Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

Green sighed with relief.

"Well, actually, the Archbishop of Sloth came for you."

Emilia's pupils dimmed slightly, and she subconsciously pulled the brim of her cloak forward.

He gripped the fabric tightly with his fingertips, burying most of his face in shadow.

It's as if this can shut out those malicious glances lurking in the air.

The whispers, the attempts to avoid her, and the occasional stones and insults thrown at her have long since pierced her heart like needles.

Her long-term experience of being isolated and disliked led her to accept that her existence was unwelcome.

Even at Roswaal's mansion, she refused to look at herself in the mirror—afraid of seeing a face that would bring disaster.

"Why would Grimm go to such lengths? Even at the cost of confronting the terrifying white whale and the Witch Cult."

The girl's voice carried a hint of sadness that was barely perceptible.

Green patted Emilia's back gently, smiling reassuringly as he said:

"Emilia, stop saying things like that. It makes me sound like your lapdog."

"Here's the thing: Sloth is harming Alam Village and can't be ignored. Gluttony, that CS guy, has a personal grudge against me, and I simply dislike Greed. Got it?"

"Huh?"

Emilia's sense of loss was completely washed away by the sudden panic.

She abruptly raised her head, her hat brim slipping down to reveal a pair of anxious purple eyes:

"No, no, Green, you are my servant and friend. I absolutely do not have any lewd thoughts about treating you like a dog."

Currently, Green is truly his first and only good friend.

"Um... is that the main point?"

Green sighed, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"And you misunderstood Emilia. A 'simp' is someone who lowers themselves, unconditionally accommodates the other person's needs, and wants to be with them. It's not a real dog."

Emilia suddenly realized: "I see... So Rem is your simp, right?"

"You... mutual affection can't be called being a simp, that's true love."

Upon hearing this, Green felt as if he had choked on his own words.

Emilia's delicate nose wrinkled almost imperceptibly as she covered her mouth in surprise:

"Wow~ When did this happen? I knew you and Rem were close, but I never imagined it had turned into love?"

It turned out that her knight had already fallen in love.

The half-elf girl turned her head away, instinctively avoiding Grimm's gaze.

She raised her fingertips and gently smoothed the strands of hair at her temples, a hint of barely perceptible panic in her movements.

The sun is shining brightly right now, but it doesn't feel very warm.

A gentle breeze blew by, and she even felt a chill in her abdomen.

Grimm didn't notice Emilia's expression and walked to the front with his hands behind his head.

"It's truly remarkable that you even know the word 'love'..."

"Hmph~"

Emilia scoffed, "I'm almost a hundred years older than you, okay?"

The girl quickened her pace and caught up with Green.

"By the way, Green, where did you buy that tree cake from the other day? I'd like to have another one."

Green raised his hand and pointed to a shop that had already closed, saying, "Look, that's the one."

"Why is it closed?"

Emilia exclaimed in surprise, pouting regretfully.

Green chuckled awkwardly, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, and explained, "Maybe some spendthrift woman bought all the cakes."

"Oh? That's too much. I was planning to treat Green to a meal in return."

Emilia's face was filled with a resentful expression, and her large purple eyes looked around, trying to find a cake shop that was still open.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as she hoped; all the cake shops had signs saying they were sold out.

Just as Emilia slumped her shoulders in dejection, she caught a glimpse of the direction of the crossroads out of the corner of her eye.

A huge crowd had gathered there, a dense mass of people, making a great deal of noise and creating an unbelievable scene.

"Green, look, something seems to be happening over there?"

After saying that, Emilia grabbed Green's wrist and ran excitedly toward the crowd.

As soon as I approached, the cacophony of voices from the crowd assaulted my ears.

The various voices of discussion, exclamations, and cheers were mixed together, creating a chaotic mess.

"My God, this guy's outrageous!"

"I have to say, he's really impressive! With that kind of energy, he could probably take down a bull!"

"Didn't anyone notify the guards? This is so cruel!"

"Oh, you mean the guards? They seemed to have been pushed out just now!"

Emilia curiously tiptoed, her slender legs taut and straight.

Every now and then, she couldn't help but jump up and down, like a cute little rabbit caught up in her curiosity, trying hard to see the scene in the center of the crowd.

But there were too many people here; all I could see were throngs of heads, a dense, dark mass.

Forget about seeing what was inside, you couldn't even see a shadow.

What made her even more hesitant was that she dared not squeeze into the crowd.

After all, her face is too eye-catching, and if she is recognized, it might cause a commotion.

If you encounter some ill-intentioned people and get taken advantage of, it will be even worse.

In the end, the girl could only turn her head pitifully and cast a pleading look at Green.

"Green... I can't see inside..."

After a brief moment of thought, Green slowly walked up behind Emilia.

"Don't move, I'll lift you up."

"Huh?"

Emilia was stunned for a moment, then gasped in surprise. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made her tense up instinctively.

With his hands waving wildly, his perspective kept rising, gradually revealing the scene that had been blocked by heads.

Emilia stammered, "Akizuki... Grin..."

Green ignored her and simply held firmly in Emilia's arm.

With a little effort, he lifted her sideways and placed her steadily on his shoulders.

The girl was surprisingly light, like a fluffy cotton doll, and there was hardly any pressure when she landed on my shoulders.

When she first sat down, she was a little reserved, her small body struggling erratically on his shoulder, as if afraid she would fall.

"Alright Emilia, now you can definitely see it! Tell me what's inside in a bit."

Emilia slowly calmed down, holding Grimm's head tightly in both hands, carefully maintaining her balance.

After catching her breath, she raised her head and peered through the gap in the center of the crowd.

However, when she saw clearly what people were watching, the girl's pupils suddenly dilated, and the curiosity on her face froze instantly.

"What?!"

Emilia was so surprised that she was speechless for a moment, her small mouth slightly open, and she froze on Green's shoulder.

In the center of the tightly packed crowd, as if by some tacit agreement, everyone consciously made way for a clearing.

In the center of the open space, an old man with a crazed expression was kneeling.

His hair was a mess, and his face was contorted with rage.

At this moment, he was tightly gripping the neck of a skinny female dog, emitting unintelligible growls, and was brutally conducting what he called "training" on the dog.

"Hang in there, Bruce!"