Chapter Text
Subaru just hit his third death.
He slumped against the wall, clutching his hair with trembling hands. "This is so unfair." he hissed to himself, his voice cracked with frustration. "Where's my OP starting gear? Where's the 'tutorial message' telling me why I'm here? I’ve died three times, and I still don’t even know who summoned me to this damned world!"
Anger flickered, but the image of ‘Satella’ flitted through his mind. Her gentle smile, her concern. "I have to save her." he whispered, his resolve pushing back the panic. He needed a plan. He couldn't face Elsa again, he was too weak. He couldn't win alone. Maybe he should just find a guard? Request help? But how would a nobody like him convince them of the threat?
His internal agonizing was cut short. Footsteps. Familiar, heavy, cocky footsteps.
From the other end of the alley, three figures emerged, silhouetted against the light. Ton, Chin, and Kan. The trio of thugs from the previous loops.
"Look what we have here." Chin sneered, cracking his knuckles.
"A defenseless little mouse who seems lost." Kan added, a nasty smirk plastered on his face.
Ton stepped forward, towering over Subaru. "You know the drill, brat. Hand over everything you have, and maybe we won't break all your bones."
Subaru felt a wave of irritation. These guys. Again. They were just an annoyance compared to Elsa, but he was currently in no mood to deal with them. But then, an idea hit him. A desperate, slightly ridiculous idea. He looked around. No guards, but maybe they were close enough to hear? This was his 'ace in the sleeve'.
He dramatically collapsed onto his knees, widening his eyes in a caricature of terror. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing his performance, and then let out a sharp, piercing scream.
"HELP! IS ANYONE THERE? I'M BEING ROBBED! PLEASE, SAVE ME!"
The pitch was surprisingly high, almost feminine in its desperation. He didn't just sound scared, he sounded like a defenseless damsel.
The three thugs froze, stunned by the unexpected performance. Even Chin, who was about to strike, paused mid-swing.
"Wha-" Kan blinked. "Did this guy just… scream like a girl?"
"Shut your damn mouth!" Ton roared at Subaru, regaining his composure. "No one is coming to save you, you miserable punk! Stop acting like a little b-"
Subaru chuckled, a dry, slightly unstable sound. He looked up at them, his acting done, replaced by a cold grin. "You three are about to get exactly what you deserve."
The thugs frowned, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. Chin raised his fist again. "We're done talking, brat. Time for a-"
"Will you loud, annoying pieces of garbage... shut the hell up?"
The voice was rough, abrasive, and unmistakably female. It cut through the alley like a whip, silencing everyone. It held the tone of someone with a monster of a hangover and absolutely zero patience left.
The three thugs turned slowly, their expressions a mix of anger and confusion, which instantly morphed into disbelief.
Subaru, too, looked up, his eyes widening.
Standing behind the thugs, leaning against the alley wall, was a figure of absolute dominance. She was incredibly tall, easily dwarfing the three thugs. Her mane of fiery, crimson red hair was wild and unkempt. A thick black eyepatch covered her left eye.
She was wearing a crimson kimono, but the way she wore it was brazen. The right side of the garment was draped loosely, but the left side was completely discarded, revealing a muscular shoulder, arm, and an immense breast that was aggressively bound with bandages.
Her single visible eye, sharp and full of irritation, glared at the thugs.
Subaru’s face flushed beet red. He couldn't help where his eyes darted. “If it weren't for those bandages, she'd be a straight-up exhibitionist!” he screamed internally, quickly averting his gaze. His mind was racing, trying to process the deviation from the timeline. “Wait, why am I only seeing her now? This is my fourth time in this alley. What changed in this loop?”
The three thugs were caught in a bizarre mix of primal terror and blatant arousal. The woman was massive. Even Ton, who usually relied on his intimidating bulk to bully others, looked like a scrawny child standing next to her.
Suddenly, the red-haired woman paused. She lifted her chin slightly and sniffed the air, her single visible eye narrowing. Her gaze snapped directly onto Subaru.
"The hell ya doin' here?" she barked. Her voice was rough, unrefined, and incredibly loud.
Subaru pointed a trembling finger at his own chest, looking over his shoulder just to be absolutely sure. "Uh... are you talking to me?"
"Yeah, you, dumbass." she scoffed, crossing her massive arms under her chest. "Ya go stupid over the years we ain't seen each other?"
"I…I really think you have the wrong guy." Subaru stammered, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.
Her visible eye twitched in frustration. "Flugel." she growled, spitting the name out like a heavy accusation. "Ain't no mistakin' that stench. It's yours. Only you stink like that."
She took a heavy step toward him, but her path was abruptly blocked by the three thugs. Having recovered from their initial shock, their crude confidence was creeping back in.
"Hey now, big lady." Chin sneered, licking his lips as he looked her up and down. "How about a deal? Let us cop a feel, and we promise we won't hurt ya. We'll even leave the little brat alone."
The woman stopped. She looked down at the thugs, her expression shifting from mild annoyance to utter, bored disgust. "Outta my way. Yer too weak. Ain't even worth the sweat to squash ya."
Insulted, Chin’s face twisted into a snarl. He drew his twin daggers, crouching into a combat stance. "You bitch, I'll cut-"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence.
The woman didn't draw a weapon. She barely even shifted her stance. With a casual, almost lazy flick of her long leg, she delivered a sweeping kick. The impact sounded like a cannon firing.
BOOM.
Ton, Chin, and Kan didn't just fly back, they were launched like ragdolls fired from a catapult. They slammed into the brick wall of the adjacent building with such absurd force that the stone shattered. The three of them disappeared into a thick cloud of dust and debris inside the ruined structure, instantly knocked out cold.
Subaru’s jaw practically detached from his skull. He stared at the massive, gaping hole in the building, then back at the red-haired woman. She was already picking at her ear with her pinky finger, looking completely unbothered by the destruction she just caused.
“What the…” Subaru's mind short-circuited. He had thought Elsa was an unbelievably strong, overpowered psychopath. But this... this was something else entirely. Elsa suddenly had some serious competition.
Subaru waved his hands frantically, taking a desperate step back from the towering woman. "Look, lady, you've got the wrong guy! Seriously! My name is Natsuki Subaru! Not Flugel, or whatever! I don't know who that is, and I definitely don't know why I smell!"
The red-haired woman pinched the bridge of her nose, her single eye squeezing shut as if his loud voice was physically damaging her brain.
"Cut the crap." she groaned, her voice rough and grating. "Ya think playin' dumb is gonna get ya off the hook? Walkin' around stinkin' of her right to my face? That witch's stench is all over ya, Flugel. Ain't no hidin' it."
"I'm not playing dumb! I'm just Subaru! I don't even know what witch you're talking about!"
Her eye snapped open, glaring down at him with a dangerous mix of irritation and a throbbing hangover. She completely ignored his frantic, honest explanations. In a blur of motion, her large, calloused hand shot out and grabbed the front collar of his tracksuit.
"Gah-!" Subaru choked out as his feet were abruptly lifted off the cobblestones. He dangled in the air, face-to-face with the massive woman, kicking his legs uselessly like a caught fish.
"Listen here, ya runt." She growled, leaning in so close he could smell the faint, stale aroma of alcohol on her breath. "My head's poundin' like a damn war drum, my throat's dry as a desert, and I'm starvin' after yesterday's bender. I ain't in the mood for yer stupid games."
She gave him a slight, rattling shake, making his teeth clack together.
"We're findin' a tavern. Get me some booze and grub. Now. And yer payin'."
"B-But I don't have any money!" Subaru squeaked, clutching futilely at her iron grip. "I'm literally broke! I just got here!"
She let out a harsh, barking laugh, though she didn't loosen her hold. "Like I care. Figure it out, 'Subaru'. Or I'll use ya as collateral."
Without waiting for another word of protest, she spun around on her footwear. Carrying the struggling teenage boy by his jacket as if he weighed no more than a stray kitten, they began marching out of the ruined alleyway.
Subaru bounced uncomfortably with every heavy step the massive woman took, his tracksuit jacket digging painfully into his armpits. Being hauled around like a misbehaving toddler by a woman nearly twice his size was doing absolute wonders for his ego.
"Okay, okay! Wait! Stop!" Subaru flailed, trying to find some purchase for his feet in the air. "At least tell me your name before you completely kidnap me!"
