A/N — Hey, this is a fat chapter (5700 words). I kinda like these long chapters, but it might be too much for some people, and I also can't write every day if I do that. Plus, since I didn't write for 4 months (and now have more time), I might delete the fic and re-post it. Tell me what you think.
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"Fufu.~ Color me surprised." The bodacious lady chuckled as she seductively gazed at Subaru. "So, is that the extent of what you have or the extent of what you are willing to give?"
"What I'm willing to give…"
"I see." She smiled, switching her gaze to his stomach for a second. "And some say I show too much skin. Lovely."
"Y-You're just teasing me…"
"My. Of course."
When was the last time he was blushing like that? Middle school? When he got mocked because he couldn't win a single duel against a girl during his kendo training? Nah. As much as he can remember, his face was never as flushed as it is now.
And knowing everyone could see his embarrassment only added more embarrassment on top of it all.
It was enough to make him sweat.
—All of thisan insignia…
Practically naked, with just a pair of boxers on, he was sitting on a chair while being stared down by the black-haired sitting on the other end of the table. The blond girl was muttering something to herself with her eyelids closed and her arms crossed.
Old Man Rom didn't seem to care, though. He just looked at the clothes with squinted eyes, rubbing his chin.
Subaru had been told twice that his clothes were rare and of nice quality, so he was better off selling them to earn money to buy new ones—or at least using them as a bargaining chip for what he wanted: the insignia.
Well, it was more something he wanted to do to look like a good guy to Satella, so yeah, a selfish goal masquerading as a good deed. He was aware of that. Isn't that bad?
What would his parents think? What would they do? What would they tell him? What choices would they make?
❝Take care of yourself.❞
❝Think for yourself.❞
❝Love yourself.❞
❝Nobody else will do that for you.❞
Is that it? They had both told him to think more about himself and less about what others thought and wanted from him. Could he really live up to those words?
Clearing his throat, Subaru sighed, trying to break the silence, to no avail.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"S-Someone, please say something before I die of embarrassment!"
"Ye're pretty well built for a kid yer age, hm."
"I don't wanna hear that from an old man!" Not daring to look at the seductive woman, Subaru turned toward the blond girl, hoping to find some solace, but now, she was the one avoiding his gaze. "Hey! I should be the only one blushing!"
"'Tis is a Loot House, not a gigolo brothel! Goddammit!" She exclaimed, pointing at him as she became beet-red. "You didn't have to strip to get Old Man Rom to examine your clothes!"
"I'm here to barter them or sell them… How can I do that if I don't take them off?"
"W-Why would I care 'bout that, huh?! Not my problem…"
"Come on, put yourself in my shoes…"
Well... She looked young, so she'd probably never seen a guy near-naked until today—no wonder she was bashful. Besides, Subaru was buff, which is one of the only things he was proud of. His daily routine was slacking off, playing video games, reading manga… but also jogging and calisthenics. Not many people do this, so… that was part of his pride.
But compared to the old man on the other side of the bar, he appeared to be just a regular lowlife.
"Talkin' about yer shoes, kiddo… That's some weird leather, and the soles are…"
"Uwabaki. That's what they called. You wear them when you enter… an academy. The soles are made of plastic."
"Plastic?"
"Ah, um… Something like rubber."
"Solid rubber, then… The shoes alone seem to be worth a holy coin. Never seen something like that even before the war."
"So is that—"
Before he could ask if it was enough to buy anything in here, the woman took a small pouch from between her bosom. She pushed it onto the table before tipping it over, scattering the many coins inside and almost making the blond girl explode from excitement as their clanging even made Rom grunt.
"T-Twenty holy coins?!"
"Of course. Our deal is still the same despite this young man's intervention, but since he intervened, I feel like I am forced to use all the money my hirer gave me. I'm quite sure ten holy coins won't be enough."
"Ten won't be enough, uh. What d'you think, Old Man Rom?"
