Time skip
"You know, Emilia, maybe we should stop this…" Subaru muttered, trying not to melt from embarrassment.
The streets of the capital were alive—merchants yelling, kids laughing, knights patrolling—but Subaru was only aware of one thing:
Emilia was holding his hand. Tightly.
His face was red enough to rival a boiled tomato. Emilia, wearing her cloak with the hood drawn low over her silver hair, kept her eyes forward, determined, her grip firm—no, vice-like.
Beatrice, on Subaru's other side, had her small hand wrapped around his other. She glared up at Emilia, her expression one of pure jealousy.
"Hmph. I agree, in fact. Subaru is Betty's contractor. You don't get to hog him all to yourself, I suppose."
"Absolutely not." Emilia snapped, glancing at them from under her hood. Her violet eyes burned with suspicion. "I know you. The moment I look away, you'll be off doing something crazy again."
Subaru let out a guilty chuckle, scratching his head. "Hehe... it was just an accident…"
Flashback.
The carriage rumbled at top speed through the dirt road, pushed by the powerful ground dragons pulling it like a living engine.
Subaru stood at the edge of the carriage, gripping the side with both hands, leaning out, his arms flailing wildly in the wind like a kid on a rollercoaster.
"Oh man, this is awesome!" he shouted into the wind. "I'm totally living the fantasy right now, baby!"
Inside the carriage, Rem sat next to Beatrice, her soft blue eyes dreamy as she watched him. With a smile she whispered to herself, "Subaru is so cute…"
"Parallel worlds ruuuul—AHHHHHHHHH!!"
Subaru's arm extended too far—too far outside the divine protection field of the ground dragons. That magical barrier kept passengers anchored and unaffected by the carriage's momentum.
The moment he left its bounds—
Physics kicked in.
Subaru was yanked out of the carriage like a cork from a shaken wine bottle.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His scream hit octaves usually reserved for trained opera singers and dying birds.
"SUBARU!!" Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice all stood at once, faces pale with horror as he somersaulted through the air.
His body flailed like a ragdoll in a wind tunnel.
Flashback end
"I'm really sorry for that," Subaru said, shifting uncomfortably as the three of them walked. "But this… this is just treating me like a kid."
Beatrice immediately chimed in, her voice sharp with mockery. "You are a kid, in fact," she said with a huff, puffing her cheeks out in that bratty-but-cute way of hers.
Subaru frowned, looking down at her. With both hands imprisoned—one by Emilia, the other by Beatrice—he couldn't even retaliate with a cheek pinch. Her round, rosy cheeks looked extra pinchable too. Like warm little buns fresh from the oven.
Turning his head back to Emilia, he gestured with his chin toward her death grip on his hand.
Emilia didn't look convinced.
"You wanted to hold hands during our village date, didn't you?" she asked, voice flat but eyes glinting.
"I was physically and mentally prepared for that," Subaru defended, nodding. "But this time, I wasn't ready! Holding two cute girls' hands at once? My palms are gonna get so sweaty they'll feel like a fish! Actually, they already do—look!"
"What's a fish?" Emilia asked.
"Oh Betty knows this one in fact, it's a food in Kararagi, I suppose."
The two girls looked at him curiously, as if what he had just said was a joke.
"What do you mean what's a f-"
"Would you two stop flirting already?"
All three of them turned their heads in sync. Standing just beside a stall was a familiar face—the fruit vendor, smirking down at them with a look that said, "I've seen everything."
"You're gonna drive my customers away with all this young romantic nonsense," he said, clearly entertained.
Subaru involuntarily shuddered. But after a beat, he smiled and exhaled in relief.
I didn't die… I'm fine.
Subaru, finally with an excuse to free his hands, gave the man a small wave, expression softening. "I came back to make good on my promise. That's cold, man."
The vendor's smirk widened into a grin. "Well, I'm just glad you felt obligated to buy something now that you're not broke anymore."
He handed over a simple paper bag, filled with shiny, crisp fruit. Subaru in return, handed the man two silver coins.
"Here—these are the appas I promised."
Subaru's eyes lit up as he instinctively took the bag. "Apples!" he exclaimed.
Beatrice glanced up at him with mild amusement. "Betty finds your nickname for food interesting, I suppose."
Subaru held the bag triumphantly. "You just wait, Beako. One day, everyone will call them apples."
"Only if the entire kingdom suffers a head injury, in fact."
"Rude!"
Saying his goodbye to the fruit vendor, Subaru stepped away from the stall, a small bag of appas in hand. But as his feet carried him farther down the street, a weight began to settle in his chest. It felt like he was walking away from something important—like he'd just missed a critical flag in a game without knowing it.