The woman stopped so abruptly that Subaru swung forward like a pendulum. She slowly brought him closer to her face, her single visible eye burning with a mixture of disbelief and profound irritation.
"Are ya actually messin' with me right now?" she growled, her voice a low rumble that vibrated right through his chest. "It's Reida. Reida Astrea. How much booze did ya chug to forget my name? And while we're at it..." She squinted, using her free hand to poke at the nylon material of his jacket. "What the hell are these weird rags yer wearin'? Where's yer usual getup? Ya look like a damn clown."
"For the last time, I'm not who you think I am!" Subaru yelled, his voice cracking. "I'm Natsuki Subaru! I've been here for barely a few hours!"
Reida stared at him, her expression shifting from angry to confused, and then to deeply analytical. She dropped him slightly, just enough so his toes could barely graze the cobblestones, and leaned in uncomfortably close.
"Impossible." she muttered, her breath smelling of stale sake. "I don't remember ya ever havin' a twin. So if ya ain't Flugel..." Her eye suddenly went wide with a scandalous realization. "Wait. Don't tell me. Are ya his brat? Did he actually go and spawn a kid with that half-elf?!"
Before Subaru could even process the question, Reida's large hand clamped onto the side of his head. She roughly turned his face to the side, forcefully pushing his black hair out of the way to inspect his ear.
"Ow, ow, ow! Hey, watch it!"
"No pointy ears." Reida concluded, tossing his head back with a disappointed click of her tongue. "Just round, human ears. Guess yer just a weird-lookin' copycat with his stench."
Subaru rubbed the side of his head, his mind spinning. “Wait a second... a half-elf? This Flugel guy she keeps talking about was involved with a half-elf?” The realization hit him like a brick. The beautiful girl with silver hair who had saved him in his first loop, she was a half-elf too. Was that just a coincidence, or was there some bizarre connection here?
Before he could dive deeper into his detective work, a sound echoed through the alley. It was a loud, rumbling growl, sounding suspiciously like a dying beast. It came directly from Reida’s stomach.
Subaru blinked. "Are you... hungry?"
Reida scowled, clutching her bandaged midriff. "Felt like I haven't eaten in a damn century. I could devour a whole ground dragon right now."
A lightbulb went off in Subaru's head. This was his chance. "Look, if you put me down, I can give you something to eat right now. A trade. Deal?"
Reida eyed him suspiciously. Her stomach roared again, louder this time, settling the debate. With a heavy sigh, she unceremoniously dropped him. Subaru landed on his rear with a pathetic thud.
"Alright, cough it up. Whatcha got?" she demanded, crossing her arms.
Scrambling to his feet, Subaru reached into the plastic convenience store bag he had been tightly gripping this whole time. He rummaged through his meager supplies and pulled out a brightly colored bag of corn snacks.
"Here." he said, popping the bag open with a satisfying pop. "It's not much, but it's basically food from my homeland. It might help hold you over."
Reida snatched the crinkling bag from his hands, eyeing the alien packaging with mild curiosity. Without hesitation, she tipped her head back, raised the bag, and poured the entire contents directly into her mouth.
Subaru watched in absolute horror as she didn't even chew properly. A loud, aggressive crunching sound echoed off the alley walls as she pulverized the corn snacks in seconds and swallowed them dry.
"Huh." Reida grunted, licking a speck of salt off her thumb. "Salty. Weird texture. But good." Her eye locked onto his plastic bag like a predator spotting prey. "Where'd ya get that? Give me the rest."
"Wait, I don't have-!"
In a blink of an eye, her hand darted into his bag. She pulled out his prized possession: a cup of instant ramen.
"Hey, no, wait! That's my last-!"
CRACK.
Reida didn't bother looking for an opening. She just ripped the cardboard lid off, took out the solid brick of dry, uncooked noodles, and bit into it like it was a giant biscuit.
Subaru stood frozen, his mouth hanging wide open in sheer disbelief. "You... you're supposed to pour boiling water over that and let it steep..." he whispered weakly.
"Crunchy." Reida mumbled, chewing loudly through the raw noodles and the packets of dry seasoning. She swallowed hard, tapping her chest. "A bit dry, but on an empty stomach, it ain't half bad."
She crushed the empty cup in her fist and tossed it aside. "Still hungry. And now my throat's parched." She looked around the empty, ruined alley, scratching the back of her fiery red hair. "Man, where the hell is Alec? I usually just bum some coins off him when I need a drink."
"I have absolutely no idea who Alec is." Subaru sighed, dusting off his tracksuit. He looked up at the towering, woman who was currently picking dry noodle bits out of her teeth. He took a deep breath. He needed her. Elsa was going to be at the loot house soon, and this woman was the only thing standing between him and a fourth gruesome death.
"Listen, Reida." Subaru said, trying to sound as serious as possible. "I don't have money, and I don't have booze. But I need your help to recover something really important. If you help me, I promise I'll find a way to get you the biggest feast you've ever seen."
Reida stopped picking her teeth. She slowly looked down at him, her eye narrowing in a mix of exhaustion and familiarity. She let out a long, dramatic sigh that ruffled her wild crimson hair.
"Gods above, yer just as annoyin' as I remember." she grumbled, resting her hand on her hip. "Alright, spit it out. What did ya lose this time?"
Subaru rubbed the back of his neck, trying to sound convincing. "Look, I promised this... girl that I'd help her find something she lost. But I can't do it alone because there's a ridiculously strong opponent standing in my way. Someone I absolutely cannot beat."
Reida, who had been lazily scratching her chin, suddenly went completely still. Her single blue eye widened, and a terrifying, razor-sharp grin split her face.
"A strong opponent, ya say?" Her voice dropped an octave, vibrating with sudden, predatory excitement. She cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing like breaking stones in the alleyway. "Now yer speakin' my language! A good brawl is exactly what I need to cure this damn hangover. Lead the way, boy!"
Subaru blinked, utterly bewildered. “Seriously? That's all it took? Just the mention of a strong enemy and she's ready to go?”
Reida suddenly patted her hips, her grin faltering into a frown. "Hold on a sec. Looks like I lost my sword somewhere during yesterday's bender." She reached into the folds of her crimson kimono and pulled out two slightly chipped, wooden chopsticks. "Well, whatever. Still got my trusty sticks. These'll do."
"Wait, you lost your sword?" Subaru asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "How do you even lose a sword?"
"It's a huge piece of metal." Reida scoffed, waving the chopsticks dismissively. "Only a completely blind idiot would miss it. I'll find it eventually."
Subaru couldn't help himself. He gestured to her face. "Well, you do have an eyepatch. Doesn't that make you half-blind already?"
Reida paused. Instead of getting angry, she threw her head back and let out a booming, genuine laugh. "Hah! Ya know, someone else told me that exact same thing a long time ago!"
With a casual flick of her fingers, she grabbed the thick black eyepatch and pulled it up. Subaru braced himself, expecting a gruesome scar or a missing eye. Instead, he found himself staring into two perfectly healthy, stunningly clear blue eyes. They were sharp, vibrant, and breathtakingly beautiful.
For a moment, Subaru felt his face heat up. A deep blush crept across his cheeks. “When she's not talking or breaking things, she's actually ridiculously gorgeous.” he thought, his heart doing a stupid little flip. “But the second she opens her mouth, she acts like a rampaging orc from a fantasy RPG!”
"Wait." Subaru sputtered, pointing at her flawless eyes. "If both your eyes work fine, why do you wear the patch? Are you purposely nerfing yourself?!"
Reida lowered the eyepatch back into place, cocking her head to the side. "'Nerfin'? The hell does that mean?" She stared intently at his flustered face, gears turning in her head. "Ya know, ya use the exact same weird, made-up words he used to use. That seals it."
She slammed her fist into her open palm. "Ya didn't just forget me, Flugel. Ya hit yer head somewhere and scrambled yer brains completely! That explains the stupid clothes and the amnesia!"
"I literally just told you I'm not-!"
"But ya know what else this means?" Reida interrupted, her grin returning, but this time, it was a completely different, much more dangerous kind of smile. "If yer memories are gone... and that uptight half-elf ain't hangin' around ya right now..."
