"He does. You probably can't sense it, that's all." Gojo's voice was lazy, unhurried. Between people of real power, there was a kind of mutual awareness, even without having traded blows.
"That's insane. He's basically a walking nuke." Subaru struggled to wrap his head around it. What level of strength did a person have to reach before entire nations trembled at the thought of them?
"As long as the message got through, that's all that matters. At least Rom won't be worrying himself sick." Felt exhaled, the tension draining from her shoulders.
The conversation carried them through the rest of the morning. They didn't reach the Royal Capital until midday.
"Emilia, Rem, you two head back first." Gojo hopped down from the driver's bench. "Felt and I need to swing by the Slums and check in with Old Man Rom. We'll meet you at the estate later tonight."
"We'll be waiting," Emilia said with a nod.
"Lady Felt, please don't forget what Lord Roswaal mentioned." Rem paused before climbing back aboard. "You'll need to set aside time to visit the Knights' garrison, and to have formal attire fitted for the assembly."
"Don't worry, I won't forget!"
Most things, Felt could afford to be careless about. But anything connected to making money received her absolute, undivided attention.
They parted ways with Emilia, and Gojo's group turned toward the Slums. The party had grown since they'd last walked these streets. Meili and Betty brought the headcount up noticeably.
"When we get back, Old Man Rom is going to lose his mind." Felt practically skipped along the cobblestones, talking nonstop. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out I'm a Royal Candidate. And that's not even the best part. We're bringing back all this money."
She hadn't stopped grinning since they'd left the carriage. This time, departing from Roswaal's mansion, they'd secured a tidy sum in initial funding. Those gleaming Holy Gold Coins were, to Felt the money-lover, the most beautiful objects in the known world. Slapping a pile of them down in front of Old Man Rom was going to knock his jaw clean off his face.
She was coming home a conqueror, and she intended to savor every second.
"Tonight, I'll take him back to Roswaal's estate. Let him experience how nobles live for once." She'd already scripted the whole evening in her head. It was the exact energy of a kid who'd struck gold in the big city and come home to spoil their parents.
"He won't believe it's you." Subaru shook his head, marveling at the transformation. "When you left, you were a pickpocket from the Slums. Now you're coming back as a Royal Candidate. The gap is staggering."
They covered most of the distance while they talked. Returning to the Slums now felt different. The stares from the locals had changed completely. Before, when it had been just Subaru and Felt, they'd blended into the neighborhood seamlessly.
Now, with Felt in new clothes and two unfamiliar girls in tow, the residents watched them pass with wary deference. They'd been silently reclassified as nobles, the kind of people you didn't cross.
"You used to live here?" Betty surveyed the surroundings. No disgust in her eyes, only curiosity.
"Yep. We were even further out before that, but then a certain someone happened..." Felt launched into a colorful retelling of Gojo's various disruptions as they wound through the narrow lanes.
They arrived at the ramshackle little house they'd fixed up before leaving. Not much had changed, though the area around it was slightly cleaner than before. Someone had been maintaining it.
"Old Man Rom!" Felt hammered on the sturdy but battered wooden door. "Open up, we're back!"
No codes, no secret knocks. Patience was a luxury she had no interest in right now.
"White Whale," came the low rumble from inside.
"Forget the White Whale, open the door!"
She was vibrating with the need to show off. The door cracked open an inch, and a pair of weathered eyes peered out, scanning the street behind them.
"It's us! Nobody else." Felt waved dismissively.
Satisfied nothing was amiss, Old Man Rom swung the door wide.
"Relax, we were guests at a mansion, not robbing a place." Gojo ducked inside with a wave. "Hey, Rom."
"We're home!" Subaru added.
"Well, well. The whole gang." Rom's gaze settled on Meili and Betty, trailing behind the others into the cramped space. "Last I checked, the Mathers Family Head doesn't have children, does he?"
"He doesn't. But how'd you know that?" Gojo dropped onto the bed with zero ceremony, stretching out. The room wasn't large to begin with, and Rom's massive frame already claimed a generous share of it. With the full group crammed inside, the walls seemed to press inward.
"People in the Slums have their own channels." Rom cracked a wide grin.
"See? I told you he'd be keeping tabs on us." Felt lifted her chin and gave a satisfied little hum. "Anyway, let me introduce everyone. They're not Roswaal's kids. This is Meili, and this is Betty. They're friends."
Introductions made, Rom got the picture. And then Felt, barely containing herself, dove headlong into a breathless recap of everything that had happened.
"So, Old Man Rom. Notice anything different about me?"
"New clothes? Nice ones."
"No!"
"The haircut?"
"No!"
"Go bigger. All of that's too ordinary."
The smugness radiating off Felt had reached almost insufferable levels.
"Felt's a Royal Candidate now. The real deal, chosen by the Divine Dragon."
Gojo's voice floated over from the bed, casual as a weather report.
"AHHH!" Felt whirled on him. "What are you doing?! I was supposed to tell him! I was building up to it, you absolute... AAARGH!"
She launched herself onto the bed and seized Gojo by the neck, shaking him with everything she had.
"Ack... I was... just..." He flailed weakly, tongue lolling out, playing dead.
