Anime, starting from Re:Zero (Zero - Starting Life)

"Thank you for telling me this, Brother Gao Wen."

Gawain does not take credit for his actions; he is full of empathy:

"It just so happened that we were talking about it. The person you should be grateful to is Orsted. It's a good opportunity for you to meet him tomorrow. Your soul comes from outside the human world, so perhaps it won't be affected by his curse. For that guy, someone like you who doesn't fear him is very important."

Rudy suddenly came to his senses:

"Wait, did you also learn those words in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese from the Dragon God?"

Gao Wen drank honey tea:

"She is a companion of the Dragon God, a girl with black hair, brown eyes and a gentle face. She calls herself Nanaboshi Shizuka, which is pronounced as [Nanaboshi Shizuka] in Japanese. She asked me to ask you if you are [Shinohara Akito] or [Kuroki Seiji]."

Rudy subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Since they were not people he knew, he answered casually:

"neither."

Gao Wen was a little surprised:

"Isn't that so? I was guessing that you, like Nanahoshi Shizuka, were both here due to the Great Transfer."

Chapter 5 Previous Life

Chapter 5 Previous Life

Rudy frowned in confusion.

Gawain immediately explained to him in detail the Dragon God's conjecture, which was that a certain son of God, for a certain purpose, mobilized his own power to summon Nanahoshi Shizuka and perhaps someone else or some other people from another world.

This setting gave Rudy an infinite sense of déjà vu. What kind of hero from another world? But after all, he and Nanahoshi Shizuka had been transferred to different eras and in different ways, so he felt relieved and asked casually:

"In other words, that Son of God is the culprit?"

Gao Wen was very sorry:

"Correct, but the Dragon God said that there is no Son of God with such powerful abilities in this era. Considering the special nature of the Son of God's abilities, it is possible that he can activate his abilities across time periods."

Hey, isn't this time-travel setting a bit over the top? Rudy felt a little terrified. After a moment of hesitation, he still couldn't escape his suspicions and reluctantly asked:

"Brother Gao Wen, can you draw me a picture of Miss Nanahoshi Shizuka?"

Gao Wen's painting skills were like photo printing. He agreed to the request without hesitation, and casually pinched out a pure white rock slab, laser-engraved Nanahoshi Shizuka's ID photo on it, and then adjusted the material structure, making the static picture instantly come alive, with colors and light and shadows like a living person.

Rudy was sure at first sight. Judging from the expression and atmosphere, the other person was definitely Japanese. This may be a bit extreme, but at least he was 100% Asian.

Rudy explained:

"She's a beauty!"

Gawain looked at him strangely:

"If you said something like that to me in private, even I would have complained to Alice."

Rudy hastily added:

"I...that's not what I meant! And it's so weird to complain to Alice. We're not even a couple!"

Gao Wen held the teacup and looked at him silently.

Rudy admitted defeat:

"Please don't tell Alice, she'll beat me up. Seriously, that child used to be so obedient, how did she become like this now?"

"I'm not here to listen to your displays of affection."

"That's complaining! Okay, let me explain. Miss Nanahoshi Shizuka is very beautiful. In my country in my previous life, she could have debuted or become an internet celebrity just by having a pretty face, right? But I wasn't qualified to know such a beautiful girl in my previous life, okay? Let's put it another way, Miss Nanahoshi Shizuka and I are not the same age at all. I was probably twice her age when I died. Without considering any relatives or work relationships, for someone like me to know a beautiful girl like her is basically a crime that will get me arrested..."

Gao Wen held his forehead:

"...I want to tell you what I said to Luo Qixi not long ago: If you want to hide how much you care about something, don't express too many personal thoughts and attitudes about it."

Rudy, whose long speech was interrupted, was unable to wrap his mind around it for a moment:

"What do you mean?"

Gao Wen immediately answered:

"I'll ask you to keep it simple. I'll listen carefully to your story about your past life later."

Rudy blushed in embarrassment. He placed his hands on the table and bowed his head.

"Thank you, Brother Gao Wen."

"To put it simply, if I knew a beautiful girl like that, I would definitely remember her vividly, so I don't know her. However, it can be seen that we are indeed from the same place, at least we are from the same hometown. But if we take into account her ability to travel across time and space, I don't know what era she is from."

Judging from the other person's clothes, they shouldn't be as different as Kikyo and Kagome, right?