Before Subaru could even register her movement, Reida lunged forward. She grabbed the back of his head with her massive hand and pulled him forcefully into her chest.
Subaru’s face collided directly with the aggressive wall of bandages wrapped around her ample cleavage.
"Since she ain't here." Reida declared triumphantly, her voice booming from above him, "I finally have the upper hand! I ain't lettin' ya slip away this time, Flugel!"
"Mmph! Mmmphhhh!" Subaru flailed his arms wildly, his voice entirely muffled by her chest. He pushed against her stomach, but it was like trying to move a brick wall with his bare hands. Reida’s grip on the back of his head was absolute.
His face was burning, utterly completely red from both extreme embarrassment and a rapid lack of oxygen. The scent of sake, sweat, and something strangely sweet filled his senses. His lungs started to burn.
“Is this it?” Subaru panicked internally, his vision starting to swim. “Is this how my fourth loop ends? Suffocating in the cleavage of a giant woman?! It’s a beautiful way to go, sure, but I'D REALLY RATHER NOT DIE AGAIN!”
His vision was fading to black at the edges. In a final, desperate act of self-preservation, Subaru brought up his hands and started furiously tapping on Reida’s shoulder, signaling a frantic submission just like a wrestler tapping out of a chokehold. Tap! Tap! Tap!
"Huh?" Reida blinked, looking down at the squirming boy. She loosened her iron grip just a fraction.
Subaru immediately tore himself away, collapsing onto the dirty cobblestones. He landed on his hands and knees, taking massive, greedy gulps of air, coughing and wheezing like a dying man.
"The hell's wrong with ya?" Reida asked, crossing her arms, looking genuinely confused. "Ya hyperventilatin' from excitement or somethin'? I know it's been a while, but pull yerself together."
Subaru held up a shaking finger, signaling her to wait just a second while his lungs remembered how to function. “Okay, Plan A of denying my identity is completely dead.” he realized, wiping a tear from his eye. “If I keep telling her I’m not Flugel, she's either going to suffocate me with her chest or snap my spine just to prove a point. I just need to survive today.”
He slowly forced himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the brick wall. He looked at the towering, crimson-haired menace and decided to play the only cards he had left.
"Okay... pant... fine." Subaru wheezed, doing his best to sound serious despite his raspy voice. "You win. But listen to me, Reida. The one standing in my way... the person who has the stuff I need... she's not just a regular thug."
Reida raised an eyebrow, a predatory smirk playing on her lips. "Oh? Do tell."
"She's a ruthless, psychotic woman. And right now, she's holed up in a place called the Loot House, deep in the slums." Subaru took a deep breath, preparing his ultimate bribe. "If you come with me right now... if you use those chopsticks to absolutely crush her into dust... I make you a promise."
Subaru pointed dramatically at her. "I will buy you the biggest, heaviest barrel of the finest sake in this entire capital. And I'll pair it with a literal mountain of roasted meat. As much as you can possibly eat and drink, on me. Deal?"
The alley went dead silent.
Reida stood completely still. Her single blue eye widened. The throbbing pain of her hangover seemed to vanish instantly, replaced by a pure, unadulterated vision of paradise, a glorious, violent brawl followed by an ocean of free alcohol.
A terrifying, toothy grin spread across her face, stretching from ear to ear. She cracked her neck, the sound echoing like a pistol shot.
"A psycho to warm up my blood, and a mountain of booze and meat waitin' at the finish line?" Reida let out a booming, boisterous laugh that shook the nearby windows. "Now yer talkin', Flugel! That's the man I remember!"
Before Subaru could even let out a sigh of relief, Reida lunged forward. She didn't grab his hand or his collar. Instead, she scooped him up horizontally, tucking him tightly under her muscular arm like a sack of potatoes.
"Gah! Hey!" Subaru yelped as his feet dangled helplessly in the air.
"Alright, lover boy!" Reida roared, her voice echoing with booming enthusiasm. "Point me towards these slums! We got an assassin to squash and a barrel of sake with my name on it!"
With a single, explosive push of her legs, Reida launched them out of the alley, moving with a speed that absolutely terrified the trapped teenage boy tucked under her arm.
If Subaru thought being carried under Reida’s arm was embarrassing, he quickly learned that it was nothing compared to the sheer, terrifying speed at which the she could run.
Reida blurred through the crowded cobblestone streets of Lugunica like a crimson whirlwind. Wind slammed into Subaru’s face with enough force to peel his skin back, his black hair whipping wildly in every direction. Market stalls flew past in a chaotic blur of vibrant colors and shattered wooden crates.
"WHOA-! WATCH OUT! MOVE! WATCH THE APPLES!" Subaru shrieked, his voice reaching a pitch so high it vibrated his own throat.
Reida didn't bother dodging the bustling crowds, people were simply hurled left and right by the massive atmospheric pressure created by her movement. Fruit flipped through the air, merchants dived for cover, and pedestrians screamed as the towering, half-naked woman sprinted past them like an unstoppable juggernaut.
"HEY! SLOW DOWN, YOU CRAZY WOMAN!" Subaru bellowed, his hands frantically clawing at her kimono. "SLOW DOWN! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING!"
The sudden realization hit Reida like a bucket of cold water.
She slammed her footwear into the cobblestones. The friction produced a sound like screeching iron, leaving a pair of smoking, charred skid marks five meters long into the stone street before she gritted her teeth and came to a dead halt.
"Tch!" Reida snapped, the sudden stop causing Subaru's legs to swing forward with whiplash force. "Ya should've said somethin' sooner, dumbass!"
"I WAS SAYING IT THE WHOLE TIME!" Subaru wheezed, dizzy and clutching his stomach. "Put me down! Put me down right now! We have plenty of time before your opponent even shows up!"
Reida scoffed in absolute disgust, unceremoniously dropping Subaru onto the street. He collapsed into a pathetic heap, his legs wobbling like freshly poured jelly.
"Pah! An opponent who ain't even ready yet?" Reida crossed her massive arms, clicking her tongue with deep disappointment. "And here I thought I was gonna get to tear someone apart right away. What a waste of my hype." She looked down at Subaru with a judgmental glare. "And what was with all that high-pitched squealin'? Yer as weak as ever, screaming like a terrified little girl the second we pick up a little speed."
Subaru rubbed his knees, panting heavily. "Normal humans don't break the sound barrier on foot! That wasn't speed, that was a natural disaster!"
"Yeah, yeah, keep whinin'." Reida waved a hand dismissively. She suddenly leaned down, squinting her single eye at him. "Say... what about those spells Echidna was tryin' to shove into yer head? Ya remember any o' that magic crap?"
Subaru froze, staring up at her blankly. "Echidna? Who the hell is Echidna?! I don't know any spells! I don't even know how magic works in this world!"
Reida stared at him for three long seconds before letting out an exhausted, suffering groan. "Gimme a break... Ya really are completely useless right now, ain't ya? Total dead weight." She scratched her fiery red hair violently, messing it up even further. "Guess I'll have to teach ya swordsmanship like I tried to back then. Always wanted to make a real fighter outta ya, but that damn, clingy half-elf kept draggin' ya away every time we were supposed to train."
Subaru squinted at her, his self-preservation instinct taking a backseat to his sheer skepticism. "Teach me swordsmanship? No offense, but you don't even have a sword right now! Are you really that confident you can protect me with just a pair of wooden chopsticks?"
Reida stared at him, and then her shoulders began to shake. A deep, loud laugh rumbled up from her chest until she was howling with amusement.
"Confident? Without a sword?!" She bent over, slapping her knee, her roaring laughter drawing fearful stares from the recovering merchants around them. "Kid, if I had a mind to, I could obliterate this whole damn city with a single flick of my finger! Sword or no sword, I am the goddamn ceiling o' this world!"
She wiped a tear of laughter from her single visible eye, though her expression slowly settled into something more confused as she looked around the bustling dragon-drawn carriages and stone architecture.
"Speakin' of which..." Reida rubbed her temples, a dull thudding returning to her hangover. "Where the hell are we, anyway? Last thing I remember before I passed out was pitch black."
"Uh..." Subaru looked around, recognizing the western-style fantasy buildings. "I think the locals called this place the Kingdom of Lugunica?"
"HUH?!" Reida’s voice boomed so loud that a dragon pulls-cart nearby bolted in fright. "Lugunica?! How the hell did we wind up all the way here?! We were just in Banan!"
