Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Clowns are bad

He stared at the sword that was embedded in the stone. It was beautiful. So beautiful. A masterpiece. Never in his life had he seen a sword so beautiful. So charming.

Just by standing close, he could feel its regal aura. It was powerful, firm and flawless. Its shape matched its aura perfectly and made it even more beautiful.

This sword embedded in this stone…is salvation… a sword that will save his country…

There was no need to think any further, he already reached a decision.

Without hesitation, his hand rose, reached out for the sword that will save his country and –

"No, no. You should think things through before taking this."

When he turned around, before him was the most feared magus in the country.

He could feel her intense gaze under her hood, observing him, judging him.

He did not flinch away from her gaze and only returned an equal gaze.

"You will no longer be human once you take ahold of that sword," she said with a melodic yet firm voice. "Do you know what this mean?"

He answered only with a nod. Becoming the King meant no longer being human. He was prepared for that ever since he was born. In short, a King is someone who kills anyone to protect everyone.

The young man thought about it every night and shuddered until morning came.

No days passed without fearing that fact.

"It will end today," he said with absolute determination.

The sword was pulled out as if he was born to do so, and the place was filled with light.

In that instant, he became something more.

He became a King.

And thus, the time of the King who would become a legend began.

Event List

Demonic Beasts, incident where children are kidnapped.

Meili is the Beast Tamer, from the same organization as Elsa. Approach with caution!

White Whale and Petelgeuse Assault, a few days after the Royal Selection.

Enemies

Petelgeuse: Has invisible hands that are capable of destroying boulders and tearing apart people without difficulty. Immortal, have ten members that are connected to him so he can move his soul to them after his 'death'. Can corrupt and drive those who have no knowledge of spirit magic mad by letting out black waves.

White Whale: Has two mists. First is a mist that cause people's mana to go crazy and harm themselves. Second is a mist that erase someone whole existence. And it also can split itself into three parts where two body were decoys while the main one escape or wait until its clones kill its enemies

Solution: Facing them alone won't be wise, be it Petelgeuse or White Whale. Petelgeuse have an army, so face him with another army. Negotiating with Crusch or Anastasia is the best, use tactic like in canon, offer White Whale to them. Petelgeuse has some device that link him to his horcrux-like people. Use it to find them and destroy all fingers then kill Petegeuse by chopping him into pieces.

If things come to the worst, at least destroy Petelgeuse. Too dangerous to let alive, no matter what, Witch Cult must be dealt first. For White Whale, if I can't get an army then use Excaliblast. White Whale also must be killed no matter what before entering Arc Four so that in the future Arcbishops of Gluttony can't use it.

Royal Selection

Crusch: have a special sword, comparable to a Noble Phantasm since it even kill demonic beasts that were famous in the past with only one slash and is able to wound White Whale who is maybe at the level of a Monstrous Beast.

Anastasia: a mercenary and a greedy bastard, has a big army due to mercenary status. Her power is her army, this girl is the best source of information but needs to be repaid with an equal price.

Priscilla: similar to Gilgamesh and strong on the day due to sun blessing. Has a sword that is comparable to a Noble Phantasm too. Compared to other candidate she is most likely the wealthiest.

Knights

Wilhelm: husband of a former sword saint, very skilled, even beating his own wife in the past and married her due to that. Threat level: High, since he used a sword for a long time and is very experienced. Also he clawed himself out from White Whale stomach after he got swallowed

Ferris: has superb healing that allows him to control people organs and seems to be able to reconstruct his body if he is wounded fatally. Threat level: Low, his magic probably won't do a thing with Magic Resistance. He seemingly doesn't have any other special abilities.

Julius: have a pact with six spirits, his sword skills seems good as well. Threat level: Moderate, he may have skills but compared to Servants' strength it is nothing, the spirits also can be repelled by Magic Resistance. Still, he is more skilled than me, to approach with care.

Mimi and her brother: can shoot some kind of soundwave and share their injury to lessen the damage they get. Threat level: high-moderate, that soundwave is not magical and it is strong enough to blast a cave entrance down. If that hits, it could be end game, not to mention their small figures and numbers which is also dangerous.

Al: some mysterious guy from another World that can use earth magic. He was a gladiator before being picked by his boss. Threat level: Moderate. Magic or not, cripple or not, he survived in this World and was a former gladiator, it still means something. He has some skills and experience, approach carefully.

WARNING

Do not let anyone from Emilia faction get hit by Fog of Elimination or let them die. Do NOT let ANY of THEM go with Crusch after fighting White Whale, they will be attacked by Arcbishops of Glutton and Greed. Crusch can know when you lie, always give an half-truth or at least use confusing facts like example of real stories from real world.

Potential Ally: Crusch -the best option, honorable, and one that likely won't use dirty tricks. Can be rash in making decisions, but she is still reasonable and logical.

Anastasia -mercenary network will be useful for gaining or spreading information. Greedy and needs to always give something in return after asking for help.

Priscilla -list out from ally because she is too similar to Gilgamesh. Having her as ally will bring more problems than fortune. Only ask if things are really bad.

I reread the short note I wrote before putting it back on the table. Leaning back into my chair, I rubbed my chin thoughtfully while trying to recall what else I should be worried of in the future.

