With the trip to the capital planned, the departure time was decided as the day after tomorrow. Ample time to prepare.
At least for Xeno it was. All he needed to pack was a few pairs of clothes and bring his money.
The only hard part about that was making sure he didn't accidentally bury himself under the thousand pairs of his Earth clothes.
That's not an exaggeration or a joke, by the way! Rem literally made around a thousand pairs of his Earth clothes and stored them inside a vacant room.
That tangent done, Xeno walked down a random hallway, thinking about what to do next. He still had to do his duties as butler.
Only to stop as something very interesting caught his eye.
Xeno stood in front of a portrait of Roswaal's previous vessel, Roswaal J. Mathers, formerly known as Julia.
He was curious about it. A time when Roswaal was an attractive woman must have been weird for him, being a guy and all.
Xeno looked up at the portrait of Fem!Roswaal, and his very first thought was incredibly intrusive.
Xeno: 'If Ros was a woman, does that mean he has experience on both sides of the bed? Wait... he was a woman! Meaning he was pregnant once!'
The mental image of a pregnant Roswaal sent a shiver down his spine.
He shook the thought off. He wanted to know more about the life Roswaal had lived through his previous vessels.
With that in mind, he used Gluttony on the portrait.
[When he was Julia, she shamelessly threw herself at young Wilhelm, all just to get his seed.]
Xeno: "..."
He winced in sympathy.
Xeno: 'Poor Sir Wilhelm.'
This knocked some sense into him. Perhaps looking into Roswaal's past wasn't the best idea. He took one last glance before moving on.
...
Xeno returned to the parlor room. Somehow, tidying up the room had fallen onto his lap, despite it being Ram's job.
And to the shock of absolutely no one, Ram, under the pretense of "supervising" Xeno's work, just stood beside him doing nothing.
Xeno: "Ram, are you sure you're okay about this?" Asked Xenophanes, who too was doing nothing, letting his skeletal hands do the work.
Ram: "Yes. We can't leave the mansion completely vacant. Normally, Rem would stay behind, but this time she said she wanted to go, so I allowed it."
Xeno: "You look unusually happy about it." He raised a brow.
Ram: "Happy... That may be so. She always tries her best to fulfill requests given to her by others. I'm just happy that she has something that she wants for herself."
Rem's way of thinking was something her big sister had always had a problem with. She often found herself thinking, 'I want to do something about her personality.'
She was fortunate that Rem was changing for the better. She couldn't be more proud.
With those thoughts, Ram turned to face Xeno with a sharp look.
Ram: "The catalyst had to be this man of all people... That is the only part that bothers me."
Xeno: "Awww, jealous of our relationship, Ram? It's okay, I understand. We'll share our love with you if you feel lonely." He teased her.
The instant those words left his mouth, Ram retaliated by stomping on Xeno's foot.
Xeno: "Ouch! Resorting to violence, huh? Just admit you lost, Ram." He swallowed through the pain, striking back.
Ram: "Ram wasn't being violent. I was only venting the negative emotions building up in my stomach at you."
Xeno: "That's the literal definition of retaliation." He responded deadpan.
Xeno sighed, sitting down on the tidied white sheets. Ram also joined him, sitting nearby.
Ram: "In any case, Rem's really multi-talented... In addition to being the coachman, handling the belongings, guard duty, guide... I don't even have the words to describe it."
Xeno: "I can't help but notice you forgot the 'Xeno-kun caretaker' duty Rem appointed herself, recently."
Ram: "I don't acknowledge that one."
Anyhow, with him, Rem, the servants, the royal candidate Emilia, and the master of the mansion all going, that meant the only people left were Beatrice, Meili, and Ram.
Xeno: "The three of you are the worst combination to have. Are things really going to be alright?" He said to no one in particular.
Ram: "Relax. Oni won't die even without food and water for three days."
She stated it matter-of-factly. Xeno's eye twitched in annoyance.
Xeno: "You're not even planning to cook for yourself!"
"What about Betty and Meili? Betty is going to demand her daily pancakes. Meili too. How are they going to react then?" He questioned, floored by her shamelessness.
Ram: "I can already imagine her reaction. Without a doubt, she'd send me flying, while the other would whine all day. If only those two went along with you guys..."
Xeno: "..."
