16 Meeting Emilia, finally and again

After chatting for a while, Mordred and Reinhard went out of the alley to search for Subaru. When they found him in the area it was just at the time to see him splashing in the river.

'The timing is as good as any I suppose,' Mordred thought and began to agilely jump over the stone terrain, quickly arriving down at a stone shore toward which Subaru was swimming to.

"Subaru." Mordred squatted down as he stretched out his arm.

Upon seeing Mordred's familiar face, Subaru's eyes flashed and he extended his hand to Mordred from the water. Mordred pulled him up, then grabbed him with his second hand and completely lifted up from the river.

Already standing on the shore, Subaru wiped his face from the water. He placed down his bag of groceries and took a few breaths, calming down his breathing.

Subaru looked at Mordred."Thanks man."

"It's nothing," Mordred lightly said. "What happened here?"

Subaru smiled awkwardly. "I've been exploring underwater, maybe?"

"Haha, sure. Well, let's get you dried up," Mordred said, beginning to walk up the stone stairs with a light smile.

"Yeah," Subaru lightly said and followed Mordred while taking off his soaked jacket.

'My situation is pretty hopeless. Could it really be that I'm an ordinary human just like Mordred said? Then what was the damn point of summoning me here?! Anyway, I know no nothing and can't even read the sign posts, Mordred is the only person I know and I must cling to him…' Subaru thought inwardly.

When they got up to the city level, Subaru saw a red-haired young man in a uniform waiting for them with an amicable smile. Turning to Mordred, he asked, "Mordred, do you know him?"

"Yeah. This is Reinhard van Astrea, a knight of this kingdom. He holds the title of the Sword Saint and is said to be the strongest person on the continent," Mordred said, faintly smiling.

"You're embarrassing me, Mordred-sama," Reinhard said with a smile.

"Ah, so he's a…" Subaru started murmuring, before he yelled out: "The strongest on the continent?! What the hell man. How can you say stuff like that so casually as if you're saying that he's just a random NPC?! And more importantly, why does he call you Mordred-sama?"

"He calls me -sama because I'm royalty, you dunderhead," Mordred said, sighing.

"Royalty?" Subaru asked, before it dawned on him and then his expression went normal. "Ah, right. But who says dunderhead in this day and age..."

"You seem to have already accepted all of it quite easily," Mordred said, looking at Subaru who now looked just as carefree as ever.

"Thanks. Well, I have a high concentration of weeb blood in my veins, so all of it isn't all that surprising," said Subar while squeezing out water from his wet jacket.

"Weeb blood?" Reinhard asked, looking at Mordred.

"I have no idea," answered Mordred. He then pursed his lips, as he recalled that Reinhard can detect lies. However, Reinhard seemed to have ignored it and only resumed gazing at Subaru.

Subaru sighed and looked at Mordred curiously, asking, "Anyway, Mordred, how do you know Reinhard… sama? Is he the one that summoned me?"

Although a cut goddess summoning you would be best, the strongest person on the continent also fit the script.

"So you're calling him -sama, but not me?" Mordred asked, raising his eyebrows at Subaru.

Reinhard lightly chuckled at the side, observing the friendly interactions of the two. He smiled at Subaru and said amicably, "You must be Subaru. There's no need to call me Reinhard-sama, just Reinhard is fine. As for summing you two, I'm sorry, but I know nothing about it."

"Ah." Subaru looked at Reinhard for a while, a handsome knight in a clean and neat uniform with a gentle and mild expression on his face. 'His perfect knight level is really at the top. As for this guy…'

Subaru then looked at Mordred who wore a T-shirt and denim shorts, and held his hands in his pockets. 'Well, at least he's nice.'

"I don't like the way you're looking at me." Mordred frowned, looking back at Subaru.

Subaru sighed after a while, saying to Mordred, "Anyway, Mordred, were you passing by that you came over or are you done with your business?"