"Hm. Dunno. Well, anyway, ye have yer answer, kiddo." Rom shrugged at Subaru while examining his clothes. "What ye have here… All the clothes, includin' the sportswear, are worth two or three holy coins."
"Ugh… That's it?"
"Don't look so down. That's not very manly, ye know."
"As if I care about that… I care about the money."
"Ha! We think alike! I like that attitude." The blond girl guffawed, smiling broadly, trying to forget about the near-naked guys to her left. "If you're really poor, money trumps values. If you're starving in a blizzard, you don't care if you steal. You need that money!"
Hearing the girl's words, the woman frowned slightly for just a second before finishing her glass of milk and putting it on the table as she seductively licked her lips. She moved slightly to the side as if to push away something bothering her and resumed smiling flirtatiously at Subaru.
"Is something the matter?~"
"N-No… You… I mean, you just don't seem to worry about losing…"
"Should I be?"
Her calmness and warm smile were the antithesis of what Subaru felt. Disconcerting. Even if he wouldn't be embarrassed, he was sure he would still be gritting his teeth and clenching his fists as beads of sweat rolled down his neck… just like right now.
He was sitting here like an anxious, scared mouse.
"Who knows…"
As the sun had finally set, the temperature outside and inside dropped, making the Loot House's age-old wood creak. Its scent mingled with that of Rom's strong booze and all the smoke-releasing chimneys outside. The porcelain dolls all around were like dozens of pairs of eyes watching them. Each weapon and armor was also reflecting all around the weak amount of light the torches provided.
The silence wasn't helping to set a calming mood, too.
"Oi! Here's some booze, kiddo. Ye look pale." Old Man Rom laughed, handing Subaru a shot of some crystal clear liquor. "This one will give ya back yer colors. Hahaha!"
Without thinking, Subaru gulped it all in one go. The taste was horrible, but at least it made him forget his unease. The alcohol content was so high that his whole body shuddered. His throat and face became hot, even burning, which was enough to make him cough.
"Hahaha! Look at ye go! Opens up the sinuses, eh?"
"D-Damn… W-What the fuck is that…?"
"Bocco fruit alcohol. My old pals used to say it was enough to put a horse in a coma! Haha!"
"Old Man Rom! We ain't here to get shit-faced! I'm sure Elsa wants to leave soon."
"Oh, no, no, that's all right.~ Just take your time. I'll enjoy the show while I wait."
Subaru didn't even hear anything. Busy coughing. Busy worrying about the insignia. Conflicted about what he wanted. Strangely, he was in a kind of daze…
Be it tiredness because he walked all day after getting transported into this world? Be it exhaustion since he couldn't sleep the night before because he was stressed about returning to high school? Or be it something else entirely?
"S-So… about my stuff…" Subaru inquired after coughing one last time. "What's it worth?"
Turning back to him, everyone changed their attitude to what it was before, causing the woman to widen her eyes slightly, still smiling at him.
"Well, let's get back on track," Rom muttered, putting Subaru's clothes back on the table. "Since it's a tux, it might sell for a bit more to the right buyer. The fabric is rare, the stitchin' is pristine, and the texture of the clothes all add to the value, ye know. Puttin' it up for auction would be better than simply sellin' it."
"Auction, huh…"
There's no way to get quick money, then. It was only trade here. Well, figures. Loot House. Not Sell House. He knew what he was stepping into… Complaining now would be moronic.
Yet, he felt ripped off.
"Well then..."
He laid the rest of his items on the table before the blonde girl, who raised an eyebrow, and the buxom woman, who once again glanced his way seductively. Doing his best to ignore her since each of her stares made his heart pound, he tallied up all the stuff he was ready to trade.
Old Man Rom struggled to evaluate them, but given his expertise, here what should be the least valuable items to the most valuable ones: notebooks with his Japanese handwriting and lots of photocopies from his world, his old fountain pen with engraving all over, plus several plastic ink cartridges, the four-color pen, fluorescent stabilo and a history book showing the evolution of the human species on Earth and the different world wars.
