บท 4: Chapter 4 - A Purpose
Reinhard eyed the woman who was just now getting up from his opening strike, her lips spread wide in an open smile.
"Black clothing, black hair, and a blade unique to the nation of Gusteko… There's no mistaking it. You're the Bowel Hunter, are you not?" Reinhard stated, breaking the silence of the loot house.
Having remembered the brief story the young girl had told him on the street, Reinhard looked down at Orion, who was still slumped against the wall.
'As I thought. You would be a wonderful knight.' Reinhard smiled, though as he eyed the pool of blood that was growing under the young man, his smile curled downward. 'But it seems that this opponent was too much for you. Not that I blame you.'
"Unfortunately, I am not able to perform healing magic, but I will be sure to end this quickly," Reinhard assured Orion.
"'To end this quickly'... never have I been taken so casually," Elsa said, readying her blades. "Though I suppose since it's the words of the Sword Saint, I can't exactly refute them."
Subaru, who was now standing, looked over at Reinhard with relief, though there was a hint of worry in his gaze as well. "What a scary name… Reinhard! That woman's a monster, so be careful!"
"Rest assured, Subaru," Reinhard said. "As luck would have it, hunting monsters just happens to be my specialty."
As if marking the start of the battle, Elsa sprinted forth, aiming a blade toward Reinhard, though she was easily repelled by a roundhouse kick to the side.
As the two combatants continued in their battle, Emilia ran over to Orion's side, ripping open his blood-stained pants to reveal a large gash on his thigh.
"That's a lot of blood… I have to begin healing immediately."
Kneeling down, she then extended her hands before a sphere of white light appeared, and as she lowered it to touch his wound, Orion felt a calming sensation sweep through his body.
'Whoa… is this… healing magic?'
"Huh? The mana… how odd," Emilia then shook her head. "Orion was your name, right? You should be fine after I finish healing you. And Subaru!"
"Yes, Emilia?" Subaru said, looking away from the fight.
"When I finish, can you tell Reinhard that he can use his full strength?" she asked.
'That's not his full strength?' Orion thought, amazed.
"Uhh, sure!" Subaru said.
"And you! Old Man… Rom, was it?" Emilia said, turning to the giant with a slight glare. "You need healing too, so come over here."
Subaru looked at her with surprise. "Uh, Emilia, are you sure…"
The sound of the surrounding conversations, as well as the pleasant sensation from the healing he was receiving, drowned out in Orion's ears, his entire focus being used to follow the fight between Reinhard and Elsa.
The red-haired knight had picked up a sword and had used it to deflect blow after blow from the nimble Elsa, the air resounding with a clang each time their blades intersected.
'So she wasn't even serious before… and I still got my ass kicked,' Orion thought bitterly. 'And Reinhard is dealing with her like he dealt with me… just how strong is this guy?'
Orion watched as Reinhard's blade was encased in a blue glow, sparks flying each time he parried Elsa's knife.
'The sword isn't breaking, unlike mine… it must be that glow. Is that… mana? So it can be used to enhance objects then too. How…' Orion's mouth widened in an excited grin. 'How amazing!'
He was brought out of his state of astonishment as Emilia stopped her healing, nodding to Subaru as the boy then shouted.
"I'm not sure what's going on, but do your thing, Reinhard!"
Reinhard looked back and nodded before the air around him began to tremble and flicker with blue lights.
'So this is a serious Reinhard…' Orion watched on as closely as he could, ensuring that the sight would be ingrained in his memory.
"What are you going to show me, Sword Saint?" Elsa said with glee.
"The swordplay of the Astrea family," Reinhard said as he widened his legs into a stance.
Elsa raised her blade, "Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter."
"And I am Reinhard van Astrea of the Master Swordsman's line."
Reinhard's blade then began to glow as hundreds of little blue lights were drawn into his blade, the air trembling even more than before as the glow of his sword began to bathe the room in a bright light.
