As Frederica had declared, the departure for Sanctuary took place two days later.
While working at the mansion, Frederica was in the stables teaching Patrasche the location of the Sanctuary. Since she was already responsible for the majority of the work at the mansion, Subaru suggested that she tell him the location of the Sanctuary in an attempt to reduce her workload, but
"I'm sorry, but the location of the 'Sanctuary' is too important even for you, my master. I cannot tell you about it lightly, especially not on my own initiative as a servant. I would normally avoid having an earth dragon teach you about it."
And that was gently turned down.
Though he felt something was off, even if he wanted to complain to Roswaal about his caution, he couldn't reach the Sanctuary. Since the outcome was completely reversed, Subaru had no choice but to go along with Frederica's opinion.
Therefore, Subaru had spent the two idle days in Arlam Village, interacting with the villagers and doing odd jobs around the mansion after returning to his position as a servant.
Similarly, Emilia, who had free time, pouted at Puck for not coming out, but timidly accompanied Subaru down to the village, making an effort to close the distance between her and the villagers, and spent her time poring over documents and literature that Subaru did not understand, building up her knowledge.
And as each of these two days passes, several changes occur.
For example, one of them is
"Ahh! Why have I let everything pile up like this? There are documents that I need to keep, documents that I only need to glance at, and documents that aren't even worth looking at. I didn't organize them, so it ended up like this...!"
Scratching his head and complaining, Otto was quickly organizing the documents at hand. He glanced down at the documents, got a rough idea of their contents, then tossed them into a large pile on his desk, before repeating the process of sorting through the next document and the next.
Subaru, resting his chin on his hand across from Otto, was amazed at the way his eyes and hands moved, and how his mind was working at a rapid pace.
"Wow, that's amazing. I can't even understand what the handouts are about."
"I haven't even touched on the contents of the documents. We're simply dividing them into those that can be handled as bookkeeping, those that can be handled as petitions, and the rest, in order to improve efficiency. I mean, it would be better if they did that when each document was submitted… No, judging from the way they're sorted, it's probably a pattern that only the person handling it would understand."
Subaru's interest was ignored by Otto, who looked at the mountain of documents with a disgusted look on his face. When he thought of the face of the person who owned them - Roswaal - he realized that the theory Otto had spat out in his lament was indeed the most accurate.
The scary thing is that, being the competent Roswaal he is, he had compiled these documents in his own way. The problem is that it contributes to an efficiency that others cannot understand, and in the absence of the person in charge, there is no choice but to recompile them from scratch.
"Okay, I've pretty much finished dividing them up. Now I just need to rearrange them in chronological order... but before that, I might need to divide them into those that have been processed and those that are waiting to be processed..."
"Otto is definitely an A-type, whether you call him meticulous or neurotic."
"What is this Egata thing? It doesn't sound very nice."
Subaru silently gestured to Otto, who was looking his way with a blank look, and refused to accept the explanation. He didn't believe in blood type personality tests, but it did make a decent conversation piece.
By the way, Subaru is type B - or rather, the entire Natsuki family is type B. Although, whenever I tell anyone, they just say "I thought so," so I don't feel too good about it.
"I mean, I was just thinking about it."
"What's the matter? Don't stop. You're going at a good pace so let's keep going."
"That's fine for someone like me who values efficiency, but isn't this situation strange in the first place? Why am I, a mere peddler, sweating profusely in the Margrave's office organizing documents? Isn't my position strange?"
"Is it too late to realize that?"
Subaru tilted his head and laughed maliciously at Otto, who seemed to have only just realised this plausible truth. Subaru had his own ulterior motives in mind as he was busy organising documents relating to his duties as a margrave, let alone the mansion.
In other words, securing Emilia's faction of talent within Roswaal's camp.
Currently, from Subaru's perspective, Emilia's position in the royal selection process is not very good. Subaru is recognized by those around her as her knight, and although he has been active in some areas, achieving success in repelling the Witch Cult and defeating the White Whale, it is questionable how effective he will be compared to the adverse circumstances surrounding her.
Compared to the other camps, Emilia has already fallen behind from the start. What makes her position even more difficult is that the true intentions of her backer, Roswaal, are unclear. Despite being in a position to openly support her, Roswaal's actions up to now have been a failure as a supporter.
The fact that they had not taken any countermeasures against the Witch Cult, which was expected to occur, and the fact that they are still unable to contact them even now, after having overcome the damage caused by that. They are such a nuisance that it would be best to make it clear whether they are friend or foe.
