"So, Puck's been away, huh..."
"Yes. There have been times before when he disappeared for days."
Emilia was telling me her concerns about Puck, who had stopped communicating with her. To the half-elf's relief, the contract was still valid, but there was still the worry that her 'father' had left without explanation.
"Ha , it's just like ordinary cats... But I doubt this one will come back when it's hungry."
"Maybe he's very busy and doesn't have time for me."
She said this with a shadow in her eyes. It made me want to hug her for comfort, but I felt it would be excessive and might even make things worse if Emilia thought I was pitying her. I shook that urge out of my body.
"Believe me, he just wants to spend time with you. You're his priority. If he doesn't communicate, it's because something's stopping him."
It struck me that, unlike in the original story, Puck never spoke to me privately to explain that he was leaving and leaving Emilia in my hands. He may have known more about me than I had assumed.
I decided to change the subject of the conversation to cheer Emilia up a bit.
"Aren't you excited to know we're going to a demi-human village? I bet you can get along with them."
"I hope so." Her gaze drifted off into the forest. "I'm worried about what Frederica told us, about this Garfiel."
"Don't worry, I've got your back." I said.
"Now that Puck's gone, I don't feel so confident anymore." Emilia realized that sounded too pessimistic and turned to me. "It's not like I can't do anything! I still have the lesser spirits with me! Even though they're young, they can fight."
"It's okay, didn't I just tell you? Even if you were weaker than me, I'd still somehow keep you safe. The good thing is, you're brutally strong, and I don't have to worry about that." I sighed. "When I become your knight, stay back and let me show off a little."
"Huh? You're going to be my knight?" She covered her mouth in surprise. "Wait, is that what your duel with Julius was about?"
I raised my eyebrow. Hadn't I already had this conversation with her?
Oh wait, that was in a lost loop. In the winning loop, I never went for a walk with Emilia or explained why I had a duel with Julius. With the whole Gilbert thing, we forgot to talk about that properly.
"That's right. I told Julius I wanted to be your knight, and he tested my resolve."
"You really... Isn't that going too far?" Emilia had an almost distressed expression, her eyes watering and a slight blush on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"When you approached me, it was all because you knew the cult would come for me. I don't understand why you would want to stay by my side for so long if your goal is revenge."
I was silent for a moment, thinking about what to say without breaking my character.
"I've decided I won't live to kill my enemies, but to protect my friends. Just so you know, that was thanks to you."
I still had to lie too much. It bothered me to have to play a character and not be able to be myself, but this was the best I could do for now.
"And you don't care...? You don't care that I look like the witch those people worship? Are you okay staying by my side?"
Emilia placed her hand on her chest, her voice filled with pain and doubt. I could sense her fear of rejection. How many times had she been hurt by comparisons to Satella? How deep must her loneliness and hopelessness have been to turn her into a broken, emotionally dependent girl?
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A Random in Re:Zero
أدب الهواةWhat would happen if someone else took Subaru's place in the story? What would his path, his decisions, and his relationship with the characters be like? Would he have more power or intelligence than Subaru? Would he choose the same route, take an a...
