Opening: An Encounter of Rare People
The Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica, in the frontier mansion of Mathers. Within the mansion was a young man who worked as a butler-in-training, whose name was Natsuki Subaru. On that day, he and the more senior maids Ram and Rem were hard at work at their jobs as servants.
Subaru
Gah, cleaning up the warehouse is such a pain after being sick. My body's aching, my legs are throbbing, my arms are sore, and I feel like I'm having trouble breathing.
Rem
Are you okay, Subaru? This is your day off, so you should feel free to leave things to me and the others...
Subaru
I mean, I'm happy to hear the offer, Rem, for real. But I don't like being treated like an invalid, and I'd personally feel better moving around than being stuck in bed all day.
Rem
But...
Ram
It's fine, Rem. Let Barusu do as he likes.
Rem
Even you, big sister?
Ram
If he wants to work, then let him work. He's simply fishing for praise for working through the pain.
Ram
A truly foul scheme.
Subaru
What a way to look at things, big sis! I mean, I can't say I don't feel that way at all, but still!
Subaru
N-Not like I'm trying to look good in front of you two or Lady Emilia, or anything!
Emilia
... Were you speaking of me just now?
Subaru
Gaaaah!!
Emilia
Whoa, that was a surprise... I didn't know you could jump that high.
Subaru
E-E-Emilia...!? What are you doing here!? This place is way too dusty for you!
Emilia
I'm not sure what all this about dust is, but... I thought I heard my name, so I was curious.
Subaru
No, no, no, talking about you? Not at all. Seriously, honestly, totally, not lying about that at all.
???
... My, my, what a crude attempt at deception.
Subaru
Ugh, that voice is... Puck!
Puck
You mustn't lie, Subaru. You're quite poor at concealing things when you're desperate, you know. Call it my intuition, but I think there was something suspicious that you didn't want Lia to hear.
Emilia
Subaru, is that true? As Puck said, is there something that you don't want me to hear...?
Subaru
I can't take that saddened face of yours, Emilia! No, um, it's not like that at all, nothing like that...
Subaru
I was just wondering whether you'd praise me when you saw me working so soon after recovering from illness, that's all...
Ram
In any case, Lady Emilia, is there something you require of us?
Emilia
Ah, yes, that's right. There was something I wanted to ask Subaru to do...
Subaru
Are we just going to ignore that whole conversation from before!? Will you guys ever quit teasing me!? What if I run away from home!?
Rem
It's all right. I won't overlook your efforts, Subaru! My eyes will be fixed on you from morning till night!
Subaru
The way you said that is kind of frightening, but thanks. You really are the only one on my side here, Rem...
Rem
Oh, my... How embarassing it is, to hear you so eager to marry me...
Subaru
I didn't go that far, did I!? Well, anyway, it's rare for you to have something to ask of me, Emilia.
Emilia
Is it? I suppose so. But if you're busy, then it doesn't have to be now. I can just go meow-mew-mew-meow with Puck for a little while...
Subaru
Sorry, what?
Emilia
Meow-mew-mew-meow.
Puck
It's a game that Lia and I have played ever since our time in the forest. First, one person says "meow-mew", and then the other one said "mew-meow"...
Subaru
I'm really curious about what that looks like, but I won't be that long! Look, all that's left to do is to move this... Wait, what exactly is this thing?
Emilia
This is... a hidden trap door in the floor?
Subaru
That's what it looks like... Here we go again. The owner of this house sure likes hiding stuff in the floor.
Ram
Barusu, you're always looking for faults in others. Proof that you're a downer.
Subaru
Why are you trying to damage my reputation!? I was just saying that there are a lot of things hidden under the floor in this mansion. Last time, it was just a wine cellar, but this time...
Puck
Huh, a book that I don't recognize. Is it something that Roswaal hid?
Ram
Who knows. I'd thought that all of the important books were in Beatrice's forbidden library. It would be unlike Roswaal to treat a book like that in this manner.
Subaru
Hey, don't just scoop it up without any hesitation, sis. What if there's something sketchy about it?
Ram
I hardly think that there would be anything so special about this book. You're too easily frightened, Barusu. Pathetic. As a man, you should be ashamed.
Subaru
What did I do to deserve that!?
Emilia
But this is Roswaal's mansion, is it not? That this book was hidden here would have to mean that there was something special about it, right?
Ram
... Perhaps so. You're right, Emilia. Barusu, you must refrain from such careless conduct from now on.
Subaru
There goes big sis, smoothly passing her mistakes onto other people... Huh? Rem, what's up? You're looking blue.
Rem
No, well, I can't put it into words very well, but... I can feel a very unpleasant aura radiating from that book.
Subaru
An unpleasant aura? From this book?
Rem
Yes, just a little... It's very small. But I think it would be best if I disposed of this book as quickly as possible.
Ram
I'll take Rem's word for it above all else. Let us burn it at once.
Subaru
That quickly!? Well, Rem's opinion does have me concerned, too, but...
Emilia
The owner, Roswaal, is out inspecting the territory right now...
Emilia
Ah, I know! Why don't we ask Beatrice, then?
Subaru
Yeah, good idea! Bea's the one minding that mysterious library of hers, after all. She has to know something about this weird book.
Subaru
All right, let's take this book and head over to Bea's right...
Puck
But Betty's not that easy to find, right? True, she's usually prowling around that library of hers, but...
Subaru
Come on, there's nothing to worry about. There's magic in this mansion to connect your own bedroom door to whichever other room you'd like, right? And for some reason, I have a constitution that always works with that magic.
Subaru
All I have to do is connect this warehouse's door to Bea's place, and...
Emilia
Wha!? Subaru, wait! The door is glowing...!
Subaru
Gaaah!?
Ram
This is not Beatrice's forbidden library! This must connect to some other place...!
Rem
No! Subaru! Let go of the book! Or else...!
Subaru
I-I'm being sucked into the door...!?
Emilia
Aaaah!!
The room was filled with white light, and when that light had cleared...
There was nobody left in the room. In the silence, a single book fell to the floor.
There was only the sound of flipping pages. On the previously blank pages, words appeared. A single sentence was written.
"One rare person shall meet another in a foreign land."
Start of an Ames dream.
Ames
H-Huh? I could feel some strange interference just now...
Ames
I don't think I was just imagining... Could something have happened once again, in a place unknown to me...?
Ames
This is bad... I hope that nothing terrible has happened in their world.
Ames
Honestly, who on earth could be causing all of this...?