What concerned Natsuki Subaru more was the owner of that figure—a girl in a gorgeous dress, being half-forced into a dark alley by several menacing-looking men.
"Just now, that was..." Natsuki Subaru's brow furrowed unconsciously. "Though I think it's unlikely, could it really be what I'm thinking, that cliché plot of a girl being dragged into an alley by bad guys to be bullied?"
He wasn't usually one to meddle in other people's affairs, but in that moment of hesitation, the scene of Emilia extending a helping hand to him when he first arrived in this other world flashed through his mind.
Back then, the silver-haired girl had also unhesitatingly helped him, a complete stranger.
Indeed, having seen it, I can't just stand by and do nothing.
"Rem, wait for me a moment, I'll be right back!"
Leaving those words behind, Natsuki Subaru was already dashing towards the alley.
"—You damn bitch, stop kidding around!"
Hearing such angry curses as soon as he rushed into the alley, Natsuki Subaru became even more convinced his judgment was correct and immediately quickened his pace.
"What kind of joke is this, you bitch!"
"Watch out, or I'll smash that pretty face of yours, huh?!"
As he drew closer, the sounds of arguing became clearer.
After turning a corner, Natsuki Subaru finally got a clear view of the scene deep in the alley.
An orange-haired girl was surrounded by three men of varying heights.
However, what was surprising was that the girl not only showed no fear but instead puffed out her impressive chest and spoke in a condescending tone:
"Stop your incessant, loud clamoring, you fools. Those lacking in class are truly tasteless for even daring to cause trouble for me."
This was originally a very common incident of thugs looking for trouble.
But the girl's dazzling beauty, enough to illuminate the entire dark alleyway, was deeply imprinted in Natsuki Subaru's mind.
Her orange-yellow hair cascaded down like a waterfall, elegantly pinned behind her head with an exquisite hairpin.
A pure red dress, as vibrant as fresh blood, outlined her perfect figure, accentuating her strikingly impactful beauty.
The ruby-encrusted necklace on her neck, the swaying gold ornaments on her earlobes, and the several rings on her slender fingers – even a layman could tell they were priceless.
In short, her attire from head to toe exuded the unique noble aura of an aristocrat.
However, even adorned with splendid clothes and beautiful jewelry, her own outstanding features could not be hidden.
Her slightly upturned phoenix eyes shimmered with a ruby-like luster, their provocative gaze daring anyone to look directly.
Her light pink cherry lips complemented her snow-white skin, making her look like a noble young lady who had stepped out of a famous painting.
"This is definitely a beautiful girl who is no less stunning than Rem or Emilia..."
Looking at the girl ahead, Natsuki Subaru sighed inwardly.
At this moment, the thugs surrounding the girl were cursing more and more irritably, one of them even raising a fist.
But the girl merely crossed her arms elegantly, a gesture that unintentionally further emphasized her impressive figure, appearing completely unfazed.
The girl's composure, however, further enraged the thugs, their expressions becoming even more ferocious.
"Something's a bit strange..."
Looking at the girl's profile, Natsuki Subaru suddenly felt a strange sensation.
That arrogant expression, that disdainful attitude, and the unique tone of her speech all felt strangely familiar to him.
"I keep feeling a strange sense of familiarity... Is it an illusion?"
Natsuki Subaru shook his head in confusion, but now wasn't the time to think about that.
Three thugs bullying a defenseless girl – he really couldn't stand by and watch such a thing.
Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru strode forward and shouted loudly, "That's enough of this violence!"
Hearing the sudden voice, the three thugs turned their heads simultaneously:
"What the hell?"
"Some blind fool showing up?"
"Hey, who the hell are you, kid?"
The tall thug in the lead glared fiercely at Natsuki Subaru.
"I..." Natsuki Subaru looked at the people in front of him and said calmly, "Am just a concerned citizen passing by!"
Perhaps seeing Natsuki Subaru alone, unarmed, and wearing ordinary black casual clothes, the thugs all showed contemptuous expressions.
"What?"
"A concerned citizen?"
"You damn kid, trying to play the hero saving the damsel?"
The three thugs exchanged glances and, in unison, revealed mocking smiles.
