack, unless one only fights opponents of inferior skill and power. I sense that you’re noticing that flaw right now.”
Julius talked pleasantly but he struck relentlessly at Diane and put her on the defensive. Instead of his normal delicate and precise strikes, Julius now slammed his sword against hers with all of his strength. Deann was barely able to hold Julius back as he slowly wore down her defenses and steadily pushed her backward.
Deann struggled to understand her situation. She’d never been in a fight like this. Julius was fighting recklessly in a way that she had never encountered before. Julius was now dominating the duel but he was also leaving himself wide open to counter-attack. Deann could slay him at any moment but she understood that she would take a death stroke in return.
Deann’s eyes widened as she realized that this was Julius’s entire plan. He considered his life to be an acceptable trade for killing her.
Deann’s back slammed into something. She realized that her back was to a small boulder. Almost too fast to see, Julius’s sword swept down at her.
Deann gave a shrill cry of pain and dropped her right sword. She looked down and saw a small cut on the back of her hand. It was a tiny, insignificant wound but it had forced her to drop her sword.
With only one sword, she realized that she had no chance against Julius whatsoever and she dropped her other sword in surrender.
Subaru fought tooth and nail to keep Malcolm an Griest at bay but it was clear that he was losing ground. Subaru used Reason and Judgment to make every parry count but he was exhausted and had barely slept in days. Now he was fighting a seasoned warrior twice his size.
What the hell do I do?! He’s stronger than me, more skilled, more experienced and he’s gotten more than two nights sleep this week!
What’s worse is that this fight is obviously for keeps! I wasn’t certain if Julius was trying to kill me during our fight but I know for sure now! The only reason that I was able to hold Julius off at all is because he was holding back! He wanted a live prisoner not a bleeding carcass! Malcolm an Griest just wants me dead.
Why isn’t the lightning-sword working? I can see the sparks flying when we parry! Is this guy just immune to pain?!
Subaru parried a sword stroke and then tried slipping his rapier past Malcolm with a thrust at his throat.
Malcolm deflected the rapier with a twist of his wrist and knocked Subaru off balance, forcing him to step back to avoid a slash to the face.
Think! Think as fast as you’ve ever thought in your life! What is this man’s weakness?
His arrogance? Well, yeah you used that to goad him into a fight. Not sure that there’s any way to use it to get you out of the fight.
OK. He’s big and bulky so he’s slower and less agile than me. I’m not thinking that helps very much.
His magic is sealed but in effect so is mine.
Subaru parried a sword stroke and Malcolm stepped back with a curse.
“What did you do?” Malcolm shouted. “That parry burned me!”
He does feel it. Wait a second. Before he was furious at me. Probably too angry to pay attention to minor discomfort but now his adrenaline must be running out.
If I can convince him to focus more on the pain…
Subaru stood there for a long moment and then began to laugh.
He held up his rapier. “Do you see this sword?” He asked. “This is Seethe! Rapier of the Sunless Sky! I stole this sword from the Sorcerer King Taiyang! When he attempted to kill me, I managed to escape and stole his weapon as a trophy and a lasting mockery of my foe! This blade carries a terrible curse on it. Its edge cuts both flesh and soul!”
Malcolm sneered at him. “Do you take me for a child to believe fairy tales such as that?!”
Subaru shrugged. “You can believe what you wish. The longer that this fight goes on, the deeper the wounds it inflicts in your very being will become!”
Malcolm looked suddenly unsettled. He quickly inspected his body as if searching for wounds that he had overlooked.
Malcolm lashed out with his sword again, slashing at Subaru’s neck.
Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.
He’s fighting differently now. He’s not going all offense, he’s feeling you out and being more cautious. You can easily work with this. If he doesn’t bring his full muscle into play then the fight is yours.
Subaru parried the stroke and Malcolm visibly flinched and took a step back.
Malcolm redoubled his efforts to win the fight but his swings became steadily more erratic. None of his strikes ever even got close to Subaru. With each exchange, Malcolm seemed more and more sensitive to the electric shock and he flinched back from each parry. Finally, after one particularly hard parry the General yelped and dropped his sword.
Before he could move, Subaru’s rapier was at his throat. “I’ve only got one question to you, Griest: Death or surrender?” Subaru asked quietly.
The General ground his teeth but put his hands up in surrender.
Subaru heard a rustle in the woods as Captain Antilles and his men emerged from the trees. They surrounded the three Acolyte Knights, chaining them up and leading them away. Malcolm an Griest scowled at Subaru as he was dragged away, the big man struggling to come back and clobber him with his bare hands.
Subaru looked down the hill and saw the surviving soldiers running away.
“Subaru!”
Subaru looked back and saw Emilia racing over to him with a broad smile on her face. “Mili! Are you OK?” He shouted running to her and gathering her in his arms.
Emilia held him tight. “I’m fine, Subaru,” She whispered with a chuckle. “I outsmarted him,” She said proudly.
