Chapter 150: Meow Meow Meow...

["Hire me to work at the manor!"]

After the little episode in his room that morning, time moved on to breakfast in the dining room.

When Roswaal once again offered him some form of compensation, Natsuki Subaru slammed the table and stood up, just like every other time, and once again chose to work at the manor.

And so began his week of diligent labor there.

The usual routine: peeling potatoes in the kitchen, washing dishes, mopping down the bath, doing laundry, and playing gardener trimming the lawn below. And through every last one of those jobs, Ram stayed right at his side.

Though "stayed at his side" might be better phrased as "kept watch over him."

Then again, maybe she just didn't trust a rookie to manage on his own and had come along to instruct him.

Natsuki Subaru paused mid-trim, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and cut his eyes sideways at Ram, who was loafing comfortably beside him, and at Rem, who kept turning up in front of him at odd intervals.

Talk about airtight surveillance.

The thought drew a sigh out of him.

But that was exactly why he needed to earn the trust of everyone in the manor, to win their acceptance, and dodge the bad end where someone silenced him permanently.

And there was one more thing he absolutely had to do - track down the damned Curse Caster hiding somewhere in the manor.

And then beat them.

Natsuki Subaru swung the shears in his hand, his eyes hard. That was, after all, one of the biggest reasons he had thrown his arms around death just to start over.

Whack!

Ram flattened her hand into a blade and rapped him on the forehead.

"No slacking, Barusu. There's still plenty of work left today."

"Ow, ow, ow... And why am I the only one working while you just supervise, Ram?" Natsuki Subaru rubbed his forehead, protesting with obvious displeasure.

"Objection denied, Barusu. This is the privilege of being your senior."

Ram tipped up her fair, clean neck with a smug look, showing off like a proud white swan.

The next second, though, her face snapped back into sternness and she planted her hands on her hips.

"Enough complaining. Back to work at once, mere Barusu."

"This peaceful, ordinary feeling is honestly so soothing. Watching this, it's hard to imagine the story ever branching off into that Purge King world."

Frederica patted her chest lightly, a delighted smile spreading across her face.

As head maid of the manor, seeing Ram teaching a newcomer the ropes filled her with relief.

It really was wonderful that the story could unfold this way. A development like that Sovereign Natsuki Subaru one - absolutely never again.

[Lying on the lawn chatting with Puck, Natsuki Subaru learned that he had an aptitude for magic too, and excitedly begged Master Puck to teach him.]

"Mm, then let me take a look at the attribute of the Gate inside your body, Subaru."

Puck floated in the air in front of Natsuki Subaru, stretched out his nimble tail to touch the point between Subaru's brows, and shut his eyes to feel it out.

Where the tail rested against his brow, a ring of white light rippled outward.

At the same time, Puck thoughtfully provided the magic's sound effects by mouth.

"Nyam nyam nyam nyam..."

"Oh! That kind of magic sound effect!"

Natsuki Subaru grasped exactly what Puck was going for, and it thrilled him to no end.

Outside the screen, Puck once again wasn't sitting properly in his seat or curled up in Emilia's arms. For some reason he looked utterly relaxed.

He was even drifting around upside down in midair, the picture of leisure.

"Ah, this part. I remember it. Honestly, Subaru and I really do click. He gets me."

Puck wore the grin of two people cut from the same disreputable cloth, and laughed out loud.

["All right, I know your attribute now, Subaru!"]

Puck withdrew his tail and smiled.

"Ooh! Is it passionate fire? Or cool, composed water?"

"Or the refreshing wind that sweeps across the plains? Or earth, steady and dependable as the ground itself?"

Natsuki Subaru had already started daydreaming about which of the four common attributes would be his.

"It's Yin."

Puck punctured the fantasy without mercy.

"What the heck even is Yin?" Natsuki Subaru shot back, stunned.

"Oh, how rare. The Yin attribute, of all things."

Emilia had just finished her morning communion with the lesser spirits, and the commotion over here drew her across.

"Yin magic can block an opponent's vision and cut off sound. It's really quite useful, Subaru!" Emilia smiled, encouraging him.

"Got it. Debuff specialist."

Natsuki Subaru went a little slack-jawed. Being shunted into a support role left him deflated. He'd wanted to be a turret mage lobbing fireballs at people to his heart's content.

"Hmm, the most common Yin spell is Shamak. Want to try casting one for practice, Subaru?"

"Ooh! I'm counting on you, Master!"

Natsuki Subaru perked right up and listened intently to Puck's explanation.

"Next I'll guide the Mana inside you, and the magic itself will come pouring out of your Gate."

"But if the Mana goes out of control, you'll be blown to pieces in an instant, so Lia should back up a little."

Even as he explained, Puck didn't forget to warn his beloved daughter away from the hazard.

"Hold on, Puck, did you just casually say something horrifying? That sounds pretty scary..."

A bead of cold sweat slid down Natsuki Subaru's forehead as he fumbled for words.

And when he turned his head, he found that Emilia had already retreated eight hundred meters away.

No, wait - she wasn't nearly that close.

"Hold on, can we just stop right now? And Emilia, you're breaking my heart here!" Natsuki Subaru clutched his chest in anguish.

"I was only joking. With me here, there's nothing to worry about. I am the strongest Great Spirit, after all."

Puck landed on top of Natsuki Subaru's head, said it with a smile, then closed his eyes.

"Now, picture it along with me."

"Part of the Mana inside your body flows out through the Gate."

"Heh heh, leave the imagining to me. Wild delusions are my specialty."

Natsuki Subaru flashed a confident grin, then pressed two fingers to each of his temples and began chanting the "spell" he had just learned.

"Nyam nyam nyam nyam..."

Faintly, the magic power inside him began to stir with excitement, all of it surging at once toward the place where the Gate lay.

"Huh? Uh oh. Subaru's Gate just suddenly..."

Puck's eyes snapped open as he sensed something wrong, his face caught between wanting to flee and knowing he couldn't, with the distinct look of someone who had accidentally caused a disaster.

Pfoosh!

The next instant, pitch-black Miasma Fog erupted out of every part of Natsuki Subaru's body, beyond his control. Spread out like that, the sight was as spectacular as a mushroom cloud.

"Mm... judging by the result, Subaru's Gate is far too hard to control, so let's not force it."

Puck, dyed into a little black cat by the Shamak, shook out his fur until he was a little white cat again, then played up the cute act for Natsuki Subaru and the entirely unharmed Lia.

"You're the one who said it'd be fine to begin with! And that is not the least bit adorable right now, hey!"

Natsuki Subaru covered his face and wailed.

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