"——Three of you, we are almost at our destination."
Otto on the bridge reported this in the evening half a day after leaving the royal capital.
The report coming from the dialogue window made Subaru interrupt his words and look out the window.
"Oh, really? It's earlier than I thought."
"Perhaps the two of them had such a pleasant chat, and the road was smooth, so the speed was very fast. Because they set off in the morning, they were able to arrive before dark, so that the villagers could temporarily feel at ease."
"That's great. Nothing happened before we arrived at the village. It's a relief. Thank you for your hard work, Otto."
Emilia, who was sitting next to Subaru who leaned out and looked out the window, comforted Otto. Otto looked worried and put his head on his hands and said:
"No, it's such an honor to have Emilia-sama say this... If only Mr. Natsuki could be a little more honest and comfort me."
"Don't say that. It's hard for me to tell the truth. You have to be considerate of me."
"You can speak your mind so freely, but still have the nerve to say such things?"
"You!"
Otto, who was being treated casually, raised his voice. As a result, Subaru's attitude toward Otto earned Emilia a scolding
"I'm sorry, Otto, Subaru's bad habit is to tease the people he likes..."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, there is a misunderstanding! I have never done this to Emilia-chan, right?"
"But, you did it to Beatrice, right?"
"Considering the other party's lolita value, it's more of a linguistic problem than a misunderstanding!"
"We're about to reach the village...but it looks weird."
"——"
The sudden low call made Subaru and Emilia look at each other, and then quickly followed Otto's line of sight to the end of the road - the destination of Alam Village.
Familiar village scenery, deserted village, the appearance is the same as the last scene I saw
It is to allow the villagers to take refuge and stay away from the desolate situation after the threat of the Witch Cult, that is to say——
"——Ram and the others haven't come back yet?"
Yuexing, who returned from consciousness, looked outside and said in confusion
This was the conclusion reached by Subaru and others who walked around Alam Village separately after arriving.
The villagers who came back together also looked uneasy because they could not find the other villagers who had moved separately during the evacuation - the villagers who fled to the sanctuary.
"Ram once said that it takes about seven or eight hours to get to the "Sacred Realm" from here. We who stayed in the royal capital for three days have all returned, but they have not returned yet..."
"Don't jump to conclusions too quickly. You may just need to be cautious before confirming that the village is completely safe."
"We all know the situation, but that Roswaal still adopts passive measures to deal with it? In the previous commotion of Warcraft, he immediately used magic to solve it, but this time he was so careful. Isn't it strange?"
Roswaal, who can use magic to fly, should be able to easily scout his territory even if he acts cautiously. Even if he doesn't come, Ram who can use "clairvoyance" should be by his side.
Of course, news of the defeat of the Witch Cult should have reached them long ago, but no one returned to the mansion, which means——
"...Could it be that something happened to them in the "Sacred Realm"?"
"I guess so..." Yuexing shrugged.
Subaru and Emilia agreed and looked at each other
The worries of the two people were the same as those of the villagers who returned to Alam Village. They thought that they could reunite with their families when they returned to the village. Considering their mood, they had to confirm what happened as soon as possible.
otherwise--
"By the way, Emilia-chan... do you know where the "Sanctuary" is?"
"Eh? Subaru, don't you know?"
Emilia was shocked when she heard Subaru's question. Only then did the two of them realize the fundamental problem. No one knew the location of the key "Sanctuary", but it was a big problem that couldn't be simpler.
"Yuexing, do you know?" Subaru looked at Yuexing with expectant eyes.
The latter shook his head helplessly
"I only discovered this problem now, but what kind of place is the "Sanctuary"?" Emilia asked.
"I don't know... Roswaal said it was like a secret base, and..."
"besides?"
"...It's okay, it's nothing. I'm sorry. If I had known earlier, I would have asked first."
Emilia apologized vaguely, Subaru shook his head and reflected on himself
Although he was anxious to evacuate the villagers, Subaru was the most stupid person. In the worst case scenario, he should be able to get clues about the location of the "Sanctuary" by searching the mansion.
"In that case, let's go back to the mansion first and settle down with Rem...Otto, you don't have anywhere to stay, so come with me."
"Uh-huh? Living in Uncle Border's mansion? Me, it's easier for me to sleep on a dragon carriage!"
"It's so noisy. I'm sorry to be implicated. Everyone, please wait here for a moment!"
