Bringing up old matters again.
Natsuki Subaru's head immediately began bobbing like a rattle-drum. "I knew you were a good guy, Satoru!"
"Cut the useless flattery. Once you've learned Jujutsu, you're handling all the trouble from now on." Gojo Satoru let out a yawn. "Hurry up and go take a look down there."
The two descended from the sky, arriving at the village.
"You won't be needing me for the rest, right? I'll wait for you here; go on by yourself."
"Mm-hmm, sure thing!"
Though most people in the village were asleep, there were still faint flickers of light here and there; there was no need to worry about scouting the area. Subaru ran off into the village with great enthusiasm.
Gojo watched him leave. An invisible force gathered beneath his feet, and his tall figure rose into the air, eventually floating about fifteen centimeters off the ground.
Squinting his eyes, Gojo peered into the distance, then flew silently in that direction. In the darkness, Gojo's silhouette flickered like a phantom, moving without a single ripple or sound.
Finally, he reached the edge of the village.
Coming to a stop behind a haystack, Gojo watched a figure departing through the air in the distance, a meaningful glint appearing in his eyes.
"Certainly a strange fellow, isn't he, Roswaal?"
Indeed. Under the clarity of the Six Eyes, Gojo could see the retreating figure perfectly. It was Roswaal, without a doubt.
But what was he doing here at this hour? Gojo didn't know, but it was absolutely not normal. Given the environment of this era, unless it was some extreme emergency, Roswaal likely wouldn't personally visit such a tiny village in his entire life—even if it was his territory and these were his subjects.
To be here at this time... even for a late-night stroll to clear one's head, you wouldn't specifically come here. Unless the man had some ulterior motive.
Recalling his previous musings on Roswaal's odd behavior, combined with the fact that Subaru and Emilia were coming here for a date tomorrow... though Gojo couldn't pinpoint a motive for now, it was all far too suspicious. It was a bit too coincidental.
Is he making a move on us, or on Emilia...?
Gojo thought it over but lacked sufficient leads. He had simply had too little contact with Roswaal to make a definitive judgment; all he could do was take it one step at a time. At the very least, regardless of what Roswaal intended to do, Gojo was now on his guard.
"Truly a bizarre guy."
Gojo flew onto the roof of a house, his gaze sweeping across the village. Finding nothing out of the ordinary besides Subaru, he simply lay down on the roof. He tucked a freshly plucked blade of grass into his mouth, pillowed his head on his arms, and watched the moon.
He really didn't understand Roswaal's actions.
Could it be that on the surface he's Emilia's supporter, but in reality, he's a plant from another candidate?
From what he had observed, Roswaal was quite negligent as a supporter. Putting aside the near-assassination in the Royal Capital, Roswaal hadn't made any effort since they arrived at the mansion to help Emilia network with other nobles or secure support.
Gojo had probed Puck for information about this during their chats. According to Puck, such efforts were rare—practically non-existent.
That alone was strange. If a supporter isn't diligently supporting their candidate, what are they doing? The only logical inference was Gojo's suspicion: the man might belong to another camp. Of course, this was all just speculation.
"Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how things play out," Gojo murmured to himself with a yawn.
Subaru didn't take long. Before long, he began searching everywhere for Gojo.
"Picked a spot?" Gojo asked, jumping down from the roof.
Subaru jumped, startled by Gojo's sudden appearance. "Where did you come from? You scared the life out of me! I've picked the spot—there's a beautiful flower field over there. It looks great even at night, so it should be even better during the day. I'll bring Emilia there for a walk."
Subaru spoke with a face full of yearning.
"If you're done, let's head back. It's late. If you don't get enough sleep, you'll start looking old."
Gojo grabbed Subaru by the collar again. With a flash, the two vanished from the village.
The following day. After breakfast.
"Lia, remember to wear your cloak properly. If anything happens, remember to contact us immediately via the Conversation Mirror."
Beside the ground dragon carriage, Puck was fussing over Emilia like a doting father.
"I will. We'll be back as soon as possible, Puck. Don't worry too much. The village is close; nothing will go wrong." Emilia smiled at the worried spirit.
"Don't worry, Puck! I'll definitely protect Emilia!" Subaru said with total gravity. Though he didn't use flowery words, his sincerity was palpable.
Puck pressed a tiny paw against Subaru's forehead. "If you let me down, I won't let you off the hook!"
"I absolutely won't!" Subaru promised solemnly. No one doubted that he would risk everything to protect her if danger arose.
After a few more instructions, Rem drove the carriage away with Subaru and Emilia.
"I really can't stop worrying," Puck sighed, watching the carriage recede.
"You sound exactly like an old man," Gojo remarked.
"That's because I am Lia's father!" Puck retorted, puffing out his chest.
"Sure, sure. A cat giving birth to a human."
"Ha! Are you provoking a Great Spirit?"
"Can a Great Spirit give birth to a human?"
"You ignorant human, you have no idea how deep the bond between Lia and me truly is..."
Bantering with Puck, the two headed back toward the mansion. Gojo made a point to check: Roswaal showed no intention of leaving today; he was in his study, reading.