Wilhelm informed us of the reason for his presence: an emissary from the royal capital had arrived at the mansion regarding something related to the royal selection. Emilia entered the mansion to meet with the envoy, whose identity was no mystery to me.
"Felix... Damn, that femboy is hot. No homo."
Knowing in advance that I had no place at that meeting, I went straight to find the best tea leaves so I would have an excuse to chat with Wilhelm. I made two cups of tea and took them outside, approaching the old swordsman with a friendly expression on my face.
"Please accept this as a gesture of courtesy. It is an honor to meet the Sword Demon in person."
"I'm flattered, although I'm not proud of that nickname."
Wilhelm accepted the tea, but not before looking at me and making a mental note of the fact that I managed to recognize him even though he had never seen me before.
Knowing him, I knew he was analyzing my appearance, my gestures, and my aura to determine my intentions when I approached him and decide if it was worth talking to me.
I tried to think of something to break the ice, but instead, I started laughing. It's not like I've gone completely crazy: something was tickling me at the moment.
When I turned around to see what it was, I felt stupid for not having noticed it sooner.
"Patrasche!"
The dragon that accompanied Subaru in the original story was right in front of me, burying her snout in my armpit with no regard for my personal space.
Her yellow eyes with elongated black pupils stared at me with curiosity and interest. I slowly brought my hand up to her face and scratched her chin, eliciting a soft grunt of pleasure.
"How strange." Wilhelm commented upon seeing the dragon's reaction. "This specimen belongs to a very proud race; it's very rare to see them act that way, even more so with strangers."
"Wow, I guess I do have some hidden charm." I tried to sound genuinely surprised, but I don't think I succeeded.
Wilhelm continued to study my behavior as he took a sip from his cup.
"Good flavor. I think it has a considerable impact."
"I'm glad to hear you like it."
I chose not to specify that it was the most expensive tea in the mansion, as I didn't want to get information out of Wilhelm, but rather to pass the time.
"If my guess is correct, you're the butler of this mansion." He said.
"That's right." I confirmed. "My name is Leandro, by the way."
"May I ask what the reason for your gesture of hospitality toward these old bones is? I think there must be something motivating you, considering the quality of the tea you offered me."
"I see you noticed after all... Well, I really just want to make a good impression. I have great respect for you and Miss Crusch Karsten."
My words shocked Wilhelm with the revelation that a mere butler like me had knowledge of his affiliation.
"You're well informed for a butler."
"My official position in this mansion is that of butler, but I intend to become Lady Emilia's knight eventually."
The old gentleman raised his eyebrows at my statement.
"You have a very ambitious goal, young man."
"I know it won't be easy, but I once heard the story of a humble soldier who wasn't important and had nothing special about him, other than his discipline and determination to improve. That soldier was in love with a woman positioned almost at the top of the social hierarchy, but somehow managed to prove his worth to her and make her his wife. It was very inspiring, you know?"
Of course we both knew who I was referring to without me having to name him himself or the previous Sword Saint.
"That story sounds very familiar." Wilhelm stretched his lips, a faint smile forming as he remembered his past with Theresia. I smiled too because I'd seen those moments in the anime, and it was almost as if I'd been there with them (not literally, because in that case it would have been awkward, uncomfortable, and definitely ruined the romantic atmosphere of those scenes).
After a few seconds of irrelevant flashbacks, Wilhelm looked at me in a new light.
"If it's not inappropriate to ask, how do you feel about Lady Emilia?"
"Ah..."
Just a few days ago, this man's grandson asked me a very similar question. The irony was that my answer to that question, if I were to be honest, wasn't the same anymore.
"I'm in love with her. I'll protect her at any cost."
I hadn't yet accepted those feelings as real, but I wasn't going to try to deny that they were there either.
"I see. Your eyes remind me of my own when I think of my wife. If you're determined to achieve your goal, don't let anything stop you."
I heard footsteps approaching us. Both Wilhelm and I turned to see what it was. There was Felix, escorted out of the mansion by Rem.
"Looks like we're running out of time." Wilhelm said.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting outside, Grandpa Wil." Felix apologized as soon as he reached the carriage. "Were you very bored, nya?"
"Damn, I love the way catgirls talk... No, this isn't a catgirl, it's a boy! A sexy catboy!"
I had to remind myself that Felix and I share a gender. It would be dangerous to overlook that.
"Not at all, this young man was very kind to me and we had a pleasant conversation all this time."
Focusing his attention on me, Felix approached curiously.
"Oh ho, you're the guy Lady Emilia mentioned."
Out of nowhere and without asking permission, Felix caught me in a sort of back hug and began inspecting my body in a way that included quite a bit of physical contact. I didn't want to be rude, so I didn't complain, but I told myself that if I ever felt a lump pressing against my rear end, the femboy kitten would lose all his teeth.
"Oh? You're being very cooperative even though I acted so suddenly. I expected a little resistance from you, you know?"
"I know you're a respected figure, so I didn't think I should worry. Besides, it would be problematic to offend a knight of the Royal Guard."
Although it was very brief, I managed to see Felix exchange a glance with Wilhelm.
"What a surprise! I'm flattered to be recognized. Are you a fan?"
"Not exactly. I just like to know a little bit about everything." I said with my best poker face.
"Heee, so it is like that..."
