Everyone was seated around a large dining table. Toyota, wearing a guest robe, was ravenously devouring a baked tatoe—the top split open with chopped vegetables nestled inside. Steam rose from it, made all the more visible by the mansion's chilly atmosphere.
He had a side of mayonnaise, which Subaru had already seemed to introduce to the mansion's residents. Normally, Toyota was unusually picky with food, often asking for rare delicacies like wagyu steak. But now? He didn't even care—he hadn't gone this long without food before.
Everyone seemed transfixed, watching him eat without utensils.
Ram sneered in clear repulsion.
"What an unsightly view… from an unsightly person."
Subaru, watching from the side, felt secondhand embarrassment. He realized Toyota probably hadn't eaten in days—but to eat like a wild animal? It made him embarrassed they were both from Earth.
Rem, however, didn't even look at Toyota. Her eyes were locked entirely on Subaru.
Once Toyota finally finished his meal, he let out a breath.
"Thank you."
Silence lingered at the table… until finally, someone broke it.
"You are Toyota, correct? I must thank you for keeping my property intact."
"Property?" Toyota blinked in confusion.
"But of course," Roswaal said, smiling as he rested his chin on his hand. "My staaaaaaff all work for me, so by extension… they are all my propertyyyyy. Isn't that right, my newest employee?"
Subaru scowled, crossing his arms.
"Don't call me property. I'm not an object."
"Roswaal, that's rude," Emilia scolded gently, puffing her cheeks a little.
Roswaal continued, unperturbed.
"As for saving my maids and new butler, I would like to reward you. Is there anything you would like?"
Pretending to think for a moment, Toyota finally answered,
"Would it be possible to answer you in two days? I'd love to stay just a while longer and talk with Subaru. Would it be possible to give you my request then?"
"Of cooooooourse," Roswaal replied. "You will be another honored guest... maybe even new property, based on Subaaaaaaru's request."
His face transformed into a smirk.
Emilia turned to Toyota with innocent curiosity. "So, are you Subaru's friend?"
"Hm… I guess you could say that," Toyota replied with a slight shrug.
"Where are you from?" she asked excitedly, eyes lighting up. "Are you also from Subaru's hometown?"
Subaru perked up immediately, listening in with interest while Puck floated lazily around Emilia's head, half-asleep.
To manipulate the cat… I just need to tell partial truths, Toyota thought.
"Yes and no. I'm from a place called America."
"America? So you live in New York?" Subaru exclaimed, leaning in with excitement.
"I don't know where exactly," Toyota said, scratching his head. "It was more mid-western."
"So not New York…" Subaru said, visibly deflating.
"I thought you were Japanese. Even though you don't look it, you speak it so fluently," Subaru added, brows furrowing.
Toyota could only laugh internally, his hypothesis about the language filter being confirmed.
"Is it true that all Americans have guns?" Subaru asked, leaning even closer.
Beatrice, who had been listening with growing confusion from behind her massive book, peeked up. "What is a gun, I suppose?"
Subaru turned to her animatedly. "It's a very powerful projectile weapon that shoots metal fragments at high speed!"
"I've never heard of such a weapon… it must be quite dangerous, in fact," Beatrice said, tilting her head.
Toyota, who for the first time had the chance to prank someone, decided to fully commit.
"Of course. Every American, from birth, is assigned a handgun, a shotgun, and a rifle, complete with over 50 pounds of ammunition. If you can't pass the firing range test by age 18, you get deported."
"Wh-What?! That can't be true! Is that an actual law?!" Subaru asked, completely horrified.
Struggling to keep a straight face, Toyota nodded seriously. "Yep. If you don't have at least three guns, it's considered a federal crime."
Emilia, utterly lost and looking deeply confused, asked softly, "Why does not having a particular weapon… equate to a crime?"
"Because then you're not American," Toyota said with a straight face.
Emilia tilted her head. "Do we have any laws in the village where villagers must carry a weapon?"
"No, we don't," Roswaal answered thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "I find this law quite… unique."
"My sweet, naive daughter," Puck chimed in, eyes half-lidded as he hovered lazily. "He's joking. Seems he was just messing with Subaru."
"What?! He was lying?!" Subaru yelped, eyes wide. "But I swear I heard something similar about America!"
Toyota smirked. His plan had worked. Not only did he get to prank Subaru, but he also forced Puck to intervene.
The key to messing with a mind reader... distract yourself with surface-level thoughts and dumb desires.
"Why'd you have to ruin the fun?" Toyota asked with mock offense. "It could've gone on longer."
Puck grinned slyly. "Just filtering nonsense from my cute, pointy-eared daughter's head. If you want to prank your friend, maybe do it in private next time?"
"Speaking of nonsense," Toyota said, shifting the topic, "that cold came from you, didn't it?"
Puck stopped mid-drift, ears twitching.
"…How could you tell?"
Toyota leaned back, crossing his arms casually. "The windows. When I looked out, the frost only seemed to affect the perimeter around the mansion."
He was bluffing.
But Puck had no proof to counter it—and Toyota knew it.
The spirit narrowed his eyes.
"Well," Puck muttered, "that's an awfully sharp observation for someone who was eating like a starving beast not five minutes ago."
