…

  3rd Pov

  The journey to the Capital was a peaceful one, with three of them or four if you include Puck were seated in the carriage as they passed by the Flugel’s tree.

  Rem was driving the carriage, while Emilia and Subaru were seated in the back.

  “Impressive, they all have been promoted into quasi-spirits!” Puck praised Subaru as he looked at Subaru’s four spirits, all of which were now quasi-spirits.

  “The Spirits make contracts with humans for another reason, depending on the Spiritual affinity of the contractor they receive a boost in their growth, and spend much less time to advance to next rank of spirits” Puck expined.

  “Zero’s Spiritual talent is highest I have ever seen, monstrous if you ask me so it is not unreasonable that in one month all of his Lesser Spirits became Quasi-Spirits” Puck said.

  “That’s amazing Zero!” Emilia’s eyes shined, she only felt admiration towards Subaru.

  “Well, I guess this is indeed something impressive, Damn I didn’t knew this before otherwise I would have contracted a Lesser Earth Spirit from the beginning” he said.

  He realized that Spirits grow faster with a contract and depending on their Contractor’s Spiritual affinity around half a month ago, when he realized that he quickly contracted a Lesser Earth Spirit.

  “Despite the forest beside the mansion, I couldn’t find any Earth Quasi-Spirits” he sighed, and summoned his spirits.

  Five bobs of mana manifested in his hands, they were Quasi Spirits of Fire, Wind, Water and Yang, with a less shining Lesser Spirit of Earth.

  “With the rate your spirits are evolving, I estimate a year would be enough for them to become True Spirits” Puck said surprising all three of them.

  ‘Master Zero is really strong’ Rem thought as she drove the carriage.

  “Zero, you still ck a Yin Spirit, why haven’t you contracted one already?” asked Puck floating.

  “Yes! Zero why haven’t you contracted an Earth Spirit? If you do, you will become a Spirit Knight just like Sir Julius,” asked Emilia.

  Subaru sighed and said “There is a valid reason for that, however I cannot tell you now”

  Puck remained silent though he had an inkling of what he wanted, while Emilia was confused.

  Soon they arrived at the Capital, Subaru was wearing a bck T-Shirt and blue pants.

  He had a belt strapped, with a sheath containing a fine sword.

  As they walked towards their destination, he encountered the Appa store and the owner that he had met when he had just arrived.

  Although in the test loop he hadn’t encountered Appa store, he had promised to buy Appas from him in previous loops.

  “Sir, can we get some Appas?” he asked with Emilia beside him, Rem had gone to secure a pce for them to stay.

  “Oh! Indeed!” Appa store smiled, soon he was holding a bag of Appa’s while eating one raw.

  “Apples are good, no matter the world” he commented.

  “Apples?” Emilia looked at him confused.

  “Oh, I mean Appas, from where I come from, they are known as Apples” he expined to her and she nodded in understanding.

  “Emilia try one Appa as well” he said finishing a Appa and handing it over to her.

  “I have never eaten an Appa raw… However, I will try” she said while Subaru’s eyebrows twitched.

  “Raw? Do you boil it and eat them?” he asked feigning surprise.

  “No! I mean, I haven’t eaten Appas that aren’t peeled” she said shaking her head, blushing in embarrassment.

  “Haha, I was just joking” he smiled and she pouted a little.

  Soon they arrived at their destination and so he met him, the ‘Finest of Knights- Julius Juukulius’

  “Lady Emilia it is nice to meet you” he said kneeling before her.

  “You have grown only more beautiful” he said taking her hand and pnting a kiss on it.

  “Ah! You must be the famed ‘Finest of Knights’ Sir Julius” Subaru said and he looked at him.

  “Whom you might be?” Julius asked.

  “I am Emilia’s bodyguard- sort of her unofficial Knight for the time being, you can call me Zero” he said while analysing Julius.

  Julius’ eyes got a glint on hearing Subaru call himself an unofficial Knight and he said “As a bodyguard you should know your position and call Lady Emilia with respect, and must add a respectful title before her name”

  “Man, chill don’t be so serious about Knightly customs” Subaru chuckled however it seemed to only anger the Knight.