"Felix, it's time."
"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Grandpa Wil! Just when things were getting interesting..."
"Sir Leandro, it's been a pleasure." Wilhelm bowed, addressing me formally, which could be interpreted as a sign of acceptance and respect. "I wish you the best of luck."
"Same here, Sir Wilhelm."
Reinhard's grandfather jumped into the carriage and prepared to leave. Felix smiled and offered me a few last words before leaving with the old man.
"Perhaps we will see each other again in the royal capital, I hope so."
Wilhelm greeted us as he whipped the reins, causing Patrasche to pull the carriage forward at full speed. The vehicle sped off down the dirt road, kicking up a great deal of dust.
"It's almost time." I murmured, my stomach aching, thinking of the White Whale and Petelgeuse.
"Time for what?" Rem's voice behind me made me jump.
"Ahhh! Why are you so close?!"
The truth is, Rem had silently positioned herself next to me. She tilted her head expressionlessly, as if there was nothing strange about the situation and I was weird for asking.
"Forget it." I sighed and walked back inside the mansion.
"You didn't answer my question, Leandro."
"Oh, is that it?" I grimaced. "I meant it's almost lunchtime."
***
The return trip was quite silent at first, as both the carriage driver and passenger were deep in thought about what had happened at Roswaal Manor.
After a few minutes, Felix decided to break the silence.
"Lady Emilia had it well hidden, nya. That butler seems quite perceptive. You've spoken to him; what is your opinion?"
"There's much more to him than meets the eye."
"Is that why you let him approach you? Because you saw something that caught your attention? It already seemed strange to me, Grandpa Wil speaking so casually..."
"You seem to have the wrong idea about my personality."
"Hmm. I wonder if it's true." Felix smirked, but intrigue forced him to stop joking. "What did you see in him?"
"His eyes... He's someone who's experienced death firsthand, I'd even say he's very familiar with it. Besides, there's something I couldn't quite grasp."
"What is it?"
"Although his body language is that of an ordinary person, his gaze and the aura he gives off tell a different story. It's as if there were two men in one body, both very different from each other."
"Two men in one? That sounds like a threesome to me. You're really perverted for suggesting such a thing, Grandpa Wil!" Felix exclaimed, bursting into laughter.
Wilhelm sighed and made no reply to Felix's comment, who squirmed inside the carriage until he stopped laughing and wiped his tears before becoming a little serious.
"Well, I guess we'll have to keep a closer eye on Lady Emilia's camp, just in case, nya."
***
"So you're going to a conference for the royal team..."
"Yes, it's a super important official meeting."
"I'd like to accompany you. I want to make sure you're safe in the royal capital."
"It won't be necessary, I assure you I'll be fine!" Emilia tried to dissuade me with a reassuring smile.
"Besides, it's not her who decides that, it's me." Roswaal chimed in. "Were you planning on leaaaaving without asking permission? I can't believe my butler is so irresponsiiiible."
"You know perfectly well that my presence here isn't necessary." I replied. "You only hired me because I asked you to."
"Which is why you should be moooore grateful to me instead of making so maaaany demands."
I was annoyed that this Roswaal was so hard to convince compared to his version in the original story. I don't remember the canon clown putting so many obstacles in Subaru's way.
"Do I need to remind you what almost happened last time? Emilia isn't safe in the royal capital. Let me go with her to protect her. Besides, I have some unfinished business there."
"I might consider it if you satisfy my curiosity, what kiiind of matters are you supposed to go and resolve?"
"An apology to a giant and his granddaughter, a lunch with the Sword Saint, and a generous purchase of merchandise from a fruit vendor."
"Sword Saint?" Emilia's eyes widened. "Do you know Reinhard?"
"Yes. You could say I worked with him."
Which was a complete lie, because I let Reinhard do everything and just reaped the rewards of his 'efforts' (he didn't actually have to put in any effort to defeat Rom or Elsa). However, there was no need for Emilia and company to know the details.
"Well, I guess I can let you go." Roswaal smiled cynically.
"You bastard, you were just trying to get information out of me." I looked at him with disgust.
"Don't use those words when talking to Master Roswaal! And don't address him in that tone." Ram scolded me. "By the way, we'll talk about what you did with the tea leaves later."
"Whatever you say, ironing board."
"Fine, if you want it so badly, Ram will grant your death wish." She called upon her wind magic, but Emilia managed to calm her down with difficulty while Roswaal watched everything laughing.
Roswaal estimated we would leave the day after tomorrow. During that time, I prepared thoroughly both physically and mentally for the third arc. I had already been training daily and didn't stop my routine even after overcoming the threat of the Doppelganger.
My body was finally in acceptable condition: I'd shed excess fat (goodbye tummy), strengthened my muscles, and developed my gate. That's not even considering the Doppelganger's abilities. Now I was confident I could easily defeat the trio of thieves.
But this wouldn't be enough to get me close to the level of characters like Elsa or Petelgeuse. At least I was better prepared than Subaru at this point in the story.
"I just hope there aren't any more problematic changes... Just in case, I should organize my thoughts and make some contingency plans."
So I spent the rest of the time transcribing my thoughts. I was so focused on what I was doing that I barely felt the hours passing until it was time for the trip.
"Well, third arc, here I go. Hopefully I can complete it without dying too many times."