Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

A flicker of panic crossed Ram's face, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Don't get me wrong, Ram is just cleaning up the stains on the door."

"Nobody asked you what you were doing..."

Green turned sideways, brushed past Ram, and tossed out a casual remark.

Ram's ears instantly flushed red. She quickly stood up, dusted off her clothes, and hurried after him.

"Wait a minute, Green."

After walking a few steps alongside Grimm, Ram couldn't help but glance back at Rem's room.

Those eyes, which were usually so haughty, were now much softer and warmer than usual.

"I didn't expect you to be of any use, actually managing to get Rem to let go of her obsession. You've done the Oni a big favor, I suppose."

Green laughed heartily: "Sister, you're really not being frank."

"Hmph, what a smug fellow."

Ram resumed his arrogant expression, but instead of showing his true feelings, he took the tray from Green's hands.

"These chores are best left to Ram, so you don't clumsily break the dishes."

When they were still some distance from the kitchen, the two heard clattering sounds coming from inside the room.

It looks like someone is rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for something.

"A thief broke in?" Green glanced at Ram with a puzzled look.

Ram's eyes narrowed, and he said with certainty, "It must be that idiot Balus."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Natsuki Subaru tiptoed out of the kitchen.

He held a pot of steaming black tea in his hand, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a successful conspiracy.

As soon as Natsuki Subaru stepped out onto the porch, his foot suddenly slipped, as if he had stepped on an invisible banana peel.

He frantically tried to pull off several difficult street dance moves, but in the end, he fell to the ground with a "thud."

"Ouch! Who made the floor so slippery?!"

Fortunately, he managed to protect the teapot in his hand with all his might; otherwise, the tableware in the mansion would probably have been missing another piece.

"Barus, what are you doing?"

Ram frowned, his nose twitched slightly, and his tone revealed a hint of disgust.

"Why does Ram smell the scent of scarlet leaf black tea? Wasn't the more affordable thorn leaf tea meant to entertain guests today?"

The production of Xiaofeiye black tea is extremely limited; it is a rare commodity in the royal capital market, costing two hundred gold coins per kilogram.

Normally, Ram would only serve food to nobles of the same or higher rank as Roswaal.

"Smimasera, I will formally apologize to you later. I have urgent business to attend to now, so I must take my leave!"

Natsuki Subaru, with an awkward smile on his face, scrambled to his feet.

They didn't even bother to take pictures of their dusty and water-stained clothes before disappearing in a flash.

"We really need to get a lock for the kitchen now."

Ram's face turned completely cold, clearly indicating that he was genuinely angry.

The kitchen cabinets were half-closed, the tea canisters inside were open, and a lot of dark red tea leaves were scattered on the shelves.

Looking at the mess before her, Ram's face grew increasingly gloomy, and she muttered to herself:

"Damn it, looks like it'd be better to catch a Volgam and tie it to the kitchen door."

As she spoke, she gathered all the tea leaves on the shelf into her palm and looked up at Green.

"These tea leaves can't be put back in the jar. Would you like some, Green? You don't usually get to drink such good black tea."

"Let's talk about it later," Green waved his hand. "What I'm more curious about right now is, who are you referring to as the guest?"

"A retainer of Duke Crusch Karsten's household."

Ram took a brand-new porcelain teapot, poured all the tea leaves from his palm into it, and stated it calmly.

"Lady Emilia's royal selection meeting is about to begin."

Upon hearing this, Green suddenly realized: "So fast? I'd better go check it out."

……

In the courtyard of the manor, the sword demon Wilhelm was slowly wiping the sealing wax plaster on the dragon carriage.

Although he is over sixty years old, he is still tall and strong, a gentleman who has experienced the wisdom of time.

Natsuki Subaru, carrying a tea set and wearing a malicious smile, strode over.

He poured Wilhelm a cup of hot tea and struck up a conversation with him familiarly: "Mr. Coachman, isn't it too boring to wait here all this time?"

Wilhelm took the teacup, took a small sip, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face.

"It tastes good. This tea must be quite expensive."

Natsuki Subaru placed the tea set on the low ladder in the green belt and proudly puffed out his chest.

"This really is the most expensive tea in the mansion. I managed to steal it... cough, smuggle it out from under the heavy encirclement of maids and guards."

Wilhelm's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing across his deep gaze.

He put down his teacup, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"So, by using expensive tea leaves as bait, what do you hope to learn from this old man?"

Natsuki Subaru chuckled, then fawned over Wilhelm, rubbing his hands together and pleading:

"I would like to know the purpose of your visit to the mansion, even just a little bit of information would be appreciated."

"Please allow me to refuse," Wilhelm said calmly, turning his gaze to the depths of the courtyard.

"If you couldn't learn the purpose of my visit from the other members of the manor, it only means that someone of your status shouldn't know these things."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old gentleman noticed footsteps in the distance. He turned around and saw Green walking slowly towards him from afar.

He subtly handed the teacup back to Subaru Natsuki, his tone calm:

"Thank you for your hospitality. Although I would like to talk to you some more, your guards have already caught up with us here, so you should have fled by now."

The old man genuinely didn't know the tea was stolen; otherwise, adhering to his chivalrous code, he would never have touched this cup of troublesome tea.

The Royal Selection Meeting will only begin if all those qualified as Dragon Maidens are present.

Wilhelm and his party visited the mansion primarily to inform Emilia of the time and place of the royal selection meeting.

At the same time, it also served the purpose of probing Emilia's faction's strength.

He stared into Green's eyes, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

The boy's aura was obscure and difficult to discern, and his strength was unfathomable. He must be Emilia's trump card that she has been hiding until now, right?

They managed to evade the eyes and ears of various forces, only revealing their whereabouts now.

"Those are truly a pair of eyes, as greedy and sharp as a wild beast's..."

The old man gave his evaluation in a low voice.

Having fought valiantly in the Ajin Wars and slain countless powerful enemies, he can accurately judge the level of danger of his opponents simply by gazing into their eyes.

"Damn it, is it Grimm who's after me?"

Natsuki Subaru groaned with a pained expression, having personally witnessed Green's skills.

It's one thing to have magic, but yesterday, while I was lying in bed, on the verge of death, I suddenly transformed into a huge monster that nearly burst the spacious room apart.

He would never forget that fierce aura.

"Mr. Green, we've slept on the floor together, we're practically brothers! Why don't you just turn a blind eye this time and let me off the hook..."

"Don't panic, I won't arrest you, but you should definitely keep your distance from Ram for a while."

Green patted Subaru Natsuki on the shoulder, calming his anxious emotions.

Natsuki Subaru was overjoyed and quickly poured Green a cup of tea as a bribe.

"Hiss... This is a really rich flavor. Now I'm sure Ram won't let you off the hook."

After taking a small sip of tea, Green's dry mouth and throat were finally relieved.

When feeding Rem porridge, I had to blow on it with every sip, and by the end, Grimm was almost suffocating.

The discomfort of a dry mouth and throat was finally soothed by this cup of hot tea.

As everyone sized each other up, an adorable catgirl emerged from the mansion's main hall.

"I'm back, Will."