Subaru’s impression of that sharp-tongued pink-haired maid couldn’t possibly be any worse.
Sure, she was incredibly cute, but what the hell was up with that awful personality?
Every time he spoke to her, Subaru felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.
Thinking back to this morning at the inn…
“Guest, it is time to wake up.”
Ram had knocked on Subaru’s door.
“It is already nearing seven in the morning.
If the guest does not wake up soon, even your humble wish of following Lady Emilia to the Roswaal domain will remain unfulfilled.”
Her words were as sharp as a knife.
Even having Ram driving the dragon carriage up front while he shared the cabin with Emilia wasn’t enough to clear Subaru’s bad mood.
Okay, actually, it had completely cleared it.
“Whoa—what a massive estate!”
As the dragon carriage pulled into the Roswaal mansion’s grounds, Subaru stuck his head out the window, hollering at the sprawling courtyard.
“So this is a noble’s territory?!
It’s freaking huge!
Ah!
That manor over there is massive too, it’s so grand…”
As a certified modern-day city bumpkin, Subaru Natsuki had only ever seen estates of this scale in manga and anime.
A courtyard large enough to host more than ten soccer matches simultaneously stretched out before his very eyes.
The dragon carriage came to a steady halt, and the group stepped out.
“Welcome back, Lady Emilia, dear sister.”
A blue-haired maid stood at the main entrance of the mansion, bowing respectfully to the two of them—pointedly leaving Subaru out.
She was dressed in the exact same black-and-white maid outfit as Ram, the hem of her skirt slightly lifted.
The blue-haired maid shared Ram’s exact facial features and height.
The only two differences were the color of her hair and the direction her bangs were parted.
Ram’s hair covered her left eye and exposed her right, while the blue-haired maid’s hair covered her right eye and exposed her left.
One glance was enough to tell they were twin sisters.
The blue-haired maid’s voice was a bit sweeter, whereas Ram’s was colder and more detached.
…Subaru felt that their voices sounded suspiciously like Inori Minase and Rie Murakawa.
For the record, Emilia-tan’s voice sounded a lot like Rie Takahashi.
“Lady Emilia…
who might this be?”
The blue-haired maid looked at Subaru and asked Emilia.
“Ah, this is Subaru,” Emilia said, explaining his background to the blue-haired maid.
“He’s a friend I met in the Royal Capital.
He helped me out an awful lot, and even saved me once!”
Understood.”
The blue-haired maid bowed to Emilia once more, then turned to Subaru, lowering her head slightly.
“Guest, welcome to the Roswaal domain.
Thank you for your assistance to Lady Emilia.”
Whoa, her attitude is surprisingly good…
Subaru felt a bit flattered.
The blue-haired maid’s etiquette was impeccable; compared to his first meeting with Ram, it was like night and day.
However, a faint sense of alienation seemed hidden in her tone, giving off the impression that she was strictly doing business.
“Subaru, this is Rem.
The twin sister I mentioned before,” Emilia turned to introduce the blue-haired maid to him.
“She’s also a maid of the Roswaal domain.”
Subaru nodded in greeting, and Rem lowered her newly raised head once again in response.
“Speaking of which, Emilia-tan, what about the master of this mansion?” Subaru looked up at the grand estate before them.
“He’s your sponsor for the Royal Selection, right?
If I want to take up a position as your enforcer or something, I’ll definitely have to run it by him.”
“Um…
well about that,”
At the mention of the mansion’s master, Emilia wore a complicated expression.
“Roswaal is…
you’ll understand when you see him…”
Ram and Rem took the left and right sides respectively, pulling open the main doors of the mansion.
“Welcome to the Roswaal Manor.
Lord Roswaal invites everyone inside.”
Without a fraction of a second’s delay, it was flawless, perfect stereo sound.
Even Ram’s previous flippancy had vanished.
All Subaru felt from the two of them now was the dignified presence of servants to a great noble house.
Officially entering the mansion, before them lay a wide corridor with walls and floors unified in warm tones.
Passageways stretched out endlessly to the left and right, the corridors so long he couldn’t see the ends.
The twin maids led Subaru and Emilia into the mansion’s dining hall.
At present, it was completely empty, with no sign of the master of the house, Roswaal, whom Emilia had mentioned.
“Lady Emilia, guest, dear sister and I must go prepare breakfast.
Please wait here for the time being.
Excuse us.” Rem gently pulled the dining hall doors shut.
Matching the grand exterior of the mansion, the interior decoration of the dining hall was boundlessly luxurious.
Emilia took a seat next to the head of the table.
He sat down right next to Emilia.
“The master of this mansion, this Roswaal guy, he seems incredibly loaded.” Leaning back against the comfortable, wide chair, Subaru examined a vase placed in the center of the exceptionally long dining table.
Even with his pitiful lack of worldly experience, he could tell it was worth a fortune.
And then there was the absurdly expansive courtyard outside.
That went beyond just having money.
To own all of this, money was just the baseline; what was more important was status and identity.
An image involuntarily surfaced in Subaru’s mind: a hunched old man with a full white beard, exuding noble gravitas with every gesture.
But noblemen usually have some kind of unspeakable, bizarre fetish, right?
Anyone who would design a maid outfit like the ones the twin sisters wore…
Subaru didn’t think for a second that he was a decent, wholesome guy.
“Roswaal is a [Margrave],” Emilia said.
She sat in her chair, back perfectly straight, hands resting on the table.
“He’s a noble from a long-standing hereditary line, so of course he has money.
Furthermore, he is the [Court Mage], meaning he’s currently the strongest magic user in the Kingdom of Lugunica.”
“The strongest, huh…”
Hearing that word sent a surge of excitement through Subaru.
Having been in this world for barely more than a day, Subaru didn’t have much of a concept of the power scaling here.
Reinhard, whom they met yesterday, was the Sword Saint, which presumably meant he was the strongest when it came to using a sword.
And the master of the mansion, Roswaal, was hailed as the Kingdom’s strongest mage…
what if they fought each other?
—The absolute strongest of the sword VS the absolute strongest of magic!
The absolute strongest, the solitude it brings.
The one who will teach you about love is…?
Thinking of this, Subaru couldn’t help but hum a little tune, earning him yet another strange look from Emilia.
“Excuse us, guest, we have brought the meal.”
“Excuse us, guest, we have brought the tableware and hot tea.”
The dining hall doors opened, and the twin maids walked in pushing a serving cart.
The blue-haired maid arranged a traditional breakfast of salad, bread, and other items on the table, while the pink-haired maid swiftly poured tea into cups and placed one in front of each seat.
The steaming, appetizing aroma made Subaru’s stomach growl involuntarily.
“Whoa—not bad, not bad at all.
A dining table packed with aristocratic flair.
I was actually wondering what I’d do if it was full of bizarre otherworldly foods.”
Just being in another world was enough to make someone worry about what kind of dishes would be served.
Seeing the food finally put Subaru’s mind at ease.
At a glance, it was similar to stereotypical aristocratic fare; there were no foods that posed a major threat to his physical or mental well-being.
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