Subaru said this to the villagers, forcing the begging Otto to obey. This statement could not eliminate all the uneasiness, but they still sent Subaru and the three away with determination.
Under the watch of the villagers, the dragon carriage was driven for another ten minutes - at the end of the street was the extremely solemn and nostalgic Roswaal mansion.
"It looks huge from a distance, but in reality it's even bigger... I feel more and more like I'm in the wrong place."
"I was scared when I came here. The really scary guys haven't come back yet."
When Subaru deliberately told Otto, who was frightened by the majesty of the mansion, the dragon carriage was passing through the main entrance and entering the courtyard. As long as the dragon carriage was parked in front of the entrance, the mansion he longed for was really waiting for him.
"Ignore what Mr. Natsuki is thinking, is it better to park the dragon carriage in the dragon stable? Miss Rem is sleeping on the bed..."
"——If Rem, someone will take care of it."
Subaru smacked his lips and interrupted Otto's speech. Otto, who thought he had made a good suggestion, grimaced when he heard this response.
"...I'm sorry, please park the dragon carriage and Patrasio behind the mansion. I'll go inside to make preparations first."
"I understand, don't worry about me, Mr. Natsuki"
Otto accepted the apology and went to the Dragon Stable, seemingly not taking it to heart at all.
Yuexing picked up Rem and stepped off the carriage, then followed Subaru and Emilia to the entrance of the mansion.
"I suddenly thought, if you don't remember to lock the door when you go out, wouldn't a thief or something like that break in?"
"The doorkeeper... doesn't count, but with Beatrice here, I don't think there's anything to worry about. "Even if you knock on the door, Betty won't come out to greet you."
Without touching on the interaction between Subaru and Otto, Emilia told a joke that did not suit her personality.
"Maybe he will rush out towards Parker."
"It would be funny if that was really the case."
Emilia said this with a smile and knocked on the door half-jokingly. A sharp and hard sound sounded in the mansion, but as expected, there was no response from the master or the servant——
"—Here comes, please wait a moment."
"--Huh?"
There shouldn't be, but there was an answer, which made the three of them stunned at the same time. Then before the three of them came to their senses, the entrance door of the mansion slowly opened.
"——Welcome back, Lady Emilia, my subordinates are looking forward to your return."
The woman standing behind the double doors held her skirt and bent her knees to welcome the two people with perfect etiquette.
She has long shiny golden hair, clear emerald green eyes like gems, and a slender figure wrapped in a classic maid outfit. Her perfect dress reflects her pure and lovely femininity.
She is about twenty years old, and she is a blameless maid no matter where you look at it - the only problem is that she is not the only maid in the Roswaal Residence.
Seeing the maid he had never seen before made Subaru stiff, but the tension was immediately relieved.
Because Emilia, who was stunned beside Subaru, frowned and said:
"Flandelica?"
"Yes"
Emilia directly said the other person's name, and the woman responded, and then she—Flandelika let go of her hand holding the hem of her skirt.
"After taking the vacation bestowed upon me by my master, I, Frandelica Baumann, am back."
Frandelika slowly raised her head and smiled kindly at the two of them.
After seeing her smile, Subaru's jaw almost dropped——
"Thank you for the long journey. Let me take you to your room first..."
"The face is so scary——!"
Natsuki Subaru's scream was so loud that it even echoed in the sky above Roswaal Mansion.
——Flandelika’s smile was ruined by her mouth full of fangs that strangely asserted her presence.
For Subaru, who has a unique eye for maids, Frandelica is the perfect maid.
She wears a decent maid uniform, speaks and behaves neatly, and there is nothing superfluous in any of her movements. Looking at her straight posture, she can't help but become more serious.
In terms of functionality, she is a perfect maid - in terms of appearance, except for the mouth, she is a perfect maid
"Subaru, you idiot! How could you talk to a girl like that! Apologize quickly!"
"Please, please don't do this, Lady Emilia, it's okay. I'm used to my appearance scaring people I meet for the first time. I don't care."
"No~ok~! You have to apologize if you do something bad, and even more so if you hurt someone, right?"
Emilia was so angry that she blushed, and Frandelica, the person involved, also looked troubled, but Subaru, who was kneeling on the floor of the reception room, knew very well that Emilia's opinion was right.
So he bowed his head deeply towards Frandelica to express his reflection.
