You wake up, the sun in your eyes. You sigh. "Last nigh- this morning was interesting..." You rub your tired eyes. 

"Now, what do I do first?"

That question was answered when Rem walked into your room, seeming to have something to say. "(Y/N)..."

"What is it?" you ask.

"Well... Roswaal-sama has asked for you to see him once you wake up... so you should go and meet him outside."

Curse that clown! What does he want from me now?

 "Did he tell you why he wants to talk with me?" You hoped that he didn't have some other scheme, but you wouldn't be too surprised if Roswaal had something planned.

Rem shook her head. "I cannot say for certain, but I might have an idea. I think that you may be leaving for the mansion with him and Emilia-sama."

"What?!" You bolted out of the covers, and nearly fell out of the bed. You quickly made your way to Rem, and continued. "I can't go back to the mansion! I have to stay here and help you and Subaru!"

Rem smiled, and reassured you, "Do not worry. This is just an idea, so I may be wrong. And even if you are separated from us, Subaru and I will be fine on our own. You have no reason to worry."

You know that this isn't true. Subaru will die multiple times, and Rem will eventually go comatose, with nobody remembering her. You need to be there so that none of this happens, but you can't tell Rem about that. 

If you are forced to be separated from them, you will just have to leave Subaru a message telling him as much as you can about the coming disasters.

"If you say so..." you tell Rem. You then walk out of the room, and head to the door that leads out of the lodging. 

Once you went outside, Roswaal was immediately in your face. "Hellooooo (Y/N)-kun. Did you have a pleasant night?" He was smiling, but this was misleading.

"Sure. Now, what do you want from me?" you inquired, your voice dripping with venom. 

"My my, straight to the point!" he responded. "Well, I have made preparations for you to stay with the Hoshin household for a shoooort amount of time!"

"What?!" Why would he do this? This makes no sense. What does he gain by sending me to Anastasia's household?

Knowing that you would be confused, Roswaal explained. "I was aware that the knight Julius Juukulius offered to train you. Hearing about this, I immediately contacted Miss Anastasia, and she agreed to let you stay and train with Julius for a weeeek! Isn't that nice?"

Your eyes widened. "I do remember that, but why now? I'd like to stay with Subaru and assist him."

Roswaal clicked his tongue. "That boy needs to learn how to accomplish more on his own. With you, he won't learn. He won't grow. Besides, you have no business with the Karsten household. You would be-"

"I don't care! I need to help Subaru! I need to help Rem!" you interrupted.

"Is that so? What can you accomplish? You are still weak, and besides, you can leave a message for Subaru-kun using your knowledge, correct?" 

The fact that Roswaal knew exactly what you were planning to do unsettled you. "Well, yes, but I can train with Wilhelm! He can-"

Roswaal shook his head. "Did that man offer to train you?"

"No, but-"

"You wouldn't want to offend Miss Hoshin or her knight by training with another candidate's knight, woooould you?"

"Well, no, but-"

"So why are you so insistent that you stay with Subaru-kun? Your knowledge is not affected by your presence, and you would not have to risk angering a candidate if you would just train with Julius. What is your reason for being soooo stubborn?" Roswaal asked. He didn't seem confused. Instead, he looked amused.

"When you put it like that, it's kind of hard to argue, but-"

"No buts! My logic is not flawed, so it is your mindset that is in the wrong. Am I not right?"

Being interrupted too many times was irritating you. "First off, stop interrupting me! Second, your reasoning may be good, but you can't just discard my opinions without hearing them!"

"Ah, is that soooo?" He really was seeming to look more and more amused, as if he was arguing with a dumb child.

"Of course! My reason for staying with Subaru is so that I can make a better future! If I stay with him, I can prevent a lot of bad things from happening!"

Roswaal wagged his finger in your face.

"As I said earlier, whether you are with him or not will not affect the knowledge that you give Subaru. Your physical abilities will not make a difference, so why not train with a knight who can help you improve your combat skills and your maaaagic?"

Before you can continue to argue, Emilia came up from behind Roswaal. "(Y/N), would you go if I asked you? Would you listen to me? Because there doesn't seem to be a lot of that recently..."

