As the sun set, the Dragon Carriage slowly came to a halt in Arlam Village's square.
Carlisle jumped out of the carriage, his brows furrowed as he looked around.
The scene before him was completely different from what he expected; the entire village was eerily quiet, with no lights and not a single sound of human activity.
"Strange, what's going on?"
According to the original plan, the villagers should have already returned.
To speed up evacuation during the enemy attack, the villagers were divided into two groups: one went to the Royal Capital, and the other went to a place called "Sanctuary."
Carlisle knew little about the latter, only remembering that Ram had mentioned it was about six hours away from Arlam Village.
Logically, several days had passed since the subjugation battle ended, and news of the war's conclusion should have reached them by now.
Why was the village still deserted?
As for the villagers who sought refuge in the Royal Capital, they were still temporarily housed at Cruschs Residence.
Due to their large numbers, it was impossible to organize everyone's immediate return.
Carlisle, out of his duty as a Guardian Knight, chose to rush back to the Mansion first to ensure Emilia's safety.
When the villagers returned, the escort team sent by Crusch would meticulously protect them, so there was no need to worry about their safety, unless they were unlucky enough to encounter an Archbishop of Sin-level enemy again.
However, this possibility was extremely slim, as the Witch Cult had just suffered a heavy blow.
"Did you find anyone?"
"No, I didn't see a single person in the entire village," Rem said, shaking her head as she emerged from a house.
The situation was clear: the villagers who evacuated to the Sanctuary had not yet returned.
"Seriously, what is Ram doing?"
Subaru couldn't help but complain, adjusting the student uniform she had changed back into.
This was an outfit she had specifically put on again; firstly, she had obtained what she wanted, and more importantly, Subaru had long harbored deep resentment towards Roswaal's inaction during this crisis.
Upon returning this time, she was determined to have a serious talk with the Border Count.
If she were still wearing Roswaal Mansion's maid uniform, wouldn't she be lowering her own morale?
Carlisle realized that the key to the problem likely lay with that mysterious "Sanctuary."
He turned to Rem.
"It seems there might be a problem at the Sanctuary. Rem, do you know the exact location of the Sanctuary?"
Rem slightly lowered her head, her blue hair falling on either side of her cheeks.
"I'm very sorry, Carlisle..." Her voice was soft and clearly apologetic, "Rem does not know the exact location of that place."
"No way?" Subaru's eyes widened in surprise, "Isn't that Roswaal's territory? Rem, haven't you been working here since you were little? Have you never been to the Sanctuary?"
Rem's head drooped even lower.
"I'm very sorry... because the Sanctuary is Roswaal-sama's secret base, and related matters have always been handled by my sister."
Her voice grew softer and softer, "Rem only vaguely heard... that it seems to be a place used to shelter some special people..."
Subaru suddenly understood something, her expression becoming complicated.
It seemed that Rem had always played the role of a "cleaning machine" in Roswaal Mansion, excluded from many core affairs.
She sighed, reaching out and gently patting Rem's shoulder.
"...It's okay, even if you don't know, there's no need to apologize for every sentence. It's not your fault."
Since staying here was pointless, the group decided to return to the Mansion first.
Roswaal should have returned by now; they needed to confirm Emilia's safety and also imprison Geuse.
After another ten minutes of travel in the Dragon Carriage, Roswaal Mansion, though luxurious, yet slightly less grand than Cruschs Residence, finally appeared in their sight.
After bidding farewell to the coachman sent by Crusch to escort Geuse, Carlisle, Subaru, Rem, Otto, and the tightly bound Geuse stood before the Mansion's main gate.
Carlisle raised his hand and knocked on the heavy gate.
The gate was quickly opened, and to his surprise, the person who opened it was neither Roswaal nor Emilia, but a stranger Carlisle had never seen before.
It was a woman dressed in the Mansion's distinctive maid uniform, though this outfit was noticeably several sizes larger than Rem and Ram's.
She was tall, with dazzling golden hair and clear, emerald-like eyes; this was Subaru's first impression.
However, this initial impression was quickly replaced by another, more profound discovery.
Upon seeing Rem and Carlisle, the woman's eyes immediately lit up.
She first looked at Rem warmly, "Isn't this Rem? It's been a long time. I've heard about everything that's happened recently, you must be exhausted, right?"
Rem bowed slightly, a genuine and slightly surprised smile appearing on her face.
"Yes, it's been a long time, Frederica sama."
Then, Frederica turned her gaze to Carlisle, an astonished expression on her face.
"This truly is... this truly is incredible! I didn't expect the Kingdom's second knight to actually be recruited by the master, and he truly is as handsome as the rumors say."
She performed a standard, elegant curtsy.
"A pleasure to meet you, Eltheran-sama. My name is Frederica Baumann, and I am Roswaal-sama's former maid. Because the Mansion has been short-staffed recently, I was re-recruited by the master."
As she spoke, she naturally flashed a brilliant smile.
Subaru clearly saw two rows of sharp teeth, which immediately reminded her of the not-so-common "crunchy shark" attribute in anime.
Frederica seemed to immediately realize this, quickly covering her mouth elegantly with one hand, and then revealing a more subtle smile.
"Pardon me..."
Carlisle was already accustomed to such overly familiar greetings from people he was meeting for the first time.
He responded with a polite attitude.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Frederica. Has Roswaal-sama returned?"
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.