Arc 5, Chapter 13 – “Peaceful Dinner”

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All rights belong to Tappei Nagatsuki, the original author of the Re:Zero series. This is an English translation of the free web novel which is available at:

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2267be

Translated by:

• Nanashi-tan
• Phantaminum

Proofread by:

• Phantaminum
• SapphireComet
• SSCaide

Illustration by:

• Setowi

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The Water Plumage Pavilion’s rustic courtyard, paved in gravel, was full of Japanese hospitality. Although expecting an extravagant pond would be too much, the bamboo-like plants on the sides of the stone road were a nice touch.

Subaru: [Even so, Wilhelm-san didn’t join us.]

Subaru sat in a corridor facing the courtyard, picking at the gravel with his toes.

He thought of the white-haired old man had who had indifferently declined Subaru’s invitation with an apologetic expression. What was Wilhelm up to?

Alone in his room, he would certainly feel bored until dinnertime.

Subaru: [That said, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’d be concerned with how others spend their time.]

Julius: [Saying it like that makes it sound like we’re spying, even though we were invited here.]

Subaru: [It’s not like I’m here because I wanted to be… even though I am here…]

Subaru replied to Julius with sarcasm, who sat next to him in the hallway with his legs crossed gracefully. Julius nodded with a smile, as if to say “Truly”. However, the man sitting on the other side of Subaru did not want to admit it as frankly.

Ferris: [Oh, please. Haaaa, do you think Ferri-chan is here because he wanted to see it? Subaru-kyun just dragged me here, and he was just too annyoying to protest against it.]

Subaru: [Well, I’m sorry, I guess. You should be here in case anything bad happens. Although, it seems that isn’t going to be necessary.]

Subaru squinted at Ferris, who was shaking his cat ears in agitation, then looked past him to the fast-paced battle taking place in the courtyard.

Frankly, the battle moved so quickly that Subaru’s eyes could barely keep up. Even so, he could plainly assert one thing.

Subaru: [Really, that bastard Reinhard’s a damn monster.]

Julius: [Although it’s hard to deny, I do not enjoy using such a word to describe a friend.]

Ferris: [It would be hard enough to deny it under nyormal circumstances.]

——The sight that was unfolding before them affirmed their conclusions.

In the courtyard paved with gravel, a fierce match was being staged between a roaring blond teenager and the red-haired hero defending against the former’s beastly pressure.

The challenger, Garfiel, burned through an endless flow of motivation as he struck at Reinhard from every possible angle. However, whether using claws, fangs, legs, elbows, or knees, each of his attacks were seen through and evaded with ease. Not to mention,

Subaru: [That guy, is he really just standing there without moving?]

Julius: [It was the original condition, after all. Reinhard would never violate it. Nevertheless, failing to force him to do so is probably humiliating for Garfiel.]

Garfiel kept launching attacks at Reinhard from different directions, trying to take those opportunities to expose a weak point. But no matter how much he tried, Garfiel was not going to find a weakness that did not exist. Not only that, but Reinhard was also dodging without much effort.

Reinhard had been standing in the same place since the start of this rash challenge, having never conceded an inch.

As Garfiel rushed at him repeatedly, Reinhard’s two feet remained fixed in place.

——At first, when Garfiel visited Reinhard’s room to challenge him, Subaru had summed it up as a reckless move from multiple points of view.

Thinking back, that Reinhard even agreed to Garfiel’s challenge had been unexpected.

Frankly, the match was solely a product of Garfiel’s desire. Accepting the challenge would not provide Reinhard with any benefit. Considering the difference of strength between the two, Reinhard presumably would not have that childish sense of masculinity to flaunt.

If the complicated relationship between Reinhard, the Royal Guards, and his political opponents were considered, then fighting Garfiel was, in some respects, an unnecessary danger. Even if he believed that no one had set up any tricks or traps, accepting the challenge had been unnecessary nonetheless.

Considering this, it had been unlikely for the match to even happen, and Subaru had certainly considered dismissing the idea entirely.

However, from the bottom of his heart, Subaru wanted to witness its fulfillment.

The one who took the responsibility of serving as the fighting power of the Emilia Camp was, without any doubt, Garfiel Tinzel. However, outside conditions could often influence the outcome of a conflict, so achieving victory solely through battle was plainly impossible. Furthermore, Garfiel’s flaws were not few in number, either.

Emilia’s faction had gained much fame throughout the past year, and much attention had been directed toward Garfiel. Because everyone within the Emilia Camp recognized and praised his strength, Garfiel himself was quite arrogant. He had always been able to live up to those expectations with results and achievements.

