Chapter Text
Subaru lay on the ground, clutching his stomach in an attempt to prevent his intestines from spilling out. He tried to push them back in, but each time he did, more blood gushed from the wound and sent a wave of excruciating pain through him. His heart pounded against his ribs as the pool of blood beneath him continued to spread.
“Gkh..!” This is bad, very bad...is all of this...my blood?!
The searing heat he felt on his stomach was unbearable. After looking at the pool of blood spreading across the wooden floor, Subaru realized that he wouldn’t survive this. Three spirits quickly surrounded him, panicking as they tried to comfort him with their presence which radiated warmth. His water spirit desperately tried to heal him, but it was already too late. He had lost a fatal amount of blood and his wound was too deep for it to be mended by a mere spirit.
He looked at Emilia's motionless body, which lay only a few feet away from him.
"No matter what..."
A spark ignited in him, as he decided to use the last of his strength to push himself towards her. Once he got close enough he grabbed ahold of her hand which was being illuminated by the moonlight.
"I promise..."
As he clutched Emilia's hand, he forced out his last words.
"I'll save you!"
While Subaru was patrolling the bustling streets of the capital he started reminiscing about everything that had happened up until now. How he had been summoned three years ago, was saved by Reinhard on his first day, contracted three lovely spirits and become a knight just over a year ago. He was proud and happy with himself. He had plenty of friends and had become someone important, someone others could look up to. He wasn't just known as the son of Natsuki Kenichi. He was Subaru, just Subaru.
He still remembered his first day in Lugunica. As he was walking out of a convenience store, he was suddenly summoned to this new world. After wandering into a nearby alley, he was beaten up by a group of thugs and nearly died, but thankfully, he was saved by none other than the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, his first true friend in this world.
After being saved, he was taken to the Astrea manor when Reinhard heard that Subaru had no place to stay. While Subaru was enjoying his stay at the Astrea manor, he learned more about the history of this world. He mainly learned about the Witch of Envy, the three great heroes who sealed her, and most importantly, he learned about the Kingdom of Lugunica. He learned about Lugunican history, politics and the knight order, which Reinhard himself was a part of.
Subaru himself had witnessed what a knight was capable of, even if he hadn't seen a knight in action, he had a good impression of them due to Reinhard. When Reinhard showed up, all it took was his mere presence to make the thugs who were beating him up, flee with their tails tucked in between their legs. Due to this he decided that he himself wanted to become a knight, he was meant to be the protagonist, right? So that meant he had to start his training arc, maybe it's the type of isekai where he'll awaken his cool protagonist powers once he starts training.
He had asked Reinhard if he could train him personally, but with a melancholic look on his face he declined Subaru's request. Becoming a knight, especially if you're someone who wasn't of noble descent, wasn't recommended. The prejudice alongside the difficulty of becoming one just wasn't worth it. Reinhard himself also didn't have the time to personally train Subaru, as his schedule was packed with missions from the council. After Subaru kept on insisting and seeing his determination, Reinhard finally gave in. Reinhard asked the staff of the Astrea manor if they could oversee Subaru's training, they had instantly accepted Reinhard's request to train the boy as it was a direct order from Reinhard. Subaru's training was now overseen by Carol and Grimm, the two best servants of the Astrea manor.
The training he was put through was honestly some of the most grueling experiences he has ever had, he had never done anything nearly as physically exhausting as this. He had to improve his stamina, strength and mindset, back in Japan he didn't really train all that much due to him being a shut-in, so all of this suddenly being dropped on him put a huge amount of strain on his body.
As he improved his body he also wanted to learn about magic, he hasn't seen magic yet nor does he know how it works, but he knows that it exists due to his conversations with Reinhard and the staff who oversaw his training. He ended up asking Reinhard about it, Reinhard checked on his gate using one of his divine protections. He was disappointed to learn that his gate was as small as that of a newborn, which meant that he can't cast any magic as of now without risking breaking his gate, another problem was his affinity. Reinhard was surprised to find out that Subaru's affinity was Yin, Yin was one of the rarest affinities in all of Lugunica as far as he knows. This meant that finding someone with knowledge about Yin magic was incredibly low.
Reinhard saw how disappointed Subaru was after hearing this, so he decided to think of some solutions to his predicament. After thinking for a bit he remembered that it was possible for Subaru to cast magic if he became a spirit arts user, being a spirit arts user meant that he could use magic without having to burden his gate. This was a perfect solution for Subaru, but for him to become a spirit arts user, he needed to have a good enough affinity for spirits. Reinhard decided to check that using one of his Divine Protections, his eyes widened a bit as he saw that Subaru's affinity was through the roof.
