Across the street from the guard station, a few curious bystanders shot a glance at the butler.
After not finding any appropriate place to rest, Xenophanes opted to lean against a wall, resting his crutch against it as well.
If only he could use his powers. Surely, a dark purple chair wouldn't be too out of place.
He munched on his third appa, waiting, completely bored. He was actually looking for something interesting, really, anything to do in the meantime.
Xeno: 'At this rate, I'm going to run out of appas! Wait, no, apples. Curse this place! I'm getting used to calling these appas now.'
He let out a sigh. It had only been a few minutes, yet his attention span couldn't handle that.
Xeno: "Hmm?" His eye caught something interesting: three very familiar faces.
The three thugs from before.
His eye lit up. He remembered another promise he had made. He had gone overboard with his revenge on them.
Feeling bad about his actions, he planned to apologize for undoubtedly traumatizing them.
With that in mind, he planned to chased after them, not noticing, or perhaps ignoring, the young girl the thugs were taking into the alleyway.
As Xeno got up and walked toward where this was happening, he turned around the corner. The yells of the thugs reached his ears.
"Don't mess with us, woman! Should we ruin that pretty face of yours!?"
"Stop making such a racket, you louts. Such an uncultured group. Even your method of coercion lacks class."
Xeno: "Well, well, well. Look what we got here?"
Making his presence known, the thugs and the woman turned their attention toward him.
Almost instantly, the Tonchinkan trio recognized him, shaking in their boots.
Rachins: "I-It's you!" The thin one stammered out.
Xeno: "Oh, good! You guys do remember me. Wonderful! I can't help but notice you three are up to something shady again."
He had a 'cheerful' smile on his face, which served to send a shiver down their spines.
Gaston: "W-What, us? Up to s-something shady!? You got i-it all wrong!" He waved his arms around, looking at Rachins to say something.
Rachins: "Y-Yeah, we were, uh, uh... Right! T-Trying to warn this lady about how dangerous the alleys were!" His act didn't look remotely convincing.
Camberly: "Exactly!!" The short one unconsciously rubbed his arms in sheer panic.
Woman: 'Pathetic.'
The orange-haired woman only looked at them in disdain, though the sight of the strange white-haired man did catch her interest.
Xeno: "Hmmmmmm, is that so?" He questioned them, looking at them with amusement.
Rachins: "Y-Yes!"
Gaston: "Absolutely!"
Camberly: "Exactly!"
Xeno: "Pfff, hahaha hahaha!" He couldn't help but laugh at their faces.
Xeno: "Pff, alright. I'll stop messing with you here."
He placed down his bag of appas, then reached into his jacket pocket and threw a pouch at them.
Rachins barely managed to catch it.
All three looked perplexed. Curiosity getting the better of him, the thin thug opened the pouch.
Their eyes widened in absolute shock. The pouch was half-filled with silver and a few gold coins.
Xeno: "I realized too late what kind of effect bombarding you with 'friendliness pellets' could have on your mental health, so here's my apology. It's not much, but it's all I have right now." Xeno embarrassingly said.
Tonchinkan Trio: "..."
Xeno: "That should last you a while, so I'd better not catch you trying to mug someone again."
Rachins: "Are you serious!?" His mouth was agape. That was all he could say.
Xeno: "Yep. Now scram! Before some knight shows up. Seriously, robbing someone near a guard station?"
The trio just looked at Xeno with conflicted expressions. Before taking his words to heart and ran off as fast as they could.
...
Xeno: 'Welp, with that done. Time to go back.' He picked up the bag of appas and turned around.
Woman: "Hold it, commoner!"
Xeno jumped a bit. Looking back, he saw a beautiful woman with orange hair and commanding red eyes.
She wore a dress that I'm not even going to attempt to describe. Just know it was a beautifully designed red and black dress.
Her entire being screamed 'Arrogant.' Like she was on top of the world or something.
Also, her boobs were massive.
Xeno: 'Was she always there!?' He genuinely hadn't noticed her until now.
Xeno: "Uh, yes, miss? Do you need something from me?"
