Natsuki Subaru's Journey to Strategically Capture Reinhild

R9. The Weak Girl

"What's with that expression? Are you pitying me? If it weren't for that booze you brought out of nowhere that's like drugs, how would I have ended up in this state?"

Though it flashed by only briefly, Heinkel, as her father, still noticed that he was being pitied by his daughter.

Enraged, he raised the bottle in his hand—but he didn't smash it.

A flicker of struggle passed through his eyes.

It wasn't because he feared retaliation from his daughter, nor because he didn't want to hurt her.

It was simply because he couldn't bring himself to waste good alcohol.

Pride ultimately lost to desire. Heinkel gently placed the liquor back onto the table.

Watching this unfold made Reinhild feel a piercing pain in her heart.

Perhaps even more painful than if her father had actually thrown the bottle at her.

"What's with that look in your eyes? You look down on me too, huh?

Even if you're the Sword Saint, you're still my daughter!

And I'm still the official head of the Astrea family.

I won't acknowledge the Astrea family supporting a royal candidate!

I also won't acknowledge you as the acting head of the Astrea family.

Supporting a candidate on your own, entering my room without permission—get out!"

"I understand. I'll take care of the tasks.

Father, please don't drink too much.

And I'll leave the porridge outside later."

Reinhild didn't argue with her father in the end.

She replied gently and then closed the door behind her.

The sound of sobbing inside reached her ears—sharp as they were.

Reinhild couldn't do anything about it.

She could only hang her head and flee that place in a pitiful, dejected manner.

"Reinhild, are you okay? You look pale. I heard Heinkel suddenly accepted a bunch of jobs no one wants to do. Want me to cancel them for you?"

"It's alright. Some of those tasks have been delayed for a long time. It's a good time for me to take care of them."

Reinhild declined the staff member managing the assignments and then retrieved a serving of porridge from the kitchen, placing it outside Heinkel's door.

After returning to the dormitory and hesitating for a while, she decided to entrust the wine she had brought from the estate to Captain Marcos to deliver to Heinkel on a regular schedule.

"I understand. But Reinhild, how long do you intend to keep this up?"

Accepting several crates of wine, Marcos agreed but then asked seriously.

"...Until my father comes back to his senses."

This time, Reinhild was silent for a long time before finally giving her usual response. After leaving the room, she looked up at the ceiling with a bitter smile.

There was no doubt—her father was a weak man.

But wasn't she the same? Even though she knew her indulgence had led to his downfall, she still couldn't refuse him when he knelt and begged her for alcohol.

Even though she understood he needed a life-or-death battle to crawl out from under the shadow of cowardice, she didn't dare let her current father undertake dangerous tasks.

She no longer wanted to—or could—bear the pain of losing family again.

.

.

.

Layer by layer, she rebuilt the shell around her heart.

The Knight among Knights—Reinhild—resumed her mission.

First, she visited Lady Crusch with the birthday gift, thanking her for her assistance the other day.

Then Reinhild began investigating the origin of her father's liquor. Eventually...

"Lord Roswaal, may I have a few minutes of your time?"

"Seems like I don't really have a choice to refuse, huh?"

"My apologies for being too forward. Lord Roswaal J. Mathers—your grandmother—had greatly helped our family, so I won't obstruct you. But if possible, I'd like to ask why you gifted so many fine liquors to Lord Heinkel."

"That was a gift of gratitude. I happened to stumble upon an underground cellar west of the other mansion.

So, to repay your kindness toward Lady Emilia, we chose the most appropriate gift we could find. Is there a problem?"

Roswaal spread his hands as he spoke.

"Thank you very much for your generosity, Lord Roswaal.

My father truly enjoyed your gift.

However... Subaru is my servant, and currently my direct subordinate—not my father's nor my grandfather's.

I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere in their lives.

Otherwise... well, I should go attend to my duties now."

Reinhild said nothing more, but her message was clear.

.

.

.

"So this is the Sword of the Kingdom, huh? Even scarier than that gloomy bastard. Good thing it was just a warning."

After Reinhild left, Roswaal leaned against the wall and whispered.

If it were any normal person facing that kind of warning, they'd probably abandon any wicked intentions in an instant.

"But you see... Subaru is essential to fulfilling my 400-year-old wish. I can't stop just because of a mere warning. So I must continue forward until your next instructions arrive. I will obtain the ultimate trump card. Watch me, Sensei."

Roswaal, already driven mad, gently stroked the black book held close to his chest as he muttered.

In his eyes burned only an obsessive flame.

.

.

.

Reinhild no longer concerned herself with Roswaal's affairs.

That very afternoon, she immersed herself in completing the knight order's missions while simultaneously fielding various inquiries from the Council of Wise Men regarding Lady Felt.

Whatever free time she had left was spent explaining Felt-related matters to her father. Two days passed like that.

After finally completing the last of her missions, Reinhild returned to the headquarters of the knight order to report in.

After chatting with a few friends who wished her well, she returned to her room—and froze.

The birthday gift she had painstakingly prepared and placed on her desk had disappeared.

Switching her current Divine Protection to one that could detect valuable items, she confirmed it was no longer in the room.

Felix, who didn't care much for manners; Marcos, who might have needed to speak with her urgently; or her father, who came to her room looking for alcohol...

Reinhild instantly narrowed down the list of suspects.

She went to Marcos first to report the completion of her knight order duties and asked if there was anything else he needed from her.

Then she confirmed that Felix hadn't visited the order that day.

No matter how unwilling she was to believe it, the only one who could've taken Otto's gift was her father.

Reinhild couldn't comprehend why her father—who only ever cared about alcohol—would be interested in such an ornament.

But she began searching for him and learned that he had departed in the direction of the Astrea territory.

.

.

.

Hurrying back to the estate just in time, she barely stopped Winston and the others from launching an attack on her father.

Reinhild quickly took stock of the situation: an enraged Felt, a destroyed gift box, furious estate staff, and her father holding an unknown bottle of alcohol.

"I'm truly sorry..."

Though she now understood the situation, Reinhild couldn't handle it fairly.

She could only apologize—nothing more.

No matter when, when it came to family, Reinhild remained a weak, fragile girl.