Arc Four starts only a few days after the end of Arc Three. In Arc Three I would be focused on the Royal Selection and the clash with White Whale and the Witch Cult. I obviously needed to focus on the latter as it would happen first. Not to mention that Arc Three and Four doesn't have any relation. I thought it was about visiting the sanctuary and meeting the other Witches sealed there.

Or, was it Arc Five that has no relation with the others? Damn, it was so confusing. I did not remember about them since the novel had yet to be translated.

For now–being in Arc Two–I shouldn't worry much. Unlike Subaru, I was far from defenseless with my new body.

Sure, fighting with demonic dogs would happen but–with my new strength–I should be able to deal with them without too much hassle. I only would need to face their numerical superiority until the repairing of the barrier, I would then be able to retreat.

Rem and Ram is something I needed to think about. If they decided to attack me, Rem would be the most dangerous. Since their Magic would be useless against me, they would resort to physical attacks and Ram is quite bad in this regard.

I was sure I could handle Rem as well, if I was careful. I didn't want to taste that spiky ball of her after all. What was it called again? Morningstar? How ominous…

Therefore my survival in Arc Two was guaranteed. Making a mistake could still be rectified as my opponents would be quite weak. Nothing major except character growth should be taken into account and–

Oh right!

Do not let Rem get bitten by the demonic puppy!

I added this information to the note and made a satisfied nod after reading it. I almost forgot about that one. There was an episode where Rem went to the village to buy supplies only to get bitten by a demonic puppy. Then Subaru jumped from a cliff to kill himself and save her. That was seriously messed up, in fact it would be better to just kill the puppy and stop everything to even happen.

Moreover, the shaman was actually the little girl Meili. She deliberately brought the tamed demonic beast into the village. For all I knew, she could be hired by Roswaal just like Elsa. This was highly possible as Emilia would be famous in the village after repairing the barrier. If I knocked her out then…

No… I would let that happen, facing a berserk Rem is the best choice. It sure would be a good practice for me. My future opponents would be very powerful so I needed to face dangerous situations to improve myself.

Was that a sign of my sanity slowly eroding? Planning to face dogs the size of humans and an Oni as a practice exercise… Really, if I was a normal Human I would bang my head against a wall.

But I was not normal, far from it…

I really needed this to develop my skills so I could face bigger monsters…

Besides, I didn't want to change the timeline too much. My goal was to go through canon events without dying. I had no reason to alter any of them. So taking out Meili would be a problem since she was from an assassin group. That would make me one of their target.

For now, I didn't want that to happen…

It was harsh, I concede. But I was not someone who used half-baked plans. I had to get strong, and fast. I had no intention to die even once, knowing almost everything that would happen, I didn't need any more information.

Although I knew about these vital information, there was one major problem.

Time.

When would they happen precisely?

Due to Subaru looping ability I was confused about the specific dates of each events. Arc Two wouldn't be a problem as I could ask Rem when she needed to buy supplies and I would only have to go with her. Wanting to visit the village would be a good pretext.

But the Third Arc would clearly be a big problem… If I was just one day late and made the wrong move, the whole village would die and the mansion would be assaulted too. Then if Emilia died…

"SLEEP... ALONG WITH MY DAUGHTER!"

I felt a chill crawling up my spine. Not good, not good at all. That was the last thing I wanted to happen. Emilia was not allowed to die. Not just because it would make Puck go on rampage but it also would equal my chance to return back home to zero.

Whether she was Satella reincarnated or just an outer personality like Outer-Moka from Rosario Vampire didn't matter. She was the main character here. If Satella or the Witch of Envy could bring me here, then they might have a way for me to go back home. Moreover, if she did, then Emilia could do it as well.

To fix her death, I would have to commit suicide and return to the past. Obviously this was the only option left. But I was not too keen on killing myself. It would be better if I could go without dying even once.

I also planned to ask Beatrice about dimension travel, but for that I needed her to trust me first. I doubted it would be easy though, with her weird personality. But I didn't really have a choice.

I had so many things to worry about… And I was not even here for more than twenty four hours yet! Gag! I hated this situation already!

It was seven am… Well, more like seven solartime according to this World. Apparently am. turned to solartime while pm. to lunartime. It was a strange way to tell the time but meh, who cared?

I was awake since five. I didn't know why, but my body was not tired anymore. I could say I was an early person but to awake at five? Now that's clearly something.

Perhaps it was because I was not truly tired physically. My body was clearly in a very fit condition, it was only my mind that was troubled. So a little rest was more than enough to feel completely refreshed.

I was tempted to go and walk around the mansion, however I decided not to. I meant, technically I was still a guest, a stranger. And having a stranger walk around was not the best idea to impress people.

That's why I decided to stay in my room and start experimenting.

I extended my hand, imagining myself plunging my hand in a pool of water, grabbing something and pulling it back. The next moment Excalibur covered by Invisible Air appeared in my hand. I could feel a breeze gently blowing in my face.

I then released Excalibur from my grip while at the same time imagining dropping it in the pool of water. And just like that the Last Phantasm was gone.

It was not… comfortable for me to call and dismiss Excalibur like this. There was a sensation nagging in my mind, a… magical sensation. However after trying the process a few times more, I managed to summon the sword easily and this strange sensation was no longer bothering me.

I slowly stood and glanced at the outfit I wore. Apparently since I didn't have sleeping clothes, Emilia decided to lend me some. Though rather than a sleeping outfit, it was more like one for the bath. One given to you when you go to the spa or sauna.