And then, he swung down. And the world quaked.
A waterfall of blue light. Pure energy. Pure power surged forth from the Sword Saint's blade, cleaving its way through the air as the loot house exploded, causing Subaru and Emilia to both crouch as splinters of wood and rubble rained down around them.
As the world returned to calm, and the dust settled, Subaru shot up to his feet, pointing at Reinhard. "Hunting monsters is your specialty, my ass! You're a monster yourself!"
Reinhard looked at him with a strained smile. "Even I'm a bit hurt by a comment like that."
As the blade began to crumble in his hands, Reinhard whispered an apology to the inanimate object as Orion slowly got to his feet.
"Ah! You've lost a lot of blood!" Emilia said worriedly.
"I'll be fine," Orion waved off her concern, making his way toward the red-haired man.
"That. Was. Amazing!" Orion said with a wide smile, causing Reinhard to be stunned in surprise.
'He's not even a bit afraid of me…' Reinhard thought, amazed.
"How did you do that? That didn't look like it was your mana in that last attack, did you use the atmosphere's mana somehow?" Orion asked.
Looking into the admiring eyes, Reinhard averted his gaze a bit as he answered. "Well, something like that. That attack used the spirits in the air to help."
"Spirits… like Puck? But he wasn't a little orb of light," Orion questioned.
"Ah, this 'Puck' must be a fully matured spirit, which is quite rare," Reinhard said. "No, those spirits were lesser spirits, as well as a few quasi-spirits."
"Oh, well, I'm not quite sure what those are, but they helped a lot. You helped a lot. Thank you," Orion said, tilting his head down in a bow.
"Ah! No need! As a knight, and your… friend, I believe it is my duty to come to your aid," Reinhard waved off his thanks as he turned to look to the side. "Besides, I may not have made it in time if it wasn't for that lady."
Orion followed his gaze, seeing Felt who was stepping past what remained of the wall.
"...Felt," Orion smiled. "So you listened to me and got help, huh? Well, you saved us, so… thank you."
Felt clicked her tongue as she averted her eyes, "I didn't like running away like some sort of loser! But…" she looked back at him. "You're welcome… Big Bro."
At that, Orion felt an overwhelming wave of happiness overwhelm him.
They had won. No one had died.
He had saved a life. Felt's life. He had done something. Something important.
It made Orion break out into a wide, warm smile and his hand involuntarily drifted to Felt's head, where he then patted it lightly.
"W-What the hell are you doing, with a cheeky smirk like that? Knock it off!" Felt protested. However, she didn't fight the action, content with simply glaring at the older boy.
"Anyway, Reinhard," Orion turned. "You said that I could join you in becoming a knight, right?"
"Yes, of course. I'm even more sure of that decision now," Reinhard nodded.
"Then… do you mind if Felt here-"
His request was interrupted by the sound of shifting rubble, before Elsa appeared from under the collapsed roof, heading right for Emilia.
"Shit!"
Orion ran forward, but he would be too late. But, luckily, Subaru had instinctively pulled Emilia away, raising a table to block the strike.
"You go for the gut!" he shouted.
Her slash knocked Subaru back, but nonetheless, he survived, meaning Elsa's final attack had been useless.
Orion stopped between the fallen Subaru and Elsa, while Reinhard positioned himself next to him.
"That's enough, Bowel Hunter," Reinhard said sternly. "You've lost."
"Tsk," Elsa snarled. "He got in my way again."
She then threw her knife at Reinhard, which changed its trajectory as it approached the man, missing him completely. At the same time, she threw out two needles, both aiming at Orion, which he was forced to block with his arm.
'She positioned it so it would hit Subaru and Emilia if I dodged… nasty bitch,' Orion said through gritted teeth. 'It fucking hurts!'
"So that didn't work either," Elsa huffed, her expression calming as she shook her head. "It seems that I have failed. But, soon enough, I'll disembowel everyone here. So take care of your bowels until then~"
She then flipped onto a pile of rubble before hopping away into the night, unable to be seen.