You want to tell her that you will listen, but you just don't like the fact that this was Roswaal's plan. You still have no solid reason to stay, other than the fact that you want to actively help Subaru and Rem. Roswaal's reasoning did sound good, but you just didn't want to agree with him.

"(Y/N)..." Emilia looked at you with pleading eyes, wanting you to go along with Roswaal's arrangements. "Please. I don't want them to hate me even more, so please just go."

Seeing the hopelessness in her eyes, you almost kick yourself with frustration. Refusing to go now would mean crushing her spirits and get her even more depressed. Even though you tried to help her understand Subaru's feelings, her still child-like mind couldn't fully comprehend his feelings. That, and Subaru genuinely acted like a jerk to her, and probably said some things he shouldn't have. 

That being said, you begrudgingly reply, "Ok Emilia. I'll go, so don't worry."

Her face lightened up slightly. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Noooow," said Roswaal. "Why don't you make your preparations? Their carriage should be arriving sooooon."

Without acknowledging him, you walk back into the lodging.

"What did Roswaal-sama want?" inquired a curious Rem.

"Well, it turns out that I'm going to be going to the Hoshin residence to train with Julius, the knight."

Rem narrowed her eyes. "The knight who beat up Subaru-kun?" You could feel the wrath emanating from her, so you try to calm her down.

"Don't hate on him too much. He was just trying to help Subaru, just in a unique way." You didn't mention that it was also Subaru's fault, but it was something that didn't need to be said.

She huffs. "That doesn't mean that I'll completely forgive him. Did you not see how Subaru's face looked?"

Well, you've actually killed him before, so I wouldn't be talking if I were you.

You just shrug your shoulders, and head to where Subaru is sleeping. "Let me say a few things to Subaru before I leave. This time, please don't eavesdrop."

Rem did a little curtsy. "Of course."

You nod your head as a thank you, and approach Subaru's bed. 

He was still sleeping, so you gently shake him. "What...?" Subaru groaned, and then proceeded to yawn while he stretched his body.

"Subaru, I'm going to be leaving for the Hoshin household so-"

"Why are you going with those jerks?!" he rudely interrupted, but you understood why.

"I get that you might not be on the best terms with Julius, but Roswaal has arranged for me to train with him. Since I'm leaving, I need to tell you as much about the future as I can."

Mumbling something inaudible under his breath, Subaru straightened his body so that he could pay closer attention to what you are about to say. 

"Before I start, do you have anything to write with?" you ask him.

Subaru pointed towards the desk on the other side of the bed. "Open that drawer. There should be a paper and pen in there."

Sure enough, they were there. You sit down at the desk, and begin writing as you talk. "Okay, so first, you should see Reinhard at Crusch's place. Ask him to help you out instead of turning him away. There are witch cultists in Roswaal's domain-"

"What? Emilia's in trouble then! We have to stop her from going!" Subaru interrupted. 

You stare blankly at him, and then face palmed. "Why didn't I think of that?! I'll be right back!"

You dash out of the room, and head towards the door. Not paying attention to Rem, you hurriedly open the door and go outside. 

"Nooow, you certainly finished your preparations quite early, didn't yoooou?" Roswaal stood in your way, so you stepped around him. 

To your dismay, Emilia was no longer there. "If you are looking for Emilia, she left as soon as you went back inside. She has quite a lot of work to do back at the mansion, so she wanted to leave as soon as she made sure that you would go to the Hoshin residence." Roswaal said with a grin on his face. 

Your anger spiked, your very little restraint being the only thing keeping you from striking Roswaal. "You little-" 

"Now then. you should probably get back inside. Who knooows when your ride will arrive?"

You turn away from him and storm back inside. 

Once again, you pass Rem, and say, "Please don't listen to what me and Subaru are saying." Without waiting for a reaction, you go back to Subaru's bed.

"What happened?" he asked.

You wrote down another note. "Well, don't trust Roswaal. Emilia left as soon as I came in here."

"What do you mean, don't trust him?" inquired Subaru.

