The Sun Prince - Re:Zero OC

"Enough of your crap!" a shout resounded throughout the hall, instantly silencing everyone's mutterings.

I watched as Subaru appeared between the nobles and knights, his head held high as his face scrunched in anger, his piercing brown eyes looking even more menacing than usual.

Ah… shit.

This… wasn't going to be good.

And from the small huff of expectation from Priscilla, and how Emilia came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the stairs, they both knew this as well.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Subaru stepped forward towards the raised platform.

"S-Subaru! It's all right, so please stop this!" Emilia pleaded, her voice wavering.

"No! I won't!" Subaru refused. "You people… you're all so full of crap! Spouting about 'half-devil' and stuff… what does that matter!? Apologize to Emilia!"

"Subaru!" Emilia shouted, her harsh tone causing the boy to freeze.

Keeping her head down, Emilia then turned towards us and bowed.

"I am sorry for his outburst, but allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Emilia, a silver-haired half-elf, and I am contracted with the Great Spirit of fire," she said as she opened her palm, with Puck appearing a moment later.

"Yaho~!" he said, turning back towards the nobles with a tense smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I hope you are all treating my dear Lia right, hmm?"

A subtle pressure then descended on the room as the Great Spirit made his anger known.

Although, if it was a subtle pressure for me, it was probably much worse for everyone else. Especially those who did not have martial talent.

"There's no need for that, Puck. Please go back," Emilia said, shaking her head.

"If you're sure… but call me if you need me to set them straight!" Puck said before disappearing, causing the shocked nobles and councilmen to release the breath they had been unknowingly holding in.

"As I said, my name is Emilia! And while I understand that my similarities to the witch subject me to prejudice, I refuse to let all me potential go to waste for that simple reason!" she stated, keeping her back straight.

I noticed Priscilla frown as she placed her fan on her mouth.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Hmm… that girl finally grew a spine, it seems… but it is still nothing but a mask," she said, shaking her head. "But at the very least, it is not as disgusting as I expected."

"I see…"

So she seemed to have recognized her a bit… that was good.

It was then that one of the councilmen broke the silence of the hall.

"I understand, Emilia-sama… but what, may I ask, is that young man's position?" he said.

Emilia turned around, her eyes widening as she tried to find the right words as Subaru walked up to her.

"It's fine, Emilia… I've been going about this all wrong, and I finally made up my mind," he said, a tense smile on his face.

This… did not look good.

"Made up your mind…? What do you mean?" Emilia asked, her worry growing as she didn't receive an answer. "H-Hey, Subaru! What are you trying to do? Wait-!"

But Subaru did not wait.

"Nice to meet you, esteemed councilmen! I am a servant in Roswaal's mansion, and I serve as this candidate, Emilia-sama's best and only knight, Natsuki Subaru!" he proclaimed, placing his fist on his chest.

I had to fight the urge to place my palm on my face, while Priscilla simply chuckled to herself in amusement.

Dammit, Subaru… while I didn't really have too much pride for my title as a knight aside from Priscilla's approval, that didn't mean everyone else felt the same… 

And sure enough, all the royal knights that were gathered turned their heads to glare at him.

"A knight… is he?" one of the councilmen said.

"Ah, he knows little of our customs, so please pay his words no mind~" Roswaal said, seemingly trying to diffuse the situation.

Unfortunately, the damage was already done… that is, until Julius stepped forward.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but there is something I must ask of you, Natsuki Subaru," he said, turning to him and Emilia. "Do you truly proclaim yourself to be Emilia-sama's knight?"

He was giving him a chance to take back his words.

"Suba-"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Subaru replied with a glare, cutting me off.

"You have just declared yourself a knight of Lugunica, and before the very royal knights no less," Julius said, all the royal knights raising their blade in unison at his words.

"W-Wow… that was pretty well-coordinated. Did you practice that all for this ceremony here?" Subaru said, sweat beginning to form on his face.

Please… just take back your words, Subaru. Don't you see the pain on Emilia's face?

