✦ ⋮ 2 ⋮ 03 ⋮ CARETAKER

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Roswaal mansion ┃ Guest room ┃ Morning ┃ Day 2

Kakine is laying on his bed and reading a book that was given to him as a way to test his reading skills. This book in particular is about folktales; and one of these folktales goes over the history regarding the dragon and the witch.

Kakine: (The Witch of Envy, huh...)

He's been in this room since the event at the dining table. Throughout his time being here in this room, he was taught to learn the many glyphs this world uses as its primary language.

The one who was instructed to teach him this world's reading and literacy was Ram.

To Ram's subtle surprise, Kakine was able to grasp and adapt to the language very thoroughly over night despite stating truthfully that he has no prior knowledge about it whatsoever.

Kakine: (These Ro-glyphs, I-glyphs and Ha-glyphs were surprisingly simple to decode once you're familiar with Latin and katakana. Although Ro-glyphs and Ha-glyphs are more phonetic...)

Kakine: (...I guess Academy City's learning and educational methods weren't all total trash. But I won't give them all the credit. All of this is due the mind of a level 5.)

The esper closed the book and casually tossed it to the side.

Kakine: (That aside... Something's definitely different. But what? What's going on with me?)

Kakine cocked his head to the side, perplexed. He wasn't referring to his new body, his mindset or his position in this new world, but his actions.

His mind flashed back to Emilia's smile. The one she gave him back at the thief's house.

Kakine: (Saving her... That kind of thing doesn't suit me. It's a totally different world from my own.)

He then began to sit up on the side of his bed.

Kakine: (Different world from my own...)

The #2 thought vaguely. He felt as if he collided into a dead end. However, something else was brought to his attention as he looked at nothing with a bored expression.

Kakine: "Another world. What a joke... If only I had... Hm?"

There was a sense of slothfulness present within the esper, until an idea popped in his head.


The pink-haired maid; Ram, was currently treading through the mansion, until suddenly; she hears a repeating noise coming from a a distance.

━━*Thock... Thock... Thock...*

That noise was getting louder the moment she got closer to the source.

It was revealed to be coming from the guest room that currently belongs to Kakine; the place where Ram was heading in the first place.

Ram politely knocked on the door and announced herself to make herself known to the resident of the room.

Ram: "This is Ram. May I come in, sir?"

Surprisingly, the esper replied; albeit, in an uncaring manner.

Kakine: "Enter."

━━*Thock... Thock... Thock...*

The repeating noise started once again shortly after as Ram enters the guest room.

Once inside, Ram saw Kakine doing... something.



Kakine:
"What do you want?"

The esper bluntly spoke to the pink-haired maid, even though his eyes are focused on the dart board.

Ram: "Sir. You are far too noisy. What are you doing?"

It was unfamiliar to those in this new world, but Kakine was playing darts. It was an activity he partakes in when passing the time. It also helps him think.

He created the board and darts with his esper power.

Kakine: "I will ask you again. What do you want? Have you come to teach me something else?"

Ram: "No sir. In fact, in terms of literacy, you have already shown to perform past even the intermediate level."

Ram: "This means that it is no longer necessary to teach you anything else. You should be able to manage on your own from now on."

Ram: "But I have been instructed by Lord Roswaal to give you a tour of the manor."

Kakine: "Ah? Oh... Emilia said something about that yesterday."

Ram: "Yes. Now it's time for you to stop playing silly games. Now please follow me and do not fall behind."

Kakine complied. Only because he was only playing darts to crush his own boredom.

Once Kakine and Ram exited the guest room, the darts and board disappeared into nothingness.


Roswaal mansion ┃ Morning ┃ Day 2

♪ Re:ZERO ost : Fool ♪


Ram:
"This is the VIP room."

Ram: "This is the bathing room."

Ram: "This is the kitchen."

The pink-haired maid performed exactly what she has been instructed to do. She lead the esper around the mansion and gave him a tour.

Ram: "And this is the lavatory."

Just like with the other rooms, he was shown the room behind this door as well. However, Kakine saw something that he wasn't expecting.

Kakine: (What the...)

Once the door was opened, he saw that the bathroom was huge. It was definitely different from the hotel bathrooms he was accustomed to.

Kakine: "Is that all?" 

Ram: "Not exactly. While the rest are vacant rooms, the final room is the Forbidden Library. However, due to complicated circumstances, I am unable to show you that area."

The #2 had a few theories as to why that is.

Kakine: "I'm guessing this concludes the tour then."

Ram: "Yes. Do you have any questions?"

Kakine: "No."

The esper replied bluntly and waved his hand dismissively at her and began to walk off. In response, Ram simply curtsied and went to continue her maid duties.

The #2 continued to tread through the vast corridor with hands in his pockets. That little event did help him get somewhat accustomed to the manor, however a passing thought popped in his head.

Kakine: (It's like what I thought about yesterday. The number of people here are minuscule for a large place such as this...)


The esper continued to ponder in silence as he was returning to the guest room. Once he was near the door, a voice halted his actions.


Roswaal:
"My myyyy! Walking past the manor's Lord without even a 'good morning' or passing greeting! You wound me, Kakine."

Kakine: "Ah? Oh it's you... What do you want."

Roswaal: "That reaction also counts you know. You are such a naaaaughty boy. But to answer your question, I was heading to the bathing room. Care to join m-"

Kakine: "Pass."

