"I, Natsuki Subaru, sincerely apologize to Frederica Baumann, the maid of the noble house of Mather, for my rude behavior and the unfounded accusations I made against her. I humbly ask for her kind and forgiving heart to allow me the opportunity to make amends for my mistakes and to show that I can change."
In one of the living rooms of Roswaal L Mathers mansion, Subaru found himself in the middle, bowing deeply as if he were making a nation-wide public apology.
On either side of him stood Rem and Emilia, both wearing expressions reminiscent of someone scolding a little brother for splashing water on them, their beautiful faces adorned with pronounced pouts.
They weren't just there for appearances; both had a firm grip on his earlobes, clearly not planning to let him off the hook anytime soon.
If he were to express it, he would say the pain was worse than his entire battle with the White Whale… not that it meant much since he hadn't actually been hurt, which shows just how built different he was.
In front of the trio stood the previously mentioned offended maid, Frederica Baumann, arms crossed beneath her soft chest and a frown of disapproval on her face.
Or at least, that's what one might expect.
Instead, Frederica was nearly doubled over, a hand covering her mouth to suppress a giggle. The amusement in her emerald eyes was unmistakable.
"There's no need for such a dramatic apology, Subaru-sama. It was merely a misunderstanding, and I'm not offended at all," she finally managed to say after regaining her composure.
"Frederica is right, Subaru! This silly-nilly apology was unnecessary! A simple apology would have been enough," the half-elf added.
"Who even says 'Silly-nilly' these days, Emilia-sama?"
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Remmy!"
The half-elf could only pout as everyone around her shared a laugh at her expense.
"Why does everyone keep poking fun at my vocabulary?! Silly-nilly is a totally normal word!" Emilia exclaimed, but instead of making her point, it only led to more laughter as she pouted even more.
Frederica, ever the professional one, quickly recovered, "Hehehee, I'm sorry if I crossed a line, Emilia-sama. We didn't mean to offend you."
Rem added, "Frederica-san is right; Rem didn't mean any offense, but Emilia-sama makes the temptation to tease her unbearable!"
Subaru, the last to stop chuckling, said, "Come on, Emi, don't be like that! We're just having a bit of fun! We're friends, after all!"
Emilia huffed, puffing out her cheeks and turning away, clearly unconvinced.
Seeing that fun times were over, Frederica turned to Subaru and said, "I've already introduced myself, but I shall do it again."
She performed the same bow as before, stating, "My name is Frederica Baumann, and I used to be a maid here. It's a pleasure to meet you, Subaru-sama."
"Oh?" He made a sound, the name "Frederica Baumann" invoked a feeling of familiarity. He paused for a moment, and then the realization hit him.
"Ohhhh, right. When I first got hired, Ram mentioned that a maid who used to work here went on vacation. I assume that was you, right?" he recalled from his conversation with Ram a month ago.
"Yes, that's me," she replied, but then quickly inquired, "And you were hired?"
He nodded, "I may not look the part, but I'm working here as a butler."
Frederica glanced at Rem for confirmation, which she provided. "Yes, Subaru-kun started a month ago as a butler-in-training, under the tutelage of Nee-sama."
"I see... so that makes us co-workers then..." she said, trailing off, though a spark in her eyes went unnoticed.
After remaining quiet, Emilia finally asked the question in the trio's mind, "Frederica, do you know where Roswaal is?"
"Roswaal-sama?" she repeated, "The master has gone to the sanctuary. He told me to stay here and wait for Emilia-sama's arrival, and to send her there once she returns."
Upon hearing this, Subaru clicked his tongue in annoyance; he really wanted to speak with that clown, and his repeated absence was starting to irritate him.
'Whatever, I'll get that clown soon enough,' he thought, planning what he wanted to ask Roswaal once he reaches him.
"Frederica, do you know why Roswaal went to the sanctuary? I know he was away on business for a few days, so why would he leave instead of waiting for us?" he asked the demi-human maid.
A part of Alarm village and Emilia had been away for days; shouldn't the lord of the land, who is also Emilia's sponsor, wait for their return instead of leaving?
'Rem said that Ram is okay, which means the villagers must be safe. So why would Roswaal go there? Even if it was to check on them, shouldn't he have brought them here? Why wait for us there?'
More and more questions piled up with no clear answers, Subaru found himself growing increasingly suspicious of the clown, suspecting he had ulterior motives.
She shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I really don't know why he went there, and I don't fully understand what goes through the master's mind. The only people I can think of are Ram and Beatrice, the Great Spirit of the forbidden library."
Subaru took in her response, 'I see. Since Ram is in the Sanctuary, she won't be of help, so that leaves Beatrice.'
He then addressed everyone in the living room, "Since Ram is in the sanctuary, I'll go talk to Beatrice."