Despite this, many of those close to Roswaal are extremely tight-lipped and will not reveal the truth about his circumstances, and it is unclear how much they know about his situation. Ram, a Roswaal supremacist, as well as Frederica, who has a strong work ethic as a waitress, will not reveal anything, and Puck and Beatrice even maintain their silence towards both Subaru and Emilia.
In other words, Emilia currently has no one she can talk to in peace.
Of course, Subaru wants to be that for her, and in fact he intends to be, but compared to the average person, his reach is somewhat shorter. Unfortunately, Subaru is aware that he is a man who can't reach her needs, and so it is frustrating for him that he cannot completely wipe away Emilia's anxieties.
Subaru's attention was drawn to Otto, who had been traveling back and forth between the village of Arlam and the mansion, smacking his lips over a meal and after-meal tea, and saying with a relaxed smile, "Ah, sitting down in one place like this with no purpose is what rots a person."
"In other words, if there are no allies around, it's a good idea to just grow some later."
"I thought I heard some disturbing comment, but it has nothing to do with me, right?!"
"I wonder, maybe. Ah, Otto-san, I still haven't finished putting together all these documents."
"Ah, sorry. Umm, this is just a list of the magic ore mining sites and their stockpiles… isn't this a document that is completely off-limits to outsiders?"
"Oh, so you saw it. Oh, so you saw it. Ah, okay, okay. Well, I'll give Roswaal a good warning, so don't worry."
"What's amazing is that there's absolutely no room for relief!"
Subaru continued to stand there as a bystander, a grin on his face, while Otto made a fuss, pushing the documents away from his eyes. Otto looked shocked at Subaru's attitude, his lips trembling,
"You're not seriously trying to show documents that outsiders shouldn't see and then erase them without defending them, are you? You're intending to default on all negotiation fees and such."
"No way. I'm fully intending to pay for your cargo and all of your requests all at once. On top of that, I want to pull you into a deeper position where you won't be able to escape."
"That's even more nasty! Why are you trying to make a mere budding peddler like you shoulder such a heavy burden? Please stop!"
Otto protested with an awe-stricken look on his face. Hearing this, Subaru lightly hit him on the head, wondering if he had gotten too carried away, then he cleared his expression and muttered, "Sorry,"
"I felt like I was getting a bit impatient and rushing ahead. There were a lot of complicated circumstances, and yet there was no sign of the tangled threads being untangled, so I got impatient. I'm sorry, I didn't even ask about your schedule."
"Ah, no, it's just that I'm worried about you suddenly becoming so calm… Well, can I ask you something? Why do you have such high expectations of me?"
Otto was a little taken aback by Subaru's sudden normal attitude as he sat down at the table, but after accepting it he voiced his question.
Indeed, from his perspective, his relationship with Subaru was short and not one that he could build up trust with. Of course, Subaru's relationship with him was not a strong or long one either.
Having come into contact with him a few times during the previous loop, she simply has a more favorable impression of him than she currently has of Otto.
So why was Subaru so attached to Otto?
"To be honest, there's no reason for me to be so attached to you. It's not like I value you as an individual, and the main reason I reached out to you is because our conditions were right."
"That's very frank. -- I understand, but what are the conditions?"
"In terms of the royal selection process, he is not affiliated with any faction. He is quick to calculate the pros and cons, and has an easy-to-understand eye for winning people over to his side through negotiations. And above all else, he doesn't look upon Emilia, a half-elf, with discriminatory eyes."
"――――"
After hearing the three conditions Subaru listed, Otto looked in silence.
None of these conditions could be ignored, given the current situation Subaru and company found himself in. And from what Subaru had come across so far, Otto Suen met those minimum requirements.
Otto remained silent as he waited for Subaru's reaction.
His eyes were different from the ones he had had earlier when he was exchanging light-hearted banter; now they shone with a calm light and flickered as if he was trying to gauge what was going on inside of me.
I sense that I am being appraised. I don't even hide it. Since I was the one who appraised them first, it's only natural that they would do so.
"And this is just my opinion."
"--Let me hear it."
"I felt like I could get along well with you. Honestly, the more allies Emilia-tan has the better, but if those allies are people I get along with, that's even better. Oh, and also, don't show any sexual affection towards Emilia-tan. If that happens, I'll have to kill you, even if you become my stilt-walking friend…!"
"Just because she's a love rival does that make her a target for annihilation?"
"If I have a rival, I have zero chance of winning! Don't underestimate my lack of confidence in myself, okay? In my life so far, the number of people who have affirmed me can be counted on one hand."
