"But... what if something goes wrong? I don't want to be caught off guard."
Emilia's voice was soft, uncertain, laced with that same nervous edge I remembered. But this time, as she spoke, her eyes flicked toward me, just in time to see my entire body sag, head thunking down against the table like I'd just given up on life.
Her expression shifted immediately. "H-Hey-! Are you okay?"
I let out a long, shaky breath against the table's rough surface. The ghost of burning pain still clung to my nerves like an unwanted parasite. even if I wasn't feeling any of it.
"Yeah," I muttered, not lifting my head. "Yeah, I'm good… just… sudden, uh… "
I paused.
This isn't working. I'm not lucky enough to stall Elsa forever - I'll have to try something else.
Maybe… maybe I can tell Emilia something. I don't know how much I can get away with, but it's only the Return by Death part I can't say. Subaru managed to talk about future events sometimes. If I frame it like some kind of prophetic ability… it might work.
Emilia's too kind to use me, and Puck wouldn't spread it around either. The only issue is whether she'll believe me.
Ugh… screw it. Let's try.
"Actually," I muttered, lifting my head just enough to meet her eyes, my voice steady now. "I want you to promise me something. Can you do that?"
My expression hardened, any trace of the earlier exhaustion gone.
Emilia blinked, a little startled by the sudden shift in my tone. Her lips parted, hesitating for a second before she gave a small, earnest nod.
"s-sure… I promise. What is it?"
Her voice was soft and cautious, but not out of fear, but out of concern. It was surreal seeing someone this pure.
"What I'm about to tell you is extremely important to me, but I think I can trust you enough to tell you. Please promise you won't tell anyone else."
Emilia's expression softened, the worry in her eyes deepening as she leaned in slightly, lowering her voice like we were sharing some fragile secret.
"I promise," she said firmly, placing a hand over her chest. "No matter what it is, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."
"Ok..." i breathed in, "the person who contracted felt to steal your insignia is a dangerous assassin from Gusteko called Elsa the bowl hunter."
Emilia's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat.
"And once she finds out you're here," I hesitated, considering my words carefully. Would saying 'kill' trigger it? No, better play it safe. "She'll… cause harm to all of us. And worse - if we fight her head-on like this… We'll lose."
I let the words hang in the air, watching her face carefully. She stayed frozen for a moment, then swallowed hard.
"A-are you sure? your not joking, are you?" she said, carefully, her voice a mixture of confusion and a growing fear. "If so, how do you know... Did someone tell you?"
"No, I have an ability to... see future events, sadly, it isn't the best as it is only small glimpses. I hope you don't tell anyone of this, as it would definitely put me in danger if others knew. i only told you because I think you're trustworthy enough."
Emilia's lips parted slightly, her expression flickering between disbelief and worry. She looked down for a second, processing my words, then met my eyes again.
"I… I believe you," she said quietly, nodding once. "You don't seem like the type to joke about something like this… and you looked so serious just now."
She bit her lip, fingers curling in her lap. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. Not even Puck. If you trust me enough to share something like this… then I'll keep it safe."
There was a short silence between us, the weight of what I'd said settling in the air like heavy mist. Then Emilia took a deep breath.
"Then… what should we do? If we can't win… how do we stop her?"
i smile, "The only way i believe we can, is to find Reinhard, from the... vision I know that you are of importance, and that your name isn't satella."
I offered a small, weary smile. "The only way we can… stop her, is by finding Reinhard. From what I saw, he's the only one strong enough to handle someone like Elsa, who is also available."
At the mention of the knight's name, her eyes widened, a flicker of panic crossing her face. I could guess what she was thinking - if a knight of Lugunica found out she lost her insignia, it might not go well for her.
"And… one more thing," I added, leaning forward slightly. "From what I saw, I know you're important. Really important. And your name… it isn't Satella."
The colour drained from her face for a moment before a soft blush rose to her cheeks. She looked down, fingers twisting at the fabric of her clothes.
"I…" she hesitated, voice soft. "I didn't want to lie. I just… I'm sorry." she bowed a little, "I wasn't planning for it to go on so long, a-and I was planning to tell you soon, it's just, we were a bit busy looking for clues to find my insignia and..."
I couldn't help but laugh, the tension in my chest easing a little. Cutting her off, I spoke, "It's fine," I grinned, waving it off. "I'm sure you had your reasons. Honestly, I get it. So don't beat yourself up over it," to which she gave a small, relieved smile.
"Anyway, as I was saying, since I know you are important, I was hoping you could find Reinhard and make sure to bring him here. Make sure you tell him about the bowl hunter's appearance. He will definitely assist with that in mind. We have around an hour till Elsa arrives, which should be enough time to find him."
She lifted her gaze, giving a small, almost sheepish smile of relief.
"Anyway," I continued, straightening up. "Since I know how important you are, I'm asking you to find Reinhard. Tell him about Elsa, call her by her title — the Bowel Hunter. That alone will get his attention. We've got around an hour before she shows up… it should be enough time."
Emilia hesitated for just a second, then nodded firmly. "Okay. I'll find him."
"Good." I smiled faintly. "And… thanks for trusting me."
She gave me one last, determined look before hurrying out the door, her footsteps fading into the street beyond.
I leaned back in my seat with a sigh. Alright… one step down. The rest should be smooth sailing.
A/N ok, ok, the previous few chapters, i kinda dislike, i don't maybe cause i was doing them during exam times, but i really dislike them. i guess i dragged out for to much. but i digress, i hope you enjoy reading. i really just want to get into writing arc 2 now.
byeeee.