"Don't ask me! I told you I got here today!"
"Tch, whatever." Reida muttered, rolling her bare, muscular shoulder with a heavy sigh. "Guess it works out fine anyway. We can swing by and hit up Farsale later to borrow some coin, that bastard owes me a favor after last time. Wonder where that big, stupid dragon Volcanica is loafin' around, too..."
"STOP! JUST STOP!" Subaru threw his hands over his ears, his head throbbing from sensory overload. "Time out! My brain is going to melt! Echidna, Banan, Farsale, Volcanica, I don't know who or what any of those things are! Can we please just take this one disaster at a time?!"
He stepped closer to her, pointing a stern finger at her chest. "First, we get back the stolen item from the Loot House and smash the Bowel Hunter. Then we can worry about borrowing money from 'Farsale' or looking for giant dragons!"
Reida blinked down at the trembling, desperate teenager. Then, a slow, wide grin softened her rough features.
"Hah!" Reida barked out a short laugh. Before Subaru could react, her massive, heavy hand slammed down onto his head, not to crush him, but to aggressively ruffle his black hair until it was standing on end. "At least ya haven't lost that sharp little tongue o' yours! Yer still a bossy little bastard!"
"Ow! Stop! You're gonna pull my scalp off!" Subaru protested, ducking out from under her massive palm. He quickly smoothed down his ruined hair and took a deep breath, looking her straight in her single blue eye.
"And one more thing." Subaru said quietly, his voice dead serious. "Please... stop calling me Flugel. My name is Natsuki Subaru. Just... call me Subaru."
Reida paused, her hand hovering in the air. She looked at him, really looked at him, taking in his strange black-and-orange tracksuit, his fierce, unyielding gaze, and the utter lack of divine strength in his body.
A mischievous, wicked glint flashed in her eye. She leaned her upper body down until her face was millimeters from his. Her single blue eye locked onto his, and when she opened her mouth, her voice dropped into a low, smooth, dangerously sultry register that vibrated right through Subaru’s chest.
"...Su~ba~ru."
A nuclear wave of heat exploded across Subaru’s face. His ears burned, his cheeks went crimson, and his heart slammed against his ribs like a trapped bird.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Subaru shrieked internally, his mind instantly short-circuiting. “Why did she say it like that?! Is she doing this on purpose to mess with me, or is she completely oblivious to how terrifyingly attractive she actually is?!”
Before he could stammer out a response, Reida straightened up with a loud chuckle. In a flash of terrifyingly casual strength, she reached down, grabbed Subaru by his waist, and effortlessly tossed him up.
"Whoa-!"
Subaru landed square on her shoulders, sitting atop the towering woman like a child at a parade.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Subaru yelled, grabbing onto her fiery red hair to keep from falling off the two-meter-high vantage point. "I have legs! I can walk!"
"Shut yer mouth." Reida barked, holding onto his ankles with an iron grip so he couldn't wriggle free. "From here on out, I'm lookin' after ya. Yer so pathetic and weak ya couldn't even handle those three pathetic thugs in the alley. If I let ya walk, someone'll step on ya."
She smirked up at him, her eye full of arrogant pride. "Now hold on tight, 'Subaru'. Point me toward these damn slums!"
Minutes earlier, in the shadowy alley where the three thugs had been effortlessly blasted through a wall...
Groans of agony echoed from the thick cloud of dust and shattered bricks. Ton held his fractured arm with a hiss, Chin spat out a mouthful of grit, and Kan was sprawled out on his back, staring blankly at the sky.
Heavy, elegant footsteps approached the mouth of the alley.
"Pardon me. Are you three alright? Do you require medical assistance?"
The voice was calm, polite, and refined, a stark contrast to the rough environment.
"G-Get lost, ya damn busybody!" Ton snapped without looking up, clutching his swollen ribs. "Mind yer own business before I-"
Ton froze. As he lifted his head, his words choked in his throat.
Standing before them was a young man clad in the pristine white uniform of the Royal Guard. He had striking, fiery red hair and eyes as blue as a clear summer sky. A legendary sword rested at his hip.
The three thugs went pale. The sheer, overwhelming pressure radiating off the young man was unmistakable.
"S-Sword Saint..." Chin squeaked, shrinking back into the rubble.
"Reinhard van Astrea!" Kan stammered, dropping to his knees. "W-We weren't doing anything illegal! We swear! We're the victims here!"
Reinhard offered them a gentle, apologetic smile, though his sharp eyes surveyed the massive hole in the building with mild concern. "I am not here to arrest you. I simply heard the impact and came to check for casualties. Who could have caused such structural damage?"
Chin looked at Reinhard, then blinked, his mind making a sudden, bizarre connection. He nudged Kan in the ribs. "Hey... didn't that crazy chick look kind of like him?"
Kan stared at Reinhard’s face, his jaw dropping. "Y-Yeah! Red hair, sharp blue eye..."
Reinhard’s eyebrows lifted in polite curiosity. "Pardon? Someone who looked like me?"
"Yes!" Chin blurted out, shaking like a leaf. "Some giant woman with crimson hair! She didn't even draw a weapon, she just flicked her leg and launched all three of us right through this wall with a single kick!"
"A giant woman... with red hair?" Reinhard’s tone dipped, a rare shade of melancholy crossing his flawless features. "I am afraid you must be mistaken. There are currently no living women in the van Astrea family with red hair."
"We ain't lying!" Ton yelled, wincing as he held his arm. "She was a total monster! She had to be related to the van Astrea line! Who else has physical strength like that?!"
Reinhard stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Did she say what she wanted from you?"
"N-Nothing from us!" Kan offered quickly. "She didn't care about us at all. But she grabbed some weird kid in a black-and-orange weird clothing and kept calling him 'Flugel', you know, like the giant Flugel Tree!"
“Flugel?” Reinhard noted the name internally, a subtle frown forming on his face.
"I see." Reinhard said softly, bowing his head slightly toward the injured thugs. "Thank you for the information. Please head to the nearest clinic to tend to your injuries."
With that, the Sword Saint turned and departed the alleyway.
Reinhard walked through the bustling main thoroughfares of the Capital, but the peaceful atmosphere was abruptly shattered when he turned onto one of the primary commercial avenues.
The street looked as though a localized hurricane had swept through it.
Market stalls lay shattered on the cobblestones. Canvas awnings hung in shreds. Wooden crates were crushed, and fruit rolled lazily through the gutters. Pedestrians were huddled near the walls, murmuring in absolute shock, while shopkeepers frantically tried to salvage their goods.
Reinhard immediately heightened his senses, his gaze scanning the area for any signs of an ongoing attack. But as he analyzed the destruction, his keen eyes picked up something extraordinary.
“Shattered wood... overturned carts... yet not a single drop of blood. No civilian injuries.”
Whoever had moved through here at blinding speed possessed such terrifying precision that despite the absolute chaos, they had deliberately avoided harming a single innocent bystander.
"Hey Sword Saint! Over here!"
A burly, rough-looking appa merchant pushed his way through the crowd, holding a bruised green fruit in his hand. It was Kadomon.
"Ah, Kadomon-san." Reinhard greeted him, stepping forward. "I was just about to ask someone what occurred here. This is quite an unusual sight for the main district."
"Unusual?!" Kadomon barked, waving his bruised appa frantically. "It was an absolute disaster! I want to file an official complaint! Some tall woman and a weirdly dressed kid, the same brat I tried sellin' appas to earlier, just tore through the street like a runaway dragon cart!"
Reinhard’s eyes widened slightly. “Again... a tall woman.”
"Kadomon-san." Reinhard asked gently, "did this tall woman happen to have crimson hair, similar to my own?"
"Yes!" Kadomon yelled, slapping his knee. "She looked like a female, giant version of you, Sword Saint! Except her mouth was filthy enough to make a merchant blush, and she was screamin' at the top of her lungs!"
"I see..." Reinhard closed his eyes for a moment, processing the absurd reports. A woman with van Astrea features, monstrous strength, using the name 'Flugel', moving at godlike speeds... "Did you happen to overhear where they were heading?"
"Yeah." Kadomon grunted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I heard the kid shout somethin' about the Slums before she scooped him up and took off."
