Adam, who had secretly acquired a Divine Protection, was quite happy at first.
But when he returned to the hotel, his happiness faded.
The trouble-loving clown Roswaal had immediately told Ram about their commotion in the Royal Capital upon their return.
Upon learning what the two had done in the capital, Ram's already cold expression grew even icier. She grabbed both of them and delivered a stern lecture.
"Adam, Barusu. As Lady Emilia's Knight and butler respectively, you've caused her great trouble. You must reflect seriously on your actions."
After her command to reflect, the lecture dragged on for an hour.
Afterward, Ram went to prepare dinner.
Finally freed, Adam and Subaru both let out deep sighs of relief.
"Phew, that was scary — so scary."
"Indeed, like a demon — it gave me chills down my spine."
"A demon?" Adam looked at him curiously.
Subaru explained with a teacherly air, "Don't you think Ram-senpai is terrifying when she's angry? I can almost see the spirit of a Hannya demon behind her."
"Oh, so you still don't know."
"No, nothing." He had thought Subaru knew that Ram was of the Oni race, but apparently he still didn't know.
Though he had no intention of telling him — it wasn't important whether he knew or not.
"By the way, Subaru-kun. What did you think about my duel with Reinhard today?" Adam hadn't forgotten that one reason for dueling Reinhard was to help boost the confidence of the insecure young man before him.
"I'm relieved." Subaru said casually, "Relieved that you're not like my old man, so impossibly strong that I could never catch up. At least knowing you're not invincible gives me motivation to chase after you."
"Is that so? But I'll keep getting stronger too. I won't wait around for you, so you'd better chase hard!" Adam patted his shoulder, "Being Emilia's knight isn't easy — I look forward to the day you take this position from me."
"Oh! Just you wait! Someday I'll definitely steal Emilia-tan's Knight position from you!" Subaru shouted with passionate determination in his eyes.
"Speaking of which, seeing Reinhard's overwhelming strength, shouldn't you feel more despair?"
"Hey, don't remind me! I'd finally managed to forget about that!"
"Hahaha!" Adam laughed heartily, pleased to see the kid's flustered gesturing.
"But Adam, challenging someone as terrifyingly strong as Reinhard — that's something I could never do."
"Subaru-kun, you don't need to—"
"It's just the truth." Subaru cut off his attempt at consolation. His face showed firm resolve, with no sign of retreat or avoidance, as he chose to face his own weakness.
Excellent! This Royal Capital visit was a success!
Being able to face his weakness and vow to change meant the kid had grown!
"But Reinhard really is incredibly strong!"
"Yeah, that man is too strong — he's not human, he's a complete monster!"
Having witnessed the strongest fighter in the land, both hung their heads and spoke dejectedly.
"What are you two talking about?" Emilia walked over to them with concern, "You both took serious injuries today. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No no, I've recovered."
"Emilia-tan worries too much! I'm perfectly healthy!"
Both insisted they were fine.
Emilia patted her chest in relief and said softly, "I see, that's good."
"Today I spoke with Felix about a special ability I possess." He immediately repeated what he had discussed with the cat boy in the Royal Capital.
"So you're saying you have a rare ability that you want to teach Felix, and use that to negotiate with Lady Karsten?"
"Hmm, what would you like in exchange?" Emilia's question revealed her overly deferential stance.
This wouldn't do — she was one of the five Dragon Priestesses, not him.
Frowning slightly, he told her, "That's for you to decide, of course. We could exchange it for the previously agreed payment for treating Subaru. But if you have other requests, Emilia, we can modify the terms."
"Eh, that won't do! Subaru was injured because of me, so how could—"
"Emilia." He called her name softly and shook his head.
"Alright, I understand. Adam, thank you for your efforts. I won't forget this."
Now Emilia was showing the qualities of a proper leader.
Accepting a retainer's goodwill and providing appropriate compensation — that's what a worthy ruler should do.
"Then let's negotiate tomorrow. Besides, we can't delay Subaru's treatment any longer." Adam made the decision, and everyone agreed.
"Yes, as Adam says, we can't delay treating Subaru's injuries any longer."
"For Emilia-tan to worry about me —"
Subaru was about to launch into something sentimental, but Ram cut him off, announcing that dinner was ready.
At the Karsten Manor.
Crusch's residence in the Royal Capital was a sprawling estate with numerous servants.
Adam observed as Felix treated Subaru — one of their previously agreed conditions.
Meanwhile, Emilia discussed with Crusch the matter of her Knight teaching his ability to Felix.
The terms were simple: if Felix successfully learned the ability, payment would shift to skill instruction. If not, the original arrangement would stand.
Given how valuable Adam's ability was, a successful skill transfer might leave their side at a disadvantage.
This led Emilia to seek additional benefits in the deal. Crusch, however, swiftly rejected any extra conditions.
Though everything remained negotiable, the two continued their discussion.
Adam knew from the start that Emilia faced an uphill battle. Crusch was a master of negotiation and bargaining — not someone a naive young half-elf could easily persuade.
Yet allowing Emilia to handle these negotiations herself served a purpose: to provide her with valuable experience.
Any growth she showed from this experience would make it worthwhile.
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