Mordred said, "I'm not done with my business, but Reinhard here has offered his help to show you around and get you registered."

Subaru appeared somewhat surprised.

Mordred turned to Reinhard and said, "Reinhard, thanks again. Please take care of Subaru and in the meantime I'll take care of the matter that I told you about earlier."

"Alright. You can leave Subaru in my care, Mordred-sama," Reinhard said with a kind smile.

Subaru looked at Mordred with an incredulous look. He coughed into his fist and said awkwardly, "So you got Reinhard, the Swords Saint, to act like a tour guide for me? Isn't this a bit too much? I don't know how I can thank you…"

Mordred noticed that Subaru had become somewhat aware of his situation by now. Mordred was a little glad with it, since it was his intention behind letting Subaru wander around the city by himself for some time.

Reinhard chuckled. "As I said, it isn't a problem for me, Subaru. It's my day off duty and I have a lot of free time."

"Oh…"

Mordred looked at Reinhard and interjected, "Anyway, Reinhard. I should be done before evening. Where do you suggest we meet?"

"We can meet at the town square near the central pond, I will be waiting for you there," Reinhard said after thinking for a moment.

Mordred hummed and then nodded his head at Reinhard. "Okay! If there are any problems then I will send out a large amount of mana into the air and you should be able to pick it up."

"That's a good idea," Reinhard said.

After chatting for a while longer with Reinhard and Subaru, Mordred bit his farewell and went his own way.

Reinhard and Subaru then began walking through the streets of the capital, with Subaru still soaking wet and holding his wet jacket in his hand.

Reinhard looked at Subaru who followed him in the back and asked, "If I may ask, what is your relation to Mordred-sama, Subaru?"

"Relation? Honestly, we have just met today not long ago," Subaru said, sighing.

"Is that so? That's quite surprising considering how close you two seem to be," Reinhard said, appearing quite surprised.

"Yeah, well, Mordred is the only person I know in this place. I found a thread I could cling to, so I can't really let this go, this encounter. My life itself depends on it, you see!..." Subaru said with determination.

Even though Mordred seemed to be in a hurry with his own stuff, he still took time to get someone to help him out. Subaru had no money and was scared of talking to others. Mordred was his first friendly contact in this world, so he didn't want it to slip away; it also appeared as if their meeting was fated, seeing how Mordred was also someone who was summoned and they met by chance soon after Subaru came here.

"I see…" Reinhard said.

"By the way, Reinhard, how do you know Mordred?" Subaru asked.

"We met a while ago in an alley. I detected a mana fluctuation in the air and found him because of it," Reinhard answered truthfully.

"Ehh? A while ago? So you just met?" Subaru asked, surprised.

"Yes." Reinhard nodded. "Mordred-sama was adamant that I would help his acquaintance, which is you, so I was quite surprised when I heard that you two have also just met."

"I see…" Subaru this time said. After recalling something, he asked after a while," Reinhard, Mordred mentioned something about Royal Selection taking place here? Can you tell me more about it?"

"Ah, yes. I also believe that Mordred-sama might be a candidate," Reinhard said, nodding seriously.

"Huh, eh, that came out of nowhere. Why do you think he's a candidate? No, the proper question I should ask is - can you tell me about it from the start?" Subaru asked, speaking quickly.

"Very well…" Reinhard told Subaru the basic information about the Royal Selection, including the prophecy of the six candidates.

"I see. You searched millions of people but the male Knight candidate wasn't found yet. It really is too convenient," Subaru voiced out his thoughts. At the same time he thought: if Mordred Pendragon's fate was to compete in the Royal Selection, then what was his. Would he be something like Merlin, guiding Mordred to be a better king?

Reinhard nodded. "Yes, all of the kingdom's knights were tested and we also had many powerful knights from various other nations visit Lugnica, causing quite a lot of conflict. However, until this point none of them proved to have the right to compete in the Royal Selection.

