Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

Rem didn't ask Grimm why he left.

She simply stood there like a waiting-for-her-husband stone, watching him disappear into the depths of the capital's lights.

The vibrant nightlife of the kingdom's capital was just beginning when a man hastily bid farewell to his lover and left alone, a sight that would seem suspicious to anyone.

Is Green planning to go out and fool around?

No way! Rem would never lose to a woman like that!

The girl shook her head vigorously, dispelling the baseless fantasies in her mind.

Then, carrying the supplies he had bought that day, he quickly headed towards Emilia's location, as instructed by Grin.

……

The wooden door of the pharmacy was gently pushed open.

A figure shrouded in a black cloak stood silently before the counter, and a hoarse, somewhat languid female voice slowly rang out:

"Sir, do you still have any high-grade healing potions for sale?"

The chubby shop owner, who was dozing off at the counter, was startled by the sound and immediately straightened his back.

"Advanced healing potion?"

He shook his head repeatedly, his face full of helplessness. "That stuff has been out of stock for a long time. My shop only has some intermediate-grade hemostatic drugs left. Do you want some?"

"Of course~" Elsa's voice was somewhat nonchalant, "Any medicine will do as long as it can save my life."

Slender fingers emerged from under the cloak, and a gleaming gold coin was gently placed on the counter.

"Oh, Miss, this won't do."

The fat boss's tone suddenly became sharp and shrewd, and his fat fingers pushed the gold coin back, adopting the demeanor of a cunning merchant.

"With the current market prices, how could it be this price? A bottle of intermediate-level hemostatic medicine would cost at least three... no, five gold coins!"

A fleeting glint of cold light flashed in Elsa's eyes as she took out four more gold coins.

"These medicines are truly worth their weight in gold and silver."

Upon seeing the money arrive in full, the fat boss immediately put on a fawning smile.

Turning around, he pulled a small, simply packaged medicine bottle from the bottom shelf and quickly pushed it in front of Elsa, while deftly shoving five gold coins into his own purse.

Elsa examined the bottle of hemostatic medicine in her hand, remaining silent for a long time.

A chilling killing intent silently emanated from beneath the black cloak.

"This vial has clearly been opened; there's only half the liquid left. Could you explain why?"

The fat boss's eyes darted around for a moment, then he quickly leaned against the counter to avoid Elsa's gaze.

"Sigh, where can you even buy medical supplies on the market these days? This bottle is for my own use, but since we seem to have a connection, I'm reluctantly selling it to you!"

Elsa's gaze remained fixed on the bottle.

Her scarlet eyes slanted slightly upwards: "Ah~ I see..."

If someone were standing behind her, they would see that her other hand, hidden in her cloak, was already gripping the sharp scimitar.

It seemed as if the unscrupulous businessman would fall into a pool of blood at any moment.

Bang bang bang!

Just at this critical moment, there was a sudden, urgent knocking on the back door of the pharmacy.

Elsa froze, took a half-step back alertly, and flicked her fingertips, causing the scimitar to silently slide back into its sheath.

The portly boss looked suspiciously into the back cubicle, scratched his greasy hair, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Who is it?!"

As he shouted, he lifted the curtain and went into the inner room, muttering to himself all the while.

"That's strange, are there still delivery services this late?"

The back door has always been reserved for our own people and partners.

His small, run-down shop wouldn't warrant the presence of high-ranking officials from the Hexin Chamber of Commerce.

Usually, those who knock on the back door are vendors who come to restock their stock.

The fat boss's footsteps gradually faded away, leaving only intermittent mutterings that pierced through the curtain.

squeak-

"Why aren't you using the main entrance this late at night? I'd like to see which unlucky bastard dares to come here looking for trouble!"

"Hey, you are...?"

boom!

A very faint thud came from deep inside the room, and the fat boss's voice stopped abruptly.

After a brief silence, his voice rang out again, this time with a hint of exasperation: "Ahem, so it's you! Get out of here right now!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a shrill female voice responded with a sob: "Waaah, you heartless man!"

boom!

Another loud bang, clearly the fat boss slammed the door shut.

He slipped quietly through the curtain and returned behind the counter, carrying an exquisitely packaged box of tree-shaped cakes.

"Excuse me, sir, but my ex-wife came here begging to get back together. She wants to use this broken cake to win back her heart. What a pipe dream."

He pointed to the cake in his hand, his face full of disdain.

Elsa looked at him thoughtfully, then slowly spoke:

"I see. But I think I heard a crash. Did you bump your head, boss?"

The fat boss shook his head vigorously, reverting to his arrogant demeanor.

"No way! That little bitch dared to come knocking on our door; she must be asking for a beating."

He patted his belly smugly and then said.

"Of course I couldn't let her leave empty-handed, so I delivered a deadly scissor kick and knocked her to the ground. That's how the commotion was made. Sorry for the customer's embarrassment, hahaha!"

A dangerous glint flashed in Elsa's eyes, and the sharp northern scimitar was already pressed against her wrist.

"Boss, you really are a scumbag..." she chuckled, her tone sickeningly sweet.

"Haha, thank you for the compliment!" The fat boss grinned from ear to ear, completely unaware that death was about to strike.

whoosh-

Elsa transformed into a black lightning bolt, darting past the fat boss's body like a nimble leopard cat.

The fat boss's laughter was still stuck in his throat when a sudden, icy tearing sensation came from his abdomen, so fast that even the pain couldn't keep up.

He looked down and saw that the black fabric was being rapidly soaked by warm liquid, which dripped down his trouser legs with a sticky, fishy smell.

"Crack—"

It was the dull thud of internal organs slipping out.

The fat boss's pupils contracted sharply, and he let out a hoarse sound as he tried to cover his open wound with his hands in vain.

But the slippery, warm pieces of intestine still rushed out, wrapping around his fingers and leaving his hands covered in sticky blood.

"No...no...I don't want to...die..."

He wanted to shout, to beg for mercy, to curse, but he couldn't utter a single complete syllable, and his body fell backward like a lump of mud.

Boom!

The heavy impact echoed through the quiet pharmacy.

His body twitched a few times, then quickly fell silent, only his wide-open eyes still showing the terror of his impending death.

A glass bottle, about the size of a thumb, rolled out of his turned-out pocket, its surface engraved with the exquisite logo of the Hexin Chamber of Commerce.

This is the high-grade healing potion that Elsa has been searching for.

Elsa glanced down at the corpse on the ground, a cold, indifferent smile curving her crimson eyes.

"Judging from the reaction, he died without any warning. Am I overthinking it?"

She stepped over the pool of blood, bent down to pick up the vial of medicine, her movements as gentle as if she were caressing a precious treasure.

Then, her gaze fell on the exquisitely packaged tree cake on the counter.

The aroma of cream from the cake mingled with the stench of blood in the air, creating an eerie smell.

Elsa reached out her finger and gently poked the sugar flowers decorating the cake, a nonchalant smile playing on her lips.

"What a wonderful feel. Merry-chan would love this, Mr. Arigato scum."

She bowed gracefully to the fat boss's corpse, tucked the potion into the inside pocket of her cloak, picked up the box of cake, and turned to walk towards the main entrance of the pharmacy.

After closing the door, she flipped the sign on the doorknob to reveal the words "Closed".

By the time someone discovers the body inside the house, the greedy boss will probably be rotting and stinking.