A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 4 - Part 19

Rem looked down and thought about the risk of staying instead of accompanying Leandro, letting him be near such a dangerous man, ready for anything.

"I hope your plan works."

The morning passed without further incident. At the royal palace, the conference proceeded in the same manner as the previous loop, including the subsequent duel between Julius and Leandro.

From the stands, Anastasia sighed when she saw her knight 'losing' to a mere butler. When he returned to her side, she gave him a resigned smile.

"As kind as ever... You must really like that boy for you to do something like that for him."

Julius kept his expression neutral, betraying no emotion beyond his eloquent gestures. His cloak fluttered as he bowed to her to answer.

"I don't understand what you're referring to, Lady Anastasia. It was a fair duel, and my defeat wasn't planned at all."

"Are you sure?" The girl raised her eyebrows, visibly skeptical.

"I admit I didn't go all out, but in the context of a sword fight, I had the advantage and was still disarmed with just one clever trick."

"It means the reason for your defeat is that you were arrogant and didn't use your full strength."

She took pains to point out that the outcome of the duel was Julius's responsibility, not Leandro's. Anastasia wasn't an envious person, but she found it ridiculous that someone with no background or accomplishments could suddenly appear and gain approval to be part of the elite.

This insulted Anastasia's efforts to rise to the top of society, starting from the bottom on a steep path. She saw Leandro as an opportunist with more luck than ingenuity or merit.

"Of course, and yet that doesn't take away from my opponent's performance. His determination to improve will take him far, even if he seems weak now."

The respect and admiration with which Julius seemed to view a person he had just met caused Anastasia to sigh wearily.

"No matter how you look at it, he has no notable talent or ability. While he did shut up some elders in the throne room, he's far from qualified to be a knight."

The lady and her gentleman then withdrew. Their conversation had been witnessed by another similar couple, and it was much to the liking of the fiery woman who shared the title of royal candidate with Anastasia.

"Well, that was quite fun. That commoner sure knows how to put on a show. I wonder what kind of act he'll show me next time."

With his features hidden by his helmet, Aldebaran couldn't contain his expression of hatred. The only thing he disguised was his voice, speaking casually so as not to betray his true emotions.

"You shouldn't pay too much attention to him, Princess. People like him only bring trouble."

Priscilla immediately became serious, grabbing her knight by his helmet and smashing him against the ground mercilessly.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? I don't care about your inconsequential mindset. This world works in my favor, so your statement is meaningless."

Aldebaran bit his tongue to avoid responding. He wasn't angry with Priscilla; rather, he felt frustrated and fearful that she would again suffer the fate he couldn't change.

On the other hand, Crusch was very thoughtful after her brief conversation with Leandro. The young butler gave the impression of someone transparent with his feelings, but one who harbored dark secrets. The princely manner with which he spoke and carried himself contrasted sharply with his brazen actions, like the one Felix mentioned, still indignant about it.

"A blow to the butt?"

The Duchess smiled, not at all bothered by the boy's boldness with Felix, who was driven to despair by the indifference with which his lady was handling the matter.

"Yeah, that's right! That's why I'm telling you it was a mistake inviting him into your house! You need to reconsider, or that pervert will try something on you! I mean, he probably can't do anything even if he wanted to—he can't possibly be as strong as Lady Crusch, much less Grandpa Wil."

"From what you're saying, he's more likely to go after you than me." She mocked.

"I'm serious here! You don't care that he's looking at you with predatory eyes?!"

"Felix, he just has a somewhat shocking personality, but I assure you his intentions are very clear. Haven't you seen the way he looks at Emilia?"

"I..."

Felix recalled Leandro's conversation with Julius, when the steward had confessed how much he cared for the half-elf and said he hoped to become her knight one day. The unnatural gleam in Leandro's eyes suggested he was in love with his lady; obsessed, to say the least.

The cat boy was speechless, feeling that he couldn't argue with that.

"Still... I can't let my guard down around him. I'll protect Lady Crusch!"

***

Gilbert took up position and prepared the revolver. His men had been working to replicate the weapon's mechanism so they could create more for mass production. Such an object would revolutionize the global market, bringing tons of money and prestige to whoever patented it.

For now, the team of blacksmiths had only managed to create enough ammunition to supply the only existing model. With this, Gilbert had plenty of bullets to carry out his revenge.

The merchant waited patiently until Anastasia appeared on the street with Julius. He silently approached them, his invisibility activated. The purple-haired couple headed toward a carriage, ignoring the imminent threat.

"I wish you knew you'd die for me, you conceited bitch..."

Grinning wickedly, Gilbert aimed at Anastasia's head and pulled the trigger.