"This is bad, this is bad. Is this what they call a robbery? Will they let me go if I give them Japanese currency? If they don't get money, will they take advantage of me?"
Natsuki Subaru, who had grown up in a greenhouse-like safe environment, had only occasionally heard words like "robber" and "pervert" from the news or those DVDs she was forbidden to watch. These words were merely fictional stories from a distant world, having no intersection with her life.
Yet at this moment, the three figures before her transformed those vague concepts into a cold reality. The malice emanating from them was palpable, like a physical force, and her breathing suddenly hitched.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest, as if trying to burst through. Fear swept over her like a tide, her fingers trembled slightly, and her legs felt like lead, making even a single step backward an impossible luxury.
Natsuki Subaru's entire world seemed to freeze in that instant, leaving only the three threatening figures and the undisguised greed and danger in their eyes.
A flicker of struggle and uncertainty crossed Natsuki Subaru's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a stubborn resolve. "No… I absolutely cannot give up like this, I absolutely cannot let them do as they please."
"No… don't be afraid, don't be afraid. This is Another World. As a girl chosen by the gods to transmigrate, there's no reason for her not to be given some self-preservation ability… right?"
"Hey, miss, what are you muttering about? Hand over all your valuables quickly, and we'll let you off the hook."
"Don't… don't get carried away! I've practiced anti-wolf techniques countless times! Let me defeat you all and become my first batch of experience points in Another World!"
"Huh? Although I don't understand what you're saying, you're looking down on us, aren't you!"
"Don't think we'll let you off just because you have a pretty face."
The next second, the trio's eyes widened because the girl's fist was rapidly enlarging in the lead thug's vision, striking his nose bridge hard.
"Ouch! This woman is so strong!"
Although Natsuki Subaru's punching fist also stung fiercely, seeing the thug's face contorted in pain dissolved most of her inner fear.
"Damn it! Let's teach this stinky woman a lesson!"
The thug wiped the blood flowing from his nose, and a violent rage ignited in the eyes of all three. Their originally greedy malice turned into cold killing intent, and they fiercely attacked the girl.
Without any thought of pity, the thug's fist swung towards Natsuki Subaru's face. If it connected, that delicate and lovely face would likely be instantly disfigured beyond recognition.
Natsuki Subaru subconsciously raised her arm, tightly shielding her head. The thug's fist heavily smashed onto her arm, and intense pain surged like a tide, instantly overwhelming her senses. The pain was not a momentary sting, but a burning like wildfire, spreading from her arm throughout her entire body, making her breath catch. Any hope of luck was utterly shattered at this moment.
The assault did not stop; a malicious fist, like a hammer, brutally struck the girl's abdomen. The moment the fist connected with her, a violent wave of pain swept from her abdomen throughout her entire body.
As if her internal organs were violently churned, the girl's body suddenly arched, as if all her strength had been drained. Her hands, which had been protecting her head, fell limply. A suppressed groan escaped her throat, followed by an intense urge to vomit. Her face instantly turned pale, fine cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out, only hurried and disordered breathing echoed in the air.
Her legs went weak, almost unable to support her body, and she began to sway precariously. Her vision blurred, the scene before her became fragmented, and only the intense pain and nausea relentlessly reminded her of the cruelty of reality. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she could no longer distinguish if it was due to physical pain or inner despair.
In her original world, the girl had experienced school bullying, but that was merely silent cold violence, being isolated, ignored, and ostracized from the crowd, like a transparent shadow, unnoticed. That pain was slow, invisible, like a fine needle piercing her heart little by little; it hurt, but no blood was ever shed.
However, at this moment, this real, heartbreaking pain was something she encountered for the first time in her life. The moment the fist struck her body, intense agony swept over her like a storm, causing her body to involuntarily curl up, as if every nerve was screaming. This pain was no longer a hidden ache in her soul, but an unavoidable torment of flesh and blood. Her world was completely overturned at this moment; the past cold violence seemed so insignificant compared to the violence before her. Tears mixed with fear and helplessness silently fell, and only one thought remained in her heart: so, pain could be this real, this cruel.
