Liliana blinked, the smile slipping from her lips as she looked between Subaru and Rem. "...Oops. Did I perhaps just get manipulated? Is it just my imagination?"
"It's more something you brought upon yourself, rather than your imagination," Subaru replied casually, pointing out Liliana's simple-mindedness as the three of them walked the path toward Arlam Village together.
Liliana's expression twisted in exaggerated pain. "H-how cruel of you to say that. This isn't the behavior you should have towards a dejected girl that has just noticed she got fooled and manipulated… Don't you think? Don't you think so!?"
"Wrong, ma'am," Rem chimed in cheerfully. "Subaru-kun is always lovely."
"I have no way to express my anger towards that blind reply," Liliana mumbled, half-crying, her shoulders trembling.
Watching her shake and argue with herself in frustration, Subaru let out a tired sigh, already thinking that things were going to be boring for a while.
Liliana had been successfully caught in Roswaal's schemes and was now being "observed" at the mansion. Their trip to the village to retrieve her belongings was just a convenient excuse. Though it appeared Subaru and Rem were assisting her, their real task was to make sure she didn't escape.
In truth, Subaru had been warned by Roswaal not to let her out of his sight. And Rem—well, Rem was there as backup for this unreliable watchman. Neither of them were particularly trusted. That said, it might've just been Subaru reading too deeply into the situation. Rem, at least, was genuinely trying to respect Liliana's intentions.
"But Ros-chi is boorish… we don't know what he's aiming for either, after all," Subaru muttered.
"But can Mr. Maid imagine what the Master's idea is?" Liliana asked with a curious glance.
"Roughly. However, I won't speak about it for the same reasons Ros-chi has. He and I have the same opinion, although it irritates me."
"Mugyuuffu—!"
Liliana let out a strange scream that sounded oddly like a wounded animal. Subaru found himself momentarily sympathetic toward her situation—a wandering minstrel who had her own dreams and goals, yet couldn't quite see the full picture in front of her.
"In reality, etching your name into history isn't a simple task," Subaru said, voice quieter. "If we look into history now for things like heroes and all that, we can't learn about them intuitively."
"I agree," Liliana said. "It's very difficult. I couldn't be any happier if I found a hero whose name hasn't even shown up in the world yet and put their traces into a song… Although it would be a different matter if we had a method to look into the future."
"A… A—a—a… As if a method like that exists, stupid!" Subaru sputtered, heart skipping at her words.
"Why are you overreacting that much?"
She stared at him, puzzled, as his thoughts became tangled. Return by Death is… in a sense, a way of foreseeing the future, isn't it…?
Before the conversation could sink into uncomfortable territory, Rem clapped her hands, breaking the moment with a bright smile.
"Ma'am, I have good news for you. The truth is that I know a new legend."
"Ehh!? R-really…!?"
Liliana's expression shifted to one of giddy excitement. Her joy seemed genuine. Given Rem's friendly attitude, there was no reason not to believe her.
But Subaru didn't miss the tension hidden beneath that statement. If Rem's talking about something connected to Roswaal, it might be too soon to let her know.
Still, Rem only pointed confidently to her side.
"It's Subaru-kun."
"――Ehh?" both Subaru and Liliana said in unison.
"It's the newest legend. And it's a hero whose name will rise up—Subaru-kun."
Subaru blinked. His mind went blank for a second as he stared at her. Is this a joke? he almost asked, but nothing came out.
"It's Subaru-kun," Rem repeated, completely serious.
Whether she was being genuine or teasing, it was impossible to tell. But something about her confidence made Liliana seem convinced. She looked between them and, after a beat, exclaimed, "I've got it. Please listen. ――A new legend: 'Skillful Playboy'!"
"Shut up!" Subaru snapped instantly, glaring at her.
Liliana didn't look remotely like she believed in him, which made his sigh even deeper. The ridiculous label did nothing to reflect the reality of who he was.
The man who sensed the coming disaster at the village before anyone else, the one who risked his life to stop the Witchbeasts, who protected the people's trust and safety—who would believe that guy?
"I was serious… too bad you won't believe me," Rem murmured, her shoulders slumping.
She looked genuinely disappointed, and guilt poked at Subaru's chest. He wasn't great enough a man to be worthy of that kind of pure faith.
"That said… does Kaeya-kun have a cool story about him too? He seems sooo composed, like a mysterious hero who fights in the shadows! Tell me, tell me!"
Subaru raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, are you fangirling over him now?"
"I can't help it! He's sooo cool and handsome!"
Subaru groaned. "You're hopeless. But, well… if you're really asking—yeah. Once, when Rem, Kaeya, and I had to head into the village to save it from a Witchbeast attack, Kaeya stayed behind and fought off hundreds of Ulgrams just to buy us time."
Maybe he was exaggerating a little—but hey, at least he could show off his friend in a good light, right? That's what real bros do, after all.
Liliana froze. Her eyes went wide, sparkling. "E…EHH!? Wait, really!? That's incredible… That's amazing!"
She clutched her lyulyre tightly, muttering to herself. "Must ask Kaeya-sama… must write it…"
"――Subaru-kun."
The shift in her tone made his body stiffen. He looked ahead.
"…Who are these people?"
Standing in the road ahead were four figures—completely draped in white. Hoods, masks, robes—their entire bodies were hidden.
"To think I'd see the day when I'd come across perverts other than Roswaal like this…" Subaru muttered, eyeing them warily.
