5
“Hey, Puck, did you hear? Tomorrow, the wandering and womanizing legendary axing chef who makes dragons howl is coming to the manor.”
“…Was that his name?”
Subaru was having this conversation for the fifth time that day. But while it was mostly the same, there was one major difference—this time, Subaru was the one delivering the news. As he cautiously relayed the latest gossip in this secret meeting in the garden, the pocket-sized, gray-furred cat he was talking to seemed confused.
This was Emilia’s contracted spirit and her self-appointed guardian, Puck.
Puck was visibly pondering the news and hugged his long tail to himself, twirling the end of it as he replied, “Well, I did know a chef was coming. Lia is very excited about it. But I don’t remember hearing such a strange title. It was a bit more basic, though still sort of sketchy…”
“Okay, fair! You’re right that it’s kinda incorrect. Truth be told, he has a whole string of nicknames, but they got all mixed up in my head. Anyway, that’s beside the point.”
“Mmm, I don’t quite get where you’re going with this. What’s on your mind?”
“I called you out here to talk in private, Puck, so obviously, it’s important. And it’s about Emilia.”
When Subaru said that in a hushed voice, Puck’s mood changed instantly. The little cat still seemed carefree on the surface, but he slowly floated closer to Subaru’s face and looked him right in the eyes as he said, “If it’s about Lia, I’m all ears. What is it?”
“I’ll tell you, but, um, I don’t want Emilia to know. It’d just make her worry… Besides, this is the sort of thing that if she finds out about it, it’s over.”
“Hmmm?”
Puck had no idea what it could be, but he was ready to hear Subaru out. Grateful for Puck’s cooperation, Subaru told him about tomorrow’s banquet—and exposed the nefarious conspiracy he had stumbled upon.
“Tomorrow’s banquet…is actually a trap Roswaal set.”
“What do you mean?”
“And I don’t mean poison or anything like that, okay? Unless we’re talking about how poisonous this scheme is.”
“You’re confusing me.”
“I know, I’m confusing me, too! Arghhh, okay, lemme start over. Roswaal is gonna use tomorrow’s dinner as a test—for Emilia’s table manners!” After all that buildup, Subaru made his big reveal.
Puck made a face and asked, “Table manners?”
Subaru fumed at the spirit’s lackluster reaction. “Don’t you get it? Before long, Emilia is gonna get invited to tons of events as a candidate for the royal selection. She’ll go to parties, banquets—and Roswaal is testing her to see if she can pull it off.”
Puck’s eyes shot open. “So you’re saying, tomorrow’s banquet is a sort of a trial match?”
“Yeah—and that’s not all. People call the dude the Axing Chef because it’s over for any guest of his whose etiquette doesn’t satisfy him. Anyone deemed unworthy can never redeem themselves. Rumor has it, he’s ruined countless lives and sent them to early graves… That’s what Roswaal is aiming for.”
When he pieced together this plot while in the Archive of Forbidden Books, Subaru wished in his heart of hearts that he was wrong. But the more he thought about it, the more everything added up. In other words, this banquet was a touchstone for Emilia to demonstrate how she would fare in the royal selection—a declaration that Emilia’s performance here would determine whether she would even be in the running.
“But Roswaal would never… No, yeah, he totally would…!”
“He would? No, no, correction—he will! Emilia will be tested! But even if I tell her and she avoids it somehow, then what? He’ll just find some other way to test her.”
“But Lia trusts Roswaal. What do we do?”
Puck’s ears folded listlessly, and sadness filled his black eyes. Knowing his pain all too well, Subaru gave the cat’s chest a firm, reassuring tap.
“That’s why I called you over, Puck. You and I are gonna save Emilia.”
“The two of us? But how?”
“It’s simple. Tomorrow, Roswaal and the others are going to test Emilia’s table manners. Now, Emilia won’t know about this…but you and I can help her!”
As Puck froze in shock, Subaru gave a firm nod to drive the point home.
Roswaal was diabolical, but this time, Puck and Subaru were wise to his plot. The pair were on Emilia’s side no matter what, and they refused to let anything stand in her way.
“Let’s do this, Puck. Together, we’ll save Emilia!”
“Okay, I’m on board. I’ll bet everything on your feelings, Subaru.”
Puck hesitated only a moment before tapping Subaru’s offered hand with his paw. It wasn’t a proper handshake, but it cemented their determination all the same.
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Puck asked.
“There’s already a lot of barriers in our way. But we’ll clear them. We need to be ready to support her no matter what happens, so we’ll need a game plan. Doesn’t look like we’re gonna get much sleep tonight.”
United by a common goal, the boy and the cat spirit vowed to give their all for the girl who was so precious to them. With identical smiles on their faces, Subaru and Puck brandished their claws and fangs, ready to crush tomorrow’s nefarious plot.
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