Reinhard happily announced the good news after explaining what a spirit arts user was, Subaru's eyes shone like stars once he heard that his situation wasn't completely hopeless. He asked how he could become a spirit arts user, but to his disappointment Reinhard told him that he lacked knowledge when it came to spirits. There was still hope as Reinhard explained to Subaru that he has a friend who would gladly accept him and train him to become a spirit arts user, as that friend of his was the strongest Spirit Knight in the knight order.
A week after Subaru's conversation with Reinhard he met up with his teacher, the Finest of Knights, Julius Euclius. Becoming a spirit knight was way easier than he expected, he was taught how to summon spirits and afterwards how to contract them. He decided to contract a yin, yang and water spirit. Once he had finished contracting his spirits, his training with the Finest of Knights officially started. Julius taught Subaru how to use some basic spells and how to utilize them effectively while in combat. As his training continued he himself got stronger and so did the bond with his spirits. During his training he and Julius ended up becoming good friends, Julius was undeniably proud of Subaru due to how fast he was progressing. Even if he didn't show it as much, Subaru could tell as he sometimes caught an almost imperceptible smile on Julius's face during their training sessions.
After his training with Julius had concluded came the worst times of his life, the part where he would actually try and become a knight of Lugunica. He faced an insane amount of prejudice due to his appearance and descent. Due to him not being of noble descent other knights looked down on him, seeing him as someone who wasn't worthy of becoming a knight, his black hair and brown eyes made the others think he was a spy from another country. Thankfully he was defended by Reinhard and Julius as both of them couldn't accept this kind of treatment.
After passing all of the examinations and getting a good word in from Reinhard and Julius, he was officially declared as a knight of Lugunica. During his training he had met a lot of great people along the way, more people that he could call friends alongside Reinhard, Julius and his spirits.
He finally had something that he always longed for back in Japan, he had a place where he belonged, people who supported him. He didn't care if others looked down on him due to his appearance or bloodline, none of that mattered as long as he had his friends.
Subaru was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a commotion down the street, he quickly hurried to the scene where a silver-haired girl was screaming and panicking as a blonde haired girl, looking to be around the age of thirteen to fifteen was seen running off at a speed that even Subaru couldn't match. He quickly ran up to the silver-haired girl and as he got close he noticed her features, bright amethyst eyes, fair skin and elven ears. He was momentarily stuck in a trance due to her ethereal beauty, but he forced himself to snap out of it as this wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.
Subaru cleared his throat to catch the silver-haired girl’s attention. Stepping up to her, he gave a small, elegant bow as he introduced himself "Hello miss, my name is Natsuki Subaru, a knight serving under the kingdom of Lugunica. I witnessed you getting robbed a few moments earlier, allow me to help you with retrieving your stolen goods." he had a stupid grin on his face as he finished his introduction. After all his time spent with Julius who insisted on improving his etiquette, it seems it finally paid off. He couldn't help but feel a bit prideful.
Heh, nailed it.
As he looked up, he saw the silver-haired girl look at him with a nervous and fearful expression. Before he could question her, she interrupted him "U-umm t-thank you, b-but I think I'll be alright on my own."
He decided to dismiss her strange reaction and chalked it up to her being panicked due to the robbery "I insist on helping you miss, as a knight of Lugunica it's my duty."
Before the silver-haired girl could shoot down his offer once again a gray haired cat appeared out of thin air. As Subaru was staring at the cat, his first thoughts were that it looked fluffy and cute, but a moment later he realized something. This wasn't just an ordinary cat, this was a Great Spirit in front of him, the first he has ever seen. He has only heard about them whilst speaking with Julius and Reinhard, but he has never met one in person.
He clasped his hands together and went into a deep bow. The speed at which he moved made it look almost cartoonish. “I’m honored to meet you, Great Spirit-sama!!” he exclaimed, hardly able to believe he was finally meeting one in person. He remembered all the stories Julius had told him about their immense power and the respect they commanded.
The gray cat yawned while stretching, completely ignoring the sharp-eyed boy as he turned his attention toward his daughter "What's up Lia, did something happen? I picked up on you being distressed through our bond, did this boy here do something to you?" the spirit said as he gave a cold look towards the knight
"W-woah, hold up! Time out!" He put his hands in a time-out sign as he broke into a cold sweat. "I didn't do anything, I swear! I'm just here to help her out after I witnessed her getting robbed!" He blurted this out hoping that he doesn't get on the bad side of a Great Spirit, especially on his first time meeting one.
Puck narrowed his eyes as he inspected the strange boy in front of him. After a few moments, his expression brightened, and the spirit clapped his paws together. “Alright! This guy’s telling the truth Lia. Now let’s get back to more important matters, what did they steal?”
Emilia looked away in embarrassment while twirling her index fingers. "My insignia..."
Both Puck and Subaru stared at her for a second, blinking a few times before their eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!"
Puck was shocked, since his daughter needed the insignia to be able to participate in the royal selection, without it she would lose her only chance at achieving her goal.
