Arc 5 – 14, 'The Sword Demon Under The Moon”

Arc 5 – Chapter 14, “The Sword Demon Under The Moon”

The dinner party had been one where everyone had forgotten their hostilities.

After dinner, Subaru had retired to his room, where the staff had already made his bed. Looking at the two futons, placed side by side, Subaru felt his admiration for the hotel increase. It followed the Japanese custom where towels, blankets, futons, and the like were all arranged when the resident had vacated their room.

Although, he’d always thought that such a practice left people feeling rather defenseless.

Beatrice: “Subaru. It looks like while we weren’t here, people succeeded in sneaking into our room, in fact—!”

Subaru: “Ah. It looks like the futons and towels you messed up were rearranged or replaced.”

Beatrice: “That...! Yes, it’s definitely a trap to tempt Betty, I suppose. They’re hiding under a guise of thoughtfulness, in fact.”

Subaru: “Sometimes people just have good intentions. Though, this service isn’t free.”

Beatrice carried herself with an unnecessary alertness and diligence even though she could barely keep her eyes open. Subaru quickly ushered her to bed.

Since officially forming their contract, Subaru and Beatrice had slept in the same room. Although Anastasia had offered Beatrice her own room, she would just have left for Subaru’s room anyway, so they’d respectfully declined.

That wasn’t to say that Beatrice was a child who couldn’t sleep alone. Rather, Beatrice used their nighttime contact with Subaru to sap the excess mana from his defective gate.

Beatrice: “So, Betty isn’t here because she wants to be near Subaru, in fact. Don’t misunderstand, I suppose.”

Beatrice, who’d originally devised the terms of the contract, had spoken thusly.

But where her intent was no longer mattered. Subaru had long since become accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of someone else’s breathing.

Beatrice: “...that green stuff was toxic, in fact. It’s unforgivable, I suppose...”

Happy and tired, Beatrice buried herself in the futon and promptly fell asleep thinking of the wasabi that had traumatized her at dinner.

Touching Beatrice’s frowning forehead, Subaru took in her cute sleeping face until he was satisfied, then climbed to his feet.

Subaru: “Now then. I’m going to take a bath, too. Have a good rest.”

Next to Subaru’s futon lay an unused bathrobe. If he hadn’t known how to wear it, he could easily just ask a staff member. Of course, Subaru has worn yukatas in his original world and had no issue figuring out the garment.

Subaru: “If Ferris and Anastasia aren’t there, I could also go decorate one of the women’s bathrobes.”

He of course wanted to seek out Emilia’s bathrobe. The other Royal Election candidates were all lovely maidens, but if Subaru could tailor Emilia’s clothing and dress her up then he could ensure she’d never be inferior to them in the slightest.

Subaru: “Well, it can’t be helped. I guess I’ll be satisfied that I got to do Emilia’s three braids after dinner.”

Although she’d let her hair down before bed, they’d launched a “three braids wave!” as they came undone, just as Subaru had planned. Naturally long hair that fell in waves, like Anastasia’s, was also beautiful, but Subaru considered Emilia’s long silver hair the most eye-catching.

Subaru: “The three braids and three braid wave are lovely. Emilia is definitely a shrewd woman. I could never do such a thing with Beatrice.”

Beatrice’s hair inexplicably never left its twintailed drills.

It was probably because she was an artificial spirit. Changing her hairstyle was possible, but it always reverted to its original form as soon Subaru’s hands left her hair. It was so fascinating that he’d played with it a number of times.

While looking forward to the next morning, Subaru collected his bathrobe and made for the baths, treading carefully in order to not wake Beatrice. Thinking of the people whom he shared the hotel with, Subaru didn’t feel the need to be alert. He rather pitied anyone who would dare to launch any type of scheme.

Reinhardt: “Although I doubt that anything will happen, I will know if anything is amiss. I hope that everyone can spend the night peacefully.”

Those were Reinhardt’s reassuring words as they’d left the dining room. The sense of safety wasn’t just limited to the hotel, it extended to the entire region. Knowing Reinhardt, even feeling safe in the entire city wouldn’t be a stretch.

So, for now, Subaru could wander the hotel without taking any precautions. Although it was regrettable that the hotel lacked an open-air bath, Subaru was still excited because he found bathing the most enjoyable part of any hotel stay.

Subaru: “——”

Subaru came to a stop, his relaxed expression shifting as he looked through a corridor into the courtyard, where Reinhardt and Garfiel’s battle had taken place. In the evening, its atmosphere was different, and rather pleasing.