Woman: "Why did you give those fools some change?" She pulled out a pocket fan from between her chest, covering her mouth.
Xeno: "For compensation?" He looked at her in confusion.
Woman: "You compensated a bunch of commoners solely because you were feeling guilty for harming them in the past?" She narrowed her eyes.
Xeno: "Yeah. Exactly?"
Woman: "Are you sure you're a butler and not an amusing jester?" She stated it with amusement.
Xeno: "...Really funny." His eye twitched in annoyance.
'I don't like her.'
Xeno: "If that's all, miss, I shall be taking my leave. I still have work to do." He tried turning around once again.
Woman: "Halt. Did I say you could leave?" She commanded.
Xeno sighed. He looked back at her, masking his annoyance.
Xeno: "Yes, what can I do for you?"
Woman: "Tell me your name."
Xeno: "Xenophanes?"
The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment before instantly following up with.
Woman: "How would you like to join my camp?"
Xeno: "...Excuse me?" He was completely taken aback by the question.
Woman: "Don't tell me you have difficulties hearing now, commoner? I told you to join my camp." She even said it a bit louder this time.
Xeno: "...Sorry, miss, but what? And more importantly, why?"
Woman: "Of course, unsurprising. A fool like yourself must be unaware, but I, Priscilla Barielle, am set to become the future ruler of Lugunica—"
Xeno was even more confused. She basically just declared herself queen.
Priscilla: "However, could I really be a suitable Queen without a suitable Jester to entertain me? That's where you come in. Your actions have amused me greatly. Be thankful, Jester, that I have guaranteed you a prestigious legacy."
She talked as if this was a simple fact.
Xeno: "..."
She put him on the spot and awaited his answer.
It took Xeno several moments just to process what had just happened. How did reuniting with the thugs devolve into... this!?
Priscilla: "Well? What will it be, Jester?"
Xeno: "No... Just no!"
Priscilla: "Repeat that, Jester." She narrowed her eyes, clearly not pleased by the answer.
Xeno: "I said no! I already serve someone else. So no."
Priscilla: "No matter. I will treat you better than whatever master you're serving."
Xeno: "My answer is still no."
Xeno: 'I'm not leaving Emilia, Rem, and the others. Even then, I'll never serve an annoying prick like her.'
He really did not like Priscilla. She insulted him to his face, then expected him to serve her?
Priscilla: "You would refuse the chance to serve someone like me?"
She glared, not appreciating not only his refusal but also how fed up he looked with her.
Xeno: "No. Means. No!" His patience was really wearing thin with her.
Her glare intensified, only for it to fade.
Priscilla: "I would usually find myself resenting someone for such blatant disrespect. But I find myself respecting your loyalty."
Xeno: 'Finally.'
He let out a sigh of relief.
Xeno: "Glad you understand. Now, if you'll excuse me, my master is waiting for me. Goodbye!"
He didn't want to linger here any longer. Once again, he turned to walk away.
Priscilla: "Who do you serve?"
Xeno gripped his crutch tightly.
He never thought he would meet two people he didn't like in such a short amount of time.
Xeno: "I serve the Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers." He didn't turn to face her. After answering her question, he started walking away.
Priscilla: "You serve that man? I suppose it's fitting. A Jester serves an even bigger Jester. What a waste."
She sounded disappointed, not at him, but at who he had chosen to serve.
Priscilla: "I've decided. We will play a game. If I win, you shall leave that boring man and serve under me. And if you win, I'll allow—"
Xeno: "Can I choose the reward and game?" He interrupted her, taking a deep breath.
Xeno: 'Remember, patience is a virtue. Patience is a fucking virtue.' He slowly turned around, his smile forced.
Xeno: "It's only fair, since you're so insistent on making me join. You either let me choose, or I'll walk."
Priscilla used her fan again, amused by his expression, biting back a laugh.
Priscilla: "What will you do if you win, commoner?"
Xeno: "If I win, then do me a favour and shut. The. FUCK. UP!" He yelled.
Much to his dismay, she looked far from offended, instead looking amused, probably more interested in him now.
