...
Third Person POV
A few days had passed. Subaru remained vigilant, but he was relieved that every day, Reina came to train him. In fact, she stayed from dawn till dusk, only leaving after nightfall.
With her around, he felt far safer and no longer had to fear dying randomly. His abilities had improved greatly—his swordsmanship was now passable, and using his connection to spirits, he could cast low-tier spells dozens of times, or six to seven times if they were 'El' level.
He had even learned to use El Shamak and El Dona, gradually progressing toward higher-tier spells.
Unfortunately, with only Lesser Spirits in his arsenal, he could cast 'Ul' or 'Al' tier magic only once or twice before exhausting them. Thankfully, having several spirits gave him more flexibility in battle.
"Rem, how about I come to the village with you today?" he asked, catching her off guard.
"If Master Zero wishes to visit the village, then I shall accompany him," she replied with a small nod.
She had finally regained her sanity and understood the errors of her past.
Now, serving as Zero's maid for the next few months, she accepted it as penance for her actions.
"Reina, how about you come with me too?" he asked, turning to the red-haired girl.
"I suppose it would be a nice change of pace," she agreed, and the three of them set out for the village.
Upon arrival, Rem headed off to buy groceries while Subaru played with the children, blending in and quickly befriending them.
"Reina! Why don't you come over here?" he called. She sighed—she wasn't fond of children, but since he had asked, she felt obliged.
Suddenly, a small puppy slipped through the fence and leapt into a little girl's arms.
A Witchbeast, Reina realized instantly, her eyes narrowing.
Before anyone else could react, Reina grabbed the puppy from the girl's arms.
"Uh! Miss! What are you doing to my puppy?" Meili asked in shock. Subaru stepped in quickly.
"Everyone, can you give us a moment? We need to speak with Meili in private."
The children looked confused but obeyed, trusting Subaru. Reina glanced at him—He noticed it too?
Though unsure of what was happening, the children stepped back, leaving Meili behind. Her expression darkened.
"How did you know?" she asked.
Subaru moved to block her from the children and stood in front of them defensively.
"Nothing escapes my Divine Protection, little girl," Reina said flatly, recognizing Meili was no ordinary child.
"I see…" Meili's eyes narrowed—and then the growls came. From the edge of the forest, Witchbeasts began to emerge. "Sir Zero! What's going on? Meili, what are you talking about?" Petra asked, alarmed, but got no answer.
The puppy growled in Reina's grasp, its teeth snapping at her. It tried to transform, but Reina's grip remained unshaken. With a sudden force, she crushed its skull, reducing it to a gory mess.
Her gaze turned to the forest. The Witchbeasts growled cautiously, watching their leader die.
"W-Witchbeasts!" a boy cried, and at once, the beasts charged.
"El Goa!" Subaru shouted, launching a torrent of fire that incinerated a wolgram.
As for the rest? Reina vanished in a sonic boom and reappeared only after turning every Witchbeast into a pile of gore—within seconds, they were all dead.
"That was some impressive magic, Zero!" she praised, smiling brightly. Her Divine Protection captured the moment perfectly—she would paint it in stunning detail later and hang it over the wall to enjoy Subaru's handsome profile later.
Subaru's brow twitched. She had annihilated the whole pack in moments, and here she was praising him for killing just one.
Petra's eyes sparkled as she looked at Subaru, and the other children followed suit.
Meili stood frozen. "You killed all my babies! How dare—"
Reina seized her by the neck.
"For attempting to harm this village and its people, you are under arrest."
"Mama won't let you get away with this!" Meili hissed, but Reina remained unfazed.
The commotion drew the attention of the villagers. Some gasped, alarmed at the sight of Reina holding a child by the neck.
"Who the hell is that? Is that knight about to kill a kid?" one muttered.
But Petra spoke up. "Miss Reina and Sir Zero are heroes! They saved us from Witchbeasts!"
The villagers looked around, taking in the gruesome scene, the corpses of the Witchbeasts lying dead on the ground.