Then there was the rest. His school bag. His pencil case. A bunch of snacks. Some Japanese currency.
Although the mood was friendly, he couldn't help stressing about how many coins it would be worth, so he instinctively gulped.
"Err… That ain't easy to evaluate all that stuff, hm." Rom muttered while scratching his head. "A've never seen anythin' like it, but to say that anyone would buy all of that... No. Only some people would be interested."
"Which means…?"
"For everythin' you put on display here, I'd say the most we could get for it is thirteen holy coins."
"W-Wait! You said you could gain more with auctions!"
"Auctions aren't set in stone, kiddo. It's just like gamblin'. We could gain more, yeah, but we could also gain less. Believe me when I say it's not worth the effort most of the time, hahaha!"
"Ha!" The blond girl grumbled. "All that self-assurance for nothing worthwhile in the end."
Slouching on his chair, Subaru put his hands over his face before looking up at the ceiling and sighing. Was that all?
His first defeat in this world?
If he had the pen with the laser in it, maybe it would have been enough. He didn't feel bad about that, though.
He didn't even know what thirteen coins amounted to. Was it a lot?Not that much? Nah, it was probably worth a fortune, judging by how Satella wanted her insignia back. Not taking the thirteen coins would be foolish, but…
"Well, it looks like I am the winner of this bid.~" The woman cooed as she warmly smiled at Subaru. "What about the little thing you kept hidden from us all along?"
"Huh…?"
"The rectangular item you kept to yourself."
"That's not for sale…"
"Oh, I see." She sighed in a lower pitch, squinting her eyes ever so slightly. "Still, I'm curious."
"It's a meteor."
"Meteor…"
"A meteor, eh? Ain't that rare. Never seen one in my life, and I'm old… I'm sure ye could top over twenty-five holy coins if ya trade or sell it."
"No… I can't sell that. It's… dear to me."
"Too bad. 'Tis a fine piece. Or so it seems even from afar. A'm sure it's worth a fortune."
A dilemma. Something he constantly struggles with. The indecision. The overthinking. Sacrifice something vital to him to help someone else without knowing what he'd get in return or keep it for himself to earn something different in the future. What is the best?
Both are shrouded in darkness. No answer is the right one. None is good. None is bad. Both can be criticized. One can be called fatuous naivety, and the other callous egotism. Both can be congratulated. One may be the kindness of spirit, the other thoughtful realism.
And there's a difference between kindness and naivety. He was still far from grasping it all, but that much he was sure of.
Ultimately, he hadn't even known Satella for more than eight hours. She was totally his type; he liked her voice, her hair, and more or less everything about her, and he owed her a debt of gratitude. That said, would she have traded her insignia to help him? To help a total stranger?
There were plenty of other ways to help her out, after all. Plus, he knew the buyer's appearance, so he could lead Satella to the one holding her insignia.
"…Guess I lost." He sighed, looking at the ground and thinking about what Satella had told him before he entered the Loot House. "Sorry to have wasted your time… um…"
"My name is unimportant since we'll be parting shortly.~" The black-haired woman softly cooed. "I'm not one to complain about wasted time, either. I have as much as I want."
"Um…?"
"However, could you perhaps tell me what you would have done with the insignia if you had won?"
In this instant, the woman's eyes lost their shine, becoming almost doubt-driven. Just by her eyes, she was urging him to tell the truth—
"I wanted to sell it in Kararagi." Subaru managed to lie by telling a half-truth. "I noticed that the engraved dragon on the insignia is the same as the one on the holy coins. And… the colors on the insignia are the same as the royal guards' outfits." He sighed, remembering Reinhard's clothes. "The engravings are also very precise. It's top-notch craftsmanship… I'm sure someone in Kararagi would have known what it was and bought it for a fortune."
"..."
The blond girl's mouth was a bit agape, realizing everything he said was true. Rom nodded and rubbed his chin, understanding Subaru's thought process. Maybe he was more right than them? Hm. As for the woman, she didn't move and continued to look him straight in the eye.
