Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Early that afternoon, Subaru, Emilia, and Anri were riding Patrasche across the northern plains toward the Gusteko border.

"Subaru," Anri shouted, "Should we go back and get the wagon now?"

Patarsche gave a squawk of protest.

"Well, that's one vote for 'no,'" Subaru yelled back. "Let's sync up with Victoire first before we start worrying about supplies. Besides, maybe we can buy a wagon dragon in Stoneybrooke. Does it have a market?"

Anri shook her head. "Well I've never been there before but, from what I've heard, not really. We tend to locate our safe-houses in isolated ares where they won't attract much attention. But if Victoire went looking for a dragon she might have been able to… find one."

'Find' presumably being a euphemism for 'steal' in this case…

"OK, well that's promising," Subaru replied.

"Grandfather told me that the safe-house is right up here past that grove," Anri called.

"Did your grandfather tell you where all the safe-houses were?" Emilia asked.

"Of course! It was part of my education. You never know when that information will come in handy. Although, I don't think he was planning on it being of use quite so soon," Anri sighed.

Subaru saw a house not far way and made for it.

"Princess!" A shrill voice called.

Subaru reined in Patrasche and looked off into the woods.

Victoire walked out of the bushes with a somber look on her face. Her fancy clothes were dirty.

"Victoire, what are you doing out here?" Anri asked in confusion.

Victoire looked awkward. "Yeah, I'm sorry about this, Princess. I know that waiting out here in the bushes is a lot less secretive than hiding in the house but… I just couldn't fucking wait in there…"

"What do you mean?" Anri asked.

Victoire sighed and looked up at Anri sympathetically. "The short answer is that this house needs to be added to the list of the ones that we can't use anymore. What's worse is that it looks like those Griest fuckers… caught up with Gabby, Vera, and Wolfgang before I got here…"

"Vera?!" Anri gasped in horror. The girl slipped off the dragon and dashed toward the house but Victoire caught her in a tight grip as she ran past.

"Let me go! Let go of me!" Anri demanded.

"Hey! Princess!" Victoire shouted. "Take my word for this: You do not fucking want to see what's in that house! Look, you just… Princess, don't let what happened in there be your last memory of them…"

Anri's face twisted in horror and she went limp, laying back against Victoire's breast with tears streaming down her face.

"What happened here?" Subaru asked.

Victoire looked up at him and her expression darkened.

Subaru glared back, remembering her hording the medicine that Emilia needed.

Finally Victoire sighed. "I can't say for sure how it happened but Griest has located two of our safe-houses in rapid succession. I don't buy that this is just a big fucking coincidence. My best guess is that the Shadows have been compromised."

"You think you have a traitor?" Subaru asked.

Victoire thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No fucking way."

Anri sighed. "Victoire, I know that Shadows say that they would die before-"

"Let me stop you right there, Princess," Victoire cut her off. "I haven't succumbed to fucking sentimentalism here. I'm saying it's not a traitor because that wouldn't make sense."

"What do you mean?" Anri asked.

Victoire shrugged. "Compartmentalism is a big thing with spies. None of the Shadows know where all of the safe-houses are. We're not even supposed to discuss it with one another. That means if one of us goes rogue, they can't take down the whole system. To knock over all the safe-houses that have been compromised so far, Griest would have had to subvert an awful lot of us. Either that or your Grandpa switched sides," She said sarcastically, "I don't buy it." Victoire looked up at Emilia with a dark expression. "Hey, Princess, I just have to ask. How many demi-humans have you been sharing safe-house locations with?"

Anri sighed. "Victoire," She said in exasperation, "Subaru and Emilia only know about two safe-houses at this point and they never had a chance to tell anyone about them anyway!"

Victoire's mouth thinned but she didn't protest.

Anri looked at the house. "Vera," She whimpered. Anri gently shook her way out of Victoire's embrace and walked away, her face buried in her hands.

"Princess," Victoire called after her. "Look, I hate to be a pill, I really do, but we're rapidly running out of any fucking places to hide. Unless we plan to camp out under a damp rock someplace, I think that we had better make a rush back to Siros."

"Siros is under siege!" Subaru objected.

"No, it isn't, you dip-shit!" Victoire said mockingly. "The province is under attack but the city isn't surrounded! Even if it was, there are secret ways in."

Subaru scoffed. "You don't know that any of those ways are still secret! Even if you can get in, you're going into a box! A box that's very likely to be broken open any time now!"

Anri sighed and shook her head. "I guess… if this is to end in flames… then my pyre should be in Siros with my people."

"Yeah, well that's a happy thought! Let's not go there just yet," Subaru grumbled. He thought for a moment. "How far away is Siros?"

"A little more than a day by dragon," Anri said in a dead voice. The somber princess walked off a short distance and squatted down on the ground where she started rummaging through her bag.

Subaru scratched his chin. "Alright. Let's get back over the border for a while."

"Why?" Victoire asked suspiciously. "We should be going back to Siros before things get fucking worse!"

"Do you have supplies for the trip, Victoire?" Subaru asked bluntly. "Emilia and I didn't pack enough food to last four people for several days. I doubt we can travel in a straight shot through a province at war. So, if we're dodging patrols and assassins, let's assume that it takes us four days to get there, just to be safe. Do you have a tent or sleeping rolls?"

Victoire scowled up at him.

"Subaru," Anri said excitedly, jumping up and closing her bag. "You're right! We need to go to Ganaks."

"Ganaks?!" Subaru asked in surprise. "Why Ganaks?"

"Because there's a communication network there. For a few gold coins, you can send a message instantly to all the major cities on the continent. Including Siros!"

"What do you want to tell them?" Subaru asked.

"For one thing, that I'm still alive!" Anri said pointedly. "For another, I want to tell them to hang in there because we're coming to help them!"

Subaru and Emilia stared at each other incredulously. Anri said this as if they were an army coming to relieve the soldiers.

Subaru scratched his chin. "OK. I guess that makes some sense," Subaru admitted. "And we can do our shopping there too. I really think we need to replace some of the stuff we lost when we were separated from… the spirits…" Subaru said to Emilia in a somber tone.

Emilia bowed her head sadly.

