Consciousness slowly returned to me. At first, I felt as if I were being rocked by a warm tide, observing a warm light with hues between red and yellow. Finally, I realized I was lying in Rem's arms.
Damn, what a great way to wake up. This felt like a small compensation for my recent efforts.
"What happened...?"
"Nothing serious, you just lost consciousness. I healed your wounds, so you're fine now."
Just as she'd said, my body had been almost completely healed. The only thing left was the stab wound in my abdomen, but it looked much better than before. I gathered some strength and stood up.
"Where is the old man?"
"He left when you fainted. I wasn't going to let him go, but I decided to prioritize your health."
I smiled with a mixture of happiness and sadness at Rem's decision.
"Thanks, Rem... I'm so sorry for dragging you into my problems again."
"If you're sorry, remember not to leave me out when something important happens."
Something like fighting the cult, of course. I got it right away.
"Fiance."
She made a gesture of satisfaction.
"Leandro, was the old man from before the grandfather you were talking about?"
I walked toward a section of floor that had blood stains on it. Using my sense of smell, I managed to determine which direction Rom had gone.
"Yes. I didn't expect to run into him like this, but it doesn't matter. I'll go apologize to him properly."
"It's very risky. He might attack you again."
"I'll be fine if you come with me."
Rem hesitated a moment, but she'd already come this far. Why stop halfway?
"Okay, but I don't want to be away from the inn for too long."
"It's not like you're neglecting your duties. Watching me is your job too, right?"
I looked at her as I hinted that I knew the orders Roswaal had given her. It wasn't hard to deduce that Roswaal wanted to know as much about me as possible, given that my past is a mystery.
We followed Rom's trail to the loot house. The door was ajar, and the knockers were stained with blood. I shuddered as I related that image to the loops in which Elsa killed everyone in that place. We entered without much hesitation.
Rom was sitting in his usual spot, trying to bandage his injured hand while taking a swig from a bottle that probably contained liquor.
He growled upon noticing my presence.
"What do you want now, brat? Didn't you have enough of what happened earlier?"
"I didn't come here to fight, Rom." I raised my hands. "Everything that happened was a big misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" His voice rose in mockery. "All I know is that Felt is in the Astrea house against her will thanks to you. You practically handed her over to the Sword Saint."
"If she had given up the badge earlier, all of this would have been avoided." I explained, lying a little for a change, since I really intended for Reinhard to find out eventually. "Reinhard only took her because he saw that the badge qualified her to be a real candidate."
"...So that's why, huh?"
"Judging by her features, I'd say she belongs to the royal lineage of Lugunica. Call me crazy, but I think this might be fate."
"Well, I don't care what fate wants or what's in her blood. Felt has to be happy, that's all. If she doesn't want to be a real candidate, they can't force her."
"That's true." I admitted. "That's why I came to tell you that tomorrow there will be a royal selection conference at the royal palace. All the candidates will be there."
"..."
Rom raised an eyebrow when I told him that information. On top of that, I pulled a bag out of my pocket and placed it on the bar.
"Please accept this."
"What did you put there?"
"Something you can exchange for a lot of liquor."
In other words, money.
Rom looked at the bag with interest.
"Hmm... I see you know how to apologize from the bottom of your heart."
"If you want, Rem can heal the wound on your hand."
"Nah, I'm fine." He immediately dismissed my suggestion. "Besides, your friend keeps looking at me like she's ready to slit my throat."
"That 's because she is." I thought, grimacing.
"That's because I am." Rem said, warning Rom not to do anything strange.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat. "We better go."
I decided it was time to end this awkward meeting. I said goodbye to Rom and returned to the inn with Rem. To make up for her inconvenience, I helped her with her chores, such as tidying up and making lunch.
"Where is Emilia, by the way?"
"He said he'd go to the garrison to try to contact the royal palace. He should be back very soon."
Finishing up the preparations, I had an idea that made me smile mischievously.
Without Rem noticing, I turned on my smartphone and went to the music app. Swiping around a bit, I found one of my favorite songs: Fly Me To The Moon.
Author's Note: I am attaching the version that was played on the scene.
I tapped the screen and the sound flowed out as if by magic (in this case, by science). The room filled with a jazz melody accompanied by the voice of Frank Sinatra.
Hearing the sudden commotion, Rem jumped like a scared kitten. It was a very cute reaction. Immediately afterward, she began searching for the source of the phenomenon.
"What's that?! Is there an orchestra at the inn?"
I couldn't help but laugh, charmed by Rem's innocence when it came to modern technology. I'd almost forgotten I was in a fantasy world based on the Middle Ages.
"Relax, it's just my Metia."
Smiling, I paused the music with a simple tap on the screen. Rem looked at the smartphone with bright, curious eyes, like a child.
"Can you make it produce sound? Even something as complex as music?"