"What about the other stuff? Are you going to abandon your other duties as well? Are you even going to clean the mansion?"
Ram: "What a foolish question. Rather than cooking, cleaning is my specialty."
Xeno: "You suck at cleaning! Me and Rem often have to clean up after you."
Ram: "Oh well. Then that's all."
She declared it as though the matter were settled, even though she had done nothing to justify it. Ram looked at Xeno like she had accomplished something.
Xeno: "..."
"In the end, you're not planning on doing anything."
Ram: "Don't be ridiculous. Ram has planned something. In exchange for indulging Rem's wish to go to the capital, I laid out some conditions."
Xeno: "Sigh... What conditions?" He wasn't surprised by the admission.
Ram: "They're quite simple. Once she returns, I'll have her work for a single day for as much time as she can spare."
Xeno: "..."
Ram: "They'll all learn. This is what it means to leave the mansion in my care."
Looks like the title of the laziest servant had been taken by Ram, because Xeno was speechless at Ram's proud declaration of laziness.
Xeno: 'Yeah, I'm definitely dropping Meili off at Petra's house.'
Xeno let out a heavy, tired sigh.
...
The morning after Ram's declaration, Emilia, Rem, and Xeno stood in front of the mansion's front gate.
Roswaal and Ram were running late. On top of that, another annoyance was presenting itself, souring Xeno's mood even further.
An Earth Dragon, whose skin was a tough green, large enough that you needed to look up to see its face, with sharp yellow eyes. A truly fierce beast.
The same beast was currently trying to snuggle with Xeno, whilst he tried to push it away using his crutch, much to the amusement of the other two.
Emilia giggled at the sight, playfully commenting,
Emilia: "That Earth Dragon reeeally likes you, doesn't it? What's the harm in letting him play?"
Xeno: "Ugh! No, I don't want to. Do you have any idea how much time Rem spent setting up my hair and... makeup."
He turned toward her, showcasing that, due to Rem's hard work, the scars across his right eye were practically gone. It was done so well you couldn't even tell it was makeup.
Rem: "Don't worry, Xeno-kun. Rem will simply do it again if necessary. Rem sees no harm in it." She also played along with Emilia.
A good whack to the dragon's head made it stop trying to lick Xeno, opting to sulk instead.
Perhaps seeing this made something pop into Emilia's mind.
Emilia: "Xeno, can I ask you a question?" she requested to the butler, who was currently having his hair and clothes straightened by Rem.
Xeno: "Sure, go ahead."
Emilia: "Do you have a Divine Protection related to animals?"
This was something she had already been curious about. While there weren't many chances for them to encounter animals, the times they did, they all behaved the same way.
The local birds, fish, and even a cat owned by a passing merchant had all completely adored Xeno.
Rem paused, wondering that as well.
Xeno: "A... Divine Protection?"
Emilia: "A Divine Protection is a blessing you're born with... Do you really not know what that is?"
Xeno: "No, I don't. What is it?"
Rem: "Rem will explain it to you. As Emilia-sama said, it's a blessing granted by the world. There are all kinds of Divine Protections that vary depending on the person or even the species—"
She gestured toward the sulking Earth Dragon.
"Like Earth Dragons. All Earth Dragons are born with the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion, allowing them to ignore wind resistance, along with anything connected to them."
Xeno: "Huh! That's actually really cool." He looked at the dragon as he said that.
The dragon, as if struck by a spell, instantly straightened up, held its chin high, and let out a pleased roar at Xeno's praise.
Xeno: "...Moving on, how should I know if I even have one?"
Emilia: "People who have them, no matter who they are, should be aware that they have one."
Xeno: "Then I don't, I guess."
They weren't very surprised. Both simply chalked it up to an another oddities surrounding him.
...
Their conversation was cut short when the mansion's front door abruptly opened, and out came Roswaal and Ram.
Xeno: "What took you so long! You left us hanging, you know!" He pointed at them in displeasure.
Roswaal: "Sorry, sorry. Wiiith Ram staying behind to take care of the mansion, we won't be able to see her for a while, right? Thaaat's why we were having a bit of a tough farewell."
Waving a finger, Roswaal straightened his collar while trying to explain himself. Next to him, Ram was hurriedly trying to fix her hair.
This gave new context to their actions, which everyone unanimously decided not to ask about, all for different reasons.