Natsuki Subaru staggered backward, but her back quickly hit the cold wall, leaving no retreat. She suddenly looked up and saw that the trio had quietly surrounded her like predatory beasts, trapping her firmly in the middle.
The girl's gaze suddenly fixed on the thug's hand, her pupils contracting sharply in fear. It was a dagger, its blade gleaming with a cold, sharp light in the dim illumination.
memories of the world instantly flashed through her mind, those delinquents in the previous world had also brandished similar knives, but those blades had never truly come close to her; they were merely bluffs, used to show off or scare people.
However, at this moment, she clearly realized that this dagger before her would absolutely not be a mere feint like in her previous life. The ruthlessness and madness in the thug's eyes made her understand that if she continued to resist, that dagger would truly plunge into her body without mercy.
"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault, please spare my life…"
Her voice trembled, tinged with a sob. Natsuki Subaru crouched against the wall, her arms tightly wrapped around herself, tears welling up in her eyes, her body curled up, as if this would make her seem smaller and more harmless, hoping to evoke a shred of pity from them.
As an ordinary high school girl, the only way out she could think of was to beg for mercy.
"Then hand over all the money on you quickly, or else we'll sell you to a slave trader!"
However, the trio's eyes remained cold, unmoved. In their eyes, the girl's plea was merely dust scattered in the wind, insignificant.
"I… I only have this…"
The girl's body trembled uncontrollably from fear, her fingers so stiff they could barely bend. She painstakingly reached into her pocket, fumbling for the few coins she had left, her movements slow and clumsy.
She tremblingly placed the few coins and banknotes on the ground, not daring to look directly into the trio's eyes. Those few Japanese currencies were the only bargaining chips she could offer, though she knew they might not appease their anger at all.
"What country's currency is this? I can't even read the words on it, you bastard!"
"This isn't silver coin at all! Are you trying to trick us, woman?"
"We'll kill you."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Natsuki Subaru's tears gushed out like a broken dam, ceaselessly pouring from her eyes, silently streaming down her pale cheeks. Her entire body was like a withered leaf swaying in the wind, threatening to collapse at any moment. She hugged herself tightly with her arms, but it could not alleviate the helplessness in her heart.
"But then again…" The lead thug drew out his tone, his gaze greedily roaming over the girl's body, finally settling on her exquisite and unfamiliar uniform. A mocking smile played on his lips, and his voice carried undisguised menace, "Your clothes look quite valuable. Hand them over, and we'll spare your life."
Upon hearing this, fear and shame swept over the girl like a tide, almost drowning all her reason. She instantly covered her chest with her hands. "Eh? No! Not this! Please, if not, I won't be able to get married…"
"What? Do you think this is a negotiation? Do you want to suffer more?"
Her hands remained tightly clasped over her chest, as if that was her only defense, her last hope. A hint of stubbornness showed in her eyes, yet it appeared exceptionally fragile due to fear, making one feel pity.
"No… no… please…"
"Anyone… anyone at all…"
Watching the three men steadily approaching, the girl's voice seemed to be the last ounce of strength squeezed from deep within her throat, choked with sobs, echoing intermittently in the empty alley.
"Anyone at all… please, save… save me."
Every word was like a cry squeezed from the depths of her soul, filled with endless pleading. Only one thought remained in her heart: whoever it was, as long as they could appear, as long as they could pull her out of this abyss, she was willing to give anything.
"That's enough!"
A voice filled with righteousness and anger exploded like thunder, instantly shattering the oppressive silence of the alley.
At the entrance of the alley, a tall figure stood against the light, a pair of piercing blue eyes like burning flames, fixed on the trio of thugs. The anger in his gaze was chilling. Dressed in a pristine white knight's uniform, the lapels gently swayed in the breeze, and golden embellishments shimmered in the sunlight.
It was Carlisle.
...
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