"Kararagi… Lovely." She murmured as she took the insignia in her hands, inspecting it by running her thumb over the engravings as if to confirm Subaru's words. "The land of merchants… founded by Hoshin of the Wilderness. I've never been there… I would love to go there… someday. Far away."
So, his bluff worked. He didn't even know what country Kararagi was supposed to be. He had just heard the name from the appa seller and Reinhard, and since they both believed he came from here, it was the best he could think of.
"So," The blond girl interjected. "Is the deal sealed? You ain't gonna bid your meteor?"
"Nah… I'm positively sure it's worth more than the insignia."
"Eh?! Why not sell it then?!"
"Hm, stop it. He said it was important to him." Rom sighed after pat-heading the girl. "Ye're too nosy."
Smiling, the seductive woman stood up, revealing her long black dress and putting her cleavage forward by leaning toward the table. Her large, feathered cape fit her like a glove. That said, Subaru found it odd to wear something so warm when the temperature under the sun was sweltering. Maybe it was different at night, though, after all, the wood was creaking…
More than before.
"Well, it ended pretty well for me." The woman said, looking at the purse of coins. "I'll be taking my leave."
"Oh, sure, thanks for yer patience, lady."
"Yeah, thanks!" The blonde girl smiled broadly as Subaru waved her goodbye. "T'was a nice deal. One of these days, you should come back and make a deal with us again. I'm still up to steal stuff for you."
"I doubt that will ever happen.~"
"—?"
"Wonderful.~"
"Well, why don't you stop making that conflicted face?" Old Man Rom laughed, looking at Subaru while a quiet clink of metal echoed in the room, followed by its shrill sound splitting the air. "Haha! Cheer up! You still have thirteen holy coins worth of items, and I can even give ye more booze if you want. A token of app—"
"OLD MAN ROM!"
"Wha—"
Subaru's vision turned white, then black.
Followed by a sharp, burning pain in the back of the neck.
He felt his body flying, then slamming into trinkets and metallic objects, breaking shelves and storage cabinets as their contents—books, pens, ceramics, shields, daggers and swords—fell on top of him, scratching him all over. He was even sure part of the wall he was sent into broke upon impact, impaling tiny shards of wood in his back.
The cacophony created by everything falling on and around him meant he couldn't hear what was happening. What's more, he was losing consciousness.
He had already suffered head trauma a few hours ago and had not been fully healed. And now the back of his head was hurting, and he'd been sent headfirst into a wall.
Had he been stupid to come inside here alone? Had he even helped Satella in any way? Satella…
He told her he would help her. He did this to be a good guy. To look good.
He did this to honor his promises, yet…
Everything went black.
Nothingness.
All around.
Darkness.
Could he see?
Could he feel anything?
Was seeing or feeling the right words to describe what he perceived?
Absent-mindedly, his mind wandered into a vast expanse of black, dark mist.
Wandering without feet, without legs, without arms, without eyes… without a body. Nothing that was him existed here. Only what seemed to be his mind.
He couldn't think on his own. At least, this is what it felt like. If feeling anything was even a thing here. He had no clue why he was here. What happened before? Where am I? Why? Who? What time is it? What is this place?
A room? A room without a floor or ceiling covered in pitch-blackness so deep or profound that it defied thought.
A room… filled with nothing? Feeling nothing? No, he felt… something. Love? Infatuation?
What is that? What is this?
A star was here.
Floating.
Shining.
Its dim glow wasn't even enough to light anything. It was feeble, weak.
In front of him, it tried to enlighten, warm, and comfort him. A glimmer of hope. A shining beacon.
Suddenly, in this everlasting world of darkness, there was meaning. The silhouettes of two pitch-black arms and two hands slowly approached. He… wanted these hands. He wanted this… thing— this… person.
Then, as suddenly as these hands emerged, they enclosed the floating star abruptly and without a sound, smothering its light—
"Gaah! —Hk!"