"Princess," Victoire said sharply. "I've really got to object here. No matter how Sanshi knows about our safe-houses and the Shadow network, your safety is in the trash right now! The Shadows know how you fucking think better than you do-"

"Which is exactly why," Subaru interrupted. "We're going to go off script. We're not going to another safe-house, we're going to be camping out in the woods. Once we have supplies we won't need to visit any safe-houses on our way back to Siros. We'll just make a beeline for it. If the Shadows are compromised then they'll be out of their element since they'll be searching for us out in the woods and we won't be following a route that they expect."

"It's a good idea, Victoire," Anri supported Subaru.

Victoire frowned. "Kid," She told Subaru in a neutral tone. "You are seriously underestimating a Shadow's resourcefulness if they really are playing both sides. But I got to admit I don't have any fucking better ideas. I don't have enough food to last us the whole trip if we need to hide out in the woods or take the long way around."

"Hey, Victoire, did you manage to locate a dragon?" Anri asked.

"A dragon?" Victoire asked in surprise. She frowned. "Um. Was I… supposed to do that?"

"No but we have a wagon full of supplies that we should try to bring back to Siros," Anri explained. "We can't afford to waste anything right now. Besides, Patrasche can't carry all four of us."

Victoire scratched her chin. "OK… so I guess we need to find an earth dragon," She said dubiously. Then she shrugged. "Well, I'm sure I can persuade some smelly dirt farmer to part with one."

'Persuade' has so many subtle meanings, Subaru rolled his eyes.

"Great!" Anri said. "Why don't you do that and grab the wagon while we go to Ganaks?"

"Excuse me!" Victoire said incredulously.

"We should multitask, Victoire," Anri said calmly. "We don't have a lot of time to squander!"

Victoire glowered at Anri. "Princess," She grumbled. "Could I have a quick word with you? In private?"

Anri sighed but nodded and the pair walked off a good distance.

Subaru and Emilia slid off Patrasche and stretched their stiff muscles after the long ride.

Subaru looked at the pair who were standing some ways away. Anri had her unbroken arm folded across her chest and her expression was sullen. Victoire looked frustrated and was waving her arms animatedly but Subaru couldn't hear what she was saying.

"I get the impression that she's not saying anything nice about us," Subaru mumbled.

"She's not," Emilia agreed.

Subaru glanced at Emilia and a grin spread across his face. "Oh right. What are they saying?"

"Subaru," Emilia chided. "It's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

"Yeah, you're right," Subaru said serenely. "So… you're not listening to them?"

Emilia giggled. "Well… I didn't say that."

Subaru chuckled. "Come on, what are they saying?"

Emilia listened. "Victoire is furiously trying to convince Anri to let her come with us."

"Which is dumb. There isn't room on Patrasche for anyone else even if we wanted to take her," Subaru object.

"Anri is reminding Victoire that you still want to kill her because of… what she did," Emilia continued in a shocked voice. She glanced at him in confusion.

Subaru made a face. "Remember? She drank all the medicine? She didn't even need it all! Anri told me that her wound was small!"

"She probably wasn't thinking very clearly while trying to deal with a wound that wouldn't close," Emilia excused her.

Subaru grunted. "Trust me, I know what that's like. It was still a shitty thing to do."

Emilia listened for a time and her face grew affronted. "Victoire is assuring Anri that she can handle you. She says that you're a… well, I'm not going to repeat the words she's using…"

"I can imagine," Subaru chuckled.

"…She says that you're nothing but a skinny, pathetic example of a man with a deluded opinion of how powerful you are!" Emilia said in a tone of great offense.

Subaru snorted. "That's news to me! I always thought that it was the rest of the world that had the deluded opinion of how powerful I was!"

Emilia listened and then shook her head. "She's trying to convince Anri that she should get away from us. That we're politically dangerous. That nobody in Siros would approve of her associating with a foreigner and… a demi-human."

Subaru rolled his eyes. "Mili, is Victoire an absolute idiot?! Why is she talking like this to Anri when she knows that this is just going to enrage her boss?"

Emilia shook her head, glaring at Victoire.

Subaru heard muffled shouting. He glanced over at them and saw Anri pointing her finger in Victoire's face, looking truly livid.

"Hm," Subaru said, sounding amused. "I guess Anri wasn't happy to hear that."

"No, she was not," Emilia agreed. "She's ordering Victoire to locate a dragon for the wagon and to bring the wagon to an inn… someplace. I can't really follow what she's describing. She says that we'll all meet there."

"I wonder if some more time alone will improve Victoire's attitude," Subaru muttered.

Anri and Victoire walked back over to the others. Anri's expression was furious and Victoire's was sullen.

"Alright," Anri said in a business-like voice. "Victoire is going to locate a dragon and fetch the wagon for us. Then we'll meet at the crossroads between Sanshi and Siros."

"It's not a safe house, is it?" Subaru asked.

Anri shook her head. "It's just a little inn that I've passed by a few times. It's a pretty shabby place. Not somewhere anyone would look for a princess."

Subaru nodded. "OK, sounds like a plan," He said as he and Emilia remounted Patrasche.

"We'll see you there tonight, Victoire," Anri said, her stern tone softened by guilt.

Victoire didn't look pleased by this plan but she bowed her head. "Whatever you say, Princess."

Anri returned to Patrasche and Subaru helped her climb up in front of him.

"Hey, dickweed!" Victoire called.

"Yeah?" Subaru didn't bother to ask if she meant him. Emilia scowled at her but Anri seemed to have no appetite for more conflict with Victoire.

"I just want you to know," Victoire said calmly but her eyes burned. "That if any harm should befall the Princess while she is in your care, I will make you very fucking sorry that you were ever born!"

Subaru gave her an annoyed look. "Acceptable terms," He said in a chill voice. "Incidentally, do you have contacts in Ganaks?"

"Contacts?" Victoire asked.

"Yeah. Like another Shadow that we could reach out to so that we could try to get some information while we're there."

Victoire thought for a moment. "Yeah. I think that Mikael is still working as a bus boy at Miss Lilian's restaurant."

"Is there a password?" Subaru asked.

"Password?" Victoire asked vaguely.

"How will he recognize that I'm on his side?" Subaru asked incredulously. "He's not going to blow his cover and talk to me just because I ask!"

"It's OK, Victoire," Anri murmured. "We can trust him."

