NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56: Chapter 57
That evening, Beatrice carefully soaped up Mimi's ebony bracelet with Alkahest .
"Is this really thing working?" Mimi asked doubtfully.
Beatrice nodded. "Betty can feel the magic binding the stones together weakening, I suppose."
Beatrice slapped Mimi 's other hand away, stopping her from testing the strength of the bond holding the stones together. "Do not pull on the bracelet!" She admonished. "Mimi can probably break the binding without too much effort and we mustn't tip our hand early, in fact."
Mimi sighed. "Are you almost done? Mimi is still feeling sick from Betty shaking Mimi upside down for two hours."
"Yes, Betty is done, I suppose," Beatrice said, inspecting the vanishingly small bit of Alkahest soap that remained. "And please remember," Beatrice snorted. "If Mimi hadn't decided that the best plan to hide the Alkahest was for Mimi to eat it then Betty wouldn't have had to strain her delicate arms by shaking her for two hours!"
Mimi gave Betty a cold look that seemed out of place on her normally cheerful face. "And where would you have hidden it, pray tell? " She asked in a terse voice. "And please remember that the guards stripped Mimi naked and searched every inch of her body before you reply! What was Betty 's brilliant plan for concealing the soap without eating it? "
Beatrice opened her mouth and then hesitated.
Mimi waited a moment and then turned her face away with a sniffle. "Mimi has done as much to get us out of here as Betty has," The cat girl said in a sullen voice. "Mimi thinks that she's earned some respect from Betty by now. "
Beatrice looked flustered. She thought about it and then she bowed her head. "Mimi did… really well to bring Betty the Alkahest , " She said awkwardly. "Betty would have never managed to come up with a plan to escape without Mimi. Mimi was… very clever to find a way to hide the Alkahest , I suppose …"
Mimi 's face lit up and she moved toward Beatrice.
"That does not mean," Beatrice said, holding her hands up in a 'stop' gesture. "That Betty wants Mimi to hug her!"
Mimi 's face fell.
They heard the sound of footsteps and Beatrice quickly hid the tiny remnants of the Alkahest under her bed.
Beatrice and Mimi stared at the cell bars waiting but it turned out that it was only Julius on his rounds.
"Miss Mimi, Miss Beatrice," He whispered. "Have you had any success in planning your escape?"
Beatrice nodded. "Betty thinks so, Julius. Betty and Mimi have already weakened our binding bracelets. We'll be able to snap them off when we're ready, I suppose."
Julius nodded slowly. "I would caution you on one point, however. When Subaru Natsuki removed my bindings in Gusteko, it sounded as though lightning had struck the ground where we stood."
Beatrice 's face fell. "Then everyone in the tower will hear it in fact!"
"True," Julius nodded. "And this is a problem but perhaps not a fatal one. We could wait for a dark and stormy night to make our escape. The natural lightning would cover up the sounds you made."
"Maybe," Beatrice said skeptically. She frowned and then her eyes widened. "Wait! Betty's mother knew a way of cooking up thunder with alchemy!" She said, her face brightening.
"Miss Beatrice, you can make thunder in a bottle?" Julius asked skeptically.
Beatrice sniffed at him, looking offended at his questioning. "Mother knew everything, I suppose! Be quiet!"
Julius 's eyes widened at this reproach and he nodded his head.
Mimi looked pained. "Betty, Mimi thinks that it would be very hard to fool people that way. "
"What do you mean?"
"If the only thunder people hear is us removing our bracelets and Betty's potion then people will still be suspicious!"
Beatrice stared at Mimi for a long time and then shook her head. "No, Mimi," She sighed. "This is not the plan. What has Mimi noticed about the researchers since we've been here?"
"They're mean!" Mimi said at once.
"Besides that," Beatrice said.
"They're bossy," Mimi corrected herself.
"No."
Mimi thought hard. "They don't bathe regularly-"
"Mimi! They're sloppy in fact! Betty watches them do their experiments and not clean up afterward! They leave regents and potions lying out on the counter in the labs."
"This is true," Julius agreed. "We are ordered to report such incidents if we see them. The head researcher takes such matters very seriously since the possibility of one experiment causing an unforeseen effect on another is quite real."
"Right!" Beatrice said. "So if Betty and Mimi leave out the regents that would mix to produce thunder on the counter and then remove our bracelets in that lab, the guards will investigate, I suppose. They will find the regents and assume that the noise came from them accidentally mixing together!"
Julius mulled it over and then nodded. "And any researcher who tries to claim that the regents weren't there before would be viewed as just covering up their own mistake," He added thoughtfully.
"Oh! Mimi gets it now! Betty, you're smart!"
Beatrice looked smug.
Julius nodded. "Then that much of the plan seems sensible. But what is your plan for escape?" Julius asked. "Can I be of assistance?"
Mimi shook her head. "Betty and Mimi agreed that Julius should not be involved with our escape except at the very end," She said.
Julius frowned. "I-"
"If our escape fails, Julius," Beatrice cut him off. "You still have a chance to help us, send word to Subaru, and keep trying to feed Bubby."
Beatrice paused. "Julius, were you…"
"No, Miss Beatrice, I'm sorry," Julius said shamefaced. "I have no more crystals to offer Master Puck. I sent word to my family beseeching them to send me more with all due deliberate speed but it is likely to be days or even weeks before such a package can arrive."
"Bubby will never last that long," Beatrice whispered.
Mimi nodded. "We need to get him out soon . "
"What is the plan?" Julius asked again.
Beatrice and Mimi shared a long look. "We need to escape without fighting, I suppose," Beatrice said at last. "Even without our bracelets, Betty and Mimi have no mana right now and we don't have enough Alkhest to remove another bracelet from Bubby in fact. We need to sneak out, I suppose. Our plan is to rescue Bubby and then try to sneak out by exploring the guts of the tower and then investigating the laundry wagons and the plumbing system. "
"The… plumbing?" Julius asked.
Beatrice shrugged. "The water in the faucets must be coming from somewhere and the wastewater goes somewhere else, I suppose. Maybe the wastewater is being dumped in the pit below us but the drinking water can't come from there. Even these magical stooges would not be so stupid as to drink water contaminated with all manner of magical regents in fact."