There was no time for a surprise attack, not yet. The tension was thick, the threat clear.
"If you don't know the road, trace your footsteps," Subaru called out. "The globally common term for ground with no maintained grass is 'road.' By the way, the feudal lord's mansion is behind me, and a small village is at the front, but…"
The white-cloaked figures said nothing.
"Ah, I guess you guys aren't lost children that want to hear about the road after all."
Knives glinted at the end of their sleeves, and they lunged.
"I don't know who you people are, but I judge that you all have hostile intentions," Rem said coldly.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and drove her fist into one of their faces, sending him flying. The sound of the impact was sharp, and the man landed hard, mask cracking and blood showing.
"Wow, that looks painful," Subaru muttered.
The remaining men hesitated, taken aback by the power of the girl in front of them.
"I lost my weapon the other day in the forest," Rem said, raising her fists. "So until I get a replacement, I'll fight empty-handed. Got a problem with that?"
Her hands might've been slender and white, but they were weapons all their own.
"Retreat!" one of the men barked.
The others obeyed, grabbing their unconscious ally and slipping into the woods. Within moments, they were gone.
"I was a little anxious," Rem admitted, relaxing. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to protect Subaru-kun empty-handed when we come across people like that, after all."
"You say that, but that was a serious, good straight right."
"You're making me blush with how you're praising me that much," Rem said, cheeks turning pink.
Subaru gave a half-smile, eyes scanning the forest. They didn't seem like simple thieves.
"What do you think that was about?" he asked. "Maybe disturbance related to Emilia?"
"That's a possibility. But Roswaal-sama doesn't have many enemies. If he restrains himself, then he wouldn't be targeted frequently… Still, it's a possibility."
"Seriously? I'm a little worried about my workplace's safety. ――Also."
He turned to the side.
Liliana had been unusually quiet. She was already turning her back to them, as if to slip away unnoticed.
"Whaaatcha doin', trying to run off? Hmm, Liliana-chaaan?" Subaru asked, grabbing her shoulder with a forced smile.
"Eek! Sorry. I apologize. I'm sorry, so please don't make that angry look."
"I don't look angry! It's a smile—a smile that's trying to loosen its tension. Take a good look!"
"Eek!!"
Her reaction startled even Subaru.
Rem stepped in with a gentle smile, patting her back like she was calming a frightened animal. "Don't worry, Subaru-kun isn't scary. It's just that his eyes are a little more lovely than others'."
"That's a personal opinion… but I'm fine. I've calmed down, yes."
"I have some subtle feelings about that… But whatever. Anyways, why did you try to run? I think this would be unlikely, but are you perhaps…"
Was she connected to those white-robed attackers? A spy sent to interfere with Emilia's royal selection?
Before he could voice it, Liliana threw herself into a full bow on the ground.
"I'm sowwy! But but, I am not a bad person! It's just that those people have always been trying to get me. I tried and tried not to think 'Man, I want to do something about this. Oh yeah, how about I get the mansion people to help me.'"
She was so frantic, so sincerely terrified, that Subaru blinked in surprise. It was hard to believe someone like this was a dangerous agent.
"You're telling me that when you said assassins were trying to get you while you were dozing off at the mansion… that actually was true!?"
All Subaru could do was groan in disbelief as yet another problem slowly revealed itself.
.
.
"And so yeah, Liliana got chased by some unfamiliar people."
Subaru finished his report with a long exhale, slumping deeply into the couch as though releasing all the tension from his shoulders.
They had returned to Roswaal's mansion and were currently in the office. Four people occupied the room: Subaru, Rem, Ram, and Roswaal. Subaru gestured lazily at Rem sitting beside him.
"Honestly, Rem being there saved our skins. I hate to admit it, but if it was just me and Liliana, we'd probably be in a grave by now."
Rem nodded with a composed expression. "Yes. Fortunately, I was able to help. Though… I could've been more effective if I had my iron flail."
"If you did, they'd be forest fertilizer by now," Subaru muttered with a wry grin. "Still… it looked kinda graceful and cute."
His heart had finally begun to settle after escaping what could've easily become a bloodbath. The thugs knocked out cold by Rem's smile likely hadn't expected to be sent flying by a dainty maid. It was hard not to feel a little sorry for them.
Ram, standing with arms crossed and an icy gaze, broke the moment. "So? That bard you spoke of—she's in the guest room?"
"Yeah, she's with Emilia-tan," Subaru replied. "We're using the whole 'guarantee her safety' excuse, but honestly, if we pressure her too much, she'll bolt. Emilia-tan's perfect for this. She doesn't know anything, so there's no pressure. I even thought about putting Kaeya in there too—she'd probably cling to that room like a bee to honey if he was around. But she already looked super nervous, so I figured that wouldn't help. And besides, good luck finding him when he's off training."
"I see. Even Kaeya-sama avoids you when you're around, yet somehow you managed to grasp why Roswaal-sama wants to keep that minstrel close," Ram replied, giving a short nod and narrowing her eyes at him.
Subaru blinked. "Wait, what? That guy's just hard to find in general!"
"He speaks to others just fine. But the moment you enter a room, he becomes mysteriously busy."
That was clearly an exaggeration—twisted just enough to sting. But Subaru had no way of proving that at the moment.
"That is completely unsubstantiated slander. You have no proof."
"Your presence is proof enough, Barusu."
Subaru groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, already regretting opening his mouth.