However, this one-sided consideration of Garfiel also posed a troubling fact. Garfiel had yet to face enough opponents as strong as him since leaving Sanctuary.

The only person who had fought him on equal footing was the homicidal demon Elsa, during the battle in Roswaal’s old mansion, and it had ended in Garfiel’s victory. Since then, he had not experienced any hard-fought battles that compelled him to show off his full strength.

Although Garfiel had indeed once lost to Subaru, Otto, and Ram, the conditions of that victory could be entirely attributed to their dirty tricks. In terms of a proper, clean battle, Garfiel Tinzel was a man who had never experienced defeat since birth.

——Therefore, even knowing that it was cruel, Subaru longed for a battle between Reinhard and Garfiel to happen.

To continue without losses, and to remain unaware of his limits. That was not an impossible path. However, if he remained ignorant of his own limits, and merely relied on the luck of continuously facing weaker opponents, then Garfiel would never be certain where exactly his own strength ranked.

And so, Reinhard van Astrea, the hero whom Subaru had only seen in action once. Subaru chose to trust in his power.

Subaru: [I trusted his power… But I didn’t think the difference would be this great.]

The situation had proceeded in the exact direction that Subaru had hoped it would. However, he was not as surprised as he was astonished, to the point where overreactions would have been superfluous.

Having brought an excited Garfiel to Reinhard’s room, Subaru made the blunt request and Reinhard readily consented to it. Subaru had been so surprised he had almost fallen over. Afterward, in response to Garfiel’s suggestion of going out of the city to avoid casualties, Reinhard had responded with a smile, “The yard is spacious enough, although we should mention to the manager that we will not be damaging his land.”

Reinhard probably had not intended for his words to carry any malice, but they did serve as more than enough provocation for Garfiel.

Garfiel had accepted Reinhard’s proposal, exuding an aura of anger so intense that Subaru, who had been standing beside Garfiel at the time, barely retained his composure upon feeling his rage all but stab into Reinhard.

They had then proceeded down towards the hotel courtyard, where a few rules were set. Weapons were not allowed, nor were dangerous Divine Protections. Wounding the other party was also prohibited.

During that time, Subaru had called Ferris in case of any injuries. Subaru also invited Julius and Wilhelm as commentators on the battle itself. Unfortunately, Wilhelm had declined, so it ended up being just Julius and Ferris who watched the battle with him. On that note, Otto still had yet to return.

Subaru: [By the way, I didn’t mention this to the women or Mimi’s brothers.]

Julius: [I think that was wise. If Anastasia-sama learned of this, then she would no doubt turn it into a performance. If it reached Hetaro or Tivey, then Mimi would surely be upset.]

Julius agreed with Subaru as they surveyed the courtyard. Of course, with such an exciting battle taking place, people would inevitably become excited.

A handful of spectators gathering was something that Garfiel had surely considered from the very beginning of the match. Rather than regret a poor performance for being unable to go all out, he had wanted the fight to be taken somewhere where real skill would be all that mattered.

The hotel courtyard was spacious, and the scenery could be appreciated, but if it were to serve as the setting for a fierce battle, then it would not spacious enough. And Reinhard had also raised the condition of “no damage to the environment”.

The setting had been chosen as to push Garfiel to either be considerate or to regret being overtaken by anger, as a boy naturally would. What results would come of this?

Subaru: [Hey, Julius, can I ask you one question?]

Julius: [You can ask me more than one if you prefer, but whether or not I will answer is another story.]

Subaru: [Don’t say such ambiguous things. This is why I hate you.]

Subaru dropped his face onto one hand, and began speaking in a serious tone.

Subaru: [In your opinion, how is Garfiel?]

Julius: [——He’s strong. According to the rumors, he is the shield guarding Emilia-sama. It is a well-deserved reputation. Although, knowing of his association with you, my expectations were psychologically lowered.]

Subaru: [I’m going to beat you up.]

Julius: [He is strong. His talent is certainly real. In terms of combat alone, I do not know if I could beat him or not. And he has plenty of room for growth. Once he breaks out of his shell, he will be able to compete at the pinnacle of the martial arts.]

Julius’s powerful assertion revealed that he was excited to see that possibility and that the potential sleeping within Garfiel was quite genuine.

He also seemed to embrace his envious admiration of Garfiel’s talent. This came as no surprise. Julius was also a man of battle.

Ferris: [But, even if there’s a bright future awaiting him, it’s sad that right nyow he’s just being toyed with.]