Gao Wen finally had the chance to tell all the information he had obtained from Nanahoshi Shizuka. He carved a string of Arabic numerals and Japanese words:

"This is the last part I know. It's about her physical state and the time before she was transferred to this world. You'll have to talk to her in person about the rest."

Rudy saw a string of familiar words and symbols.

His face grew paler and paler, cold sweat oozing from every pore, as if he were thrown into an extremely cold ice lake, the pain of being frozen in endless darkness and heavy suffocation instantly overwhelmed him.

Even if he dies, he will never forget that moment.

It would be better to say that he had already died at that moment.

"Hey?"

Familiar voices echoed repeatedly, and the bright and peaceful streets of Miris came hazily back into view. Rudy gasped and came back to his senses.

“Haaaa…Haaaa…”

When the countless shadows merged into one, Rudy saw Gao Wen's concerned expression. He smiled bitterly and confessed:

"...I remembered who she was."

"Miss Nanahoshi Shizuka and I are indeed from the same era. To be more precise, we come from the same place and the same time. If you don't mind my long speech, Brother Gao Wen, I would like to start from the very beginning of my previous life."

Gao Wen raised his hand to stop him, called the waiter and ordered a bunch of desserts, fried food and new drinks, then he calmly listened to the story:

"please say."

Rudy dried his clothes and clothes, and seeing Gawain's attitude calmed him down considerably. He forced himself to maintain a calm voice as he unloaded the boring life he had wanted to share countless times since his past life, the story he had wanted to tell someone, the story he had wanted someone to listen to quietly and attentively.

Yes, boring.

His life, like that of a rat or a maggot, was not even pathetic. His self-abandonment did not destroy his own life, but became a source of sorrow for those close to him. After all, apart from the trauma that he could not reconcile throughout his life, he did not live a miserable life in his previous life. Instead, he was like a termite and a fat pig, constantly sucking blood from his parents and family members, rotting and blaming others.

But how bad was he? Setting aside his emotions, even his capacity for evil was woefully inadequate. His entire life's worth of depravity was less than the eleventh level of his former bully. Even disregarding those in prison or on probation, there were countless others more negative than him. In society, upholding certain evil behaviors had long since become a sign of competitiveness, a virtue of the law of the jungle.

So, he is just a boring piece of junk.

What is waste?

A corner that is neither harmful nor useful.

"...I'm just such a jerk, a piece of shit. The only good deed I've ever done in my life was probably saving them from under the truck, out of self-destructiveness and simple morality. But in the end, I didn't save them at all..."

Gawain had finished all the snacks he ordered and was considering whether to order more when Rudy finally finished speaking.

He thought about it and comforted:

"By your standards, there's no one more of a jerk than me, so you can rest assured."

Rudy showed a relieved expression as expected:

"Thank you, Brother Gao Wen. It's because of you that I have the courage to speak out these things and decide to tell everyone."

Gao Wen felt that he was too happy too early:

"Of course, by Vitrum's standards, you do have some stains."

Rudy choked.

Gawain drank the last sip of juice:

"Do you want to go back? I mean Earth."

Rudy turned his untouched drink cup around, and after a moment's silence, he nodded as if it was a matter of course.

"Even if it's just a little bit, I want to make amends. It was a mistake I made. I finally have a second chance at life after picking myself up. As long as I can do it, I want to apologize and atone for my sins no matter what."

"Besides, Miss Nanahoshi Shizuka would probably want to go home, right? And her classmates and friends who might be somewhere or sometime now, if possible, I also hope to save them completely."

Gao Wen snapped his fingers, and the portrait of Nanahiroshi Shizuka disappeared like smoke. He smiled:

"Then count you in too."

"what?"

"We all want to atone for our sins, don't we? Then let's seek power and redeem everything."

"it is good."

Rudy's eyes filled with tears, and they shook hands for the first time in a long time.

Chapter 6 Diplomatic Relations

Chapter 6 Diplomatic Relations

By the time they finished their conversation, a long time had passed since the time they had agreed to meet the Pope. Rudy, having come to his senses, became a little nervous. He was morally afraid of being late.

Gawain didn't care at all. He led Rudy all the way into the church center and met this acquaintance in the Pope's office.