"The Slums." Reinhard repeated softly. He bowed politely to the merchant. "Thank you for the crucial information, Kadomon-san. I will immediately notify the Knights to send a squad here to assist everyone in cleaning up and assessing the financial damages. The Guard will compensate the merchants."
"Ah... thank you, Sword Saint." Kadomon muttered, visibly relieved.
Reinhard turned toward the Slums, his expression turning solemn. “A mystery woman with the traits of my family, heading to the Slums with a boy... I must investigate this personally.”
Back in the present moment...
Subaru sat perched high atop Reida’s broad, muscular shoulders, his hands tightly gripping her wild crimson hair to avoid tumbling to the cobblestones below.
His face was completely, shamelessly beet red. Sitting atop a breathtakingly powerful, brazenly dressed woman who treated him like a toddler was a heavy blow to his teenage pride, especially with the lingering sensation of her sultry voice still echoing in his ears.
Reida marched down the road toward the Slums with long, confident strides, completely unbothered by the weight on her shoulders.
She tilted her head back slightly, her single blue eye rolling up to look at the blushing boy sitting on her. A wide, wicked smirk spread across her face.
"So." Reida rumbled, her voice vibrant and full of playful malice. "Ya cozy up there, kid?"
Subaru’s face burned even hotter, if that was physically possible. He gripped a thick strand of her crimson hair like a lifeline. "Shut up! Just... focus on walking! And watch your head, the alleys are getting narrow!"
Reida merely chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that vibrated right through his legs, and carried him effortlessly as the scenery shifted. The pristine stone architecture of the Capital's main avenues slowly bled into the cramped, foul-smelling, and shadowed pathways of the Slums.
Normally, Subaru would be on edge in a place like this. But riding on the shoulders of her was essentially the equivalent of driving a main battle tank through a rough neighborhood.
Soon, an enormous, dilapidated wooden structure loomed at the end of a dead-end street. The Loot House.
"Okay, this is it." Subaru whispered, patting her shoulder. "Put me down."
Reida grunted, grabbing him by the waist and unceremoniously dropping him onto the dirt. Subaru quickly brushed off his tracksuit and cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.
"Listen closely, Reida." Subaru instructed, adopting what he hoped was a serious, tactical tone. "The people inside have the stolen item, but they aren't the real enemy. The assassin should be arriving soon. We need to be careful and negotiate first. Don't spook them, understand? Let me do the talking. We're just going to knock politely and-"
"Polite?" Reida scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yer kiddin', right? We ain't got time for tea parties, Subaru. We got an assassin to squash and booze to drink."
"Just let me handle this!" Subaru insisted, stepping up to the massive, heavy doors of the Loot House. He raised a polite fist, preparing to knock rhythmically. "Excuse me! Hello? Is anyone ho-"
Subaru didn't even get to touch the wood.
A blur of crimson and bare leg flashed in his peripheral vision. Reida didn't just kick the door; she delivered a casual, devastating front push-kick with enough force to shatter a castle gate.
KRACK-BOOOOM!
The massive wooden doors didn't just open, they exploded inward, ripped clean off their heavy iron hinges. Splinters of wood flew into the cavernous room like shrapnel, and a cloud of dust erupted into the air.
Subaru stood frozen, his politely raised fist still hanging in the empty air where the door used to be. "I said... knock..." he squeaked pitifully.
"I did knock." Reida grunted, dusting off her leg. She ducked her head slightly to step through the massive doorframe, marching into the Loot House like she owned the place. "I just knocked hard. They heard it, didn't they?"
Inside, the dust began to settle, revealing a scene of absolute, terrified chaos.
Behind the counter stood Old Man Rom. The Giant was a massive, imposing figure who usually intimidated anyone who walked into his shop. But as Rom snatched up his enormous, spike-covered club, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Standing before him was a woman who was the tallest woman he had ever seen, although she wasn't as tall as he was, she was just as imposing. The sheer, suffocating pressure of her fighting spirit filled the room, making the air feel heavy and hard to breathe.
"What in the bloody hell?!" Rom bellowed, gripping his club so tight his knuckles turned white. He took a defensive step back, his survival instincts screaming at him.
Felt peeked over the edge of the wood, her eyes wide with panic. "Old Man Rom! What is that monster?!"
Reida stopped in the middle of the room, her hands resting casually on her hips. She looked Rom up and down with her single blue eye, clearly unimpressed.
"Oi, big guy." Reida called out, her voice rough and booming in the enclosed space. "Ya the 'strong opponent' this brat was whinin' about? Yer big, sure, but ya look slow as molasses. This is gonna be borin'."
Rom gritted his teeth, raising his club higher. "I don't know who you are, lady, but you just made a massive mistake breaking into my-"
"WAIT! TIME OUT! HOLD ON!"
Subaru sprinted into the room, waving his arms frantically, planting himself directly between them.
"We come in peace! Mostly!" Subaru yelled, his voice cracking under the pressure. He pointed frantically at Reida. "She's with me! And she's not here to fight you, Rom! She's here for the assassin!"
Rom blinked, looking from the strange boy in the weird clothes to the terrifying red-haired woman. "...Assassin? Who the hell are you kid, and how do you know my name?"
Reida clicked her tongue, letting out a heavy sigh of disappointment. "Tch. So the big guy ain't the main course? Then where's this damn assassin, Subaru? My throat's gettin' dry waitin' for that sake ya promised me."
"Nobody needs to fight! We are going to handle this like civilized adults! I'm just here to talk and get back something that was stolen, okay? I don't want anyone getting hurt!"
Reida clicked her tongue loudly, leaning her weight on one leg. "Boring." she grumbled, cracking her knuckles. "I came all this way to bash someone's head in, Subaru."
Subaru shot her a frantic, pleading glare. "Not right now! Please!"
Reida let out a long, exaggerated sigh that ruffled her crimson hair. She looked around the dilapidated room, her single blue eye instantly zeroing in on the shelves behind the giant old man. Bottles of varying shapes and sizes were lined up in the shadows. She licked her lips, her hangover screaming for a cure.
"Oi, big guy." Reida called out, pointing a calloused finger at Rom. "Give me some of that booze. I'm parched enough to drink a whole river."
Rom gripped his club tightly, his eyes darting between her bare, muscular arms and the shattered remains of his front door. "You're paying for that door before you get a single drop of alcohol from me!"
"I've got the payment covered!" Subaru quickly interjected, digging into the pocket of his tracksuit. He pulled out his trusty flip phone. "I'll pay for the door, and I want to make a deal for the stolen item with this!"
From behind the wooden counter, Felt finally stood up fully. The petite, blonde thief pointed an accusing finger at Subaru, her eyes filled with a mix of suspicion and utter bewilderment.
"Hold on a second! Who the heck are you?!" Felt demanded, her gaze then shifting to the towering woman standing next to him. "And who the hell is this giant lady with the massive boobs?! Did you hire a monster to track me down?!"
"I am not a monster, I'm a Stick Swinger, you little rat." Reida shot back lazily.
In the background, Rom decided it was safer to appease the terrifying woman. He pulled a dusty bottle from the shelf and grabbed a small wooden cup, preparing to pour her a drink.
Reida didn't even wait. She reached over the counter, snatched the entire glass bottle right out of the giant's hand, popped the cork with her thumb, and tipped it back. Rom watched in sheer, muted horror as she chugged the entire bottle of strong liquor in one single, uninterrupted gulp.
She slammed the empty bottle onto the counter, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Not bad water. Now give me the strong stuff, big guy. That was just a warm-up."
Subaru rubbed his temples, deciding to just let Rom deal with his new, extremely demanding customer. He turned his attention back to Felt.
"Listen to me." Subaru said, pointing at the thief. "I know you stole something earlier today. You stole it from a silver-haired half-elf. I'm here to buy it back from you."
CRACK.
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room. Reida had crushed a second bottle in her grip.
"A half-elf?!" Reida roared, the temperature in the room seemingly dropping by ten degrees. She spun around, glaring daggers at Subaru, her aura flaring up with sudden, terrifying jealousy. "Are ya kiddin' me, Subaru?! Ya dragged me all the way here to fetch somethin' for her?! Hell no! I ain't helpin' ya do a damn thing for that silver-haired witch!"