The burliest thug, with a fleshy face, even exaggeratedly rolled up his sleeves, revealing brawny arms covered in menacing tattoos, and deliberately waved them in front of Natsuki Subaru:
"You damn kid, if you know what's good for you, don't meddle!"
"Scram!" Facing the three aggressive thugs, Natsuki Subaru's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Or else you'll face the consequences!"
"..."
"..."
"What's going on?"
The thugs unconsciously took half a step back, exchanging uncertain and alarmed glances.
Although they usually ran rampant in the streets, at this moment, they instinctively felt a bone-chilling coldness shoot up their spines.
It was the most primitive tremor a living being feels when facing danger.
You must understand, Natsuki Subaru had fought bloody battles with hundreds of Mabeasts in the forest and had engaged in life-or-death struggles with various monsters in dungeon instances.
Those experiences of battling on the verge of life and death had long since forged an intimidating aura in him, far surpassing that of an ordinary person.
At this moment, Natsuki Subaru's stance seemed casual, but in reality, all the muscles in his body had entered optimal combat readiness.
Just as the atmosphere was about to explode, the girl who had been cornered suddenly spoke, her voice as clear as a silver bell, yet carrying undisguised mockery:
"Hey, dawdling over there, are you girls?
If so, you should dress neatly and do something pleasing to my eyes.
Your getup, all muscles and body hair, is utterly ridiculous."
"Hmm?"
Natsuki Subaru frowned upon hearing this; this girl was practically adding fuel to the fire.
But strangely enough, the girl's supercilious and arrogant demeanor always gave him an indescribable sense of familiarity.
"Strange, do I know her?"
Just as Natsuki Subaru was pondering.
The thugs finally recovered from their shock.
They had lorded over this neighborhood for years; when had they ever suffered such humiliation.
After a brief stupor, the men flew into a rage:
"What the hell are you saying, you bitch?!"
"Who are you calling girls, bastard, you're talking nonsense!"
"Thinking you're so great, running your mouth over there, what do you want, huh?!"
At this moment, the girl completely ignored the enraged thugs, turned to face Natsuki Subaru, her ruby-like eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a hint of admiration:
"Commoner, to stand up for me is commendable. Although with my abilities, dealing with such petty scoundrels requires no assistance from others, in light of your courage, I can bestow a reward upon you."
Hey, hey... What's this?
Such a condescending, charitable tone.
I was the one who proactively helped, so how did it turn into her rewarding me?
Do you think you're a queen?
This arrogant person is really making me quite annoyed...
Natsuki Subaru fought back the urge to roll his eyes; this orange-haired girl's narcissism was simply off the charts.
But just as he was silently complaining, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
This unique tone of voice, this disdainful attitude...
Wait... this way of speaking... could it be her?
Thinking of this, with a tentative feeling, Natsuki Subaru opened his mouth and asked the girl:
"Are you... Priscilla?"
"Oh?" The girl raised her meticulously trimmed eyebrows in slight surprise, took an elegant step forward, her scarlet skirt swaying gently with the movement, glistening splendidly in the sunlight.
Her red lips curved into a playful smile.
"I didn't expect that in such a common marketplace, someone would actually recognize me. That's right, I am indeed Priscilla Barielle."
It really was her—Priscilla Barielle, originally named Prisca Benedict.
She was once an Imperial Princess of the Sacred Vollachian Empire.
After being defeated by the current emperor, Vincent, in the cruel Emperor Selection Ceremony, she came to the Kingdom by ingeniously faking her death and taking the identity of a substitute.
Now, she is the most unconventional one among the five Royal Candidates of the Kingdom.
Having inherited the enormous wealth of the Barielle family, and due to her iconic blood-red dress and fearsome reputation, she is reverently and fearfully known by the world as the Blood-Red Bride.
Behind this title are seven marriages that ended with the bizarre deaths of her husbands; rumors in the streets say that these accidents are inextricably linked to her.
However, ironically, in the domain of her last husband, the populace is utterly obsessed with this Blood-Red Bride, respectfully calling her the Sun Princess.
It is said that a series of pro-people policies she implemented during her governance significantly improved the lives of the local people.
"In that case, do as you please."
After learning Priscilla's identity, Natsuki Subaru averted his gaze from her impressive curves and turned to leave.
No wonder her chest is so incredibly huge, this size is practically against the rules... ahem...
