After a quick breakfast, Subaru stepped into the training grounds.
His eyes still carried traces of sleep, but his mind was alert - ready not for physical combat, but for a battle of control.
He summoned Etherfang from his inventory.
The cold metal trembled slightly in his hand as if awakening, almost like it recognized him. The
daggers gave a faint pulse, like a greeting.
A translucent screen appeared before him:
[Name: Etherfang]
Effects:
- Forged from condensed mana-steel
- Exceptional mana conductivity and storage
- Synergizes with Yin magic
Subaru couldn't hide his surprise. "This...isn't an ordinary weapon," he thought. Nothing he'd held before had felt so alive.
He attempted to channel mana into the blades. Without conscious thought, he sent a current through them. The daggers absorbed it effortlessly, their edges glowing blue.
The shimmering light cut through the air - an instinctive response, a perfect synchronization.
Following Flugel's advice, Subaru tried adding Yin magic to the mix.
But...
When his Yin energy touched the stored mana, the reaction spiraled out of control.
Suddenly the entire area -
was swallowed by thick mist, like some fog-breathing beast had exhaled. A Shamak-like haze engulfed the training grounds, spreading to half the mansion.
"Ah...how do I fix this?" Subaru groaned, arms dropping to his sides. "Damn it...new day, new disaster."
Then abruptly -
the magical mist began swirling inward, as if pulled by an unseen hand. Within moments, both the training grounds and mansion were restored.
Silence fell.
But Subaru felt it -
a sharp gaze watching him.
Judging. Curious.
From the upper floor.
"Perhaps you should stop turning Betty's library into a smokehouse, I suppose!"
Beatrice.
There by the window stood the gothic-clad loli, her golden hair in elaborate curls, glaring down at him.
Subaru knew that voice.
The world's smallest (and most perpetually tired) librarian.
Her patience for disturbances? Nonexistent.
"Ah, sorry! Things got out of hand while testing magic infusion," he said, looking like a chastised child.
(A child still holding very real daggers.)
Beatrice floated down gracefully, her feet barely touching the ground, her usual prickly demeanor on full display.
"And who exactly do you think you are, I suppose?" she asked pointedly. "What are you doing here,?"
Subaru could clearly see Beatrice was in her usual prickly mood. A mischievous impulse bubbled up inside him - he had to physically resist the urge to pinch her round cheeks.
"I am Natsuki Subaru - Lady Emilia's Bodyguard,"
he said with a greeting that contained the right mix of respect, playful flirtation and practical patience.
"Hmph. At least you know how to greet someone properly, I suppose," Beatrice sniffed.
"I am Beatrice. The Librarian of the Forbidden Archives."
Subaru's eyes lit up like he'd just rolled a critical success. A window of opportunity had cracked open.
"Pleasure to meet you, Beatrice. Mind if I call you Beako?"
The spirit hesitated. Just for a moment, her cheeks flushed the faintest shade of pink.
"I don't care..." She turned to leave, but curiosity bled into her voice.
"How exactly are you channeling mana into those daggers?"
Subaru had known this would pique her interest. Right on cue.
"Like this," he said, reactivating [Mana Blade].
The daggers drank in energy, bathing the area in cerulean light. He offered one hilt-first to Beatrice.
The tiny librarian accepted it with both hands. A beat of silence passed as she squinted at the weapon. When she attempted to add her own mana—
The entire reservoir flooded into her at once.
Her eyes flew wide. Hands trembling slightly.
"Beako? Hey, Beako! You okay?" Subaru's chest tightened with unfamiliar panic.
This wasn't a reaction he'd anticipated.
Beatrice dropped the dagger as if burned, staring at her palms.
"My... entire mana capacity just refilled instantaneously..."
Her gaze snapped to Subaru, face a mosaic of awe, suspicion, and something almost like fear. "What are you? And why does this dagger contain enough mana to drown a spirit?!"
Subaru remembered that Flugel had previously filled the daggers with mana and sighed.
This power that felt like his own achievement... was really just borrowed glory. The realization sat heavy in his ribs.