Victoire flared her nostrils. "'Famished,'" Victoire said, "It's an easy word to work into the conversation in a restaurant," She said, walking away.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Subaru mutter, turning Patrasche and dashing away south.

Felt adjusted the same yellow dress and coronet that she had worn at the royal selection announcement. Rom had returned to the bar since he had not been summoned to the palace and he wouldn't be able to get in.

Reinhard sat nearby on one of the two beds in the room.

Felt glared at herself in the mirror, looking herself over with a critical eye. "How do I look, Red?"

"Exquisite, Miss Felt. I rarely see you dress up in this manner for social occasions," Reinhard replied.

"This isn't a social occasion, Red," She said as Ram began applying her makeup. "I'm going into battle right now and I need to be suitably equipped."

Reinhard stared at her, "Miss Felt, is this another joke that I'm missing?"

"No, she's just facing down foes that we couldn't handle, Red," Garfiel muttered, walking into the bedroom and sitting down next to Reinhard.

"Did the royal council tell you what this was all about?" Felt asked, trying not to move her mouth.

Reinhard shoot his head. "They told me nothing. Just that we have been summoned to give testimony."

"That can't mean anything good," Garfiel grumbled.

"Probably not," Felt said. "We better all be on our toes here. This is going to be a long day."

Rem entered the room. "Your carriage has arrived, Miss Felt," She said in a small voice.

Felt glared at her.

"You are finished, Miss Felt," Ram said stepping away.

"Super," Felt sighed. "Alright, let's go," She said, putting her arm through Reinhard's as they left the room and headed toward the mezzanine.

"Reinhard!" A taunting voice called out from behind them.

"And the day keeps right on giving…" Felt muttered as the group turned around to see Heikel walking toward them with a sardonic look on his face.

"Father," Reinhard said in a distant voice.

"Reinhard, we really need to talk. I have no issues with you keeping a mistress. At least you're finally starting to act like a real man," Heikel said with a mean smirk, "But keeping her in the house? That's really poor form. Also, can you pick someone less scrawny next time? If we really have to present mistresses publicly, let's at least try to make sure that they're moderately attractive."

Reinhard looked enraged and he started to walk toward his father but something pulled him back. He looked down to see that Felt had an iron grip on his wrist.

Felt didn't even bother to look at Heikel, "Come along, Red. We have important things to take care of. 'Important things' do not involve Heikel."

Reinhard gave his father another glare but he obediently followed Felt down the mezzanine stairs as did Ram.

Garfiel and Rem watched them go.

"So," Garfiel said nonchalantly, walking over to Heikel, "What was all that about?"

Heikel gave him a look of disgust, "Don't talk to me, freak. My son may tolerate demi-humans but I don't."

"Funny, I was under the impression that you were the one being tolerated around here," Garfiel replied.

Heikel scowled at him, "Be very careful, freak. In a gentleman's company, words like those would be considered a cause to fight."

"Heikel, I seriously doubt that you would know anything about being a gentlemen," Garfiel replied with a smirk.

Heikel bared his teeth. "I have had all I will take from you freaks under my own roof," Heikel shouted, drawing his sword and swinging it at Garfiel's neck.

Garfiel caught the blade in his hand guard. A thin stream of blood flowed steadily out of Garfiel's palm but Garfiel just kept smiling with all his sharp teeth.

"See, this is why I can't respect knights, bozo. They all rely on their equipment. But once you take that away from them," Garfiel punched Heikel in the chest, ripping the sword out of his hands. Garfiel's blow sent him flying head over heels and skidding to a halt on the floor.

"They got nothing," Garfiel laughed, tossing the bloody sword on the ground and sauntering over to Heikel's prone body.

Heikel leapt to his feet and tried to run away but Garfiel grabbed him by the throat with one hand and slammed Heikel against the nearby wall, lifting him high over his head without any evident strain.

Heikel desperately tried to break Garfiel's hold but the demi-human's grip was like iron.

"Heikel," Garfiel said with a savage grin, "For the past few days, I've watched you treat Reinhard like shit. I've watched you call the shrimp every name that your tiny, little brain can think of for 'whore.' Let's just say, my magnificent self has had more than enough of all your bull. If you keep pushing Red and Felt then I promise you, something really, really bad is going to happen to you."

"Help me!" Heikel wheezed in a barely audible voice to a maid dusting furniture below the mezzanine. The maid jumped slightly then pretended she hadn't heard anything. She quickly finished her dusting and then hurried away.

Garfiel snickered. "See that's the funny thing about treating people like shit, Heikel. I've watched you abuse the people who serve your family since I got here. But if you treat people like shit then nobody is going to have your back when you really need them to. I bet I could arrange an 'accident' for you right here and nobody would ask any questions," Garfiel growled.

"That's enough, Garf," Rem said in an impassive tone, "This is neither the time nor the place."

"What?!" Garfiel demanded. "Are you going to take his sid-" Garfiel noticed that Rem had taken her mace out.

"Lord Heikel," Rem continued in the same distant tone, "I have immense respect for your son and Miss Felt. If young Garf and I took you out somewhere and conveyed to you the full measure of our disapproval for your rank behavior, your son would be very upset. His anguish would also upset Miss Felt who has gone through tremendous personal loss and hardship recently. It would not be incorrect to imagine that your life hangs entirely on our conviction that your death would upset Sir Reinhard and Miss Felt more than your continued crass bullying does. I would strongly urge you to do everything in your power not to change our calculations for the worse."

Heikel eyes bugged out as he looked at Rem.

Rem stared at him, unblinking. "Put him down, Garf. As I said, this is neither the time nor the place," She repeated.

Garfiel flashed the blue-haired maid a grin and dropped Heikel who fell to the floor.

Heikel scrambled back away from them then got to his feet and ran through the manor. He didn't even bother to pick up the bloody sword that he had dropped.

"Nicely done, Rem. You always did have style," Garfiel chuckled.

"You need to learn subtlety when you are threatening to kill someone, Garf," Rem said flatly, taking his bleeding hand in her own, "If that maid had decided to go and sound the alarm rather than pretend that nothing was happening, we would both be fighting for our lives right now."

"Come on. We could have taken a bunch of maids and manservants," Garfiel muttered as Rem began to use magic to heal his wound. "Hell, I could have taken 'em all myself. That way you wouldn't even need to get your hands dirty!"