You sneer. "He's always scheming. He doesn't have any of our interests in mind. He only cares about his goal, whatever it may be." You wrote an angry note, cursing yourself for not doing something about Emilia's departure.

"Well, since I'm a little pressed for time, I'll keep on going," you continue. "I don't know which day, but Rem will eventually feel something from the connection with her sister. When that happens, it will be too late, and everybody in Roswaal's domain will have been attacked by the Witch Cultists. Sorry, but you need to figure out the timing for that. When you do, head out the night before that happens. If you head out that night, you will encounter the White Whale at the Flugel tree. In order to defeat it, you need to get Crusch and Anastasia to help you, and Reinhard if you can. Make sure you and Rem don't get caught up in its fog, because it will erase the existence of whoever it touches." You are writing quickly, so you shake your hand because it is starting to hurt.

"After you defeat the White Whale, you need to go to the village and evacuate everybody, but not to the Sanctuary. That place is a death trap. You also need to check all of the wagons for explosives, since the Witch Cult will plant some in one of them."

Subaru was being overwhelmed with this information, but he didn't ask any questions. Neither of you know how much longer you have until you leave, so both of you don't waste any time. 

"Betelgeuse Romani-Conti, the Archbishop of Sloth, can possess people after he dies, so you have to bait him into possessing you, then try to mention your ability. It'll force him out of your mind, and then you can deal with him after that."

You finish writing down as much as you could. "I may have forgotten some things, but I will hopefully tell you if we meet during the battle against the White Whale. Any questions?"

Subaru scratched his chin. "Well, let me see... Do I fix my relationship wit- I mean, what will happen while I'm at Crusch's place? From what you just said, there seems to be a several day gap between the battles and me actually getting there."

You think, and then reply with, "Well, you can train with Wilhelm, and like I said, Reinhard should visit. Try to get him to help you." You try to think of something else. "Uh, you also need to find proof that Crusch is gathering resources to fight the White Whale. I don't know exactly what that proof is, so you have to figure that out yourself. Other than figuring out exactly when the whale will attack, that should be about all the important things that will happen unless the future is a bit different than what I think it will be."

"What the crap does that mean?" Subaru responded. 

You shrug your shoulders. "The future's never set in stone, so you can't expect to know everything about it with precision. You of all people should know that events can be altered."

Subaru nods his head. 

"Well," you say, "I'll see if I can do anything to help from my end. If you want to know anything, be sure to ask me when we meet again."

"When we meet again!" Subaru exclaimed, a smile on his face. 

You smile too, and leave his room. 

When you exit, you don't see Rem, so you call her name. "Rem, where are you?"

"Boo!" 

"AHH!" You jump and almost hit the ceiling. Rem had been hiding under the table that you were standing next to, just to be able to scare you like this. 

"What was that for!?"

She giggled. "I just wanted to make sure that you would have a memorable goodbye!"

Seeing her smile, you couldn't help but forgive her. "Well, you did just that. Now," you pull closer to her, and drop your voice to a whisper. "Take care of Subaru, and most importantly, stay alive." 

Rem nodded her head. "Of course."

There was a knock on the door, and you sighed, knowing that Rem would be in severe danger in the following days. "Well, I'll hopefully see you soon."

While you went to answer the door, Subaru came from his room. "Take care, (Y/N)!" He waved his hand, and you did the same.

"You too." You turned back towards the door, and opened it. The person standing on the other side was no other than Julius himself. "Hello, (Y/N). I am here to transport you to the Hoshin's domain." 

You could hear a restrained gasp from behind you, but you don't turn back. "Thank you. I don't have anything to bring with me that is not already on me, so let's go."

He nodded, and led you towards his carriage. Roswaal was nowhere to be seen.

You close the door behind you, and hope that you would see both Rem and Subaru soon.

Time Skip

You are in the carriage with Julius while a servant was driving it.

There has been an uncomfortable silence ever since the ride began, but you were pretty used to awkward situations like this.

"Well, Julius, um... I think that Subaru has actually improved his mental state." You try and start a conversation, hoping to make the ride less silent.

"How so?" he replied, uncrossing his arms.