  “It is dishonourable for a Knight to take everything so lightly, Miss Emilia, I recommend you to take someone else as your bodyguard- preferably an official Knight” Julius suggested.

  Subaru’s smiled dropped and he muttered “What’s about great being a Knight anyway?”

  Julius was angered however before he could say anything Emilia interrupted “Enough! There is no need for you to fight with him Zero”

  Subaru raised his hands in defeat “Fine” he muttered.

  Julius too nodded giving a gnce at Subaru before walking towards the door of the mansion, to open it for Emilia.

  “Miss Emilia, I will get the conference mirrors ready… Although I suggest you don’t bring him inside” he said.

  Subaru remained silent and looked at Emilia, who hesitated.

  ‘Puck, what should I do?’ she asked her wannabe father.

  ‘Hmm, while Zero is a good bodyguard he cks etiquette which can be a problem as Roswaal suggested, and I don’t think you will be in any danger with so many knights, especially Julius here’ Puck said.

  She turned towards Zero and said “Zero, I apologize however you should stay back”

  He looked at her in slight disbelief before nodding “Fine”

  …

  ‘Here I thought I am her best friend’ he felt slight sour, having been given the same treatment as original Subaru.

  ‘Well, she did hesitate, not to mention Roswaal has been pulling strings, if not for him Emilia would let me participate more in her tasks’ he thought, however he wasn’t particurly sad.

  ‘Whatever! I will see what happens tomorrow, this is also an opportunity to meet Priscil’ he said.

  He wanted to confirm the personality of Prisicil, one of the candidates in Royal Selection and examine how different or simir her personality was to the original timeline.

  He ordered his Wind Spirit to search for a woman with orange hair and crimson eyes.

  While quasi-spirits like Lesser spirits couldn’t communicate verbally, they could transmit their emotions and had a certain sense of self.

  Thus, they could do some simple tasks, soon he reached into an alley and saw the three thugs trying to corner Priscil.

  (A/N: They are courting death XD)

  “Do you want to mess up your pretty face?” said Gon.

  “Yeah, if you don’t want to ruin that pretty face of yours, you better give all the money you have,” said Chin.

  Kan meanwhile nodded.

  “Don’t make such a racket commoners… Truly foolish people pick up a fight for most of the foolish reasons, though I guess it is expected from wastes like you” she smirked while insulting them.

  Three of them fumed in anger hearing their insults.

  “Oh man, didn’t I told you st time to give up on stealing and earn money in an honourable way?” suddenly they heard someone’s voice and the thieves turned back to see Subaru.

  “Huh? Who the he- wait a minute! You are the same guy before then! Who beat us all three!” Chin said shocked, stepping back.

  “What should we do?” Kan asked looked at Subaru in fear.

  However, before they could react, Subaru moved his body a blur and three of them were thrown away like a sack.

  “Damn it! Run!” Chin said as he stood up groaning in pain and ran away, followed by the two.

  “There, they are gone” he said as he looked at their backs and turned towards Priscil.

  “Do you expect mineself to praise you peasant? You only made it less enjoyable for me” she said while holding her fan.

  “I guess it’s called a basic decency to thank someone- Though in this case it should have been them to thank me for saving their lives” he said with a smirk.

  “Ohooo, you knew? Not bad peasant” she smirked and then continued.

  “The world is designed to operate the best way for me… So, it can only mean that you are meant to be my servant!” she decred proudly pointing her fan at him.

  “Huh?” Subaru looked at her confused.

  How the heck it went from zero to hundred out of nowhere?!

  She summoned her Yang Sword and sshed towards him; Subaru’s eyes widened as he barely dodged her strike.

  “Hmm… Not bad, rejoice peasant! I shall give you a chance of serving mineself!” Priscil said with a grin while unsummoning her sword.

  “No thanks, also sshing at me… You are too full of yourself” he said gring at her, his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

  “Hmph! I was just testing you, if my servant cannot dodge a casual attack from me… Then they aren’t worthy of even carrying my shoes” she said as she stepped forward.

