"Emilia has already notified me of the details. I welcome you three into the Karsten Mansion. I apologize for having you arrive so late, I have important guests visiting that I can't ignore. As Ferris will heal your gate, please make yourself comfortable. "

"Glad to meet nya again!"

One day has passed by since Subaru's fight with Emilia. Currently himself, Rem, and Akira were all staying at the Karsten Mansion as he would be treated for his damaged gate. The moment all three of them thanked Crusch for allowing their stay, Felix soon showed the three of them the rooms they'll be sleeping in. As this happened, Wilhelm passed by the group as he was now alone with Crusch.

"Crusch-sama, I have finished moving their luggage to their respective rooms."

"Thank you, Wilhelm. So then, what do you make of them?"

Wilhelm knew exactly what Crusch was asking for. While they may be guests, they are still people under one of her rivals for the throne. She will uphold the terms of the contract she made with Emilia and also treat them as valued guests, but she would be a fool to not at least try to learn more about what kind of manpower one of her rivals has under them.

"Crusch-sama, if I may be frank, the group currently staying within this mansion is rather unique to say the least."

"Unique?"

"In terms of combat experience, the maid of Roswaal Manor seems to have the most of it. But, if I may be so bold....."

Wilhelm was thinking back to the brief moment he passed by the group. It was only for a second, but the moment he glanced at the group, Akira's eyes glanced back at him as if he was also trying to get a read on the person observing him. While Rem may be the most combat experienced one of the group currently here, he had a feeling the white-haired boy may be a dark horse of the Emilia faction.

".......while the young maid is the most combat experienced, I believe the young man with white hair is the most dangerous one."

~With Akira~
"This here is your room. Hope you enjoy your stay, Aki-nya."

As he was finally showed to the room he was staying in, Akira nods his head at Felix as he looked around. As for Felix himself, the knight could feel the hairs on his tail standing up while he was alone with Akira. While Subaru was more like an open book and seemed harmless, Akira was the complete opposite. He wasn't easy to read and was smart too. With the way he controlled a small portion of the Royal Selection by just stating mere facts and defending two royal candidates, it would be very easy to believe if he really was Emilia's knight.

"Aki-nya, I think it's important for you to know. I hope you don't hold any grudges against Julius and the knights."

"What are you on about? If anything, I should thank him. If not for that fight, i'm almost certain Subaru would've been executed on the castle grounds."

"You knew?!"

"Subaru blatantly disrespected the imperial knights in front of nobles, the council of wise men, the leader of the imperial knights, and even the next potential ruler of Lugunica. I'd be more surprised if people DIDN'T want him dead after that. The only way they would let him live is if they pitied him and that one-sided fight did just that. Plus thanks to you, my theory was confirmed."

Felix can only blink in astonishment after hearing Akira's thoughts. It was almost scary how spot on his reasoning was for this. It was true, had Julius not intervened like he did, Subaru could've very well been executed. Though Akira could see the bigger picture, Felix highly doubted that Subaru could do the same at the moment.

"Emilia-sama really has gotten herself an interesting knight."

"Hate to burst your bubble, but i'm the farthest thing from a knight."

After hearing this, Felix simply stayed silent as he left out of the room.  Meanwhile, Akira's face was now forming into a frown. As he clenched his fists, he felt the annoyance he had building up. As the white haired boy let his back hit the mattress of the bed, a sigh began to escape from his lips.

"Dammit, Roswaal's ploy really worked. He knew I would never act without reason, so he was betting on the fact Subaru would cause a scene. He knew I would act logically and act to stop him while preserving Emilia's chances at the throne. That's not even the worst part."

Akira couldn't help but be annoyed, yet impressed by Roswaal's plan. The owner of the manor stated the qualities of what Emilia's knights should have and made a situation in which Akira was forced to show action that can be interpreted as a display of those qualities. In the eyes of others, Akira could be considered Emilia's knight. It was also because of this reason that Akira couldn't join Felt, even if he wanted to.

"By making everyone believe i'm Emilia's knight, he effectively trapped me. If I left Emilia's camp and joined Felt, Emilia's chances at the thrown would drop since people will believe she can't rule the country if she can't even keep her knight's loyalty. Not only that, it would put Felt in a bad spot too. They would see it as her stealing me away from Emilia or say that she's a fool for harboring a traitorous knight. That damn clown.........Roswaal really knows how to piss me off."

A sigh escaped from Akira's lips as he simply looked out the window of his bedroom. He was played and that's the end of it. What's done is done, all he could do was plan his next move. As he noticed it was nighttime, Akira wanted to go to the garden for some fresh air but noticed something off. He saw several carriages entering and leaving the grounds of the manor. That's when he remembered Crusch mentioning she had important visitors. While Akira was going to do what he promised to Emilia, he decided to make use of the situation and learn what the Royal Candidate, Crusch Karsten, was up to.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

~Second Day after Emilia and Subaru's fight~

"Rem, i'll be heading into the Royal Capital to get what we need. You stay here and watch over Subaru, okay?"