Waking up, he first felt his throat crammed with something viscous mixed with the smell of iron, preventing him from breathing normally. Coughing fit after coughing fit, micro-convulsions drove him to empty his lungs of air as blood escaped from his mouth, dripping to the floor as he squirmed like a worm.
The back of his head and neck felt hot and itchy. Putting his hand to it and then bringing it up in front of his eyes, he finally understood.
"Argh—! Gh! Fuck! Fuck, fuck!"
He put some pressure on it to stop the bleeding, but he had nothing to bandage it with. No clothes around. He was in his boxers in the middle of…
"W-What?"
The ground was frozen. Well... at least, that's what it felt like. He was surrounded by interlocking ice spikes that acted as a fortress to protect him.
The houses further away were riddled with ice picks, and some windows were shattered. The ground, too, was covered with fragments of glass and ice.
The Loot House was half-ruined, if not done for. He was on the other side of the wall he'd crashed into. That same wall no longer existed. All that remained were pieces of board and nails. A large club was lying on the floor next to his phone while the very structure of the building threatened to cave in.
The torches that had been lighting the place up until now had fallen to the ground, igniting clothes and dolls and setting fire to the building's dried-out old wood.
Nobody was inside anymore.
Everything was a mess.
Hurrying to get back his belongings, he staggered into the fiery building as yellowish smoke gushed out of it. His clothes were still intact, just filthy after falling to the floor, the table having toppled over, spilling glasses of milk and alcohol onto it.
As he tried to walk toward it, two ice spikes pierced through the wall before him, one even grazing his cheek. Startled, he dropped to the ground, also preventing him from breathing in the fumes.
—Fuck...!
Breathing in and out to keep calm despite the flames and the bleeding, he focused.
Knowing he could damage his clothes and so lose money by wearing them—and also catch on fire because of the alcohol on them—he snatched some random clothes that didn't burst into flames and put them on. However, the feeling of clothes rubbing against the wood shards in his back was just awful.
Taking back his phone, he awkwardly rushed out of the building as the final ceiling caved in, adding more fuel to the raging fire.
Worriedly and in haste, he picked up one of the daggers that had fallen on him and tottered away from the building, leaning against the wall of a house to regain his composure.
"Ugh! —Ah … W-What is happening…?"
No, he knew what happened. He just had no idea of who, why, and how. This was a dire situation.
"We got attacked by someone…"
His memories were fuzzy. He got attacked from behind and got struck with a blunt weapon in the back of his head, probably to take him out before…
"Before killing me…"
The thought made him shiver from head to toe.
"T-This isn't what was supposed to happen… W-Why? Why now…? Where is…?"
Why?Why was he brought to this world? Why did this have to happen? Why was he summoned to this world? Why was he attacked?
Where are Old Rom and the blond girl? Where is the woman? Where is Satella? Where is the person that summoned him to this world?
For a while now, he had tried to put these questions far away from his mind, but he...
He already almost died twice.
He couldn't just shrug it off.
How can this happen?
To him?
Shaking his head, he tried thinking more positively. He was still alive. That is all that matters. He had to help. He wanted to know what happened here and if he could help. That was the least he could do since they somehow protected him.
Moving closer to the fire, he hid behind the remaining portion of the building that had not yet succumbed to the flames.
The faint noises of the clanging of clashing swords came from the other side of the Loot House. Glancing over to the other side of the wall, he saw three bodies lying on the ground: two armored guards and Old Man Rom. One of the guards was missing his head and part of his elbow as if it was cut with a single decisive strike, and the other, despite wearing full armor, was split in half from the middle of the head down to his crotch. His brain matter was scattered between the two parts of his bisected body, like a sandwich—same for his inside.
The smell of blood, gall, bile, and smoke added to the horrific view made Subaru gag.
Rom was lying on his back. His arm was cut below the elbow, and it seemed like he used it as a club to defend himself, as it was still resting in his other hand. From where he stood, Subaru couldn't see his face, but it was clear that he had glass shards all over it.