Well, beggar couldn't be choosers I guessed.

Aside from summoning Excalibur I also was able to summon my armor and dismiss it whenever I wanted. The process was quite similar but instead of imagining Excalibur, I imagined myself covered in my armor from top to bottom and voila!

I wished changing clothes was that easy in the real World.

I turned around and looked over the room given to me. It wasn't bad, I got one of the guest rooms. There was an indoor bathroom clearly screaming 'nobility' with red blanket design and a king sized bed.

I briefly found myself staring in the mirror. It was not just the armor, the sword and the strength. My appearance changed as well. My original black hairs were gone, replaced by blond ones that was supposed to be a wig. Now they were real, it was almost like I was a natural blond if not for the color itself… It was as if they got sprinkled with gold dust. My black eyes also turned to green, actual green, emerald even.

I was not complaining though, I was looking good, better as a matter of fact. And my body! I got abs now! The muscles on my arms, shoulders and chest were also quite visible. Not buff but slim and fit.

Haaa… if only I could look that good in real life…

Suddenly I heard someone knock at my door, breaking me from admiring myself. Who was coming this early in the morning? Emilia? I thought she had to talk with spirits in the morning.

"Come in," I answered.

The door opened but instead of the familiar silver haired half-elf, it was the twins.

"Aaron-sama, you already woke up."

"Aaron-sama, you woke up early."

My left eye twitched hearing them spoke in stereo. They were wearing maid outfit that could belong to cosplayers and their hair color was truly strange… But the way they spoke…

God, it was almost like a female maid version of Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter.

Though they indeed looked cute. When it was people cosplaying and having unnatural hair color there was always something that screamed uncommon.

However on these two–somehow–it looked natural. Emilia's silver hairs gave that feeling too.

Still, pink, blue and those outfits, it was too much. The fact that they both were literally cute didn't help either.

Geh! I seriously needed to get used to this.

"Good morning to you too," I greeted back with a polite voice. "May I ask what bring you two to my room this morning?"

"We came here to awaken you but it seems unnecessary," answered Rem stoically.

"We came here to wake you up but you already did," added Ram with a similar tone.

"It doesn't surprise me for some reason. You look like a competent person."

"It doesn't shock me. You look like a diligent person."

"Thank you," I said with a slight smile, inwardly rolling my eyes. Of course I did, I had the appearance of King Arthur after all!

Not to mention that there was my Charisma skill as well.

"Did Emilia-dono already woke up too?"

"She did, we awoke her first," answered Ram monotonously.

As if being called, the door opened and the silver haired girl poked her head in. A smile crossed her face when she caught sight of me.

"Aaron, you're awake,' she said with a happy voice, entering the room. "Good morning."

"Morning Emilia-dono," I greeted back. "What?" I blinked noticing her gaze.

She only kept on staring at me with an expectant look. It took me a moment to understand what she wanted and let out a sight.

"Good morning Emilia," I repeated.

"Better." She gave me an approving smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good. How about you?"

"Same, I feel refreshed. Since it is still early why don't I give you a tour?" she offered.

"Hmmm, I guess it would be good to walk around by a fresh morning like this. Very well, let me change first."

Can't go walking around in this kind of outfit, can I?

"Not bad," I commented as I looked around. I was clad in my armor whereas Emilia still was in her sleepwear. Though she had a purple short sleeved shirt acting as a jacket on top. "The garden seems very well tended."

"Indeed, the garden here is beautiful," agreed Emilia as she walked on my side. "Do you like gardens Aaron?"

"I won't say I dislike them," I answered. "I do enjoy beauty but to take care of it, well…"

"I see… Then you must have seen quite a few of them."

"You can say so."

Singapore is famous for their clean places, garden are very beautiful and sometime I spent a while sitting in some of them. This garden while beautiful in his own right did not hold a candle to my country's! Ha!

"This place is quite big," I hummed, looking around. "It's good for practicing."

"Practice?" asked Emilia with curious eyes.

"Well, I usually practice swordsmanship in the morning," I said. "I wanted to go out to train this morning too. But as I'm a guest and virtually a stranger, it would have been suspicious for me to wonder around."

Hearing this, Emilia put on a face I couldn't describe. She seemed to want to say something but refrained to do so.

"Well, it is actually fine. However I get what you are trying to say," she said with a nod. "Next time you want to train, you just need to tell Ram or Rem. I'm sure they will understand if you explain."

"I will next time," I responded, resuming my sightseeing. "For a manor this big, I wonder how many people live inside." I commented, trying to make small conversation.

"Not many, only the lord, Beatrice, Ram and Rem, and me and Puck."

"Only six? And only two maids to take care of this place?"

"Yes," nodded Emilia. "I know, it surprised me too. But those two are actually very good at their job. They clean the mansion very efficiently every day. They also do daily chores at the same time."

"They must be pretty skilled then," I hummed while rubbing my chin. "Taking care of a place this big just by themselves, they have quite the stamina."

Emilia only gave another nod. Suddenly she remembered something.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Aaron, I am going to talk with the lesser spirits for a moment, do you mind waiting for me?"

"Not at all," I answered. "Take your time, no need to hurry. It's still early after all."

She gave a nod before walking away to the corner. I watched as she brushed the ground softly before sitting down. Then I watched in fascination as pale lights began to surround her. They appeared from thin air!