"Well, we had a little talk last night, and I think that he's over trying to only focus on his own pain and he might even be starting to prioritize things over his obsession with Emilia." You paused, then added, "Well, that second part is just a hunch. I still don't have solid proof of that."

Julius nodded his head. "That is good. If Subaru can become more mature, perhaps he would be fitting for a knight."

Seeing your surprised expression, he added, "And after you make progressions, the same could be said for you."

"Really?!" You hadn't considered the possibility of becoming a knight, but it didn't sound too bad.  

"That is, if you can survive my training." Julius had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Uh, I don't like that look you're giving. What exactly are we going to be doing?" you ask, not really sure what to be expecting.

Julius laughed, surprising you. "Don't be so serious! I will just be leading you through strength training, teach you basic sword skills, and maybe some magic if your gate will allow it."

You couldn't help but get excited. This is exactly the kind of training that you had been wanting. Maybe deciding to come here wasn't a bad idea.

"Sir Julius, Mister (Y/N), we have arrived," announced the driver.

"Where exactly is 'here'?" You knew that Anastasia lived in another country, so there was no way that this was her actual home. 

"This is one of the properties that the Hoshin Trading Company owns. It is just outside of the capital, so the journey does not take very long." Julius answered. 

"Oh." Julius exited the carriage, and you followed. 

The building that met your gaze was extraordinary. You thought that Roswaal's mansion was impressive, but this one easily surpassed it. Not in size, as it was less than half the size of Roswaal's place, but the design was just spectacular. 

The building itself was three stories high, with the exterior walls painted white. The roof was blue, making this look similar to a Disney castle. There were perfectly trimmed trees along the exterior walls, and ornate balconies stemming from the upper floors. 

Another thing that grabbed your attention was the pool. To the side of the mansion, you could see a massive pool that was probably four times the size of the public pools that you went to during the summer.

Your mouth agape as you tried to absorb all the spectacular sight, Julius had to nudge you in order to get you to go.

"I know that this is impressive, but don't forget why we are here," he said.

You just nodded your head, still admiring the view. 

He hesitated, then told you, "Actually, we should see Miss Anastasia first. Once you have been acquainted with each other, your training shall begin."

He started walking towards the gorgeous building, and you followed him.

He opened the door for you, and you were excited to see the interior, hoping that it would match the impressiveness of the exterior. 

You weren't disappointed. Between the extravagant décor, the detailed paintings, and the unique objects lining the walls, you had no idea where to begin looking.

You weren't the type of person who enjoyed looking at stuff like this, but this place was too impressive for you to not look around.

Knowing that you shouldn't waste time looking around, you followed Julius to the second floor and around some hallways.

Eventually, you came to a room that, just from looking at the door, was obviously Anastasia's room. It was decorated in what was probably pure gold, and even the handle had intricate designs on it.

Julius knocked on the door, and was answered with,  "Come in."

Julius opened the door, and you were actually disappointed when you saw what was in the room. It was bare compared to everything else, with a fancy desk being the only noticeable thing in there, other than its occupants.

Noticing you, Anastasia introduced herself. "I'm sure that you know who I am, but anyway, I am Anastasia Hoshin, head of the Hoshin Trading Company." She gestured to the four others that were surrounding her. "This is Ricardo, who is the captain of my mercenary group, Fang of Iron. This is Mimi, Hetaro, and Tivey, the vice captains."

You did a little bow, and said, "Hello, my name is (Y/N) (L/N), it is nice to meet you."

"You don't have to be so formal. You're stayin' with us, so be comfortable!" bellowed Ricardo. 

The triplets nodded their heads in unison. 

"Yes, (Y/N), please make yourself comfortable." She seemed to think of something, then she added, "So, what do you think of this mansion?"

You smiled, and remarked, "I think that it's amazing! I've been to some pretty fancy places, but this might be the most impressive place of all!"

Anastasia giggled. "That's nice to hear. You see, I'm greedy, so I want more and more of the best of everything. Of course, I had to take some things out of this room so that I could concentrate..."

You didn't know what to say to that, but luckily, Julius started talking. "Miss