Subaru hummend and asked instead, "Anyway, Reinhard, can you tell me if I have a talent for magic?"

Although he didn't seem to have any special powers active yet, what if he could become a powerful mage with time?

Reinhard looked at Subaru for a moment and then paused. He placed his hand on the Japanese boy's chest. After inspecting for a while, he said, "You have almost no mana and your Gate is completely closed as if it was never used before, but it seems to be functional. All you need is a skilled magic user to open your Gate and you will be able to learn magic."

"Really? Awesome!" Subaru grinned, his mood suddenly becoming much better. For a moment he thought that he might not have any special abilities.

Reinhard gently smiled. With the level at which Subaru's gate was now, he would need years of training just to become a decent magic user; as for Subaru's elemental affinity and magic talent which were crucial, Reinhard wasn't able to tell because he wasn't a magic user himself. If Subaru's aptitude was poor, then he might require decades just to become decent in a single attribute.

***

In the meantime Mordred returned to a certain alley and sat down on stone stairs. 'I made contact with Reinhard and then managed to part with him, which is honestly more difficult that it seems given that I'm a likely Royal Candidate that's been missing for so long. At the same time I prevented Subaru from meeting Emilia and built good rapport with him, also sending him off. I consider it a nice development! Now I only need to wait for Emilia to appear here.'

Just as Mordred was sitting on the stairs, he suddenly heard a high-pitched girly shout while a thin blonde-haired girl in a skimpy outfit ran in: "Out of the way! Move!"

Mordred silently moved to the side at the stone stairs with a faint smile, freeing the passage, thinking, 'I could easily catch Felt right here and now, but then… wouldn't it be way too easy and boring? In that way I couldn't really earn Emilia and Roswaal's gratitude. I want to give Emilia some nice memories too…'

"Thanks, live strong!" Felt called out and waved her hand as she continued to run past Mordred into what seemed to be a dead end. She then proceeded to leap off a leaning board and rapidly ascended up the building by jumping from wall to wall.

Mordred then stood up and looked toward the direction where Felt had left off to. He put his hands in his pockets and only waited.

Sure enough, a while later a beautiful silver-haired girl in an exquisite charming white outfit ran into the alley.

She called out, "That's enough!"

Mordred slowly turned around to face Emilia.

She was certainly a beautiful girl, stunningly so. She had tied up her long silver hair which reached her hips, her piercing gaze was brimming with determination, her soft features were both seductive and youthful and she exuded an air of nobility that was dangerously charming.

She stood about 160 centimeters tall, her royal blue-toned garments weren't particularly flashy, and yet their simplicity emphasized and cleanliness her presence even further; Mordred adored this look. The one conspicuous feature was the emblem on her coat, a bird resembling a hawk, and even its magnificence was nothing more than a supplement to her sublime beauty.

Mordred felt a halt in his breath for a moment upon finally meeting Emilia again when he looked at her. He has been in this world for a whole year already and had barely interacted with Emilia during all of these loops to not fall into this trap of developing unreasonable feelings for her, but he did unavoidably think a lot about her. In the end, she was the culmination point of the first day and a crucial heroine, so it was inevitable.

After thinking about meeting a girl for a year, it was quite unavoidable that anyone would develop a small weird crush. Besides, the more Mordred thought about it, the more he realized that Emilia had incredible potential. Among other things, Emilia was said to possess the highest mana capacity in this world - wasn't she basically the single strongest heroine there was in this world when her potential was unlocked?

"Give up now and I'll let it slide. So just graciously return what you stole." Emilia spoke once again. Her voice was like a silver bell, it was pleasant to the ears and her speech held such power it could shake one's heart.

"Please. It's really important to me. I'd let go of anything else, but not that." Emilia's words sounded more like pleading, but they still had a sharp edge to them.

She extended her empty hand, as if reaching out, and then there was mana gathering in her hand that soon transformed into an ice rock.