His throat tightened involuntarily, and he swallowed hard.
"Next, we should visit Felt and Old Man Rom," he said, trying to shake the feeling.
"I thought we'd wrapped things up cleanly the first time," Emilia said, her tone laced with concern. "But then… Reinhard just took the girl away."
She held tightly onto his hand, fingers twitching slightly.
"That makes it sound like a kidnapping," Subaru muttered. "Or abduction and confinement. Jeez, hot girls really can get away with anything."
Emilia furrowed her brow. "Subaru, are you jealous of good-looking people again?"
Subaru avoided her gaze, staring at his reflection in a shop window screen. His face looked tired—messy hair, deadpan eyes, and his usual scowl. A single tear slid down his cheek with all the dramatics of a low-budget soap opera.
"God… why couldn't you have made me hot or sexy?" he whispered dramatically.
"You're not ugly, in fact," Beatrice huffed, clinging to his opposite hand. "Just because your eyes are scary doesn't mean you're hideous."
"...I think I needed that," Subaru muttered with mock solemnity, clutching his appa bag.
"We should go to the guard station at the edge of the noble district," Emilia said, clearly ignoring his theatrics. "That's probably where Reinhard would be if we want to speak to her."
Subaru nodded, but then his tone shifted—serious, hesitant.
"Emilia… about the Royal Selection tomorrow…"
She didn't let him finish.
"Subaru, what did I tell you?" she said quickly, her voice both stern and gentle. "I brought you here to fulfill your promises—not to worry about me. And more importantly, to get you healed."
"Betty agrees," Beatrice added flatly. "Healing Betty's contractor is the priority, I suppose."
Subaru tried to hide the disappointment on his face, but a hint of it leaked through. He knew they were right… but it still stung.
Ding.
A sharp vibration buzzed in his pocket. Subaru blinked and fished out the flip phone with Toyota as his only contact. His heart skipped a beat. It was the first message he'd received in two weeks.
"When you find Rom, tell him it wasn't Reinhard's fault. Tell him Toyota knows the identity of the assassins. Tell Rom to continue with the original plan to break into the Selection as if to capture Felt."
Subaru's eyes widened.
What…?
He stared at the message, trying to piece it together. What assassins? Break into the Selection? That didn't sound like something Rom would agree to lightly. But if it came from Toyota… then it must be important.
He trusted that guy.
Even without Return by Death, Toyota knew what Subaru was going through. He had shown up like he knew the future. Like he understood it. And even more importantly, he hadn't died when he showed up. That had to count for something.
"Why did you stop and look so serious?" Beatrice asked curiously, peering up at him.
Subaru didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on the message.
"…Toyota just contacted me," he finally said, his voice low but firm.
Beatrice's teasing look vanished. Her expression grew grave.
"…I see."
Subaru walked alongside Emilia, letting Beatrice perch on his shoulder. Her small arms were loosely wrapped around his head for balance, her cheek brushing against his. He could feel her breathing lightly.
"My feet are sore, I suppose…" she had muttered earlier with a faint pout, and Subaru had immediately offered to carry her. But now, as she rested comfortably on his shoulder like a tiny queen, Subaru couldn't help but imagine it:
A little family.
Emilia as the beautiful, kindhearted mother. Beatrice as their sharp-tongued but adorable daughter. And himself… the father figure. Subaru smiled warmly at the thought, but snapped back to reality as they came to a stop in front of a towering building.
Its doors were massive—engraved with ornate silver filigree that shimmered in the sunlight, swirling like ivy vines around intricate emblems. The blackened metal contrasted beautifully against the white stone walls. Everything about it screamed nobility and power.
Subaru and Emilia stood still, unsure whether they should enter.
Just as Subaru opened his mouth to ask, a voice called out behind them.
"Well, if it isn't Lady Emilia."
Both turned. A tall, handsome young man strode toward them with poise. He wore pristine white robes lined with gold, and a formal decorative uniform that marked him as someone important—probably too important.
His violet hair was tied back in a neat tail, and his smile was the kind you'd expect from someone who practiced it in the mirror every morning.
"It's good to see you again. Have you been well since our last meeting?" he asked, bowing deeply before Emilia.
Subaru instinctively stepped forward, still holding Emilia's hand. But to his dismay, she let go and stepped toward the man with a pleasant smile.
"Yes. Everything's been… basically the same," she replied politely. "You also seem well, Julius."
"The mere fact you remember me is an honor," Julius said, his golden eyes glittering. "You've only grown more beautiful, Lady Emilia."
