The convoy traveled along the dirt roads, with soldiers positioned on either side to ensure safety and deter any potential attacks.
However, the likelihood of such an event occurring was extremely low, as the territory governed by Karsten was renowned for its security, well-protected by their military forces.
The security detail primarily focused on the rear of the convoy, leaving the front vulnerable, which could have been a significant oversight given that a royal candidate was aboard. But, this was not an issue due to a particular individual present.
Spearheading the convoy was a lavish carriage, driven by the traveling merchant Otto and pulled by Patrasche, was fit for nobility, featuring plush couches and various amenities.
Seated in the largest area was Emilia, flanked by the blue-haired Oni-maid, Rem, and Natsuki Subaru, the slayer of Sloth and the White Whale.
Subaru was fiddling with a pouch in his hands, the sound of coins clinking as he tossed them inside while mumbling to himself.
"Umm, Subaru, what are you doing?" Emilia's melodious voice interrupted the quiet.
"I'm just counting how much money I have left from my salary," he replied, the coins jingling as they fell.
After purchasing Rem's clothing, dining at various restaurants and cafes, and buying Grumpy the ground dragon, along with the supplies and the carriage, he found himself with a mere 2 gold coins and 5 silver coins left.
'And I'm officially broke,' Subaru lamented, feeling the weight of a month's hard work vanish in just a week. His expression would have been comical to onlookers if it weren't for his glasses.
'Most of the it was spent on Rem…' He glanced over at the blue-haired maid, who caught his gaze and smiled back at him.
'But if I get to see her smile like that often, then it's worth every coin,' he thought, returning the smile and feeling a warm flutter in his heart at her adorable face.
Emilia observed their exchange, a rare frown crossing her features as she felt uneasy about their shared smiles.
After the exchange, Subaru turned to Emilia and asked, "So, Emilia, what did you and Crusch talk about?"
Emilia snapped back to reality and replied, "Oh, well... Crusch-san and I discussed the overall situation in the kingdom and the royal selection."
"I see... was there anything else?" he asked.
She nodded, "Yes, at the end, she proposed forming an alliance between our camps."
"An alliance?" he echoed, surprised.
"Yes, an alliance. A mutual defense agreement on equal terms. If either of our camps comes under scrutiny or trouble, the other would come to their aid, as long as it doesn't compromise the integrity of the royal selection."
'Hmm, That's interesting... If I remember, Crusch is a duchess from a prestigious noble family, making her the frontrunner in the royal selection—despite that scandalous statement at the conference.'
'In terms of popularity, Crusch and Anastasia are definitely leading the pack, with Priscilla in third thanks to her influence in her domain. Felt holds fourth place, because she has Reinhardt on her side.'
Subaru frowned slightly. 'As much as I hate to admit it, Emilia is dead last in the race. Even with Roswaal backing her, people still will not look past her resemblance to the Witch.'
The frustration lingered. No matter how kind and genuine Emilia was, discrimination always seemed to follow her. It was something Subaru could never fully accept, but reality didn't care about his feelings.
That being said, the playing field had shifted.
'Anastasia's position definitely took a hit after the "Finest of Hypocrites" tried to stroke his ego and humiliate me, only for it to backfire on him instead. Last I heard, The people have zero sympathy for him now.'
Whenever he and Rem wandered the city, they always heard murmurs about it—merchants, artisans, workers, even the occasional noble. The knight had become a subject of ridicule, mocked for being humiliated by a mere butler. Even among the nobility, his failure was seen as a disgrace, tarnishing the honor of knighthood.
'As for Crusch… She almost kicked the bucket against the White Whale. had I not bailed her out, her life and candidacy would've been over right then and there.'
But now, everything has changed.
'With the White Whale and Sloth Archbishop both dead—and me being aligned with Emilia's camp—her popularity has to be rising, maybe even enough to push us ahead a few placements.'
'Crusch did help fight Sloth, so she would get some credit from itt. But not too much…'
Then, the realization hit him.
'I see it now. She knows her position as a candidate and leader is in trouble. By proposing this alliance on equal terms, she's framing it as a collaboration, rather than putting us in her debt or making us subordinate to her. She gets herself out of a tight spot and secures a strong ally—well played, Duchess. Well played.'