It was quite the unique sight. Compared to fireflies' lights it was clearly on another level. I mean,t the lights were so bright despite the shining sun.

I shook my head slightly, that was cool alright. Since I had time, it's best to try a few things. I took a few steps away from Emilia to an open space and called Excalibur to my hand.

I closed my eyes, both hands gripped firmly on the sword and took a few calming breaths.

Then I swung down once, twice, thrice. I kept swinging, all the while keeping my eyes to the front, focused. I made sure to only use the necessary part of my body so I wouldn't waste any movement. Like I did when I fought Elsa.

I took lessons in kendo, but I could not considerate myself good. I was a beginner, losing against Elsa despite having superior strength and speed was proof of that. She kicked my ass, I could only defend myself from being cut in two.

"Remember, every strike you deliver must be fast. Swift but clean. Strong but controlled. Do not lose your balance. It's a death sentence in the battlefield. Aim with accuracy. Do not miss and display any opening no matter what. Use the ground to support you."

Set your foot properly, your back straight and firm. Used your hips to generate power. Struck with purpose. Your strike must be clean. Your strike must be swift. Your strike must be fast. Your strike must be accurate.

I didn't know how long I kept swinging my sword. However for each strike, for each swing I delivered, I made sure it was faster than the previous one. At the same time I kept my posture straight and unchanging. I also controlled my strength so I wouldn't lose my balance and cause any collateral damage.

"Focus! Do not let your mind wander! Focus on your target! Clear your mind! Your sword is a part of you! It is the extension of your limbs! Control it! Just like you control your legs and hands! It moves as you will!"

Then I changed my stance. After delivering a downward swing I performed an uppercut slash and a vertical swing again. I kept my body straight as best as I could despite being uncomfortable as I wasn't used to it. Though after six or seven repeats I began to perform each move more easily.

It was as if my body knew how to act, as if it already had the memory of the movements. It just had forgotten and needed to remember them.

It was a very strange sensation but, I didn't truly mind.

To say that Emilia was awed was an understatement.

Truthfully Capital City was the first public place she ever visited, followed by Arlham. But even so, she never truly looked around, she merely passed through so she could arrive to Roswaal's mansion.

She was knowledgeable about how were used swords and different weapons. She had at least the common sense to know such mundane things as she had seen many knights and warriors wielding their weapon in the past.

But what she was seeing right now. It was blowing her mind.

It wasn't smooth. No, it was rough. However it still had a touch of beauty and control. That was her thoughts the first time she looked in his direction. She was about to stop Aaron but decided to let him practice and watch him instead.

As the seconds and minutes passed Aaron's movements began to change. Emilia couldn't help but stare at him.

No longer were his swings rough, they became more polished. They still had an edge but they were cleaner, swifter and faster.

Undoubtedly fast. Emilia was not sure she could move that fast. Then again, she was a spirit arts user, not a sword user, so she trained in a different way.

Then Aaron began to pull his sword up from its bottom position, delivering two slashs. Up and down, up and down…

It was so… remarkable in her opinion. He was so into it that he looked possessed. Yet his sharp green eyes that remained focused told her he had total control. He was aware of what he did and didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"Hi Lia! Morning!"

The appearance of the cat spirit stopped Emilia from watching the oblivious Aaron.

"Hi Puck, morning," she greeted him kindly. "How was your rest?"

"I feel pretty good!" answered Puck as he landed on her palm and stared up at her. "How about you?"

"Same as you, I feel pretty good too." Emilia smiled, seeing Puck always made her happy. He was like the father she never had.

Puck nodded, very happy his daughter was feeling fine and was in a good mood. He was drawn from his observation by the sound of blowing winds and look at its cause.

"Hoo, this is Aaron," he commented absently. "Not bad, he is fast at least, I can give him that."

Fast was one way to put it, Aaron strikes were almost invisible to her eyes! Emilia was sure she would miss them if she blinked.

"You need to be careful around him Lia." Puck suddenly said. Despite resting lazily on her palm, his intense gaze never left the blond boy. "He is quite a confusing person."

Emilia tilted her head in curiosity. "But you said he was okay. You didn't detect any hostile or ill intent."

"I did," nodded Puck.

It was true, ever since Aaron met Emilia yesterday he didn't feel any bad intents from him even once. Rather, he was wary and afraid that Emilia would be injured. There was also conflicting feelings as if he was confused about what to do.

"But that doesn't mean he doesn't have any hidden intentions. True, it might be not bad, but we still don't know what it is."

Emilia pursed her lips. That could be true. Aaron himself didn't act like a good person. He had his moments, she had seen it yesterday after all. With Puck on her side she could tell he was sincere. He just had an uncommon way to show his goodwill and acted way too harshly.

But Emilia couldn't imagine Aaron as an evil person. There was something around him that was whispering he was not a bad person. His aura–the way he carried himself–also was chivalrous despite his odd methods. But something told her that Aaron's act was justified.

"Though I would feel safer if you stayed with him rather than Roswaal," added Puck while pawing at her face.

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Emilia Looked surprised at hearing that.

"Really?"

"Yep," nodded Puck.

Forgetting Aaron, Roswaal himself was a complicated person in Puck's opinion. He had absolutely no malice or ill intent toward them and felt supportive of Emilia. That's why Puck allowed Emilia to go with them. However there was something that bothered him about Roswaal. Puck did not know what but he felt the man was familiar or something like that. And whatever that was, it made him very cautious about the clown looking Archmage.