The breakdown would be his parents, Rem, Wilhelm, Emilia, and, conditionally, Julius and Reinhard. Thinking about it, it seems he's counted the number on one hand before he even realized it.
If he had come to a different world and been praised for it, could he have believed that he was doing something right? Even though he didn't feel that anything had visibly changed.
Anyway,
"My goodness, what a refreshingly forthright person you are. If you don't even try and pull some tricks on a merchant, you're an easy target to take advantage of at the negotiating table."
"If this was supposed to be a negotiating session, I might have tried a little harder, but it's not a merchant and a sucker here, it's just you and me, right? If that's how you intended it, I'd switch gears and attitude."
"You value my skills as a merchant, and yet you say something like that? You say that before the ink has even dried on your tongue… what is this?"
Otto still had a troubled look on his face, but the tense guarded expression from earlier had vanished and he sighed. He closed one eye at Subaru's carefree attitude,
"I know I shouldn't be bringing this up here, Natsuki-san, but I have goals too… nothing grand enough to tell other people about, but I do have dreams."
"It seems to me that a man's dreams can either be so ridiculous that they can be spoken of in a grand manner, or so ridiculous that they have to be kept to themselves. Would you like to hear them?"
"The fact that I agree with you makes me feel bad... You see, I'm the second son of a fairly decent merchant family. I was raised in a fairly wealthy household when I was little, but when it came to thinking about becoming independent, my family wasn't in a position to do anything for me."
It was unclear how much it had in common with the circumstances of his siblings in Subaru's world, but in this world too, family businesses and the nobility were generally hereditary - and the system in which the eldest son inherited seemed to be the norm.
In that case, just like in Subaru's medieval fantasy, Otto, born as the second son, would be expected to either assist the eldest son who would inherit the family business or help him become independent.
"I learned the basics of business while helping my brother run the business, and after I earned enough money on my own, I went independent. I used my connections to buy the earth dragon Furufū and a dragon carriage, and did fairly well… well, I also had the 『Divine Protection』 I was born with, so I think it went fairly well."
"By protection, I think you mean the protection of 『Soul of Words』. Certainly if you have the protection of being able to converse with various animals, it seems like you could make a ton of money depending on how you use it."
"It's not as convenient as it sounds though. I'm sure there are many more troublesome issues than you can imagine, Natsuki. Anyway, I've been working hard like this for several years, and during that time a dream has begun to grow."
Continuing on from the story of how he became independent, Otto brings up the word "dream" that he mentioned earlier. Subaru sits up straight and prepares to listen to the word, for no particular reason. Otto responds with a friendly laugh, prefaced by saying, "It's a common story."
"It's a wish that every peddling merchant dreams of. To have a shop that will become my castle, and to be able to stay there and continue doing business. If I could do that in a big town, it would be the greatest joy for a merchant."
"Is that your dream, Otto?"
"It's a silly wish. In the end, what I've been seeking has led me to the same place where I was born and raised. But, I guess that environment is a symbol of good fortune to me."
Otto scratched his cheek in embarrassment and spoke quickly to hide his embarrassment. Subaru was convinced by his answer, but he put his weight back in his chair, carefully considering whether he would get a positive response.
However, ignoring Subaru's worries, Otto continued, "So,"
"As the second son of a merchant and a future great merchant, I can't pass up the opportunity to sell a favor to a big shot like a Margrave. What's more, the person I'm selling the favor to might be a future king. That's a business opportunity too big for me to ever get again, even if I were to start my life over again."
"Okay, so that means you'll cooperate. Thank you, I'm happy. I knew you'd say that, Otto. Continue organizing the documents."
"Huh?! I said something pretty good just now, right? But isn't my reaction a bit weak?"
"I feel like I'll lose if I respond honestly, impressed by it… Well, either way, the moment I get my hands on those documents that would be problematic if an outsider were to see them, I can't let him get away without any problems.
"This guy is awful even in full circle!"
The end result of their lengthy exchanges remains unchanged, and Otto's renewed resolve goes unrewarded. Even as Subaru teases Otto, he can't help but feel grateful to him deep down. Though he never says it aloud.
"Let me just say that I am not like Natsuki-san who will unconditionally side with Emilia-sama. Currently, I am only associating with her on certain conditions. If, for example, a factional dispute were to arise between the Margrave and Emilia-sama, then I will carefully consider the pros and cons of the situation and choose a side. Please do not misunderstand that I am completely on your side."
"Just the fact that you can choose between Emilia-tan and Roswaal like that means you're now in my palm. I'll teach you the good points of Emilia-tan in due time, so don't worry. —You were listening to what I was saying just now, right?"