Ferris spoke a cruel truth. However, no one could say nothing to deny it. It was plain for all to see. Garfiel himself could see it more clearly than anyone else.

Perhaps Garfiel would one day walk amongst the strongest. Perhaps he would be the strongest.

But, right now, facing off against the strongest man in the world, what he was going through would surely best be described as being toyed with.

Garfiel: [——Tch.]

Reinhard: [That’s a shame. Too hasty.]

The Sword Saint reached forward, catching Garfiel’s arm. With a giant swing, he mercilessly threw him down into the hard gravel.

A cloud of dust surrounded him, knocking the wind out of Garfiel. He quickly attempted to get back on his feet, only to find Reinhard’s hand on his forehead, leaving Garfiel motionless before drawing a sigh.

Garfiel: [I lost.]

Even before being scrutinized by others, he admitted defeat.

The ability to make that admission most likely indicated that Garfiel was still maintaining his sense of self-esteem, even if barely.

Subaru hoped that would serve as some small comfort to him, at the very least.

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——Garfiel did not appear for dinner that night.

Anastasia: [Why’d you go off by yourselves and hide such an interestin’ thin’ from us?]

Anastasia glared at the men as she voiced her bitter complaints, upon meeting them in the tatami room.

Rather than being dressed in her usual white fur, she was wearing a yukata, her purple hair dripping with water. Her white skin was slightly reddish, and there was a faint scent that did not match her childlike appearance.

Julius: [I think it is different from the way you are phrasing it, but I specifically did not invite Anastasia-sama since you seemed to be having friendly conversations with the other candidates.]

Julius met her straight-forward words with a bitter smile and a bow, then sat beside her. The men had finished cleaning the courtyard after the contest and had only just returned.

Hearing that remark, a mischievous smile appeared on Anastasia’s lovely face.

Anastasia: [Ahh. My Knight seems to be speakin’ some rather sophisticated sophistry. We can’t connect everythin’ to money, can we? But my Kararagi spirit, which likes a lil’ noise, is still a little upset.]

Subaru: [The spirit of our Strongest Shield hurts more, so let’s not bring it up again. Ah, he’ll be fine after a night of hanging his head in sorrow, but until then, please let him recover in peace.]

Following what Anastasia had said, Subaru made this request out of concern for his emotionally troubled honorary little brother. Everyone present nodded in assent. However,

Felt: [Anyway, is that what happened? This merciless Knight here doesn’t know how to be nice to opponents and the like. Sorry about that, onii-chan.]

After hearing about the incident, Felt gave Subaru a crooked-toothed laugh as she fiercely pounded Reinhard’s shoulders repeatedly, the red-haired Knight sitting next to her with a wry smile.

Reinhard: [Felt-sama, speaking like that will lead to misunderstandings. I did not exert any undue pressure in the battle just now, and I myself was at risk several times. Both my body and mind were enriched from that experience.]

Felt: [That’s not at all convincing considering how scared Gaston and the others are of you. Did you really have to freak them out so much when you first met?]

Reinhard: [No matter who I face, I cannot afford to be arrogant. If I become too overconfident in my ability, it will result in my failure.]

Faced with Reinhard’s resolute determination, Felt gave a disinterested sigh.

Although their dialogue reflected the nature of their shifty transition to proper master and subordinate status, Reinhard’s words were of greater concern to Subaru. Having witnessed the battle in the courtyard, he clearly saw the root of Garfiel’s concern. In a brief epiphany, he realized that Reinhard’s words contained no irony or hypocrisy.

Reinhard was merely saying what he believed to be true. Although the speech might sound sarcastic, the authenticity of his words seemed to prevent anyone from thinking so.

Perhaps that was his most dangerous ability.

Reinhard: [Speaking of which, Felt-sama. About that outfit.]

Felt: [What is it, you complaining? I was taking a bath with others, and everyone changed into this, so I did too. ‘It’s embarrassing, it’s disappointing’, is that what you want to tell me?]

Reinhard: [Not at all, I just wanted to tell you that it suits you well.]

Felt: [Annoying!]

Those sweet words from the respected, revered, and most powerful Knight Amongst Knights.

Countless women would be incredibly envious of the beautiful bouquet of words that Felt had swatted away by expressing her frustration. The way she wore her bathrobe also suggested that she was someone who was a little rough around the edges.

——As Anastasia had said earlier, the women had been in the bathhouse while the match between Garfiel and Reinhard had been going on outside.

For that reason, all the women attending dinner were in yukatas. Not only Anastasia and Felt, but also Mimi, Crusch, Emilia, and even Beatrice were all dressed in bathrobes.