"From what I understand, it's made of mana-steel alloy." His calm voice barely concealed his own bewilderment.
Beatrice's fingers traced the blade's edge absently.
"A single one of these would be worth hundreds of gold coins, I suppose.
Not surprising given its storage capacity."
Her clinical tone couldn't mask the scholarly hunger beneath.
Subaru's jaw dropped. "Flugel, do you even have a spending limit?!" In his old world, this would be a museum piece. Here, it felt like holding a fragment of some greater mystery.
Beatrice thrust the dagger back at him. "And that shadow mist earlier?"
Her question was pointed, but Subaru didn't miss the keen interest glittering beneath.
"I tried synergizing the blade's mana with Yin magic," he admitted, sounding equal parts guilty schoolboy and proud innovator.
Beatrice studied him for a long moment before extending her tiny hand. "Give me your hand."
Without hesitation, Subaru complied. As their palms met, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Beatrice closed her eyes.
A sudden burning sensation flared in Subaru's chest—not pain, but an intense pull, as if something vital was being drawn through his veins.
Then Beatrice released his hand.
"You can wield Yin magic, I suppose," she declared in that textbook-perfect lecturing tone.
"Inject minimal mana into the daggers, then allow the Yin to propagate through dispersion."
Subaru blinked. "How do you know all this?"
The tiny spirit puffed her cheeks.
"The Great Spirit of Yin need not answer such questions,I suppose!"
For all her childish appearance, ancient wisdom threaded through every word.
Steadying himself, Subaru assumed a combat stance. This time, he focused.
"Touch the daggers' tips together, " Beatrice interjected, her voice laced with reluctant pride.
"Yin magic cannot remain confined to a single point."
Following her guidance, Subaru crossed the blades. Mana flowed smoother now—a directed current rather than a flood. He visualized the dark energy moving from his core to the steel...
Connection.
His eyes snapped open to see the daggers pulsing with violet-black light.
The glow mirrored the shadows in his own gaze—not a threat, but an acknowledgment.
Yet as he marveled, inky tendrils began creeping up his arms.
These weren't mere markings—they were circuitry.
His heart pumped Yin energy through his veins like a living conduit, the daggers serving as release valves. The entire system now visible... until he twitched, breaking the flow.
"So my cursed body uses blood vessels as mana channels," Subaru murmured. The realization settled heavily, yet... he accepted it.
"Thanks, Beako! Couldn't have done it without you." His grin held genuine gratitude—perhaps his first unguarded smile in this world.
"Hmph. A trivial matter for Betty, I suppose." She turned to leave, but her parting words carried playful menace: "Turn my library into a shadowy haze again, and Betty will not forgive you, ."
Subaru chuckled. "Such a tsundere."
For once, his eyes sparkled without weight.
As he resumed training, the system chimed:
[Ding!!]
Mana Blade: 90%
Advanced Dagger Techniques: 90%
Phantom Drift: 50%
Evening had fallen.
After a day of relentless training, Subaru could now channel mana through his daggers with surgical precision. "Magic infusion can wait,"
he thought, admiring the blades that had become extensions of his very being—bridges between his shadowed past and uncertain future.
This was only the beginning.
He stepped into the mansion, only to be met with...
Silence.
Not peaceful quiet, but absence. The grand halls stood hollow, every opened door revealing empty rooms. The lively fortress had turned to stone.
"This is... unsettling." Only his footsteps and heartbeat echoed back at him
Then he remembered—
The Forbidden Library.
Beatrice should be there. But finding it was never simple. The doorway moved, hidden by layers of magic. Yet it left traces—thick, tangible mana that called to those who knew how to listen.
Subaru wandered the corridors, fingers brushing walls until—
There.
One door pulsed faintly, its frame humming with invisible energy.
He entered without knocking.
"Unauthorized entry into Betty's library is forbidden, .. cursed one."
Beatrice's voice cut through the dim light, her nose still buried in a book.