Subaru tried to mediate between Otto, who was making endless excuses, and at the end of his sentence he turned away from him and brought up the topic. Otto looked taken aback by Subaru's actions, and as if drawn to the direction Subaru was looking in, he turned his eyes to where Subaru was looking.
"Yes… no, yes. I heard you properly, Subaru-sama."
A girl dressed as a waiter stood there, smiling with a lovely face and flowing chestnut hair.
This is the second change to the mansion over the past two days.
Realizing that it was physically impossible for Frederica to maintain the mansion on her own (Subaru was helping out, but her abilities as a servant were half-baked and her health had not yet fully recovered), she went down to Arlam Village to ask for help, and the person who jumped in with open arms was Petra Leyte.
A resident of Arlam village, she had also been an evacuee from the royal capital and had returned to the village safely, but was still spending anxious times in the village, where more than half of the residents had still not returned.
However, when she heard that Frederica's mansion was looking for new maids, she immediately jumped at the opportunity, and due to her enthusiasm and the lack of other candidates, she was hired by the mansion on a temporary basis.
"Even though you're still so young, you've left your parents to become a maid. How great is that, Petra."
"I'm already twelve years old, so I'm a respectable adult who can work… No, I'm an adult. Please treat me like an adult, Subaru-sama."
"Once I learn to use honorific language and receive the full license from Frederica and can become a temporary maid, I'll think about it. Until then, you'll always be treated like a cute girl by me."
When I roughly stroked the head of the girl who was moving around, the girl, whose neatly arranged hair was being messed up, squealed and clung to me. For some reason, it was a different reaction than I had imagined, but it was a much better reaction than being insulted and spat on.
In any case, even though she is at an age where she is fashionable and wants to act older than she is, Petra's surprisingly strong character and upbringing make her quite suitable to be a maid. Although she still has many areas to improve on, it's safe to say that she is already better than Subaru when it comes to cleaning and meal preparation, including Frederica's support. Subaru is seriously useless.
And so, from outside the door to the office, she had been listening in on the conversation inside. Of course, it was Subaru's instructions, and her plan was to lure Otto into making an inappropriate remark and block his escape route.
Otto noticed this and glared at Subaru, his face turning red.
"Did that happen――!?"
"It's nothing worth worrying about. With a third party involved, what you said earlier has been recorded as official in both name and reality. It was just a desperate attempt to secure the jury's approval… think of it that way."
"What's so tearful about someone who talks about this as manipulation?"
Holding his head, Otto realized he had no way out and started yelling half in tears, but it was already too late. Grinning at Otto, Subaru gave a thumbs up to Petra, who was standing at the door.
"Good job, Petra. But won't Frederica get angry at you for wasting your time on something like this?"
"This is the time when I clean the hallways. I won't be scolded if I take more time than usual to clean the hallway in front of the lord's room."
"How sly. Even if she's small, a girl is still a girl..."
Petra relaxed her cheeks with joy, taking in the last part of Subaru's sentimental words. It was true that there was something comforting about her unchanging reaction and attitude.
Petra, like Otto, is an ally who is not under Roswaal's influence.
Compared to Otto, Petra can do little for Emilia as a supporter, and her influence may be less than that of Subaru. But she does not fear Emilia. Subaru has not forgotten how she treated Emilia head-on on the journey to the royal capital. Surely, the same is true for Emilia.
There's no doubt that there will be times when Emilia will be saved just by his presence.
"The more allies you have, the better. It's not a question of what you can do. What's important is what you want to do for that person, and what you can become able to do. In the first place, if I talked about the number of things I can do, I'd end up in a terrible situation."
Subaru is well aware that if he counts the pros and cons, the cons outweigh the pros. Still, he wants to be on her side, so he has no choice but to make do with what he has and ask for what he doesn't.
It may be called brazen, but there's no denying that it's a satisfying calculation.
"We're still far from young, but let's work hard from here on out. These are us, the original members of the Emilia faction."
Subaru declared, clenching his fist and thrusting it out.
In response, Otto and Petra, who had been left behind, exchanged glances.
"I never said anything about joining that faction, okay? Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"
"I want to be on my sister's side, but I don't want to lose to her when it comes to important matters..."
Otto scratched his head in exasperation. Petra put her hands behind her back, lowered her face and fidgeted. They both muttered.
However, there was no room for doubt about their good nature, as they still joined us in bumping fists at the end.
And so, during the two days leading up to the Sanctuary, although it was only a small step forward, time passed with Subaru feeling something definite.