A round moon floated in the dark sky, blanketed by thick clouds which gave the scene a glamorous charm. A cool wind blew through the garden, where a lone figure stood.

Subaru: “—Wilhelm-san?”

A sturdy back, and long white hair.

At a glance, Subaru could tell that the yukata-clad figure was elderly, and there was only one man he knew who fit the profile.

Wilhelm: “Subaru-dono, did I surprise you?”

Probably having been long aware of the movement behind him, Wilhelm turned to greet Subaru, a soft look in his eyes.

He stood with his hands tucked in the sleeves of the bathrobe. His posture, combined with the Japanese style garden. Why was the image so perfectly natural?

Wilhelm: “Are you going to the baths next?”

Subaru: “Yes, that’s what I was planning on doing. By the way, I came here to see the garden in the evening, not because I got lost since I’m unfamiliar with the hotel.”

Wilhelm: “That wouldn’t happen to Subaru-dono. I also came to indulge in the beauty of the garden, so I believe that I can understand Subaru-dono’s mood.”

Subaru: “...it’s still embarrassing to be spoken of so highly.”

Subaru turned away, embarrassed, as Wilhelm, without any trace of exaggeration, spoke of him with unflinching trust.

Wilhelm was the person who Subaru had grown to respect the most since coming to this world. There were people who he wanted to stand alongside, and people who he wanted to compete with, but the only person who Subaru looked at with nothing but respect was Wilhelm.

Both as a person and as a man, Wilhelm was Subaru’s ideal.

Wilhelm: “Subaru-dono probably came here searching for the peace and solemnity of the garden at night. My presence here must be very frustrating.”

Subaru: “Not at all. Rather, seeing the Sword Demon in this windy garden is so perfect that I want to forever engrave this image in my heart. I like seeing people who shine in the moonlight.”

As far as Subaru was concerned, Emilia’s beauty was undoubtedly the most commensurate with that of the moonlit night.

Her long silver hair was different from the glow of the sun. Emilia’s beauty was like the illusory of the moonlight, and Subaru wanted to be the stars hovering around the moon.

So, seeing the Sword Demon standing under a moonlit night was a sight that Subaru had been longing to see.

Wilhelm: “...Subaru-dono shouldn’t waste such heartfelt words on an old man like me. If you whispered them to the woman you love, you would surely capture her attention.”

Subaru: “Putting on those airs would just be an insecticide to all the lovely butterflies I’ve attracted. And anyway, the one I want to say those words to wouldn’t understand them.”

Wilhelm: “Trying to bring out her flawless smile, searching for the perfect words... that anxious feeling is one of the pleasures of love, Subaru-dono.”

Hearing Wilhelm’s light tone, Subaru gave a relaxed shrug of his shoulders.

Subaru: “Oh? You seem to be referencing your faraway love story. Did you ever go through that, Wilhelm-san?”

Wilhelm: “Would you like to hear it?”

Subaru: “Be sure to tell me every detail.”

Subaru gave a ceremonious, respectful bow, and Wilhelm’s “it can’t be helped” attitude was tinged with a look of joy.

Wilhelm: “When I was a young man, I was just as terrible with words as I am now. I never wanted to discuss anything other than swords, since I had no interests aside from swordplay. I must have bored my wife to no end when we first met.”

Subaru: “But, your wife didn’t dislike talking to that Wilhelm-san, right?”

Wilhelm: “She was an open-minded woman. Whether it be the loss of a heavy responsibility which burdened a heart, or escaping a duty, neglecting the thoughts of others, we never discussed any of those in our chats. She was born a gentle, warm person.”

Wilhelm closed his eyes with a wistful smile.

Subaru bent silently over the corridor, listening to the old man’s memories.

Wilhelm: “Because I was such an unsociable person, my wife always supplied the topics during our conversations. On top of that, I initially failed to notice how drawn I was to her. Whenever I spoke with her, I avoided facing the agitation in my heart.”

Subaru: “Wilhelm-san was really bad at talking to women, huh.”

Wilhelm: “Really, I gave everything to the sword. When I gripped my sword, I forgot about everything else, as if merely swinging my sword would give me a way of survival. —The one who reminded me of the reason I took it up was my wife.”

Subaru: “Is that when you realized you loved her?”

Wilhelm: “...you seem to have seen through me, Subaru-dono.”

