Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

After a brief moment of thought, Green reached out and shook hands with the two little ones.

A barely perceptible green glow emanated from their abdomens, and at the same moment, some unhealthy substances within their bodies lost their activity.

"Now the two little brats will be fine. Luckily, I didn't use poison."

Green was still somewhat shaken; he had the poison, and he knew it well enough to keep it hidden.

But given the current situation, they might be tempted to act prematurely.

Green observed the scene quietly until Atto and Mia finished eating the cake and began licking the crumbs from between their fingers.

"Oh my goodness! Your little hands are so dirty, and you're still licking them. What if they get a stomachache?"

The magic mirror shook its head disdainfully: "The souls of these kinds of people must be filled with suffering."

"I can't take it anymore!"

Green suddenly leaped out of the bushes and strode menacingly toward the brother and sister.

"Hey you, stop licking your hands!"

As the older brother, Atto was the first to see Green, and realizing the situation was bad, he quickly protected his sister.

"Who...who are you? Don't come any closer!"

Mia, who had been focused on licking the cream off her hands, snapped out of her daze and grabbed Ato from behind in alarm.

"Brother, I'm scared..."

Ignoring the little boy's warning, Green reached into his coat with a fierce expression, as if he were pulling something out.

Atto was terrified. Trembling, he picked up a dead tree trunk from the roadside and waved it wildly.

"Don't come any closer, I'll really hit you!"

Mia dared not look anymore and closed her eyes resignedly.

Green walked closer and with a flick of his left hand, knocked the tree trunk away.

He swiped out a handful of coins with his right hand.

"Wait a minute, let me look for some copper coins and silver coins. Ugh, I should have just exchanged some for smaller change!"

"Three...four, okay, take them!"

Green handed a few silver coins to the bewildered Atto; these small coins were ones he had earned himself.

It's not that Green didn't want to give them gold coins; giving them too much money would only make things worse for them.

"Now, hurry up and go eat at the homeless stall. When I come back and see people licking their hands, I'll slap each of them across the face."

After saying this, Green hurriedly turned around, but after taking only a few steps, he slammed on the brakes and turned back.

Ato's heart, which had just relaxed, immediately jumped into his throat again.

Green grabbed his shoulder and looked at the little boy scrutinizingly.

"How old are you this year? You should know how to spend money, right? Don't just take it all out at once, you know!"

"I'm nine years old, my sister is five, and my big brother is..."

Ato nodded numbly. This person was terrifying; he was clearly a good person, yet he was so fierce.

Green was a little distrustful of these two silly kids, scratched his head, and continued to give them instructions:

"Go to the very back of the refugee street, there's a shop owned by a big-bearded old man, that old geezer won't rip you off."

To prevent the brother and sister from being taken advantage of, Green recommended a restaurant he used to frequent.

After arranging things clearly, Green finally let go and spared the two little ones.

"Don't squat in such an obvious spot late at night, and definitely don't eat anything from strangers. Especially good-looking guys, they're usually bad people."

Mia said softly, "But the big brother and the big sister from earlier both seemed very kind..."

Green felt a surge of secret pleasure, and his back straightened involuntarily.

"Ahem, I'm an exception, because I'm already extremely handsome. My good looks have overflowed and added to my justice stat, you know?"

"Um... I don't understand."

The two little ones shook their heads, not understanding.

"Hiss—"

The magic mirror hidden in Green's collar made a sound, attracting Green's attention.

"Master, stop being so vain, we're about to lose them."

Green suddenly realized and waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, I have other matters to attend to, I'm leaving now. Hurry up and go eat!"

The two watched Green leave, clutching the silver coins tightly in their hands.

"Mia, there are still many good people in the world! When we grow up, we should also be kind people."

"Hmm, it would be great if this older brother were Mia's father. He just looks fierce, but he definitely wouldn't hit us."

Hearing Mia's innocent words, Ato's mood improved considerably, and he chimed in, "Then let the older sister from before be the mother."

Mia nodded emphatically.

"Yes, that older sister looks really tough too; she must be an invincible mother!"

Atto opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Their birth mother was beaten to death by their alcoholic father, and Mia's aspirations made Ato feel a little sorry for her.

But as the older brother, he needs to be his sister's pillar of support and must not be the first to fall down.

Ato patted his face lightly, and regained his confident expression.

"Let's go, Mia, let's go to the vagrant street and find that little shop run by the big-bearded boss."

"Hmm, let's buy some dark bread and eat a few slices while the aroma of the tree cake is still lingering!"

……

Meanwhile, Elsa had reached the very edge of the capital.

After confirming that no one was following her, Elsa stopped in front of a dilapidated house, bent her fingers, and gently knocked on the wooden door.

The room was quiet, without a sound.

Elsa paused slightly with her fingertips, then tapped again, the rhythm distinct—two long taps followed by two short taps.

"It's me, Mary."

Her voice was soft, yet it possessed a strange penetrating power.

A moment later, the sound of light footsteps finally came from inside the room, one step at a time, until they reached the door.

The old wooden door creaked open, and a thin figure appeared behind it.

Mary was wrapped in thick bandages all over her body, almost covering her eyebrows and eyes, like a little mummy.

"Cough cough...Did you get the medicine?" She coughed violently, her voice broken and hoarse with a sickly tone.

"Good luck, I got it." Elsa stepped into the room and handed her the bottle of high-grade healing potion that was gleaming faintly.

She stared down at the bottle, her brows furrowed. "Why are there some strange little powders in this potion... Could it be poisonous?"

Elsa replied, "A little guy by the roadside tried it out for you, and judging from the results, there shouldn't be any problems."

After hesitating for a moment, Mary still unscrewed the stopper and brought the medicine to her lips.

If I don't drink, the injuries on my body will kill me.

Glug, glug.

The sweet medicine slid down my throat, and a warm force surged through my body from the inside out.

The pain throughout my body immediately subsided like a receding tide.

The rolling of Merry’s throat gradually slowed down.

She raised her hand to wipe the medicine from the corner of her lips, and her originally pale and chapped lips regained a touch of color.

My bandaged fingertips pressed gently against my chest, and I could clearly feel a tingling, itchy sensation coming from the broken bones.

That was a sign that the skin, flesh, and bones were healing rapidly under the influence of the medicine.

"The effect is even better than expected, cough cough."

She coughed softly twice, her voice less weak than before.

The eyes hidden in the gaps of the bandages brightened, and their gaze returned to the cardboard box that Elsa was holding.

A 13-year-old girl is at the age where she loves sweets.

Meryl knew exactly what this packaging was for.

"Elsa, is that tree cake you're holding for me?"