I love time travel the most!

Xiaolin twitched the corner of her mouth.

Seeing that the conversation had reached its conclusion, Kobayashi got up and left.

Emilia asked instinctively:

"Are you leaving now?"

"Ah, I came mainly to check on Natsuki-kun and Emilia, and to say hello to my superior, Count Mezas of the Border. I have no other purpose."

This is a lie.

Actually, all of the above were incidental.

Besides rescuing his companions, his purpose was also to test whether Roswaal knew that Elsa the Bowel Hunter and Melie the Beastmaster had escaped his control. It seemed that he was currently unaware of this.

"Let's meet again in the capital, Natsuki-kun."

"Alright, see you again in the capital."

Kobayashi knew that given Subaru's personality, he would definitely go to the capital with her, even if Emilia didn't want to take him, she would still beg her relentlessly.

This way, I'll have something to keep me busy.

Kobayashi declined the invitation to stay overnight, citing important matters, and then left the mansion after being seen off.

Instead of leaving immediately, they headed towards the village.

To be precise, it's the Warcraft Forest.

Using his [eyes], Kobayashi easily spotted the coded message left by Elsa. Following an inconspicuous path, he found Elsa and her sister, the Beastmaster Meli.

Before they even got close, they could hear the two talking.

"Sister Elsa, why did you accept that person's invitation? Did he say he would establish a theocracy? That's definitely a lie!"

"No, I'm not interested in things like theocrats."

"That……"

"It's a secret. I can't just tell you that."

"Eh--"

Her childish voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction, but quickly turned pleading. No matter how she asked, the other person wouldn't give her a reason.

"To be honest, I'd also like to know the reason."

"Who is there?!"

The moment Kobayashi spoke, Melly, who was sitting with Elsa, immediately looked over, while the monsters on guard around them bared their teeth and glared fiercely at them.

Elsa patted her little head, signaling the little girl not to be nervous.

"You came back so quickly. I thought you would stay there."

"How could that be? There's a stunningly beautiful woman and a petite, adorable young girl waiting for me here."

Kobayashi emerged from the forest with a gentle smile on his face.

"You must be Melie. Elsa told me you're a good girl. Nice to meet you, I'm Kobayashi, please take care of me."

Under Mary's somewhat timid gaze, he touched the top of her head with his hand.

A head pat just like Subaru Natsuki's.

It might not work for the adult Elsa, but it works perfectly for little Meli.

"Really?"

"Oh, really, I promise."

Upon receiving a definite answer, Mei smiled happily and became much closer to Xiaolin. In no time, she was persuaded to call him "big brother."

Elsa watched the whole thing but didn't stop it, probably hoping that Merry would build bonds with the others.

"Okay, let's go home."

At Kobayashi's invitation, the three of them huddled together. Then, a purple light array lit up in the forest, only to completely dissipate within a few breaths.

After the activation of [Teigu: Shangri-La], the three figures disappeared together.

Chapter 368 Reunion in the Capital

After returning to the Sword Saint family's residence, Kobayashi would spar with Reinhard every morning to increase his strength.

Then, in the morning, he would teach Felt magic, and in the afternoon, he would play and frolic in the courtyard with Felt and the others. In the evening, he would analyze the current situation of the kingdom with Reinhard after a busy day.

My days are quite fulfilling.

Among them, Meryl and Ferut got along very well.

Unlike Elsa, with whom she doesn't get along, Felt (15 years old) prefers the younger Meryl (12 years old) and takes the initiative to become the big sister.

Although Melly always said that her only sister was Elsa, after Felt said that the "big sister" meant the boss, Melly innocently agreed.

Despite being a candidate for the next king, His Highness uses such a thug-like self-description; he truly exudes a bandit-like aura.

Then the two of them caused a huge uproar in the Sword Saint family.

They either smash expensive vases, wreak havoc on the courtyard, or somehow summon a bunch of monsters to hold a running race.

In short, after having Melie, Ferut became even more unrestrained.

However, she also smiled more often at the same time.

Reinhard was having a terrible headache during this time, but in the end he gave in to them.

According to Kobayashi.

Meryl will be Ferut's companion, subordinate, and bodyguard in the future, and they will spend far more time together than with the others. It is important to cultivate their relationship during their childhood.

Not only that, it also implies restrictions on Elsa.

The happier Melie is in the Sword Saint family, the less likely Elsa will betray her, since she values ​​sisterhood most.

This scheme kills two birds with one stone.

Elsa actually knew what Kobayashi was planning, but for some reason she didn't show any disgust or leave directly. However, she always managed to get back at him from other angles.

There were many instances of him, including but not limited to night raids, sneaking into bed in the morning, and seduction from time to time. If it weren't for Liu Zi helping to channel his anger, he might have really become a philandering ghost who died under the peony flower.

As time went by, the order from the parliament was finally issued.

This matter had been brewing for some time.

Phyllis relayed this message when Kobayashi went to the Roswaal mansion.

Unlike Natsuki Subaru, who has no official position.

Kobayashi is a newly promoted court mage, and he is allowed to sit in on classes in the main hall. So early this morning, he, Reinhard, Ryuu, and Felt arrived in the royal capital.

Reinhard and Felt entered the palace early to prepare for the ceremony, while Kobayashi and Ryuzu strolled around outside.

He hadn't left the Sword Saint Clan for a while, so he wanted to take this opportunity to explore the area. Most importantly, he was going to meet Subaru Natsuki today.

After all, today is the day all the candidates for the royal selection must be present. Emilia will definitely come, and Subaru Natsuki, the tagalong, can't possibly miss it.

Kobayashi and Ryuko held hands.

The location was the capital city, on a bustling street known as the trade route. Amidst the constant noise, the two holding hands might have looked like an intimate couple from the sidelines.

No, you can't use "like".

They are a couple, or even have a closer relationship than that of a couple.

The Kingdom of Lugnica is currently without a king, but there is no chaos in the capital; it is busy but well-organized.

The two enjoyed a brief but sweet time together.

Then, they saw a butler's servant being led by the hand by a girl by the roadside.

They also clasped their hands together, but there was no romantic atmosphere like that between Kobayashi and Ryuzu. Instead, they looked more like a mother afraid that her child would get lost.

What are these two up to?

At the same time, Kobayashi also overheard their conversation.

"I was saying Emilia Carbon, but the feelings are all over the place, so let's skip this one?"

"Absolutely not. If it's Subaru, he'll definitely do something strange once he's out of sight, so you're not allowed to walk alone in the capital, understand?"

Emilia's gaze was icy and sharp as she looked at Subaru Natsuki, whose reputation had been completely ruined.

The triangular-eyed butler clutched his forehead in pain.

Although he brought it on himself, being treated this way is still far from what he intended.

"At least, at the very least, this holding hands must be..."

"Hmph, is that what you say? But you clearly wanted to hold hands so much when we were on a date."

"The preparations were perfect back then, but not yet!"

For Subaru Natsuki, whose hands were sweating profusely from extreme nervousness and fear, Emilia's nonchalant expression only added to his anxiety.

From a distance, teasing voices drifted over the two people having their adorable argument.

"Oh, you two are actually showing off your love here."

"what?"

"Xiao Lin?!"

Emilia's profile froze instantly.

That's understandable, Natsuki Subaru could see it, after all, the person who came was their friend.

Kobayashi walked over, holding Ryuji's hand, and greeted her, "I knew you guys would be here soon, so I came here specifically to look for you."

"You actually waited on purpose?"

"Yes, I saw some good stuff, and I think it was worth it."

"Your evaluation criteria are a bit problematic."

Subaru Natsuki stuck out his tongue.