Subaru flailed his hands in absolute panic. "No! Wait! It's a different half-elf! I swear! It's not the one you're thinking of!"
Reida paused, her eye narrowing suspiciously. "A different one?"
"Y-Yes! Completely different!" Subaru lied through his teeth, sweating profusely. "I don't even know the one you're talking about! This is just... uh... a completely unrelated half-elf! A stranger!"
Reida stared at him for a long, suffocating moment. Finally, she let out a loud "Hmph!", physically turning her back to him like an offended, pouting child. "Whatever. Do what ya want. But I ain't liftin' a finger for it." She slammed her hand on the counter. "Oi, giant! More booze!"
Subaru let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He turned back to Felt, who was staring at the bizarre interaction with her jaw slightly open.
"Anyway." Subaru coughed, holding up his flip phone. "I want to trade for the item you stole. This is a Metia from my homeland. It's an incredibly rare magical artifact that can freeze a moment in time and capture it as a picture."
Felt's eyes instantly widened. As a resident of the slums, the mention of a 'rare magical artifact' translated directly into a mountain of shiny coins in her head.
"I estimate its value at around twenty Holy Gold Coins." Subaru declared confidently.
"Twenty Holy Gold Coins?!" Felt shrieked, practically vibrating with excitement. She slammed her hands on the counter. "Old Man Rom! Look at it! Appraise it right now! Make sure this guy isn't trying to scam us!"
Rom, completely giving up on trying to stop Reida from raiding his liquor supply, reached out with his massive hand. Subaru carefully placed the flip phone onto the giant's thick palm.
Rom pulled a jeweler's loupe from his pocket and pressed it to his eye, leaning in to examine the strange device. He tapped the plastic casing, inspected the glass screen, and marveled at the tiny, intricate buttons.
"Hmm..." Rom mumbled, his gravelly voice filled with genuine awe. "I've never seen anything like this. The materials... I can't even identify what this casing is made of. The craftsmanship is flawless, completely unprecedented in Lugunica."
Rom lowered the loupe and looked at Felt, nodding slowly. "He's not lying, Felt. Given how unique it is, twenty Holy Gold Coins might even be a low estimate. This is the real deal."
Felt’s face lit up with an unholy grin. "Twenty Holy Gold Coins?! Hell yeah! Deal! Hand over that weird magic box, and it’s yours!"
Subaru let out a massive sigh of relief. "Finally... I can actually get that stolen thing back to her..."
BANG!
The shattered remains of the Loot House's doorframe shook as a burst of ice particles scattered into the air. A young girl with long, stunning silver hair and deep violet eyes stormed into the room, out of breath, a small grey spirit floating over her shoulder.
"Stop right there! Return what you stole from me!" ‘Satella’ shouted, her voice ringing clear and authoritative through the dusty room.
Before Subaru could even take a step toward her, the sound of heavy porcelain smashing onto the floor echoed through the bar.
Reida had dropped her third bottle of liquor.
The tall swordswoman slowly turned around, her single blue eye locking onto ‘Satella’. The room felt like it froze in an instant. Reida’s gaze trailed over the long, shimmering silver hair, the delicate elf ears, and the ethereal beauty of the young girl standing in the doorway.
A deadly, suffocating aura bled out from Reida’s body. Her jaw clenched tight, her teeth grinding so hard it sounded like stones crushing together.
"Silver hair... half-elf..." Reida growled, her voice dropping into a terrifying, guttural rumble. She whipped her head around to glare daggers at Subaru. "Ya lied to me, Subaru! That's her! Look at her! That's the damn witch!"
"NO! WAIT! I don't know what other half-elf you're thinking of, but it's definitely not her!" Subaru screamed, flailing his arms in pure, unfiltered panic, physically throwing himself in front of ‘Satella’.
‘Satella’ blinked, completely bewildered by the towering, half-naked, fiery-red-haired woman shouting at her. "Wh-What? Who are you calling a witch?!"
"Shut up, girl! I know that face anywhere!" Reida took a menacing step forward, cracking her knuckles. "I knew ya were full o' crap, Subaru! Ya dragged me all the way here just to help yer little silver-haired-"
"My, my... what a delightfully chaotic party."
A smooth, chillingly sweet female voice cut through the air, dripping with malice.
From the dark, shadowed corner behind the counter, a figure glided into the dim light. She was dressed in revealing black, her long black hair braided over one shoulder, clutching two curved, razor-sharp black blades.
Elsa Granhiert.
"I was planning on keeping our transaction quiet, little thief." Elsa purred, her eyes scanning the room with twisted delight until they landed directly on Reida. "But seeing such an exquisitely powerful woman in a place like this... oh, it makes my heart flutter. I simply can't help myself."
Elsa didn't hesitate. Moving at a speed that left afterimages in the air, she lunged straight toward Subaru and ‘Satella’, her kukri blades flashing in the light, aimed directly at their guts to clear out the distractions.
"Watch out!" ‘Satella’ cried, raising her hands to form an ice shield.
She didn't need to.
"Oi." a voice growled right in front of them.
In a blur of crimson, Reida stepped right between Elsa and Subaru. With a casual, almost bored flick of her wrist, she brought up one of her wooden chopsticks.
CLANG!
The tiny piece of wood collided with Elsa’s lethal steel blade. Sparks exploded in the air as the shockwave blew the surrounding dust into a hurricane. Elsa’s deadly momentum was stopped dead in its tracks by a single wooden stick.
Elsa’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief, her pupils shrinking as the brutal force behind Reida's chopstick pushed her back.
Reida stood tall, towering over the assassin, her single eye burning with absolute, unfiltered fury. She was already pissed off about the silver hair, and now some psycho was interrupting her rant.
"You..." Reida snarled, a terrifying, carnivorous grin spreading across her face as she flexed her other hand, holding her second chopstick. "Ya got a lot o' nerve buttin' into my conversation, ya black-clad leech."
Elsa bounced back, landing gracefully on her feet, a dark, ecstatic blush spreading across her cheeks. "Oh... wonderful... Such force... I wonder what your bowels look like under those bandages...!"
"Ya wanna see my gut?" Reida barked out a short, terrifying laugh. "Try takin' it, bitch! Subaru! Grab that silver-haired brat and sit yer useless ass in the corner! This trash is mine!"
Elsa Granhiert moved like a phantom. To Subaru, she was nothing but a deadly blur of black and flashing steel, her kukri blades slicing through the dim air with lethal precision.
But to Reida Astrea, she was moving entirely in slow motion.
Elsa lunged, aiming a devastating cross-slash directly at Reida’s stomach.
Clack.
Reida didn't step back. She didn't even shift her stance. She merely raised her right hand and caught the intersecting steel blades between the tips of her two wooden chopsticks.
Elsa’s eyes widened. She pushed with all her might, her boots digging into the wooden floorboards, but the tall woman in front of her didn't budge a single millimeter.
"Is this a joke?" Reida muttered, her eye half-closed in sheer boredom.
With a lazy flick of her wrist, Reida twisted the chopsticks. The overwhelming kinetic force instantly shattered Elsa’s stance, throwing the assassin's arms wide open and leaving her chest completely defenseless.
Before Elsa could even gasp, Reida tapped her on the shoulder with the blunt end of the wooden stick.
SQUELCH.
It was just a tap, yet the force behind it acted like a high-pressure invisible blade. A deep gash suddenly erupted across Elsa’s right shoulder, blood spraying into the air.
Elsa flipped backward, creating distance, a soft, euphoric moan escaping her lips as she touched her bleeding shoulder. "Oh... magnificent. Simply magnificent! You fight with mere sticks, yet they bite deeper than the finest steel! Let us dance, you beautiful monster!"
"Shut up, ya creepy bat." Reida groaned, scratching her head with her free hand. "Yer talkin' too much."
Elsa attacked again, bouncing off the walls and the ceiling of the Loot House, turning the environment into her own personal playground. She rained down a flurry of strikes from every conceivable angle, aiming for Reida’s neck, her eyes, her exposed ribs.
Clack. Clack. Crack. Clang.
Reida stood exactly in the center of the room. She was parrying a master assassin's ultimate barrage using only one hand and a pair of dining utensils. The blades never came within a touch of her skin. In fact, Reida looked like she was swatting away an irritating mosquito.
