A/N:
We are back with the publication of the fanfic. It has been a while since then. During that time, my computer broke down, and I had to save money to buy a new one and transfer my data to it.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. The publication will be frequent until the end of arc 2.5, which is not far off. Sorry for the delay!
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Chapter 50: "Whose eyes are upon you, behind the stars..."
Somewhere deep within Lunara, beneath the bright lights that now crowned the City of the Stars, the air was thick and stale. The underground tunnels, a labyrinth of damp stone and earth, echoed with the constant buzzing of insects and the distant echo of the night that barely managed to filter through.
"Damn. We really pissed off the boss this time, didn't we?" The voice of the pig-like demihuman echoed in the damp passageway, thick and rough like that of a wild boar. With his rough hands, he organized piles of white powder into small packets. His burly, massive body moved with surprising dexterity for dirty work.
Across the makeshift table, sitting in a rickety chair that creaked under his weight, his human companion was a bald man. A bag of ice, already soaked and drained, clung to his broken nose, a fresh scar from the previous fight. He swayed from side to side, a slow rocking motion that betrayed the stabbing pain in his face.
"He said he'd shove your manhood down your throat if you tried something like that again. What do you think?" snapped the bald man, his voice heavy with vehemence and exhaustion. He removed the ice pack only to replace it with a sigh. "So shut the fuck up and keep packing the drugs. I've got enough to deal with with this fucking headache."
The demihuman responded only with a slight grunt, a guttural sound that barely rose above the incessant squeaking of rats scurrying in the darkness. His stubby fingers continued to manipulate the packages, the wood of the boxes creaking under his immense strength.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the tunnel, interrupted only by the chirping of mosquitoes, the scraping of boxes moving, and the monotonous rocking of the chair. After what seemed like an eternity, the pig man broke the silence.
"Baldie, do you know where the rest of the group is?" He asked, his voice dropping a notch, as if trying to sound casual.
The human snorted, without opening his eyes. "Spreading the fireworks. Around the busiest areas of this fucking dump called Lunara."
"Does that bastard really plan to blow up the city? I thought he said it without thinking. Humans are crazy," replied the pig, letting out a guttural laugh that sounded more like a grunt.
"I wouldn't laugh if I were you," said the bald man, opening one eye to look at him, his patience about to snap. "Especially when they threaten to cut off my genitals."
Why did I have to be paired with this damn animal? All he thinks about is raping, eating, and killing. He's clumsy and temperamental. Like a damn pig. Who would have thought it's in his DNA? thought the bald man, glancing sideways at the demihuman.
"AS IF tHat Turquoise-haired FAGGOT is going to do ANYTHING to me!" roared the pig-like demihuman, his fat hands squeezing the wood of the boxes so hard that it creaked, almost breaking it. "He thinks he's better than me?! Looking at me with those Stupid ARROgant yellow eyes! A sad, weak human! I'll kill him one day!"
The bald man simply rolled his eyes and sighed in resignation.
This is what I was talking about. It's like talking to an animal, literally, thought the bald man, dropping his head back, resigned to the pain in his nose and the stupidity of his companion. The noise of the night, now more distant, seemed like a cruel mockery of his situation.
---
(Subaru's POV)
The rhythmic clatter of the earth dragon on the cobblestone road filled the interior of the carriage, returning Subaru and Emilia to the private hotel that housed them. Outside, the soft blanket of Lunara's night was absolute, dotted with the immensity of the stars.
Emilia, sitting next to him, stared out the window, her violet eyes lost in the starry sky, or perhaps in her own thoughts.
"Emilia, how did you like the night?" Subaru asked, looking for a spark of conversation. The silence seemed too heavy, or perhaps it was just his own mind that wouldn't stop ruminating.
She looked away from the glass and smiled at him with that kind smile that always warmed his heart. "I, um... it was nice. The people there seemed very friendly, don't you think, Subaru?"
"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, his voice tinged with sarcasm that, luckily, Emilia didn't seem to pick up on.
"Yeah, right, if being nice means being a condescending noble who mocks your status and reduces you to nothing more than an insect," Subaru thought, his jaw clenching with hatred he could barely contain. Lucien. The name alone made his bile rise. "God, how I wanted to punch that smug face of his." The image of the punch was almost as satisfying as if he had actually done it.
"Anyway, Subaru," Emilia said, her smile becoming more sincere, more warm. "Thank you so much, you know. For, um... for not breaking your promise in there. You don't know how much it means to me."
Subaru scratched the back of his neck with a nervous laugh, feeling the blush rise to his cheeks. "Oh, come on, Emilia! You know I would never do anything to embarrass you. This was your night, your grand entrance! Everyone got to see you shine, standing out above the rest. You were the center of attention!"
Emilia formed a small 'o' of surprise with her lips and covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, really?" she asked in a whisper, as if she couldn't quite believe it. Her expression of amazement quickly turned into a radiant smile, so pure that it made Subaru's heart skip a beat. "Thank you so much, Subaru; you always manage to cheer me up."
"Hahaha, you don't have to thank me, you know how I am," Subaru replied with his typical playful smile, though inside, he felt a deep satisfaction at seeing her happy.