Helping? No. He would be deadweight.
Dead in seconds.
Like always.
Weak.
—This is… n-not… what should have happened… w-why…
From this distance, he could see other guards also gathered to witness the horror. Not many. Not enough for what was happening. Someone or something dangerous came to steal the insignia without paying. Or to take it back. This was his theory.
He had no time to ponder, though.
All the other people living around were also at risk.
Weak as he is, he can still save or at least help people get away from here.
A much slower ice spike crossed the flaming building again, melting and dripping water as it passed over Subaru. Satella. Yes, that was her. He remembered seeing an ice spike pass by the blonde girl after she told him to "live strong." Then, Satella arrived to save him. She was also using ice magic, even if, at the time, he thought it was thanks to her cat. As fuzzy as his memories were because of the beating, he managed to remember that.
He could hear her fighting on the other side of the building. Her yelps were cutes, and… she was still kicking.
He'd said he'd help her. She'd said she'd heal him if he did so.
He had to help. Not just her, but the blond girl, too.
The black-haired, seductive lady, too.
Who knows what happened to them?
Same thing as the old man?
Barely hearing the screams of the guards, the clatter of metal, and Satella's painful exclamations, he rushed towards the rubble of the burning building, ignoring the heat thanks to his adrenaline and insulin.
Reinhard. Reinhard. Reinhard.
This was what he had in mind.
A homing beacon. A homing beacon. A homing beacon.
The knight told them to use something he could recognize and associate with them as a homing beacon if something bad happened.
His words were almost prophetic. As if he knew something bad would happen.
Nothing was left. Nothing he could use as a beacon was left. He even took some piece of searing-hot piece of metal to throw in the air, hoping that throwing it in the air as a homing beacon would be enough, but the light it emitted was so little that—
"What if… I use my phone… I could break it, but…"
It was only a risk, but he was good at pitching… but a far less experienced catcher.
"Aah… Whatever!"
Unlocking his phone, he put away his indecision and looked at the picture of his parents he used as a background before opening his camera app and configuring it to take dozens of photos in a row with the flash on.
The knight saw how a photo was taken and how it worked. He also saw Subaru use the flash when he took a picture of him. Nothing was quite like that in this world, so… it could be recognized from afar, right?
It was a weeny gamble that followed a failed bargain.
And it was his only option to call for help.
"Come on, come on!"
Turning on the camera, he threw his phone into the air with all his might.
The phone soared into the sky, taking photo after photo, the sparkling flash drawing the eyes of the guards who were still fighting and, therefore, also the eyes of the monster who was killing them.
As it started slowing down, his phone finally stopped his ascent, ready to come down.
But for a mere instant, it was like it was floating.
Like if a star was here.
Floating.
Shining.
Its dim glow, yes feeble, yes weak, yet still sparkling. A glimmer of hope. More than a homing beacon. A shining beacon.
As his phone started hurtling toward the ground, he followed its descent. Then, as suddenly as he threw it toward the sky, he abruptly enclosed it between his hands, smothering the light of the flash.
"Good, now I—"
No. His instinct was screaming at him to start running, so he switched off his phone and took it off just as quickly—
The slash of a metallic object splitting the air made his ears tingle. He could even feel the gust of wind that followed the blow he'd almost suffered. Not daring to turn back, he ran toward the houses before him to take shelter and tell the residents to run away from there.
Now that he called for help, he felt something terrible would happen again.
And everyone needed to run.
A flurry of large needles flew past him, one even lodging in his right heel.
"Argh—! Sh, Shit...!"
He couldn't hear anything anymore. Fight or flight? Full on flight, despite the pain. So, this was his help? His demonstration of gratitude? He loathed his own weakness. Not his lack of courage, as he knew whatever attacked him was far more powerful than he was. Dying in vain would be his worst failure. Someone's death has to be meaningful. That was his honest thought.
A thought he kept in mind to not think about his impending death—
"S-Stop right here!"