  Her eyes suddenly fell on the Appas which he was holding in his paper bag.

  “What is this peasant?” she asked, as if forgetting her earlier actions.

  “Great! I have met a blind woman” he snarled and her eyes narrowed.

  “Apologize peasant, my magnanimity has its limits” she said with a small gre.

  “Nope, I won’t and for your information it’s an Appa” he said.

  “Lies! Appas have white flesh! You can’t fool me… To think you will try to fool me with such a btant lie!” she said dissatisfied.

  “Oh really?” he smirked and kept the bag of Appas beside him, took an Appa and threw it upwards and drew his swords then in a beautiful arc he strikes.

  Then he caught the Appa, which was now peeled, and cut into several pieces.

  Seeing this Priscil’s eyes shined a bit.

  “Hmm, so you were speaking truth… Indeed, you are destined to be my servant” she smirked.

  “Nope, I won’t be your servant… In fact I won’t be anyone’s servant- I am King of mineself and love my freedom very much so thank you” he said putting a piece of Appa in his mouth and chewing.

  Priscil’s eyes narrowed before she sighed and said “Whatever, the world works as I desire. I am sure you will soon come to me wanting to become my servant, while wagging your tail”

  ‘If she wasn’t a Royal Candidate I would have given her the taste of my E-rated fists’ he thought with his eyebrows twitching.

  “My Lady! You are here!” Alderban said as he entered the Alley with Emilia beside him.

  “Oh, Emilia you are here” Subaru said as he looked at Emilia and she pouted a bit.

  “Didn’t I told you to wait outside? I had to search for you!” she said dissatisfied.

  “C’mon, I am not your servant” Subaru said and she flinched.

  “Ahh, I am Sorry Zero” she said bowing her head.

  “Hmm, you waited for me where I would be, I commend for your dedication Al” Priscil said suddenly garnering their attention.

  Emilia quickly hid behind Subaru seeing another Royal Candidate while Priscil smirked.

  “Let’s leave Emilia, and man you better control your master otherwise she might go murdering people” Subaru said to Al who nodded somewhat absentminded.

  “Fufu… Zero, I will be waiting when you swear your fealty to me” Priscil said waving her fan as she looked at the standing carriage.

  Emilia flinched and tugged Subaru’s sleeves and asked “What is she saying Zero?” her voice contained nervousness.

  “Nothing, just some nonsense of a narcissistic woman” he said an Al stood in front of him.

  “It’s not nice to insult my Lady in front of me” he said to Subaru while with narrowed eyes under his helmet.

  “Whatever, Hey Miss Orange hair here catch!” he said throwing the cut apple to her and she caught it, looking at him somewhat confused.

  Then she smiled “I see offering mineself this sweet Appa to cur favour with me… I will be more pleased if you were to kneel before me”

  Subaru rolled his eyes in exasperation ‘What will she think if she knew, I threw the apple to her as I wasn’t going to eat it and didn’t want to waste it either?’

  (A/N: He is basically using her as an organic dustbin XD)

  Priscil put a piece in her mouth and nodded satisfied- Ignoring that he had literally used a sword to cut it and got up in the carriage.

  Alderban took the reins and drove the carriage away.

  “S-So Zero, she is…” Emilia looked at him with hesitation, Priscil’s earlier words have put doubt in her mind.

  “Oh! If you mean by the fact that she is one of the Royal Candidates… Then yes, I know” he said and her doubts intensified and she became silent.

  ‘Does Zero want to leave me? Why? Because I am a half-elf?’ she thought in desperation, Zero after all was his first and best-friend.

  “I confirmed her personality… In simple words she thinks she is Gilgamesh- just repcing the word Mongrel with Peasant or commoner in her speeches” he joked though he knew she wouldn’t get the reference.

  She nodded and soon they arrived at the inn and thus the day passed.

  To be continued...

  (A/N: Give me more comments, jokes here aren't for show. So show me your support, tell me details you like, or things that perhaps I have done wrong.)