Ironically, it was when a magic spell was aimed at him that Mordred regained his full calm. He faintly smiled. "What I stole? Why do you think I stole from you?"

"... Don't try to distract me. I saw someone run into this alley and they also had blonde hair. It must have been you that stole from me," Emilia's tone was sharp and one of irritation. She didn't see the thief clearly, but she knew that they went this way.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I'm not the one who stole from you," Mordred said honestly with a light smile as he calmly took a step toward Emilia.

Emilia continued staring at Mordred with some kind of analytical expression. The fearless attitude that the boy in front of her showed in front of her magic spell was a little strange.

"If anyone stole from you then it must be the blond girl that just ran past me," Mordred said as he pointed in the direction that Felt left in.

Emilia glanced toward the end of the alley, before looking back at Mordred. "How can you prove that you're not the one who stole from me?"

Mordred smiled lightly and asked back. "How can you prove that I'm the one who stole from you?"

Emilia opened her mouth gently, looking to be a bit at a loss. Her only option was to knock out Mordred and search him. She called out, "Puck?"

A small talking cat suddenly appeared out near Emilia's hair. "I don't think he's lying, Lia."

"Mmm, so she went this way... Then I must hurry and catch her!" Emilia nodded toward the cut spirit and started running past Mordred. Looking back, she called out, "Sorry."

"Wait!" Mordred called out.

Emilia looked back, looking quite flustered as she was in a hurry. "I'm sorry for suspecting you, but I really don't have time right now."

"Listen for a moment. There is no chance for you to catch the thief now unless you can fly," Mordred said seriously and then added: "She jumped over the buildings."

Emilia's large eyes flashed with loss, but then her expression filled with determination. She said, "But… I still have to try!"

"So, if you really want to catch her, then let me help. I know what the thief looks like and I even know her name," Mordred said as he took a step toward Emilia.

Emilia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You know her name? Then can you please tell me?"

"Not a problem. Anyway, she held a triangular object in her hand around this size, is it what she stole from you?" Mordred asked Emilia while making an 'okay' sound with his fingers to indicate the object's size.

"Yes, it must have been my insignia!" Emilia exclaimed.

"I see. Stolen goods are usually handled in the slums. The thief that stole from you is a little famous, her name is Felt," said Mordred.

"Felt?" Emilia parroted, engraving this name to her memory.

"Anyway, since it seems to be a serious matter, then let me help," Mordred said.

Both Puck and Emilia looked at Mordred for a while.

"I don't sense any malice from him, Lia. But… Who are you?" Puck interjected and scanned Mordred with his eyes while crossing his arms in front of his chest while floating in the air . He detected that Mordred's body and mana are strange, causing him to be a bit suspicious and potentially dangerous.

"I'm a tourist from another country. Ah, and my name is Mordred," he said, faintly smiling.

Emilia hummed before she said, "Mordred-san, you have strange clothes indeed. Hmmm, let me just say this, I can't offer you anything in return. I'm completely broke. It was all stolen, you see."

"It's fine, just saying thank you is enough," Mordred said. "Besides, I also need to find the thief for my own sake."

"You also need to find the thief? Did she steal from you too?" Emilia asked.

Mordred chuckled and shook his head. "No, there's something I need to ask her."

Emilia hummed while she stared at Mordred awkwardly for a moment. She finally said, "I mean it though. I really can't do anything to thank you for your help. I'll be grateful if you simply tell me what you know about the thief."

"There's no need to thank me, I simply want to help," Mordred said again. Anyway, if he doesn't help Emilia, she'll actually die.

Emilia seemed to be lost in thought, however, Puck on her shoulder started poking her cheek with its paw. "Humu, I'm really not sensing any ill intentions, wouldn't it be best to take him up on his offer? He seems to know who the thief is and simply wants to help. If they were working together, I would have felt it."

Emilia hesitated for a while, before she looked at Mordred and said, "... Alright then. I really can't give you anything, but since you also need to find the thief, then it's fine, I think."

