As I kept walking through the bustling market, a sudden commotion caught my attention. A little boy had fallen into the street, and the moment his terrified scream rang out, heads turned. A carriage was barreling toward him, with no sign of slowing down.
For a second, no one moved. Then a knight bolted forward, scooping the kid up and rolling to safety just as the carriage thundered past.
I lingered for a moment, watching it unfold. "Hmm… yeah, I've seen this before…" I muttered, brow furrowing as I tried to remember the details. "It went exactly like in the anime."
Damn it, I really should've actually read the WN instead of relying on TikTok.
Originally, I planned to sit down and read the web novel properly, but I kept putting it off. One delay after another, and eventually, I figured watching TikToks covering the story past Arc 6 was a brilliant idea. Now… I feel like a complete idiot. But really, come on, arc 7 and from what i heard arc 8 was so goddamn tedius.
I shook my head. No use complaining about it now. First priority - find Mr Save Point guy. Once I did, I could throw myself somewhere quiet and figure out a plan.
After what felt like ages of weaving through endless streets and stalls, I finally spotted his buff form behind a stall.
Good.
I made my way over. "Hey, girly," the vendor called out, noticing me as I paused in front of his stand. I tried to read the little wooden sign, but it was pointless. The letters looked kind of like a messy mashup of Japanese and… something else. Not readable. Great.Same as Subaru. No reading comprehension in fantasy land. Sure as hell won't be an inconvenience.
I met the guy's gaze, and his eyes flicked down to my clothes. "Those are some unique clothes you've got. You a travelling merchant?" he asked, eyeing my tracksuit, or well, my makeshift hoodie-jacket hybrid. I was cold, alright? Plus, I needed the pockets.
I shook my head, trying to be more casual than usually am. "Nope, just travelling. No merchant tag attached."
My eyes drifted past him and locked onto a narrow alley nearby.
There.
I gave him a small wave, signalling the end of our conversation, and slipped into the alleyway. I plopped myself down on a rough stone step, setting my bag close by where no one could snatch it.
Leaning forward, I rested my head in one hand, elbow propped on my knee, and let out a sigh.
Alright. Time to think.
As much as I hated it, I needed a plan. Out of all my options, the priority was surviving. Preferably living comfortably. Getting back to Earth? Highly unlikely. The best bet was leveraging stuff from my world to gain money here. It shouldn't be too hard, my phone still worked, and I'd brought my portable charger, thank god. Between the apps and all the random crap I downloaded from Wikipedia, there had to be something I could replicate or reinvent for profit.
But before any big plans… I needed starting funds.Which I didn't have.And I couldn't just run to one of the royal candidates either — no connections, no status, and I wasn't about to trust Roswaal's shady ass.
Then it hit me.
Puck.
Right. If I'd replaced Subaru, that meant Emilia was probably about to meet Elsa… which would mean a diced half-elf, an apocalypse-level temper tantrum from a giant ice spirit, and a whole lot of death, and probably half the country being fucked over.
Which means I need to stop Elsa.
And even if I did, the danger wouldn't stop there. Emilia was still fated to get gutted after the royal selection, unless someone competent intervened, because of course the clown fucker won't. That meant if I wanted to avoid a second apocalypse, I'd have to stick close. Maybe even tag along to the mansion.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Just thinking about all this gave me a headache. If I could somehow tag along with Reinhard and Felt when they left, I might be able to get a safer start. Plus, if I follow Subaru's path, I might be able to befriend the guy, turning this game into easy mode. But of course, life loves fucking people over. it can't be that fucking simple.
I stood, grabbing my bag and cracking my neck. "Well, time to go find Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest, and let them mug me," I muttered, stretching a little before heading off.
Here's hoping I had Return by Death, too. I mean, considering all the signs, I should? But even if I did. It wouldn't stop me from getting brutally messed up anyway.
It was Re: Zero, after all. Suffering is it's fucking middle name.
A/N Edited - 21/06/2025