Julius frowned. "Perhaps that could give you a way out. Hiding in a laundry wagon or something similar might prove perilous. If anyone suspects a breakout has occurred recently, they will search the wagons thoroughly. Have you found a means to disarm the alarm on Master Puck 's cage?"
Beatrice 's face fell. "Betty forgot about that!" She said, smacking her forehead.
"Why does Puck's cage have an alarm and not ours?" Mimi asked.
Julius made an expression of disgust. "The head researcher feels extremely proprietary in regards to Master Puck. I understand that he is the researcher's favorite test subject. The alarm is not to prevent Master Puck's escape, it is to discourage any of the other researchers from having access to him!"
Mimi frowned. "Wait. Mimi didn't see the head researcher today…"
"That's true," Julius replied. "He's gone to a conference. He'll be gone for several days, I hear."
Beatrice sniffed. "At least that means that he's not tormenting Bubby, I suppose."
Julius frowned. "There might be a way to disable the alarm," Julius said slowly. "But it would be dangerous."
"Mimi lives for danger!" Mimi said with pride.
Beatrice face-palmed.
Julius raised an eyebrow and continued, "As I said, the head researcher is gone from the tower right now. He doubtlessly left the charm which he uses to unseal Master Puck from his cage inside his office. If you were to acquire the charm-"
"Then we could disable the alarm!" Mimi finished excitedly.
"And… why is this dangerous, I suppose?" Beatrice asked in confusion.
"The head researcher has a reputation for being outright paranoid that his assistances are trying to steal his secrets. I am sure that your Multikey will get you into his office but I have no idea what kind of defenses he might have left behind to guard the premises in his absence."
Mimi took a deep breath. "If Bubby needs us to break into the office then Mimi and Betty will break in!"
Beatrice looked at her in surprise.
Julius gave her a fond smile. "Miss Mimi, you always had the heart of a lioness."
"Kitty power!" She said triumphantly, thrusting her hand in the air.
Beatrice closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright! Tomorrow night, Betty and Mimi will break into the office, steal the charm, and rescue Bubby. Then we will escape through the sewer access tunnels, I suppose."
"But how will Julius escape?" Mimi asked.
"I can simply disappear during one of my morning strolls," Julius said. "Once you are all gone, there is nothing that keeps me here."
Beatrice gave Julius a troubled look. "Betty worries the warden will have the same thought," She murmured. "He might attempt to hold Julius by force in fact."
Julius gave her a smile. "Have no fear, Miss Beatrice. Warden Gregor is a big fish in a tiny pond. Without leverage such as the two of you and Master Puck provide, he knows that he offers me insult or threat at the peril of his own life. The kingdom may have assigned me here but I am still a knight of the kingdom and a man at liberty. This means that I can, for example, return home to visit my family or to advise Lady Anastasia whenever I please."
Beatrice mulled that over and nodded. "Alright. Then tomorrow, we break out!"
The next 'morning' Felt and Garfiel woke up and grabbed breakfast. Then the guards came down to supervise the slaves going out into the field and to escort the lucky few working in the city up to the upper levels.
Koh packed his pipe. "Well, I guess that I'll see you guys later," He said.
Garfiel blinked. "What?" Garfiel asked. "Where the hell are you going?"
"I spoke to Smite yesterday and asked if they needed anyone with a few years of alchemy experience so I'm working at a chemist's shop in town," Koh said.
"Are you going to try to meet your contact?" Felt whispered.
"I sure hope so," Koh said. "I don't relish the thought of spending the rest of my life in this dump. Although, for the moment even that has to be secondary. I'm nearly out of stregno. I need to find some way to refill my pipe before I absolutely lose my mind!" He said, walking away without a backward glance.
Felt watched him go and then shook her head. "You know what I just realized, fleabag?"
"What?"
"I'm not just annoyed," Felt said matter-of-factly. "I genuinely dislike this guy."
Garfiel sighed. "Alright, well you better get going too. Keep your eyes open up there, shrimp."
Felt made a face. "You be careful, alright?" Felt demanded. "I don't like leaving you down here by yourself!"
"Hey! I'll be fine, shrimp. Not only am I about three times your size but I've got people looking out for me down here. You're the one going off alone! You watch your back!"
Xiao hobbled over to them. "You need to get going, Felt," Xiao said quietly.
Felt nodded and walked over to the elevator, deliberately standing as far away from Koh as was practical.
"Hello!"
Felt blinked and saw Miko standing next to her, bright-eyed and chipper.
"Hi there. You… work in the city?" Felt asked in surprise.
"Yeah! I weave baskets!" She said happily.
Felt shrugged as the elevator started moving up the cliffs.
Subaru and Emilia slept in that morning and then ate the breakfast that Miss Rose served downstairs. The inn was virtually empty right now so there was plenty of food to eat.
Subaru and Emilia had just finished eating when Bran appeared in the inn dining room.
Rose gave him a cold glance and then ignored him, clearing the table and going off to wash the plates.
"Good morning, Master Subaru and Miss Emilia," He said with a bow.
"Good morning," Subaru replied. "Any word from the governor?"
"Yes. Governor Sonas is most eager to hear more about this remarkable machine that you have created. He is offering an enormous bounty to anyone who is able to deactivate the beam from the island above us and end this curse. It's one thousand gold sovereigns."
Subaru 's eyes widened. Wow. That would keep us well-fed for quite a while.
"When does he want to meet?" Subaru asked.
"Immediately, if convenient," Bran replied. "I have a carriage waiting to bring you to the gubernatorial palace if you've already finished your breakfast."
Subaru glanced at Emilia who shrugged.
"I think we can go now," Subaru said.
"Hurry up and dice those onions!" Petrov snapped.
"On it!" Felt said, frantically chopping vegetables.
Felt sliced through the onions, imagining that they were a particularly tender part of Petrov 's anatomy.
Since Felt had arrived at the restaurant this morning, Petrov who was both the restaurant 's owner as well as the head chef, had done nothing but scream and yell at everyone, especially Felt.
Felt was not a good cook but she was a very resourceful one. For years, Rom and Felt had been forced to make meals out of whatever they could scavenge and this meant that creating something edible from the ingredients provided had frequently required significant craft and ingenuity.
Today, however, none of that was doing her any good. Petrov bellowed order after order, demanding that the kitchen staff 'dice,' 'baste,' 'chop,' 'fillet' and a slew of other words that Felt didn't understand. Anything but prompt obedience earned a backhand from the chef and Felt had caught his ire more than most this morning. Felt knew none of these terms and it was only by the assistance of the rest of the kitchen staff that she had managed to keep up with the chef's demands.