Xeno: "...Let's just go."
Rem nodded, rapidly piling the luggage onto the carriage.
Xeno waited for a certain someone to show up by now. When they didn't, he just sighed before turning to Ram.
Xeno: "Right, before I forget, Ram, listen here."
His tone was that of an older brother speaking to his hopeless little sister.
Xeno: "Since you decided to be a complete bum, knowing you, by the time we return the mansion is going to be a pile of ash."
Ram: "Just how careles—"
Xeno: "That's why! I took precautions—" he cut her off.
"I made around twelve of my hands for you to use. In the kitchen you'll see a large thing I made tucked into the corner, a refrigerator."
Ram: "A what?" She tilted her head in confusion.
Xeno: "Just call it a fridge. It cools down stuff. Inside it, me and Rem stuffed it with enough food to last five days."
He tried to poke Ram's forehead with his finger. Obviously, Ram wouldn't allow that and tried to push it away.
Even though Xeno could only use sixty percent of his strength, he was still slightly stronger than her.
Xeno: "So be a good maid and have the decency to heat it up! And while you're at it, don't forget to bathe, brush your teeth, drink plenty of water, and eat healthy. I completely emptied my energy making all this, so be a little grateful and take care of yourself."
Despite Ram's best efforts, he eventually managed to poke her forehead, much to her dismay.
Xeno: "Don't forget to feed Betty as well! She gets grumpy, got it!"
"Betty is not a pet, I suppose!"
The flustered yell from Beatrice drew everyone's attention toward her.
Beatrice came out huffing, looking like a total child, with noticeably red cheeks.
Xeno: "Heya, Betty." He casually greeted her, pulling back his finger.
Beatrice: "Don't 'Heya' Betty! She graciously came to see you off, while you were treating Betty like a pet behind her back!"
Ram: "Yes, Xeno. How truly shameless. Treating a Great Spirit like that. Have you no shame?" She clasped her hands dramatically.
Xeno: "I don't think that. I was just... drilling into Ram's head that she needs to give you your tasty sweets on time, that's all." He waved his hand defensively.
Beatrice merely narrowed her eyes before huffing.
"She'll forgive you this time, I suppose."
Xeno had just dodged a bullet—
"OUCH!" He screamed as Ram crushed his foot.
Oh... I guess he didn't, huh.
Emilia: "Xeno, let's go." She gently called out to him.
Without him noticing, everyone had already boarded the carriage.
The time for talking was over, and the three of them knew it.
With Emilia's help, Xeno boarded the carriage without further delay. Rem pulled the reins, and the Earth Dragon complied, stepping forward.
Xeno looked out the window.
As the carriage picked up speed, he saw Ram perform a small curtsy while Beatrice simply crossed her arms.
Their figures became smaller...
and smaller...
Until they were gone.
Xeno simply leaned back in his seat, muttering to himself.
"Sigh... Let's hope things go well."
...
Xeno: "Emilia, remind me why we're doing this again?"
Within the main streets of the capital, a tide of people moved in and out with vigor, busy just like the last time he came here.
A great variety of races were mixed in, their hairstyles all eccentric, their personalities overflowing with color.
The most prominent of these hair colors was blond, followed by the uncommon blue and white, then the rare green. But it didn't end there. A few patches of the epic variety, pink, were also there if you looked hard enough.
How could we forget the legendary silver hair? Of course we couldn't, not when it was walking right beside Xeno.
Emilia: "Well, since you wanted to explore the capital, we couldn't let you go alone. It'd be dangerous! You could get lost! What if someone tried robbing you!"
The two of them stood out like a sore thumb: a cripple butler and a girl wearing a hood, concealing herself.
Xeno: "That's good and all, but that's not what I'm referring to."
He looked down at his and Emilia's fingers, firmly curled around each other's, holding hands.
Originally, Rem intended to join Xeno on his little trip, but alas, she couldn't. She had to take care of things back where they were staying.
Xeno: 'I swear she was on the verge of tears. Thank goodness my promise of going out with her prevented that.'
Emilia: "Oh... this! I-I saw Rem doing this for you multiple times. So... I thought I'd do it for you as well."
In actuality, Emilia was envious of Rem and Xeno's relationship, secretly wanting him to do things like head-pat her as well. She stared at the floor.