Subaru was shocked, since he was standing in front of a royal candidate, a possible future queen of Lugunica. He can't believe his luck, he first met a Great Spirit and now he's meeting a royal candidate, but that's not what's important right now.
"Your insignia? Does that mean you're one of the candidates contending for the throne?" Subaru asked, he had to make sure.
"H-huh?? N-no! I meant my umm...purse, yep, my purse!" She quickly tried to cover up her mistake as she had accidentally revealed that she lost her insignia to the one group of people who absolutely couldn't know, the knights.
He stared at her for a few seconds before clearing up his throat and continuing "Alright, this is something I can't overlook, robbing someone is already bad enough, but robbing a royal candidate is even worse. I'll be helping you get your insignia back!"
"W-wait, I just told you that I lost my purse, not my insignia!" She still tried to cover it up, believing that she was getting close to succeeding and getting the knight to believe her clever lie.
"I just heard you tell Great Spirit-sama that your insignia was stolen, and I know for a fact that I'm not going deaf anytime soon!" He pointed an accusatory finger at her, not believing her one bit.
"Lia just tell him the truth, you won't be able to lie your way out of this." Puck let out a deep sigh, he really should've taught his daughter how to lie more convincingly.
Emilia let out a defeated sigh "Alright...I lost my insignia. But please keep this a secret, if other people hear about this it'll be reeaallly bad for me!" while speaking out the last part she had a fearful expression on her face, she hoped that the knight in front of her was kind enough to accept her request.
"Okay! That's no problem for me, I'm the best at keeping secrets!" He had a proud grin on his face while he pointed at himself with his thumb.
Emilia let out a relieved sigh "Do you promise?"
"I swear upon the dragon that I'll keep this a secret between the three of us, miss?"
She gave him a smile before responding "My name is Emilia, just Emilia."
Subaru struck a pose and shouted “That smile is worth a million volts!” A stupid grin spread across his face as he pointed at Emilia with a wink.
“You’re such a dunderhead Subaru!” she said with a soft giggle, finding the sharp-eyed boy’s antics amusing.
"Who even says dunderhead these days?" He replied with a smile of his own.
Puck clapped his paws together making Subaru and Emilia turn their attention towards him "Alright that's enough! Lia we should focus on more important matters, we have to find that thief, fast. We don't know where she's heading, but if she gets too far we might not be able to find her."
Subaru stepped forward as he put a hand to his chest while bowing slightly "Allow me to help you two find this thief, I might have an idea of where we could find her."
Before Emilia could respond Puck interrupted her "Lia, I sense no bad intentions from him. You should probably take him up on the offer, also having a meat-shield around won't hurt." he said with a playful wink.
"Hey! I'll let you know I'm a pretty capable fighter!" Subaru shouted in mock offense.
Both Subaru and Puck turned their attention toward Emilia as she let out a soft laugh at their antics. Her lips curved into a genuine smile before replying “Thank you, Subaru. I’ll gladly accept your help.”
As Subaru looked at her smile, he felt his blood rush to his face. She looks like she came straight out of a fantasy novel.
He coughed into his fist before speaking again “Also, I wanted to ask… are you an elf? I noticed that you have elven ears.” His tone was filled with sincerity and curiosity.
Emilia's expression darkened as she looked down, her voice was laced with sadness as she spoke "I'm a half-elf..." She thought this would be the moment where he stopped being kind after hearing that she's a half-elf.
"Wow, no wonder you're so cute! Elves are always cute, aren't they?" The boy spoke with a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his head.
"H-huh?!" Emilia's eyes widened as her face turned red like a tomato once she realized what the boy in front of her had just said. She had just been complimented after revealing that she's a half-elf. Where was the hate, the scorn, the gazes filled with hatred and fear?
Emilia scanned his face, searching for any signs of deception, but she couldn’t find any. All she saw was his radiant smile burning brightly like a star, and his eyes which were filled with kindness as he looked at her.
“S-Subaru, you dunderhead!” she shouted, while a cute pout adorned her face.
Subaru simply let out a laugh as he enjoyed her reaction.
Before the two could continue Puck interrupted them once again "Alright, enough chatting you two. We should be searching for the thief. Now tell us about that idea of yours, Subaru."
Subaru gave a respectful bow before responding “I apologize for wasting your time, Great Spirit-sama. Based on the thief’s appearance, I can conclude that she’s from the slums. I’ve patrolled that area a few times, and her clothes match the typical worn and shabby attire of the people who live there."
“You’re reaaally smart, Subaru. Now let's go, we can't waste any time!” Emilia exclaimed, feeling much more hopeful now that they had a lead on the thief's location.
As the three of them headed towards their destination, Subaru thought this would just be a normal, uneventful day, arresting a thief and helping a cute half-elf girl retrieve her insignia. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?