"You can count on me, Akira-san."

As he finished talking to Rem, Akira was now setting out to the Royal Capital. Though he was slightly annoyed at the fact he had to use his ability to get there, it gave him a chance to conduct an experiment. He decided to use his ability without the assistance of his Divine Protection. To his shock, he was still able to move at incredible speed. The only downside was that he was slightly slower, most likely around ten seconds slower.

As for why he had to use his ability to go to the capital, it's been difficult to get a hold of a dragon carriage lately. As Akira made it to the Royal Capital, he noticed how there were a lot more people around than usual. As he rubbed the back of his head, the boy could only walk forward as he treads carefully through the streets.

"It makes sense since the Royal Selection is going on. When those at the top start to move, others make their own move to be at the top as well."

"My, that's well said. Wait, aren't you....Suzushima-kun. Emilia-san's knight, Suzushima Akira."

As Akira heard this voice, he turned around as he felt someone poking his cheek. The reason why this happened at all was because Akira didn't want to use his ability while the town was this crowded. While he didn't like being labeled as a knight, he would hate to be labeled a terrorist even more if he accidentally caused irreparable property damage or murdered someone by accident. When he looked at the person poking his cheek, he was met with a smirk from a young woman.

"What do I owe the pleasure of having you approach me, Anastasia Hoshin?"

"Well, would you mind taking a walk with us?"

"Us?"

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Akira-kun."

When Akira heard the sound of a man speaking to him, he looked behind the royal candidate in front of him. Akira's red eyes were met with the gaze of Julius' yellow eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment and simply nodded their heads. Soon Akira's gaze went back to Anastasia.

"So then, where exactly are we going?"

"Just a nearby tavern. Since I want to chat, it'd be better to find a place we can sit and relax."

"Fine then, what I have planned isn't exactly urgent so I have a little time to kill."

~A few minutes later~
As they were seen sitting at a table inside a tavern, Anastasia and Akira were merely enjoying a cup of tea as Julius stood by the royal candidate's side. While Akira was looking at the two of them, he finished his cup as he took a look at everyone in the tavern.

"All of them have on the same clothes. They're not making a big deal of a royal candidate in their presence either. Especially someone as well known as Anastasia, who's reputation as a business woman proceeds her."

"So then, Akira-kun, don't you think we should break the silence?"

"You're right. First off, your knight has my thanks, Anastasia. I'm sure the stunt he pulled must've left a blemish on his career, but it helped keep a certain idiot alive. If not for Julius, Subaru probably would've died without ever leaving the castle again. I'm 90% sure most of the knights probably wanted him executed as soon as possible."

Anastasia and Julius could both only blink as Akira spoke. Soon the sound of a soft giggle entered both Akira and Julius' ears as they turned their heads to the source. Before they realized it, they saw Anastasia laughing to herself. The moment she calmed herself down, the royal candidate soon placed her gaze on Akira.

"The basic rule of negotiation is to get on the other's good side. It seems you're extremely well at doing so."

"You could say my whole life was built around being on someone's good side. Anyways, this wouldn't be much of a chat if I were the only one speaking."

"Fair enough, what you said outside earlier was true. When the top brass moves, people move. When people move, items move. The value of various things are changing right now, iron is especially valuable. Someone is buying up swords and spears."

"Almost sounds like they're going to war. However, there is also the chance of them wanting to manipulate the economy. If they cause an economic boom, their popularity would increase."

Anastasia and Akira could only look at each other. The royal candidate couldn't help but be impressed by the boy. It felt as if the boy already knew who it was just from her saying this. Of course, Anastasia already knew who was doing it as well but she wouldn't just hand out something like that for free. Soon she saw the white haired boy standing up as he was preparing to leave.

"Thank you for the talk, Anastasia Hoshin, but I think it's time for me to leave. While talking to you has been informative, being in a building surrounded by your men doesn't exactly put me at ease."

"Smart and observant. I think I'm starting to like you, Suzushima-kun."

As Akira merely nods his head, he began to walk out of the building. However, just as he was about to exit, the white haired boy was stopped as Julius was now standing in front of him. While the knight was looking at Akira, he had a question he wanted to ask him. Something that he at least wanted to confirm.

"Akira-kun, I apologize for this, but there is one thing I wish to know. Are you Emilia-sama's knight?"

"......"

Akira could understand why Julius was doing this. After the stunt Subaru pulled, it didn't surprise him that people would question the individuals Emilia is letting join her camp. Especially given Akira's appearance, most would assume him to be scary or just a complete savage. As he looked Julius in the eye, Akira merely decided to be honest.

"I don't consider myself a knight. I'm not some righteous or proud person who can say he's willing to die for a cause. In some cases, i'm just as weak as anybody else. Even so, just because i'm weak doesn't make me helpless. Even if i'm her knight or not, i'll support Emilia the best that I can. Even if it's as a friend."

"I apologize, Suzushima Akira, for misjudging you. You're far more pure than I could ever imagine."