"Oh, and by the way, just out of curiosity, which of the candidates caught your attention the most, Emilia? It's the first time you've seen them in person, after all," Subaru asked, genuinely intrigued.
Emilia thought for a moment. "About that... I think the one who caught my attention the most was Priscilla, and I guess everyone else's too." A small sigh escaped her lips. "She's... very intense."
"Ha, yes, I have no doubt about that," Subaru replied, imagining the scene of Priscilla's entrance and the commotion she had caused.
"And... have you already thought about what you're going to say when you go up on stage to give your speech?" Subaru asked. "It's tomorrow at noon, right?"
She looked down, a little unsure. "I, um, haven't thought about what to say yet. I'm sorry. I'm not very smart, but I guess I'll just say what I feel."
"Not at all, Emilia!" Subaru exclaimed, his voice rising with his typical unmistakable enthusiasm. "You're very smart, very beautiful, and above all, very capable! I know you can do it; don't put yourself down!" His fist clenched slightly, with the familiar determination that always surfaced when it came to her.
Emilia laughed softly, a gentle melody. "Yes, of course. Thank you." The warmth of her smile was his best reward.
Shortly thereafter, the carriage stopped gently in front of the illuminated entrance of the Private Hotel, where Emilia's entourage was staying.
"We have arrived," announced the voice of the dragon driver, who had already opened the door with impeccable courtesy. "Feel free to disembark."
Subaru rose first, stepping down from the carriage. Then he offered his hand to Emilia, who accepted it with a smile, stepping down gracefully.
"Welcome back," said one of the hotel bellboys, with the neat deference of a five-star establishment. "You must be tired, given that it's the middle of the night. Let me know if you want anything or if you'd like me to escort you to your rooms."
"Oh, no need to be modest," said Subaru, scratching the back of his neck with his usual nonchalance. "The others must be asleep, right? Kaoru is probably up to something ridiculous at this hour."
The waiter stiffened upon hearing the name. Beads of cold sweat began to roll down his temple. His professional smile twisted into a nervous grimace.
"Oh, well, if you need anything to eat or drink, you can always count on our staff! I'll be going now!" exclaimed the waiter, and without waiting for a response, he quickly left through one of the side doors, almost running away.
"He must need to use the restroom or something," Subaru commented with an amused smile, completely oblivious to the man's reaction.
"Anyway, it's late. I'm going to bed, Emilia. Sleep well. Tomorrow will be an important day."
"Yes, sleep well, Subaru," she replied with weary sweetness. "I'm going to bed too."
---
Hours earlier.
(At the entrance to the Private Hotel)
Two driverless earth dragons emerged from the shadows and approached the hotel. Their pace was slow, almost ghostly, an unusual contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city.
"Hey, do you see that over there?" whispered a bellhop to his colleague, who looked up, interrupting his neat routine.
The other bellhop frowned. "They don't have a driver? And they're pulling a carriage?" His voice contained a mixture of astonishment and growing unease.
A moment of heavy silence hung over them before the first bellhop turned pale. "Wait a minute, that's the carriage that bellhop Johan took. He said he was going to give a tour to that guy with long black hair who insisted on leaving the hotel."
Both swallowed hard, a knot tightening in their stomachs. The idea that something bad had happened to their coworker was troubling, but even worse, to someone who was part of the political campaign of one of the royal candidates, who was staying at their hotel. The implications were enormous.
The earth dragons stopped with almost perfect obedience near the hotel entrance, their enormous bodies immobilized. It was clear that they were the hotel's dragons, tamed and trained to perfection.
"Hey, call the hotel manager; we have to notify him about this!" ordered the first bellhop, his voice barely an urgent whisper.
His companion nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation, and quickly walked away, entering the luxurious hotel lobby.
Meanwhile, the remaining bellhop cautiously approached the dragons. First, he gently stroked their enormous snouts. The giants, surprisingly docile, accepted the caresses with a soft snort, as if seeking comfort.
"What happened, huh?" The bellhop muttered, more to himself than to the beasts, his breath forming small clouds in the cold night air.
His heart pounding, the young man walked to the carriage door and opened it. The interior, usually spotless, appeared untouched. His eyes fell on a canvas bag carefully placed on one of the seats. With curiosity and growing apprehension, he opened it. Inside, there were a number of objects: magical brooches that changed color depending on one's mood, an ebony harmonica, a children's storybook with vibrant illustrations, magical crayons, and finally, an action figure of an eight-armed warrior, Kurgan, with surprisingly realistic details.
"Did they go shopping for gifts?" the attendant wondered aloud, disbelief tinging his words. He searched the entire carriage cabin but found nothing else. Or so he thought, until his fingers brushed against a crumpled piece of paper under the plush seats. With a racing pulse, he picked it up.
When his eyes scanned the hastily written lines of the note, his darkest fears were realized. His eyes bulged with horror and cold sweat began to soak his forehead.
"This is worse than I thought," he muttered, his voice barely audible, the paper trembling in his hands.
Shortly thereafter, the imposing figure of the hotel manager appeared in the doorway, his face furrowed with gray hair and framed by a thick beard. His fellow bellhop followed close behind, visibly agitated.