Priscilla: "Very well, Jester."
Xeno fully turned around with a grin. He set his bag of appas down again, approaching Priscilla until he stood face-to-face with her.
Xeno: "Let's keep things simple. We'll play a game of coin toss—" He reached into his pocket and 'pulled out' a dark purple coin.
Xeno: "If the coin lands on heads, I win. If it lands on tails, you win. Simple, right?"
Priscilla: "A game of chance? Jester, you truly offered yourself in just a roundabout way, haven't you?" She spoke like she already won.
Xeno: "Cocky much? Let me tell you, the world loves seeing arrogant people fail." He 'politely' advised.
Priscilla merely let out a laugh.
Priscilla: "The world punishing me? You fool. The world revolves around my will. Anything and everything that happens will be for my benefit. For instance, this conversation is a gift from the world to entertain me. Otherwise, why else would you be here? Do you understand, Jester?"
She softly explained it as if she were teaching a child something.
Xeno: "..."
Xeno: "Sure, sure. Let's get on with this already." He decided, for his own sanity, to just ignore her.
Before Priscilla could say more, he threw the coin into the air. He watched it flip between heads and tails through the air.
Both of them were entirely confident in their own victory.
Ah! The illusion of choice it's funny isn't it?
To the Sun Princess, the matter was already decided. The world favored her, therefore, it would grant her whim of acquiring her Jester.
What she couldn't have known was that when it came to gambling, Xeno's luck stat was maxed out.
The entire reason he even got banned from every gambling den in Flanders was because, in an illegal Earth Dragon race, he won every single time.
And the best part?
He picked randomly. Winning once might have been a coincidence, but seven times isn't.
And on the off chance he did lose, he could always Return by Death, and avoid meeting her entirely.
He doesn't have to honor the bargain if she doesn't remember, now does he?
Priscilla had picked a battle she couldn't win.
The coin softly landed on the ground, revealing the inevitable victor.
Heads.
Priscilla's eyes widened in absolute shock.
In a game of chance, where she held the greatest advantage, yet... She had lost?
Priscilla: 'How could this be?'
Xeno: "Not so cocky now, are you, brat!?" He was grinning from ear to ear.
Priscilla: "Yo—"
Xeno: "Nah, ah, ah, ah!" He wagged his fingers.
Xeno: "Remember, you lost, so be quiet."
He put a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay silent.
Priscilla glared, still using her fan to hide her mouth. Beyond that, her mind proceeded to process what had just happened.
Xeno: "Do you hear that, princess?... It's the sound of silence. Blissful silence." He spread his arms wide, taking a deep breath of fresh air.
Originally, she had found his appearance and actions amusing. But the more she interacted with him—
Xeno: "You know, I think you're more likable when you don't talk. It actually makes you more tolerable."
The more her intuition told her to acquire this man–
Xeno: "Man, it's so great enjoying how hard I worked. If only there was someone I could share it with..." He looked around.
Xeno: "TOO BAD! There's just me and total silence. Sigh!" He sure was enjoying gloating.
Her intuition had never been wrong. Perhaps this was the world's way of showing her that this idiot would provide her with much-needed entertainment in the future.
Xeno: "You know, it's rude to ignore someone talking to you. Oh, right. You can't talk back. Hahahahahaha!"
Emilia: "I finally found you!"
He abruptly cut off at hearing a familiar voice. He turned around as fast as him spine allowed.
Standing there was Emilia and some knight guy?
...
Ten minutes earlier.
Emilia got out of the guard station and onto the main streets. It had been twenty minutes since she left Xenophanes alone.
Her attempts at contacting Reinhard had borne no fruit. According to Julius—
"Reinhard? For a while now, he's been busy with something and hasn't had the time to come here... Well, since it's Emilia-sama, I could convey your words to him personally."
One way or another, Emilia turned down the offer. With her objective crushed, she planned to return to Xeno.
Emilia: "Julius took up more of my time than I thought." She conversed as she made her way through the streets.