Wilhelm fell silent, and Subaru followed suit.

Wilhelm was surely unaware of the expression he currently wore. Subaru, however, felt a strong wave of pride wash over him as he saw it.

The look in Wilhelm’s eyes, the wrinkles on his face, the tone of his voice, were all legendary. The wife he loved just as strongly now as he had then, Thearesia van Astrea.

The old man’s expression, attitude, and very existence all generously sang of the love he held for his wife.

No matter who, anyone who saw him would, without doubt, instantly see that he was in love.

Even if everything in the world were to wither and fade, not a single person would fail to understand the depth of that emotion.

This was the depth of Wilhelm’s love, clearly something that should be worn with pride. Subaru: “———”

Estimating that Subaru was done grappling with himself, Wilhelm spoke up. Accepting it, Subaru judged that tonight’s scene would end soon.

Subaru: “Me too, I’m sorry for asking so much, but I really wanted to hear your love story with your wife.”

Wilhelm: “No, it’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of talking about my wife. Lately, both Crusch-sama and Felix have been busy.”

Subaru: “In addition to hearing a love story, I’ve also gotten insight into how another faction operates!”

Wilhelm: “It’s a little bit excessively sentimental. Hearing an old man’s long ramble is incredibly boring.”

Wilhelm’s blue eyes lit with affection as he smiled lightly. Subaru didn’t notice the fleeting emotion and instead focused on what was just happening.

Initially, Wilhelm had stood alone in the garden.

He’d told Subaru that he’d come to appreciate the garden at night.

The best location for enjoying the view of the garden was the corridor where Subaru was currently standing.

In fact, standing where Wilhelm was meant that much of the garden’s moonlit landscape would be hidden.

Of course, Subaru may very well have been overthinking. But, if there were something else that would bring Wilhelm to the garden, then it would be,

Subaru: “...there, that’s where Reinhardt stood.” Wilhelm: “——”

Wilhelm’s location, where he’d been standing all along, was the area that Reinhardt and Garfiel had fought in.

That patch of gravel was where the handsome red-haired swordsman had stood, the very picture of unflinching immobility.

That Wilhelm had felt that sense of disturbance and had gone to confirm it would have been perfectly natural. However, only Wilhelm knew the reason that he had yet to leave that spot.

Subaru: “Wilhelm-san. I don’t want to nose into another family’s affairs, and I’ve graduated from being the lively character who insists on hearing everything that’s happened just to satisfy my own curiosity, but...”

Wilhelm: “Ah, feel free to ask.”

Subaru: “Do you not get along with Reinhardt? Even though you’re obviously family?”

The grandfather and grandson, and the complex relationships in the Astrea family.

Even understanding that he may have been undermining the trust that had built up between him and Wilhelm, Subaru still breached the subject.

He might have chosen not to do so had he not just spoken with Wilhelm in the garden. He watched Wilhelm’s profile, which overlooked his grandson’s footsteps.

After their exchange, how could he refrain from asking?

Wilhelm: “While speaking with Subaru-dono, I thought of it.”

Subaru: “.........”

Wilhelm: “Why am I unable to speak these words to my own grandson?”

Those distressed words came straight from Wilhelm’s heart.

Wilhelm’s face fell flat. He was expressionless, certainly not emotionless. He was suppressing his feelings to hide his lament behind a hard shell.

What Wilhelm now possessed was pure regret.

Wilhelm: “I am a man with a lot of remorse, but there are three in particular that I can do nothing about. One of them is the distance between me and my grandson.”

Subaru: “But, doesn’t Wilhelm-san regret it?”

Wilhelm: “Even regretting shouldn’t be allowed. The criticisms I spoke to my grandson... to Reinhardt, were so harsh. It’s something unforgivable, and stupid, that can’t be fixed anymore.”

Wilhelm, who was still hiding his feelings under a guise of expressionlessness, seemed to be burning with an emotion, a flame, that had consumed Wilhelm for years. It was one of both anger and regret, one that he had always clung to.

Wilhelm: “I used my crusade against my wife’s murderer as an excuse to avoid facing that remorse, and, after successfully crushing the enemy, I recognize that I should begin to search for a way to reconcile.”

Subaru: “But you lack the courage?”

Wilhelm: “I’m honestly so shameful. My grandson certainly resents me now. Thinking of this, I cannot take a step forward.”

Wilhelm issued a deep sigh of disappointment, seeming to shrink in on himself. Subaru was dumbstruck, and, finally inadvertently managed a laugh.