Subaru sighed in relief. “Mili, I am so proud of you!” He said earnestly.
Emilia gave a contented sigh, resting her head against his shoulder. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”
Subaru frowned. “What are you talking about? I’ve said it before. I’ve said it lots of times.”
“Then… maybe I’ve just been waiting a long time to listen to it.”
Subaru looked at her in confusion as they separated.
“Lord Subaru!” Antilles said marching over. “That was a brilliant strategy! This one is definitely going in my memoirs!”
“Remember to spell Emilia and Julius’s names right,” Subaru commented in a dispirited voice. He looked down over the burned out and blackened field that was covered in bodies. Most of the corpses weren’t burned black. The soldiers had obviously died of smoke inhalation or the heat.
“I will, my lord!” Antilles said cheerfully. He gave Emilia another uncertain glance and then walked over to speak to Anri and Julius.
Subaru kept staring at the killing field.
“Subaru,” Emilia murmured. “Are you alright?”
Subaru didn’t answer.
“Subaru!” She whispered, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight.
Subaru took a deep, ragged breath. “I read about this trick in a book back home. A famous strategist used to use it all the time. The strategy sounded so… clean and detached when it was written down on paper.”
“Subaru,” She whispered. “I think… I think no war is clean. You did… what you had to do…”
“Did I?” Subaru whimpered.
Emilia took a deep breath. “You saved Anri’s life. And probably her entire kingdom. You may have even stopped a war. You should be proud,” Emilia said, trying to sound more certain than she felt.
Subaru shook his head. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Mili. I swear…”
Emilia held him close.
Subaru and Emilia stood there in silence for a time. Emilia wasn’t certain what to say and Subaru just closed his eyes and let her support him for a time.
“As little as I like to admit it, Subaru Natsuki,” Julius said walking over to them while Anri continued to talk to Antilles. “I am in your debt for your gallant rescue and congratulations are due. Your plan was the work of sheer genius.”
Subaru gave a weak chuckled. “Congratulations? Honestly, Julius, after all this, I thought you’d be ready to walk over here and cut my head off!” He murmured, staring out at the field of bodies with a thousand yard stare. Subaru shook his head. “I didn’t realize that this would happen…”
Julius frowned. “What do you mean?”
Subaru sighed and covered his face. “I thought… I thought that those soldiers would get scorched! I thought that they would panic and run away! It’s sesame seed oil, not gasoline! I didn’t mean to burn them alive!”
Julius stared at Subaru in disbelief. “Subaru Natsuki,” He whispered. “Are you telling me that you proposed and carried out this plan without the merest inkling of what the consequences would be?!”
Subaru bit his lip and looked guilty. Emilia glared at Julius.
Julius shook his head angrily. “This is beyond ludicrous!” Julius pronounced. “Lady Anastasia, who is not easily impressed, has often spoken of your extraordinary intelligence and vision! Where was that today?! You killed thousands of men by your actions… with no foreknowledge of that being the outcome?! Where you even certain that we would survive the firestorm that you unleashed?! Subaru Natsuki, you are truly a reckless fool! You should not unleash powers that you do not understand!”
Subaru flinched at Julius’s words and looked away. He suddenly looked very young and uncertain.
“Julius! You said that it was a good plan a minute ago!” Emilia snarled at Julius.
Julius shook his head. “Indeed it was. A dire choice but a most effective one. Generals and leaders have been forced to make such choices since the dawn of time. It is altogether fitting for a man in battle to measure the lives of his men versus the lives of his foe and determine which need be sacrificed. But Subaru Natsuki has admitted that he made no such decision! He destroyed all of these soldiers by sheer mischance! Would you have used the same technique against unarmed pursuers because you foolishly believed it harmless?!”
Subaru buried his face in Emilia’s shoulder and shut his eyes.
“That’s enough, Julius!” Emilia snarled at him, holding Subaru protectively in her arms. “Leave Subaru alone! He saved Anri and all of us! If you had a better idea, where was it a few hours ago?!”
Julius stared at Emilia in surprise. “You are… most protective for a witch,” He murmured.
Emilia glared at him. “Sir Julius,” She said in a hard tone. “My name is Emilia and I would prefer that you address me as such. Perhaps it will remind you that I am person, just like yourself. It’s always easier to hate a race or a group because they are faceless and nameless. If you are to hate me, I would prefer that you hated me personally, not what I am.”
Julius blinked, his eyes growing wide. He seemed to have no response to this.
Julius glanced down at Subaru who seemed to have crumpled under the weight his own actions. Julius’s face softened slightly with sympathy. Julius sighed, “All that being the case, Subaru Natsuki, you have achieved a great victory this day. You defeated ten thousand men with a force of fifty and suffered no causalities as a result! You rescued the princess safely and may have singlehandedly prevented a war. Strategists will study this victory for a thousand years!”