Subaru, watching from behind the safety of an overturned table with ‘Satella’, dragged his jaw off the floor. “I know she's strong, but this is just ridiculous! She's literally playing with a boss-level enemy!”
"Too shallow. Too wide. Footwork's garbage." Reida critiqued loudly over the sound of clashing steel, yawning openly.
She took a single step forward, finally going on the offensive.
It was a bloodbath. Reida didn't aim to kill, she aimed to dismantle. She swung her chopstick, creating a shockwave that sliced open Elsa’s thigh. Elsa stumbled. Reida casually kicked the assassin in the shin, a loud crack echoing through the room as the bone fractured.
As Elsa fell to one knee, Reida spun her chopsticks between her fingers and delivered a blindingly fast series of strikes. Whack, whack, whack! She sliced Elsa’s cheek, and sent the assassin's left kukri blade flying into the rafters with a disarming strike.
Elsa, heavily bleeding and visibly damaged, rolled away. Yet, a twisted, ecstatic smile remained on her face, even as curse in her blood began slowly stitching her wounds back together.
"More..." Elsa panted, her eyes dilated. "Tear me open... let me feel your true strength...!"
Reida completely stopped moving. She lowered her chopsticks, her shoulders slumping in profound, bitter disappointment. The killing intent completely vanished from her aura, replaced by a dark, brooding storm of annoyance.
She turned her back to the bleeding assassin entirely and glared across the room at Subaru.
"Hey. Subaru." Reida’s voice was dangerously quiet.
"Y-Yes?!" Subaru squeaked, poking his head over the wooden table.
Reida pointed her chopstick over her shoulder at Elsa, who was currently preparing for another desperate, masochistic charge.
"I thought ya said there was a 'strong opponent' waitin' for me here." Reida growled, her eye twitching with irritation. "Ya dragged me out of my nap, forced me to run all the way to this dump, and made me look at that silver-haired witch over there... for this?"
"She IS strong!" Subaru defended himself frantically. "She ki- I mean, she's a notorious assassin! Everyone is terrified of her!"
"She's a damn flea!" Reida roared, stomping her foot so hard the entire Loot House shook, dust raining from the ceiling. "I could crush her by accident if I sneezed too hard! She ain't even worth a warm-up, let alone a barrel of sake! Ya lied to me!"
Behind Reida, Elsa saw the opening. The tall woman’s back was completely exposed. With a terrifying burst of speed, Elsa launched herself through the air, her remaining blade aimed directly at Reida’s unprotected spine.
"Behind you!" ‘Satella’ screamed, forming an icicle in her hand.
Reida didn't even look.
As Elsa closed the distance, Reida simply lifted her right leg backward with the casual annoyance of a horse kicking away a fly.
Her geta (or whatever is called) connected squarely with Elsa’s stomach.
BOOM!
The impact sounded like a cannonball hitting a brick wall. All the air was instantly violently expelled from Elsa’s lungs. The Bowel Hunter folded completely in half over Reida's foot, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, completely losing consciousness before she even started flying.
Elsa was launched across the room like a rocket, crashing through two load-bearing wooden pillars and finally embedding herself deep into the thick, stone foundation of the Loot House's back wall. Rubble collapsed on top of the assassin, burying her completely.
The room fell into absolute, deafening silence.
Reida slowly lowered her foot, placing her hands on her hips. She looked back at Subaru, completely unbothered, though her face was twisted into a massive pout.
"See?!" Reida yelled, gesturing angrily at the pile of rubble. "One kick! Didn't even use sword! How am I supposed to cure this hangover without a proper fight?!"
The dust from the Elsa-shaped crater in the wall slowly settled. Reida stared at the rubble for a few seconds longer, as if hoping the assassin would pop back out for round two. When nothing happened, she let out a loud, thoroughly annoyed groan.
She turned her attention back to the giant behind the counter. Rom was currently trying very hard to blend in with the remaining shelves.
"Oi. Big guy." Reida barked, pointing her chopstick at him. "I did the pest control. Now bring me the biggest barrel ya got in this dump."
Rom didn't argue. He didn't even mention the shattered door. The old giant hurriedly ducked into the back room and rolled out a massive, wooden keg of booze, easily large enough to bathe a child in.
Reida kicked a surviving stool out from under a table, sat down with a heavy thud, and didn't bother looking for a tap. She simply punched a hole straight through the solid oak lid with her bare fist, lifted the entire heavy keg with both hands, and began chugging like it was a juice box.
Subaru let out a breath he felt he’d been holding for a lifetime. The monster was temporarily pacified. He turned around to check on the silver-haired girl.
She was staring at the rubble, then at the giant, red-haired woman drinking from a keg, her eyes wide with utter bewilderment.
"Are you... okay?" Subaru asked softly, stepping closer to her.
She blinked, snapping out of her daze, and looked at him. "Oh-kay? I... yes, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for protecting me back there. But... what is going on here? Who is that woman? And who are you?"
Before Subaru could even begin to formulate an excuse that didn't sound completely insane, a loud SLAM echoed through the bar.
Reida had slammed the half-empty keg onto the floor. She wiped a trail of foam from her chin with the back of her forearm. Her single, piercing eye locked directly onto the silver-haired girl. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
"So." Reida rumbled, her voice dripping with alcohol and centuries-old jealousy. "Satella."
The silver-haired girl flinched violently. Her breath hitched, and a flash of deep, genuine pain crossed her beautiful features.
Subaru felt his heart clench.
"Hey! Don't call her that!" Subaru yelled, stepping directly into Reida’s line of sight, shielding the girl with his body. "Her name isn't Satella! Don't you dare call her that!"
Reida scoffed, leaning forward on her stool. She reached out with one massive finger and effortlessly pushed Subaru aside, as if he weighed less than a feather.
"Shut it, Subaru." Reida growled, her eye narrowing. "I ain't blind. I know my rival when I see her. The silver hair, the pointy ears, the stuck-up attitude. Ya think ya can just waltz in here, Satella, and steal my man away from me right under my nose again?!"
The silver-haired girl stepped forward, her hands clenched into small fists at her sides. Despite her obvious confusion, she held her head high, her voice trembling but firm.
"I don't know who you are." she stated clearly. "But calling me by the name of the Jealous Witch is incredibly tasteless and cruel! It is the worst insult imaginable! And I am certainly not trying to steal anyone! I only came here to retrieve my stolen insignia!"
Reida barked out a harsh laugh. "Playin' the victim? Classic. Ya always were a sneaky one, Satella. Actin' all innocent while wrapping him around yer little finger."
"My name is NOT Satella!" she protested, her cheeks flushing with anger.
"I have to agree with Lia on this one."
A high-pitched, echoing voice suddenly joined the conversation. A small cloud of mana gathered above the silver-haired girl's shoulder, taking the shape of a small, grey, floating cat with a long tail and a pink nose.
Puck had arrived.
The great spirit floated forward, crossing his tiny arms, his cute face set in a deceptively serious glare. "You have quite a bit of nerve, big lady. You might be strong, but making my daughter uncomfortable is a massive no-no in my book."
Reida stopped mid-reach for her keg. She squinted her single eye at the floating grey cat, her expression twisting into one of utter disgust.
"A flying rat?" Reida muttered loudly. She looked back at the silver-haired girl and shook her head in mock pity. "Wow, Satella. Yer taste in pets has really gone downhill since the dragon. Did Volcanica finally get sick of yer whining and ditch ya for a furball?"
"I am a Great Spirit, not a rat!" Puck retorted, a sharp icicle materializing in the air beside him. "And if you keep insulting her, I might just have to freeze that big mouth of yours shut."
Subaru grabbed his own hair, feeling like his brain was going to explode. Elsa was unconscious in the wall, the Loot House was half-destroyed, and now his “Saviour” was about to start a bar fight with a Great Spirit over a 400-year-old misunderstanding.
"STOP! EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP FOR FIVE SECONDS!" Subaru screamed at the top of his lungs.
Subaru took a deep breath, preparing to launch into another desperate, loud explanation, but before a single word could leave his mouth, the silver-haired girl stepped firmly in front of him.
She looked Reida squarely in her single eye, her posture radiating a dignified, unwavering grace.
"I truly do not know who you are.” she stated, her voice crystal clear. "My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. It is true that my appearance... strongly resembles that of the Witch of Envy. I am a silver-haired half-elf. But I can assure you, I am absolutely not her."