"Could you have 'taken' the entire city?" Rem asked pointedly. "Such combat easily spirals out of control, Garf. You are not in the Sanctuary anymore. You could easily be forced to fight a hundred trained soldiers. You need to think carefully before acting."

Rem finished healing his wound. Garfiel frowned and grumbled something under his breath but he seemed to be taking Rem's comment seriously.

Garfiel made a face. "So what if the prick keeps causing trouble, what then?" Garfiel asked her.

"We will choose a quiet place and time and resolve the matter discretely," Rem said calmly.

Garfiel grinned at her but his smile quickly faded away, "You really fucked up when you turned on the Captain. You get that, don't you, Rem?" He asked.

Rem glared at him. "You and Felt keep saying that I betrayed Subaru. No one has even brought up how he betrayed us!"

"And how was that again?" Garfiel asked skeptically.

"Do not be foolish, Garf," Rem grumbled. "You saw him leave us behind."

"Yeah! He led Capella and the other Cultists away from us and we got away easily!"

"Enough, Garf! You know that's not why he did it! He ran away because he was trying to protect the Witch! We didn't factor into his decision at all."

Garfiel looked at her skeptically. "And what would you have wanted him to do instead? Stay with us and fight Capella again? We didn't have much luck last time. Imagine if her friends in the Cult had joined the fight. They would have ripped us all apart!"

"His actions are not the issue, Garf!" Rem said through clenched teeth. "His intentions are!"

"So the Captain did the right thing for the wrong reason and that's why you're pissed," Garfiel said sarcastically.

"Garf! What happens next time?"

"Next time?"

"Yes. What happens if your precious Subaru Natsuki gets us all into another situation like that? When Capella found us, Subaru managed to come up with a plan that kept us all alive. What happens if next time he can only save one person? Do you really think that he'd pick you?"

Garfiel stared at her in amazement. "Of course not," Garfiel answered. "That thought never even entered my mind. If we wind up like Doug and Susan in the burning tower someday and there's only room for one person in the escape, the Captain is just going to save the person most dear to him. That ain't me. And if someday I had to make that same call, I wouldn't be saving the Captain either. And Rem? Just for the record, I never thought that if it really came down to it, you'd choose to save me before anyone else. We all have somebody we'll die to protect and folks that we'll only protect if we can. It's just that simple. Why are you holding the Captain to a standard that you yourself can't meet?"

Rem glared at him. "This is different!"

"Why?"

"Garf," Rem grated. "Subaru abandoned us for a Witch! He decided that he loved a Witch more than he loved his friends! He decided that he trusted a Witch more than the people who had stood by him and would have done anything for him! What kind of man does anything like that? Subaru Natsuki was never the man that he let us think he was. Subaru has betrayed us all."

Garfiel shook his head and sighed.

Julius, Aldebaran, and Felix were exhausted. They had left the capitol yesterday morning and ridden all night to reach the village of Iruk as fast as possible.

They had crossed the border by skirting the cursed Elior forest and now found themselves in Iruk.

The riding dragons were exhausted. The three riders hid their mounts near the village and left them with food and water to rest and recover while they went to investigate.

Julius and Felix had taken off their knightly uniforms to remain inconspicuous although they both wore their swords. Julius was wearing clothing that any traveler might have had chosen: brown pants and a plain white shirt.

Felix had returned to wearing his dress with obvious delight. Julius had delicately attempted to explain to his long time friend that, while he completely supported Felix's fashion choices, perhaps wearing a colorful and flowery dress when they were trying to remain inconspicuous was not the best strategy. Felix had declined to pick up on his friend's subtle hint and Julius had let the matter drop.

Julius was forced to admit that Felix's fashion sense was the least of their worries. Al's normal clothing was odd but not something that would instinctively make one think of either Lagunica or knights but Al had flatly refused to remove his helmet.

Julius understood the kingdom's desire to have the three factions work in unison on this investigation but he was rapidly starting to wish that the kingdom had just sent him north alone.

The three stood hidden in the trees a short distance from the village, inspecting the scene.

"Well, you don't see that everyday, nya," Felix observed.

The village was festooned in huge icicles like giant stalagmites growing out of the ground. Some of them were larger than trees.

"Yup," Al replied. "I think I'm glad that I missed this fight."

"So what should we do, nya? Just fan out around the village and try to blend in?"

Julius sighed. "My friends, I think that perhaps… blending in is beyond the realm of possibility at the moment."

"Why are we making this so complicated?" Al asked. "It's not like anyone here is a serious threat. Let's just walk in, ask our questions, and walk back out."

"What makes you so certain that they'll answer us?" Julius muttered.

Al tossed a small pouch in the air and then caught it again. The bag made a tinkling sound. "Lady Priscilla thinks of these things. I'm sure they'll be only too happy to tell us whatever we want to know."

Julius made a face but he had no better ideas so the three walked into the village.

It was immediately apparent that blending in would have been a futile effort no matter what they had worn. The entire village was on edge after the recent battle and the three strangers approaching brought out a cry of alarm from the locals. The villagers crowded together nervously to see what their intentions were.

Al snorted. "What did that report say? That the witch killed a couple hundred people?" He murmured to Felix and Julius. "There aren't more than a few dozen people living here!"

The three approached the crowd.

"So, is this Iruk?" Al asked without preamble.

A tall man in ratty clothing and a florid face was pushed forward by the crowd. He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Great. We have some questions about the recent attack. We have gold. Answer our questions and we'll give you gold. Sound good?"

Julius felt slightly pained by the bluntness of this approach but he couldn't argue with its effectiveness. It was obvious by their excited faces that the villagers were now firmly willing to cooperate.

"Are you here to ask about the witch?" The tall man asked.

"Yup. What happened?"

The tall man scratched his chin. "How much do we get if we tell you?"

Al shrugged. "You answer my questions, you get the bag of gold. I like to keep things simple. Where did the witch come from?"

The tall man thought for a moment. "We don't really know. She was apparently staying in that house where the strangers lived."

"They weren't there a few days ago," An old woman shouted. "I live across the way so I keep an eye on that place. That house has been empty for months. A woman came in the dead of night a few days back. Then two more showed up the same way."

"Alright, who lived in that house?" Al continued.

The villagers looked at one another.

The tall man shrugged. "Nobody lived there. They were strangers."

