"Lady Shendu, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
After being thoroughly beaten, Natsuki Subaru heard Shendu's voice descend like heavenly music. He finally let out a sigh of relief, knowing he would most likely avoid further punishment.
"Who dares stop us from teaching that brat a lesson? Damn it!"
"Yeah! We haven't even settled last time's score!"
"We'll break that kid's legs for sure!"
The three thugs shouted wildly, venting their frustration.
Because they had not turned around yet, they only looked back after finishing their tirade.
The moment they saw Shendu smiling at them, their scalps went numb. They nearly slapped themselves on the spot.
"You're that woman from the other day?"
The thinner thug recognized her instantly. That head of silver hair was far too eye-catching, like the legendary Witch of Envy.
"Bingo. Correct answer."
Shendu stepped forward lightly and continued, "Would you like a reward?"
"No!"
As she advanced a single step, the three of them retreated in perfect unison, terror filling their eyes.
They exchanged glances, clearly reaching a silent agreement to flee. Having witnessed Shendu's terrifying strength before, they did not dare hesitate.
With their wordless signal complete, they scattered and sprinted toward the alley's exit.
But just as they reached the mouth of the alley, an invisible force seized them, freezing them in place.
"Since you've already come, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Shendu spoke casually, then tossed them aside as though discarding trash.
Boom!
Three thunderous impacts rang out. The pavement outside cracked open once more, forming another massive crater as the ground trembled violently.
It was clear the three thugs had been dealt with. The commotion alone was proof enough.
Reinhard, who had watched the entire scene, found Shendu's strength every bit as intriguing as he had imagined and could not help but smile faintly.
Although she had damaged the surrounding pavement, such matters could easily be handled by others. In Reinhard's eyes, money was merely a number. The Royal Guard would take care of the aftermath.
After resolving the nuisance, Shendu's gaze shifted to the girl Natsuki Subaru had tried to rescue. She seemed... somewhat unusual.
The girl had orange hair, and her crimson dress highlighted both her noble bearing and youthful vitality. A faint arrogance lingered on her face.
She was undeniably beautiful, with refined temperament, yet she gave off an air of extreme willfulness. She had not approached them at all.
The orange-haired girl in the distance was now observing Shendu carefully.
At first, she had assumed Shendu might be the silver-haired half-elf candidate, Emilia.
But after a closer look, she realized that although Shendu possessed silver hair, her eyes were not violet, nor did she have the pointed ears unique to half-elves.
"What a strange woman. What exactly is her background?"
The orange-haired girl pondered for a while before recalling a rumor she had heard recently.
Another royal candidate, Emilia, had been attacked by an assassin in the slums. At the critical moment, a silver-haired traveler had appeared and resolved the crisis.
After that, the silver-haired traveler had remained by Emilia's side and had not gone elsewhere.
"Oh... so she must be that silver-haired traveler!"
The orange-haired girl suddenly understood. Lowering her folding fan to reveal half her face, a trace of interest flickered in her eyes.
The silver-haired traveler before her was even more extraordinary than she had imagined. Quite fascinating, in fact. She found herself rather satisfied.
...
"Are you alright, Natsuki Subaru? Your misplaced sense of justice is acting up again."
Shendu extended a hand to the fallen boy, smiling faintly.
"I just couldn't stand by and watch a weak girl get bullied..."
Natsuki Subaru sighed, wondering why he was always so unlucky.
"Don't entertain such thoughts in the future. This is not your hometown. You will die."
When Shendu uttered the word "die," a chill ran down his spine.
His previous experience of returning by death remained vivid in his memory.
Drifting gradually into death while half-conscious was not something an ordinary person could endure. Because of that, Natsuki Subaru had resolved to truly cherish his life.
Especially after retaining the memories of two timelines, he valued his life even more.
"I understand, Lady Shendu."
He stood back up, dusted himself off, and turned toward the orange-haired girl with a somewhat pitiful expression.
"Looking at me with such pathetic eyes is utterly revolting. A mere commoner helping me is your good fortune. Do you actually expect me to reward you?"
The orange-haired woman's attitude was appalling. She treated his attempt to save her as something entirely natural and instead mocked him for being weak.
"You—"
Hearing her arrogant words, Natsuki Subaru pointed at her, yet no response came out.
To be fair, he could be impulsive, but he had never expected any reward from anyone. He had simply acted on the small sense of justice in his heart.
Having come to another world and encountering a beautiful girl had already felt like fortune enough.
Yet not only did he receive no gratitude, he was instead scorned by her.
"What's wrong? Nothing to say? I knew commoners like you were insufferable."
The orange-haired girl continued mercilessly, her eyes devoid of courtesy, clearly believing those of lower status were unworthy of addressing her.
Her endless barbs gradually stirred anger within him.
Ordinarily, when someone extended a helping hand, gratitude would be expected—or at the very least, not this sort of contempt.
But the woman before him completely overturned his worldview.
"Enough, Natsuki Subaru. There's no point saying more. You should understand now—not everyone is worth saving."
Shendu patted his shoulder in comfort.
"I understand, Lady Shendu!"
After her reassurance, his mood finally improved.
Reinhard, standing to the side, observed Natsuki Subaru's character and gave a subtle nod of approval. A knight should be someone willing to extend a helping hand to others.
"Very well. There's no time to waste. Go back with Reinhard. From now on, you will train within the Royal Guard. Remember to show your best qualities."
After a brief thought, Shendu clarified what his priority should be.
She spoke to Natsuki Subaru as though no one else were present, completely ignoring the orange-haired woman and offering her not even the slightest courtesy.
From the very first glance, Shendu had judged the woman to be trouble. Better not to know her at all. Thus, she did not even bother lifting her eyes to acknowledge her.
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