Emilia interjected, "Are you sure that's wise? Beatrice can be quite stubborn, you know."
He waved her concern away, "Don't worry, I have a talent for getting what I want from people. That tsundere spirit won't be any different."
Turning to Frederica, he added, "Thanks for your help, Frederica, I really appreciate it."
Just as he was about to leave, Frederica called out, stopping him in his tracks. She raised a finger with an authoritative expression.
"It's Frederica-neesama, not just Frederica," she corrected him.
Noticing his confusion, she continued, "There's a tradition in this mansion. Junior servants must refer to their seniors as 'Neesama.' Now that I'm back as the head maid, you need to call me Frederica-oneesama."
The command hung in the air, followed by silence. Subaru looked at her for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"Cute, but I'll pass on that one. How about I call you Freddie instead?" he replied, turning to leave a puzzled Frederica behind.
"Freddie?" she echoed, glancing at Rem and Emilia, who both shrugged.
"Subaru-kun likes to give nicknames to people he knows. He calls Rem 'Remmy' and Emilia 'Emi,' and he even has nicknames for Roswaal-sama," Rem explained.
Frederica turned from Rem to the door where Subaru had exited, a growing smile on her face "…He's quite a character, isn't he? I'm sure the mansion has never been the same since he arrived."
"You have no idea!" Emilia exclaimed, and then she and Rem exchanged tales about Subaru and his antics, much to the delight and enjoyment of the demi-human maid.
---------------------------------
Humming softly to himself, Subaru strolled through the expansive corridors of Roswaal's mansion, his sunglasses perched comfortably on his nose as his Six Eyes searched for the door leading to the loli spirit.
He quickly spotted it—a door enveloped in invincible black mana, a sign of the Door Crossing spell. With a playful grin meant just for her, he approached and swung the door open wide.
"Yoho! Guess who's back? It's me, the one and only—" he began dramatically with a bow, but halted when he realized he didn't catch the familiar scent of paper and books. Instead, he found himself in one of the many bathrooms.
"Eh? Where did she—Oh, I see how it is."
Using his Six Eyes, he noticed that the black mana surrounding the door he had just opened had shifted to the one next to it, the door right next to the one he just opened.
Beatrice was intentionally avoiding him.
'So we're playing hard-to-get, huh? Challenge accepted! Let's see how long you can keep me away—Aha!'
With a swift motion, Subaru dashed to the next door, grabbed the handle, and opened it, only to find… a guest room.
Undeterred, he followed the black mana to another door, opened it quickly, and was met with a closet.
He repeated this process several times, each leading to the same outcome.
'So Beatrice can somehow change the door to her library instantly instead of manually moving the spell… .'
He stroked his non-existent beard as he surveyed the corridor, which had eight doors, three of which were open.
Suddenly, an idea struck Subaru, and he set it into motion.
He approached the door surrounded by mana, and before he could touch the handle, he teleported away, smirking as he realized he had chosen the right door, the one furthest away, and opened it.
"No!" Beatrice's childlike voice rang out, the Great Spirit resembling a noble girl in a frilly pink dress. She could only watch in horror as the monster-in-human-clothing lifted her from her stool into a bear hug.
"Betty! I've missed you so much, in fact! The days without your face have truly left a gaping hole in my heart, I suppose!"
He twirled the Great Spirit around as if she were a doll. Such treatment towards a being of her stature would not be taken lightly, and Beatrice was no exception.
"P-put Betty down! She hasn't agreed to this! It's disrespectful to a Great Spirit like her!" the spirit protested, her indignation rising as she grew dizzy from the spinning.
"Oh, come on, don't be such a joykill! I know you enjoy it, I can see it clear as day, in fact!" he teased, a cheeky grin spreading across his face as he noticed how much she was blushing.
After more protests and her squirming against his embrace, he finally set her down on her familiar small stool.
"Alright, alright, you look like you've had your fill of 'Subaru's Affectionate Cuddles.' So, tell me, did you miss little ol' me?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows at her.
"The days you were away were the most peaceful since you ruffian entered this mansion!" Betty retorted, glaring at the sly-smiling human.
"Coming from you, Betty, that's practically a compliment!"
"A compliment? Are you a masochist, I suppose?"
"Nah, I just like you, that's all,"
By now, Betty had settled back onto her stool, picking up the book she had been reading before he interrupted her peace.
If it had been anyone else, or even one of the maids, she would have simply used her mastery over Yin magic to kick them out of the forbidden library. However, the reason she refrained from doing so with him was quite straightforward.
No matter what she tried, she just couldn't do it.
During Subaru's month-long stay at the mansion, he made it a point to visit The Great Spirit whenever possible, having learned that she never leaves her library for any reason.