Emilia: "I-I'll let go if you're feeling uncomfortable."
Xeno: "Nah, I don't mind. It feels nice."
This made Emilia look up happily. In his thoughts, the true picture became clear.
'Why would I complain about holding a cute, attractive girl's hand?'
Xeno: "Now then, Emilia, let's go. There's a place I want to visit."
...
Emilia: "Is this the place?"
She placed a finger on her cheek, standing in front of a simple store. Its entrance was plain and weathered over the years.
With no distinguishing features to draw the eye, it was buried among the crowd of people. However, one part stood out from the rest.
A recently repainted sign that spelled "Kadomon" in striking colors.
Xeno: "Yep!"
Peeking inside, they saw the shopkeeper hard at work. Turning his head, he looked over at them. Seeing the man's face made Emilia squeeze Xeno's hand a bit harder.
Not that she could be blamed. The two scars running down from his forehead to his chin and right below his right eye, followed by his muscular build, made him appear more thug than merchant.
Kadomon: "Welcome!"
Deeming them customers, he called out to them.
Xeno gently tugged her along. Now that they were closer, a look of mild recognition passed across the shopkeeper's face.
Kadomon: "Wait a moment, you're!?—"
Xeno: "Howdy, sir. It's nice to meet you again. It's me, remember?" he cheerfully greeted the first person he ever conversed with in this world.
Kadomon: "You're that kid! What happened to you!?" His shock was apparent.
In his first encounter with Xeno, he had randomly fallen unconscious infront of his store, then woken up only to run away in a panic attack a few minutes later.
And now, two months later, he's missing an eye and needs helps to walk.
Xeno: "That's a long story, but don't worry. I'm better than ever."
Kadomon analyzed him for a moment. The kid genuinely was relaxed, happy to see him, and openly leaning against this lady, his master, holding hands in a rather comforting manner.
Kadomon: "Sigh... Alright, kid. I believe you. So, are you here to actually buy something this time?" He quickly switched his attitude to that of a merchant.
Xeno: "I promised to buy something next time, didn't I? I'm here to do just that."
Kadomon: "I see, you've got quite the sense of obligation. So you came all the way out here to buy some things. Alright, I'm in a good mood, so I'll throw in a special! How's 1 appa for 2 copper coins, and 20 appa for 38 copper coins sound to you?"
Xeno: "Sounds good to me."
...
In the end, Xeno only bought ten appas. Money wasn't the problem, his primary wallet was filled with coins. The real issue was carrying them.
Since everyone had advised against using his powers in public, he was forced to carry the bag of appas by hand.
Emilia tried insisting on carrying the bag herself, which Xeno promptly shut down before the argument could form.
He had zero problems letting Emilia carry his stuff. The only reason he didn't was to present himself as a commendable butler.
To make things worse, it meant they had to let go of each other's hands.
Truly, a sad day.
Emilia: "Next is... searching for Reinhard, I think. Felt and Rom got taken away by Reinhard, right?"
Xeno: "(More like kidnapped) Yeah, gotta catch up with those three. You have any idea how to contact him?"
The two of them were standing to the side near an alleyway. Xeno carried the bag of appas in his right arm.
Emilia: "I think we should stop by the guard station. The probability of him being there is rather low, but there might be someone who can." She suggested it after a bit of thinking.
Xeno: "Well then, lead the way."
With Emilia acting as their guide, the journey went without a hitch. The architecture visibly improved the closer they got, the buildings neatly lined up row by row.
The nobles' district, the place where society's upper echelons lived. Everything was cleaner, with greenery placed along the roads to make the scenery more beautiful.
On the other side of the street, in front of them, stood a giant building. If Xeno had to guess, it was probably the size of a six-story building.
The rear portion of the building joined into the outer wall behind it. The top portion had a terrace to keep watch over the people below.
Emilia: "This is the station for the guards that patrol the capital. People who want to go in and out of the nobles' district need to have their social status confirmed here."
Xeno: "Huh, is that so?"
'I guess that makes sense. Even here, you need identification.' He wasn't particularly interested. The knights were basically the same as cops here.
Emilia: "Anyhow, let's go and get in contact with Reinhard."
Xeno: "Yeah, about that, how are we going to do that exactly?"