"Of course. Our dignity must be known, especially for a ceremony as important as this," Julius replied, nodding his head. "We are constantly conscious of our station, as not only do we have the possibility to sully ourselves, but also the dignity of the nation and those we serve… do you have the resolve to match such devotion? Or were your words but empty platitudes…"

Subaru backed off a bit.

"I… I want to make Emilia-sama the ruler… no, I will make her the ruler!" he declared.

"And you believe that you have the resolve and strength to do that?" Julius pressed.

"Strength… I know more than anyone that I'm lacking in strength, but I definitely have enough resolve!" he said. "I will make Emilia the ruler!"

"Lacking strength is far from something to take pride in… but if you believe to match our resolve, then I cannot completely deny your words," Julius said, shaking his head. "But still, I cannot acknowledge you as a knight."

"W-What are you-"

"Your strength and etiquette do not match even the bare minimum of our requirements," Julius said as he walked back to Anastasia's side. "But most importantly… anyone who inspires such an expression on the one they swear themselves to, is the furthest thing from a knight."

Subaru flinched, his knuckles turning white as he nearly brought himself to look back at Emilia, who had kept her head down all the while.

But still, he didn't look back, and instead chose to press forward.

"I-Is… is being a knight even that big of a deal?" Subaru said, finding a second wind as he stepped forward. "I know how those titles work! You just happened to be born into the job! Don't act like some big shot just because your father was so great!"

He found a second wind, but… it was incredibly uninspiring and unpleasant.

Those eyes… that expression… just what was he searching for?

Why did it seem so personal?

But more importantly, those words… they were not the ones he should have spoken.

In fact, in front of the pride of the very strongest of the nation… they were likely the worst of the possible things to say.

I could agree with some hatred of the knights, how they backed away from their duty to serve the people for selfish desires, how their pride and arrogance often surpassed their loyalty to the nation they were meant to give their lives to… but there was no doubt that such complaints were not to come from someone like him.

And especially not at this moment.

"I see… so those are your thoughts… but know this, Natsuki Subaru…" Julius said as he turned away. "That expression… that is not a beautiful look."

I felt the air around me shift, and looking to my side at Priscilla, I noticed that she was wearing an incredibly displeased look.

Haa… now I would probably have to calm her down later.

"Subaru… that's enough," Emilia said tensely from behind him before she turned to face the councilmen once more. "I am deeply sorry to have wasted your time. I will make sure he leaves at once."

"Hmm… thank you. But at the very least, he has shown that you are not one to be feared, Emilia-sama. I believe he can become a fine attendant," one of the councilmen said.

"Thank you, but…" Emilia said, looking down at Subaru with a frown. "He… is not my attendant."

I watched as Subaru's face fell, his eyes shaking as the colour drained from his face.

"W-Wait… Emilia, why… what do-"

"Natsuki Subaru, you are to leave this sacred hall at once," one of the councilmen said, motioning to the royal knights. "Escort this nuisance out of this sacred place."

And so, without a word of complaint, Subaru was taken out of the hall, the large doors closing behind him as he dropped to his knees.

I felt a bit bad for him… but Julius was right.

He was not being a good partner for Emilia by doing all that, even if he did it with the best intentions.

And from that desperation on his face… I had the feeling that his outburst wasn't entirely for the half-elf girl's sake.

Releasing a sigh, I then looked over at Priscilla, who's lips had twisted into an even deeper frown.

"Is that what you wanted, Priscilla?" I asked.

Her brow twitched in annoyance.

"Tsk. It was certainly interesting to watch, and it definitely revealed the parts of him that I despised upon our first meeting… but his performance was even more disgusting than I previously thought possible," she spat, turning to send me a glare. "For the punishment of not cutting him down as soon as he began babbling on like an idiot, I will have you service me until my mood is lifted and the memory of today has passed."

…Sorry?

"Uh… service you? What do you mean?" I asked.

Did she want me to cut some apples for her? Or play the flute?

"Fool… think of that yourself," she said before a glint of playfulness appeared in her eyes. "Actually… I have the perfect idea. My body has been aching under the pressure of such divine beauty… so I shall have you massage me."

Uh… what?