Returning to Aaron, Puck could sense genuine worry for Emilia from him. Yesterday he almost got killed and Puck could sense actual fear from him. Fear of dying. That was more than enough for Puck. Aaron was not acting, he was truly fighting the vampire, fighting to protect Emilia.

But that didn't mean he would let down his guard around Aaron, Emilia was his top priority after all.

'Also, this amount of mana I can feel from him…'

Aside from Emilia he never felt mana so powerful before. Roswaal was strong and could rival Emilia. But Aaron? Aaron surpassed Roswaal completely!

As a matter of fact, Aaron's mana was so potent, he could be compared to the Witches of Sin themselves! Not to mention his strength and speed! They were all inhumane! Even now, the way he swung his sword was too powerful and too fast!

He was an anomaly. He was hiding things, many things actually. And that was why Puck did not completely approve his presence despite his worries for Emilia.

"Emilia-sama."

Puck was brought out of his musings as he and Emilia turned to see the twin maids–Ram and Rem–standing not far from them.

"Yes?" asked Emilia.

"Roswaal-sama has returned."

"Aaron?"

I paused in the middle of my swing, the invisible sword in my hand let out a small burst of wind at the sudden halt, before calming down. I turned to the one who called my name and saw Emilia with Puck on her right shoulder and Ram and Rem not far behind them.

"Emilia," I greeted back as I lowered my sword. "Are you already done?"

Emilia blinked at me as if I had said something strange before she let out a small laugh.

"That's my question."

"Huh?"

"You were so focused on your training, it is already past nine."

I stared at her as if she grew a second head and an extra arm. We got outside at only eight in the morning! And now it was already nine? Woman are you sick?

"I'm not lying," said Emilia. My look must have given me away. "I was done with talking with the lesser spirits about forty minutes ago. I wanted to call you but you looked so focused I decided not to."

Forty minutes?! I kept swinging this sword for more than forty minutes?! That long?! I barely felt anything! True, I felt warm but it probably was because I was exercising!

I stared at the invisible sword in my hand. Was I really that focused? All I did was making my mind clear, focusing and remembering everything I learned. Then repeat the moves. It was nothing extraordinary.

"It's rude to make a lady wait for you boy," commented Puck as he hovered around the half-elf. "And you call yourself a knight?"

"Still in training. I am not one yet," I answered.

Puck cute face somehow turned blank. For a cat to have this expression it was very disturbing.

"When I heard that yesterday I laughed, but now I know just what that vampire felt," he replied annoyed.

"Sorry if I offended you with the truth, O Great Spirit of Ice."

Emilia let out a small laugh, myself I felt my lips curled into a smirk as I dismissed Excalibur and approached them. I felt Puck gaze lingering on where it disappeared, before he exclaimed,

"Don't laugh too Lia! You're being mean right now!"

"Sorry Puck," said Emilia in a soft voice. She seemed to truly mean it.

"Morning Puck-dono, how was your rest?" I asked.

"I'm fine, got a good sleep," he answered flippantly, waving his long tail. "You should greet me first rather than make a comment with this sharp tongue of yours."

"I'm not the one who started it," I replied dully, prompting the cat's right eye to twitch once.

"Aaron-sama, pardon for the intrusion, but Roswaal-sama has returned," spoke Ram, cutting our conversation. "Breakfast will be served in ten minutes, so it might be good for you to clean yourself first."

Ohh, that clown already returned?

'Time to start the show, let's see what you have Imperial Wizard.'

"The lord of this manor I assume?" I asked rhetorically before nodding. "Very well, I will change my attire to an appropriate one then."

"Hmm... I guess I'm not looking bad."

Aaron said that aloud while observing himself in the mirror. He was clad in a loose black coat and a red shirt. Followed by a neat brown pant and black shoes. It was the casual outfit of Saber Prototype.

H needed to admit, it was very fitting. Even now, he still found hard to believe that his average appearance turned into what he now looked like. A model from a magazine.

He wondered what was going to happen when he would return to his World. Was he going to stay looking the same? Was he going to lose his powers? It was sure, his family would not recognize him. He was Asian by birth, and now he really looked like an English gentleman! And a handsome one on the top of that!

'I'm going to cross that bridge later. For now, I need to find a way home. Even if my family do not recognize me, it's fine. I'm sure I can reassure them somehow. I don't want to stay in this dangerous World,' he said to himself with a nod as he began to walk to the door.

As he left his room he was greeted by the sight of Ram waiting for him.

"Hello Ram-san, sorry for making you wait," he said, giving her a smile.

Ram stared at the blonde's smiling face for a moment before she eventually responding with a bow.

"It's not a problem Aaron-sama, follow me, I will lead the way to the dining hall," she gestured him to follow her politely.

"Sure."

As they began to walk together, Aaron couldn't help but keep his eyes to the hallway. If he recalled right, Subaru was walking around the same place even when he tried to go straight forward.

Did it mean this was a magical house? Was there a Boundary Field covering this place? Logically it should have one since Roswaal is a famous magician, but he couldn't sense it. Was it maybe his Magic Resistance? Or this place really didn't have any magical protection.

This was also still the Age of Gods, as there was a huge amount of mana in the atmosphere. Unlike in the Nasuverse, the World itself was supporting the living inhabitants by giving them its blessing.