Puck: "He doesn't mean any harm, and since I can discern these types of things, it wasn't too uncomfortable for me. Not to mention his colorful and abundant mana. I definitely don't dislike that."
From underneath Emilia's silver hair, Puck revealed himself. Responding to him, she simply nodded.
Emilia: "It's not like I think he's a bad person. And I think the things he told us were quite useful. I'm not unhappy with any of that, but..." She paused.
Emilia: "Well, he does talk about himself a bit too much... If Xeno were there, what would he call it? 'Someone who can't read the mood' or something?"
Seeing Puck laugh dryly, she let out a long sigh. Even though twenty minutes had passed, she felt bad for making Xeno wait that long.
But more than that, she had a sense of unease in her heart.
Which turned out to be true when she found no sight of him anywhere. She hung her head in shame.
They should have known. Xeno wasn't someone who could stay idle for long. He had probably ventured out to fend off his boredom.
Emilia: "Puck, can you track him?"
Puck: "Leave it to me. With how intoxicating his mana is, finding him should be no problem." He replied softly.
It turned out his spirit affinity was so abnormal that even his mana was irresistible to lesser spirits.
The only reason he wasn't constantly surrounded by them was because he didn't release much mana.
This reminded Emilia of something Puck had previously told her.
One day, she had curiously asked how much Xeno's absurd spirit affinity affected him and Beatrice.
His response had been that, while Puck wasn't crazy for Xeno, like the lesser spirits. He did find himself very lenient towards him.
Something that made Beatrice's behavior make a lot more sense to her now.
Puck pushed his way through her hair, coming out from under her hood and resting on her shoulders.
Wiggling his pink nose, he sniffed the air, searching for Xeno's scent.
More precisely, he was smelling for any remnants of mana left behind by Xeno's body.
While Puck was doing that, Emilia scanned the area. Being a guard station that allowed entry to the noble's district, there weren't many people around.
It was around that time that Emilia spotted someone strange. An imposing man around 173 cm tall, wearing an assortment of clothes that made him appear like a bandit.
What was weirder was the jet-black helmet with a plume of neat red hair as a crest, concealing his face. And the fact he was missing an arm.
He appeared to be searching for something. The man scratched his helmet, stumped, before slumping in defeat.
Most people, upon seeing him, would instinctively avoid him, be it because of his bulging muscles, shabby appearance, or simply not wanting trouble.
Not Emilia though. While he did look strange, the part she focused most on was something else.
'I wonder if he's searching for something?' Putting a finger to her lips, she glanced at Puck, who was still busy. She made the decision to approach him.
"She's not here either. I'm stumped. I wonder where she is?" he muttered to himself.
Emilia: "Excuse me." She touched his shoulder to get his attention.
"Kyaa!"
The man jumped, turning around to face Emilia and wrapping himself in his arm.
He pointed a finger at her.
"Oi, don't touch me so casually, little lady. Those that touch me get burned."
...
Xeno: "Oh, heya, Emilia. Finally done?" He casually approached her.
Emilia: "Where have you been!?" She asked, concerned about his wellbeing.
Xeno: "Just catching up with some old acquaintances—" he waved dismissively.
"But forget that for now. How's that guy? Also, cool outfit." He pointed him out.
"Thanks, bro. Call me Aldebaran, or just Al. And your friend here asked to join me to find a lost child. Can you imagine my surprise at that?" Giggled, the helmet-wearing bandit.
Xeno: "Really now, Emilia? Helping randos of the streets again? You really are hopeless." He wasn't even surprised.
Emilia: "Don't change the topic, Xeno! You said you would stay put. I was reeeally worried about you."
Xeno stood beside her and rolled his eye. While he was flattered by her concerns, he found it completely unnecessary.
Xeno: "Emilia, I'm not a child. I can defend myself just fine."
Emilia: "Be serious, Xeno! Stop dismissing your safety so casually!" She pouted, trying to act serious, but it only made her cuter.
"I overheard you say you completely exhausted your 'energy' back at the mansion, and before you told me you can't recover it quickly."
She hushed, not wanting Al to hear, who just looked at them with curiosity.
