Chapter 5 - Mathers Manor

"Do you feel it?" Elsa asked, her blade carving deeper into his skin. "The feeling of blood dripping down your stomach. The weight of your intestines falling out of your body. The slow, agonizing chill crawling up your spine as you slowly succumb… isn't it amazing?"

'It hurts. Please, stop,' Orion pleaded, though no sounds came out of his mouth, instead having only gurgled on the blood caught in his throat.

"Ah, so you do feel it! Slowly, you're getting colder... Emptier as your life drains. Does it feel calming? Or perhaps, is it frightening~?"

Elsa continued, dragging her blade across his body as she taunted him, until finally, Orion's eyes closed, leaving him in darkness.

"Ah! You died... A shame. Just as I was having my fun~," Elsa's voice echoed in his head.

"Hah!" Waking with a start, Orion looked around with fearful eyes.

In front of him, lying across the couch, was an unconscious Subaru. To his right, was Emilia, who was looking at him with concern. And surrounding him were the intricately padded walls of the carriage.

'Right. I was… in a carriage, heading toward the manor, and I fell asleep,' Orion reminded himself. 'So… that was just a dream. A nightmare.'

He was safe.

"Orion?" Emilia called out. "Are you alright?"

"...Yeah, I'm fine. Just a nightmare," he answered, wiping the sweat off of his brow. "Are we almost to the manor?"

"Mhmm! I was just about to wake you!"

Looking out the window, Orion noticed how different the surroundings were. It was not the crowded streets of the capital, nor the vast plains of the highway. Instead, they were making their way through a lush forest on a cobbled road. And as they exited the treeline…

"Ah! There it is," Emilia said.

On either side of the road were lines of perfectly cut trees, barely hiding the vast lawn behind it. 

And to the front was even more amazing. 

There was a large fountain in the manor's court, with small matching circular gardens, fit with a gazebo each, on either side. 

But past that…

"You call that a manor?" Orion said, awestruck. "That's more like a castle!"

The manor was an enormous white building with a black roof, and had five watchtowers, with the central one being further developed.

"That's a lot of windows…" Orion said, still in the awestruck tone.

"Mhm! I was shocked too when I saw it for the first time. But… it sometimes feels a little too big," her head tilted down in sadness before suddenly rising once more, a cheerful smile on her face. "But with you and Subaru staying there, I'm sure it will feel much more lively!"

As the carriage parked in front of the manor, Emilia and Orion opted to get out by themselves, with the latter hoisting Subaru over his shoulder once more.

"We have arrived, Lady Emilia, Orion. My sister will be here to greet you shortly, but I unfortunately have to take my- Huam~! My leave," Ram said, wiping her tired eyes.

"Yes, thank you for everything, Ram. I'm sorry my mistake made you stay up so late," Emilia apologized.

"It's fine, Lady Emilia. This way I have a good excuse to sleep all day. Now if you'll excuse me." 

With a departing bow, Ram then walked into the manor, leaving Emilia, Orion, and Subaru outside on their own.

"She's… oddly casual, isn't she?" Orion stated.

"Mhmm! But I kind of like that honesty, don't you?" Emilia said.

Orion shrugged. "I guess."

"Well, I'm also a little tired, so I'm going to head inside," Emilia said. "Be a good boy and wait for Rem, okay? I'm sure she'll guide you properly, and I'll have Puck get Beatrice to heal Subaru once he's lying down."

And then, Emilia also left, leaving Orion alone with a body slung over his shoulder as he slowly regained his composure concerning the enormous place of residence.

'Will I really be able to live in a place like this?' Orion wondered. 'It's quite a step up from a studio apartment.'

"Sir Guest, Rem has been told to come receive you."

His pondering was interrupted by the sound of a soft, clear voice. Turning his head down to answer, he was met with a dazzling sight.

Dressed in a European-styled maid uniform, identical to Ram, was a girl with medium-length blue hair, with a single eye peeking past her bangs.

She was definitely Ram's sister, and at a glance, it could be said she was an exact copy with a different hair colour.

But that was at just a glance.

Orion instantly noticed how her features were a little softer, with fuller cheeks, a rounder chin, and large, gentle eyes.

In short, to Orion, she was immensely-

"Pretty…" he said wistfully.

"U-Um, Sir Guest?" Rem said, her cheeks gaining a hint of a blush.

"S-Sorry!" he shook his head. "I'm a little tired still, so it kind of… slipped out."

'Really? You didn't even say 'hi' first?' Orion chided himself. 'What am I, a middle schooler? Get it together, me!'