With that, he gently took her hand and placed a formal kiss on its back.
Subaru's eyebrow twitched. His glare could've set fire to trees.
You slick, smooth-talking, shiny-robed bastard…
But before he could explode in jealousy, Beatrice calmly reached down and covered his eyes with both hands.
"Beako, what are you doing?!" Subaru shouted, his voice cracking with irritation.
"Hmph. Betty didn't want to see you turn into a beast with horns, I suppose."
Startled by the sudden outburst, Julius blinked and shifted his gaze toward Beatrice—only to freeze as his golden eyes widened in recognition. His confident smile faltered. He looked like he had just seen the girl of his dreams.
And then… he dropped to one knee in front of Subaru, bowing so deeply his forehead almost touched the ground.
"I-It cannot be…! The Great Spirit of Knowledge… Lady Beatrice?!"
Subaru blinked.
Beatrice yawned dramatically on his shoulder.
Subaru, whose head moments ago had been brimming with jealousy and inferiority, now stood frozen with awkwardness. The very knight he'd been ready to throttle a second ago was kneeling… in front of him.
Or more accurately—before the small girl resting on his shoulder.
Beatrice blinked, unimpressed.
"It seems… uh, you're pretty well known," Subaru muttered, watching Julius practically vibrate with reverence.
"Betty is over 400 years old, I suppose," the spirit chimed with mock modesty.
Julius's eyes practically sparkled now. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Great Spirit," he said, voice high with excitement. "Allow me to introduce myself properly—Julius Juukulius, Knight of the Royal Guard… and a Spirit Knight at that!"
He straightened up, brushing the front of his uniform before suddenly pointing to Subaru with curiosity.
"And this boy… could he possibly be your contractor? Or perhaps just a humble servant?"
Subaru immediately puffed up indignantly. "Excuse me?! I'm nobody's serv—wait…"
He paused, thinking of Emilia, and winced. "…Okay, yeah, I guess I am kind of Emilia's servant."
"Subaru is Betty's contractor, I suppose," Beatrice corrected with a bored tone.
At this, Julius's entire face lit up. His earlier formal posture shifted into one of pure excitement as he turned to Subaru with a childlike grin.
"Subaru, is it? If I could possibly speak with you about the process of forming a contract with a great spirit, I would be immensely grateful. Truly, I would be in your debt!"
The admiration was almost blinding.
Subaru took a step back, deeply uncomfortable with the knight's innocent, sparkly-eyed adoration.
This was not the same Julius he'd originally meet in the cannon timeline. With a simple distraction; Julius's perception of Subaru was significantly altered into something more positive. Without Beatrice, he would have viewed Subaru as a childish and jealous boy.
"Uhh… maybe… sometime?"
"My deepest apologies, Lady Emilia," Julius said, snapping back into his professional demeanor as he turned to her. "I seemed to have gotten carried away. Please, allow me to escort you to the conference mirrors."
As he moved ahead to speak with the guards stationed near the building's grand entrance, Subaru leaned toward Emilia and asked under his breath, "Hey, uh… what's a conference mirror?"
"It's a type of Metia," she explained softly, glancing at him. "A magical tool. Two enchanted mirrors are placed facing one another—what you say to one appears and is heard through the other."
"Ah. Mirror phones," Subaru whispered, nodding sagely. "How magical."
With a small grin, he took a step forward—only to feel Emilia's hand on his chest.
"Subaru, wait here," she said gently, looking up at him with a hint of worry. "It's… not something I think you'd enjoy. I'll try to come back before things go too long."
Subaru blinked. "Wha—? Why wouldn't it be—?"
"Please. Just wait," she said again, her voice a little more firm. "Be a good boy, okay?"
She looked past him to Beatrice. "Beatrice… I'm counting on you."
The little spirit yawned lazily on his shoulder, one hand lightly tugging at Subaru's ear. "Mm. Don't do anything too stupid while I'm napping, I suppose."
Subaru let out a breath as Emilia disappeared through the doors with Julius.
"…Why do I feel like I've just been left in a daycare?"
***
Toyota sat in a dark room, His personality switching freely back and forth between a mix of Wrath with gluttony and his own. letting their unique quirks settle in his mind to create an ideal common enemy.
(AN: This chap had almost no MC, but we are so close to where I want to be, I'm going crazy, the amount of detail I have to build up just to show the alteration to minor events is ridiculous. I've started my new fic, and I'm wondering how many chapters I should stock up before I post and how long I should make them.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Although when I get bored, I add extra.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 80 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)