"They were strangers but they had their own house here?" Al asked skeptically.

The tall man hesitated seeming to struggle to put his thoughts into words. "They were outsiders, OK? Folks pop by once in a while and go into that house. They kept to themselves and we ignored them. No one ever stayed more than a few days."

The crowd murmured in agreement.

"That's small town life for you, I suppose," Al mused. "OK, fine. Who came to that house?"

"There were three women and a man," A man with pockmarks all over his face said. "There was the witch, a grown woman, and a girl."

"Any idea who the girl was?" Al asked.

A woman shrugged. "Only saw her once. She was dressed like the child of a nobleman."

"Any idea who the other woman was?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"This is going nowhere fast," Al grumbled to himself. Al thought about it and then moved on. "OK, let's get back to the witch. When did you guys realize that she was in the village?"

"Well, that strange woman came into the village around sunrise," A fat man remembered.

"The witch?"

"No, the other pretty lady. The one with the big boobs!" He said with a foolish smile.

Al sighed. "Look, buddy, I like breasts as much as the next man. Probably more. My years of working for my employer have made me quite the connoisseur-"

Julius winced at that comment.

"-But does this have anything to do with the witch who wrecked your town?"

"Yeah! The witch was fighting that woman!" The fat man replied.

Al paused for a moment in thought. "OK. Anyone know what they were fighting over?"

The villagers shook their heads.

"OK, what did the witch do after the fight?"

"She was hurt real bad," One woman recalled. "The boy came out and bought a wagon. Then he brought the witch out of the house, all swaddled in blankets. He and the other girl loaded the witch in a wagon and left."

"What about the boy?" Al replied.

"He bought some food and then he left," Another woman recalled. "We tried to stop him but…" She trailed off.

"The little fink drew steel on us!" An old man spat. "We were just trying to protect our homes but he drew a sword on us and told us to back down or he'd kill the lot of us! He's a Witch Cultist for sure!"

"We let them leave," The tall man continued. "We'd already been through enough. We aren't going to risk our necks to kill a witch. That's our lord's job."

"Makes sense to me," Al shrugged. "Say, does anyone know the boy's name?"

"Subaru," A young girl replied.

The villagers looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know that?" Al asked.

"The witch kept screaming it during the fight. She was saying stuff like: 'You will never touch my Subaru ever again!'"

"Huh," Al murmured. "So what then? They all just left?"

"Yeah. The witch, the boy, and the girl from the house went north in the wagon," A young girl said. "Dunno what happened to the other one."

"OK, what about that woman the witch was fighting?" Al asked.

"She's over there," The fat man pointed around the back of a nearby house. "We tried to clean up the mess but couldn't. It's all frozen solid."

Al cocked his head at the man but agreeably walked over to where he was directed.

Al turned the corner then stopped in his tracks. He let out a low whistle. "Holy shit. Hey, Julius! Get over here for a minute!"

Julius glanced at Felix and then walked over to Al. Felix followed close behind.

Julius turned the corner and his jaw dropped. Frozen in a heap against the side of the house's cracked and broken stone wall were the shattered remains of a woman encased in solid ice. Her body was in pieces, frozen to the ground and her skin was sprouting completely unnatural looking ice flowers all over her body.

"Well, that's pretty gross, nya. Thanks for sharing this with us, Al," Felix muttered.

"Yeah but is that who I think it is?" Al asked. "Is that the Bowel Hunter?"

Julius and Felix looked closer at the woman's frozen corpse.

"Nya! I think it is!"

"The witch killed the Bowel Hunter?" Julius murmured. "Was the Bowel Hunter tracking down the witch or was the witch hunting the Hunter?"

"That's clever, Julius, nya," Felix chuckled.

"Is there any connection between the Bowel Hunter and the Witch? Or between the Bowel Hunter and Subaru Natsuki?" Julius asked.

"Nya. Well, they met before," Felix said. "The Bowel Hunter almost killed Subaru."

Julius looked at Felix in surprise. "I never heard about that!"

"No? Didn't Reinhard tell you, nya? That's how they first met."

Julius frowned, thinking back. "I remember Reinhard saying that he rescued Subaru Natsuki when the boy was forced to fight unarmed against an enemy to protect Miss Felt," He replied. Julius's eyes widened. "Subaru Natsuki tried to fight the Bowel Hunter bare-handed?!"

"Nya, it didn't go very well," Felix said calmly. "I was one of the healers treating him after Elsa Granhiert attacked him."

Julius was beyond shocked. Truthfully, he had not taken his dear friend's stories about his newfound master's incredible courage and kindness very seriously. Julius loved Reinhard like a brother but he was well aware that Reinhard was rather naive. Julius had largely assumed that Subaru Natsuki had simply found some way to mislead or trick Reinhard into having such a ludicrously high opinion of him.

But some acts truly were impressive. The Bowel Hunter was the terror of the continent. Julius was confident that he could have faced her as long as he had his sword. But without it?

Julius was honest enough with himself to admit that, in a similar situation, he would have run like a rabbit. He would have stood his ground to protect Lady Anastasia, with the full understanding that he was sacrificing his life for her, but to throw away his life for complete strangers?

Perhaps he had grossly underestimated Subaru Natsuki.

Of course, there was another possibility.

"Felix," Julius began. "Is there any chance that the fight could have been staged?"

"Nya?" Felix asked, cocking his head.

"Subaru Natsuki's encounter with Elsa Granhiert," Julius said slowly. "Could it have been arranged by mutual contrivance to allow Subaru Natsuki to look like a hero without ever actually being in danger?"

Felix looked at Julius incredulously. "Nya. Julius, I don't like Subaru either but that's just stupid. There were four of us trying to save him that night and frankly, I had almost no hope. He came within inches of dying. It's an absolute miracle that Subaru lived at all, much less made a complete recovery."

Julius nodded. Julius had complete faith in Felix's judgment. If Felix said that it wasn't possible then it wasn't possible.

Felix's eyes narrowed however. Julius's question had raised an idea for Felix. A miracle? Felix thought. How did he survive that injury, nya? There was no way that he should have survived. Did he have help? Could he have offered the Witch her freedom in exchange for his own life? Maybe I should talk to Crusch about this, nya.

Felix shook himself out of his reverie when he realized that Al was walking back over to the villagers.

Julius and Felix followed behind.