The so called 'Divine' Blessing that people had… Or was it Divine Protection? Meh, same purpose, different words.

He felt lucky being summoned as Saber, as the magic here could be very dangerous. If he got Lancer, Rider, Archer or any other class he could easily be killed! Facing the Arcbishop of Sin without a high Magic Resistance was equal to suicide!

"For a mansion this big, you and your sister are doing a very good job at keeping it clean," he commented absently, trying to make conversation with the pink haired maid.

"Thank you Aaron-sama." Ram keeping her voice polite and stoic added, "And for someone who look chivalrous, you have quite a sharp tongue."

Aaron felt his lips twitch, he was not offended but rather amused. She had to speak about his conversation with Puck in the garden.

"Look can be very deceiving Ram-san. People often say that about me," he chuckled. "Make no mistake, I can be quite chivalrous when the need comes."

"I see… So Aaron-sama is someone who has two faces."

He let out a small laugh, he didn't expect less from her. Just like in the anime she literally had an "I don't give a shit" attitude.

"I like you Ram-san, I think we will get along pretty well in the future."

"…You're a strange person Aaron-sama," said Ram but there was no bite in her voice.

Both of them continue walking in a comfortable silence. After one turn, Aaron saw Emilia and Rem waiting in front of the room he guessed was the dining hall.

"Emilia. Rem-san," he greeted them, making both the girl turned to him.

"Aaron h…" Emilia paused when she caught sight of Aaron smiling gently in their direction, hands in his pockets and walking in an elegant manner. She slowly shook her head and resumed her greeting, "Hello Aaron."

"Aaron-sama." Rem bowed graciously after a moment of staring.

Aaron gave her a nod, somehow refreshed at seeing Rem–he knew just how sweet she could be. He remembered this girl loyalty was second to none. How she pushed herself even when breaking apart–literally, arms, legs and even her neck got broken–but she still forced herself to rescue Subaru.

He cringed inwardly as he remembered that scene. Episode 15 was the most emotional episode in the Re:Zero anime for him. That scene where she dragged herself…that would not happen this time. Rem WOULD NOT need to suffer like that, he would make sure of it. He might barely know her but there was no way he would let someone live through that.

Yet, he had to remember that no matter how sweet and cute Rem was, she was the same girl that pummeled and mangled Subaru beyond recognition. The girl that brutally murdered him without hearing his reasons. Granted her hatred was justified as the Witch Cult were a bunch of assholes and reeaaallly bad guys that needed to be mutilated. But Subaru was innocent! Couldn't she see his obvious terror, fear and pain when she struck him? When she declared she hated him?

Then again she was an Oni. Even in Nasuverse they tended to lose control and go insane. He was not fan of Tsukihime but Akiha Tohna also went bat-shit crazy when her demon blood activated and overwhelmed her human blood.

He was confused, on one hand what Rem did could not be justified. But on the second hand, she couldn't be blamed seeing what happened to her and that Subaru smelled like the Witch.

…

Meh, it didn't matter anyway. Why did he think so much? It was not like he cared about it. Unlike Subaru who was defenseless, he would be ready if Rem decided to give him a 'visit' or something like that.

"Shall we enter first or wait for Roswaal-sama?" asked Aaron.

"Aaaahhhh, no need for thaaat."

A smooth, masculine and sing-song voice came from behind him. It reminded Aaron of the voice of Barsalino or Admiral Kizaru from One Piece but more annoying.

He slowly turned around, just in time to see the archmage coming out of the door nearest to their location. He looked just like what Aaron expected.

…

No, scratch that. He looked freakier in reality! He really meant it.

He wore make up like a clown! A clown for God's sake! He still could tolerate his attire since he looked like a classic magician from a circus. But his face?! Make up?!

But Aaron knew just what kind of monster was beneath that stupid face… Just what kind of creature was hiding under that weirdo make up…

'Tv Trope needs to add Clown are Evil in their rank, would be better than Monster Clown.'

Aaron thought dryly, Roswaal could be categorized as Monster Clown since he took his descendants' bodies to stay alive until now.

"Roswaal-sama I take it?"

"Indeeeed," drawled Roswaal with smile. "Aaron Pendragon-san, I taaaake it?" he responded with the same question.

Truthfully the boy already found his way of talking annoying but he refrained to make any comments. He had to get used to this, he told himself once again.

"Yes, thank you for having me."

"Soooo polite. I waaas expeecting you to beee mooore informal."

"It's just common courtesy to show such behavior to the owner of the mansion," said Aaron in a light voice. "Though I can behave in that way if you want me to."

"Oooh." Roswaal quirked his eyebrow, "Then pleaaase do so. It's alwaaaays boring when peeeople are too formal."

"If you say so."

"Shaaall we enteeer then?"

Everyone entered the dining room and took a seat. Roswaal at the lord place, while Emilia and Aaron were facing each other. The blond Saber couldn't help but feel that something was missing as he took his seat. Something he forgot.

'Think about it later, right now you're in presence of Puck. Don't appear suspicious,' he chided himself. He couldn't let his emotions get out of control in this conversation. He already scored enough negative points in Puck's book in his opinion.

"Pardon us, Aaron-sama. Rem shall set the meal."

"Pardon us, Aaron-sama. Ram shall set the tableware and the tea."

Aaron noted the food consisted of a salad, bread and a creamy chicken soup. Inwardly he quirked an eyebrow. How British and medieval. This kind of food could fit for a noble meal at that period. And it was healthy too actually.

