After breakfast, Roswaal didn't so much as glance at Ram and Rem. He only nodded lightly to Emilia, then hurried out of the mansion.
Hayashi Maki's way of turning from guest to de facto host left Emilia a bit embarrassed. She felt like she was wronging Roswaal.
But since Roswaal himself didn't seem to mind, she couldn't really say anything.
On top of that, Hayashi Maki's strength had shocked her once again.
"Felt, you and Old Man Rom should take it easy and rest. Hayashi Maki, I have something I want to talk to you about. Come with me."
After greeting Felt with a friendly smile, Emilia fixed Hayashi Maki with a serious look and clearly expressed her intentions.
"Eh, I just got two beautiful maids. Can't we talk tonight instead, Emilia?"
Hayashi Maki reluctantly tore his eyes away from Ram and Rem, his lecherous gaze making the two girls look at him with deep contempt.
"No. This is important. Come with me. Now."
Emilia grabbed his hand urgently and dragged him out, leading him out of the dining hall and into the grassy lawn in the mansion's courtyard.
Once they arrived, she let go, stepped back two paces, and studied him.
Being stared at like that made Hayashi Maki feel a little uneasy, so he asked, puzzled:
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
Emilia's expression was cold and stern as she questioned him:
"Talk. What is your real goal? What do you want from me?"
"Uh… Why are you asking me that? Am I really that suspicious?"
Hayashi Maki sighed and put on a wounded, hurt look.
"Hmph. You're not just suspicious—you're extremely suspicious!"
Emilia crossed her arms and glared at him.
"Hayashi Maki, I brought you here as a guest, but you completely flipped it around. You argued head-on with Roswaal, the owner of this mansion, then greedily demanded his maids.
"And on top of that, you mentioned the word 'Witch.' Plus you're a member of that Axis Cult of yours. No matter how I look at it, it all feels wrong. What exactly is your relationship to the Witch Cult?
"Don't lie to me. The thing I hate most… is someone who's full of lies."
Faced with her questioning, Hayashi Maki took a deep breath, reached out, and gently took her hand. Locking eyes with her violet gaze, he spoke earnestly:
"Emilia, I haven't lied to you. Everything I've said to you so far has been true."
"I am a member of the Axis Church, and I have nothing to do with the Witch Cult. Aqua and I are traveling merchants. We just happened to pass through here. Our goal is to do business in the Kingdom of Lugnica—and yes, to quietly spread the Axis faith."
"If you don't believe me, you can call Puck over. He's a great spirit—he should be able to tell whether I'm lying or not."
"Mm… Even if all of that is true, what about the Witch Cult?" Emilia bit her lip. "You mentioned the Witch of Greed, Echidna. How do you explain that?"
Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she glanced down at their joined hands. His eyes were honest, without any hitch or hesitation. She already believed him more than halfway.
But her doubts had to be voiced. If she didn't get the answers out now, she wouldn't be able to justify letting him stay.
After all, she was also a guest here, living off Roswaal's support.
And Roswaal was, in a way, her benefactor. Without him, she wouldn't have a reason to join the royal selection or start walking the path to save the people frozen in the forest.
If Puck was the father figure who brought her back to herself, Roswaal was the guide who gave her a direction to walk.
Hayashi Maki had no intention of hiding it.
"That part's simple. I just happen to know the secret. It's about Roswaal. If you want to hear it, I'll tell you everything. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."
"Okay. Go ahead."
Even though she knew prying into someone else's secrets wasn't very polite, Emilia did have her doubts about Roswaal.
"Alright. To put it simply, the Roswaal you see now is the very same first Roswaal from hundreds of years ago. By using the artificial spirit creation techniques of his teacher, the Witch of Greed, Echidna, and a body-seizing ritual on his own descendants, he's lived all the way until now.
"And the only reason he's stayed alive this long is to resurrect his teacher, Echidna."
"For that goal, Roswaal is willing to sacrifice anyone—including himself."
Emilia's eyes went wide. She couldn't calm down for a long time.
"What do you mean… seizing the bodies of his own descendants… to stay alive? Is that… really possible?"
"Of course it is. If someone can create great spirits, what can't they do? I don't know if Puck's ever told you, but he's also an artificial great spirit."
"Puck… never said that. I…"
Emilia's expression clouded over. She didn't know whether she should tell him about herself.
Hayashi Maki smiled slightly.
"I also know about you, you know. But since Puck sealed your memories, that means he doesn't feel you're ready to remember yet. So I'm not going to tell you anything either."
"How can you be like that… You really… know way too much. You don't look like a traveling merchant at all."
Emilia puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him with a hint of playful annoyance.
"And yet I am a traveling merchant. I just haven't decided what to sell yet."
Emilia: "…"
After a moment of silence, Emilia took a deep breath, her purple eyes fixing on him.
"Last question. Answer honestly. Since you know so much… what's your real purpose in getting close to me?"
"Do I really need to say it?"
Hayashi Maki laughed, suddenly slipping an arm around her waist and pulling the half-elf firmly into his arms.
"I remember I said it already. I like cute girls. So my goal is very simple. Emilia—you're adorable. I like you. I want you to be my wife."
"Huh? W–wife? A-are you serious?"
Emilia shoved him away, her face completely red.
"Of course I'm serious. Completely serious."
"I'm not asking you to agree right now. But as the girl I like, I'll protect you and support you."
"Do you have a knight yet? If not… what do you think about me?"
"I… I… That's way too fast! Give me some time to think!"
Flustered, Emilia turned her back, trying to keep him from seeing just how red her face had gotten.
This guy was way too shameless—just straight-up saying he liked her and wanted to protect her.
Her heart was pounding like crazy, like there was a little deer kicking around inside her chest.
"Alright then, I won't bother you while you think."
Hayashi Maki said gently, then turned and walked away, leaving the space—and the silence—to the pure-hearted half-elf girl.
"Pfft."
As soon as he left, Puck popped out.
"Puck… is what he said… true?"
Puck: "…"
The usually lively Puck fell strangely quiet.
"Puck?" Emilia called again, a little nervous.
"…It's true, Lia. He wasn't lying."
Emilia's heart began pounding even harder. She'd never been in love before, so she didn't really understand what this feeling was.
But her chest felt strangely warm.
Up until now, she had never truly been accepted by anyone. Even with Roswaal's support, whether it was the people of Lugnica or the residents of the territory, almost no one believed in her.
But Hayashi Maki—this man she'd only known for a short time—not only saved her and helped her get her insignia back, he actually said he liked her… and that he wanted to protect her.
Being liked by someone like that…it felt really, really nice.