W-What did she-

"Well, with that disturbance out of the way, I suppose this ceremony has come to an end," one of the nobles said. "Although… while the problem with the incarnation of the witch has been explained… there is still a candidate who thoroughly lacks manners. Coming to such a sacred place with such attire, and spouting such vulgar words… just where did you find this girl, Sword Saint?"

As Reinhard's face contorted as he struggled to find an answer, Felt decided to speak up in his stead.

"Don't you worry, I'm Lugunican, born and raised. Actually, I've lived my life right here in the capital!" she said with a smirk.

I was still a bit worried about what Priscilla had just said, but I could shelve those thoughts for later.

"The capital…? Then how did she not get found out when we had the citizens surveyed? Even the most rural of villages had someone check for the fifth candidate…" the noble said in confusion.

"Well, that's simple. I'm from the slums, dumb fucks! A gutter rat, through and through!" she declared as she crossed her arms across her chest.

I smiled as many of the nobles began another uproar at the news, and it appeared that Priscilla found it equally amusing, as her lips curled into a smile as well.

Did they forget how shocked they were at her resembling the former royal family?

Yet now they were all clamouring over where she was raised… such foolishness.

Honestly, it really was ironic how they were kicking up such a fuss about her origins, considering that Felt had the most legitimacy out of all the other candidates here.

"Forget being a commoner, she's a damn slum dweller! That explains how uncouth and idiotic her words were! She likely doesn't even know how to write her name, much less lead a nation!" one of them said.

Actually, I taught her how to write and read quite well, thank you.

"So not only a half-elf, but a gutter rat as well? Has this nation truly turned to such dire straights?" another added.

"And past those two, there are also two foreigners… one of them seemingly full of greed, while the other with unmatched arrogance… aside from Crusch Karsten-sama, there really aren't any choices, are there?" another said.

Ah… now we were getting a bit too far.

"And with those problematic two, the slum dweller and the half-devil, should they even be considered-"

"That is quite enough," I said, stepping forward as I narrowed my eyes at the nobles, enhancing my body with mana as I began to exude a presence to the less martially-inclined of the room.

Good. That seemed to have got their attention.

"As you may know, I am Selian, the knight of Priscilla Barielle, and I would suggest that those who just spoke to reflect deeply on their words," I said assertively. "These five ladies are those chosen by the Dragon Stone, the very object of the covenant that has led our nations through numerous disasters. I would highly suggest that you trust in their candidacy, even if you do not believe in their causes. After all, to question the legitimacy of the possible future leaders of this nation, chosen by the Dragon and confirmed by the Sage Council… that could be considered quite the treasonous action."

That seemed to shut them up quite effectively, as I quickly bowed my head before returning to Priscilla's side, immediately feeling her fingers grasp my right ear.

"Priscilla?" I asked, turning to face her.

Luckily, she didn't seem mad, like I had feared.

"You spoke up out of turn, Selian. Just like that dog from earlier that displeased me so," she said before she gave me a satisfied smirk. "Be glad that you did better, as I can now proudly boast about my fool's ability to silence a gaggle of idiotic commoners to mine delight. You even settled some of the displeasure I was feeling of that previous display. Well done."

"Ah… thank you, Priscilla…" I said, swallowing my nervousness. "So… are you no longer displeased?"

"Not nearly as much so," she said, letting go of my ear. "But you will still be servicing me later tonight."

Dammit…

In some ways, I was excited for what could possibly happen in such an intimate-sounding encounter, but on the other hand… I had a feeling that I was sure to embarrass myself.

"Then, with this, we can consider the ceremony to have concluded, and the royal selection to have officially begun," one of the councilmen said as he banged his staff against the ground. "In two years' time, we shall reconvene to decide the new ruler, just as the Dragon Stone ordered. The knights shall also post the basic information of the candidates throughout the nation starting from tomorrow. That is all!"

And with that, the royal selection had begun, with quite the dramatic fashion at that.

—

"Selian-san… I wanted to thank you, for stepping in when you did," Emilia said after the room had emptied of nobles and knights.

"There is no problem, Emilia-sama. After all, they had begun to disrespect my lady as well," I said.

