'Rammy, after what you've put me through, you're officially my number one enemy. Just wait, I'll get my payback!'
Subaru was sprawled out on a patch of grass in front of the mansion, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze, even though he was fuming inside.
Last night, he had the misfortune of enduring Rammy's grueling lessons on the language. To his utter horror, he discovered that this world had three different alphabets, much like Japan.
These were the I-glyphs, Ro-glyphs, and Ha-glyphs, with their complexity increasing in that order. The I-glyphs and Ro-glyphs were more commonly used, while the Ha-glyphs were reserved for formal occasions and business.
Fortunately, he only needed to learn the first two since, as a butler, the third was unnecessary. Another silver lining was that there were some similarities between Japanese and this language's alphabets, so it was mainly about memorization and learning to write them.
He would have to use a feather to write, which, surprisingly, turned out to be more difficult than it seemed.
What really frustrated him was that this pink-haired demon barged in just as he was about to enjoy some much-needed beauty sleep. He wanted to learn at his own pace, but no, he had to stay up late to study instead.
And because of all of that He has been cooking up plans to get revenge on her.
"Hey there, Subaru-kun!" a cheerful voice chimed, prompting him to glance up. Hovering above was Puck, Emilia's adorable feline spirit.
"Puck, what is it, man? Can't you see I'm in agony here?" he replied, gesturing dramatically to himself and the surroundings. "I barely got any sleep thanks to that pink demon."
Although he wasn't actually tired—he could go days without a wink of sleep—he still hated being deprived of it.
Reverse Cursed Technique might refresh his body and mind, but it was his soul that yearned for it.
"Ram? Oh, come on, don't be so dramatic. She was just looking out for you; you're co-workers, are you not?," Puck said, settling down next to him.
"Why are you here, then? Shouldn't you be with Emilia or something?" he inquired.
"Emilia was looking for you, so she sent me to find you. She wants to spend time with you," Puck replied.
"Spend time with me? Sure, I'm on a break right now." It was late afternoon, and he had been granted a 30-minute break by a "Gracious Ram," whatever that meant.
"Well, while we wait for her, I have something to tell you."
"Hmm?"
"Emilia filled me in on everything you did to her—how you saved her from the bowel hunter and helped her with her insignia. So, thank you for looking after her while I'm away; I wouldn't know what to do without my daughter."
"Don't mention it. Also, Your daughter?" he asked, puzzled. 'Wait, Emilia said she's a half-elf. Does that mean her other half is a spirit?!'
He had heard the stories of Noritoshi Kamo, who is known as the most evil jujutsu sorcerer. He would imprison women capable of giving birth to human-spirit hybrids and conduct experiments on them. All those births ended in tragedy, and the sorcerer vanished soon after.
To think that such a thing could be true, and that it involved Emilia of all people…
A certain paw-punch snapped him back to reality, with a pick hovering just above him. "It's not what you think! I found Emilia when she was just a little girl, and I've been looking after her ever since. She's like a daughter to me." He threw in another punch for emphasis.
"O-oh, right, my bad. I thought it was something else."
"You were thinking something inappropriate, weren't you?"
"You are factually and completely wrong;! I have no idea what you are talking about," Puck knew he was lying.
"Anyway, since you've been such a big help, I owe you a favor. And I'm not taking no for an answer, deal?" He extended his paw.
"I'm not sure how you owing me a favour is a deal, But sure," Subaru replied, shaking his hand before grabbing the cat out of the air, causing Puck to yelp.
"Wow, Beatrice was right. You really are soft!" Subaru said, nuzzling the cat, much to its chagrin.
"Cut it out!" Puck squeaked, wriggling out of Subaru's grasp.
"Tail-punch!" Puck's tail whipped out, hitting Subaru on the cheek.
Subaru had learned the hard way that cleaning could get messy, as evidenced by his uniform. So, he decided to keep infinity on at all times to avoid getting dirty. That's why he was sprawled out on the grass without a care in the world.
He had trained it to the point where it automatically neutralized any threats it detected, based on the speed and force of the object, among other factors. Puck posed no threat, so his "attacks" landed without issue.
"Alright, now you've done it! Here I come, you stupid cat!"
And so, Subaru and Puck found themselves in a "fierce" battle, which ended with Subaru tickling Puck while the cat tried to escape.
It all came to a halt when a soft giggle echoed behind them. They both turned to see Emilia laughing at the amusing scene she had just walked in on.