Subaru: [Beako, you unexpectedly took a bath…]

Beatrice: [After Subaru left Betty alone in the hotel, your partner was captured by Emilia, in fact. She forced Betty to go, I suppose.]

Unexpectedly wearing a pale blue bathrobe, the cute Beatrice seemed to be having difficulty figuring out how to correctly don the yukata. Strangely, Beatrice’s wet hair retained its usual drill-tailed form. If he yanked on her curly hair, then they would probably bounce more crisply than usual.

Subaru: [So, that’s Beako’s testimony, but what’s the truth?]

Emilia: [Hm? Beatrice looked so lonely when she told me that Subaru left her, and since I’d just been invited to go bathing, I took her with me. I thought she looked happy about it, though…]

Beatrice: [T-that’s a lie, in fact! Don’t fabricate the truth, I suppose! Betty or Emilia, who does Subaru believe more, I suppose!]

Subaru: [I’ll take that as your confession.]

Combining Beatrice’s unflattering claim with Emilia’s assertive judgment, Subaru arrived at the natural conclusion.

Seeing Beatrice unwilling to yield, Emilia gave a happy smile. She also wore a bathrobe, her freshly washed silver hair gathered in the back. Subaru quietly delighted in seeing the whiteness of her neck.

Emilia: [Subaru, you’re breathing heavily. Do you have a fever?]

Subaru: [It’s merely the heat of love. Emilia-tan, can I braid your hair?]

Emilia: [Sure, but food will be served soon. Afterwards?]

Emilia pointed toward the table, and Subaru reluctantly retracted the hand that had been stroking her hair. The people around them seemed to be looking at them strangely.

Subaru tilted his head at the person opposite of him, who happened to be Felt.

Subaru: [What’s so weird?]

Felt: [I don’t know too much about you two, but I still get a sense of distance between you two. This kind of interaction doesn’t have the slightest bit of an erotic atmosphere. Seems your relationship hasn’t changed at all since our last meeting.]

Subaru: [It’s not like erotic flirting happens these days! And there’s no need to bring up what happened at the Royal Castle, and my chest hurts so please stop!]

Subaru reacted to Felt, not understanding what she was saying. Throughout the past year serving as Emilia’s Knight, Subaru’s self-awareness had increased to a sufficient point, and he was aware that the distance in their relationship as man and woman had not been shortened.

In all honesty, their romantic relationship was probably at a lower point than it had been before Subaru had become her Knight.

This was largely in part due to Emilia’s mental age. Emilia’s emotional maturity had yet to grow to a degree where she could accept Subaru’s romantic advances on her. So her getting along with him was nothing too significant.

His love had not faded, but the intent behind his interactions with her had changed. As long as there was no change in Emilia’s emotional awareness of him, their relationship would persist like this, intact.

At the least, Subaru understood that even if he took the first step, nothing would come of it.

Subaru: [Put it this way, this feeling might be something close to what Crusch-san is going through in her relationships.]

Crusch: [My relationships, what?]

Subaru sighed absentmindedly and his hand rubbed against his jaw. Crusch looked over at him, wearing an incredulous expression.

Of course, she had bathed with the women, so she was also dressed in a yukata. The chest that her former men’s clothing had hidden was emphasized by thin bathrobe. Without her inspiring aura, Crusch’s face had been both beautiful and innocent, even in the yukata she had dressed under Felix’s careful instructions.

Crusch glanced to the side, as Subaru rubbed his nose with his fingers.

Subaru: [Yeah. Although Ferris is always clinging to Crusch-san, it could be said that they don’t see each other as man and woman, right? And the starting point between you two is only a little bit before us, so maybe we go about treating the people we like the same way.]

Crusch: [Well, it’s a bit embarrassing when you say it like that. Haha. Right, Ferris?]

Ferris: [Ferri-chan is devoted, even if Crusch-sama rejects my heart.]

Crusch: [————]

For a moment, the air in the room was frozen by what Ferris said.

Crusch’s smile became stiff, and Ferris welcomed her response with a smile. Incidentally, Ferris was dressed in a bathrobe as well, as if competing with the girls. Anyway, now was not the time to dwell on that.

Subaru: [I’m so sorry for revealing the secret that I dug up. Alright, I guess it’s time to eat.]

Crusch: [Don’t run away after digging up a bomb like that!]

Subaru tried to redirect the topic toward food, an idea which was immediately rejected by Crusch’s teary eyes.