"Rem sees… Ahem! Well, Rem can guide you to your room, as well as… his," she looked at Subaru questioningly. "Is he… alive?"

"Yes, he is," Orion answered. "Though he still needs treatment for an injury from… what was her name… Beatrice?"

"Ah, the great spirit," Rem nodded. "Then you can follow Rem, please."

"Sure! And you don't have to call me 'Sir', just Orion is fine. I'm going to be a fellow employee soon anyway," Orion said, walking up to her. "At least if Sir Roswaal accepts that."

"Understood, though-"

Rem stopped her words as Orion came up to her, and he noticed her gentle eyes narrow, staring at him with suspicion.

No. She wasn't exactly staring at him, but rather at Subaru.

'Why?' Orion wondered. 

"...Though Rem would prefer to treat you as a guest until that decision is made."

Rem then walked forward, not providing an explanation for her sudden pause.

Orion gawked at the beautiful interior as they walked. From the tiled entryway with marble pillars to the carpeted halls with walls decorated with various art, vases and paintings, it was much more elegant compared to what he was used to.

"So just place him here on the bed?" Orion asked.

"Yes. Lady Beatrice will heal him alongside Lady Emilia's spirit on their own time," Rem said.

"Oh. Okay… wait, how do you know that?" Orion asked. "I didn't see you talk to Ram. Wait… do you guys have twin telepathy or something?"

Rem smiled slightly. 

"Something like that. Rem and her sister share a bond deeper than blood, after all."

Rem's smile disappeared as she looked down at Subaru, her lips seemingly curling in disgust.

"If Rem may ask, Sir Orion, why is he… why are you two here? Did something happen to Lady Emilia?" she eventually asked.

"Er, yeah. She had her insignia stolen, and there was an assassin too… it's kind of hard to explain it alone, but I'm sure we'll be telling the entire story to Sir Roswaal when Subaru wakes up if you can wait until then."

Rem looked at Orion for a few moments before answering, "Understood."

Her gaze then moved to Orion's legs, where the tattered remains of his pants, stained a dark red from his blood, were seen barely remaining in one piece.

"...If you wish to meet Master Roswaal, it would be prudent to take a bath and change. Rem shall lead the way."

"Uh, okay, but I don't have a change of clothes," Orion said.

"Do not worry," Rem shook her head. "We have many pieces of clothing for guests and past employees. It would simply be a matter of ensuring they fit you."

"Okay…" Orion sighed. "I'll trust you."

—

'I said I'd trust her… but I didn't think it would be so embarrassing,' Orion lamented.

Having just finished with a rather luxurious bath, Orion then put on his underwear, which had luckily remained unscathed from the battle, and followed Rem to the fitting closet, where she proceeded to take his sizes.

"Sir Orion, it would be best for you to not be so tense to ensure Rem obtains the proper measurements," Rem said, wrapping a measuring tape around his bare thigh.

"S-Sorry Rem, but I think that's going to be impossible," Orion added, trying to look away from the scene of a beautiful girl kneeling right in front of his crotch. "Couldn't you let me do it myself? This is very embarrassing."

"Don't worry, Sir Orion. You don't have anything to be embarrassed about," she answered smoothly.

"Okay, you're definitely teasing me, aren't you!?"

"Rem has no idea what Sir Orion is talking about."

Though she said that, if one were to look at her face, they would notice the hint of a smirk pulling on the corner of her lips.

—

"My~ how nice it is to meet you, Orion~"

'A… clown?' Orion thought, very confused. 'Wasn't I supposed to meet Sir Roswaal?'

The person in front of him looked to be around Orion's height, if not taller, with long blue hair, a white face marked with purple makeup around his eyes and lips, and a pair of heterochromatic eyes, the left yellow and the right blue. 

But what was most surprising about the man was the elaborate outfit he was wearing, akin to a jester or a clown.

"Uh, nice to meet you too… sorry, can I ask for your name?" Orion said.

"Why of course~! I am the master of this mansion and the sponsor of the royal candidate you saved, Roswaal L. Mathers~!"

'Seriously!?'

"...Oh. M-My apologies, Sir," Orion hastily bowed.

Roswaal waved off his apology with a smile. "It's quite alright~ In fact, I find it quite amusing to see~ the reactions of those unfamiliar with my appearance~."

He then brought his arms onto the table, steepling his fingers as he looked at Orion with a singular blue eye. 

"I believe Lady Emilia has already gone over how important your assistance was, and she has already told me of how valiantly you fought the Bowel Hunter~. Needless to say~, such actions deserve a fitting reward~, no?"

