Gojo leaned his head on his hand, a bored expression on his face as he listened to Roswaal's explanation.
A distraction? Really? he thought. He thinks that'll work on anyone who isn't an idiot? To Gojo, it was simple.
The man either had a weird hobby or was just trying way too hard to seem mysterious and deep. There was no grand strategy behind the clown makeup.
"Hmm, I don't know," Gojo said out loud, breaking the silence. "Never was I into this… kinky stuff." He waved his fork dismissively at the lord of the manor.
"You should have just said you like being a clown instead of giving me some deep reason about politics and tricking people. It's much simpler."
Roswaal's unsettling smile didn't waver. If anything, it seemed to widen with amusement. "Huhu. Well, I dooo try to be… somewhat unique."
"Right," Gojo said, clearly already bored with the topic. He took a bite of some kind of roasted meat, chewed thoughtfully, and then pointed his fork at Roswaal again.
"So, what's this about an insignia and being a candidate? That red-haired kid, Reinhard, said something about it before he ran off with the little thief." He paused and gestured to the food on his plate. "Oh, and the food is good."
From her position behind Roswaal, Rem, the blue-haired maid, bowed her head slightly. Her expression didn't change at all as she said in a perfectly flat voice, "Thank you."
Gojo looked at her, his head tilted. "That was too straight," he observed casually. "Kids your age should smile more."
Neither Rem nor Ram reacted. They stood as still and silent as before. It was Roswaal who picked up the conversation, his musical drawl filling the quiet room.
"It is straaaange, isn't it? That you don't know about something so simple. Every child in Lugnica knows about the Royal Selection."
Gojo stopped chewing, his blue eyes, sharp and perceptive, fixed on Roswaal.
The clown's tone was light and cheerful, but Gojo could feel the question hiding underneath it. He wasn't just stating a fact; he was digging for information.
"Hmm, I don't know what to think with your happy-go-lucky tone," Gojo said, a slow, knowing smile spreading across his own lips. "But the way you're saying that… it feels like you're asking a different question entirely. What's the catch?"
Roswaal let out a soft, delighted laugh. "Huhu, quite an observant man you are!" He leaned forward slightly, his mismatched eyes gleaming in the candlelight. "First, may I ask… do you two know each other? Before you arrived in our capital, that is."
"Nah," Gojo said immediately, gesturing dismissively towards Subaru. "Not really. Other than coming from the same place, I don't know this kid."
"Yeah, me too!" Subaru added quickly, eager to separate himself from the strange, white-haired man. "I don't even know who he is!"
Roswaal looked from Gojo to Subaru, his strange smile fixed in place. "I seeeee. So you two are from the same place. Quite a cooooincidence... you two finding each other at juuust the right time." He tapped a long finger on the table. "I heard that Subaru-kun almost died protecting Emilia-sama, and then you came along to save booooth of them. It's like a story, isn't it?"
"Well, not really a coincidence, if that's what you're asking," Gojo said, taking a sip of water. He was completely unfazed by Roswaal's probing.
"I was in the capital, ended up in the poor part of town, and heard a kid screaming for help. If she hadn't been screaming, I wouldn't have been there. Simple as that."
"Yeah…" Subaru muttered, his own memories of the event much more terrifying. "Good thing I sent Felt away when I did. Otherwise, we all would have been…" He didn't finish the sentence, the memory of Elsa's blade still too fresh in his mind.
"Yes," Emilia said with a warm, grateful smile directed at Gojo. "If not for you, we all would have been in deep trouble. You really saved us."
"It's really nothing," Gojo replied with an easy wave of his hand. "If you were in my place, you would have done the same."
For some reason, that simple exchange felt like a punch to Subaru's gut. He watched the way Emilia smiled at Gojo, a genuine, happy smile, and how Gojo took the praise so easily, so coolly.
It was all wrong. In Subaru's mind, a story was playing out, a story he knew all too well from his forbidden knowledge of manga and anime.
Gojo was the handsome, overpowered hero who shows up at the last second to save the day. He was the main character.
And that made Subaru… the useless side character who almost got the girl killed. He didn't like it. Not one bit.
This guy, Subaru thought, glaring at Gojo from across the table. I bet he's just like me, another guy from Japan. But he must have gotten all the cheats. He probably wished for a new, handsome body and super strong powers. He's probably here to build a harem or something, starting with Emilia!
Gojo, completely unaware of the intense isekai drama unfolding in Subaru's head, was more focused on his food and the weird clown at the end of the table.
"Huhu, quite a humble one, aaaaaren't you?" Roswaal chimed in, his drawl breaking the moment.
"Well, to answer your previous question, Gojo-dono… Emilia-sama is one of the five candidates to become the next queen of this country. One of the five chosen to lead us into the future."
"Hmm, a candidate, and one of five," Gojo repeated, processing the information instantly. "That means the little thief, Felt, is another one, huh?" He put down his fork and leaned forward, his expression suddenly serious.
"So, if Emilia is this important, why was she all alone in the capital? Shouldn't you have sent someone to protect her? She almost died over a stupid pin."
Subaru's head snapped up. He had been thinking the exact same thing. "Yeah!" he added. "Couldn't the person who gave her the pin just give her another one?"
"It is not sooooo simple," Roswaal explained, his smile never faltering. "If a candidate cannot even protect a small insignia, the very symbol of her right to rule, it sends a message. The message is, 'How can she ever hope to protect an entire country?' It is a test, you seeeee."
"A stupid test," Gojo muttered under his breath. He then asked, "What happened to the old king or queen? Whoever it was."
"Oh, so you reeeeally don't know a thing, do you?" Roswaal said, looking delighted by Gojo's ignorance. He gestured with one painted hand.
"The royal family of Lugnica, you seeee, has been wiped out by disease. Every last one of them. There is no direct heir to the throooone anymore."
"So who picks the candidates?" Gojo asked, cutting straight to the point. "Because I don't think it's random, like a lottery or something."
"Correct once again!" Roswaal chirped. "The Kingdom of Lugnica depends on the wisdom of the Divine Dragon Volcanica. Long ago, the Dragon left a stone tablet that tells his prophecies in time of need. Thaaaat tablet is what selects the five potential rulers who will appear to guide the country in its time of need not directly of course but vaguely. For now, the country is being managed by a council of wise old men until a new ruler is chosen."
….
A/N: I think this is exactly how early subaru would think of gojo. Dont forget how he speaks to juluis bcz he was way handsome was being too close to emilia in the royal selection. That he began to hates his guts just for that until later on it changed.
And gojo technically being more competent and that will allow subaru to hate gojo more in the later chapters.