Wilhelm: “Subaru-dono?”

Subaru: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, that was inappropriate.”

Wilhelm cast a disbelieving look at Subaru. Really, this old man, how many times would he surprise Subaru in one night?

Subaru: “Wilhelm-san seems to be thinking that he’s unqualified to be Reinhardt’s grandfather...”

Wilhelm: “Well, yes. Compared to my grandson, I came to a standstill after realizing my mistakes. He’s too kind to the cowardly person that I am...”

Subaru: “If you put it that way, then I can only see a grandfather who’s afraid of being rejected by his grandson.”

Wilhelm: “...huh?”

Wilhelm shook off his gloom and looked Subaru in the face. Subaru waved his hand, still fighting an impulse to laugh.

Subaru: “I don’t fully understand the reasons for the poor relationship between Wilhelm-san and Reinhardt, so I might be misunderstanding. But in the eyes of an outsider, Wilhelm-san wants to reconcile with Reinhardt and looks like he really wants to apologize, so making an apology would be a good idea.”

Wilhelm: “But Reinhardt will not forgive me.”

Subaru: “If he doesn’t forgive you at first, keep apologizing until he does. You’re not apologizing to be forgiven, you’re apologizing to apologize, right? The person making the apology has nothing to worry about, because they’re not a bad person.”

Wilhelm: “——”

This time, it was Wilhelm’s turn to fall speechless at Subaru’s extreme words.

Of course, Subaru knew that his were very headstrong. Even so, he believed it was necessary to keep insisting.

In order to motivate Wilhelm. In order to let him face Reinhardt.

Of course, after being alienated for so many years, a sudden apology would initially be thought of as “what’s going on with this guy?”. However, if many apologies were made, then “what’s going on with this guy?” would give way to either “there’s no helping it, then” or “ugh, this guy’s too annoying”.

Wilhelm: “I think things would deteriorate.”

Subaru: “But at least they’ll change. Don’t you think that any change is better than being stuck in the worst-case scenario your situation seems to be in?”

It was universally acknowledged that Subaru had made an awful initial impression. Breaking through interpersonal barriers was nothing to Subaru.

Subaru: “After a few years, if you give him some pocket money, you could immediately soften his attitude toward you. Although the impression of you may be poor, if you do something nice for him, won’t he come to think of you as a nice person? Reinhardt is incredible to deal with, and even I unexpectedly became his friend right away.”

Wilhelm: “But... it won’t be that simple with Reinhardt...”

Subaru: “—Reinhardt said he wanted to hear about the battle with the White Whale.”

Subaru spoke in a humorous tone, and, bit by bit, Wilhelm seemed to relax.

Subaru told Wilhelm of what Reinhardt had said outside of the tea room. After listening to his story, Wilhelm suddenly opened his blue eyes.

Subaru: “I don’t know if the White Whale is related to your poor relationship, but if it is, then Reinhardt’s definitely concerned about it. Of course, he’s certainly heard of how Wilhelm-san crushed the White Whale, and I’m sure he wants to know about how you avenged his grandmother after ten years.”

Wilhelm: “——”

Subaru: “That guy is surely also looking forward to changing your stiff relationship right now.”

Subaru had no way of knowing Reinhardt’s intentions.

Subaru had always seen Reinhardt as a man who was ridiculously perfect beyond perfect, and had never associated him with powerlessness or ignorance before.

But those were flawed ideas. Reinhardt was also human. He had worries just like anyone else.

Even the man Subaru had regarded as superhuman, Wilhelm, was, beneath the surface, an ordinary man and ordinary grandfather, filled with ordinary troubles and shortcomings.

It would be no surprise if the same held true for Reinhardt.

Subaru’s words just now had surprised Wilhelm, who closed his eyes as if he were meditating on them. Time seemed to be flowing by with the still wind.

Then, after a moment of silence between the two, Wilhelm reopened his eyes.

Wilhelm: “My grandson... Reinhardt would listen to me.”

Subaru: “Annoy him with a hello first and bounce back if he rejects you. That’s happened to me with every girl I’ve met aside from Emilia.”

Wilhelm: “Really—”

After hearing Subaru’s reply, Wilhelm shook his head.

Then, the old man looked up, leaning his head back and fixing his eyes on the moon hanging in the sky.

Wilhelm: “Subaru-dono is invincible.”

The words were spoken with the hint of a smile.