Gulping down his nervousness, Orion bowed his head.

"For my reward… in addition to being taught how to read and write, I ask that I be made Emilia's attendant."

Orion's request was met with silence as Roswaal stared at the boy. Then, a moment later, his lips spread wide. 

"Done~! Though I will need to ensure~ you aren't asking to be in such a position for any… nefarious purposes."

Orion tensed slightly at the dangerous tone of the man.

"But alas, is that all~?"

Orion thought over the other things he wanted to learn in this world, other than writing and swordsmanship. 

Against Elsa, he was entirely too weak, and relied too heavily on close-quarters attacks, which left him, and whoever he was fighting with, vulnerable.

He needed another weapon. Another way to get stronger.

And he already had an idea.

'Well, I was willing to try to go at it alone, but… there's no use in not trying to get some professional instruction,' Orion thought before speaking up. 

"Emilia told me on the way here how you are the greatest magic user in the kingdom. I would like the chance to learn about magic from you if possible, though I understand that you are a busy man. Just the basics are enough."

"Why of course~ Having Lady Emilia's attendant know how to defend themselves past a sword would be most useful~," Roswaal agreed.

Emilia, who had been sitting at the side, then joined in the conversation. 

"Isn't that wonderful, Orion! While I could only help you with spirit arts and some fire magic, Roswaal is able to use all of the elements!"

'The elements… this place really is a fantasy world, huh.'

"It seems that I've officially become your attendant, Lady Emilia," Orion said, bowing to his new… master? No, that wasn't quite right.

Friend. 

A friend that he was supporting in her path to take the throne.

"Hey! I told you to just call me Emilia!" she pouted before her expression changed into a smile. "But yes. I look forward to working with you."

As the new partnership was formed, with the two members looking at each other with smiles, the touching moment was interrupted by the door opening to reveal a little girl with a pair of drill-shaped twin-tails of blonde hair and blue butterfly-shaped eyes.

"I have finished the treatment of that boy, in fact. He should be awake by tomorrow morning, in fact," she spoke curtly to Roswaal.

"How wonderful~"

The small girl then looked at Orion with a small pout.

"And this is the other one, I suppose?"

Orion, who watched as the small girl tottered her way toward him, instantly felt his brotherly instincts flare as he knelt down to talk to her. 

"Hello there. My name's Orion, what's yours?"

Her eyebrow twitched. "That's none of your business, in fact."

"Hehe, you shouldn't look so angry, it'll ruin your cute face. Now, would you like to-"

"Betty has had enough of this, I suppose. You're annoying me."

As Orion was about to reach for his phone to show to the little girl, said girl pressed her palm against his chest, and a moment later, Orion felt a sharp pain jolt through his body.

The little girl's eyes widened as Orion suffered. 

"What is this, I suppose…" she mumbled before suddenly removing her hand from Orion's chest.

Feeling the world spin, as if he had just lost a ton of blood, Orion just caught himself with his hands before he collapsed, breathing deeply as he slowly felt his strength return, while Emilia rushed to his side.

"Are you okay, Orion?" she asked. "I swear, I didn't think Beatrice would play such a mean prank!"

"Y-Yeah, thanks, Emilia," Orion said. "Though I think that was a little much for a prank."

As Orion slowly recovered, the other occupants of the room spoke.

"So~? Beatrice, is our dear~ attendant trustworthy?" Roswaal asked.

"...He is not a threat, in fact. Though…" Beatrice then looked at Orion with a face of slight amazement. "It seems that he has a talent for magic, I suppose."

"Oh~? How so~?" Roswaal asked, eyes shining with intrigue.

"He has quite a bit of mana for a human, I suppose," she started. "...And he also possesses three elemental affinities. Fire, wind, and yang, in fact."

Her revelation caused both Emilia and Rem to widen their eyes, while Roswaal's smile deepened.

"My, how interesting~ To think he would not only have three elemental affinities but also have yang as one of them~," Roswaal hummed. "How I am so~ excited to cultivate such talent. But, unfortunately, I must~ be leaving for some personal duties~. Though I will be back by tomorrow afternoon to greet our second guest properly~"

As Roswaal headed out of the room with Rem following him, Orion, who could now get back to his feet, looked at Emilia with confusion. 

"What's the big deal with having three affinities, Emilia?"

"It's… quite rare to have multiple. That must mean you're really amazing!" she said proudly. "I'm sure Roswaal will explain later, but most people have only one affinity if any. And among those, yang is extra rare!"

"I… see," Orion said dryly.

'I'm not really special though. They're going to be awfully disappointed later.'