"One last question: How many people got hurt during this fight?" He asked casually.

The tall man scoffed. "Look at all the damage she did?!"

"Yeah, thanks, I have eyes," Al replied calmly. "That doesn't answer my question. How many people got hurt or killed?"

The villagers grumbled. They clearly didn't like the answer that they were forced to give.

"Cool. Thanks for the info," Al said, casually dropping the money pouch on the ground.

Al turned around without a word and started walking back toward the riding dragons, whistling a happy tune.

Julius bit his lip looking at the money pouch and then back at the villagers' greedy faces. He had been wondering how Al would divvy out the reward. It was now apparent that Al didn't care about doing so. He had simply dropped the reward at the hungry villagers' feet and made the question of how equitably the reward was shared among the locals their problem.

This went quite a bit beyond the bounds of knightly behavior but Al and Felix were already walking out of the village and Julius reluctantly hurried after them. He had no authority to deal with this dispute in Gusteko and the more attention he drew to himself, the more likely it was that he was going to be revealed as a foreign knight, further entangling his kingdom in this international incident.

The three remounted their cranky riding dragons. They had been fed and rested but they were still tired.

"OK so it appears that most of Voivode's complaint was lies," Al muttered.

"Nobody was hurt at all, nya," Felix agreed. "And at least arguably the witch was acting in self-defense when she fought the Bowel Hunter."

"So shall we return to the capitol now?" Julius asked.

Al snorted. "Be serious, Jules. The dragons won't go half that distance right now. They need to rest."

"Nya. But we need to report to Crusch immediately!" Felix protested.

"That's why we're headed to Ganaks," Al replied.

"Ganaks?" Julius asked.

"Yeah. It's the closest town over the border. They have a communication system there. We can report our findings to the capitol instantly. More importantly, we can get a good night's sleep in a real bed before we head back," Al explained.

Reinhard had provided the spirits with a small but well-furnished room in the Astrea Manor. There was a spacious bed and comfortable chairs. The room could easily have been used to host visiting nobility.

The spirits neither noticed nor cared about the provided luxury.

Puck was splayed out face down on the bed. He hadn't moved in hours and he had no interest in moving.

With their magic shackled, neither spirit had given much thought to trying to leave the room. Puck couldn't even climb off the bed without assistance from Beatrice.

Beatrice paced around in circles, talking about magic, their mother, and their shared history. This was the first time the siblings had been left alone in days and Beatrice was eager to discuss what she had discovered. She was completely unaware that she really didn't have an audience as Puck was completely focused on his own misery.

I lost my Subaru and I have no way to get him back… With this accursed slave collar wrapped around my wrist, I'm as helpless as a real cat.

I waited four hundred years to find him and I lost him in just a few weeks. Now he's off somewhere in the wilds. I don't know if he's lost or hurt or if he's even still…

I can't believe what a failure I am…

I should have murdered the witch the instant that I realized what she was. It might have even broken her spell. It's… not impossible…

Even if slaying the witch didn't break the spell, even if Subaru hated me or even killed me for it, at least he'd still be safe! Reinhard and Felt would have taken good care of him and Betty would be there.

Subaru would be safe and he'd be alright… without me…

Now, because I hesitated when Subaru needed me to be decisive, I've lost him. Maybe I've lost him for good.

I spent four hundred years roaming the world in a desperate search for 'that person.'

I'd started to think that I'd never find them and that my creator had given me this impossible geas out of some kind of sadistic amusement.

Then I met Subaru and all those lonely centuries suddenly became worth it. I found meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in my life all in an instant.

I knew in that moment that I'd destroy the world to protect him. A world without Subaru would be the worst hell imaginable. But as long as Subaru was there, the world was a wonderful place.

Subaru's heart is too big for his own good. He tries to help everyone. And he's a wonderful person. I love that about him. But when he declared that he was going to help a Witch of all people, that was when I needed to put my foot down and demand that he get away from her.

Even if he refused to let me kill her, if the witch had just been sent out into the wilds alone, Subaru would still be here and… we'd all be together…

This bed should have Subaru in it. It's too big just for Betty and me. I never imagined that a stupid piece of furniture could make someone feel so lonely…

Beatrice abruptly stopped pacing. "There is no other possible conclusion, in fact!" She said triumphantly. Beatrice had been talking about her theory for the better part of two hours. Puck was barely listening, often just looking off into the distance with a defeated expression or burying his face in the bed and wishing that he could just pass out.

"What does Bubby think?" Beatrice asked.

It took Puck a moment to even muster the energy to reply. "What do I think about what?" Puck asked, not bothering to try and conceal the fact that he hadn't been listening.

Beatrice fumed. "Mother! What does Bubby think about Betty and Bubby's mother being the one who rescued Subaru?!"

Puck sighed. "Betty, are you… sure about this? Neither of us had heard from your mother in centuries. We both figured that she was long since dead. Now you think that she's been wandering around the world all this time?"

"Yes! Betty is certain, in fact!"

Puck did not look altogether pleased by this. "Betty, so what would that mean? Your mother didn't die, she just abandoned us? I wouldn't exactly be thrilled to hear that."

Beatrice flushed. "Mother did not abandon Betty and Bubby!" She protested sullenly. "Mother gave Betty and Bubby their important tasks, in fact! Betty to guard the library until the arrival of 'that person' and Puck to locate and protect 'that person.' It makes perfect sense that Mother would return for her children once she knew that Betty and Bubby's important tasks were complete!"

Puck sniffed. "Then where is she?" He muttered.

Betty frowned. "Maybe Mother is with Betty's Subaru? Perhaps she used her magic to save Subaru from the red knight and is now planning to help Subaru come and rescue Betty and Bubby, in fact!"

Puck glanced away, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Betty, are you really sure that this was your mother's power that you were lent? Maybe it was someone else who just felt like your mother. I mean, if your mother did give you the power to open that portal then why didn't she try to save us too?"

Betty snorted and looked away from Puck, seemingly offended. "Betty knows the touch of Mother's power! She would never mistake it. There is no doubt that Mother gave Betty the ability to open the portal to save Betty's Subaru, in fact!"

Puck noticed that Betty had ignored the second half of his question but he let the matter drop. He laid his face back down on the bed and considered taking a nap.

