"There's certainly no harm in moving your body."
"However..."
Gojo Satoru looked at Subaru Natsuki mischievously, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. It was normal for Subaru, a plain high school student, to not see it. But Gojo? He could tell.
Even though a girl like Emilia appeared soft and fragile—and being a spirit-user made her seem like the classic "squishy mage" archetype—Gojo's combat experience told him she wasn't that simple. Purely in terms of physical stats, she was more than capable of outclassing a normal human like Subaru.
Watching Subaru's little schemes, therefore, was rather amusing.
"Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about," Subaru said, shaking his head before turning back to Emilia. "Come on, do it with me. Deep breath, arms up..."
"Oh, okay." Emilia followed along somewhat blankly, mimicking his movements to loosen up.
"Is he always like this?" Felt walked over, resting her head on her hands.
"Pretty much," Gojo shrugged.
"No wonder he's your partner. You two really are a match."
"Aren't we? The three of us are an indestructible team!"
"Who said I was with you guys?"
"You don't want to make money anymore?"
"I..." Felt stuttered for a moment. "It's not like I recognize you as teammates or anything. I just happen to have the same goal." She spoke with classic tsundere energy, turning her head to hide her flustered expression.
"Lady Emilia, please rest here for a moment. I'm going to find some merchants to trade for food..." Rem had finished settling the dragon carriage and providing the ground dragon with food and water. She walked over to address the group.
"Trading for food? It's not very convenient for a girl to go alone, is it? I'll go with you," Gojo interjected eagerly, volunteering himself.
"I must decline. Are you perhaps looking to trade for sweets, guest?"
Being called out so bluntly by Rem didn't embarrass Gojo in the slightest. "Don't be a stranger. Also, you can just call me Satoru. I don't think the Margrave would refuse if he were here."
"Unfortunately, Lord Roswaal is not here."
"Which is exactly why Miss Rem shouldn't be so strict."
"I really wonder if there's anything in your head besides sugar," Felt muttered helplessly.
"Before one can have noble ideals, I believe it's better to just live simply," Gojo said with a grin and total confidence. "Eating things you like isn't exactly a heinous crime."
"One type," Rem said, holding up a single finger toward Gojo. "If they have any, you may choose one type of sweet. I didn't bring much money with me; it's primarily for tomorrow's food."
"Eh? Didn't Reinhard say the Margrave was loaded?" Gojo looked at Rem suspiciously.
"We didn't plan to stay in the Capital for long this time, so we didn't bring that much cash. And most of it has already been spent."
"I can vouch for that," Emilia said softly, raising her hand while still mid-stretch. This trip to the Capital was mainly because she wanted to visit. Besides accompanying her, Rem had various procurement tasks. Naturally, there wasn't much left over.
"I see. Then I'm truly grateful to Miss Rem."
The two took a lap around the area. The merchants, seeing them come from the direction of the noble carriage, were very polite. Hearing that Rem needed to buy food, they were exceptionally enthusiastic. In no time, Gojo returned with a jar of honey and a pile of provisions.
"Satoru, come over and look at this. Are there words on this trunk?"
As soon as they returned, Subaru called out to Gojo, pointing at the massive trunk of the Tree of Flugel.
"What's up?" Gojo walked over, scooping a bit of honey with a small spoon and popping it into his mouth. The pure, natural sweetness spreading through his palate instantly boosted his mood.
"I just saw what looks like writing on the bark. It's a bit blurry, but it looks like Japanese."
"Japanese?" Gojo's interest was piqued. He adjusted his sunglasses and looked up in the direction Subaru was pointing.
On the uneven, coarse bark, he could indeed see faint, lingering traces of writing. Gojo narrowed his eyes, observing closely, and then read it out syllable by syllable:
"Flugel was here."
Exactly as Subaru had said, the characters carved into the tree were Japanese.
"Flugel? The name of this tree?"
"Who left this? Was it the Great Sage?"
"If that's the case..."
The two men locked eyes. Subaru couldn't see anything through Gojo's dark lenses, but Gojo saw the shock and excitement in Subaru's eyes.
"It seems that, unless there's an incredible coincidence, this Great Sage was someone like us."
"What are you two whispering about? Comparing yourselves to the Great Sage now?" Felt leaned in curiously, eyeing the two.
The others didn't understand the significance of the exchange, but Gojo and Subaru knew exactly what it meant. The Great Sage from hundreds of years ago was very likely a transmigrator!
This discovery was a major revelation for both of them. Subaru, in particular, thinking back to the tropes of his light novels, suddenly felt his mind racing.
"Could it be that the Witch of Envy is about to break her seal?"
After being here for a while, Subaru was no longer the clueless newbie he was at the start. He had heard rumors of the events from centuries ago. Gojo could see the spark of a "protagonist's mission" igniting in Subaru's eyes. Clearly, in Subaru's mind, the two of them were the successors to the Great Sage's legacy. Their goal was likely to seal the Witch of Envy, Satella, before she could destroy the world again.
Subaru, who had been somewhat aimless, worrying about food and drink alongside Gojo and Felt, suddenly looked as if he had found his life's purpose. There was a literal glow in his eyes!
Gojo didn't think quite as much of it. Still, if things really were headed in the direction they suspected, Subaru's theory did have a certain logic to it.