Felt's blood pressure spiked further. But she caught herself. Right now, Rom's reaction was what mattered.
She spun around.
Old Man Rom stood frozen. But something was off. His expression wasn't the jaw-dropping shock she'd been savoring in her imagination. It was closer to calm. Like hearing news that was surprising but not entirely outside the realm of possibility.
Nothing like the thunderstruck disbelief she'd felt when she first learned the truth herself.
"That's it? That's all you've got?" She stared at him, thrown.
"Huh?" Rom blinked, as if his brain had locked up and was only now rebooting. Then he reached out and pressed a hand to her forehead. "You feeling alright? No fever? You didn't just put on fancy clothes and start believing your own hype, did you? Cooking up lies with this Gojo kid to pull one over on me?"
Felt's face darkened. What did he mean, she put on fancy clothes and started believing her own hype?
So he didn't believe her at all. That explained the underwhelming reaction.
"Are you serious right now? You think I'm joking?"
"Can't very well be true, can it?" Rom spread his hands, chuckling. Committed to his skepticism.
"It IS true! Even if it sounds impossible, it's real!" She whipped around and pointed at the others. "They're all my witnesses. Every single one of them can back me up."
"Of course, of course. Esteemed Royal Candidate Lady Felt, how does it feel to return to the Slums?"
Rom's deadpan delivery broke Gojo's composure entirely. He laughed out loud. Felt had spent the entire journey crafting elaborate fantasies of this homecoming, and Old Man Rom had dismantled every one without breaking a sweat.
"I can't believe this."
A few more exchanges and Felt was thoroughly defeated, rendered speechless. She didn't recover until Rom pulled out a handful of cups and started pouring milk.
"Come now, Lady Felt. Time for your milk."
She huffed, snatched the cup, and took a long gulp.
"Not bad. Pretty fresh, actually."
"You bet it is. I've been keeping it stocked, waiting for you."
Something softened in Felt's expression. She pouted, but the anger was already gone. If there was one person in the world who treated her best, it was this old man. Even when money was tight, even when she wasn't home, he kept fresh milk ready. Always.
"Fine. Believe whatever you want."
She said it like she didn't care, but her hand was already moving. She produced a coin purse and slapped it down on the table in front of him.
"Look."
Chin tilted up, expression broadcasting: No further explanation necessary.
Rom picked up the purse. Hefted it. Opened the drawstring and peered inside.
This time, the shock on his face was everything she'd wanted.
"This much money?"
From Roswaal, they'd received their first round of financial support. Ten Holy Gold Coins each, three shares total. Ten Holy Gold Coins was no small sum. For food, drink, and daily living, it would last ages. For people who'd spent their lives scraping by in the Slums, it was enough to leave this filthy, chaotic place behind for good.
"And this is only the beginning." Felt patted his enormous thigh. "There's plenty more where that came from. Eventually we'll move to Kararagi. Gojo says he's coming with us."
"Kararagi, huh? Fine place. Though it's a merchant city. Cost of living won't be cheap." Rom ruffled her hair, his rough palm gentle. Where they lived made no difference to him. Being with Felt was all that mattered.
"Exactly why we need to hustle hard before we leave. Stack up as much as we can!"
Felt nodded, earnest as a business partner presenting a five-year plan.
"Ambitious little thing." Rom smiled. "But what about tonight? Where are your friends sleeping? This place isn't exactly suitable for them."
Before, Felt had strung up a hammock in the room while Gojo and Subaru squeezed in alongside Rom. Adding Meili and Betty to that arrangement was out of the question.
"That's why you're coming with us, Rom." Gojo grinned at the old man. "We're staying at a friend's place tonight. Plus, we've got business with Reinhard."
"Yeah, yeah! Come with us!" Felt caught on immediately.
Once Old Man Rom saw the Royal Insignia with his own eyes, he'd have no choice but to believe her, no matter how stubborn he was.
Rom shrugged. He had no reason to refuse. The Forbidden Library that had once kept Betty anchored was gone, and Betty herself had long since left with them. He had nothing tying him down.
"Alright, let's go."
"Then let's move! While there's still daylight!"
Felt grabbed his arm and hauled him toward the door.
"What's the rush? Let me gather a few things first."
"Leave it to me!"
She darted around the room, rummaging through every nook and cranny. In moments, a cascade of loose copper and silver coins had joined the purse.
"Let's go!"
Betty and Meili scrambled to drain the last of their milk, finishing in synchronized gulps. White rings clung to their lips. They looked like a pair of kittens who'd gotten into the cream.
Gojo pulled out a handkerchief, wiped both their faces clean, and led them out by the hand.
"Where exactly are these friends of yours?" Rom asked once they'd cleared the Slums.
They were already halfway through the Commoner District, and the group showed no sign of slowing.
"Don't worry about it, Old Man Rom. Just follow us. It's not like I'm going to sell you."
"Even if you tried, nobody'd pay for these old bones."
Rom chuckled, content to be led, and watched with growing bemusement as Felt steered them all the way to the gates of the Knights' garrison.
"Excuse me. Could you let Reinhard van Astrea know that Satoru Gojo is here to see him?"
"And Felt!" She elbowed her way forward, grinning ear to ear. "Don't forget Felt!"
...
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