Felt had a large bruise forming around her mouth as she diced the onions. This was because the aubergine sauce that she 'd prepared had been too thoroughly mashed and it lacked the necessary texture to make it a proper garnish for the requested dish. Petrov had explained none of this to her beforehand, nor had he even bothered to say out loud that her work was unacceptable. Without sparing the girl a second glance, he had lashed out at her with his fist, striking her cheek hard enough to make her see stars and knocking her to the kitchen floor.
Her mind filled with flames and she 'd leaped to her feet on instinct, wanting to grab the nearest knife and 'debone' the abusive chef.
Only her own good sense held her back. Attacking the chef was just asking to die painfully in this city. Felt didn 't need anyone to explain to her that the city was merciless with rebellious slaves and that her actions might even get Garfiel in trouble. So she bit her tongue hard enough to bleed and got back to work.
"Miguel!" Petrov screamed. "Get this waste of space out of here! Have her serve dishes to the customers!"
Miguel came running into the kitchen. Miguel was not a slave, he was an employee that managed things out front and kept the servers running smoothly while Petrov cooked.
As far as Felt was concerned, Miguel 's only real selling point was that he was less abusive than Petrov.
The young man looked confused. "Master Petrov, I thought that you said that she was too ugly to be a waitress," He said.
"She is too stupid to be anything else!" Petrov shouted back.
Felt just stood there, wishing that she had a large hammer with which to properly express her response to Petrov 's comments.
Petrov finished filling a bowl with some kind of vegetable garnish, "Put her out front and make her wait tables!" He demanded.
Miguel nodded. "Very well. Come along, slave. Get out there and bus the tables."
Felt nodded and quickly hurried after him.
Hell, this is what I wanted to be doing anyway. I had no hope of bumping into Subaru while I was working in the kitchen!
"I hope that you had a pleasant night," Bran said as they rode in the carriage up to the pinnacle of the rocky plateau where the palace was. The sun was well up into the sun but the 'morning' had only just begun.
"Very pleasant," Subaru replied. "We're thoroughly enjoying your lovely town, Lord Bran," Subaru lied.
"Master," Bran corrected.
Subaru blinked. "I beg your pardon?" He asked incredulously.
"Lagunican titles like 'Sir' and 'Lord' are not widely used in Kararagi," Bran explained. "We're somewhat more… egalitarian than you may be used to."
Yeah, right. The 'hanging tree' at the entrance full of the rotting bodies of dead slaves sure proves that!
Subaru gave him a slight smile. "I apologize if you were offended."
"Oh! I was not offended at all! I was simply attempting to help you acclimate to the culture here as quickly as possible."
"Well, thank you for that," Subaru said, trying to force some warmth into his voice. "What exactly should we expect from Governor Sonas?"
Bran shrugged. "The Governor is a reasonable man and he has no hesitation in paying extravagantly for exceptional services. If you can resolve this problem for him, you will not regret it."
"I meant more personally," Subaru said. "What kind of man is he?"
Bran hesitated just long enough to be noticeable. "The Governor is a political and financial genius who managed to rebuild Girali from the ground up. When the Governor inherited this land from his father, it was no more than a clump of rock that nobody wanted, both because of the dangerous crystals and the dangerous mabeasts. It was the Governor's vision that caused this city to grow and thrive into the bustling metropolis you see before you-"
A metropolis that 's little more than a glorified mining town with a few hundred residents, Subaru thought grimly.
"-I'm certain that you will greatly enjoy your meeting," Bran said weakly.
Subaru smiled and then cast a glance at Emilia who met it with a pained expression.
Bran just answered my question more eloquently than I could have dreamed. This is likely not going to be any fun …
Felt spent the morning dashing all over the restaurant.
She was actually a very good waitress. Her previous experience as a swindler allowed her to quickly ingratiate herself to the guests and her near-perfect memory ensured that she never messed up an order. The one time an order came out wrong from the kitchen, she immediately called them out on it and made them fix it before bringing it to the table.
The restaurant was basically one large room with no walls. The ceiling was supported by pillars and wherever you sat, you could watch people walking by out in the streets.
Miguel watched the waitresses sharply and frequently reprimanded them for minor mistakes but he didn 't have any complaints to make to Felt except for one point where he ordered her to stop looking at the passing pedestrians and to focus on what she was doing.
Felt, of course, ignored him. Her only concession was to keep a watch on the streets in a much more subtle way.
I 've got to find him. He's our only chance to get out of here and I may have only one chance to spot him and make contact.
…What if he's already been here and gone?
"Good morning, Master Subaru," Tolian Sonas said with a friendly smile. "Welcome to Girali."
Subaru and Emilia found themselves on a wide open deck built onto the palace roof.
Tolian Sonas was a pale, slender man with colorless hair. His face was rough and leathery although he was not that old. He sat at a long wooden table that was piled high with food.
"Please, have a seat," Sonas said, picking up a fried chicken leg and delicately nibbling on it. "I hope that you don't mind if I have a little bite to eat while we talk. I am absolutely famished."
"Thank you, Governor," Subaru murmured as he and Emilia sat down across from Sonas.
"Please, call me Sonas," Sonas said dismissively. "I've never much cared for titles. My father always wanted to be a Governor. I told him: a waste of time and money. It's easiest to make money when folks hand it to you without realizing it. Once you become a provincial governor, everyone knows you and most of them hate you. No man in the history of this world has liked the people they give tax money or rent to."
Subaru forced a chuckle. "I can see that you've been around the block a few times."
"Many times," Sonas agreed, tearing the skin off the chicken leg and eating it. Then without ever taking a bite of meat, he put the chicken leg aside. "But Dad wanted to be a governor so I took the title after he died. Sort of as a tribute to the old man. Incidentally, I understand that you've been around a bit yourself. My colleague, Willard Pickett, told me about what happened to you back in Lagunica," Sonas said sympathetically.
Subaru sighed. "Yeah, that… wasn't fun."
"I'm sure," Sonas murmured. "I also understand that you have a… somewhat mixed record with General Brendig."
Sonas 's voice didn't hold a hint of threat but Subaru heard it anyway. "Yeah. Well, we're hoping to keep our presence here confidential."