"Subaru, there you are! I've been searching everywhere for you. It seems like you were having a great time with Puck," she said with a grin.
"Ah, Lia, Subaru's been a bit down lately, so I was trying to lift his spirits," Puck chimed in as he perched on her shoulder.
"Yeah, well, I was kept up late by a certain "Generous" pink maid who made me study reading and writing," Subaru shot a mock glare at Emilia. "All because someone thought it would be funny to spill the beans of my illiterate status. Hmph."
Emilia sheepishly scratched her head. "Well, Ram might have asked me if you were illiterate, and when I didn't answer, she threatened to ban sweets for a week."
"So you threw me under the bus for this?!" Subaru flopped back onto the ground in disbelief. Emilia didn't know what that phrase meant but she got the general gist of it.
"Hehehe, my bad!" she replied, not sorry whatsoever.
'Damn you, Ram! You were plotting this all along, weren't you? Just because I called Roswaal without any honorifics,' he lamented about his situation.
"Ugh, whatever. So, Puck mentioned you wanted to hang out, right?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, that's right. I finished my history studies for the day, so I thought I'd spend some time with you since you're my friend," she said, still getting used to the idea of friendship.
"Sure, I'm on break and have nothing to do," he replied.
And so, Subaru and Emilia strolled through the garden, chatting about mundane things. Their conversation meandered through topics like food, clothing, favorite colors, and more.
Emilia revealed that her favorite color was purple and that she absolutely detested vegetables, especially bell peppers— or as they were called, "Bell Pepples," which Subaru couldn't help but tease her about. Eventually, their discussion shifted to magic, specifically…
"So Emilia, i heard that the muggers from back then called you a "Spirit Arts User" what does it mean?" He asked her.
"Umm, A spirit arts user is when someone makes a contract with a spirit, in my case I have a contract with Puck." She said, pointing at the cat that was purring on shoulder.
"I can see that, but why make a contract with a spirit?" As a Jujutsu sorcerer, the idea of allying with a spirit is outrageous, considering that they're hostole in nature. But since this was a different world, perhaps it works out differently.
"It depends from person to person." Puck picked up, jumping off her head. "Some do it because they can't cast spells on their own, others do it to defend themselves. While some do it out of bonds, like me and Lia." He said, Emilia shooting him with a look of adoration.
"That's right. Puck has been taking care of me for as long as I can remember, so after years of knowing each other we made a contract." She chimed in.
"I see. And how does one go about this contract?" He asked.
"It starts with both parties laying their terms, then the person would use their own mana to create said contract." Puck said.
"And how much mana would one need to have?" He inquired. His reserves were… shit to put it lightly.
"It depends on the spirit's strength. Really strong ones require a huge amount of mana to make one, like me." He said, swishing in the air as he talked.
'Hmm, Puck's a pretty powerful spirit. I'm guessing it must be why Emilia was able to contract him, with her huge mana reserves it only made sense.'
"Emilia mentioned you were a "Great Spirit", what does that exactly mean?" He asked about another topic he wanted to know.
"Well spirits have a growth period like humans. It starts with a minor spirit, then Quasi spirit, then it ends with full spirits. Full spirits or just spirits are those that have fully manifested. Exceptional power ones become great spirits, with really powerful ones becoming Great spirits like yours truly." He ended, hopping onto Emilia's head.
'Wow, There's a lot to think about here, but it seems the stages are quite similar to cursed spirits. I have a feeling those "Great Spirits" are even more powerful than special grades, especially considering how strong Puck is, I think Beatrice might be one as well.' he mused.
"Hey Puck, since you're a Great spirit, how about teaching me some magic? You owe me a favor, after all." Subaru decided it was time to cash in on that favor. He was eager to learn what he could do with Yin magic.
Emilia was confused by this. 'He doesn't know magic? But then what was that… Thing he used against her? If it wasn't magic, what could it be?' She decided to set that question aside for now, planning to ask them about it when they had a moment.
"Wow, you already called it in?! Alright then." Puck shrugged and hovered in front of him. "If we're going to do this, you will call me sensei, got it?"
"Hai, Sensei!" Subaru responded with a playful salute, making Emilia giggle.
"Great! To begin, do you know which element you can use?"
"Yep, the Yin element. I understand it's mainly about weakening your opponents, but I feel like there's more to it," he replied, recalling the infinite corridor spell Beatrice had used.