"No, Emilia-chan is right, it was completely my fault just now."
"this……"
"I'm really sorry for suddenly saying such outrageous things when we first met. Whether you want to cook or bake, you can do whatever you want... I would be very grateful if you could choose a painless way."
Subaru's apology was concise yet mother-in-law.
If you make a mistake with a woman you meet for the first time, even if you are retaliated by Frandelica, it is understandable.
"Well, Frandelica, listen to me, Subaru is not a bad boy, he just has a habit of talking without thinking..."
After hearing Subaru's apology, Emilia also added. Although she didn't feel like she was defending herself, her willingness to speak for herself was heartening.
The look of the two of them made Frandelica silent for a long time——
"——Haha, Emilia-sama and Subaru-sama are both very funny."
"Flandelica?"
"I said I'm not angry anymore. Moreover, Emilia-sama wants Subaru-sama to apologize but then defends him... It's really funny."
Frandelica covered her mouth with her sleeves and smiled happily to forgive Subaru. She asked Subaru who was kneeling to stand up and said:
"Furthermore, if you don't ask, you will never know what the situation is, the detailed reason why I was called back, why the master is not here, who this gentleman is...and who this girl who looks exactly like Ram is."
"————"
Frandelica looked towards the sofa - Rem sleeping on it said "a girl who looks exactly like Rem" proved that she had worked with twin sisters.
"Come to think of it, I heard that a maid resigned not long before I entered the mansion."
"It's not correct to say that I resigned. I just took leave for personal reasons... but I came back earlier than I thought."
"Because it was about three months before Subaru came here? I'm very happy to see each other again."
Emilia was happy to see each other again, and Frandelica smiled at this, covering her mouth with her sleeves when she smiled. This was probably not due to Subaru's rude words, but because of her inferiority complex.
Subaru felt more and more embarrassed about his gaffe, but Frandelica did not pursue it, and instead gestured towards the house with her hand.
"I was called back, but the mansion was empty... I didn't know what to do. Fortunately, the master left a letter in his office, which allowed me to grasp the situation."
"letter?"
"Yes, it's a letter left by Ram. She obviously asked me to come back, but she explained it in such a casual way... It's really her style. Wouldn't it be too pampering for her to say this?"
Frandelica smiled bitterly, her smile filled with age-old kindness. Subaru felt that she had a trusting relationship with Ram, and the same relationship must have been built between her and Rem——
"—Why did Ram ask Frandelika to come back?"
Saying goodbye to the sentiment that sprouted in his chest, Subaru urged Frandelica. Even so, the answer was already clear. The mansion was targeted by the Witch Cult a few days ago.
In other words, Ram called Frandelika back to use as a fighting force in emergencies——
"When I came back, the trees in the kitchen and courtyard were in a mess."
"What an urgent reason! Emilia-chan!?"
"Wait a minute, Subaru, it's not Ram's fault. After all, the house will become strange after a while...although I also want to help."
"Ah, Emilia-chan, that's not the problem..."
"No, Ram said: "Leave it to Ram at this level, Ram will find a way."
"That guy is so talkative and unreliable! ... No, he doesn't know how to think of a solution. He just wants to leave all the work to Frandelica from the beginning! Although his judgment is correct, he still has to work hard.
ah!"
It was so similar to what she would do. In Subaru's mind, he could see Ram snorting proudly. Subaru's reaction made Emilia smile bitterly.
"However, it's incredible. Ram has been working hard during Frandelica's absence, so why can't he do well only in those few days... Ah"
Speaking of which, Emilia found the answer herself. How did the mansion maintain its original appearance during Frandelika's absence? Isn't it because "someone" is guarding the mansion with Ram?
"Without that person, Ram can't maintain the condition of the mansion alone, so he has to ask Frandelica... right?"
——No, it should be said that although this has not been directly confirmed, it can basically be understood in this way
"Leave the matter of Rem to Yuexing and explain to Frandelica. Can Emilia-chan come with me to pick up Otto who is waiting outside until the end of time?"
"Well, I understand... doesn't it matter?"
"As long as Emilia-chan is willing to smile at me, I will beat the Sin Archbishop to pieces."
Emilia looked gloomy, Subaru teased her with a smile, and then she followed Subaru's instructions and left the room, heading to the entrance of the mansion where Otto was waiting.