"Naturally, naturally," Sonas murmured, picking up another chicken leg. "Trust me, I understand. I don't want to endure any more of that pompous bully's attention that I absolutely have to. I don't much care for someone who has a boot on my neck. Now, let's get down to business. Bran informs me that you believe that you can reach the island?"
"Yes," Subaru replied. "I've invented a flying machine and am looking for a real-world test case to use it on. A colleague of mine told me that people were in need of such a device out here, although he couldn't give me any details, so I came out this way looking for a realistic test case."
"Hm," Sonas murmured. "If you can disable that beam coming down from the island, I would be extremely grateful, Subaru. Paying you the promised bounty would be the least of it."
We 're sitting in front of a mountain of food and Sonas hasn't offered Emilia or me a crumb.
I don 't think that's an oversight either. What is this guy playing at? He talks like we're best buddies but his actions are all geared to remind me that I have no power here…
"If we can reach the island, we can definitely look for a way to turn off the beam," Subaru replied.
"Do you believe you can reach it?" Sonas asked mildly.
"I do but I'm worried it may take time. My machine allows me to control how high I go but not in what direction. The wind controls that. In other words, it may take several attempts before we managed to fly over the island and land successfully."
Sonas digested that. "I understand the limitations you mentioned but you should know, time is something of a factor here," He said.
"Because of the Iotuns?"
"Yes," Sonas said. "Those monsters fear the sun but the growing darkness is… emboldening them. Captain Smite believes that they may raid the Shelf within a few days."
"The Shelf?" Subaru asked.
"It's a shanty town for our indentured workers," Sonas said without an ounce of shame. "When Iotuns get hungry enough, they begin eating the stones out in the Crimson Hills to satisfy their enormous appetites," Sonas said as he ate more chicken skin and then put the still intact meat aside. "That might work for a few days but after a while, eating the pyroxene crystals is no longer enough. So they climb up the cliff to attack the Shelf. These attacks can have extremely high casualties among the slaves. It's an economic disaster for the whole town."
"How awful," Subaru murmured.
This guy is a piece of work. But maybe he 's giving me an 'in' without even realizing it.
"Maybe I could assist you with that problem?" Subaru suggested.
For the first time in the conversation, Sonas stopped eating.
He regarded Subaru gravely. "Impressive, Subaru. Do you have a machine for killing Iotuns?" He asked in a voice that was not-quite sarcastic.
Subaru ignored his tone. "I am called 'the Invincible,' you know," Subaru reminded him. "I even once killed a troll with my bare hands."
Sonas stared at him for a long moment. "Are you telling me that those stories are true?" He asked skeptically.
"I was there," Emilia broke in. "I watched him do it."
Sonas digested that. "And you would be willing to assist us?" He asked curiously. "Do you know how big Iotuns get? "
Subaru shrugged. "I have an inkling. But if it would help the city, I'd be willing to try," He said pleasantly.
If these things really are mabeasts then I can just control them with Pridebreaker and make them run away.
On top of that, if I can get the Iotuns under my control, that will give me some leverage with Sonas and even Brendig if he finds out that I 'm here.
These Iotuns sound really scary so being able to command a small army of them should make these two back off.
Subaru rubbed his forehead. The sun was directly overhead now and the day was getting very hot.
Sonas nodded. "Hey, more power to you! I would be most grateful for anything that you can do for us in that regard, Master Subaru, " He said, nibbling on more chicken skin. "However, while I grieve greatly for any casualties among the slaves in the upcoming raid, I must confess that my dominant concern is to resolve the situation with the beam and the eternal night. I must find a solution for this matter before the Iotuns decide to ignore the Shelf entirely and attack the city. Besides that nightmare, the eternal night is also what keeps Brendig here. He 'claims' to be here to protect us from the Iotuns. Frankly, I'd like to remove that fig leaf from his defense."
"So, Brendig will be trying to fight the Iotuns when they raid the Shelf?" Subaru asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
If Brendig finds out that I 'm here, I want it to be on my terms. I don 't believe for a single second that Brendig will play the 'enemy of enemy' card and focus on fighting the Iotuns first.
"No," Sonas said simply. "In fact, his forces have yet to attack a single one while they've been here."
Subaru digested that. "Then what is he doing here? "
"That is a very good question," Sonas murmured. "His forces police the streets of Girali but beyond that, he spends all of his time at the base of the plateau, digging."
"Digging?" Subaru echoed.
"Yes," Sonas said gravely. "He appears to be excavating some sort of system of tunnels that have been buried for centuries. Let me be frank, Master Subaru. General Brendig is not welcome here. I want him gone. If you can end the eternal night, not only will you save the city from its inevitable destruction but Brendig loses his best excuse for being here. Maybe that can help resolve the hostage crisis."
"Where are the hostages?" Subaru asked, wiping his brow. The heat was becoming sweltering.
Sonas pointed at four towers at the four cardinal points of the palace. "Out there. Guarded around the clock by Brendig's men. This makes me very unhappy, Subaru. I invited some of the premier merchants and their families from around the world to negotiate a new trade deal that would reshape commerce across the continent. Then, Brendig storms into my home and seizes all of my guests. Since then, I 've been running this town with Brendig's sword at my neck! I want the man gone!"
Subaru cocked his head. "Do you have any idea what he's actually here for?"
"Not really," Sonas said, eating more chicken skin. "I'll say one thing for that man, he holds his cards close to his chest. At first, I assumed that he'd come here to disrupt the trade negotiations but since then he's just been digging up the plateau! I have no idea what he wants there but he's made it clear that he's not leaving until he finds it."
Subaru nodded. "Sounds awful," He said.
"So, when will you try to reach the island?" Sonas asked.
"My business partner is delivering the equipment," Subaru said. "We expect his arrival sometime today or tomorrow. We plan to begin our ascent on the same day, if possible. Each ascent will take several hours so it's likely that we will only get to make one or two attempts per day."
Sonas mulled that over. "Alright. Do you need anything from me? If you need manual labor I could certainly assign you a few slaves."
Subaru fought to keep a scowl off his face. "That is very generous," Subaru said calmly. "I'll let you know if we require that type of assistance. What would be useful, is if you could explain to your guards and the mercenaries that we are making the ascent on your orders and to please not use our machine for crossbow practice. "
Sonas had a faint smile. "Yeah. Good idea. I'll make sure that that's taken care of," He said.