"Was it a good idea to let her go, Reinhard?" Orion asked skeptically. "She's a mass murderer, right?"
"If I was alone, then yes, I would have chased after her, but alas," Reinhard answered before looking at Orion's arm with a frown. "But more importantly, you've gotten hurt again."
"This? It's nothing, really," he waved off his concern. "And what about you, Subaru? You alright?"
"Yes! That was far too reckless!" Emilia scolded him. "I thank you for saving me, but you have to take care of yourself too! And you too, Orion!"
"Haha! It's alright, Emilia! But, if you wanna let me rest my head on your lap, it would definitely clear up any remaining pain!" Subaru said, getting back to his feet.
"If you can joke around like that, then I think you're fine," Emilia laughed lightly before turning to Subaru with a smile. "But… really. Thank you for helping me… for saving me, Subaru."
Subaru's cheeks heated into a blush as he averted his eyes, "I-It's my pleasure."
Smiling at the sweet scene, Orion went over to the table Subaru had used to block Elsa's strike.
"I'm surprised. I didn't think something like this could take so much damage…"
But as he tapped the table, the top half toppled to the ground, the table having been cleanly cut through the middle.
"Umm…"
Turning to Subaru, everyone watched as his white tracksuit was slowly stained red. "You've got to be… kidding me…" Subaru mumbled before collapsing.
"Subaru!" Emilia rushed to his side, as did Reinhard and Orion.
—
"There. I think he should be fine, but I'll need someone at the place I am staying to heal him the rest of the way," Emilia said, overlooking Subaru's injury.
"So are you taking him with you?" Reinhard asked.
"Indeed. It is only right," Emilia nodded before her lips spread into a smile. "He's an odd boy, but he's nice. He didn't even care about my appearance at all."
Reinhard smiled, "That must mean a lot to you, Lady Emilia. How did you two meet anyway?"
"Ah, he found me as I was panicking about losing my insignia and said he knew where to find the one who took it," Emilia said. "I was a bit suspicious… but it seems like Subaru is a very trustworthy person."
"Yeah, you could say that. But speaking of that insignia…" Orion turned to Felt. "Your client ran off, so don't you have something to give someone?"
Her lip quivered.
"Don't worry, if I can find myself a place, I'll be sure to invite you, or at least help you out," Orion added.
"Dammit! I was gonna do it anyway! I'm not one to let a debt go unpaid!" She then pulled out the insignia, the red gem glowing under the moonlight. "Here. Thanks for saving my life... And keep it hidden if you don't want it stolen again!"
As Felt was about to hand over the insignia before her arm was suddenly grabbed by Reinhard, who was looking at her hand in shock.
"H-Hey! What gives! Are you taking me in for stealing?" she complained.
"While that is indeed a crime, I was willing to overlook it. But this," Reinhard said in shock. "This, on the other hand, is something I must address. Come with me, please."
Trying to free herself Felt desperately struggled, "Dammit! Why'd Old Man Rom have to run off now? Get off of me you creep-"
She was then silenced as Reinhard put his hand on her head, causing her to pass out.
"R-Reinhard… can't you let her go?" Orion asked.
Having taken the needles out and being healed by Emilia, Orion was back to being in top shape, aside from some slight fatigue. But even if he was at 200%, he knew he had no chance against Reinhard. Especially after watching that display of power that destroyed the loot house with one sword swing.
'So why did you have to become so difficult, Reinhard!' Orion screamed inwardly.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot," Reinhard shook his head. "I assure you it is nothing bad though. I once again offer you a place at my home. I promise to tell you more once we arrive."
Orion was about to accept, but looking over at Subaru, with his power that was somehow linked to Orion himself, he forced himself to stop.