If I had known it was Priscilla, why would I have even bothered worrying?
This woman is a badass who can single-handedly defeat the Sin Archbishop of Wrath.
Instead of worrying about her, it's better to offer three seconds of silent prayer for those clueless thugs.
"Eh? You're leaving just like that?"
Priscilla's ruby-like, brilliant eyes widened slightly, her meticulously drawn eyebrows unconsciously arching.
As the head of the Barielle household, with her stunning beauty and prominent status, she had long grown accustomed to people's attitudes of either awe or flattery.
But this black-haired young man before her, after recognizing her identity, his first reaction was to turn and leave so decisively.
This completely unexpected reaction made Priscilla unconsciously press her red lips together, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the ruby necklace on her neck.
Interesting, daring to ignore me...
"Trying to run? You damn kid!"
Seeing Natsuki Subaru turn to leave, the thugs thought he was cowardly retreating and immediately surrounded him menacingly, their faces showing ferocious smiles.
"What do you want?"
Natsuki Subaru frowned, his voice deepening.
The lead thug grinned ferociously, cracking his knuckles:
"We'll teach you a lesson, show you the consequences of meddling!"
"I'd quite like to know what those consequences would be."
Natsuki Subaru narrowed his eyes.
He hadn't wanted to get entangled, but since they were insistent on courting death, he couldn't be blamed.
"Stop pretending, you damn kid!"
The thug roared and threw a fierce punch.
This punch carried a whistling sound, clearly thrown with full force.
If an ordinary person were hit by this punch, they'd probably have their face smashed and fall to the ground on the spot.
However, in Natsuki Subaru's eyes, the thug's straight punch trajectory was clearly visible, his movements as slow as a crawling snail.
No, to be precise, the reaction speed he had honed in countless life-or-death battles had long surpassed that of an ordinary person.
Coupled with the enhancements from system upgrades and attribute point investments, his bodily instincts had evolved to an entirely new level.
Just as the fist was about to make contact—
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of bone fracturing echoed in the alley.
The thug's wrist bone shattered completely upon contact, his entire arm twisting into a grotesque angle.
Natsuki Subaru smoothly redirected his momentum, and the nearly two-hundred-jin burly body was sent flying like a rag doll.
With a "Boom!"
He heavily crashed into the brick wall five meters away, and the wall immediately spiderwebbed with cracks.
"Die!"
The second thug, seeing this, roared and quickly drew a dagger from his waist.
A cold glint flashed as the sharp blade aimed straight for Natsuki Subaru's vital lower back.
"Too slow."
Without turning his head, Natsuki Subaru merely sidestepped slightly, his right hand shooting out like lightning to grip the opponent's knife-wielding wrist.
"Crack! Crack!"
With two consecutive crisp sounds, the thug's wrist and elbow joints were simultaneously shattered.
The dagger clattered to the ground, and that arm immediately hung limp like a noodle.
Natsuki Subaru delivered a vicious knee strike right into the thug's abdomen.
"Pfft—!"
The thug spewed blood mixed with stomach fluids, his body arching like a cooked shrimp as he flew backward, landing heavily in a pile of trash.
"Ah—damn bastard!"
The last thug, seeing this, though terrified, still steeled himself and charged forward, swinging his fist at Natsuki Subaru.
"Bang!"
Natsuki Subaru's eyes sharpened, his right leg lashing out like a whip, a clean roundhouse kick landing squarely on the thug's chest, sending him flying five meters.
The thug slammed into the wall like a rag, leaving a human-shaped dent before slowly sliding down, completely unconscious.
The entire fight, from start to finish, lasted only three seconds.
"Such a waste of time..."
Natsuki Subaru looked expressionlessly at the three thugs lying scattered on the ground, his breathing not even slightly disturbed.
A fight of this level wasn't even a warm-up for him.
After all, in previous dungeon instances, he had faced Mabeasts tens of times more ferocious than these thugs.
So, dealing with ordinary people like this was simply a piece of cake.
If he hadn't deliberately held back, with his strength attribute exceeding an ordinary person's by more than tenfold, one punch would have been enough to kill them on the spot.
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru was about to leave when Priscilla's voice suddenly came from behind:
"—Hold on!"
___
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