Subaru took a deep breath. "Is that all, Governor? I don't mean to be rude but it's getting very hot up here. "
Sonas chuckled. "Yeah, I have to admit that I enjoy the heat at the pinnacle. I often have business meetings here. Do you find it uncomfortable?"
"A bit," Subaru admitted.
"Ah. I fear that I can't emphasize. You see, I was born with a gift from this world: the Divine Blessing of Temperance. It prevents me from experiencing the effects of great heat or extreme cold."
Son of a bitch. He does this deliberately. He has meetings in this furnace just to make the other guy uncomfortable and to remind them who 's in charge.
"What a marvelous blessing," Subaru said, somehow keeping the growl from his throat. "You must enjoy it immensely."
"I do," Sonas admitted. "It makes it very easy to keep me comfortable. I often feel sorry for those not so blessed."
"I see. Well, Governor, if you will excuse us, we need to go and start planning our launch site."
"Of course," Sonas murmured. "Please let me know if I can be of any further help in this matter. Bran is at your complete disposal."
"Thank you," Subaru said, getting up with a slight bow.
Subaru and Emilia followed Bran who led them down from the castle pinnacle. Subaru wiped his brow, his entire face dripping with sweat from the heat.
Subaru and Emilia didn 't discuss anything until Bran had dropped them off back at Miss Rose's and left them alone.
"Well, what do you think?" Subaru asked her, mopping his face with his shirt.
Unlike Subaru, Emilia looked completely untroubled by the heat. "Are you sure about trying to fight these Iotuns?" She asked dubiously.
Subaru shrugged. "I'll just pop Pridebreaker and then I 'll have them licking my fingers! Besides, it will protect the slaves out on the Shelf and it will give us some leverage against Sonas and even Brendig if he decides to make trouble. Once I can control the mabeasts, those two will be pretty reluctant to pick a fight."
"Why didn't you tell Sonas that you can control the Iotuns?" She asked. "If you can bind the local mabeasts then you'll be able to protect the city even if the curse gets worse.
"Because A: I don't want him to know about that yet. He'll view us facing the Iotuns as a power play on our part and he might try to stop us. And B: if we tell him that we can solve his problem that way, he might start asking why we're still so interested in reaching the island."
Emilia mulled that over and finally nodded. "What do you think we should do now?"
Subaru shrugged. "There's not much that we can do except to wait for Otto. I've seen a few spots that might make reasonable launch sites but until we have a vague idea which way the wind is blowing that day, we won't know what to pick. I think that I may take a walk and see if I can find that 'Shelf' that Sonas kept talking about so that I have some idea what we're going to try and defend."
"I was thinking of going out and buying some supplies," Emilia said. "We may be stuck up on the island for a few days, searching the library and trying to figure out how to shut down that beam. We should be prepared."
Subaru raised an eyebrow. "That's a very good idea!" He said, sounding impressed.
Emilia smiled at him. "I'll need some money for this," She said, holding her hand out.
Subaru reached into his satchel and handed her the money pouch.
Emilia made no move to take it. "I don't need the whole pouch, Subaru," She pointed out. "Just give me five gold pieces or something."
Subaru cocked his head as he counted out the coins. "Why not just take the whole bag?"
Emilia took the coins. "Because this way, I don't have to worry about losing all our money. I still remember the time that Felt picked my pocket."
Subaru chuckled. "Alright, I'll meet you back at the inn in an hour or two."
Emilia wandered the market, examining wares. She bought a few preserved fruits and vegetables that would keep for weeks.
We should only need enough food to last us for a few days at most but I 'd rather have too much food and water than too little so I should stock up.
The Girali market was very different than the Lagunican markets that Emilia was familiar with. Although the same sort of merchants were working there and they were mostly hawking the same sort of products, the reaction of the locals was very different. No one cursed at Emilia or threatened her because of her race and appearance. The worst that she experienced was people staring and pointing at her in surprise.
While rude, Emilia could deal with this behavior with equanimity. It was far better than what she usually got.
Emilia was inspecting some fruit preserves when she sensed someone staring at her from behind.
Although the intensity was disconcerting, Emilia pointedly ignored them.
"Are you…," A woman said in a choked voice.
Emilia closed her eyes and sighed. Yes. I 'm a half-elf. Do you really need to have this confirmed for some reason? She thought witheringly.
"Are you Lord Subaru's bride?" The woman choked out.
Emilia started and spun around to face the woman. She was a woman in her thirties with mousy brown hair. She wore a simple brown robe and her face had a drawn and haggard expression. She looked like she 'd been running on short sleep for a long time.
"How did you know that?" Emilia asked, too shocked to even consider dismissing the charge.
She knows who I am?! Could the curse have not affected her?!
The woman smiled ruefully. "You don't remember me, do you?"
Emilia stared at her for a long moment and then shook her head.
"I'm afraid that I don't," She apologized.
"My name is Ellen," The woman said. "Lord Subaru rescued me from slavery some weeks ago."
Emilia 's eyes widened, remembering the slaves that Subaru had rescued from the slaver's camp.
"Your name was… Emilia, wasn't it? Is Lord Subaru here?" Ellen asked desperately.
Emilia hesitated.
Ellen clasped her hands together. "My lady," She said in a choked whisper. "I already owe him so much and I know that it's unfair of me to ask for more help but I don't have anywhere else to turn!"
Sympathy and caution warred in Emilia 's heart. The victor was never in any doubt. "What's wrong?" She asked.
Ellen took a deep breath. "My daughters, Willa and Miko. They were sold into slavery by those… those monsters that Lord Subaru killed. I managed to track their sale and discovered that they were sold in Girali and are being forced to work in the Crimson Fields here. That place is a death trap! The average life span in those fields is only two years , " Ellen said in a tone of horror. "There are explosions and mabeasts attacks! They're just girls!"
"Gods…" Emilia looked ill.
Ellen shook her head violently, her face wet with tears. "I've tried to buy their freedom with the little money that I have but… I don't know if I'll ever have enough…"
"We could probably lend you some gold," Emilia said awkwardly.
"I have no idea what they cost!" Ellen sobbed. "All I know is that when I tried to buy them with every coin that I had, the overseers just laughed at the offer!"
"Oh dear," Emilia murmured.