"Okay then. I'm Mordred Pendragon, but you can just call me Mordred. It's nice to meet you," Mordred said with a gentle smile as he extended his hand toward Emilia. From what Reinhard once said, at this moment Emilia's true identity is only known by a few people, so Mordred definitely shouldn't know about it.

Emilia looked a little taken aback, because receiving a stranger's unguarded sincerity was quite new to her. After a long while, she smiled and took Mordred's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Emilia, just Emilia, I have no family name."

******

(AN: I thought of sharing my thoughts, sort-of unrelated to the chapter. Some people want Subaru to keep a version of RdB and have the same line-up as Mordred, but they just don't realize how much they would make Subaru suffer with it (and RbD is the Yandere Witch of Envy's expression of love that resides within a person along with the Shadow Garden, so it's difficult for it to also be shared with a random useless guy apart from her only lover that saved her... Shadow Garden is THEIR sacred place.)

(Anyway, so what if Subaru also had RbD - even if Subaru kept his ability and had the same return line-up with the MC, I simply don't see how he wouldn't eventually get cucked by Mordred anyway. Subaru might have had nice interactions with Emilia in the first loop in the capital (even though he did nothing and only followed behind her skirt), but then it would all reset and be forgotten when he dies, Subaru would then only be a creep that appears out of nowhere in Emilia's life, chasing after her while having little good qualities and seeming like a kid to her, while Mordred would always be the one who saves her and be the hero, solving the mysteries, threats and problems; an attractive high value man that she couldn't help but admire. Subaru would maybe become Roswaal's servant as a reward for helping Emilia at the loot house, while Mordred would choose to be Roswaal's disciple and learn magic from him. Mordred is also handsome, charming, powerful, smart, capable, mature and knows the future. Whether it is consoling or supporting Emilia, Mordred could do all this A LOT better than the first version of Subaru who would only rely on Mordred for all problems and even feel entitled to it and everything. Being the most likely Royal Candidate to win the election (also having Reinhard and Felt, Elsa, Meili, Rem, Beatrice etc. etc.), Mordred could even offer Emilia dragon blood from the royal treasury if he wins the election himself which would make her eternally grateful for. And if Mordred wasn't a Royal Candidate, then he could still make all these people go under Emilia instead (Reinhard, Felt, Elsa etc.), along with accomplishing countless great deeds in the future (slaying the White Whale, Sloth etc.), and Emilia would be greatly indebted to him and grateful once again.)

(Eventually Subaru would definitely go crazy out of jealousy and insecurity, and then snap at Emilia the ungrateful bitch (that he would perhapas claim to have 'suffered so much for') and Mordred the traitor; he would talk a bunch of disgusting insulting crap like in the first season and Emilia would very likely even defend Mordred, finding Subaru to be ridiculous and disgusting, and then the timeline might continue (Subaru might even swear his revenge and leave, join the witch cult or something lol - not that he could much damage to Mordred). Eventually even Satella might take away Subaru's ability to loop, as Subaru would keep dying by simply things like walking, resetting the world and making things difficult for the MC. And then we could have a big reveal that Subaru was perhaps Satella's friend, but Mordred is the one she loves.)

(BTW all this would happen anyway even if Mordred had little interest in Emilia (or at least in the beginning)! And not me really planning to screw over Subaru or painting him in a bad light, you know... It's inevitable. Some people already don't like how I treat Subaru, but that's just how I see the story to develop with Subaru's character, and this idea would only make things more pitiful for him.. ||| I only shared my thoughts, because it's sort of too late to change the story. This was one of my early ides for the fanfic where Subaru believed that Mordred was his Servant, and he was Mordred's Master.)

(It could be an interesting story, as savage as it would be for Subaru, but I just don't see how Satella would logically share Return by Death Authority with anyone else apart from a single person, especially the crazy part of her that doesn't even want others to know about RbD - her special connection with her lover. It would be forcing it.)