'He's a good person, but he's weak. And such a power… it's quite lonely,' Orion thought. 'Besides, it would suck if we got separated and Subaru got killed while I was away, leaving me needing to retrace my steps all over again.'
"I'm sorry, but I think I have to go with Emilia and Subaru here," Orion said, looking toward the half-elf girl. "If that's alright with you, of course."
"O-Oh! That's no problem at all!" Emilia said, smiling slightly. "And you helped me a lot too, so I needed to find some way to reward you anyway!"
"That's good." Orion then turned to Reinhard, who was smiling a little sadly. "Yeah, I think I'm going with her. But… if I come back to the capital… I'd love it if you could teach me some swordplay sometime… Rein."
The knight's face lit up at the nickname, nodding his head. "That would be my pleasure, Orion."
Orion then looked at the sleeping Felt with a slight frown. "And be good to her, okay? She's a good girl."
"I promise I will," Reinhard said with narrowed eyes. "Well, I should be off. Take good care of those two, Lady Emilia."
And with that, Reinhard began walking away, with a sleeping teenage girl held in his arms in a princess carry.
'Could you look any more suspicious?' Orion thought, shaking his head before he turned to Emilia. "Well? I don't have any ties to the capital, nor does Subaru, so we're in your care."
"A-Ah… of course," Emilia nodded before her face turned tense. "Ah… I left Ram all by herself! I bet she's looking everywhere for me!"
"Who's Ram?" Orion asked.
"She's a maid at the manor I'm staying at," Emilia answered. "She took me to the capital today on Roswaal's orders, but we got separated just before my insignia was stolen."
"Well," Orion grunted as he lifted Subaru over his shoulder. "Let's find our ride then, Emilia."
"Yes. Let's. Oh! And before I forget!" Emilia then turned to Orion before tilting her head down with a kind smile. "Thank you for helping me and saving me. I am in your debt."
The moonlight shined on the silver-haired girl, creating an astonishing scene of beauty as her amethyst eyes stared into his.
'Yep. I can see why Subaru fell so hard.'
"My pleasure," he answered.
—
"Is that so?" a pink-haired girl said. "While I am glad your insignia has been recovered, Lady Emilia, please do ensure such a situation does not happen again."
"I know, Ram! I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Emilia bowed to the maid.
Closing her eyes and releasing a sigh, Ram shook her head lightly, "It's fine. And you shouldn't be bowing to me, Lady Emilia."
Ram had large, slanted red eyes, and medium-length pink hair that covered her left eye, but for Orion, the biggest surprise was the stereotypical French-styled maid outfit she was wearing, something he had only seen in his past world a few times.
Ram then turned to Orion, narrowing her eyes at him and casting a glance at the young man slung over his shoulder. "So you two are the ones who helped Lady Emilia?"
Orion nodded.
Subaru didn't respond for obvious reasons.
"I see. Then, I thank you, as well as extend the thanks of my master, Roswaal L Mathers to you as well," Ram said with a bow.
"Oh, no need! Just letting me stay there is enough as a thanks," Orion waved her off. "But… your master is this Roswaal? Or, Sir Roswaal. And not Emilia?"
The maid shook her head. "No. Though, since my master is sponsoring Lady Emilia as a candidate, and she is also staying at his manor as a guest, unless her orders contradict those of Master Roswaal, I serve her to the best of my ability."
"I see… wait, what do you mean by 'candidate'?" Orion asked.
"Never mind that! We should get going now," Emilia interrupted him. "I can tell you on the way."
"Lady Emilia is right," Ram said. "Judging by the time… we should be able to reach the Mathers domain by tomorrow morning, assuming there are no interruptions."
She then opened the door of the carriage, letting Emilia in as Orion climbed up the stairs with Subaru still slung over his shoulder.
"Oh! And, thank you, Ram," Orion said. "And sorry for keeping you all night."
The maid stared at him for a moment before bowing. "That is of no problem, Sir Guest. Besides, I will be taking a long rest once we reach the manor tomorrow."