"Is that true?" Roswaal asked, more mildly interested than accusatory.
"Hm… I'm sorry if I've caused trouble. Please don't be mad at Lia—she was just covering for me," Puck said, lowering his head a bit.
Ram and Subaru both stared at him, visible steam puffing from their mouths. The cold was clearly intense—Ram was shivering, and Subaru was hugging himself for warmth.
"So what's going on?" Subaru asked.
"It's a phenomenon that only affects a few beings—those with strong magical energy," Rem explained, floating next to Subaru like she was magnetically attached. "A person's magic power depends heavily on their Od's attributes. In that sense, its output is very restricted."
Toyota, watching the way Rem clung to Subaru, could only sigh. Yep, she's deep in her simp phase.
"Od? Is that something different from mana or gates?" Subaru asked, brows furrowed.
Ram's glare intensified, her shivering even more apparent.
"Not knowing what Od is… I'm really starting to doubt your common sense. You've reached unprecedented heights of shallowness and impudence, Barusu."
"Ram is even harsher than usual today," Subaru muttered under his breath, looking both confused and slightly offended.
He glanced at her again, eyes narrowing.
"...Is cold weather your weak point?"
"Strong points are purely subjective things. I don't look at life from such a narrow-minded point of view. Don't spout such nonsense. Go kill yourself."
Toyota, who had just taken a sip of water, partly spit it out upon hearing the last part. Just being here in person was entertaining.
"That last part was unnecessarily cruel," Subaru thought, stuttering.
"This conversation isn't going anywhere. I suppose, since I have no other choice, I'll explain it to you," Beatrice sighed.
"Od is the vessel of magical power—a device that stores the magical energy extracted from the gate, I suppose."
So it's like a battery storing electricity from a source, Toyota thought to himself. Then put the battery in a taser, which is the body, and exude the energy through the prongs, which act as the gate.
"Oh, a vessel that stores magical power? Please, go ahead, please continue," Subaru said, smiling and nodding his head.
"Your way of speaking irritates me," Beatrice mumbled, looking disgruntled.
"Anyway, Od can deal with a considerable amount of magical power. However, each vessel has a limit. Once that limit is reached, the Od will be ooooooverflowing with maaaaagical energy. Before that happens, it's necessary to let it out," Roswaal continued the explanation.
"To let it out before your stomach explodes," Subaru concluded.
Just as Beatrice was sipping from her drink—
"So basically, like constipation."
And Beatrice, now mimicking Toyota before her, did a spit take. It was unexpectedly cute as her spirit form slammed her tiny hands on the table. The small girl pointed accusingly at the butler before her.
"Choose your words carefully, I suppose."
Ignoring Beatrice, Subaru continued, "So basically, Puck releasing his magical energy gas is what's causing the cold in the mansion?"
"Yeah," Puck replied casually. "I was going to see how much I could get away with releasing without others noticing."
"Yes, that's right. I'm sorry for hiding it," Emilia added, bowing to everyone at the table.
"Is this a periodic thing?" Subaru asked.
"Once per year, I'd say," Puck answered. "When I was living in the forest with Lia, I moderately relieved myself now and then. But ever since coming here, I've been behaving myself. I guess this was its recoil—teehee."
"Teehee my ass!" Subaru shouted.
Toyota, meanwhile, couldn't understand how a spirit that was said to be able to freeze the whole world over could even contain that much mana. It was like trying to seal a Mentos in a Coke bottle and shutting the lid—the pressure buildup would be worse than any potential spill.
"For a Great Spirit of Puckie's level, no matter how much magical energy he releases, it isn't enough, I suppose," Beatrice muttered.
The silence that filled the room after that was broken by a very nervous Emilia.
"You see… Puck and I are really sorry about this, but Puck's release period should last a few days."
Hearing that, Toyota's mind wandered, thinking back to the timeline and the gaps between each arc.
Arc 2 took around five days. Looking back on it, what kind of insane social skills did Subaru have to gain the trust of all the villagers in that time—and become the unofficial gang leader of all the kids?
Between Arc 2 and 3? About a month.
Arc 3 lasted around a week.
The gap between Arc 3 and 4 was roughly three days.
Arc 4 itself wasn't clearly stated, but he guessed it spanned just a few days.
He needed as much time as he could get. His goal wasn't fame or victory in the Royal Election—it was about information. Getting what he knew to someone powerful enough to act on it. He didn't care who won. If his intel helped another candidate get ahead, then so be it.
All that mattered was saving lives. Creating the perfect happy ending.
Even if it meant being the villain in someone else's story.
"If I speed up my release pace," Puck said, "I could be done in two more days."
"Well, you can't keep doing that in here," Subaru cut in. "If you increase the intensity, you'll be dealing with frozen corpses before long!"
Subaru turned to Emilia.
"And what about our promised date? If you have to deal with Puck… does that mean it has to be postponed?"
His shoulders drooped, a hint of defeat in his voice.
Emilia stuttered, "I-I'll make it up to you! I promise!"
"Really?" Subaru asked, his eyes lighting up again.
(AN: I keep having to send my chapters to release at the set time but it releases immediately it's frustrating, Tech difficulties.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 70 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)