Xeno: 'She heard that!? Huh, that would explain why she's being so stubborn right now.'
She didn't exactly know how Point of Obsession worked, so this was to be expected.
Xeno: "I'm running at full energy. In fact, I'm currently at my strongest here. You have nothing to worry about." He whispered back.
Shocked by the news, Emilia's eyes widened. She studied Xeno to tell if he was lying for her sake, but the confident look on his face told her otherwise.
Emilia let out a sigh of relief. She was really glad to hear it.
Aldebaran: "If you two are done flirting, I have something to ask." Al interjected, fully amused by their reaction.
Xeno's pupil vanished in surprise, while Emilia blushed madly.
Emilia: "F-Flirting? We... we–"
Xeno: "Seriously, dude! Why would I flirt in front of other people?"
Aldebaran: "Oh, you would have if we weren't here, then?" Despite the helmet, Xeno could feel the smirk on his face.
Xeno: "Tsk."
Emilia: "Xeno!" She blushed even harder when he didn't refute it.
Aldebaran: "Anyways, bro, what happened to the princess?"
He brought everyone's attention back to Priscilla, who had her hands on her hips, looking completely bored.
Xeno: "You're still here? The fact that you're adhering to our bet is suuuper cool and all, but I prefer it if you just buzz off already!"
He already felt annoyed looking at her again.
Aldebaran: "Wait!? What bet, bro?" He tilted his head in confusion. The princess was acting way too out of character here.
Xeno: "Right, this... nuisance, was going on and on, insulting me, ordering me around, and acting all high and mighty. So we played a game. If I won, which I did, she'd shut the hell up."
Aldebaran: "..."
Xenophanes narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell what was going through this guy's head. Was it good or bad? He didn't know.
Aldebaran: "Hey, bro, remember I said your friend and I were searching for a lost child?"
He said it with a neutral tone.
Xeno: "Yeah?"
Aldebaran: "That's her, the lost child."
Xeno: "..."
Xeno: "...This sure is awkward."
Aldebaran: "You're telling me."
Xeno: "Ahem! Hey, Priscilla, you uh... I had my fun. You can start... talking now." Very unwillingly, Xeno said that.
Priscilla let out an amused smirk.
Priscilla: "It's about time you paid attention to me, Jester."
Xeno just looked away out of pure pettiness.
Aldebaran secretly tapped Xeno's back, speaking quietly enough that only he and Emilia could hear it.
Aldebaran: "Bro, you really need to stop. She might just lop your head off."
Priscilla: "Hmph, to think you would be waiting for me at my destination. That's admirable, Al."
Aldebaran: "I'd say it's more of a coincidence, but saying too much might hurt her, so I'll just agree... That's exactly right!"
Xeno: "Yeah, yeah, your babysitter is here. Now, if you'll excuse me, me and my friend will be going now." He pulled his bag of appas up again.
He turned to Emilia, who had been unusually silent, hiding her face under her hood and standing behind him to obstruct Priscilla's view of her.
He raised a brow at that, but didn't want to drag this out even more.
Xeno: "Emmmilia, let's go."
Emilia: "Huh!? Uh, right. Let's go." She looked in a hurry, which worked perfectly for him.
And just like that, Xeno and Emilia walked out of the alleyway, leaving Priscilla and Aldebaran to their devices.
Aldebaran: "You seem in a good mood today." The moment they left, he turned to Priscilla, who had a smile on her face.
Priscilla: "Yes, I was able to have fun today. Besides that, Al, I thought of something interesting."
Aldebaran: "What would that be?"
Priscilla: "I'm excited for the royal selection tomorrow."
Aldebaran just looked puzzled but shrugged. He'd find out what she meant eventually.
...
Out on the streets, the duo headed back towards the place they were staying in. While they were doing so, Emilia stayed quiet.
Xeno: "Emilia, what's with you all of a sudden?" He asked, curious.
Emilia: "Huh? Sorry, I was just spacing out a little." She blinked, coming back to her senses.
Xeno: "Really now? Why is that, pray tell?" He knew that look. She was hiding something important from him.
