Chapter 117: Priscilla, Crusch, and the Other Four Candidates Visit

However, Natsuki Subaru's elation didn't last long before he suddenly felt the bond of that contract between himself and Betty sever once again.

It was as if it had been blocked by some kind of rule, hidden away, no longer able to be perceived.

Natsuki Subaru suddenly panicked and quickly lowered his head to check on the Betty in his arms.

"Mm... Subaru? What are you doing?"

Betty was bleary-eyed, as if she'd just woken from a dream, and looked around at her surroundings in some confusion.

Then, she discovered that she was currently being held in Natsuki Subaru's arms.

This discovery made her face flush red in an instant, embarrassed to the extreme.

"Aaaah, Subaru, what are you doing, kashira!"

"You don't get handsy like this when forming a contract, you rude lout!"

Betty's face was red and her two little fists were whirling like fan blades, yet they carried no destructive force whatsoever—if anything, it made her look rather cute.

Was this... the Betty from just now?

Betty had reverted back to her original self.

After a brief moment of stunned blankness, Natsuki Subaru figured this out, and at once felt a pang of loss.

But he quickly composed himself.

There had to be some kind of condition—as long as he fulfilled it, he could make the Betty he knew in reality appear.

But it was too late in the day, and Betty had been inside for a while now; the rule about going back to her room to rest would probably trigger soon.

In that case, he'd just have to wait until tomorrow.

Meanwhile, reality matched Natsuki Subaru's guess exactly.

Betty had barely finished her embarrassed shrieking when she went expressionless.

After picking up the Gospel from the floor, she turned and left the first-floor hall, heading to the second floor and vanishing from sight.

Natsuki Subaru kept watching Betty until her figure disappeared, only then withdrawing his gaze.

Shaking his head, he psyched himself up.

Tomorrow he would uncover the secret surrounding Betty, but before that, he had to stay sharp tonight!

He just didn't know whether any more visitors would come knocking tonight.

Natsuki Subaru turned his gaze to the great door behind him, staring at it quietly for a little while.

He stared until his eyes grew sore and he was yawning, yet no one knocked.

This led him to assume Betty had been tonight's only visitor.

Well then—time for bed, time for bed, get ready to start day two.

"Knock knock knock, knock knock knock!"

But right at that moment, a string of urgent knocks suddenly rang out in Natsuki Subaru's ears.

It was as if someone were chasing the visitor down from behind—the knocking even carried a hint of terror.

Who was it this time?

Natsuki Subaru curiously pressed himself to the peephole, observing the visitor outside the door.

Unexpectedly, this time the visitors came as a whole group, breaking the previous pattern of only one person knocking each time.

As for the identities of these visitors—

They were indeed people Natsuki Subaru knew. Only, how could they possibly be here?

Outside the great door, the visibly impatient girl Priscilla stood before the peephole.

Her once-gorgeous flame-red dress was splattered with plenty of mud and water, and her signature fan was nowhere to be seen.

Sweat had dampened the strands of hair on Priscilla's forehead, leaving her looking thoroughly bedraggled.

In that brief span, she banged on the door a few more times, as if venting some emotion stirring within her heart.

Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru was a bit shocked.

Someone far away in the Royal Capital, who couldn't possibly appear here, was at this very moment knocking on the manor's great door right in front of him?

This had to be an Imitation Human, right?

Natsuki Subaru frowned as he thought it.

But that wasn't right either—the so-called Imitation Humans could only mimic the appearance of people they had seen.

The frontier was so remote out here; how could one possibly disguise itself out of thin air?

Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru looked behind Priscilla.

As a result, he saw the green-haired Crusch in a plain white dress standing off to one side with her arms crossed, and by her complexion she didn't look too well either.

Her hat lost who-knows-where, Anastasia—looking thoroughly startled—gripped the scarf around her neck tightly.

Only Felt, leaning relaxedly against a pillar off to the side, seemed to be taking it all in stride.

Natsuki Subaru opened his mouth; there was so much he wanted to ask that he didn't know where to begin.

But in the end, he was the first to speak.

"Everyone, though I don't know what's happened, with all due respect, your appearing at the gate of Roswaal Manor—which is currently in the midst of a crisis—at this hour of the night really does give one cause to think twice."

Natsuki Subaru said cautiously.

However, what he didn't expect was that the moment he spoke, the four beautiful royal selection candidates outside the door suddenly grew agitated.

Especially Priscilla, standing at the very front in charge of the knocking—her previously weary eyes suddenly lit up.

"My husband, so it was you behind the door. My apologies—just now this lady thought it would be those two little maids... How impolite of me."

The instant Priscilla spoke, the somewhat drowsy Natsuki Subaru was jolted with a violent shock—scared wide awake on the spot.

"Hus... band? Am I dreaming?"

"Is this the kind of thing Priscilla—that arrogant, common-sense-lacking, perpetually self-centered woman—would ever say?"

"I told you to be more polite! Priscilla, you really ought to fix that aristocratic-master temper of yours!"

Felt scratched at her piled-up hair in distress, grumbling.

"Uwaaah, Subaru, there are monsters chasing us out here, come protect Ana, quick!"

Anastasia, on the verge of breaking down, jogged up to the door, sniffling and pleading for comfort.

"Uh, you all... monsters... again?"

Natsuki Subaru stared at the chaotic scene before him, feeling dizzy and bewildered.

Why did it feel like all these beautiful girls were acting so familiar with him? Come to think of it, didn't they not even know each other right now?

Was this some kind of deviation again?

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down, stop bickering. Don't forget... the matter—right now Subaru might not even recognize us."

Crusch, in her white dress, with her pure yet cool aura, waved her hand feebly to remind everyone.

"So it's... Crusch. I suppose I've at least come to know about you all through what Emilia has said, so can you tell me what's going on?"

Natsuki Subaru's eyes brightened when Crusch spoke up.

Compared to Priscilla and Anastasia, he had a far better impression of Crusch—that brave, decisive, honorable household head—and his tone softened without him even realizing it.

"My deepest apologies for disturbing you so late at night, husband."

After drawing a deep breath, Crusch came up to the peephole and spoke respectfully.

But the moment she opened her mouth, Natsuki Subaru felt struck by lightning—Crusch, you too...?

"A few days ago, following the guidance of the Divine Dragon, we came to the frontier to prepare for the encirclement and annihilation of a monster that could potentially destroy the world."

Crusch explained slowly.

"But we met with an unimaginable blow—the White Whale, one of the Four Great Mabeasts, and a swarm of rabbits attacked, scattering everyone."

"Only the four of us royal selection candidates were able to stay together thanks to a gift from the Divine Dragon, but even now we're being hunted by a monster that Roswaal has transformed into."

Crusch said in a heavy voice, as if recalling unpleasant memories.

"Following a guidance from somewhere beyond, we arrived at this manor, and we sensed a certain rule—we know this place is a safe point, but we must first obtain your consent, husband."

"To that end, we will hold nothing back from you, husband, answering all your doubts to prove that we are real people and not monsters."

"Uh... then first, would you mind explaining what you mean by 'husband'? I have no idea when I ever, with you all...?"

Natsuki Subaru covered his face, feeling that the Crusch outside the door was a bit out of it—on one hand straining to prove herself, while on the other calling him by such an embarrassing title.

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