"Oh, did I not tell you they have communication mirrors?" Emilia stopped in her tracks
Since Xeno had made it very obvious how inconsistently ignorant he was about certain things, she didn't think too hard about it.
"It's a magical item used for long-distance conversations. When you stand in front of it on one end and another person stands in front of it on the other end, their image and voice will be projected over, and you can have a conversation. It's one of the more popular magical devices. You can see them in a lot of places."
Xeno: "Neat."
With that explanation, they moved forward. Emilia politely knocked on the door.
"—What's this? What a coincidence to meet you here." The door of the guardhouse opened.
Standing there was a young man with a well-built stature, around 179 cm (5'11") tall. He had yellow eyes and light purple hair arranged neatly, with a single strand hanging down the front of his face.
There were ornate decorations on his uniform. A dragon symbol was woven into the sleeves, and a rapier hung from his waist.
Xeno: 'That's a Royal Guard uniform, if I remember correctly?'
"It's been a long time, Emilia-sama. Has anything come up in the meantime?" The man respectfully bowed to Emilia.
Xeno: 'He called her Emilia? Didn't she say that hood prevented people from recognizing her?'
Emilia: "...Yeah, thank you. Nothing's changed in particular. Um, Julius."
Julius: "I'm honored that you remembered. I'm glad that your beauty is also unchanged, Emilia-sama." The knight named Julius flashed a smile at her.
Xeno: 'Ugh, that was so corny.' He cringed.
Emilia: "Isn't it rare for a Royal Guardsman like you to be at a station like this?"
Julius: "Holding a ceremony for the guards and inspecting the city, I suppose you could say. I came on the request of a friend. It's fine to prioritize friendship once in a while."
The knight stepped outside to properly converse with Emilia.
Julius: "Anyways... stretching my legs like this for a stroll through the city, no sooner had I taken a single step than I came across such a beautiful flower. What more happiness could I wish for than this?"
Xeno: 'Blugh! How can someone say something this cheesy with a straight face?' He cringed even harder.
No sooner had Julius said that than he took Emilia's hand, knelt down, and planted a kiss on it.
Xeno: 'Woah! Woah! Where did that come from!' He was stunned by the sheer audacity. More than that, it really bothered him.
Emilia: "Thank you, Julius. And I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but I have some business here and would like you to act as my agent in the castle."
Julius: "Does your business here involve this young butler?" He gestured toward Xeno behind her.
Seeing his frown, Julius commented,
"This butler's character lacks the eloquence of a butler. With that injury, he's rather unfit for the duty of a butler."
Xeno's frown only deepened.
Xeno: "How observant. I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. I'm eternally grateful for your criticism. I'll take it to heart and make sure to slack off even more."
Emilia: "X-Xeno!"
This really alarmed her. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if Julius took offense to that.
On the other hand, Julius's face hardened. Talking to a Royal Knight with such an attitude, this butler certainly was audacious.
Julius: "How unrefined, Emilia-sama. Might I suggest taking care of your butler properly? His attitude could reflect poorly on you."
Emilia: "R-Right, I'm sorry, Julius. For his actions, please forgive him!"
Julius took one look at Xeno. Seeing him sticking his tongue out, he concluded that he was immature and not worth arguing over.
Julius: "No need to apologize, Emilia-sama. It doesn't suit you." He gestured toward the guard station.
"Well then, please come in."
Emilia nodded as Julius returned inside. She turned to Xeno, puffing her cheeks.
Emilia: "Xeno! Why did you do that?"
Xeno: "Sorry, Emilia. Something about that guy just... rubbed me the wrong way."
Emilia: "That's no excuse. What if he took offense to that? Or you said that to some other knight? I don't want you getting yourself into trouble." She scolded him out of concern.
Xeno: "Sorry, Emilia. I promise this won't happen again." He softened, apologizing with sincerity.
She was still angry, but for now she believed him. He usually kept his word.
Emilia: "I'll believe you for now. But—!" She raised a finger.
"I don't want either of you to have an unpleasant experience, so I think it's best you stay here."
Xeno: "Sigh, alright. If it makes you happy, then I'll be a good butler and stay here." He cracked a small smile.
Emilia stared at him for a second before nodding and following after Julius, closing the door behind her.
Xeno: 'Welp, let's hope this doesn't take long. I'll go sit somewhere in the meantime.'