As they began to eat, he had to concede that while not the best food he ever had, it still counted as great in his mind. He decided to be polite and gave a compliment.

"May I ask who the chef is?"

"Rem is, Aaron-sama," answered Rem.

He gave her a small smile, "My compliment to you then. It's delicious."

"Indeeeed, the food is quite delicious as usual," agreed Roswaal as he glanced to the blue haired maid.

"Thank you for your words, Aaron-sama, Roswaal-sama." Rem accepted the compliment without showing any emotion.

Meanwhile Aaron began to plan how to make the maid like him. Since only Rem was free and open–or rather she didn't have a 'special' relationship. Ram was close to Roswaal, Emilia to Puck. Rem was close only to Ram, not to anyone else.

She followed Roswaal because of her sister, yet she did not have a very strong bond with Ram as she was tempted to run away with Subaru.

If Aaron managed to get Rem, it meant Ram would also help him. After all, Ram knew the truth about Roswaal and would be very helpful.

'Since when did I become a thinker like this?' he asked himself. Maybe he did not only inherit Saber's strength but also her experience in leading people? That certainly would include his Charisma.

"Do you eat food like this every day? I envy you Rose," said Aaron with a small smirk.

"Weeeelll, what can I saay? I have veeery good maids," replied Roswaal in an amused voice. His eyes twinkled a little when he heard his new nickname, he didn't comment on it though.

They resumed to eat in silence, the only sounds being Puck who ate his egg eagerly, enjoying his breakfast like there was no tomorrow.

"Weeeeell," began Roswaal as he finished his food. He noted that Aaron had finished too and smile at him, "Shaaall we begin our taaalk?"

"Yes," nodded Aaron tilting his head. "And let's cut the pleasantries Rose, ask your questions."

"Hmmmm, straight to the point. I liiiike it." Roswaal chuckled, "Weeell, first Aaron Pendragon-saaan. Allow meee to welcome youu in the kingdom of Lugnica. I heaard from Emilia-sama that you're a foreeigner right?"

"Indeed I am."

"Aaah, do you care to elaborate how you came heere? As far as I recall the port is curreeently cloosed to any visiitors save for goods and stock."

Aaron though about his answer carefully. Lugnica as he recalled was currently a mess. True there was no visible chaos in the kingdom but it had no leader.

It had no ideal, no roots, it was stagnant. Moreover it was isolated, Lugnica didn't welcome any tourists from the common people. They only accepted important people such as nobles or ambassadors of other kingdoms.

He was sure that Emilia and the twin maids thought he was the former. Maybe Reinhard too thanks to his Charisma. If not the red haired knight would have taken him for an inquiry yesterday.

"I'm an illegal emigrant."

He heard a choke from Emilia and spared her a glance. The poor girl was pounding her chest as her food got into the wrong hole. Puck was already behind her patting her back in relief. He also sent him a glare as if it was his fault. Aaron was sure he would have sweatdropped if he was in an anime.

He was not responsible for that! He said that because it was the truth! It just happen that it was when she swallowed her food! Blame her Luck not him!

He also briefly caught a flabbergasted look from the maids before their faces returned to stoic ones.

"I-Illegal emigrant?" asked Emilia in an astounded voice. "B-But you said you were a noble!"

"I am," answered Aaron. "But I never said I came to this place by legal means, did I?"

It's more like he was teleported directly here, he didn't think that was a legal way to visit a kingdom without a King.

Roswaal meanwhile blinked, once, twice before he let out a big laugh, his heterochromatic eyes twinkling in amusement

"I haadd a theeeory thaaat you were an illegal emigrant. However I am cleeaaarly surprised you admitted it aloud like that."

"I see no use in lying, I'm an illegal emigrant, you won't find any legal documents in my bag," said Aaron with a shrug. "Because of that, I guess fate decided to make a joke by having me scammed and sent to the Capital rather than my original destination."

"Ooohh, aand why someone from a noooble family would come to Lugnica in an illegal maanner?"

"What do you think?" asked Aaron back in a dry voice. His green eyes were looking at the clown scrutinizing him.

He was aware he was spouting crap right now, and it was a very risky move. However he also knew that no one could tell he was lying. Puck was not a mind reader or a lie detector like Crusch. He was an empath, on that could feel other people's emotions. As long as he stayed calm and kept his intent for Emilia clear, the spirit wouldn't harm him. He was sure of that.

Roswaal's cheerful demeanor was gone, there was a new glint in his eyes as he stared at the blond boy.

"You're an escapee." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"In a way," admitted Aaron. That's what he was. Escapee, someone who escaped. Escaped from death that was threatening him had he not made sure of Emilia survival.

"However no need to be afraid, nobody is chasing me. The World already think I'm dead."

Again that was true, to his World right now he was as good as dead.

"... Are you suuure?"

"With my life," answered firmly Aaron. He did not hesitate as it was the truth.

"Hmmmm such conviction and serious face." Roswaal chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Aaand here I was thinking maybe it wass you whoo hired Elsa Granhiert to steaal Emilia-sama's insignia."

Inwardly Aaron's eyebrow twitched. Oh fuck this guy! Look who's talking?! So this is how he was going to deal with him huh? Now Aaron started to understand. Unlike Subaru who was head over heels for Emilia, he was not. Emilia was without a doubt beautiful but it was still far from enough to make him fall for her.