Subaru almost wanted to applaud her strategy.
Felix's ass-kissing about Crusch's intelligence and resourcefulness weren't just meaningless flattery on first glance—they seemed to hold weight.
"Did you accept it?" he asked, curiosity in his voice.
Emilia twirled a strand of her silver hair, "Weeeell... You did mention how reliable she was, and since she kindly helped us evacuate and generously allowed us to stay, I thought accepting it wouldn't hurt. But I need to inform Roswaal before we finalize anything,"
"I see..." he replied, looking down and crossing his arms in contemplation.
Emilia felt uneasy with his sudden silence. "W-what's wrong, Subaru? D-did I mess up somehow?! Please tell me if I did! I'll fix it right away!"
Subaru glanced at her for a moment before shaking his head. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just think that since we have the upper hand, you should have negotiated for some favors before agreeing with her."
"Oh! You're right! I should have done that! I'm such a silly girl..." she said, dragging her hands over her face.
"But don't worry, Subaru! I'll do it right! Once I talk to Roswaal, we'll ask for favors before we agree to anything!" She nodded enthusiastically.
"...That could work, I suppose," he slowly replied.
Subaru felt unsettled by her unusual demeanor; she had that look on her face—almost desperate or pleading, and he couldn't quite place it. It made him very uncomfortable.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rem looking at Emilia with a furrowed brow, concern evident in her blue eyes.
Subaru coughed into his fists, eager to shift the conversation. "Hey, Emilia, where's Puck? I haven't seen that little furball of sass and joy in a while. Me and his fur have a lot to catch up on,"
"Puck?" she repeated. "He's… Sleeping. He got scared when he found out that an archbishop was after me, so he's been using a lot of mana to protect me, which is why he's been sleeping so much lately."
She cradled the crystal containing the great spirit in her hands, her delicate white fingers gently caressing it, a wistful and sorrowful expression on her face. Her answer turned the air into a gloomy one.
Subaru frowned at the sight; such a look didn't suit her. She deserved all the joy in the world, but it made her current behavior understandable.
'No wonder she's acting off. She must be feeling down because Puck isn't around as much as he used to be,' he thought, finally grasping Emilia's saddened mood.
Or so he believed.
With a comforting smile, he spoke to the half-elf, "Don't be too hard on yourself, Emilia. Puck cares for you deeply, and as a father, his main priority is to keep you safe, even if it means he can't spend as much time with you. A daughter's safety is a father's instinctual priority."
Seeing Subaru's attempt to comfort her, Rem chimed in, "Subaru-kun is right. Great Spirit Puck-sama wouldn't go to such lengths if he didn't care for you, Emilia-sama."
Upon hearing her friends' kind words, she couldn't help but smile softly at them, "I understand, I really do. I just miss him so much."
She then looked at them, "But your words make me feel better. Thank you both."
Subaru gave her a thumbs up, "No need to thank us. We're your friends, and we care about you a lot, right Rem?"
"Right!" Rem nodded, her face lighting up with determination.
With that, the atmosphere in the carriage shifted from gloomy to warm and comforting...
Until the side window leading to the driver's seat opened, and Otto's head popped out.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but did one of you just mention 'Great Spirit'?"
Silence descended over the carriage as everyone turned to Otto in disbelief, especially Subaru, who quickly adjusted his sunglasses and addressed the merchant.
"...Were you eavesdropping on us?" he stared blankly at him.
Realizing the mess he had gotten himself into, Otto's merchant instincts kicked in and switched to "Damage control" mode.
"N-no! I wasn't! I was just concentrating on the road! Yes!" he fibbed.
"Otto-san, it's really rude to eavesdrop on others' conversations, and even worse to lie about it right to their faces," Emilia remarked, narrowing her eyes at the merchant.
"Wow, Otto, you've really outdone yourself," Subaru chimed in, catching Otto's anxious gaze.
"You know you've hit rock bottom when even Emilia can tell you're lying. That's quite an accomplishment,"
Emilia's annoyance quickly shifted to Subaru, her pout evident, "What do you mean by that?!"