"Music is a piece of cake for this beauty." I said, boasting as if I had personally made and programmed the artifact I held in my hands like a treasure (in this world, it definitely was).
"You do the same with images, right? The other day you said you have a sort of portrait of yourself with the Sword Saint."
Rem seemed to have forgotten proper maid etiquette and was just blurting out questions that came to mind.
"Yes, in fact, here it is."
I showed her my selfie with Reinhard. She was almost speechless, completely absorbed in the absurd capabilities of this strange object.
"Since I have the chance, I'll do it with you too, I announced."
"Huh?"
I quickly selected the camera and took a selfie with Rem, which was immortalized with a bewildered expression on her beautiful face.
Yes, no doubt about it: I just got a new wallpaper.
"Look, you look really funny with that surprised face." I showed her the picture.
"Wait, Leandro. Why did you decide to take a picture of me?" Rem hugged herself. "Don't tell me you want to do weird things with it..."
"How did you jump to that conclusion in the first place?!" My expression suddenly went blank. "Oh, I forgot I'm talking to one of the twins who's an expert at putting people down."
That aside, I went back to the playlist. I'd been wanting to try something for a while.
"Rem, how good are you at dancing?"
"What is the reason for the question?"
"I'd like to ask for your hand in this piece." I said, trying my best to hide my nerves.
This time, I chose a piece called The Second Waltz. As the song began, I gave an elegant bow that ended with a gesture of invitation.
Rem looked at me, hesitant about the physical intimacy my proposal implied. However, she eventually agreed and took my hand.
I tried to hide the fact that I can't dance and that I had no idea how to choreograph this song. I thought it would be a waltz like any other, so I just moved to the beat of the music, doing a few improvised steps for variety.
Rem imitated all my movements perfectly and in certain parts she was the one who suggested new steps, turning the ordinary waltz into a fascinating dance.
We created an incredibly satisfying harmony with the melody. My hand holding hers, her face so close to mine as we moved in unison... It was all wonderful.
I've always been afraid of dancing because I'm too clumsy and stiff for it, but the waltz is the only genre I feel comfortable with.
Maybe it's because it's slow and monotonous enough for someone like me, was what I thought until I danced with Rem.
There was nothing slow or monotonous about that wonderful moment; we were just two people flowing, vibing together. It was something I haven't felt in a long time, and I don't think she had either.
We both lost track of time as the song's ending caught us off guard. When we stopped, I looked at her and thought how lucky Subaru was to have her.
Not to mention what happened before gaining her trust, but as a good Remtard would say, those are unimportant details.
"Not bad for a maid." I said, smiling, still holding Rem.
"Thanks, you're very good at pretending you know how to dance." She didn't move away either.
"Touch."
I had to acknowledge her response with wounded pride, but my attention was elsewhere. Neither she nor I were trying to separate at that moment. Why did she keep looking at me with that smile?
"Leandro..."
"Yes?" I waited for her next sentence, my heart racing.
"You still need a lot of practice. When we have time, I'll teach you how to move properly."
Rem cut all tension from the scene with that comment and walked away, leaving me completely frozen in place.
"Hahaha..." I had no choice but to laugh at my own failure. I probably overthought it: this was a much-needed reality check.
I felt bitter and ashamed for having imagined a different outcome. If she hadn't left at that moment, she would have seen my flushed face.
"What did you expect, buddy? She's way above your level, and it's not like you did anything to make her like you. You shouldn't be disappointed."
I have a bad habit of imagining surreal situations and slightly exaggerating my expectations. I set about working to forget those uncomfortable emotions.
***
Nadir couldn't sleep all night: or rather, he didn't want to.
After a long time, Nadir Ashveil, the blacksmith known for creating the finest weapons in all of Lugunica, was inspired.
He had a brutally difficult assignment: to create a new type of weapon from scratch, with vague instructions and many blank spaces that he was forced to fill by improvising. However, if anyone was capable of accomplishing this mission, it was undoubtedly him.
Supposedly, the weapon would have the ability to kill almost any human who couldn't react quickly enough. It had faster and more powerful projectiles than a crossbow, more efficient handling, and a small body that made it easy to carry; its concept made it seem like the ultimate weapon.
At first, Nadir thought it was a crazy and somewhat absurd idea, but as he imagined the process of creating the mechanism, he realized he could make it work.
Finally, after many hours of uninterrupted work, Nadir wiped the sweat from his forehead and held the world's first revolver in his hands, looking at it with reverence.
"Ah... I finally did it. This is something to celebrate."
He even made a decent amount of bullets and a leather sheath to hold the gun.
"There's no way I'm going to leave this here. Some idiot thief always comes along thinking I still have some of my creations in my house."
Holstering the revolver at his waist, Nadir left his shophouse and headed to the red-light district to give himself a well-deserved treat for a job well done.