The late afternoon sun bathed the garden in a warm, golden light, painting Emilia's silver hair with a soft halo as she listened intently. Across from her, Artorius spoke calmly of lessons on magecraft with the ease of a seasoned teacher.
"—and so," he said, extending one hand outward, "the effect of mystery is the lifeblood of magecraft."
A small orb of fire, no larger than a candle flame, flickered into existence above my palm. It danced softly, untethered to the wind, casting a gentle orange glow across Emilia's fascinated face.
"In the place I come from," Artorius continued, voice steady, "this magecraft is nearly impossible to produce. Fire has been so thoroughly understood that its mystery has faded. And without mystery, magecraft withers. The only exception to this would be a Magic Crest, passed down with spells relating to fire."
Emilia tilted her head slightly, curiosity alight in her gaze. "Where are you from, then?"
Artorius allowed a faint smile to touch his lips, the fire dissolving into mist with a flick of his fingers. "A faraway place," he said lightly. "One you wouldn't find on any map."
There was a moment of hesitation before Emilia, prompted by the casual atmosphere, asked another question. "Are you... a noble?"
Artorius arched a brow, amused. "And why would you think that?"
"Well..." Emilia played with a lock of her hair, her cheeks colouring faintly. "You just seem... refined. Like you're untouchable somehow. The way you speak, the way you carry yourself... It reminds me of the nobles I've read about."
A chuckle escaped him. With a nod, he confirmed, "You're not wrong. I am of noble blood."
Before Emilia could ask more, a sudden breeze stirred the garden as a playful voice entered the conversation.
"A noble, huh?" Puck materialised in the air beside them, his small form gleaming in the sunlight. He spun lazily, studying Artorius with bright, mischievous eyes. "Then tell me, your lordship, what's your full name?"
Artorius fought the urge to smirk. "Maximus Decimus Artorius."
Puck's stare was flat, unimpressed. "You're lying."
With a short laugh, Artorius lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Caught me. Very well… My name Jeff."
"Still lying," Puck said instantly, deadpan.
Artorius sighed theatrically. "Merciless you are, O' Great Spirit."
Puck grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
Straightening slightly, Artorius let the truth slip forth—or at least, a truth that suited the moment. "My name is Arthur Pendragon. But that name... it is more of a title than a true name. 'Artorius' is the name I hold closer to my heart. So, for now, just call me Artorius. Artorius Pendragon."
He wasted no time changing the subject, his voice adopting a lighter, curious tone. "Now, why don't you tell me about your methods of magecraft—I mean magic?"
Emilia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, the crisp sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the quiet.
From a side path, Rem and Ram emerged in perfect tandem. Their identical expressions were, in a sense, creepy.
"The master of the house has returned," Ram announced, her voice cutting cleanly through the garden's hush.
Roswaal had come home.
***
The dining room of the Roswaal Mansion was just as extravagant as Artorius had expected — tall windows letting in the first light of the day, walls lined with fine paintings, and a long, polished table stretching across the room.
At the head of the table sat Roswaal himself, in his iconic clown fit, smiling in that odd, lopsided way of his. Artorius sat near the other end, directly across from Emilia, with Beatrice to his left, absentmindedly playing with Puck, who was floating around the table like a lazy balloon. Rem and Ram moved around the room, setting plates and silverware, bringing out dish after dish of warm food.
Roswaal lifted his wine glass slightly, breaking the quiet. "First of all... I must thank you, Artorius, for protecting Lady Emilia. I shudder to think what might have happened otherwise."
Artorius gave a small, humble smile. "You give me too much credit. Lady Emilia is a strong one. I'm sure she would've handled herself just fine without me."
Roswaal chuckled softly, setting his glass down with a soft clink. "Modest too, hmm? No, your involvement was crucial. I insissssst. In fact..." His strange, colourful eyes narrowed slightly with interest. "I'd like to offer you a reward. Tell me — is there anything you desire?"
Artorius leaned back slightly in his chair, thinking it over. The offer was generous, but he had no intention of asking for gold or titles. After a moment, he spoke, his voice even.
"If possible... I'd like to stay here for a while. My body still needs time to recover from the strain it's been under. And, if Lady Emilia is willing, I'd like to learn a bit of magic from her."
He dipped his head respectfully toward Emilia, who blinked, a little caught off guard, but quickly smiled warmly.
Roswaal tilted his head, looking amused. "Is that aaaall? You save Lady Emilia, the royal candidate I support, and ask only for lodging and lessons? You drive a poorrrr bargain, my friend."
Artorius gave a quiet laugh. "I don't think it's right to demand more when I've already been given so much."
"Then allow me to sweeten the deal," Roswaal said, raising a finger. "How about official employment? A position as Emilia's guard — with handsome pay, of course."
Artorius chuckled again, a little more openly this time. "Tempting. Very tempting. But I'm afraid I can't stay tied to one place for too long. There are... places I need to reach eventually."
Roswaal steepled his fingers together, his gaze sharp. "Hmm... Is my offer not good enough? Or do you perhaps have another master you serve?"
"No, nothing like that," Artorius said, shaking his head. "I once even worked as an assassin, so honest work is great for me. But I have to return to my home."
"The Kingdom of Britain, wasn't it?" Roswaal asked, voice curious now.
Artorius nodded. "Yes. A land far, far from here."