And my sister, of course.

"I… see. But still, thank you," she said with a smile.

Seeing that, I couldn't help but think that it was quite forced compared to the smiles I had seen yesterday.

Well… the cause was no mystery.

"Emilia-sama… about Subaru…" I said, watching as her smile vanished. "While he was certainly out of line today, I do believe that it is important that you have someone loyal at your side. I am not one to reject your candidacy just because of your appearance, and I could even see myself following you in another turn of events, but alas, I am Priscilla's. And unfortunately, you will need all the allies you can get to make your wish come true, which excluding Subaru and I… is not many."

Emilia grimaced as she nodded her head.

"I… I know. I… will need to talk to him first… Alone," she said. "I'm still confused why he did that for me… why he does so much for me, even when I don't ask… I just can't understand any of it."

I see…

"Well, if I may offer you some advice… sometimes there is no explanation," I said with a shrug. "While I cannot speak for Subaru, the reason I follow Priscilla is not something I can simply explain with logic. Instead… there is only one real answer as to why I am so devoutly loyal."

Her eyes widened as she looked up at me, expectation clearly shown on her face.

"Really? What… what is that answer, then?" she asked.

"It's simply. It's because I love her," I said with a smile. "As a person, as a ruler, and as a woman… I love her."

I nearly broke out into laughter as I saw Emilia's face turn beet red, but before I could, I felt an intense tugging sensation at my ear.

"O-Ouch! You'll rip it off!" I said, turning to the perpetrator.

"Silence, fool. Just what are you spouting out in the open for all to see? Have you no shame?" Priscilla said, frowning with a hint of embarrassment as she then turned to Emilia. "And you… the half-elf… you are a bad owner. Be sure that I do not see such a disgusting sight again, or you may find me as an enemy."

Emilia, seemingly overwhelmed by everything, briskly nodded her head before she backed off, making her way over to Roswaal.

"Was there any need for that, Priscilla?" I asked. "She already has a lot on her mind concerning the boy…"

"Of course there was a need. It is incredibly important that a master knows how to punish their subjects," she said, letting go of my ear. "So take that as a warning, my fool."

"I… I will," I replied, nodding my head.

Dammit… why was I getting slightly aroused by that?

Something was definitely wrong with me.

"It seems that today was more exciting than I expected," Crusch said as she walked over to us. "But regardless, as the head of one of the oldest noble families in Lugunica, I apologize on their behalf for the nobles' unsightly display today."

"There is no need, Crusch-san… I have dealt with my fair share of people like that, and besides, their behaviour has nothing to do with you," I said.

"Regardless… that was quite the sorry presentation. I am loath to admit that more than a few of those nobles there have ties with my family," she replied with an apologetic smile.

I was about to respond before I felt something hit my calf.

"Hey! Brother! Why the heck are you talking to those people!" Felt said from the side.

Why did she kick me before greeting me?

Did being with the Sword Saint somehow turn her even more violent?

And either way, even past that 'kind' greeting… there was some discipline to dispense on this little shit.

I ignored how both Crusch and Anastasia widened their eyes at Felt's greeting as I turned to the girl, and with my hand reaching towards her head…

"Ow! Ow ow ow! What the heck, man!?" she said as I began digging my fingers into her head with an iron grip.

"You little idiot… I won't fault you for thinking all of that, since I agree with most of it, but what the hell do you think you're doing in announcing it like that? Do you know how many enemies you have just made with those people?" I scolded her.

"B-But… who cares about that! They weren't going to be on my side anyway, and even still, I don't need 'em!" she shouted back as she tried to remove my hand, to no avail. "And why the heck do you care anyway? Don't you want your boob woman on the throne instead?"

"First, it's Priscilla-sama, not 'boob woman'," I said, my grip tightening. "And second, you're right, I don't care about you reaching the throne or not. But what I do care about, is your safety. And by announcing that if you reach the throne that you'll take out all the nobles, they might just try to take you out first, you understand?"

She gave me a big frown in response, her eyes narrowed in annoyance as I chided her.

Really… she was a master at getting into trouble.