The esper rejected the lord without a second thought.

Roswaal: "No hesitation at aaaall."

Roswaal: "That aside, I haven't seen you since yesterday. The fact that you're out and about means that Ram has shown you around, yes? What do you think?"

Kakine: "The place is too big. Why the hell do you only have two maids managing it? One would think you would have more. Or is this the standard for people owning mansions? Talk about being a slave driver."

The #2 was surprisingly loquacious. This gave Roswaal the impression that he liked to talk more than he thought. However, the lord simply fake gasped in response.

Roswaal: "Ah! Perish the thought! In truth, the lack of staff is due to a few things. One of them is Miss Emilia's participation within the royal selection."

Kakine: "Ah? What does that have to do with anything?"

Roswaal: "I should have expected that answer. Hooowever, it is not my place to speak about Miss Emilia's circumstances. You should ask her yourself once her schedule is free, although I would recommend showing some tact when doing so."

The esper was confused at Roswaal's words. The lord continued.

Roswaal: "Speaking of which, what is your opinion on Miss Emilia? Do you support her becoming the next ruler?"

Kakine: "Tch. I'm not interested in that. Also I don't know what the other candidates are like to make a concrete answer. Although if I were to make one, then Emilia is... childish."

Roswaal: "Oh?"

Roswaal raised his brow with an intrigued smile.



Roswaal:
"Ahh, but don't count her out just yet. She's still studying and working reeeeaaally hard to become fit for the throne. And it's because of you that she is now able to do this."

Kakine: ". . ."

In truth, Roswaal is right. It was too early to cast judgement, but he still gave his honest opinion on Emilia in regards to becoming the next ruler.

Roswaal: "Miss Emilia may be childish in your eyes at the moment, but she is truly adamant on making a positive change for the kingdom of Lugunica."

Positive change.

Those words rang in Kakine's head. After looking at it in hindsight, Emilia's goal was similar to his own.

Kakine wanted to take control of Academy City so that the string of tragedies caused by the dark side would finally cease.

It was a cause that would undeniably bring things to a positive conclusion.

However, their methods are the complete opposite.

Emilia wants to go through the morally correct process, while Kakine didn't care how the process was done, even if it involved hurting people.

For him, the end justified the means.

The cause of this difference was that Academy City was a terribly corrupted place underneath the surface and Kakine had to live through it all.

While he's sure that Lugunica is also corrupted, due to thugs appearing in dark alleyways and the state of the poor seen in the slums, at least the kingdom appears to be doing something about it by making someone like Emilia a runner-up to become its ruler.

Unlike that board chairman Aleister who probably sits on his ass all day treating thousands of orphaned children like lab rats and be tossed aside without a care when they die in science experiments.

Kakine: "Tch... Well I hope it goes well for her."


The #2 paused. A bit surprised by his own words. It slipped his tongue without thinking. However Roswaal only grinned happily.

Kakine: (What is this psychological manipulation?)

Roswaal: "Ah, what an unexpected response! I'm sure Miss Emilia will be happy to hear that from you."

Kakine ignored him and opened his door.

However...


Forbidden Library ┃ Morning ┃ Day 2


Kakine was a hundred percent sure that he opened the door to his room.

But what he saw wasn't his room, but a facility that screams "library" with all its shelved books accompanied by a checkerboard floor.

The #2 was unable to conceal his surprise as his eyes then landed on the girl sitting in the middle of it all.

It was Beatrice. The caretaker of Roswaal's Forbidden Library.

Kakine: "...What?"

From Beatrice's perspective, her eyes left her book and landed on the half-elf's "savior" standing at the doorway.

She had the same passive-yet-irritated expression she had at the dining table yesterday.

Beatrice: "What an extremely irritable person you are. Peering at other people's bookshelves I suppose."

The esper ignored the girl for a moment as he was still perplexed by something.

Kakine: (Where the hell did my room go? Is this the manipulation of space?)

It felt similar to the teleporting espers back in Academy City, but on a more precise scale.

Immediately after this, the #2 caught on to what was happening.

Kakine: (Wait, this is the Forbidden Library...!)

Beatrice: "Ignoring Betty? Are you trying to be offensive, I suppose?"

The esper turned his eyes back on Beatrice as he finally acknowledged her. However, he simply entered the library and began to look around while leaving the door open.

Beatrice: "Entering my library without an invitation as well? How aggravating. Leave or be subjected to punishment I suppose."

Kakine: "Your library? I thought it belonged to that annoying clown."

Beatrice: "You are irritably misinformed, but that is to be expected. But now you have overstayed your welcome despite Betty's earlier warnings so begone I suppose!"


The little caretaker immediately lifted her arm and outstretched her palm and performed wind magic.

It was an invisible mass of moving air with enough force and power to knock a person a few feet away.

However.


Kakine also held up his arm and outstretched his hand.

His palm contained an invisible layer of Dark Matter and used it as a means to cause a combination effect.

The first being transmutation and the second being wave diffraction.

Upon contact, the wind blast "separated" into two properties. The wind and mana itself.

This separation caused a light-based energy to appear and started to "bend" and dissipate around the entrance of the library.

The esper noted that this short lived light was unfiltered mana.

This caused Kakine's eyes to shift towards that light. It was an unexpected

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