The words hung heavy in the air. Even Beatrice stopped fiddling with Puck for a moment, looking over with narrowed eyes. Emilia's fork hovered just above her plate, forgotten.
Roswaal leaned in slightly. "The Kingdom of Britain... I've never heard of such a place. Are you–?"
Artorius met Roswaal's gaze without flinching. "Of course, you haven't, Lord Roswaal. After all, it is not a kingdom of this world at all. In fact, I am also not from this world, I come from another world, a world much different from here."
A heavy silence fell over the table.
Puck was the first to break it, spinning lazily in the air. "He's telling the truth."
Emilia's eyes widened. "You're really... from another world?"
Artorius smiled, a little tired but genuine. "Seems that way. I'm not sure how I ended up here. One moment, I was somewhere else, and the next... I woke up in this world."
Roswaal drummed his fingers lightly on the table. "Fascinating. Truly fascinatinnnngggg."
"Don't worry," Artorius added, waving his hand casually. "I'm not planning to take over the world or anything. I'm just trying to find a way home. Though..." He paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll start an underground criminal organisation."
Beatrice made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. Puck actually let out a tiny snicker. Emilia just stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
Roswaal, however, only smiled wider.
***
That went better than I expected, and I got something new. Yes, chat, the revealing of me being from another world was all part of my plan… well, not really, it was more of a improvision.
Originally, I wanted to leave the mansion after recovering from this horrid muscle atrophy, but my plans slightly changed when Roswaal mentioned employing me and… he was insistent on it.
Echidna's at work, there is no doubt about it. To Roswaal, things other than freeing his teacher should matter little unless the Book of Wisdom/Gospel tells him something. Which means, I am somehow important to whatever he is planning.
I have one way of knowing, a measure of how interested Echidna is in me. Plus, in this method, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
In any case, I should look around, map out the mansion, annoy the residents and overall have a normal walk. Emilia's currently studying, Rem and Ram are working in the gardens, and Roswaal is resting in his quarters, which leaves me and my little target alone.
Well, emotional manipulation isn't my favourite, but sometimes, you gotta drive in the mud.
Now then, a German and a jew walk into a bar, which door was it? Um… This door.
Opening one of the random doors, I was met with the surprise Pikachu expression on Beatrice's face, with my now eagle-like vision, it was quite easy to read what was written on her open book. As I'd suspected…
"Oh my, that's a big book for someone so little." Stepping into the library, I made my way to Beatrice, taking a peek from above. She shrank under my presence. I saw her mouth move, as if trying to say something but ultimately failing.
"So what's this? A fanfic?" I grabbed the book right out of her hand, scrolled through the pages, which were all blank."You haven't written anything? Feeling burned out without even writing, not being able to write like you wanted to, so scrapping every draft? Hm?"
It was strange seeing Beatrice be so meek. She was a tsundere, the kind that would disappear when it came to bidding someone else goodbye, but still watch from the window. She was most likely tied up looking after me last night, so this was probably the first time she read it.
So I stopped joking around and put my armoured hand over her head, gently.
"Sorry for taking so long," I spoke cryptically, in a way only she would understand. "You must've waited for a long time, right in front of this door." I won't say I am doing her a favour, I'm not prideful enough to do that. I am going to hell. That is a fact that I've accepted for a long time. So adding another isn't a big deal.
Slapping the book aside, she looked at me with desperation in her eyes. Well, this is it.
"In that case." I knelt, met her eye-to-eye, and extended my hand out.. "Would you, Lady Beatrice, allow me, Arthur Pendragon, to serve as your knight for eternity, and even may death not do us apart."
Tear welled up in her eyes as she took my hand. "I, Beatrice, on my honour, am henceforth bound by this contract. You are my new master..... Good to be working with you... I suppose." At the end, her cheeks turned red as she averted her gaze, somewhat afraid to make eye contact. After her mother, the one other person in this world she related to, 'Puck' had become attentive to a half-elf child, only focused on keeping an eye on and taking care of the half-elf, he..... much to Beatrice's dismay, had changed... well, she changed too!
Wait, since I got Beatrice on my side faster, does that mean I am higher on the Lolimancer hierarchy?
***
"Rem, Rem, do you see what I see?"
"Sister, sister. Lady Beatrice is sitting on Lord Artorius' lap."
"... Hmph. Betty doesn't have to explain herself to you." Beatrice looked away with a slightly annoyed expression on her face. For now, she didn't want anyone to bother her. 'That Person' had finally arrived, and she was cranky considering the time spent talking to these two buffons would be time spent ignoring him.
"Don't mind us. I'm just scouting the mansion with Beatrice, who is in serious need of fresh air. I would imagine looking after the library and staying holed up all day was bad for her health." He took a spoonful of tonight's dinner, meat and peas. "A pinch more salt on this."
Picking up Beatrice by her shoulders, he placed her on his shoulders. Moving out the door, he made sure to kneel at the door to avoid Beatrice hitting her head on it.
He remembered reading from someone in a YouTube comment that Satella had essentially used a superpowered Yin magic to bring Subaru here from another world. He didn't know much about magic from this world, but he knew Beatrice was a Great Spirit of Yin. She would find him a way, in time, until then he would live life as he had before.
***
(A/N: Sorry for the delayed upload. I was at my grandparents who live in the mountains, so... no internet. I originally wanted this chapter to be about 5k words to get it to 15k, but... change of plans. Anyways, throw stones, I will throw words, throw a review, I will throw a chapter.)