He didn't even think a second about stopping right here. For that, he would need a functional brain that is not ruled by fear. Plus, these words weren't meant for him—Satella's voice: tired and aching. An ice spike was sent hurtling next to him not even a second after, probably to stop his aggressor from coming for his neck.
Now that he was alone, he knocked on every door he came across. Some opened their doors, others did not. Some people insulted him for pissing them off at this hour. Others listened to him.
"Run, run! Something bad is happening! ...Or at least hide!"
"Come on, kiddo, don't come knock on people's door at this ho—"
A father. The moment he laid eyes on Subaru, he knew something was wrong. A teenager carrying a strange bag over his shoulder, but more importantly, he was in a sorry state. Small, superficial cuts all over his body, even his face. Droplets of blood dripped from the back of his neck and painted his shirt red. A sort of hole in the back of his head that looked as if it had been lightly healed. A needle in his heel. He could hardly walk and seemed to be running away from something.
"Carla! Take the kids to the cellar!"
"Alright, dear, but… why…?"
"Something's bad... Dunno."
"Oh, dear," the woman gasped, staring at Subaru. "I'm bringing the kids with me."
"I'll help him warn the neighbors."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Please be careful, dear."
Pausing to catch his breath, Subaru looked up at the muscular man staring back at him. He had a long mustache and looked like a blacksmith or lumberjack.
"I'm gonna talk to the neighbors far away from here. You stay around. You're in pretty bad shape. No running around."
"Yessir."
That was all he could answer. He was too tired to talk more than that. So he was glad the guy was a man of few words.
As the man left, running like a madman, he also returned to his work. He knocked on a door several times as some of the people he had informed evacuated the area. The slums were huge; there was no way he could even remotely tell everyone close to the Loot House to be careful and run.
Two children seemed to be sleeping in a wretched shack. It was nothing more than big planks stacked on top of each other. He knocked repeatedly, worried for them, until they finally opened the door.
"W-What is it, onii-san? You look really hurt…" The young girl muttered, yawning and rubbing his eyes. She was just wearing a rag. "Nobody comes here, not even Mama… So…"
"A-Ah… You need to leave this place, t-there's… a monster around!"
"A guiltylowe…?"
"I… maybe, I don't know, but this is dangerous. Guards are here to help, but—"
"Lululala… What's happening…?"
Her big brother or… friend was wearing a rag. Several bookshelves were inside their shack. Newspapers. Studies. Notebooks just like his own, written in the language of this world. They were hoping to come out of here. It seems like every kid has dreams, no matter what. He was the same as them. And they were the same as he was. He was just born at a more opportune time and still complained.
They were born in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Yet, starry-eyed kids are everywhere.
"Oh, look! The sky! It's shining!"
"What…?" Subaru chuckled. "Listen, you need to fl—"
Just as a bright light lit up the sky, a sudden quake violently shook the ground. Some surrounding shacks tipped to the side, some poorly built, crumbling like houses of cards as the ground cracked all around. Not even having time to realize what was happening, a powerful shockwave tossed them backward as if they were papers in the wind. Pieces of glass, wood, nails, plates, and cutlery raining down on them.
In a mere second, Subaru grabbed the two children and shielded them from the flying junk. His back and arms took the toll of protecting others, as he was now shredded by debris.
The three of them had been sent some ten meters away, ending up near a well that stopped their tumbling.
The Lout House appeared to be where the trouble was. Again. There was nothing left of the building. Hundreds of pieces of burning debris were flying through the air, falling gently to the ground, while others, bigger parts, were hurtling in all directions, some crashing close to them, creating more fire hazards in the rubble of the slums.
The scene was like watching a fireworks display gone wrong.
Wrong, yet beautiful.
Now that everything was more or less flattened, and only piles of debris remained, Subaru saw clearly. A hundred meters away was the epicenter of the disaster.
A knight in white, like a prince in shining armor. At his feet, a crater. In his hands, a simple sword. Behind him, coming from the sky, a luminous trail of twinkling stars.
Reinhard van Astrea.