I just hope to live a leisurely life in the world of anime.

###Chapter 186 It’s easy to cheat###

“Count Mezas, you seem to be late.”

This time, it wasn't Mycroft who spoke, but another bald old man from the Wise Men's Society.

The voice was somewhat deep, but undeniably authoritative, instantly overpowering the somewhat noisy hall and drawing everyone's attention to it.

"Uh!" Natsuki Subaru, who was at the very back, swallowed hard, feeling a little nervous. He had never been in a situation like this before, even back in school, where he was being stared at by so many people.

Roswaal and Emilia walked slowly side by side, and with his usual eccentric tone, he performed a standard aristocratic curtsy to express his apology.

"Ah—well, there's nothing we can do about it—it's such a grand occasion today, we have to prepare!"

"And the time—it's still early, isn't it? I didn't anticipate that the esteemed members of the Sages' Council would arrive early because of Chairman An Shu. This was indeed my oversight!"

But that frivolous expression on his face, coupled with such incongruous etiquette, only makes people angrier.

"Humph!"

Sure enough, veins bulged on the bald old man's forehead. He snorted coldly and said nothing more. Roswaal was right; he wasn't exactly late, just the last one to arrive.

But after all, he had made her wait so long; if she didn't blame him, could she blame An Shu?

However, this topic cannot continue, because if we keep talking about it, it might turn the tables on An Shu. Thinking of An Shu's boring expression just now, if we really bring up these things, trouble is bound to happen!

Mycroft understood his old friend's thoughts and quickly stepped in to smooth things over and ease the tense atmosphere, "Then please come in, Earl Mezas."

"Okay, Subaru Natsuki, you and I will stand over there together."

Roswaal nodded, refraining from making the foolish move of undermining the other party's dignity. He turned to Natsuki Subaru, who was following behind Emilia, and pointed towards Reinhard.

"Ah, oh!" Subaru Natsuki scratched the back of his head, still a little bewildered. Seeing that Roswaal had already started walking, he followed closely behind.

"Wait a moment!"

Emilia suddenly grabbed Subaru Natsuki, who hadn't taken more than a few steps, and gave him another warning with a stern expression.

"Ang Jun, you'd better behave this time. Just stand over there and watch the ceremony. We already agreed on that when I promised to bring you here, right?"

"Got it, Emilia-tan!" Subaru Natsuki patted his chest to assure her, then continued walking with his head held high.

It seems quite reliable, I guess...

Emilia was still worried and sighed inwardly. She didn't know why An Shu would agree to let him come. With his restless personality, his arrival would likely lead to unpredictable consequences. She could only try to see if this would restrain him and allow the original plan to succeed.

"Count Mezas, Subaru! Over here!"

Reinhard, who was talking with his best friend in the Knights' ranks, noticed the two of them, flashed his signature cheerful smile, and greeted them.

"Uh! Reinhard!"

Upon seeing the red-haired knight, Subaru Natsuki froze, his thoughts drifting back to a month ago. He subconsciously glanced at Anshu, who was eating and passing the time on the steps, and suddenly felt a chill.

If I remember correctly... this incredibly strong knight is gay!

Damn it, why did he call me? Does he have a crush on me again? Oh my god! How terrifying!

No, that shouldn't be the case. He's 'completely loyal' to An Shu! I'm probably fine.

Thinking about this, Subaru Natsuki relaxed. It made sense; although he was handsome and had many advantages, he was still inferior to An Shu. The chances of An Shu liking him were probably zero! Hmm!

Since narcissism isn't illegal, Natsuki Subaru analyzed it without any scruples.

He suddenly felt very lucky and was inexplicably a little smug.

While he was thinking, the person had already arrived in front of him because he hadn't stopped walking.

"Good morning, Earl Mezas!"

Subaru-kun, it's been a month since we last saw each other in the capital. We're still friends, so after this meeting, would you do me the honor of coming to my house for a small gathering? I'd love to be your host!

It's such a shame Subaru didn't stay at my house back then!

Without mincing words, Reinhard simply exchanged pleasantries with the higher-ranking Roswaal and immediately extended an invitation to Subaru Natsuki.

Of course, there's also a personal motive. After all, they all come from the same place, and learning more about their local customs and culture might lead to a perfect, serendipitous encounter with their "goddess." Things will probably fall into place naturally after that.

However, this sudden invitation caught Natsuki Subaru completely off guard, leaving him speechless and bewildered.

Roswaal, watching from the side, seemed quite intrigued and asked, "Eh, Reinhard—Sir, why are you being so polite to my servant?"

"Subaru the servant" Reinhardt's blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, he came and started staying at my house, which is really bothering me! And he even offered to work at my house, so I had no choice but to accept him."

"Hmm, Subaru-kun, if you have nowhere to go, you can come to my place! I'll definitely treat you well!" Reinhard asked Natsuki Subaru, puzzled.

"No, it's nothing, I just find this kind of life very interesting, hahaha."

Natsuki Subaru chuckled, trying to brush it off; he couldn't very well say he was after Emilia, could he?