Subaru was easily manipulated in the earlier volumes because he was an idiot. An innocent teenager that didn't know how the world worked. Whereas Aaron was far from that. He wasn't an expert but he clearly was not stupid. He already worked for his father company and had seen how his father talked with people. He might not be a complete master yet, but having the knowledge of what kind of person was Roswaal, was enough to read the man. If only a little.

Right now he was trying to see what kind of person Aaron was, so he could create plans compatible with his personality.

Clever bastard.

"Aaron is not like that." Emilia suddenly came to his defense, surprising both Roswaal and Aaron. "He's not the one who tried to steal my insignia."

"My daughter is right," agreed Puck. "Yesterday when he fought that girl, she truly wanted to kill him. And Aaron was very scared when she snapped."

The cat spirit was actually thinking like Roswaal at first, but dismissed his doubts when he had proofs that what happened yesterday was too much to be an act.

Elsa displayed such raw emotion and anger, it had to be real. Aaron really, really pissed her off.

"I was about to have a dagger the size of two feet piercing my face," dryly defended Aaron. "I'm sure that is enough to be afraid."

"Weeeelllll." Roswaal chuckled lightly. "If Emilia-sama is supporting you liiike that. Theeen, I guess youuu are indeeed someone that caan be trusteed," he said in good-nature voice. "Forgive me for accusing youuu like that. As a count, that was veeery impolite of me." He gave a small bow with his head to show he meant it.

"It's fine, I can understand where you are coming from," replied Aaron with a nonchalant shrug. "I would do the same thing had I been in your position. Emilia-dono status as a Royal Candidate is something very important to the kingdom."

He was going to get him back for accusing him like this, make no mistake. As a matter of fact he had the mind to make a "bad clown" joke but refrained himself. Not this early, or not now at least. It would raise suspicion and made him score negative points for being rude. In the future though, he would pay him back. 'Just you wait you damn clown.'

"Still, something make me confused, Emilia-dono is someone who is very important, isn't she? Yet, I found her wandering around the city alone," said Aaron with narrowed eyes.

"Well... I wooould call it unprecedented. Ram shooooouuld have been with her..." replied Roswaal while shooting a strained smile to Ram.

The pink haired maid did not even look sheepish or sorry in the slightest. Her face was devoid of any emotion and that made Aaron left eye twitch again.

'Asshole, that was completely what you intended from the beginning. Ram is the one most loyal to you and I'm sure you ordered her to not search for Emilia so she could meet me,' thought Aaron with irritation.

"Um…" Emilia raised her hand with an awkward look on her face. "It's not Ram's fault. Yesterday I split up with Ram because I was curious and wandered around."

The look Aaron shot her was more than enough to make her face turned in a grimace, showing her regrets.

"For some reason I am not as angry as I shouldbe," he murmured dryly.

Emilia's eyebrow twitched hearing that. She felt insulted with the way he spoke. It was as if he expected her to make such error!

"Still, you clearly can't expect to get away by blatantly blaming you servant, can you?" Aaron's attention was back on Roswaal. "You're responsible for this as well, you're her Lord after all."

"You areee absolutely riiiight," agreed Roswaal. "I shouldn't have doone that," he said with a nod. "It was completeeely my fault. And I aamm very grateful you were theeere and helped Emilia-sama."

He then clapped his hands and spread them wide, "Very well then. I will go the point. I need to repay you for what you did. So tell me Pandragon-san, what do you seek from this man?" he asked with a big smile.

Aaron narrowed his eyes at his offer, knowing exactly what the man's game was. This was actually what Roswaal wanted. He pretended to get cornered and then he would offer him a place at the mansion in exchange. Aaron was sure the clown mage knew he didn't have any place to stay and was a complete stranger. The Echidna's gospel must have told him.

'Is this what people feel when they are about to make a deal with the Devil?' thought Aaron as he stare at the taller man. He didn't have any choice now, he had to stay with Emilia so he could get back home. He couldn't escape from here on his own and Roswaal had to know Aaron needed them as much as they needed him to support Emilia and reach their own goal.

He would let him have this round alright.

"… Right now I don't have anywhere to go," admitted Aaron. "My plan was to find a nice place and start over." It wasn't a lie, he did have that plan when he had yet to know he was in Re:Zero universe. "I guess… I can use your offer for that." He tilted his head and smiled a bit. "If you won't mind, then can I stay here for free?"

Roswaal smiled and Aaron swore he could feel his satisfaction knowing that everything went just like he hopped for.

"Of courseee! Of courseee! That was actually lessss than I expecteeed," he answered. "From now ooon, you will be treaaated as a guest in this place," he declared as he rose from his seat.

"That's good enough I suppose," said Aaron with a nod as he stood up as well. "Of course I won't just walk around and do nothing, I will try to help if something happen."

Both men walked to close the distance between them. The taller one extended his hand and the shorter one took it. They gave each other a firm handshake, a sign that the deal had been sealed.

Emilia could only watch what just transpired with a face full of confusion. What just happened? She knew that Roswaal offered something to Aaron since he had helped her. Aaron wished to stay here for free. But she felt there was something bigger happening between them. She just didn't know what.

She still had much to learn if she wanted to be a good Kingd for Lugnica.

Meanwhile Aaron only had one thought.

'I hate clowns. So. Much! Clowns. Are. Bad!"

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