Emilia: "...Xenophanes, that girl earlier... Why were you with her?"
Her whisper was filled with traces of different emotions, unease and a bit of fear. These were the ones Xeno could make out.
Xeno: "Priscilla? Don't tell me you're jealous, Emilia." He tried to lighten her unease.
Emilia: "Xeno, take this seriously." Her tone was actually angry.
Xeno: "Sigh, you seriously worry way too much. I met her by chance. From there, she did nothing but get on my nerves. I never want to see her face ever again." His mood was ruined just thinking of her.
Emilia looked relieved by the answer. All her unease melted away.
After that a moment took the two. Before Emilia spoke up again.
Emilia: "Xeno... Can you do something for me?"
She looked to the floor, steeling her will regardless of how embarrassing it was for her. She needed to do this, just like she learned from Xenophanes.
Xeno: "Sure." He answered, completely oblivious to what was about to happen.
Emilia leaned in, whispering in his ear, super embarrassed.
Emilia: "C-Can... Can you hold my hand?"
Xeno stopped dead in his tracks, looking completely shocked at Emilia. She swirled a strand of her hair, blushing.
Emilia: "I-I just think, you've been... doing so much. It must be... hard for you. So let me carry that bag and help you walk... by holding hands."
She used a mixture of words she'd heard Xeno use before, both on herself and sometimes on Rem, to justify her request.
She'd seen how Xeno behaved whenever he wanted to be dotten on (something she hasn't realised). He never just asked for it outright.
Instead, he'd come up with some ridiculous excuse to justify it, when other people were around.
And now, Emilia was doing the exact same thing.
Something Xeno instantly recognized. He and Puck both had the same thought.
'Oh God! She's been corrupted.'
Xeno: "I, Uh, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." You looked to the sky thinking what to do next.
Emilia didn't maintain eye contact either, waiting for his answer. Her heart was pounding in anticipation.
Xeno: "I... Sure why not?" It was one of the rare instances that Xeno was flustered.
Emilia: "O-Okay."
...
Xenophanes was... really overjoyed today. He thought his luck in gambling was good.
But this?
First Rem, and now Emilia.
Was his luck with women also really good?
Because it sure does feel like it!
Oh, Xenophanes, you poor innocent pervert. Don't you know that when you speak the devil's name, they shall appear?
And appear the devil or oni shall.
"Xeno-kun!" The cheerful voice of Rem rang out in the street.
A few onlookers even turned their heads towards the maid with blue hair, running towards someone with a radiant smile, her face full of hope.
That couldn't be said for Xeno and Emilia. While technically they weren't doing anything wrong, they had abadfeeling about what was to happen.
Rem rushed, overjoyed to finally get to meet her hero after waiting for so long, only to freeze dead solid.
Her smile dropped instantly. Her aura alone dropped the surrounding temperature.
She saw it.
She saw what her Xeno-kun and Emilia-sama were doing.
Xeno held hands with Emilia, while her other hand held a bag of appas.
The way their fingers intertwined, holding firmly, their shoulders leaning on each other.
They totally looked like a couple.
Rem: "Xeno-kun? Emilia-sama?"
She said it calmly. A bit too calmly.
And the way she smiled sent a shiver down the two's spines, locking them in place.
A crowd had formed, looking at the scene with various amounts of amusement. Which instantly died the moment Rem turned her glare towards them.
The husbands and boyfriends in the crowd instantly recognized her look. Even those who weren't in a relationship did as well.
Almost immediately, they remembered something and scattered away from the blast radius.
Rem: "Xeno-kun, Emilia-sama, what are you two doing?" She asked innocently.
Emilia: "R-Rem, I... We..." She couldn't even form the words.
Xeno: "Rem—"
She snapped her head towards him.
Xeno: "Gulp. Listen, w-we were—"
Xenophanes took a deep breath. Then said, with a guilty expression:
"Emilia forced me into this. I had no choice in the matter!"
Emilia: "Eh!!!!!!"
Xeno: 'Sorry, Emilia, but I'm not facing the wrath of a jealousy-fueled Rem.'