"Please," Ellen whispered desperately. "Is there any way that you can help me rescue my daughters?!"
Emilia nodded furiously. "Of course, we will! I promise you. We'll find a way to set them free!" She swore.
It hadn 't taken Subaru very long to find the Shelf. He found the cliff where the elevator lead down from the city and from that perch he had carefully inspected the decrepit shanty town as well as the desert below it.
Hm. The Iotuns can only come at us from one side. That should make for a simple defense at least.
Several guards had quickly shown up, demanding to know what exactly he thought he was doing over here. Subaru had informed them that he had offered his assistance to Governor Sonas in dealing with Iotuns and that he was inspecting the area in furtherance of that goal.
The guards all looked horrified at this revelation and they fell all over themselves apologizing and asking if they could assist him in any way, imploring him not to tell the Governor about this unfortunate error.
This gave Subaru even more evidence of what kind of man the governor was.
After learning everything that he could from inspecting the Shelf 's landscape, Subaru left the ledge and wandered through the town. He was trying to find his way back to Miss Rose's inn but he wasn't having much luck. He kept going in circles in the dusty streets.
"Where the hell am I now?" Subaru asked himself.
"Hey mister," A teenage girl with a dusting of green scales across her cheeks and bright yellow eyes called. Two younger boys stood beside her, a cat demi-human and a rabbit demi-human. "You lost?" She asked in amusement.
"Yeah, guess I am," He admitted.
"What are you looking for?" She asked, approaching him.
"Right now, I'm just trying to find my way back to Miss Rose's, I guess," Subaru said, giving up.
The girl gave a snort of laughter. "You got lost trying to find that ? " She asked in disbelief.
"Hey, give me a break, I've had a long day," He grumbled.
"Sure, sure," The girl said easily. She stepped closer to Subaru. "So what you're going to want to do is go straight down this street. See that wagon off in the distance?" She pointed.
Subaru frowned and squinted into the distance. "Yeah, I think so-"
Subaru felt a tug on his satchel.
Subaru swung around and saw a child in a black hooded cloak sprinting away with Subaru 's money pouch in hand.
The other children scattered, hooting and hollering at Subaru. A few even threw stones at him.
Subaru lunged after the person in the hood. Ignore the others! They 're just trying to distract me, trying to give the one with the loot time to get away!
The hooded figure flew up the street and Subaru raced after them in hot pursuit.
"Wait a minute!" The lizard girl shouted to her friends. "Who-"
The person in the hood seemed to sense that they were being chased because they gave a sudden burst of speed.
Subaru chased after them as fast as he could.
"Excuse me!" Subaru shouted as the thief and then Subaru weaved around a group of portly merchants, "Coming through!"
The thief darted into an alley and Subaru sped after them, slowly but surely closing the gap between them.
In seeming desperation, the bandit darted up the steps to a restaurant patio and sprinted through the center room which was full of tables, patrons, and waitresses. The hooded thief screeched to a halt, struggling to find some way through the mass of bodies.
Got him! Subaru grinned, putting on a final burst of speed.
Subaru was almost close enough to grab the bandit when he crashed into a waitress carrying a serving tray and both of them went down hard.
There was a ringing in Subaru 's ears and he realized that he was now wearing a serving tray cover on his head. His clothes were soaked with some kind of gravy.
From under the cover, he saw that the waitress had been roughly jerked to their feet.
"Excuse me, sir," A worried voice murmured as the cover was removed from his head. Subaru looked up and a man smiled nervously at him as she gently helped him up. "Oh my! Master, I am so, so sorry about this!" The man tittered a little too loudly.
Subaru shook his head. "Where did the thief go?! Did-"
"I'm afraid the person in the black hood got away, Master," The man said slowly. "Terribly sorry about that…"
Subaru closed his eyes tightly. That was all of our money …
A server handed something to the man. "Oh! But they did drop this pouch, Master! Yours?"
Subaru 's eyes snapped open as the man offered him his money bag.
Subaru went through it quickly. There was no time to count it but it looked like all of it was there.
"I'm informed that the thief dropped it when they realized they were out of places to run," The man continued, "Likely hoping that you would stop chasing them. Unfortunately, they did grab a handful of coins before escaping."
Subaru sighed. "Well, better that than the whole thing," He muttered, trying to wipe the gravy off his shirt.
"Here, Master. Allow me!" The man said, frantically wiping at his shirt with a napkin. "Master, I can't tell you how embarrassed we are about this unfortunate incident! Our waitress's clumsiness nearly cost you your bag of gold! I assure you that she will be properly disciplined immediately." There was a brief pause and the man's voice became fierce. "Felt! Apologize!" She hissed.
Subaru 's head snapped around as if it was jerked by a string. Standing there, her face frozen in shock was Felt.
A slave collar encircled her neck.
Subaru felt as if he was falling. He felt like he was plunging helplessly through the air and just waiting to hit bottom.
On instinct, he triggered Reason and Judgment .
His thoughts immediately became clear and calm.
Felt is here. How unexpected. What 's worse, some vile tyrant has seen her captured and enslaved.
Under normal circumstances, you would simply break the collar from her neck but you are well aware of the fact that this is easier said than done. You have business in this city and that business must not be jeopardized.
However, freeing Felt has now become your business as well. No one can be permitted to enslave your companions with impunity. You need to create a plan to attend to both matters.
Revealing to her owner that you have a personal connection to Felt would be most unwise. You have no idea what her circumstances are and how such an admission would be perceived by her owners. They might attempt to hide her or deny you access to Felt out of fear that you would seek to 'steal' her.
You need to make a plan and that requires you to have access to Felt.
Perhaps in this city, slaves can be rented. It would be an excuse to 'acquire' Felt for a period of time in exchange for some coin.
The man already promised to punish her. Perhaps that is an opening.
Subaru centered himself and then deactivated Reason and Judgment .
Felt 's face was a caricature of shock but she finally shook it off. "I am… terribly sorry for my clumsiness," She whispered.
The man tittered weakly. "As I said, we will ensure that she is suitably punished-"
"That will not be sufficient," Subaru declared at once in the voice that he reserved for when he was masquerading as a powerful member of the noble class. He looked down at his shirt in feigned disgust, "Look what she has done to my clothing!" He complained. "Do you have any idea how much this costs?! This shirt is worth more than your miserable skin!" He roared at the manager.