"Well, I should get back to my studies," Emilia said, dusting herself off. "For now, you should get familiar with the mansion. I'll see you at dinner though!"

And then, she also departed, leaving only Orion and Beatrice in the room.

Turning to the door, Orion gestured with his head, "Um, I'm just gonna-"

"Just wait right there, I suppose," Beatrice stopped him. "I have something to discuss with you, in fact."

"W-What about?" Orion said, a little fearful of what this little girl- No, this great spirit could do to him.

"...Among a large mana pool and multiple elements, there is another thing you should be aware of. Betty sensed a divine protection within you, in fact."

'A divine protection?' Orion thought, confused. 'Like the things Reinhard had?'

"Uh, what divine protection, exactly? And how could you tell?" he asked.

Beatrice sighed before explaining. 

"Betty could tell due to how your gate reacted to me draining your mana. And as for what divine protection you have, it's called 'Loved by Mana', or at least that's what Mother called it. Betty has only heard of a few people in the past 400 years having it, so it is quite rare, I suppose."

"'Loved by Mana'... what does that do?" Orion asked.

"It allows you to easily replenish your mana by taking in the atmospheric mana, in fact. Right now, you are doing it unconsciously, but you might be able to actively take in mana if you trained. In that way, you are similar to a spirit or one of the maids' horns, in fact," she answered. "Now, is that all? I'm only humouring you because Bubby told me to be nice to you after saving his contractor, I suppose."

"Uh, just one thing," Orion said. "Emilia mentioned being a 'spirit arts user', but I saw her using ice and healing magic. What's up with that?"

"You don't even know that? Such is the ignorance of the average human, I suppose," Beatrice sighed. "There are two types of magic users; mages and spirit arts users. Mages are those that use the mana inside their gate, like you will be, to cast magic while spirit arts use contracted spirits to process spells and mana from the atmosphere."

"Wait, why do you assume that I'll be a mage?" Orion asked.

"Because you have zero affinity for spirits, in fact. Actually, it would be better to say you have a negative affinity, I suppose." 

She then perked up her chin, seemingly pleased about lecturing Orion on the spirit arts. 

"Normally, one's affinity to spirits depends on the power of their od, in fact. Where those who have too strong of an od, such as the Sword Saint, make it uncomfortable for spirits to form a contract. Having too weak of od, like most of the population, however, makes spirits weaker if they were to form a contract. But for your case, it has to do with your divine protection, in fact."

'I think Reinhard mentioned this 'od' before. That's basically your soul or life energy. He warned me not to try to use mana once I run out since I'd be burning that od instead. But, more importantly…'

"Why would my divine protection make me have a negative affinity?" Orion asked.

"Spirits materialize in the world through mana, in fact. So you, one whose gate absorbs atmospheric mana at will, would essentially 'eat' any spirits you form a contract with, I suppose," Beatrice said. "Now I think I have answered quite enough of your questions, in fact. I will be leaving now."

She then opened the door, but instead of being greeted by the hallway, there was instead a library.

'...Huh?'

As Beatrice closed the door behind her, Orion hesitantly reached out to the handle, turning it to open the door and reveal… a familiar hallway.

'...Okay, what the hell is going on.'

—

"So… she can enter this 'Forbidden Library' through any door in the mansion, and switch the door at will?" Orion asked, amazed.

"Yes, that would be the basic explanation of her Door Crossing. Though you likely won't see it unless Lady Beatrice willingly comes out of her room," Rem said as she guided Orion through the mansion.

With such a giant place as his new home, Orion required a tour to be able to know where everything was. The task of this was given to Rem, as her sister was still sleeping after pulling an all-nighter the night before.

With the tour essentially finished, the two were now heading towards Orion's new room, where he would be receiving his first lesson on reading and writing from Rem.

"Still, I feel bad for making you teach me. Especially after hearing about all the work you and your sister do by yourselves," he said guiltily.

"It is no problem. Master Roswaal requested this of Rem, and Rem has already completed her tasks for the day, so it is not interfering with any work," she said.

"Still… you already take care of this huge place, and now you have two guests… If you need any help, just tell me," Orion said. "I'm probably not near your level, but I kept my own place tidy for two years, so that must count for something."

Rem looked at him suspiciously before shaking her head. "No. You are the attendant of Lady Emilia, and Rem is the Roswaal manor's maid. We each have our own jobs to do."

"But… at least help me do the work that Subaru and I are adding on. That's fine, right?" Orion said.

Rem stopped, tilting her head down to ponder. "...If you are so adamant, then Rem will accept your aid in manual labour tasks such as bringing supplies from the village and moving furniture. That is all that Rem will bend on this matter."