Reida paused, the half-empty barrel resting on her thigh. She leaned forward, squinting her sharp eye, scrutinizing the girl from head to toe.
"Hmm..." Reida grunted, scratching her cheek. "Now that ya mention it, yer clothes are totally different. Ya ain't wearin' that depressing black gothic dress like ya always did when ya were clingin' to Flugel's arm. So what, are ya her twin sister or somethin'?"
"No!" Emilia answered quickly, her cheeks puffing out in slight frustration. "I have absolutely no relation to her whatsoever!"
Reida let out a thoughtful hum, seemingly accepting this information with surprising ease. But then, her expression darkened again, and she pointed an accusatory finger right at Emilia’s face.
"Alright, fine." Reida said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, possessive growl. "Then let me ask ya the really important question. Are ya plannin' on takin' my Subaru away from me?!"
Emilia blinked, her eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated bewilderment. She looked at Reida, then at the boy in the weird tracksuit, and then back at Reida.
"Take your... Subaru?" Emilia repeated, utterly lost. "I don't even know him!"
CRACK.
Subaru clutched his chest, a phantom arrow violently piercing his heart. Even though he knew exactly why she said it, she really didn't know him in this loop, hearing those words spoken with such genuine, innocent confusion was a devastating blow to his teenage soul. “I understand... but it still hurts so much!” he wept internally.
Emilia shook her head, trying to clear the absurdity of the conversation. "Listen, I am still completely confused by all of this. I only came here to retrieve the insignia that was stolen from me!"
Subaru quickly shook off his heartbreak, realizing this was his moment to shine. He stepped forward, putting on his best, most confident smile.
"Actually, that's exactly why I'm here!" Subaru declared, pointing a thumb at his chest. "I tracked down the thief and negotiated to get your stolen item back! Though, I'll be honest, I didn't actually know it was a super-important insignia until right now."
Emilia looked at him, her eyes softening, though the confusion remained. "You tried to get it back for me? But... why? Like I said, we don't even know each other. Why would you go to such dangerous lengths for a complete stranger?"
Subaru smiled gently. "Someone really kind once told me that it's always worth doing a good deed. I guess I just wanted to pay it forward."
Emilia’s breath hitched slightly, her eyes trembling as she looked at his earnest expression.
"Hey! Quit flirtin'!" Reida’s booming voice shattered the tender moment. She slammed her fist against the wooden barrel. "Oi, Subaru! What about my reward?! I squashed that creepy flea for ya! Where's my mountain of meat and my giant barrel of the capital's finest sake?!"
Subaru flinched, cold sweat instantly breaking out across his forehead. “Oh crap. I literally don't have a single coin to my name.”
"Y-You'll get it! Obviously!" Subaru lied through a strained, terrified smile, giving Reida a frantic thumbs-up. "Just don't worry about it! The night is young! Good things come to those who wait!"
He quickly pivoted back to the silver-haired girl to escape Reida's demanding glare. "Oh, by the way! I realized I never actually introduced myself properly. My name is Natsuki Subaru! I'm clueless, broke, and way out of my depth, but it's a pleasure to officially meet you!"
Emilia stared at him for a moment, before a small, genuinely beautiful smile graced her lips. "I see. It is nice to meet you, Subaru. As I said... I am just Emilia."
"Emilia." Subaru repeated softly, committing the name to his heart once again.
From the shadows of the destroyed room, a small figure slowly approached. Felt, holding the gleaming insignia in her hands, walked up to Emilia. She kept a very wide, cautious distance from the giant red-haired woman currently drinking from the keg.
Felt held out her hands, bowing her head slightly. "Here. This is yours. Look... I'm sorry I took it, alright? I was just trying to make a living, but I didn't know it was gonna bring psycho killer down on my head."
Emilia gently took the insignia, her fingers brushing against the gem. She let out a long sigh of relief before looking down at the slum girl. Her expression was stern, but kind. "I am glad to have it back safely. Let this be a lesson to you. Stealing only leads to trouble. Please, try to find an honest way to live from now on."
"Yeah, yeah, lesson learned." Felt muttered, scratching her blonde hair. She then turned to Subaru and tossed the silver flip-phone directly at his chest.
Subaru fumbled to catch it. "Whoa! Hey, what gives? I thought we had a deal!"
Felt crossed her arms, looking away with a slight blush of embarrassment. "Keep your weird magic box, Subaru. If you and your giant monster lady hadn't shown up, that creepy assassin under the rubble would have probably sliced me and Old Man Rom to ribbons. So... consider the insignia yours for free. Call it a life debt."
Subaru blinked, touched by the thief's unexpected honor. "Felt..."
In the background, sitting amid the shattered remnants of his front door, a broken counter, and a completely destroyed load-bearing wall, Giant Rom was clutching his bald head with both hands.
"The walls... the lost inventory..." Rom muttered, tears welling up in his huge eyes as he began mentally calculating the astronomical repair costs. "I'm ruined... I'm financially ruined..."
With the insignia finally back in its rightful hands, the tension in the room began to dissipate. However, Reida, who had just finished her massive keg of booze, was now staring intently at the little blonde thief.
She wiped her mouth, her eye narrowing as she studied Felt’s vibrant blonde hair and striking crimson eyes.
"Oi, squirt." Reida called out, pointing a large finger at the girl. "Ya know a guy named Farsale?"
Felt blinked, looking around to make sure the giant woman was actually talking to her. "Huh? Farsale? Who the heck is that? No, I don't know him. Why are you asking me?"
Reida tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled. "Are ya sure? Ya look exactly like him. Got the exact same hair color, and those weird red eyes. Thought maybe ya were his brat or somethin'."
Emilia, overhearing the conversation, stepped forward. She looked at Reida with a mix of polite hesitation and deep confusion.
"U-Um, excuse me." Emilia interjected softly, raising a hand. "I apologize for interrupting, but... when you say 'Farsale', do you mean Farsale Lugunica? The last King of the Lion King's line?"
"Yeah, that's the bastard." Reida nodded, crossing her arms. "Tell him I'm lookin' for him, will ya?"
Emilia stared at the red-haired woman as if she had suddenly grown a second head. Puck, floating near Emilia's shoulder, mirrored her expression.
"I'm afraid that is quite impossible." Emilia said, her voice gentle, as if breaking bad news to a child. "Farsale Lugunica has been dead for about four hundred years."
The room went completely, uncomfortably silent.
Reida froze. Her eye went wide, and her jaw slowly dropped open.
"HAH?!" Reida’s scream shook the very foundations of the Loot House, sending a new shower of dust falling from the ceiling. "WHAT DO YA MEAN DEAD?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! I JUST BORROWED A PILE OF COINS FROM HIM A FEW DAYS AGO!"
Emilia and Puck exchanged completely baffled looks. Felt stared at the towering woman, utterly dumbfounded. The only person in the room who wasn't shocked was Subaru, who was intensely massaging his temples, having already pieced together the horrifying reality of Reida's timeline.
Felt let out a loud, mocking snort. She pointed a thumb at Reida and looked at Subaru. "Hey, Subaru. I think this giant lady is completely delusional. Seems to me like all her brains went straight into her massive boobs."
Reida snapped her head toward Felt, a terrifying vein popping on her forehead. "WHAT DID YA JUST SAY, YA LITTLE RAT?! I'LL SHOW YA DELUSIONAL!"
"Is everyone quite alright in here?"
A new, calm, and incredibly refined voice cut through the shouting.
Everyone turned their heads toward the entrance. Or rather, the massive, splintered hole where the entrance used to be.
Stepping carefully over the shattered wooden doors and the debris was a tall, handsome young man dressed in the pristine white uniform of the Royal Guard. The moonlight caught his striking, fiery red hair and illuminated his bright, sky-blue eyes. The legendary sword at his hip clinked softly as he walked.
Reinhard van Astrea surveyed the absolute destruction of the Loot House, his gaze passing over the cowering giant, the terrified thief, the silver-haired half-elf, and the boy in the strange clothes.
Finally, his blue eyes locked directly onto the towering, incredibly muscular woman with crimson hair, who was currently glaring at him with her single, equally blue eye.
The Sword Saint paused, an expression of profound, uncharacteristic shock washing over his flawless face.