Rudy noticed something different from the last time he came here alone. This duty room itself was equipped with very powerful demon-disturbing barriers and defensive barriers, but neither of them was deployed this time. Perhaps they were felt to be useless, so it would be better not to open them.

The Pope stood up, and Gawain nodded and greeted him:

"Long time no see, Harry."

Rudy followed Gawain's lead:

"Greetings, Your Holiness."

The Pope performed the greeting of the Church of Milis:

"Mr. Gawain, Mr. Rudeus, good day."

Rudy admitted that it was quite satisfying to follow his big brother and take advantage of his power.

Gawain pulled out a chair and sat down casually, crossing his legs and folding his hands on his knees. After the Pope and Rudy were seated, he announced in an official tone:

"Yesterday, for some reason, I engaged in a battle with the current Dragon God Orsted. The battle ended in a draw, and we subsequently formed a life-and-death alliance. While Milis is my ally, the mutual benefits aren't as great as between Orsted and me, I feel obligated to inform you of this matter. By the way, please also announce the alliance between [God of War] Gawain Vitrudia and [Dragon God] Orsted through official announcements from the Church and the Theocracy."

"Also, my contract with the Three Northern Magic Kingdoms of the Central Continent requires that the ownership of the former magic city of Sharia and the surrounding thousand-mile land be freed from the rule and management of the Three Magic Kingdoms and the Magic Guild. However, I have no intention of establishing a nation, so the new Sharia [Academy City] will be under my jurisdiction, independent of the other nations, and open to the world regardless of age, gender, or race. At the same time, [Academy City], the Three Magic Kingdoms, and the Magic Guild will form the [Magic Alliance], jointly advancing and retreating in the three areas of magic research, practical skills, and teaching."

"Whether the Holy Kingdom of Milis and the Church of Milis are willing to establish an alliance or diplomatic relations with our [Academy City], and whether they are willing to join the [Magical Alliance], this is the second matter of today."

Gao Wen printed out the map stele with ease:

"This is a new world map, a gift to our allies. It will save you from wasting too much time and money on resurveying and redrawing, and will also aid in your assessment of current affairs and trade routes. This is the third item for today."

"Of course, depending on the stance of your country or religion, there could be more than just these three things."

Gawain gave Pope Harry a lot of face. After all, the other party also gave him and his relatives and friends face.

After saying this, Gawain folded his arms and closed his eyes to rest, leaving the Pope and Rudy, who had forgotten what etiquette was, to look at the map face to face.

After a while, Rudy poked Gawain's shoulder stealthily and asked in a low voice:

"Did you really split the Beccarit continent in two? The Holy Sword Avenue carved by Saint Milis is less than 6,000 kilometers long, right? How many people will die, Brother Gawain? Won't we all become SSS-level war criminals?"

Gawain slapped him on the forehead:

"It's all uninhabited territory. I just checked it this morning, and the compensation plan has been arranged. The casualties among civilized species should not exceed ten thousand."

It was even less than he had imagined. Clearing out a small warlord in the conflict zone would result in more than just these few deaths. The only difference was that the casualties in yesterday's battle were purely unprovoked disasters. Gawain didn't care much about accidental injuries. His rescue was just to follow the ideas of his relatives and friends, and to reduce the number of pawns available to humans and gods.

At this time, the Pope slowly spoke:

"Your Excellency Gawain, I don't have the authority to make the final decision on the covenant alone. We require more detailed documentation to assist us in making this judgment. Please understand. However, I need to inform you of something else that is related to this. Several key members of the former Cardinal's faction have come before Saint Milis to confess their sins, confessing the many unforgivable sins they committed after falling for power. The Cardinal, who was deceived by them, and those within his faction who held extreme anti-demon ideologies have also deeply repented, realizing that targeting the innocent moderate demons was merely a foolish act of venting internal contradictions."

Gawain lied with his eyes open:

"Saint Miris will forgive them."

Rudy blinked his eyes, inexplicably feeling that Brother Gao Wen must be having a lot of fun now.

The Pope said frankly:

"With you at the helm, Academy City will surely become a great benchmark for a new era where all races in the human world put aside their hatred and barriers, and live in harmony and prosperity. The Magical Alliance is also closely linked to the development of civilization and the well-being of the people. I will convene a meeting as soon as possible to discuss the future direction of the Church and the Theocracy. The Church of Milis will always strive for good and will never fall into evil."