Beatrice resumed pacing around the room. "Betty and Bubby need to get out of here! Betty's Subaru needs them! Betty's Mother needs them too, in fact!"

"And how do we plan to do that?" Puck muttered, his voice muffled since his face was pressed against the bed covers. "I doubt that Felt and Reinhard will just let us walk out the door. Especially if we tell them that we're going to go looking for Subaru. They might even try to follow us and hope that we'd lead them to Subaru. What's worse is that we still have these stupid magic suppressing bracelets on!" Puck growled, shaking his arm angrily. "Unless we can get these off, we're completely helpless! We could be taken prisoner by a group of school children who wanted pets!"

Beatrice fumed and stamped one tiny foot. "Betty hates this! Betty wants her magic back! Betty wants her Subaru! Betty wants her Mother!"

"Believe me, Betty, I totally agree with you-" Puck replied. Well, I agree with most of what you're saying anyway, He thought. "-But before we can do anything else, we need to figure out how to get these bracelets off! We'll never escape until we do. And worse, even if we did escape, we have no idea where Subaru is! We can't sense him as long as we have these bracelets on! So our first priority needs to be to figure out how to get them off! Any ideas?"

Beatrice sighed. "Evil Sealing Stone Bracelets are very hard to remove, I suppose. They require immense power to unseal. The red knight could do it-"

"But he won't, Puck said dismissively. "Reinhard still isn't convinced that the witch didn't put us under some kind of spell just like she did to Subaru."

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "The blue maid is too weak but she wouldn't do it for Betty and Bubby anyway."

Puck frowned. "What about Garf? He's pretty strong and he might do it for us if we asked him."

Beatrice rocked her hand back and forth uncertainly. "It's… possible. Betty isn't sure if he's strong enough, I suppose." Beatrice sighed. She shook her head angrily. "Where is Roswaal when he'd finally be useful, I suppose?!"

Puck snorted. "He might be useful but I won't ever make the mistake of trusting him again after that Sanctuary fiasco! If Roswaal was here, it's an open question if he'd free us or try to take us hostage to get leverage over Subaru!"

The pair were silent for a time.

"Betty, can you think of anyone else who could take these bracelets off us?"

Beatrice flushed and shook her head. "Betty… doesn't know many people, I suppose." She thought for a moment. "Betty expects that Subaru or the elf could do it."

"Yeah but if we were still with them, we'd have never had these bracelets put on in the first place," Puck sighed.

Beatrice climbed up on the bed and sat next to Puck.

Puck started to doze.

"Something went wrong, in fact," Beatrice murmured after a time.

Her intense, worried tone pulled Puck back from sleep. "A lot's gone wrong, Betty," Puck muttered, his face pressed into the covers. "What are you talking about?"

Beatrice was quiet for a long moment. "Something went wrong with Mother's portal. Someone… something interfered."

Puck looked up and saw that Beatrice's face was deeply concerned.

"What are you saying?" Puck asked in rising fear.

Beatrice looked worried, even afraid. "Subaru and the elf did not end up where Betty's mother wanted them to…"

"Well, we need to go shopping for traveling supplies," Subaru said, trying to write a shopping list in his head as Patrasche raced across the plain. "Mili, do we need anything for the cottage while I'm there?"

"Wait, aren't you guys going to come back to Siros with me?" Anri said sounding hurt.

"We're just hedging our bets, Anri," Subaru said. "You don't know how folks in Siros will react to you hosting us. If we need to get out of there to protect you, I want to have a backup plan ready."

Anri looked offended. "Subaru, what kind of girl do you think I am?! You've both helped me so much already. I would never turn my back on you."

"Anri," Emilia said firmly. "We would never allow you to be put in the position where you had to make such a choice."

Patrasche flew down the road leading to Ganaks. The city was clearly visible in the distance. It looked like an immense walled fortress that was literally carved out of the mountain. At it's front was a mammoth water wheel at least a hundred feet tall, turning ponderously under the flow of the enormous waterfall it sat under. Behind the wall was a towering spire of rock. The city looked like a mountain that had been shaved, with the peak still presence in the middle and the rest of the mountain had been dug up and ground down.

"Well, that's pretty impressive," Subaru said.

Anri nodded. "Ganaks is kind of a sore point between Lagunica and Gusteko," Anri commented.

"Why is that, Anri?" Emilia asked.

"Ganaks used to be part of Gusteko," Anri replied.

"Wait, really?" Subaru asked in surprise.

"Yeah! I read about it a lot growing up. It's kind of a big deal back home. As a matter of fact, Ganaks used to be the capitol about two hundred years ago. Then Gusteko attacked Lagunica but the dragon appeared to defend the kingdom and Gusteko was defeated in a terrible rout. Lagunica captured a big slice of southern Gusteko including Ganaks. The nobility considered this the final straw in a series of incompetent decisions by the King and they rebelled. When the dust settled, Gusteko had fragmented from a strong monarchy into a loose confederation of states and the former royal family wasn't strong enough to force the nobility back in line. The dominant power in the country became the church and the former royals were re-dubbed House Griest."

"I never heard that story," Subaru murmured. "And I thought that I studied this area."

"Why were you studying Ganaks, Subaru?" Emilia asked.

"Well, I didn't study Ganaks specifically," Subaru explained. "But I did study the politics and history of a lot of northern Lagunica. After all, that was where Roswaal's domain was and I figured it would be fertile ground for us to find support."

"Don't beat yourself up, Subaru. I get the impression that Lagunica really wants to sweep that bit of history under the rug," Anri added. "Grandfather told me that even a few centuries later, there's a large undercurrent in Ganaks that isn't happy under Lagunican rule and would rather rejoin Gusteko. Don't ask me why anyone would want to be part of Sanshi but there it is. Apparently, Ganaks has a military governor in the city in order to keep the peace. There used to be riots in this town pretty regularly."

Subaru thought about that. "Anything else about Ganaks we should know?"

Anri thought a moment. "I know that it has a lowest demi-human population in Lagunica," She remembered. "Ganaks's wealth comes from the great mine. When it was part of Gusteko, demi-human slaves worked the mines but Lagunica had outlawed slavery so following the conquest of Ganaks, the demi-humans were set free. The locals were pretty angry about that. Racial violence is pretty common in Ganaks so the demi-humans steadily migrated out. There are only a few thousand left in a city with a population of a hundred thousand. They all live in the slums and work in the mines."