"I guess I'll take it," Orion shrugged.

"You don't have a choice, Orion. Now, we're here," Rem said, opening the door to a simple room with a bed, wardrobe, and a desk. "I will begin your lessons immediately, so prepare a notebook and quill while I get some supplies.

"A-Ah… understood," Orion said.

"Then I will see you in a few moments," Rem bowed before closing the door behind her.

Instead of going to get supplies, Rem moved against the wall, listening through the door to Orion as he got accustomed to his new room.

'While he is not as covered as that other boy, Orion still has the scent of miasma on him,' Rem thought with a snarl. 'How disgusting. Lady Beatrice did say that he wasn't a threat, but Rem's suspicion won't be so easily removed.'

As Rem kept listening in for any suspicious movements, she hoped in her heart that her suspicion was for naught, if not for Orion's sake, then at least for hers.

—

"Fuck… to think I have to memorize three writing systems…" Orion sighed, pressing his palms to his eyes. 

The writing system of this world used glyphs, separated into three separate categories: i-glyphs, ro-glyphs, and ha-glyphs.

From what Orion could understand, i-glyphs were this world's Latin alphabet, and it was mostly used for public texts and names. 

The most useful category of glyphs, at least for the common person.

The second set was ro-glyphs, which Orion found to be very similar to Japanese kana back in his world, in that the sound of characters was the exact same as they were spoken, with no confusion for the reader. 

Because of this, ro-glyphs were most commonly used for books so that the reader could understand the pronunciation of a word at first glance.

Lastly, and least importantly, were ha-glyphs. These were used primarily in the nation of Kararagi and were very similar to the Chinese writing system, where each symbol held a unique meaning, the only connection between them being some repeated parts of each symbol.

This was not used at all in the Kingdom of Lugunica, save for numbers in some odd cases, but Orion still needed to learn them.

After all, if Emilia were to ascend to the throne, she would need to communicate with Kararagi and its merchants, and her attendant being illiterate would be unacceptable.

But the throne was still a ways away, so Orion was content learning at his own pace.

Luckily, by sounding out the words by speaking, Orion was able to write most things with i- and ro-glyphs, though he still needed to memorize the symbols.

'So troublesome…' he lamented.

His brooding was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at his door.

"Come in!" Orion said.

Having studied until the sun had set, with Rem kindly bringing him a snack before retiring for the night, Orion had not expected a visitor.

Still, aside from the papers and notebooks spread across his desk, his room was essentially untouched from when he came in, so it was by no means unpresentable.

Opening the door, a nightdress-clad Emilia made her appearance. "Ah! I see you're studying hard."

Walking over to look at the various pages, Emilia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, Rem told me that you were doing very well. She hardly ever talks unless it's needed, so I was very surprised."

"S-She did?" Orion asked, trying to hide his excitement.

"Mhmm! She said you used an 'interesting method' to get the words right. Care to tell me?" she asked.

"O-Oh, I just sounded out the words and then matched them with the glyphs… It works much better with ro-glyphs though," Orion answered.

"Mmm, that's very clever," Orion then felt Emilia pat his head, stunning him. "Such a smart boy, my attendant is."

Cheeks reddening in embarrassment, Orion quickly shook off her hand. "I-I'm not a little kid, Emilia. I'm 19."

"Huh? Really?" Emilia said, surprised.

"How old did you think I was?"

"Hmm… 15?"

"Seriously? Haa…"

Orion was a little depressed now.

'I know I have quite a soft-featured face, but it surely can't be that bad, can it?' he wondered. 'Maybe I should grow some stubble or something…'

"Anyway! It's getting quite late, and you only got a bit of sleep last night in the carriage, so I think it's time for you to go to bed, no?" Emilia said.

"Yeah, just after I finish this last set," Orion said, stretching his neck.

"If you say so… but, Orion, it's only your first day. Why are you trying so hard?"

Orion leaned back in his chair, looking at the starry sky through his window. 

"Because… I finally have something to work towards. Something important and meaningful. So I want to help you as soon as possible. I can't practice magic until Roswaal gives me the basics tomorrow, and I plan to do sword training in the morning, so this is the only way to improve."

Emilia was both touched and worried by his words, causing a conflicting feeling to form in the young girl's heart. "I… appreciate the sentiment. I really do. But… don't push yourself, okay?"

Orion turned to Emilia, who was getting up to leave and saw the concern in her eyes. "...Alright. I guess I did make enough progress for today."

Seeing her beaming smile made the sourness of the decision lessen greatly.