Chapter Text
The morning sun had barely crested the horizon, casting long, golden fingers across the manicured lawns of the Miload Mansion. Since the Roswaal estate was still undergoing massive renovations after the... incident with the fire and the multi-colored mansion-destroying beasts, Annerose Miload had graciously opened her doors to the Emilia camp.
It was a perfect, peaceful morning. Naturally, Natsuki Subaru was using it to yell at the top of his lungs.
"And one! Two! Three! Four! Stretch those arms out like you're trying to touch the sky, boys! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Feel the burn in your calves!"
Subaru stood at the front of the courtyard, clad in his orange-and-black track jacket, moving his body with practiced, rhythmic enthusiasm. To his right, Garfiel Tinsel was throwing himself into the routine with terrifying intensity, his muscles flexing as he mimicked Subaru’s movements with enough force to kick up small gusts of wind.
To Subaru’s left, however, Otto Suwen looked like a man who was actively being audited by the tax gods. His spine emitted a horrifying pop as he attempted a torso twist.
"Natsuki-san..." Otto groaned, his voice raspy as he bent over to touch his toes, failing to get his fingers past his knees. "I must protest. I have at least four different ledgers from the Arlam village reconstruction committee waiting on my desk. I do not have the luxury of... of flailing wildly in the morning air!"
Subaru didn't break his rhythm. "Otto, my dear internal affairs minister, you wound me. This is Radio Calisthenics! A sacred ritual passed down through generations in my homeland to ensure a healthy mind and a flexible body. Look at yourself! You’re stiff as a board. If you don't start moving your limbs more often, you're going to devolve into a snake. A sad, scaly snake that still holds a mountain of paperwork in its mouth while slithering across the office floor."
"That is a horrific visual, and entirely uncalled for!" Otto snapped, straightening up and jabbing an accusing finger at Subaru. "The dishonor you constantly hand to me is practically a crime! And whose fault do you think it is that I have so much paperwork? Who was it that completely re-wrote the trade agreement with the Karsten camp on the back of a restaurant napkin?!"
Garfiel let out a booming laugh, slapping Otto so hard on the back that the merchant stumbled forward. "Aw, chillax, Otto-bro! Yer gotta let yer gears turn smoothly, like the saying goes: 'A rusty blade snaps on a soft melon.' Besides, 'chillaxing' is the new peak-performance state Captain taught me!"
"Don't encourage him, Garfiel! And that 'saying' sounds entirely made up!" Otto cried.
Before Subaru could offer another witty retort, the heavy front doors of the Miload mansion swung open. Frederica emerged, looking immaculate but visibly strained. "Master Subaru, Lord Otto, Garfiel. I am glad you are awake. We have a... rather monumental situation in the grand drawing-room. You are requested immediately."
Subaru blinked. "A situation? Don't tell me Roswaal started plotting again. I swear, if I have to throw another punch at that clown—"
"No," Frederica interrupted quickly. "It is... everyone else."
Confused, the trio followed Frederica through the opulent hallways of the Miload estate. As they approached the grand drawing room, the sheer volume of voices overlapping signaled that this wasn't a standard meeting.
Subaru pushed the double doors open, and his jaw practically hit the floor.
The room was packed to maximum capacity. It looked like a miniature, highly disorganized Royal Selection summit.
Sitting on the velvet sofas was Anastasia Hoshin, chatting amiably with Crusch Karsten, who looked remarkably well despite her ongoing recovery. Felix Argyle was leaning over Crusch's chair, while Julius Juukulius stood dutifully behind Anastasia. In the corner, Felt was slumped in an antique chair with her legs draped over the arm, looking utterly miserable. Even Priscilla Barielle was present, sitting near the window and fanning herself with an expression of profound disgust, her knight Al standing silently behind her like a giant, armored bodyguard. Roswaal sat on his chair facing them all with his unlikeable face and spoke in his theatrical tempo.
”Why yes, it would be a great opportunity for the royal selection to present its successsssssss~ to the general public and prevent any doubt in the subjects of the kingdom’s minds! The Emilia Camp would certainly participate alongside all honorary royal camps.”
Right in the center of the room, Emilia and Annerose Miload also seemed like they were discussing something, given by their hushed, polite tones.