The bellhop who had been inspecting the carriage hurried to meet him. "Manager, I found this note inside the carriage. It seems that our colleague Johan went with the guest to buy gifts and the dragons returned without them."
The manager took the note with a steady hand and began to read it. The handwriting, though hasty, was unmistakably Johan's. The manager's brow furrowed deeper and deeper as he progressed through the lines, a shadow of concern settling on his face.
"This is bad," the boss muttered, his voice grave, fear palpable in every syllable.
"What should we do?" asked one of the waiters, his voice heavy with concern for the consequences.
The boss raised a hand, a clear command in his gesture. "We must not get involved in this problem. Neither of you is to speak of this. This is beyond us as a hotel service." His gaze fell on each of them, seeking their total obedience.
"We won't inform the kingdom's authorities?" asked the other waiter, with a mixture of confusion and indignation.
"Didn't you hear me?!" The Manager's voice rose just a little, but the tone was iron. "We will not get involved in this, and that is an order! We cannot allow the prestige of our hotel to be tarnished by a mistake like this. Those two have just gotten themselves into trouble with the only dangerous group in town, and they work closely with the authorities. Let them solve that problem. It is not ours."
"What should we do with the gifts?" asked the employee who had found the bag.
"Leave them there, they don't matter anyway," replied the Manager with a dismissive gesture. "They won't be using that carriage tomorrow. I'll burn the note. You two get back to work. And tell the front desk to play dumb about Johan and the guest leaving. End of discussion. Get to work!"
With that, the boss turned and strode toward his office inside the hotel, his silhouette disappearing into the shadows.
"Understood!" said both bellboys in unison, tense but obedient.
Oh, Johan... What have you gotten yourself into? thought the hotel manager, pausing for a moment before entering his office. Beads of cold sweat ran down his forehead as he clenched the note in his fist with overwhelming helplessness. The implications of the note, what Johan and the guest's disappearance meant, were a bottomless pit of problems he wished, for the sake of his business, he had never encountered.
Somewhere...
In some dark corner of the city, a figure slowly removed the scarf covering the lower part of his face. His eyes, a vibrant amber yellow, sparkled with an almost feline amusement, while strands of turquoise hair fell lazily over his forehead.
One of his subordinates, covered in dust, finished placing the last explosive charge in its assigned spot. The air was filled for a moment with white specks dancing in the dim light, before the turquoise-haired young man, with a simple touch, made the device invisible to the naked eye, merging it with the shadows on the wall.
"With that, it's the last one. We're done, Dante," said the subordinate, his voice a respectful whisper.
Dante straightened up, his smile spreading into a mischievous grin, and his eyes narrowing into a mischievous gaze. "Not bad. We made it on time. You're not as incompetent as I thought." His laugh was a low, satisfied chuckle. "I hope the other idiots did their part."
He wore a A long-sleeved white shirt peeked out from under light dark armor and black shoulder pads that accentuated his slender figure.
"Give me the Metia, Knox," Dante demanded, extending an impatient hand toward his subordinate assistant. Knox, a man with a serious face, handed him the communication orb, a small silver disc that Dante took with surprising speed.
"Come on, idiot, answer me" he muttered to himself, his amber eyes fixed on the polished surface of the Metia, as if he could force the connection with sheer willpower.
The Metia's mirror flickered, distorting and crackling, until Lucien's image appeared on the other side. The prince, his dark blond hair falling seductively over his shoulders, was immersed in a bubble bath, surrounded by steam. A graceful, adorned female hand offered him a Fannel fruit, one of those rumored to contain a slight alcoholic content.
"I thought you wouldn't call me," Lucien commented, his voice drawling and complacent, a hint of the luxurious laziness that enveloped him.
"Hey, Prince? Everything okay in your castle?" Dante replied, his voice tinged with barely contained mockery. "We've finished the job here."
From the other side of the Metia, Lucien let out a soft, arrogant laugh. "I must congratulate you on that. Soon I will be able to reward you properly when all this is over." The image zoomed in slightly, revealing not one, but two beautiful naked women, one on either side of him, one caressing his chest. The other, the one with the fruit, was the same one now feeding him.
"You're really enjoying yourself there. Are you trying to make me jealous?" Dante asked, his amber eyes wandering over the beauties attending to Lucien. There was a touch of genuine irritation in his voice.
"It's my shower time, Dante. It's very relaxing after having to talk to people," Lucien replied with a smugness that was almost palpable, letting out a sigh of pure pleasure. His tone implied that talking to "people" was a burden.
"Well, continue enjoying your shower, Your Majesty," Dante said, his voice brimming with feigned courtesy that barely concealed his annoyance.
"I will," Lucien said, his sarcasm a thin, elegant edge.
Dante, his face contorted with irritation, slammed the Metia shut, the image of Lucien disappearing in a flash.
"Stupid faggot" he muttered under his breath.
He turned to look at Knox, his subordinate, who remained stoic at his side. "Knox, tell the others scattered around the city to return to base. I have an announcement to make to everyone."
"Understood," Knox nodded, his face expressionless, already turning to carry out the order.
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