That was really an unexploded bomb he had dug up, and one Subaru had not been expecting to have to encounter. As Subaru wandered his eyes across the room, wondering what to do,

Wilhelm: [Ferris. Take care to not scare Crusch-sama. Your lively and dangerous side feels more prominent than before.]

Before the silence could become awkward, Wilhelm, who had been silent until then, interjected, and the mood shifted again.

The elderly man was the only person on the male side that was present in a bathrobe. It seemed that he had taken to the baths right after the women had left. Both his posture and yukata played their part in demonstrating the harmonious Japanese atmosphere felt when he sat upright.

If he had a sword by his side, his image would have been perfect.

Ferris: [What, why would Wil-jii say that?]

Wilhelm: [A respectful love, a treasured love, a romantic love. Love is often taken for granted. Incurring confusion for the purpose of hiding your feelings is unpleasant for innocent hearts. Should I not speak harshly about this?]

Ferris: [Ha-nyah. Don’t say it like that, that’s a bit much.]

Listening to Wilhelm’s heavy sermon, Ferris muttered in a low voice, demonstrating his surrender, and snuggled up against Crusch’s shoulder.

Ferris: [It’s okay. It was obviously a joke, so don’t be so nyon edge. If Ferri-chan were to really upset Crusch-sama, it’d be a huge problem.]

Crusch: [T-that’s right, isn’t it? Phew, I was a little scared since I was unused to it, but I appear to have misunderstood Ferris’s thoughts because I cannot use my Divine Protection to its fullest right now.]

Ferris: [——Not at all.]

Crusch sighed in relief, and a fleeting emotion flashed through Ferris’s eyes as he watched her, leaving Subaru feeling uneasy.

That complex emotion was something that he could not easily reveal.

During this year, Ferris had been the one who had to deal with his master’s amnesia.

During that time, he must have tried his best but still felt anxious and guilty, just like Subaru. Even so, his master, lacking the foundation of her memory, had needed to rely on him, and so he could not show any confusion.

???: [The preparations for dinner have been completed. It will be served, does anyone mind?]

As the conversation came to an end, the timing on behalf of the hotel’s staff was perfect. Joshua, who had been sitting without presence in a corner until then, gave permission to have a steady flow of food brought up by the manager.

Everyone watched as their meal was arranged on the long table, their gazes colored with wonder. However, Subaru’s surprise came from a different vector than the others’.

Emilia and the others were surprised by the variety of dishes, many of which they had never seen before, while Subaru was surprised by the sight of familiar dishes. Since there was no sea in this world, it had been nearly impossible to find such a dish, but Subaru immediately fixed his attention on the sashimi dish before him. [1]

Subaru: [This, may I eat it as is?]

Anastasia: [I guess you’re not accustomed to it, since you’d never experience this kind of dish without livin’ next to water. The Water Plumage Pavilion’s actually famous for this.]

Sashimi was not the only thing Subaru recognized. There was a variety of Japanese dishes placed together on the table. In the midst of all the confusion, Anastasia began to bring food to her mouth, and Subaru took that as a cue to start.

He immediately went for the fancy sashimi and soy sauce. Emilia and Beatrice, seated beside him, both issued an “Ah!” Concerns about a species of parasite arose as he swallowed, but, taking into account the class of hotel and the host, it was hardly a plausible worry.

Instead, Subaru simply focused on enjoying the tastes.

Subaru: [Delicious! Ah, it’s been so long since I’ve had sashimi!]

Emilia: [I-it’s delicious?]

Subaru: [It’s not even a matter of delicious or not, since this is simply a proper delicacy. It’s probably due to its freshness, but this probably makes the top of my list. If there’s any sushi vinegar and rice here, I could show you guys how proper Tokyo-style sushi is made.]

Emilia: [Sorry. I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about. But you’re right, it’s delicious.]

Partially listening to Subaru’s train-like speech, Emilia imitated him and dipped the sashimi into the soy sauce. As she tasted it, her amethyst eyes widened as she gripped her hands excitedly, exclaiming, “Mmmm!”.

Looking at the honest reaction of that master and servant duo, the others also began to taste the food.

Anastasia, who was dissatisfied for having been deprived of her share, relaxed her gaze as she watched Subaru and Emilia’s honest and pure reactions, muttering to herself “Ahh, it’s hopeless”.

Despite some people having missed the dinner, and despite some anxieties being present, the participants were able to enjoy themselves in relaxation.

——On this night, with its bright moon, the compassionate and forgiving world allowed for this peace.

Translation Notes:

[1] – Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish (albeit it may be made with meat).