Subaru closed the door with exaggerated care. "First—hello, Beako! Second, you could just call me Subaru. 'Cursed one' sounds so... final."
Blue eyes flicked up dismissively. "Betty will address you as she pleases, I suppose."
Despite her frosty tone, Subaru found her presence oddly comforting. At least someone was predictable in this world.
"Beako, where is everyone? The mansion's like a ghost town."
Without looking up, Beatrice recited: "The clown and the half-elf departed at dawn for royal negotiations in the capital. The twins followed at noon to assist."
"A political summit..." Subaru's stomach tightened. They're gathering allies without me.
"Thanks for the intel, Beako." He turned to leave—
"The half-elf left you this, I suppose."
A sealed letter materialized in Beatrice's outstretched hand, pulsing faintly with protective magic.
Subaru spun so fast he nearly tripped. His fingers trembled as he accepted it, instantly recognizing the delicate handwriting along the edges—
Emilia's.
A gust of wind expelled him from the library before he could react. The door clicked shut with finality.
Alone in his room, Subaru collapsed onto the bed, clutching the letter like sacred text. Moonlight through the window illuminated two words pressed into the wax seal:
[Open Me]
Subaru carefully unfolded the parchment. As his fingers traced the ink, Emilia's voice seemed to whisper through the fibers.
"Dear Subaru,
Last night, Roswaal suggested meeting with certain nobles to gather support for the upcoming royal selection. I agreed—though you know better than anyone how coldly the capital treats a half-elf like me. Still, I must go.
I wanted you by my side... but Roswaal convinced me your training shouldn't be interrupted so soon. When Puck and I came to your room at dawn, you were sleeping so deeply I couldn't bear to wake you.
We'll return by tomorrow morning. Until then—take care, Subaru."
-Emilia~
The paper trembled in his grip.
Conflicting emotions surged through him—a storm of frustration
(Roswaal's obvious manipulation) and warmth
(that she'd left this, a piece of herself, just for him).
"She thought of me..."
He pressed the letter to his chest, eyes closed.
The scent of frozen lilies clung to the paper. When he finally whispered, "Thank you, Mili,"
the words carried the weight of a vow.
For a long moment, he simply sat there—replaying her imagined voice—before gently folding the letter and placing it on his nightstand.
Exhaustion hit like a hammer. Every muscle screamed for rest, yet his mind whirred with crystalline clarity. Thoughts ricocheted:
Roswaal's scheming
The daggers' strange symbiosis
That fleeting look in Beatrice's eyes when she'd said "Great Spirit of Yin"
Sleep came slowly, dragging him into a darkness that felt... watchful.
Meanwhile – The Forbidden Library
Beatrice's fingers stilled on the ancient tome's pages. The library hummed with dormant spells, its very shelves whispering secrets to those who could listen.
But the spirit heard only echoes of the past.
"Mother... Echidna, the Witch of Greed."
Her Blue eyes narrowed. Behind closed lids, a memory flickered—
A woman with white hair smiling over tea. A question asked four centuries ago:
"Will you wait for 'That person,' for me Betty?"
The book snapped shut with unnatural force. Some contracts, Beatrice knew, were better left unexamined.
400 Years Ago
The library was different then—brighter, warmer, alive.
Echidna stood before Beatrice, her cold yet elegant smile masking something fractured. A pride that clung to the ruins of a broken heart.
"Betty, my dear daughter... I entrust this Forbidden Library to you."
Her voice was calm, but sorrow pulsed beneath it.
"Your duty is to protect it... and to wait for 'that person.' Guard all knowledge here until they arrive."
Beatrice's small hands clenched into fists. Tears welled in her blue eyes.
"Mother... don't leave Betty! Why must Betty wait for some 'person'? Betty doesn't even know who they are!"
Her voice cracked—childish fear tangled with abandonment.
Echidna knelt, stroking her daughter's hair. Her fingers were steady, but her heart trembled.
"Because... no one else can fulfill this duty, Betty."
A whisper.
"When the time comes... you'll understand."
A black book materialized in her hands.
"This... is your mother's."
