CHAPTER 2

[AI CENSORSHIP BLOCKED THIS CHUNK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

As a result of the conversation with Frederica, they set off for the Sanctuary in the morning two days after.

“To be honest, I’m gettin’ restless just waiting around, but…”

Arms crossed, Subaru made a sound in his throat, the impatience in his heart unavoidable. But, according to Frederica, two days of preparation were necessary to get to the Sanctuary. Subaru could not dismiss her opinion.

“The Sanctuary is protected by a special barrier…the Lost Woods of Clemaldy. The barrier keeps outside presences away by leading them astray, hence why it is called the Lost Woods. Two days of preparation are required to nullify that barrier.”

Thus had Frederica explained, intuitively calming Subaru so that he was not tempted to let haste make waste.

Though at first, Subaru found the talk of the “barrier” rather fishy, Frederica’s explanation after the fact made him accept that it was the case.

“It’s a place with a history of accepting demi-humans… Huh.”

When he voiced the special way it had been expressed to him, Subaru vigorously scratched his own head.

It was something of an iron rule in fantasy worlds that there was friction between human and demi-human races. This world apparently was no exception. In the Kingdom of Lugunica, too, scorn against demi-humans was customary with many people. Subaru’s experiences to date had led him to form a particular conclusion.

The prejudice and scorn toward demi-humans was likely an extension of the deep-rooted enmity toward half-elves.

Even so, perhaps due to some kind of conciliatory policy in the capital, he’d seen quite a few demi-humans in the Merchants’ District and in the slums. However, he’d seen none in the Nobles’ District—

“From what I read in a history book, they had this civil war called the Demi-human War in just the last century, too. Come to think of it, I heard a song related to that from Liliana, too, didn’t I…?”

Liliana was a bard who had stopped by at Roswaal Manor during one of her journeys. He was certain that one of the songs she had sung during her stay at the mansion touched on that historical event.

“Kind of late to realize it, but…‘The Ballad of the Sword Devil’ sounds a lot like Wilhelm’s nickname. Maybe that song’s why he came to be called the Sword Devil in the first place…”

Subaru gave a satisfied nod as the manly sight of the swordsman he imagined melded with the heroic tale inside his head.

As a matter of fact, Wilhelm was indeed the main character of “The Ballad of the Sword Devil,” but Subaru, petty man that he was, dismissed out of hand the idea that he personally knew a man whose name was recorded in the annals of history.

“Ah, Master Subaru, so you were indeed here.”

Subaru was thrown off his train of thought when the door quietly opened and a voice spoke to him through it. When he looked back, he met the eyes of the girl peering in through the gap of the door.

The girl with reddish-brown hair and a ribbon on her head entered with an adorable smile as she addressed him.

“It’s almost time to leave, so I thought if you weren’t in your room, you might be here…”

“Servant lifestyle got me used to waking up bright and early… Wait, properly speaking, I stillama servant, so I’d better stop talkin’ likethat…”

“But I think… Ibelievethose odd clothes suit you better than a servant’s uniform, Master Subaru.”

“You’re payin’ attention to your words, but you need a little more practice choosing them, I guess?”

The girl gave a pained smile as she quickly corrected her own words as Subaru rose from his chair and gave his back a stretch. The young girl in the servant’s outfit—Petra Leyte—gazed at Subaru with her round eyes.

Petra was one of the children living in Earlham Village who’d long befriended Subaru. There was a reason she was dressed in a maid outfit that very moment.

“Gotta say, it’s only two days since asking for maid applicants in the village, and only one since you’ve actually been in the mansion… I’m impressed you were able to find me without getting lost. That’s almost too good for a girl your age away from your parents like this.”

“I’m already twelve years old, plenty old enough to be a working g—I mean, an adult. Master Subaru, please treat me like a proper adult.”

“I’ll think about it when you master polite speech and get Frederica’s stamp of approval. Until then, you’re an apprentice maid in on-the-job-training, so I’m gonna treat you as cute as I feel like!”

Subaru shot the precocious Petra a smile as he mussed her hair with strokes of his hand. Petra gave an enjoyablekya!sound as she squatted, perhaps certain she was making a clean getaway.

Either way, it had been a simple process to get Petra into the mansion as a maid.

Frederica was keenly feeling the limits of a single person’s power to manage the vast mansion. When she’d sought applicants from the village to help her, it was Petra who had responded.

At first, there was concern about her young age, but Petra’s personality and suitability for the job had both proved exceptional.

“Compared to you, Master Subaru, she is highly proficient, and her future prospects are bright. She stands out among all the girls I have taught to date… Ah, Master Subaru, please sit down and relax.”

That was the assessment Frederica had given after instructing Petra over those last two days. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to recruit someone like Petra who could grasp the details of the mansion and its environs in such a short time.

It was enough for her to understand exactly where Subaru had unconsciously let his feet take him—

“You came to say goodbye to Miss Rem, right?”

“…Well, somethin’ like that. I don’t plan to be away that long, but I wanted to see her face. I’m countin’ on you to take care of her while I’m gone, Petra.”

Subaru conveyed his words in a joking tone as he gazed within the bedroom—and at Rem lying on the bed within. Her appearance never changed no matter how many times he came, or how many hours he spent at her side. Even so, he visited when he had time.

“…Master Subaru, it’s almost time to set out, so…”

After Subaru fell silent, Petra tugged at his sleeve, indicating that it was time for him and Petra to part ways. Indulging in her generosity, Subaru said only one final thing:

“…Well, I’m off, then. Be a good girl and wait, ’kay?”

After saying goodbye to Rem’s sleeping face, he brushed his hair back as he left the room.

“Master Subaru, it must be pretty hard for you, having so many people in your thoughts…”

“I feel that’s like what people say to describe a playboy… Ah, well, it’s not like I’m splitting my feelings into two prongs or something, but I have to admit…”

Subaru, heading for the rendezvous point at the mansion entryway, cringed under Petra’s exasperated-sounding verbal assault, despite the fairly indirect way she put it.

That being said, Petra was not referring only to such things, but also to the context of the pair’s current actions.

“I kinda figured I wouldn’t find anything, but no luck here. You?”