Felt cocked her head in confusion.
The man swallowed hard. "We could… perhaps offer you a… complimentary meal?" He suggested. "And I promise you that we will discipline the girl properly!"
"I have no more respect for your abilities to properly discipline a slave than I have for a billy goat's," Subaru hissed in the man's face.
The man closed his eyes and trembled. "Master, I-"
"I wish to deal with this matter personally! Is she for sale?" Subaru asked flatly.
The man 's eyes widened and then he slowly nodded. "I… see. You wish to… discipline her personally," The man cast Felt a look that was almost sympathetic. "Sir, I can assure you that there was no collusion here! Our server had nothing to do with the thief…"
The man 's voice dried up as Subaru glowered at him.
The man hesitated a moment and then sighed in resignation, "Our… employer is not at liberty to sell her as she is not his own property. You would need to discuss any purchase with Governor Sonas himself. But perhaps our employer could be persuaded to… sublet her to you."
Subaru nodded impatiently. "Fine, fine. I was unable to bring any of my own slaves on this damnable trip. Keeping a personal servant for a few days would be useful. I hadn't picked one out yet but it seems that the young lady has volunteered, " He finished ominously.
The man had a sickly grin on his face. "Of course. I don't recall that anyone has ever requested such an arrangement from us before but Master Petrov might agree. I will speak with him directly."
The man gave a deep bow and then backed out of the room and into the kitchen.
Subaru glanced around. The dining patrons had already dismissed the incident from mind, Felt and Subaru were completely ignored.
A few of the waitresses who brought food to the tables and a few others who were cleaning up the mess at Subaru 's feet, shot looks of pity at Felt.
Subaru looked out at the dusty street with an apathetic expression. He didn 't dare look at Felt or he knew that he wouldn't be able to control his face.
A minute later, the man reemerged from the kitchen.
"Good news, sir," The man said ingratiatingly. "Our Master offers his personal apologies for this regrettable incident. If you wish to take this incompetent slave off his hands for a few days, you may do so with his compliments. He's generously offering a price of two silver coins a day, a very fair price for a young slave girl if I may say so."
Subaru nodded and pulled out a pair of gold coins. "Then let's say ten days to start. If my business isn't complete in this city by then we can renegotiate as it would be annoying to have to retrain a new servant from scratch."
"Of course, sir," The man said with a sickly smile as he took the coin. "But I fear I must remind you, sir, you are renting another's property and that you are answerable for any… permanent damage inflicted on this slave while you… discipline her."
Subaru 's eyes burned with fury at this thought. The man blanched and took a step back. "Sir! Forgive my presumption! I didn't-"
"I will remunerate all damages as they become necessary," Subaru's voice was like ice. "I believe that our business is concluded now."
The man nodded fervently. "Yes, sir! I wish you… joy… in punishing this slave," The man said with a weak laugh. He looked at Felt and hissed, "Girl, remember that this is a learning experience for you! Work hard to please him!"
"Yes, sir," Felt said in a neutral voice. "I think that I will learn a great many things during this experience."
Subaru left the restaurant without looking back, taking it for granted that Felt would follow him. Neither Felt nor Subaru said a word although Subaru felt a million questions building up in his throat like a volcano just waiting to explode.
If I start talking here, I 'm likely to lose control. I need to get us someplace private first.
Subaru led Felt toward what he believe was the general direction of Rose 's inn but he stopped when they found themselves in a small, deserted alleyway.
Subaru quickly looked around. "Alright," he murmured. "I don't think that anyone can see or hear us right now. Felt, how did-"
"Subaru!" Felt cried out, leaping toward him. She caught him in a tight embrace and buried her face in his chest. "I'm so glad to see you!" She wept.
Subaru saw tears running down her face and he knew that he was crying as well. He squeezed her tight. "It's OK, Felt. It's OK. We'll figure out what to do together. How the heck did you get all the way out here? "
Felt sighed. She stepped back and Subaru saw that her face was now covered in gravy from his shirt.
She wiped it off her cheeks with disgust. "Yuck. Garf and I came out here looking for you."
"Garf?!" Subaru gasped. "Is he here too?!"
Felt nodded gravely. "He's here alright. They have him working out in the fields, Subaru. Those rocks are explosive! We already saw one poor kid get blown to bits and we've only been here a day!"
Subaru took a deep breath. "Alright. Alright. We'll handle this. But one thing at a time, Felt," He said, trying to steady himself as much as Felt. "How did you guys get here? "
Felt folded her arms across her chest. "Alright. So, Gramps got a letter from an old… friend of his, " She muttered. "Someone who claimed that they wanted to ally with you and said that they could help us find you."
"Me?" Subaru asked in surprise. "Who was this?"
"Her name is Sphinx," Felt answered. "Or… at least that's what she calls herself. She's the person running the Demi-Human Alliance these days."
Subaru looked baffled. "What would the Demi-Human Alliance want with me? I'm human!"
Felt closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Subaru, I don't understand how this is even possible but somehow, you are simultaneously both the most brilliant man I know and the absolute thickest ! "
Subaru winced. "Well gee, Felt. Nice to see you too," He muttered.
Felt ignored him. "The demi-humans are all backing you for the throne because of all your speeches about demi-human rights and liberties," She reminded him.
"Mine?!" Subaru asked in surprise. Then his eyes narrowed. "Oh, right," He said glumly. "Everyone remembers me doing all that…"
Felt gave him a strange look. "Anyway, Sphinx said that she'd tell us where to find you as long as we passed along the message that she's interested in forming an alliance with you. She said… well, she said a lot of really confusing stuff that we can get into later. She also sent an agent named Koh to bring us out here."
"Any trouble crossing the kingdom?" Subaru asked.
Felt made a face. "Most of our problems were due to Priscilla," She grumbled.
"Priscilla?! What the hell does she have to do with any of this?"
Felt sighed. "We met Priscilla in Mirula and she managed to talk her way into coming along with us."
"Priscilla's here?" Subaru asked in shock.
"No. Aldebaran found us out in the desert… somehow. She left with him to go and do something back in Vollachia," Felt replied.
Subaru nodded. "Probably for the best," He said. "I wouldn't turn down any extra help right now but having Priscilla around would probably be more trouble than we need."
And I know that Emilia would be ready to kill her if she saw her right now …
"How did you guys get enslaved?" Subaru asked.