Closing the door behind him, Orion felt the carriage begin to move as the ground dragon began strutting forth.
That was quite a surprise for Orion as well.
'I assumed they would use horses…'
Laying Subaru down on one of the carriage couches, Orion sat next to Emilia.
"So… what was that candidate thing you and Ram mentioned again? Is it related to why Reinhard seemed to treat you with such respect?" he asked.
"Ah, yes, that's part of it," Emilia said awkwardly. "Do you know of the situation of Lugunica's Royal Family?"
"Yeah, they all died of a disease, right? So the throne is going to one of five… candidates…" Orion's words died in his mouth as he realized what the girl in front of him was. "D-Don't tell me you're-"
"Yes, just as you've guessed. While my name is Emilia, my title is one of the potential rulers for Lugunica's throne," she then took out the insignia, the red jewel in the center glowing in her hand. "And this is what proves my candidacy, so you can see why it is so important to me."
"Uh, yeah… I can definitely see why… Lady Emilia," Orion gulped down his nervousness.
'I was speaking so casually with a princess? Why the hell didn't Reinhard warn me!?'
Emilia looked quite saddened at this, "Umm… you're my benefactor, you know? And you've treated me so kindly… So I would rather you just call me Emilia instead."
Orion was about to refuse, but seeing the pleading eyes, he eventually relented. "Fine, but if someone chastises me for not being respectful, I'm going back to 'Lady'."
"Fufu! That's fine," Emilia said before her eyes drifted over to the unconscious Subaru. "Speaking of treating me kindly… Why did you and Subaru do so much for me? Especially since going by your surprise, you didn't know my position."
Orion leaned back in thought.
"Well, to be honest, I wasn't so much concerned about your insignia as I was worried about Felt getting killed by Elsa. Before you ask, I discovered her walking around near there and she looked shady," Orion hastily told his made-up excuse, remembering his 'penalty' for divulging the truth too much. "As for Subaru… well, you're a good person, and he finds you pretty, so I think he wanted to do something for you."
Emilia blushed as she looked away from Subaru. Her eyes darted to his face a couple of times before responding.
"He… did mention how he thought I was pretty. I don't really believe him though… Anyway, I guess that was enough for Subaru, huh? He did help me get that girl to her parents, so it's not totally unlike him."
Orion raised his eyebrow. "You… helped a girl get to her parents? Even though you lost your insignia that qualifies you for the throne?"
"Of course I did! The girl was very scared!" Emilia protested. "And I didn't lose my insignia, it was stolen!"
Orion was amazed at the girl's kindness. But… such kindness to the point of naivete, would not go over well for someone aiming to lead a nation.
'At least… not without support.'
"Emilia…" he voiced out.
"Hm? What's wrong, Orion?" she asked, eyes filled with concern.
'Yeah… if that kindness can be brought to the head of a nation… that truly is a cause worth working for. A worthy purpose,' Orion thought, both excited and assured of his decision.
"As a candidate, do you happen to have any guards or attendants?" he asked.
Emilia made a sad face, shaking her head. "No. Unfortunately, due to my appearance, no one wanted to be affiliated with me. Even after Roswaal asked the Royal Knights."
"Then… would I be able to be one?" he asked. "I'm fairly good at math and science, and due to my unique upbringing, I should be able to help you with some political matters as well. And in terms of strength…" he looked down at his fist, clenching it slightly. "I'll get stronger with some training. So please, accept me as your attendant."
He finished his words by bowing his head, not seeing the shocked and touched look on Emilia's face.
"I… are you sure?" she asked shakily.
"Very. That kindness of yours will surely make you a great ruler. And where it leaves you weak and open, I will be there to defend," he proclaimed.
"Ah, then… raise your head," she said.
Doing so, Orion was once again stunned by the girl, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she looked at him with a warm smile.
'Ah… Yeah, I completely understand you now, Subaru,' he thought. 'No wonder you became so entranced.'