"Exactly! While that's the basic use, some skilled users can even manipulate space and time. Beatrice is a Great Spirit of Yin; she could explain it all to you if you ask her nicely… I think," Puck added.
"You think? That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence… So, do you know any spells?" Subaru inquired.
"Sure, I know one. It's called 'Shamak.' It's a basic spell that releases a black cloud that robs your opponent of their senses," Puck explained.
Subaru was taken aback. "Woah, all senses? Are you sure this is just a basic spell, sensei?" It seemed too powerful to be considered basic; Puck must be pulling his leg here.
"It's the truth, the cloud affects both you and your opponent," Puck clarified.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"So, how do we cast it? What's the process?" Subaru asked. It couldn't be that different from cursed techniques; just channel the cursed energy and voilà.
"First, I need to sense your gate," Puck said, placing his paw on Subaru's forehead. Subaru felt a tingling sensation spread throughout his body until it settled.
"Aha! I found it," Puck said, pausing as he tilted his head. "That's weird. I can also feel something else within you… Something strange."
'Something strange? Oh shit! That must be cursed energy. So even normal spirits can feel it as well?'
"Don't worry about that. It's just a secret special ability of mine. After all, how else could I have saved Emilia without knowing magic?" he replied quickly.
It wasn't that he wanted to keep the cursed energy a secret from Puck; he just wasn't sure how a spirit that operated on mana would react to cursed energy.
Would it harm him?
Would it kill him?
Or could it transform Puck into a cursed spirit?
Given all the uncertainties, it seemed wiser to keep that information to himself.
Whether Puck sensed his unease or not, he thankfully let it go. "Well, if you say so." Subaru felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Now, I want you to visualize the mana flowing through your gate. Once you feel it, open it and shout 'Shamak,' and that should do the trick," He then turned to Emilia. "Lia, I think it's best if you step back for this."
Emilia obliged… And moved to the other side of the garden.
"Come on, it can't be that bad, right?" he asked Puck, who smiled back at him.
He swallowed hard.
"Relax, I'm just teasing you." Puck chuckled lightly "I'll be here to support you along the way. Now, draw a small portion of the Mana and release it outside. Just keep in mind how the spell works and say its name out loud to help you focus. I'm ready whenever you are."
'Alright, here goes nothing.' He closed his eyes and visualized the mana within him. At first, all he felt was the cursed energy ready to be used, but he pushed that aside and searched deeper until he found it.
If he had to describe it, it felt like a rope, with the cursed energy being the longer strand, but he focused on the shorter one—his mana.
He manipulated it; it was oddly similar to cursed energy yet distinctly different. With Puck's help, he directed it toward the vortex and opened it—.
Something went wrong. The mana began to flow out in droves, resembling a broken faucet gushing water everywhere.
He clenched his teeth and used his six eyes to peer into the gate itself, quickly attempting to seal off the vortex as best as he could.
Unfortunately, it was too late, half of his mana had already escaped.
"Uh oh, the mana just—" Whatever Puck was about to say was cut short as a cloud of black smoke erupted from him, enveloping the entire garden. Emilia gasped at the sight.
The cloud lingered for a full minute before dissipating, revealing a visibly shaken Subaru and Puck.
"Subaru! Puck! Are you both okay?" she shouted, rushing over with concern etched on her face.
"We're fine, Lia. That was just… unexpected," Puck reassured her, floating closer. Subaru nodded in agreement.
When that cloud appeared, Subaru felt as if he were trapped in a void—no sound, no feelings, no sensations. The only sense that remained was his six eyes, and he regained his other senses by reinforcing them with cursed energy.
"Yeah, that was intense. Is this what shamak feels like?" he inquired.
"Pretty much, but it's not meant to be on this scale. Your gate is quite underdeveloped, Subaru. You'll need a lot more training for it to grow. So, it's best to stay put and avoid any magic today," Puck advised.
"Although, now that you've got your first taste of magic, you should be able to sense the mana inside you and in the air, right?"
Subaru nodded, feeling the mana without relying on his six eyes, as well as the mana in the atmosphere.
He was relieved he hadn't attempted to manipulate his mana earlier; if this test was any indication, it could have ended horribly..
"Well, if that's the case, I think it's time for me to head back. I'll see you later, Emilia," he said, waving as he left, and she waved back.
As he walked away, his thoughts drifted back to the slowly replenishing mana within him and then to his cursed energy. Suddenly, a thought struck him.
'Mana… Cursed energy. I wonder if I can combine the two…'