Did all those lessons about keeping herself safe and knowing how to manage annoying people completely leave her brain in the four years since I left?

"Selian, I understand your worry, and I have some concerns about Felt-sama's behaviour as well, but rest assured, I will be by her side to ensure nothing comes of any possible schemes," Reinhard said as he came forward, bowing his head.

"Hmm… I guess you're right, but still… it's not as if you can bear the weight of the world, Reinhard. Even though you're strong, you're only one knight," I said with a frown.

I didn't want him getting overconfident and getting Felt in trouble, after all.

Oddly enough, instead of getting angry at me questioning his abilities, Reinhard's face lit up in surprise from my words, before his lips bloomed into a beaming smile.

The hell?

"Honestly… you really are quite amazing, Selian," he said, causing my eyebrows to furrow in confusion. "But regardless of your close relation to Felt, as well as her… errors, she is still the candidate for the throne that I support, and as such, I cannot allow you to continue such a display… at least in public."

Ah, right.

This sibling banter was pretty disrespectful.

"Right… well, I'll let you off for now, I guess," I said as I removed my iron grip, causing Felt to pat her hair back to normal, still glaring at me.

As I turned back to Crusch and Anastasia, expecting quite a few questions that I would need to brush off, I immediately noticed that Anastasia's knight wasn't present.

Where… was Julius?

As if the world had decided to answer that unvoiced question, the door then burst open as a knight ran over to us.

"Apologies if I was interrupting anything, but there is a situation I believe concerns you, Anastasia-sama, Emilia-sama," he said after catching his breath.

"What? What is it?" Anastasia asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Yes… and how would it concern me?" Emilia asked.

"W-Well… your knight, Julius-sama, and Natsuki Subaru have begun a sparring match in the arena," he said.

Anastasia's slightly tense body language immediately relaxed.

"Oh, just that? Then there's no problem. Let Julius do as he pleases," Anastasia said, her face losing all traces of concern. "And why would you come waste my time over a simple sparring match?"

Emilia, meanwhile, still looked quite worried.

"W-Well… the thing is, it's so one-sided, I don't know if you can even call it a match…" he replied.

Ah… I see.

"Oh, Subaru! What have you gotten yourself into?" Emilia said as she began heading towards the door.

Anastasia, meanwhile, simply made a troubled frown.

"Oh dear… I might just have ta' pay his medical fees. How wasteful," she said with a sigh.

A sparring match… I guess Julius wanted to teach Subaru his place, for his sake.

Although there might have been some personal feelings as well…

I wasn't sure what to do next, but with Priscilla reaching down to grab my hand and pulling me towards the door, I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen.

"Come, Selian," she said with a smile. "Perhaps that the performance is not quite over for the pathetic jester."

Right…

The run to the arena hall was quite swift, urged by Emilia's concern and Priscilla's intrigue, and so, we got there just in time to see the end of the duel… but in some ways, we were too late.

"Subaru!" Emilia shouted as the arena came into view. 

The boy's face, which had been beaten black and blue, lifted to look at the stands at her shout, her eyes widening as he noticed our arrival

"Subaru, just stop this! What's the point of this!?" Emilia continued.

His shoulders slumped as he mumbled something to himself, before he then looked back up with a determined gaze.

What the hell was he doing, still fighting?

He must have known that it was hopeless, right?

Even he had admitted to his weakness earlier, so why did he want to prove his strength like this?

"Subaru…?" Emilia said as my palm connected with my forehead. "No! Don't do that-!"

"Shamac!" Subaru shouted, interrupting Emilia's words.

A large cloud of dark smoke suddenly burst forth from Subaru's chest, instantly covering the arena, only to be blown away a few moments later as Julius stood unperturbed.

"Haa… unfortunately, this was not as exciting as I would have hoped," Priscilla said, pulling on my cloak. "That jester's disgusting acts have long since tested my patience. Let us go, Selian."

And with the sound of a wooden sword hitting flesh resounding throughout the arena, accompanied by Emilia's worried scream, I turned around and followed behind Priscilla.

Just as I had expected… bringing Subaru had been a mistake.