Subaru sighed. “And likely learn the wrong lessons from it,” He whispered, leaning back against Emilia who held him close and still scowled at Julius.
Julius nodded with a grave expression. “At the heart of every war is a tragedy. Each war has unintended victims and far too many go unacknowledged. But there was no crime in what you did here today. You were fighting against soldiers engaged in open, hostile action. Not even Lady Crusch could find fault in your decision.”
“Crusch can always find fault in my decisions,” He said in a weak voice. “It’s all just… just so stupid…”
“Stupid?” He asked.
“Griest was the one who did this. Who stirred up all this trouble. Who put all these men’s lives on the line. Now he’s alive and most of his soldiers are dead. There must have been a better way to…”
Julius looked at Subaru, his expression thoughtful. “Perhaps,” He admitted. “Perhaps there was a better way. Perhaps you found the best way that could be found. In truth, you’ll never know. Still you won a great victory and protected those close to you. That is a triumph.”
Subaru sighed. “I guess. But if this is victory, Julius, then I think my hands are too small to hold it…”
Julius looked at Subaru with a thoughtful expression.
Subaru took a deep breath and forcibly tried to shake off his melancholy. He deliberately turned his back on the still-smoldering killing field. Subaru forced a smile on his face. “Anyway, nice work with Deann, Jules! I really can’t believe that we all survived that!” Subaru said with a weak laugh.
Julius smiled a little sadly. “Perhaps your vaunted confidence does have limits after all, Subaru.”
Subaru chuckled ruefully. “I’d like to think that I’m not a complete idiot.”
Julius scratched his chin. “If time permits, remind me to provide you with some instruction in the proper way to handle a blade. I’d prefer that a man known to have defeated me in battle not be…” Julius seemed to grope for a word.
“Completely inept?” Subaru suggested with a smile.
“Hopeless?” Emilia chimed in.
Subaru gave her a hurt look and Emilia smiled at him fondly.
Subaru sighed. “I hope that we can get Griest and his cronies somewhere secure soon. I really want to let these spirits go…”
“Is it tiring to hold onto them?” Emilia asked.
“Not tiring, exactly,” Subaru groped for an explanation. “But it is distracting and…” He hesitated.
“And?” Emilia asked.
He sighed. “Mili, you know better than most what a serious injury taking away someone’s spirit companion is. Malcolm an Griest certainly deserves to be punished for his crimes but I’m not sure that even he deserves to be separated from his partners. I’ll feel better when those three are someplace that they can be contained and I can give their spirits back to them.”
Emilia nodded with a knowing look on her face.
Julius was looking at Subaru speculatively. “In spite of all… you are a kind man, Subaru Natsuki,” Julius murmured finally. “This… surprises me.”
Emilia glowered at Julius.
Subaru flushed, unsure of what to say to that. “Look, Julius, I’m… I’m really sorry about what I did to you and your spirits,” He said finally. “I’d never used that ability on spirits before. I wasn’t sure what the effects would be. It was… reckless of me to use my power on your spirits without knowing the consequences,” He admitted with a sigh.
Julius frowned and thought for a long time. Finally, he sighed and bowed his head. “No. You spoke truly when you reminded me that I myself had brought my dear spirit companions into our duel. In so doing, I made them legitimate targets under any rule of warfare. I must own the responsibility for my recklessness myself.”
Subaru opened his mouth but before he could respond:
“Subaru! Emilia!”
They turned to see Anri racing toward them. The girl flung herself into Emilia’s arms.
Emilia and Anri held each other close for a long moment. “I can’t believe that you came all this way to save me,” She said with tears in her eyes. “And you saved my entire realm! With Malcolm an Griest captured, the war is over!”
“That’s the best news that I’ve heard in days!” Subaru said. “Hey, is your arm better?” He asked, noticing her sling was gone.
Anri flexed it a few times. “Yeah, they were kind enough to have a healer finish the mending. They needed to heal me anyway after I tried to…” She trailed off awkwardly.
Julius bowed his head sadly.
“Tried to?” Subaru prompted, looking at Julius and Anri in confusion.
Anri put a smile on her face. “Never mind. I’m just glad that it didn’t work. I’m feeling fine, thank you.”
Subaru shrugged. “That’s great! Oh, and before I forget, why don’t you take this back?” Subaru said, unbuckling Anri’s rapier and handing it to her.
Anri took it with watery eyes. “You brought honor to my ancestral weapon, Subaru Natsuki.”
Subaru looked awkward. “You know, I’m very uncomfortable with all this praising. Can we just go back to everyone thinking that I’m just a lucky idiot?”
“Don’t worry, Subaru,” Emilia said sympathetically, patting his shoulder. “That won’t take long.”
Anri laughed.
Subaru gave her a look of annoyance and she responded with a mischievous grin.
Subaru felt the guilt on his heart lighten slightly.