"Interesting, isn't it? It seems Subaru is quite the carefree person." Reinhard believed him without a second thought, and his signature cheerful smile returned to his face.

"Ha...you flatter me, you flatter me..."

Natsuki Subaru was taken aback, then waved his hand modestly, suddenly feeling a little guilty for deceiving such an innocent person!

###Chapter 187 Subaru Natsuki's First Formal Meeting with the Knights###

“My friend, won’t you introduce me?”

Ok

Another unfamiliar voice interrupted, and Natsuki Subaru subconsciously turned his head to look. It was a knight with purple hair and golden eyes!

"Ah, how confused I am. This is Subaru, Natsuki Subaru, a fellow townsman of Chairman Anshu."

Reinhard apologized and hurriedly introduced his friend to her, then switched hands and introduced his friend to her as well.

"He is Rieus Jucleius, my close friend and vice-commander of our knightly order, who has been awarded the title of 'Best Knight' and is currently Miss Anastasia's guardian knight."

"However, he's a bit old-fashioned and pays special attention to chivalry, so Subaru-kun, please don't offend him in that regard! Haha."

Seeing that his friend wasn't particularly fond of Subaru Natsuki and that his gaze held a hint of scrutiny, Reinhard joked, not wanting things to get unpleasant between them.

"Oh, you, hello."

While the other was scrutinizing him, Natsuki Subaru was also sizing him up. On the point that neither of them was interested in the other, he and Julius tacitly reached an agreement.

For some reason, there was always a faint sense of pressure when standing in front of him, which Natsuki Subaru didn't like.

However, out of politeness, I still extended my hand.

Is President An Shu from the same hometown?

Julius whispered something, not letting Subaru hear what he said.

He was a little disappointed. Compared to the dazzling An Shu, Natsuki Subaru didn't seem to be anything special, and his smile was also very fake.

Julius felt no liking for him, but he didn't know why, even though it was their first meeting.

He extended his hand and shook hands with the other person. Since the other person was showing him goodwill, he had to respond in kind. Otherwise, it would be arrogant and ill-mannered, which was definitely not what the best knight should be like.

Although they didn't have any good feelings towards each other, they appeared to be on the surface quite amicable, at least there were no verbal conflicts.

Just as Subaru Natsuki was awkwardly standing there, unsure of what to say to Julius or how to exchange pleasantries, Roswaal had already gone to the side to watch the show.

"That guy!" Natsuki Subaru cursed under his breath. "Just as unreliable as Anshu! He didn't even help me out of that predicament!"

"Ahem, by..."

"Hey buddy, Phyllis looks like she's seen you somewhere before! Meow~"

Another voice interrupted him, but this time the tone of the voice was somewhat familiar, not entirely unfamiliar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Natsuki Subaru looked in the direction from which the sound came and was immediately startled!

Unbeknownst to many, a special knight had already joined Reinhard's ranks!

A knight is a knight, but what makes him special is his distinctive feature: a pair of fluffy cat ears on his head! These ears even move in different ways depending on his owner's mood!

"This is a demi-human!" Natsuki Subaru concluded.

Demi-humans are relatively rare in the Knights of Favonius! Most are mercenaries or similar individuals.

"Ah! It's you, Felix!"

Although his appearance was unique, he was the easiest to recognize. Natsuki Subaru recognized him immediately and became excited.

I also recalled my first experience of being scammed, a memory I don't want to recall!

"Meow, do you recognize me?"

The cat-eared knight, on the other hand, seemed a little confused, and his ears twitched twice.

Ugh! Those wicked cross-dressers! Why are all men so cute these days? An Shu is one, and so is he!

Natsuki Subaru was internally screaming, but his facial expression remained largely unchanged.

"Uh, it was about a month ago, near Wangdu Street, in an alley, you pulled me off the wall..."

Instead of directly stating the reason why they knew each other, Natsuki Subaru guided the other person to recall the past.

"Oh! Right! I remember now, meow! ~ By the way, buddy, you changed your clothes so much I almost didn't recognize you, meow! ~"

Phyllis's memory wasn't that bad. She suddenly remembered, and her cat ears twitched twice more, causing Natsuki Subaru, who was charmed by her cuteness, to quickly look away.

Damn, is it really true that cross-dressing and acting cute is deadly? Speaking of which, what would happen if that cold, aloof guy like An Shu tried to act cute?

No, no!

Natsuki Subaru quickly shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and repeatedly reminded himself:

Don't ever fantasize about that guy, it could kill someone!

Think more about your angel Emilia Tan, Natsuki Subaru, don't fall into some weird place!

"Hey bro, bro," Phyllis called out, gesturing with her hand in front of his face as he stood there in a daze.

"Oh! What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, meow~ I just called you because you were spacing out, meow~ By the way, Little Felicity was in a hurry and didn't get a chance to ask you why you were embedded in the wall! Meow!"

"Oh, this is all someone's fault..."

Natsuki Subaru's face showed a look of reminiscence. He was about to scold An Shu, but fortunately he remembered that the person was also there. He hurriedly covered his mouth guiltily and secretly glanced at An Shu on the stage.