Ignoring the pouting half-elf, Subaru stood up and approached the window, placing a hand on Otto's sweating face and pushing him outside.
"Wai—" he was interrupted as the window slammed shut, the latch secured to keep any nosy merchant away.
Rem, along with the pouting Emilia and Subaru, exchanged glances before bursting into laughter at Otto's misfortune.
---------------------------------
After a long journey, the group of Alarm villagers left the Karsten territory and arrived at the Mathers land just as noon struck.
The Karsten soldiers who had escorted them boarded their carriages and said their goodbyes before heading back to the Karsten Estate.
Everyone was safe and sound, but there was one small problem…
"...No one's here?"
Rem exclaimed, scanning the area. The convoy gathered in the central plaza, confusion evident on their faces.
The village, though intact, was eerily deserted.
"Weird. Shouldn't the people from the sanctuary have returned by now?" Emilia wondered, mirroring the group's confusion.
"We did stay away for a while to avoid any lingering cultists. Perhaps they are doing the same?" Subaru suggested, standing on a platform and surveying the surroundings with his six eyes.
He noticed no signs of any Ods, only this group who had just arrived.
"Subaru!" a child-like voice called out, it was Petra.
"I checked everywhere I could, but I couldn't find anyone!" she reported to the butler.
"Did you look in your home? Was anything out of place?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, everything's in its place, nothing was moved or taken."
A look of sadness crossed her face, "But that means my mommy and daddy aren't back, and I miss them so much..."
Subaru jumped off the platform and knelt in front of her, gently ruffling her hair, causing her to blush.
"It's okay, Petra. Your parents are alive and safe; they're just away for a bit. I promise they'll return. Right now, you need to be strong for yourself and your friends, just as they would want you to be." he softly told her.
Her sadness faded, replaced by a look of encouragement and determination.
"You're right! Dad and Mom would want me to be brave! And I will make them proud!" she proclaimed, dashing off to join her friends.
Watching Petra reassure her friends made Subaru beam with pride. Petra was such a lively, joyful and cute girl, and her happiness always brought a smile to his face.
"Subaru-kun," he heard Rem call out, prompting him to turn to her. "Rem can sense Nee-sama through their shared Synesthesia. Ram is safe and secure, not in any danger. She's in the Sanctuary with everyone else."
Subaru nodded then turned to Emilia, who was consoling a group of villagers.
"Emilia," he called to her, catching her attention, "The rest are at the sanctuary; we should go there to check on them and bring them back."
"Actually," Rem interjected before Emilia could respond. "Rem suggests we visit the mansion first. Roswaal-sama was away on business, so we should return and see if he has came back."
Subaru agreed with Rem's suggestion. He had a lot to discuss with that clown.
"Hey! Otto!" he shouted to the startled merchant.
"We're going back to the mansion, so get in the driver's seat. Rem will guide you on where to go."
"A-already?! But I'm not ready for this!"
"Come on, stop whining and just do it! Be a man!"
After forcing the poor merchant to take the reins, they reached the mansion in under five minutes. Rem, Subaru, and Emilia stood at the front door while Otto went to park the carriage and Patrasche in the stable.
"Wait," he called out after they knocked, "You guys left the mansion empty. Do you think we might have been robbed?"
Emilia shook her head. "I doubt it. Beatrice would know if anyone entered the mansion and would protect it."
"Are you sure?" he asked, then turned back to the door. "Then why do I see—"
He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. On the other side stood a tall woman in a maid outfit similar to Rem's, bowing slightly while lifting her skirt in the customary maid gesture.
"Welcome home, Emilia-sama. I have been waiting for your return."
The woman lifted her head, revealing her distinct features. She had long, flowing yellow hair that cascaded down her back, with two long bangs framing her face. Her striking emerald green eyes and sharp teeth hinted at her demi-human heritage.
Before she could speak, Subaru quickly pointed at her.
"Are you a thief?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Noticing the expressions on everyone's faces, especially Emilia and Rem, Subaru sensed they recognized the woman in the maid outfit and could only laugh awkwardly.
"Hehe, come on guys, I was just joking... Please stop staring."
Sadly, they didn't find the humor in his joke.