The atmosphere changed instantly.
Not subtly.
Not slightly.
The entire alley felt like it froze.
Puck floated in front of Emilia protectively, his usual playful expression completely gone.
His eyes narrowed sharply at me.
"…Lia," he repeated quietly. "We should leave."
Emilia blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Why?"
Puck didn't answer immediately.
Because he was staring directly into my eyes.
Or more specifically—
At whatever the hell he sensed behind them.
Interesting.
So spirits were more sensitive to me than humans.
Makes sense.
Spiritual beings probably understood danger better than normal people.
The three thugs from earlier were already long gone.
Actually—
One of them had tripped while running and knocked himself unconscious against a wall.
Pathetic.
My gaze shifted back toward Emilia.
Silver hair.
Amethyst eyes.
And honestly?
Seeing her in person felt strange.
Not because she was unbelievably beautiful.
Though she was.
No—
It was because despite everything she'd suffered…
She still looked kind.
That was rare.
Puck slowly floated closer to Emilia protectively.
"…Who are you?"
I looked at him calmly.
"Subaru."
Puck's expression tightened.
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
Emilia awkwardly glanced between us.
"…Um…"
Honestly, watching Puck panic internally was funny.
Because unlike everyone else—
He understood something immediately.
I wasn't normal.
Not strong.
Not talented.
Wrong.
The world itself probably felt wrong around me.
I shoved my hands into my pockets casually.
"You're looking for the insignia."
Emilia froze.
Puck's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…How do you know that?"
"Lucky guess."
"It wasn't."
"Still saying it was."
Puck stared at me silently for several seconds.
Honestly, if this were canon Subaru, Puck probably would've relaxed eventually.
Instead—
His guard kept rising.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then Emilia stepped forward suddenly.
"Did you see where the thief went?"
Straight to the point.
Good.
I liked that.
I pointed toward the slums casually.
"That direction."
Emilia visibly relaxed.
"Thank you!"
Puck still didn't move.
His eyes remained locked onto me carefully.
"…Lia."
"I know, Puck," Emilia whispered back quietly.
No.
She didn't know.
Not even slightly.
Because right now Puck was probably trying to understand why standing near me felt like standing near a natural disaster pretending to be human.
Honestly?
Fair reaction.
A brief silence passed.
Then Emilia looked at me again.
"…Will you help us?"
Puck immediately snapped toward her.
"Lia."
"What? He already helped us."
Puck looked like he wanted to scream.
I almost laughed.
Instead I shrugged casually.
"Sure."
"…Really?"
"Why not?"
Emilia smiled slightly.
Cute.
Puck looked like he was seconds away from developing stress-induced gray hair.
As we started walking toward the slums, Emilia kept sneaking glances at me.
Probably because of the markings.
Or maybe the sword.
Honestly, both were understandable.
"You're not from Lugunica, are you?" she asked eventually.
"No."
"Where are you from then?"
"Far away."
"…That's suspicious."
"You asked."
Emilia puffed her cheeks slightly.
Okay.
That was unexpectedly adorable.
Puck noticed too.
His eyes narrowed further.
Protective father instincts activated instantly.
"You're awfully calm," Puck suddenly said.
"I usually am."
"Most people don't stay calm around spirits."
"Most spirits aren't weak enough to matter."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Emilia froze.
Puck stared at me blankly.
Then—
"…Weak?"
Honestly, I forgot how absurd that sounded in this world.
Puck wasn't weak at all.
By Re:Zero standards he was terrifying.
A Great Spirit.
The Beast of the End.
A monster capable of freezing the world.
Unfortunately for him—
I had Anos powers.
Perspective mattered.
"…Sorry," Emilia said nervously. "Puck's actually really strong."
"I know."
"Then why say that?"
"Because he is."
Puck twitched.
I think that might've been the first time in centuries someone casually called him weak to his face.
Funny.
Very funny.
The deeper we walked into the slums, the quieter things became.
People moved out of my way instinctively.
Some stared nervously.
Others avoided eye contact entirely.
Fear spread naturally.
Not because I released killing intent.
No—
My existence simply felt dangerous.
Eventually we reached the loot house area.
And immediately—
I sensed her.
Elsa Granhiert.
The Bowel Hunter.
Honestly?
Disappointing.
After all the hype from the anime, her aura felt tiny compared to everything else around me.
Deadly to humans.
Meaningless to me.
Puck clearly sensed her too.
"…Something's wrong."
"You noticed late."
Puck immediately snapped toward me.
Before he could speak—
The door exploded outward.
A body crashed across the street violently.
Old Rom.
Then—
A woman slowly stepped outside while twirling a blood-covered blade casually.
Long black hair.
Beautiful face.
Eyes filled with insanity.
Elsa stopped moving the moment she saw me.
Interesting.
Unlike the others—
She smiled wider.
"Oh my…"
Her voice came out soft and fascinated.
"What a terrifying man."
Emilia immediately stepped back.
Puck floated forward protectively.
Elsa ignored both of them completely.
Her eyes stayed locked onto me.
"…You're dangerous."
"Correct."
The smile on her face widened further.
Honestly?
She looked excited.
"I wonder…"
Her grip tightened around her blade.
"…what your insides look like."
The moment she moved—
The world slowed.
No.
Not actually.
I had simply become too fast.
Elsa blurred toward me like a black streak.
Fast by human standards.
Painfully slow by mine.
Her blade aimed directly for my throat—
I raised one finger.
Clang.
The knife stopped completely.
Balanced against my fingertip.
Silence.
Elsa froze.
Her eyes widened slowly.
"…What?"
I stared at her calmly.
Then flicked the blade lightly.
CRACK.
The knife shattered instantly.
The shockwave alone blasted Elsa backward through a wall.
The entire street fell silent.
Emilia stared blankly.
Puck's expression became horrifyingly serious.
Even Old Rom looked terrified.
Meanwhile—
A new presence appeared nearby.
Bright.
Overwhelming.
Heroic.
Reinhard van Astrea landed atop a nearby rooftop smoothly.
Red hair moved slightly in the wind while blue eyes immediately scanned the scene.
Then—
He saw me.
And for the very first time in Reinhard's life—
The Sword Saint froze.