He would casually stroll in, crush her with hugs, or as he calls it 'Subaru's Affectionate Cuddles.', and make himself at home—whether engaging in conversation or casually picking up random books to read without asking.
And what could Betty do? Absolutely nothing!
Use magic to blow him away? He would just stand there, unfazed, calling her attempts adorable.
Rely on her extensive knowledge of Yin magic? Even if she succeeded, he always found his way back to her library. He always did.
She even tried to physically remove him with her strength, and as you might expect, that didn't go well.
At one point, she even drained him of his mana, and he just shrugged it off, saying, "Mana? Who needs that anyway?" and continued to bother her as if nothing had happened!
Since Roswaal has a special interest in the butler, she couldn't harm him without facing the clown, which would be a headache in itself.
'Grrrr, I suppose! This human is the most infuriating one Betty has ever met, in fact!' she growled adorably.
All she wanted was some peace while guarding the books—is that really too much to ask?
"Betty, are you smiling? You can try to hide it, but I can see it peeking out from under the cover."
"Betty is not! Don't say such ridiculous things, in fact!" she snapped, a pout evident on her face.
Her smiling because of this butler? Absurd! She would rather go a whole year without her bubby than enjoy a single moment with him!
Anyone who says otherwise is lying!
Because she said so!
"So, Betty, did you change the way your Door Crossing works? You had to move the mana manually but now it seems like you can do it instantaneously." He commented.
Betty turned a page in her book, determined to ignore him, but eventually let out a weary sigh. Although she longed for peace, the desire to avoid his nagging was even stronger, so she reluctantly agreed.
"Betty would use Yin magic to send the mana to other doors instead of moving it herself, I suppose. Betty created it to specifically keep you away,"
"So my uninvited presence forced you to enhance your spells? I'm flattered!" he joked.
However, Betty's view, it wasn't an improvement since she had to expend twice the mana she usually would, and unlike Puck, she doesn't have that much mana to spare.
"Hey, Beatrice, I have a few questions for you. Would that be okay?"
"After you disrespected Betty so much, why should she waste her time answering your questions?" she replied mockingly.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and quickly responded, "It's simple. If you answer my questions, I promise to stop my 'Subaru's Affectionate Cuddles.' for an entire month."
Before she could reply, he leaned closer, saying, "And just so you know, you can't stop me from coming in, no matter how hard you try."
Betty glared at him, her small hands gripping the book tightly, but eventually she gave in, saying, "If it means getting you out of Betty's sight, fine. Betty shall answer your questions, I suppose."
Subaru clapped his hands together, a cheerful grin on his face, "Great! So, do you know why Roswaal is in the Sanctuary?"
Beatrice looked up at him, surprised. "The Sanctuary? How did you—" she paused, realizing something.
"Ah, that Beast-maid must have told you about it," she said.
It was actually Ram who informed him, not Frederica, but he saw no point in correcting her. "Yeah, she did. She mentioned that Roswaal came back and then went there."
"I see. In that case, Betty has no idea why Roswaal went to the Sanctuary," she replied flatly, her face showing boredom. Subaru blinked in response.
"Huh? You really don't know why he went there? Not even a little?" he asked, receiving only a blank stare from her in return.
"Why would Betty have any knowledge of what Roswaal is thinking, I suppose?" she replied.
"Well, Frederica mentioned that you understand Roswaal better than anyone else and can understand what goes through his head," he said.
"That beast-maid is right about that. Out of everyone, Betty has the closest connection to the clown, in fact," she confirmed.
"But that doesn't mean Betty always knows what he's thinking or anything about the current circumstances, I suppose."
Subaru bit his lip and looked down, thinking, 'Dammit, so even Beatrice is a bust. What the hell are you up to, Roswaal?'
He looked back at her, "Well that sucks. Anyway, I need to ask you something else,"
"Just spit it out," she grunted.
"I don't know how to sugarcoat it, so I'll be blunt here. The sloth archbishop had a book called a 'Gospel.' Do you know what it does?" he inquired, remembering the book with its mysterious magical power he couldn't understand.
To his surprise, Beatrice seemed intrigued, "The Gospel? How do you know about it? No, how do you know the Archbishop of Sloth possessed it, I suppose?"
"Well, him and his cultist cahoots tried to attack this mansion a few days ago, so I killed them all," he replied.
"You… killed him?" she asked, her expression turning somber and sad in a way he couldn't quite understand.
"So you've abandoned Betty too, Geuse…" she murmured.
"Huh? Did you say something?"
Her previous look vanished as if it had never been there, "And what about the Gospel? Or the Witch Factor? What happened to them?"