"Yeah! And Meili said they were her babies!" another child added.
Gasps spread like wildfire.
"Not that I look carefully, she's not even from this village, is she?"
"I'm the village chief. And you are—?"
"I'm Zero, and this is my friend Reina," Subaru said casually. Reina smiled hearing the word friend—poor girl didn't know the horrors of being friend-zoned, or her yandere tendencies might have flared.
"I'm Lord Roswaal's guest," Subaru continued. "As you all can see this girl, Meili can control Mabeasts, and her intentions weren't friendly. Thanks to Reina's Divine Protection, we caught her in time. Most of the credit goes to her."
Reina opened her mouth to downplay it but stopped when she saw his proud smile.
My father hates me for things I didn't do. My grandfather can't stand the sight of me. The Kingdom uses me like a tool… but him? He gives me his praise, his smile, she thought.
That day, she swore: To hell with the Kingdom. Her loyalty—and her heart—belonged to Zero now. And maybe… she'd make him hers.
Her euphoric thoughts were hidden behind her Blessing of the Actor, which masked her feelings flawlessly.
The villagers thanked them profusely.
Rem returned through the crowd, having seen and heard everything.
They went back to the mansion with Meili in custody. Ram and Emilia were shocked when they heard what had happened.
"S-She tried to kill the villagers?" Emilia looked at Meili in disbelief.
"Yes, Miss Emilia. I think she should be taken to the Capital and detained," Reina proposed.
"Reina, what if we keep her imprisoned in Roswaal's mansion instead?" Subaru suggested, surprising everyone.
"No, Zero. It's too risky! If she escapes, the village could be endangered again. I'd rather see her executed than imprisoned," Reina said firmly. Meili trembled.
"Reina," Subaru said gently. "She's still a child. I know she was wrong, but we need to teach her the right way. Besides, I don't trust the Kingdom's justice. She's a commoner… who knows what knights might do to her."
His concern wasn't baseless. He feared that someone vile might take advantage of her—and if that happened, he'd never forgive himself.
"Of course, bad kids need punishment, though," he added with a grin. Ignoring Meili's resistance, he hoisted her—Smack!
"Ow!" Meili cried out in pain. Emilia stared, dumbfounded. Reina… felt jealous?
Smack!
"Will you ever hurt people again?"
Smack!
"If you think this pain will—!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Answer me! Will you control Witchbeasts to attack people again?!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"I-I won't! Please stop spanking me!" she wailed, humiliated.
He set her down. His expression softened into a warm smile as he patted her head.
"Good girl."
Reina's jealousy surged. For some strange reason… she wanted that too?
Emilia clutched her rear defensively. Puck appeared, his expression horrified.
"Hey! What kind of perverted show are you putting on in front of my daughter?!"
Subaru shrugged. "Just punishing a naughty child. Though she's not bad anymore, right?"
Meili sniffled and nodded, eyes teary. "Meili will be a good girl! Meili won't listen to Mama anymore!"
"See? That's how you discipline kids," Subaru said, recalling his dad's belt and his mom's flying slippers.
"Z-Zero," Emilia said suddenly, her voice trembling.
"Yes?"
"I—I'll always be a good girl! I promise!" she declared, fists clenched.
"…"
"…"
Subaru and Puck stood speechless. Puck clutched his chest in fake agony.
Then Reina chimed in, "Zero! If I'm a bad girl… will you punish me too?"
Subaru's brow twitched. "Of course not. You're an adult. That would be harassment!"
"I see." Her expression didn't change, but deep down, she was disappointed.
"Zero, I'm begging you—stop corrupting my daughter, or I swear I'll die of heart failure," Puck joked.
"Anyway, let's focus on arranging Meili's imprisonment," Subaru said. "Let's talk to Roswaal."
To be continued…
(A/N: I have been hearing complaints about the AI-edited chaps.
Vote here for what you want
AI EDITED CHAPS FOR BETTER GRAMMAR
OR
NORMAL UNEDITED CHAPS
NO SPAMMING!)