Re: Zero - becoming the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer in another world from zero.

Act 3 chapter 2: trouble in paradise

The duo stayed out quite late, so Subaru bought Elsa a room at an inn for the night.

Morning, 1 more day before the royal selection:

Emilia stood dumbfounded at the dining table.

"Natsuki Elsa?"

'damn it. Here we go again, with the damn Puck lie detector. Huuuh this is going to be hard, fragmenting my mind this much.'

("Keep in mind, when Subaru half truths, what you the reader see as his thoughts, flashes quick enough through his mind that Puck doesn't notice. Puck experiences it as a static on tv, which is very similar when people are emotionally unstable.

If Puck was dead on suspicious of Subaru; or really cared that much: he would concentrate to slow down his perception of observation. It would look like someone: rewinding; skipping; and editing footage.

But we all know he is too arrogant and slothful to ever fact check anybody. So get played by our best boy, you *I'm going to get milk* gray cat deadbeat hypocrite." -author)

"On the day I arrived in this world I saved Elsa." Subaru had an anxious smile

'in her own way.'

"She was attacked by a noble who wanted to use her body forcefully."

'when she was young.'

"She earned pretty nasty scars from a man."

Quick flash of the incident in the loot house.

"Now she must wear a mask. And no she would not like to talk about it.

I told her my name. I couldn't do anything more for her, than leaving after help arrived..."

'...from Reinhard after I beat her up to a pulp after the loot house incident'

"But she still remembered me. So when I eventually contacted her"

'in jail'

"And when she learned I was ashamed of bearing the surname. She decided to take it up in my stead as a sign of her admiration towards me."

Subaru takes a small break.

"Rainhard did include in a letter to inform me how poorly she was doing."

'she was brutally tortured as a murderer should. Maybe I should be punished too.'

"So I went to see her this afternoon to offer her a job. Well got hold up, but I needed to check what's her opinion of working for you, me and Roswaal. She passed on my personality check, and I am pretty good at reading emotions. She bears no hostility towards you."

Subaru prepared himself yesterday. There should be no stray thoughts about feeling sorry for Reinhard, how he must never let these two women meet him ever again in one to one talk. Or that he is a terrible friend to Reinahrd, because Puck the mental lie detector, forced him to  use his friend like this.

("Puck? It's more like fu-!" -author gets his dumbass frozen by retaliating: stray gray cat.)

Emilia was conflicted. Puck noticing it, he affirms that Subaru is telling the truth. A complex emotion she never felt before manifests:

"I am kind of relieved my knight is kind towards everyone."

She said it with genuine happiness. But for a moment she considered if she should do the same as that girl to fix her knight's trauma. She disregards it as a silly notion. Despite that she did feel a tiny bit empty after dropping such an idea. Natsuki Emilia is slightly bit better than just Emilia. As his elder sister of course.