Cold air brushed against my face.
The smell of stone, smoke, food, and thousands of people hit me all at once.
Voices echoed through the streets.
Merchants shouting.
Children running.
Carriages rolling across cobblestone roads.
And standing in the middle of it all—
Me.
The capital of Lugunica stretched endlessly before my eyes like something ripped straight out of fantasy itself.
For a few seconds, I simply stood there silently.
"…So this is Re:Zero."
Unlike most people getting isekai'd, I didn't panic.
Didn't freak out.
Didn't scream dramatically into the sky.
Mostly because my attention was currently occupied by something much more important.
The world itself felt… fragile.
That was the only way to describe it.
Every building.
Every person.
Every sound.
It all felt unbelievably weak.
Not in a mocking way.
More like reality itself had become paper-thin.
I could feel mana flowing through the atmosphere.
Could hear heartbeats from streets away.
Could sense emotions leaking from random civilians.
Fear.
Happiness.
Stress.
Greed.
And somewhere in the distance…
An overwhelmingly bright presence.
I slowly turned my head toward the royal district.
"…Reinhard."
Even from this far away his existence stood out monstrously compared to everyone else.
If normal people were candles—
Reinhard was the sun.
Honestly impressive.
Then I blinked once.
And the pressure vanished entirely.
"…Still weaker than me though."
The thought came naturally.
Not arrogance.
Just fact.
My eyes drifted downward toward Yamato resting at my waist.
Even while sealed, the sword distorted space slightly around the sheath.
People unconsciously avoided walking too close to me.
Interesting.
So instinct alone already warned them.
A smile tugged at my lips.
This world was going to be fun.
I began walking through the capital casually.
And immediately noticed the stares.
Of course.
With Sukuna's appearance, standing out was inevitable.
Black markings wrapped around my arms and face.
Sharp crimson eyes.
An unnatural presence.
Combined with the black outfit and Yamato at my waist…
I looked less like a traveler and more like the hidden boss of the setting.
A group of knights walking nearby instinctively stiffened when I passed them.
One of them even reached for his sword unconsciously.
I glanced at him.
The knight froze instantly.
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Interesting.
I wasn't even leaking aura.
The guy's instincts were simply screaming at him.
I continued walking calmly.
Eventually I stopped near the familiar fountain from the anime.
"…Damn."
I actually made it here.
Re:Zero.
A world filled with suffering, insanity, monsters, witches, spirits, politics, and death loops.
Normally this would be the part where Subaru started panicking internally.
Instead—
I sat beside the fountain casually.
"Now then…"
How exactly should I approach this?
Following canon exactly felt pointless now.
The timeline already changed the moment I arrived.
Hell, just my existence alone probably disrupted fate.
Od Lagna was probably having a stroke right now trying to process me.
A sudden breeze passed through the capital.
Then—
I felt it.
A familiar disgusting sensation wrapping around me.
Cold.
Obsessive.
Possessive.
Love.
My expression twitched slightly.
"…Satella."
The shadowy feeling tightened around my body for a brief moment before disappearing.
Honestly?
Creepy as hell.
But weaker than expected.
Or rather—
She couldn't fully affect me.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Which meant Return by Death probably wouldn't function normally either.
Before I could think further—
"Hey mister!"
I looked down.
A small demi-human girl pointed at me nervously.
"…Yes?"
"Are you a bad guy?"
Direct.
I respected it.
"…Why would you ask that?"
"You look scary…"
A nearby woman hurriedly grabbed the child.
"I-I apologize, sir!"
I stared at them silently for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Kids are honest. Don't worry about it."
The woman looked shocked.
Probably expected me to get angry.
Instead I simply stood up again.
Honestly, I couldn't even blame the kid.
I did look terrifying.
As I walked away, whispers slowly spread behind me.
"Did you see his eyes?"
"That sword…"
"Is he a foreign noble?"
"No… he feels dangerous…"
"An adventurer?"
"Impossible…"
I ignored them.
Until suddenly—
Three familiar idiots blocked the alley ahead.
Ah.
The thugs.
Canon fodder had arrived.
"Oi."
The tallest one pointed at me arrogantly.
"You got money?"
I stared at him blankly.
"…That's your opening line?"
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"You're robbers."
"And?"
"At least try sounding professional."
The shorter thug scowled.
"The hell is wrong with this guy?"
I sighed softly.
Honestly, this interaction already bored me.
"Listen carefully."
I stepped forward once.
Every instinct in their bodies immediately screamed.
I saw it happen in real time.
Their expressions changed instantly.
Confidence vanished.
Fear replaced it.
Because humans understood predators instinctively.
And right now?
Their bodies realized they'd approached something they absolutely should not have.
"I'll give you three seconds to disappear."
The air became heavier.
Not because I used magic.
My existence alone distorted the atmosphere slightly.
"O-One…"
The tallest thug stumbled backward sweating.
"Tch—what's with this pressure—"
"Two."
Crack.
The cobblestone beneath my feet shattered slightly.
All three froze completely.
"T-This bastard's a monster!"
They turned to run instantly—
Then suddenly—
A small blonde blur sprinted past nearby.
Felt.
And behind her—
Silver hair fluttered in the wind.
Purple eyes widened slightly as they landed on me.
Emilia froze mid-step.
And for the very first time since entering this world—
I genuinely became interested.
Because unlike everyone else…
She didn't look afraid.
Just surprised.
Puck floated beside her slowly.
But the moment his eyes landed on me—
His entire expression changed.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then—
"…Lia."
Puck's voice lost all humor completely.
"We should leave."