“Even though I just made all those grand declarations… that’s all for the future,” Subaru said, looking up at the darkening sky.
“The most pressing issue right now is finding a place to spend the night.”
“Subaru, um…”
“We’re both completely penniless paupers.
Innkeepers won’t let us in, and we can’t exactly sleep on the streets, right?
I mean, I’d be fine with it, but Emilia-tan…”
“Subaru, it’s not like that,” Emilia interrupted Subaru’s rambling.
“I actually do have a place to stay.
I’m staying at an inn near the center of the Royal Capital.
There should still be vacant rooms there, so just come along with me, Subaru.”
“Eh?
Didn’t you say you didn’t bring any money?”
“I said I didn’t bring any money with me, not that I don’t have any money!
Honestly, Subaru.”
Subaru felt like Emilia had betrayed the broke paupers faction, but thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
Emilia was a Royal Selection candidate, after all; there was no way she’d be completely broke.
“Speaking of which, Emilia-tan,” Subaru recalled some presidential election processes back on Earth, “what’s the format for your Royal Selection?
Is it an uncontested election or a competitive one?
It’s gotta be competitive, right?
After all, both you and Reinhard mentioned there’s more than one candidate.”
“Uncontested election… competitive election?
What are those?” These Earth terms were far too foreign for Emilia.
She tilted her head adorably.
“Actually, I’m not entirely clear on the details of the Royal Selection either.
Let’s rest for the night, and then once we return to my sponsor’s territory, we can discuss it properly.”
“Hey, don’t just act cute and gloss over it!
Aren’t you one of the candidates to be King?
How can you not even know how the Royal Selection works?”
There were far too many points to mock; Subaru didn’t even know where to begin.
He suddenly realized that helping Emilia become King… was going to be exceptionally difficult!
Had I invested in the wrong stock?!
After walking a short distance with Emilia—taking the opportunity to admire the otherworldly nightscape he hadn’t had time to appreciate in the previous loop—Subaru arrived outside a luxuriously sized inn.
Several carriages pulled by large lizards were parked at the entrance.
They were similar to the horse-drawn carriages Subaru had seen on TV, just with lizards replacing the horses.
Even though Subaru had seen quite a few on the road earlier, this was his first time observing one up close. Get faster updates on g.com.
Even after witnessing magic, time loops, spirits, and a Sword Saint… Subaru still felt these lizards were the most fascinating novelty.
“What a big guy…”
Staring at the lizard in front of him—which was a whole size larger than Old Man Rom—Subaru gasped and gawked like a country bumpkin seeing the city for the first time.
“Emilia-tan, what do these lizards eat to get this huge?”
“That’s a ground dragon, Subaru,” Emilia said, gently stroking the ground dragon’s neck.
“They’re herbivores and very easy to raise.
If you pet their necks gently, it makes them feel very relaxed.”
The ground dragon Emilia was petting closed its eyes in comfort.
“Whoa… it just feels so surreal,” Subaru raised his hand, itching to try.
“Emilia-tan, can I try too?
Petting the ground dragon, I mean.”
“Mhm, come and give it a try, Subaru.” Emilia stepped aside to make room.
Subaru lightly touched the skin on the ground dragon’s long neck.
The rough, cool scales actually felt quite nice.
“There, there.” Copying Emilia’s movements, Subaru placed one hand on the ground dragon’s cheek and used the other to slowly stroke the scales on its neck.
“Oh!
Emilia-tan, look!
It’s not rejecting my petting at all!”
Emilia watched Subaru interact with the ground dragon with a bright smile.
“Ground dragons are naturally very gentle creatures.
Some of them are even quite timid.
As long as they aren’t severely provoked, they’re always good-natured.”
“Is that right?” Subaru reluctantly pulled his hand away from the ground dragon.
“I’d really love to raise one of these someday…”
“Lady Emilia, you have returned.”
A somewhat cold, clear female voice rang out.
Subaru and Emilia looked toward the voice.
They saw a maid with pink hair pushing open the doors of the inn and bowing respectfully to Emilia.
The pink-haired maid was about 150 centimeters tall, a bit shorter than Emilia.
She had large eyes and peach-colored lips.
Her softly contoured face blended child-like innocence and cuteness, giving her a delicate, endearing appearance.
Her pink hair was cut into a short bob, the ends even with her earlobes.
She wore a black-based apron dress and a white hair accessory.
The specially modified maid outfit left her slender shoulders bare, complementing the short skirt and clearly accentuating her figure.
Even Subaru, who wasn’t exactly a connoisseur of maid outfits, knew that whoever designed this uniform had to be an absolute pervert.
Wait, Subaru just noticed—this world actually had maid outfits?!
He had already started admiring it before that question even crossed his mind.
“Ram, I’m back.” Emilia greeted the pink-haired maid warmly.
“Lady Emilia, who might this be?” The pink-haired maid noticed the unfamiliar man standing beside Emilia and immediately furrowed her brow.
“Is this a vagrant who has been stalking you?
Please do not worry.
Ram will dispose of him immediately—”
“Wait, wait, wait!
Calling someone you’ve just met a vagrant right off the bat is way too rude, isn’t it?!” Subaru was thoroughly, doubly annoyed.
“I’m not a vagrant!
I’m Emilia-tan’s friend!”
“My apologies, valued guest.” The pink-haired maid lowered her head toward Subaru, voicing an apology.
Yet, Subaru couldn’t sense a single shred of genuine remorse from it.
“Due to the fact that the guest’s attire is so intensely pathetic, Ram having mistaken you was simply unavoidable.”
“…Was that really an apology?
Why does it just make me angrier the more I listen to it?” Hearing his beloved black-and-orange tracksuit being so ruthlessly slandered, Subaru’s expression gradually twisted.
Clap, clap.
“—Alright, stop!
You two.” Emilia clapped her hands twice, drawing the attention of both Subaru and the pink-haired maid.
For some reason, Subaru felt that Emilia had just looked exactly like a kindergarten teacher back on Earth.
“Ram, this is Subaru Natsuki.
He’s a friend who will be returning to the Roswaal domain with us tomorrow,” Emilia introduced Subaru to Ram, then turned to introduce the pink-haired maid to Subaru.
“Subaru, this is Ram, a maid from the Roswaal domain.
She’s the one who accompanied me to the Royal Capital a few days ago.
Ram also has a twin sister; I’ll introduce you to her when we arrive.”
“Understood, Lady Emilia.”
Ram bowed to Emilia once again… and then proceeded to not spare Subaru a single glance thereafter.
…Who the heck hired a pink-haired girl who treats guests with this kind of attitude to be a maid?!
Out of pure spite, Subaru stubbornly refused to look at Ram either.