"We were arrested," Felt growled. "Koh was apparently bringing weapons here to help the local rebels on behalf of the Demi-Human Alliance. Something that he neglected to share with us in advance. The soldiers found the smuggled weapons and we were all arrested and thrown into the pit! To make matters worse, we found out that the Alliance's information about Girali is years out of date. The rebellion was crushed years ago. There are no rebels to supply with weapons!"
"Oh, that's just brilliant," Subaru snapped. "Really masterful work on his part!"
"Yeah," Felt grumbled. "Maybe think twice before making an alliance with these guys."
Subaru shook his head. "Alright, let me get that stupid collar off your neck," He said, reaching for it.
"No, don't!" Felt shouted, jumping back.
Subaru blinked. "What's wrong?"
"If you try to remove the collar, it will explode!" Felt said.
Subaru blinked. "…How big of an explosion? " He asked.
"No idea," She admitted. "But it's right next to my neck!"
Subaru sighed. "Of course. Why would this be simple?" He shook his head. "Alright, fine. Then we need to talk to someone about buying your freedom. Who's your 'owner?'" He spat out the word.
"Governor Sonas apparently owns all of the slaves in Girali," Felt explained. "Then he rents us out to businesses as needed. You'd need to talk to him."
Subaru thought that over for a while. "Alright. I've already made a deal with Sonas to reach the island and do something up there for him. He's offering me a reward of a thousand gold pieces. I bet that two slaves are a whole lot cheaper than that so there should be room to negotiate."
Subaru thought for a minute. "In the meantime, I'll talk to Bran and see if we can 'rent' Garfiel too. That way we can keep him somewhere safe until we finish up here."
Felt stiffened. "Subaru! There's another problem!"
"What now?"
"General Brendig has everyone digging out tunnels under the plateau."
"…Yeah, I heard about that. So what?"
"He's looking for something."
"Looking for what?"
"I don't know," She admitted. "But if Lagunica was willing to send General Brendig here with a whole army just to make sure that they find it at any cost-"
"It's a weapon?" Subaru asked grimly.
Felt nodded. "Probably."
Subaru thought then shook his head. "Alright. Our first priority is to get the collars off your necks," He said in a fierce voice. "Then we get up to the island and get the Book."
"The Book?" Felt echoed. "What Book?"
Subaru waved it away. "It doesn't matter right now. Felt, do you think that I could… rent Garf the way that I rented you? Get him out of the fields for a few days while we work on this?"
"I don't know," She said honestly. "But his shift won't be over until sunset so you'll need to wait a few hours before you can even ask."
Subaru took a deep breath and then let it out. "Alright. Well… let's at least get off the street in the meantime," Subaru started to walk toward the alley exit and Felt followed.
Subaru glanced back at her. "We're renting a room at the local inn. You can stay with us there while we figure this out."
"We?" Felt asked with a catch in her voice. "You mean…" She trailed off.
Subaru stopped walking and closed his eyes with a sigh. "Yes, Felt," He muttered. "I am still with Emilia. I love her. And I'd like to remind you again-"
"You don't need to remind me, Subaru," Felt said awkwardly. "I… I figured it out."
Subaru 's eyes snapped open and he spun around to stare at Felt in shock.
Felt sighed and bowed her head. "We… Beako told me that the witchcraft used to modify memories leaves flaws behind. When I found a flaw in my memory, I… I knew that you were right. It wasn't your memories that had been changed it was… ours," She admitted quietly. "I'm really sorry, Subaru," She said in a barely audible voice. "I…I should have trusted you…"
Subaru 's head spun. He felt torn between wanting to cry in relief and to scream at Felt for not listening to him before.
Unable to reconcile these impulses, he took a third option. "What kind of 'flaw' did you find?" He asked.
Felt 's expression turned guilty. "Well… I remembered stealing the insignia from you…"
"Yeah."
"But Red remembered giving you an insignia," Felt finished.
Subaru digested that and frowned. "So what?"
Felt gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean, 'so what?' How could you have an insignia before Reinhard gave it to you when you were healing from Elsa's attack? And if you had one already, why would Red give you another one? And if you didn't have an insignia first, then where did the one that I stole come from?" She asked impatiently.
Subaru thought about it for a moment and then his eyes widened. "You're right! Shit. I could have saved everybody so much time and suffering if I'd just thought of that," He said wistfully.
"You couldn't have thought of it, Subaru," Felt reminded him. "You would have needed to know about the holes in our memories and where things didn't match up in our minds. And we were in no mood to discuss it before we split up. Besides, Red wasn't even there to validate it."
Subaru sighed. "You're probably right, Felt. As usual." Subaru thought it over as they resumed walking. "Does everybody know about this now?"
"Kind of," Felt admitted. "We never got a chance to tell the spirits about it. They'd already been arrested. Garf told Rem and Ram. I don't know if they believed him or not but neither one is your biggest fan right now."
"The feeling is mutual," Subaru grumbled. "What about Red?"
Felt was quiet for a long time. Subaru looked back at her and saw that her expression was hard as a rock.
Finally, she took a deep breath, "Red didn't believe me," She whispered. "He thinks that the flaws I found in our memories are more examples of memory manipulation done by… by your friend . "
Subaru stared at her. " What ?! How the hell does that make any sense?! "
"I know, Subaru. I know," She moaned quietly. "Red is just being Red. He never changes his mind!"
"You couldn't convince him?" Subaru asked.
Felt shook her head. "No," She said in a small voice. "He… he didn't believe me…"
Subaru gave Felt a sharp look. Her face was twisted in misery and her eyes were wet with tears.
On impulse, Subaru reached out and wrapped his arms around her.
Felt stiffened and for a moment Subaru thought she would pull away but then she buried her face in his chest and took a ragged breath.
Subaru held her for a minute until she had quieted.
Felt stepped back and wiped her eyes. "So her name is 'Emilia,' huh?" Felt asked awkwardly.
"Yup. She's the love of my life," Subaru said simply as they resumed walking.
Felt took a deep breath. "And… you're sure that you have her… like really under control this time? " She asked.
Subaru sighed. "Felt, we just discussed this. Emilia is not a witch-"
"I remember, Subaru!" Felt said in a jagged voice. "I also remember that she nearly killed me with her magic and that I still wake up some nights screaming because of it!"