The whole reason for this unprecedented gathering was resting on the long mahogany table in the center:
Official, gold-stamped scrolls from the Sage Council.
The kingdom's leadership had called for an emergency joint summit to officially recognize the massive successes of the Royal Candidates—specifically the subjugation of the White Whale, the absolute annihilation of the Great Rabbit in the Sanctuary, and the highly successful territorial reforms Felt and Priscilla had recently enacted in their respective domains. The Council had decided to award them all jointly, proving to the public that the Royal Selection was already bringing unprecedented prosperity to Lugunica.
Subaru rubbed his eyes, shaking his head to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He stepped into the room, raising his voice. "Okay, hold on, time out! What is going on here?!"
The room fell quiet as everyone turned to look at him. Beatrice silently scooted over to Subaru’s side and Subaru brushed her hair slightly.
"Ah, Subaru!" Emilia smiled, looking relieved. "You're just in time. The Sage Council sent these letters, and—"
"No, no, I get the letters part," Subaru interrupted, waving his hands wildly. "The Council wants to give everyone a gold star for saving the world. Great! Awesome! But... why did everyone show up here? At Annerose’s mansion?! Every single camp, with their primary knights, packed into one living room like sardines?!"
Felt let out a loud, aggressive groan, burying her face in her hands. "Don't ask us, bro. Ask the golden boy over there."
Every single eye in the room shifted. A heavy, collective gaze landed squarely on the far side of the room, where a stunningly handsome young man with vibrant red hair and striking blue eyes was standing.
Reinhard van Astrea smiled. It was a blindingly bright, pure, genuinely joyful smile. He looked like the living embodiment of justice and knightly virtue, radiating a protagonist energy so potent it practically blurred the edges of the room.
"I thought it would be a wonderful idea," Reinhard said, his voice smooth and filled with earnest kindness. "Given how much stress everyone has been under with the Great Beasts and the political restructuring, I realized we rarely have the opportunity to simply exist in the same space without the pressure of a formal court. I believed... well, I wished for all of us to have a nice bonding moment as friends, rather than rivals."
Subaru stared at him. His eye twitched. He marched right up to the Sword Saint, poking him dead in the chest.
"Reinhard. Buddy. My guy," Subaru spoke out, his voice cracking slightly.
"In what world does 'bonding moment' mean you round up every single VIP in the kingdom and drag them to one place?! Especially without warning! Look at this room! The Karsten house is literally closer to the Capital! It has three times the space! Why the hell did you bring a literal army of political powerhouses to a residential mansion in the middle of nowhere?!"
Reinhard didn't lose his smile, though his blue eyes softened with a warm, almost nostalgic affection. He looked directly at Subaru.
"Because I wanted to make it a surprise for you, Subaru. You've worked harder than anyone in the defeat of the White Whale, and I wanted you to see that you aren't alone, we all wish to personally cherish your great efforts.”
The entire room fell into a dead, suffocating silence.
Subaru froze. Otto stopped breathing. Garfiel blinked stupidly.
Across the room, Anastasia stopped twirling her scarf. Julius slowly lowered his head into his hand. Priscilla’s fan stopped moving completely. Felt just stared at the ceiling, her soul visibly leaving her body.
Everyone in the room wore the exact same expression: a silent, deadpan, utterly exhausted 'Wow... you really just did that, didn't you?' face.
”The Beast maid and pink maid are definitely going to have a hard time accepting these turn of events, kashira.” Beatrice finally spoke up what was pretty much already obvious to the entire mansion.
Reinhard’s pure, unfiltered, terrifyingly wholesome kindness was a weapon that no one, not even the strongest knights or the shrewdest politicians, knew how to parry.
"A... surprise," Subaru repeated flatly, his voice hollow. "For me?”
"Yes," Reinhard nodded, entirely missing the collective aura of defeat in the room. "Are you surprised?"
"I am something, Reinhard. I am definitely something," Subaru muttered, rubbing his temples as a massive headache began to form. He looked around the room at the explosive cocktail of personalities currently trapped together under one roof. The tension was palpable. Felt looked ready to bite someone, Priscilla looked ready to execute the entire household, and Anastasia was already trying to analyze the logistics of feeding this many people. Crusch just awkwardly stood and stared at Subaru, as if expecting him to find some solution to this problem.
And Subaru Natsuki was in a great dilemma.