Subaru didn't catch the second term she mentioned, "Witch factor? Are you talking about the authority? No idea, I just killed him and left. And about the Gospel…"
He gave her a sheepish smile, "When I got my hands on it, I wanted to show it to you, but I kind of… destroyed it."
Betty gazed at him with disappointment, "Betty wasn't sure what she expected from an addle-brained fool like you, in fact."
Words usually don't bother Subaru, especially when they come from strangers, but Beatrice's words, along with her piercing gaze, had a different effect.
It stung a bit.
Beatrice caught Subaru's attention by snapping her book shut with a loud click.
"Roswaal's plans, the witch factor, the gospel—whatever questions you have, you'll find answers at the sanctuary, I suppose. That's all Betty is willing to share, in fact. The beast-maid can lead you there, I suppose."
Subaru opened his mouth to argue but quickly shut it again; Beatrice seemed unwilling to continue the conversation, and pushing her would likely be futile.
"Alright, thanks for your time, Betty," he said, receiving a dismissive "hmph" from the loli as he turned to leave.
However, he paused at the door and turned back to her, a playful smirk on his face.
"Hey Beatrice, how about I give you a nickname? I've gave one to everyone else except you."
Without waiting for her reply, he continued, "What do you think of 'BeetRice'? Pretty cool, right?"
The expression on the loli's face was so amusing that Subaru wished he had a camera to frame it.
"A-a-ABSOLUTELY NOT, THAT NAME IS HORRIBLE, IN FACT! ONLY BUBBY CAN GIVE BETTY A NICKNAME!" she yelled, and Subaru ran outside, laughing as she unleashed a powerful wave of yin magic at him.
---------------------------------
"Otto-san, here—this medicinal tea should help if you start feeling sick!"
"T-thank you so much, Frederica-san,"
In one of the tea rooms, the whole mansion was gathered except for Beatrice. Subaru, Emilia, and Otto were lounging on the couches, while the maid Frederica and Rem were serving tea to everyone.
"Here you go, Subaru-kun! Enjoy!" Rem said as she poured a cup for Subaru, who happily accepted it and took a sip, relishing the sweet taste.
"Ahh~ sweet and light, just my favourite! You really have a knack for making the perfect cup of tea, Rem!" he complimented, causing the maid to blush slightly at the kind words.
Frederica, however, was keenly observing this little exchange...
"So, Otto. How are you feeling, buddy?" Subaru asked, giving a gentle nudge to the green-clad merchant beside him, who groaned in response.
"Awful!" he lamented, shivering as he realized his clothes were completely soaked.
This unfortunate situation was not his fault; while trying to find his assigned guest room after using the bathroom, he mistakenly entered a library where a small girl sat on a stool, looking both angry yet adorable.
Before he could utter a word, her eyes locked onto his, and with a wave of her hand, he was suddenly propelled out into the corridor and into another room—the main bathroom, which featured a pool-sized area in the center.
Poor Otto landed right in the middle, plunging into the icy water, he cried for help and after minutes of agonizing cold, he was eventually pulled out by a cackling Subaru.
As always, whenever good fortune comes his way, Otto's bad luck seems to show up and spoil his day.
"That was Beatrice, the Great Loli Spirit of Yin. She can be quite feisty sometimes. You just happened to catch her on a bad day." He reassured the merchant, chuckling softly since he was the reason for Beatrice's bad mood.
He was also the one who drew the icy water for the bath, but that bit of information is better kept under wraps from the merchant.
"Otto-san, please enjoy your tea while Rem and I look for some suitable clothes for you. I'm worried you might actually get sick at this rate," Frederica said, bowing as she and Rem set off to find dry clothes for the unfortunate merchant.
Once they left, Subaru chimed in, "Well, it seems we're off to the Sanctuary then. No use hanging around here doing nothing."
"I agree. I don't see any reason for us to stay here," Emilia nodded.
"Did you hear that, Otto? You'll meet with Roswaal himself soon, and hopefully, he'll accept your offer and buy up that oil shipment," he commented.
"Ahh, please don't remind me. I'm not ready at all," Otto replied, sneezing a few times.
"Don't worry. As eccentric as that guy is, you'll manage just fine. If you guide us through Kremaldy Forest, I'll put in a good word for you," he said, giving the merchant a reassuring pat on the back.
"R-really?" This was the kind of good news Otto had been hoping for!
Maybe his luck wouldn't be so terrible after all! Perhaps there was a silver lining to all of this!
"Yep! Just as long as you don't get us lost. And according to Rem, those who get lost in the forest are never found."
"E-eh?! Why are you telling me this now?!"
"To see if you'll back out or not. We can't have our potential new camp member chicken out on us, can we?"
"Ughhh," Otto groaned into his hands.
His instincts told him that the days ahead would be just as stressful, if not more.