“No~w then, let us get straight to the poin~t, Natsuki-ku~n.”
The perverted noble dressed as a clown finally steered the conversation toward serious matters, but his bizarre cadence made it feel like he wasn’t taking it seriously at all.
“The rea~son you decided to join Lady Emilia’s camp and become her enfor~cer—”
Roswaal gracefully pressed a hand to his chest.
“After al~l, I am Lady Emilia’s sponso~r, and I have an obliga~tion to eliminate any hidden dange~rs around her.”
“I’ll just say it then, it’s no big deal anyway.” Subaru set down his knife and fork, looking straight into Roswaal’s clown-makeup-covered face.
“I want to go home.”
“—O~h?”
“I came from a very, very far away place, and the reason I ended up here is a complete mystery.
So…
I need to figure out why I was brought here, and more importantly, how to get back.” Subaru shifted his gaze from Roswaal to Emilia.
“I can’t do it alone, so I want to borrow Emilia-tan’s power to help me get home.
In exchange, I’ll help Emilia-tan become the King.”
In truth, Subaru wasn’t being completely honest.
He was leaving out a certain part.
That evening in the slums, when the girl communicated with the minor spirits, she had been surrounded by what looked like a galaxy of stars.
Subaru would never forget that sight for the rest of his life.
“Hm~ A very reasonable motivatio~n,” Roswaal nodded in agreement, though it was impossible to tell what he was truly thinking.
“The~n, Lady Emilia—do you agree to Natsuki-kun joining u~s?”
“Of course,” Emilia nodded solemnly.
She looked at Subaru’s profile.
“Subaru led me to where my insignia was and blocked a fatal attack for me.
If it weren’t for Subaru, I might have died in that loot house.”
“Ah, I wasn’t as amazing as you’re making me sound, Emilia-tan.” Being praised so highly by the girl he fancied, Subaru rubbed his nose bashfully.
“The~n, Natsuki-ku~n, welcome to Lady Emilia’s cam~p.” Roswaal spread his hands, welcoming Subaru with a joyful tone.
The twin maids stood silently on the left and right sides of Roswaal’s seat, offering no commentary whatsoever on Subaru’s joining.
“By the way, thank you so much for saving me yesterday, Subaru.
Is there any reward you’d like?” Emilia pressed a hand to her chest, looking back at Subaru with complete earnestness.
“As long as it’s within my power, I will do it.
No, I will absolutely make it happen.”
“Natsuki-ku~n, you loyally saved your master yesterda~y.
If we did not offer you some sort of rewar~d, it would be far too unreasonabl~e.” Roswaal gave Subaru an incredibly gross wink, making Subaru nearly spit out the breakfast he had just eaten.
“Com~e, what is it you desir~e?”
“Heh, heh, heh.
As expected of a noble lord, you really understand how things work.” Subaru put on a show of preparing to make an exorbitant demand. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“The reward will be exactly as I wish, and Ros-chi, you cannot refuse.
A real man never goes back on his word!”
“A very bold statemen~t.
Indeed, a man should not make excuse~s.
I will absolutely not go back on my wor~d.”
Roswaal gave his consent.
Gold and silver treasures?
A fiefdom?
Or perhaps indulging in beautiful women…?
“I have only one wish—have someone train me in combat techniques so I can actually fight as an enforcer!”
Contrary to his long, dramatic lead-up, Subaru’s demand was short and punchy.
His request left everyone in the room stunned.
Even the typically expressionless twins looked bewildered.
The napkin in Roswaal’s hand dropped to the table, and Emilia…
“I-I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s just too…”
Her innate beauty and aura of mystery meant that even when she rolled her eyes, the effect was halved.
“Your surprised expression is cute too, but are you really that against my proposal?”
“It’s not that!
It’s that you have far too few desires!
Isn’t that just the absolute bare minimum?
Even if you didn’t ask, someone would have trained you!”
She was so angry it was as if she were arguing on her own behalf.
Emilia slammed her hands on the table and leaned in close to Subaru.
“Do you understand?
You saved me!”
“Not only did you save me, but you’re also willing to support my dream,” Emilia stared straight into Subaru’s eyes with her blue-purple pupils, mist gathering within them.
“My…
you don’t understand how grateful I am to you at all!
A request like that…
no matter how many times over, it can’t even begin to repay the debt of you saving my life!”
Hearing Emilia’s heartfelt, tearful plea, Subaru felt a massive headache coming on.
He deeply realized how poorly he had thought this through.
Emilia felt she owed him a massive debt because the reward he asked for was completely disproportionate to the favor he had done her.
But on that point, Subaru felt exactly the same.
Subaru also constantly felt he owed Emilia.
Emilia was the first person to show him kindness after he arrived in this world.
She had guided him, introduced him to this world, and eased the anxiety of being forced away from home. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Without Emilia, he would have been wandering the Royal Capital in circles for ages.
He probably would have spent last night sleeping under a bridge with the vagrants, let alone enjoying a delicious breakfast in a grand mansion this morning.
“You just don’t get it, do you, Emilia-tan?
I’m actually a very selfish guy.
I was just earnestly stating what I truly want from the bottom of my heart, you know?” Subaru did his utmost to convey his true feelings to her with absolute sincerity.
“Eh?”
“I’m a selfish man who won’t lie to himself,” Subaru flashed a wide, eight-tooth grin.
“Making myself stronger is the only way I can better help you become King, which ultimately makes it easier for me to find a way home.
I’m only doing it for my own sake.”
“Sigh~ There is no way we would waste your extraordinary powe~r, Natsuki-kun.
We will absolutely help you master more combat technique~s.” Roswaal showed a wry smile for the first time.
He raised a finger at Subaru and wagged it back and forth.
“Just as Lady Emilia sai~d, I also believ~e you lack desire far too muc~h.”
“Dammit, why does everyone think I’m some ascetic monk with zero desires?!” Subaru was starting to lose his mind.
“If that’s the case, then please grant me one more wish—”
“—Let me mooch off this mansion with free room and board!” Subaru said excitedly.
To legally live under the same roof as a super cute, perfectly-his-type beautiful girl, without having to pay a single dime in rent—Subaru wouldn’t have dared to imagine such a scenario even in his wildest dreams.
“…”
An astonishing silence followed.
No one spoke for a solid dozen seconds; even the clinking of knives and forks against plates vanished.
Achoo!
Ram sneezed quietly.
“Uh…
was that asking for too much?” Seeing everyone fall silent, Subaru couldn’t help but scratch his head.
“My bad, I take that wish back.”
“You…” Emilia was left speechless.
She lowered her head and used her fork and knife to push the greens around her plate.
“Isn’t that also just the bare minimum…”
Dammit, why didn’t you say so earlier!
Looking at their reactions, Subaru suddenly felt massive regret.
So this job came with free room and board all along?!
“Re~m, take Natsuki-kun to find a guest roo~m first.
Ra~m, after you clear the tabl~e, take Subaru to familiarize himself with the mansio~n.” Roswaal clapped his hands.
“In the afternoo~n, I shall test your aptitude as an enforce~r.
Do put on a good sho~w.”