"I accept. Please treat me well."
As Orion smiled, he saw Emilia's lips curl down into a wavering frown.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Hm? No, it's just… I wonder if you really want to be guarding someone with the appearance of the Witch," Emilia said sadly.
'Huh? There's her appearance again... It obviously isn't because she's ugly. Is there something more going on?'
"Emilia, what do you mean by that?" he asked.
She looked at him, shocked. "I'm a silver-haired half-elf, you know!"
"Yeah, but… how does that make you a witch?" Orion asked. "And what even is this 'Witch'?"
"Y-You don't know of the Witch? The Witch of Envy?"
Emilia was, as she would put it, flabbergasted.
"Emilia, Subaru and I are foreigners from a… very isolated place, so we're pretty ignorant about a lot of things," Orion explained.
"Isolated…" Emilia's expression changed to one of understanding. "I see. Is this your 'unique upbringing' you mentioned?"
Orion nodded.
"Listen, Orion. The Witch of Envy is the one responsible for the Great Calamity that happened 400 years ago, where half of the world's population was killed," Emilia lectured.
'H-Half? Holy shit, that's more than the plague did to Europe!' Orion was shocked.
"She was said to have silver hair, amethyst eyes, and… was a half-elf," Emilia explained with some difficulty. "Before she could destroy the world, she was sealed by the first First Sword Saint Reid, the Great Sage, and the Divine Dragon Volcanica. Ah, you should also know that the Witch of Envy also goes by the name 'Satella', though everyone simply refers to her as the 'Witch'."
'Satella? The alias Emilia used in the first loop? Why would she-'
Orion soon found the answer to his question.
'She wanted to scare Subaru off… But why didn't she do that this time? Did Subaru call out her lie or something?'
"I think I understand… that must be tough, having so many matching characteristics," Orion said sympathetically.
"It is!" Emilia huffed. "Really, it's so annoying!"
Orion nodded his head before resting against the side of the carriage, watching as they rolled past house after house in the dead of night.
'So it seems I've become the attendant of a princess… One who has the appearance of the greatest villain in the history of this world… I wonder what Mom and Dad would think?'
—
"So you've decided to beg Lady Emilia for a job. That's quite shameless, Orion," Ram said.
"Don't make it sound like I begged! And what happened to my respect?" Orion asked.
"That was when you were to be a guest of Master Roswaal's mansion. Now, you are simply a fellow employee, so I'm treating you with the proper respect," Ram huffed, crossing her arms. "Which is close to none, if you are curious."
"I wasn't!" Orion snapped back.
The carriage had stopped mid-way through the journey at a rest spot in order for the ground dragon to rest, and for everyone to use the bathroom. During that time, Ram had asked what had happened between Emilia and Orion, having seen how happy the girl looked compared to before.
But, while Ram was glad her Master's sponsor had gained a follower, she was also suspicious.
After all, this man, along with his partner, had appeared out of nowhere to help a girl they didn't know, and now one of them had devoted themselves towards said girl, despite her matching the written description of the infamous Witch.
"But to so easily devote yourself… were you that desperate?" Ram asked casually, though her eyes were staring at the man, looking for a hint of deceit.
"Ah, well…" Orion scratched the back of his head. "I… didn't really have a purpose before. Or a goal. Or… anything, really. So… having one now… it's really important. Plus, Emilia's kind, and she'll need help, so I won't be useless."
Ram lessened her glare at his explanation. After all, no one would be able to understand those words more than her.
The need for a purpose... The comfort of devoting themselves to someone… They were all familiar feelings to the girl.
"Very well. Though you will have to meet Master Roswaal first before anything is decided," she said, turning back to the carriage.
Orion then got back into the carriage and, resting his head against the side once more, he found himself closing his eyes before Emilia could rejoin him, the physical fatigue of the day, and the mental fatigue of the collective loops, having caught up to the young man.
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