Subaru glimpsed a piece of paper nailed to a post as they fly past. He reined in Patrasche and slid down.

"Subaru?" Emilia asked. "What are you doing?"

Subaru walked back to the post and pulled the sheet of paper down, reading it with a dark expression.

"What is it?" Anri asked.

"'Lost Princess,'" Subaru read. "'House Griest is offering a sizable reward for any information regarding the location of Princess Kairei vas Sirosse an Ithil. She is missing and believed kidnapped by outlaws. House Griest is terribly worried about her and requests any assistance in order to find her. Reward: Five hundred gold pieces.'"

Subaru shook his head. "Well, isn't that just great. There's even a picture. Good likeness, too," He admitted, passing the flyer to Anri.

"Five hundred gold pieces?!" Anri demanded in outrage. "Malcolm an Griest thinks that my capture is only worth five hundred gold pieces?! I can't believe that he's so cheap!"

Subaru raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Anri," Subaru said sarcastically. "If I ever speak to Prince Malcolm, I'll be sure to let him know that you find his attempts to locate, capture, and most likely execute you on a budget very offensive."

"I agree, Anri," Emilia said in disbelief. "I think that you're worrying about the wrong aspect of this." Emilia frowned. "Subaru, if these flyers are common around here than we can't risk bringing Anri to Ganaks."

Subaru nodded. "Yeah and it gets even worse."

"Worse?" Emilia asked in surprise.

Subaru pulled a second notice off the post. "'Be on the lookout for a foul witch. This silver haired half-devil…' What the fuck, 'half devil?!'" He demanded of nobody.

Emilia bowed her head, looking miserable.

Subaru shook his head with a scowl. "For God's sake, we actually competed to rule this festering kingdom?! Why? We should have packed up all our friends and moved out of country and then burnt the place to the fucking ground!"

"I hear that Siros is nice," Anri commented.

Subaru looked at her.

Anri shrugged. "Just in case you were looking for a new home."

Subaru chuckled. He continued reading. "'This witch is believed to have enchanted Subaru Natsuki and is attempting to spread chaos and pestilence throughout Lagunica. Kill on sight.' Oh, for fuck's sake!" He said, hurling the flyer to the ground.

"Is there a picture?" Anri asked.

"No. But it hardly matters, does it?" Subaru said, remounting Patrasche. "Nobody would have much trouble picking Emilia out of a crowd."

Emilia didn't say anything.

"Well, one thing is obvious," Subaru muttered. "Neither one of you can go to Ganaks right now."

Honestly, this is a lucky break for me! I don't have to let Emilia go somewhere dangerous now! I have the perfect excuse to leave her behind somewhere safe!

"What?!" Emilia objected.

"Subaru, I have to go with you!" Anri shouted.

"Whoah, whoah! One at a time, please!" Subaru complained.

"Subaru," Emilia said in a dangerous voice. "You have to stop treating me like a porcelain doll!"

"Emilia, this is different!"

"How? How is this different?!" She demanded.

"You know how!" Subaru shouted. "Don't be obtuse! People are actively looking for you around here. If you guys come into Ganaks, you'll just attract more attention. Nobody there is looking for me or has any idea what I look like. I can go in, do the shopping, and get out. Nice and easy. You coming isn't making anyone safer, it's just adding more risk."

"Subaru!" Emilia protested.

"Emilia," He said simply. "You know that I'm right."

"Then let me come with you, Subaru," Anri said. "The authorities in Ganaks don't have any kind of relationship with Sanshi. If I was discovered, so what? Lagunica isn't going to hand me over to Malcolm an Griest."

Subaru snorted. "You're giving the authorities here way too much credit. I met the governor once, General Brendig. He'd not only capture and sell you to Sanshi, he'd frame it to the sages' council as a means to improve Gustekan-Lagunican relations instead of just an excuse to line his own pocket!"

Anri shook her head. "Look, Subaru, I… I just have this feeling! I really need to go with you!" She said awkwardly.

"No," Subaru said flatly.

"Subaru," Emilia objected. "I don't like the idea of you going to Ganaks alone either."

"It'll be fine, Mili," Subaru assured her. "I'm just going shopping and to deliver a letter. Even I can't screw that up too badly."

"You shouldn't go alone, Subaru!" Anri agreed. "Let me come!"

Subaru ignored her and scanned the wide plain around Ganaks.

"There's an old abandoned farm house back in those trees. I doubt that it'll be comfortable but you should both be safe there and out of sight for a few hours."

Subaru directed Patrasche over to the farm house and reined her in beneath the shadow of the trees.

Subaru helped Anri slip down and then Emilia.

"Subaru," Emilia said pensively. "I don't like this."

"Me neither!" Anri agreed. "Let me come with you!"

"I'll be fine, Mili," Subaru assured her, ignoring Anri. "I'll be in and out."

Emilia bit her lip.

"Subaru!" Anri protested.

"Anri! You're not coming!" He said firmly.

Anri scowled.

Subaru looked at the distressed Emilia. "I'll be fine, Mili," He reassured her. "I'll keep my head down and stay out of trouble."

Emilia gave him a worried look but finally nodded.

Anri sighed and unbuckled her rapier. "Here, Subaru, take this," She said, passing him the sword belt.

"Are you sure?" Subaru asked dubiously. "I hate to leave you unarmed."

Anri snorted. "Right back at you!" She said mockingly. "And you might avoid some trouble just because people can see that you are armed. Predators tend to avoid prey that can defend itself. I can't use my sword for another day or two anyway," She gestured toward her broken arm. "Besides, I've got Emilia here. She can fend off a regiment singlehandedly."

Emilia smiled warmly at Anri.

Subaru sighed. "Well, try not to test that theory while I'm gone, please?" He said buckling the belt around his waist.

Anri nodded. "Here. This is the letter. You should probably send it to my Grandfather. My uncle might be on the front lines right now," Anri said, passing him a piece of paper.

"What's his name? I doubt that this will work if I just say: 'A letter for Anri's grandfather."

Anri rolled her eyes at him. "Tell them that it's a letter for Patriarch Gustov of Siros. They'll know who it is."

"OK," Subaru replied.

"Be careful and don't take too long!" Emilia said.

Subaru nodded and rode away.