Echidna smiled, but it was a farewell.
As she walked to the door, Beatrice's tears fell silently. So much to say—yet no words came.
"Until we meet again... take care, Betty."
The door closed.
And Beatrice's 400 years of solitude began.
(A/N : Yes, it's a bit too sentimental, but why not?)
Present Day
Beatrice stared at the black book in her hands. Dustless. Timeless—like her duty.
She opened it.
On the first page, a single sentence:
"Wait for that person."
A tear trailed down her cheek.
She didn't wipe it away.
This tear was a relic—proof of pain that must never be forgotten.
Morning
"Subaru-kun, please wake up."
Rem's soft voice dragged Subaru from sleep. His eyelids fluttered rebelliously—his body at war with consciousness.
"If you don't wake, I'll have to inform Onee-sama."
The threat worked like magic. Suddenly Subaru jerked upright, fear overcoming exhaustion.
"Mornin' Rem. When'd you get back?" His voice was groggy, but his reflexes sharp.
"Good morning. We arrived shortly ago."
Subaru's bleary eyes focused on one thing only:
"Where's Emilia?"
"Likely in her room—"
Before Rem finished, Subaru lunged for the closet. Mind zeroed in, he grabbed his signature tracksuit. Forgetting Rem's presence, he yanked off his shirt—
Rem spun around, cheeks burning but duty-bound to stay.
Subaru noticed. The optimal play? Pretend nothing happened.
"Let's head down together, Rem."
She nodded, face still hidden. A silent agreement—and hidden smile—in her steps.
Subaru descended the stairs with Rem, only to face the one person he least wanted to see.
"Oh, Subaru-kuuun~"
Roswaal's mocking voice slithered through the air, poisoning the atmosphere. His garish clown makeup seemed even more grotesque in the morning light.
"Morning, Roswaal," Subaru replied flatly, his expression carefully blank. "Is Emilia in her room?"
Roswaal bowed his head with theatrical grace, his heterochromatic eyes shining.
"Emilia-sama is indeed in her room~. You might want to comfort her - she was a bit down in the capital~."
Somewhat?
Subaru's grip tightened. In that moment, he wanted to strangle every noble who'd dared slight her—starting with the smirking clown before him. But he said nothing.
Turning on his heel, he marched to Emilia's door.
The sight that greeted him cracked something in his chest.
Emilia sat curled in the corner, knees drawn to her chest, her silver hair a tangled curtain hiding her face. Her trembling shoulders were the only movement.
Puck hovered above her like a silent sentinel—his usual cheer extinguished, eyes distant. Defeated.
Subaru approached slowly.
Puck looked up.
Without a word, Subaru scooped the spirit into his hands, brushed a gentle heatpad over Emilia's hair... and stepped back into the hallway.
This conversation required Puck's perspective.
"Alright, oh mighty magical cat," Subaru hissed, the sarcasm in his voice barely masking his fury. "Care to enlighten me?"
Puck floated free, sighing. "Our trip was meant to gather allies for Lia. You know this."
His voice frayed at the edges. "Some nobles called her the Witch of Envy. Others... just spat slurs for her half-blood heritage. It... broke something in her."
The spirit studied Subaru, recognizing the storm brewing behind his eyes.
"There's more." Puck's glow dimmed. "Lia's emotional state has made it impossible for me to absorb mana these past few days. I'm starving, Subaru. You know what that means for a spirit."
Subaru's jaw clenched. A decision crystallized.
He summoned Etherfang—the mana-charged dagger pulsing in his grip—and offered it hilt-first.
"Use this. It's enough to sustain you." His voice softened. "Beako will help refine the transfer."
Puck's eyes widened. "You can imbue weapons with mana now?
Hah... I should've expected no less from the man who fought Elsa."
of his old smirk surfaced. "Thank you. You have my permission to speak with Lia—just... be gentle with my daughter."
As Puck drifted away, Subaru inhaled sharply...
And stepped back into the room.
(A/N: let's make a deal. Give me your Power Stones. Get new chapter)