From RE0, Sato Kazuma decided to cheat on food and drink

What are you spacing out for?

"oh oh!"

Aqua had just drifted off into thought, contemplating what to eat later—even wondering if she could use Subaru Natsuki's Return by Death ability to dine and dash, at least to sample various delicacies.

Aqua only came to her senses after seeing Kazuma Sato's size.

"Kazuma said that when candidates touch this badge, it seems to glow. I'm going to be one of the candidates, but what kind of light should it emit? Oh well, whatever! Theoretically speaking, the more powerful a person is, the stronger their light should be!"

A smile immediately bloomed on Aqua's face, and a hint of smugness seemed to flash in her eyes.

"Then take a good look!"

As Aqua activated her skill, the badge in her hand emitted a red glow.

"It actually reacted!"

Ferut let out a gasp.

"Look!"

Just as Kazuma Sato was speaking with a smile, the expression on his face gradually froze.

Because the light on the badge changed.

First red, then orange, then yellow... The badge was constantly changing colors in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, and the light was also rhythmically brightening and dimming.

This is just like the disco ball in a nightclub.

"?"

Kazuma Sato stared at Aqua in disbelief, feeling as if his eyes were about to be blinded by her brilliance.

Aqua, on the other hand, was completely immersed in her art.

The brighter the light, the more special you are!

"Alright, alright! That's enough!"

Kazuma Sato finally couldn't take it anymore and snatched the badge from Aqua's hand, finally ending the blinding light show.

"It's actually true!"

Ferut's surprise hadn't faded; what had just happened still left her somewhat shaken.

Felt hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary badge would actually react after Aqua touched it.

However, this light... seems a bit too eerie.

And she really began to believe what Kazuma Sato said.

"Now you believe me, right? You've offended a candidate for king, which is a very serious crime. You and Lord Rom might both end up in jail!"

Kazuma Sato put the badge away, paused deliberately, and then continued speaking.

"However, if you are willing to help us, it would be a way for you to atone for your crimes! Besides, the person who commissioned you to commit the theft will definitely kill you afterward, and we can also provide you with shelter."

Upon hearing Sato Kazuma's words, a hint of panic finally flashed across Felt's face.

She didn't want to get into trouble, or put Mr. Rom in danger.

"Then, what should I do?"

Ferut lowered her voice by a few decibels, completely losing her previous impatience.

"Later, cooperate with us to capture Elsa—the one who hired you—let's go back to your residence first and discuss our strategy."

Kazuma Sato said with a smile, leading Felt toward the stolen goods storage area.

He had already considered the possible future developments in his mind.

They don't need to defeat Elsa, they just need to stall for time.

When Subaru Natsuki brought the guards over.

Then Aqua made the badge glow again in front of everyone!

In this way, Aqua will come into everyone's view as the fifth candidate!

Not only is this a considerable achievement, but it also makes Emilia, as another candidate, owe them a favor!

Then I can live a life of luxury!

Adventure isn't really necessary. Living a noble life in another world isn't bad either!

And who knows, he might actually be able to ascend the throne!

Just as Kazuma Sato was daydreaming about the future, Felt's voice pulled him back to reality.

Who else is currently in your camp?

"Fairut asked curiously."

"We're just starting out, and we need to recruit talent from all areas! We've just found three decent candidates."

"What about them?"

"To deal with the assassins who will arrive later, I had them set up traps in this area beforehand."

Kazuma Sato replied.

He had previously arranged for the trio to set a trap on Elsa's only route, so that they could gain the initiative in the battle.

Where did they set the traps?

"I don't know either. Let's go find them and ask them. They can't exactly dig a trap on the main road, can they?"

Before Sato Kazuma could finish speaking, his footing gave way, and he fell into a pit that shouldn't have been there. He was pierced through the heart by the barbs inside, and before he could even scream, he was back in the realm of the gods.

Before him stood Eris, sweat beading on his forehead, a speechless and awkward smile on his face.

"In less than forty-eight hours... Kazuma... you've been back here almost ten times."

Chapter Twenty-Three: That's right, this is the immense power of the candidates!

At this moment, Eris felt somewhat helpless.

She can see Kazuma Sato and Aqua's experiences in another world from the realm of the gods.

only......

What happened to the two of them was a bit too outrageous.

Killed by the enemy, having your heart crushed by some unknown being, dying from a trap set by your own people...

That seems too tragic.

Even though that world was constantly being reset in time, the total time that Sato Kazuma and the others traveled through it did not exceed forty-eight hours.

Kazuma Sato has returned to the realm of gods more than ten times due to death.

However, Eris was also very curious.

What exactly is going on in this other world?

Why are there still transmigrators who are not under the jurisdiction of their divine realm?

And why is the timeline constantly being reset?

A series of questions flooded Eris's mind.

"Um, should I say it's been a long time, Eris?"

Kazuma Sato sat in front of Eris and scratched the back of his head.

"Hey."

Eris sighed.

"I'll take you back right away... You must have had a hard journey."

She gently waved her arm, and the purple light instantly engulfed Kazuma Sato.

. . . . . .

"what?"

Felt stared in astonishment at Sato Kazuma, who had just been dragged out of the trap. His body was completely pierced by the barbs inside the trap, making him look like a sponge.

The three thugs who rushed over after hearing the news exchanged bewildered glances for a moment before finally breaking the somewhat suffocating silence.

Why did you dig a trap here?

"Didn't Lord Kazuma say that the trap should be placed on the only way to get here? So I made preparations in advance."

"Should the three of us get ready to make a run for it...?"

The three of them were basically convinced that Kazuma Sato and Aqua's identities were not simple.

They caused the death of Kazuma Sato, and I'm afraid they will all face the death penalty.

The only thing we can do now is to run away as quickly as possible.

However, this person named Aqua showed no sadness whatsoever when her trusted confidante died.

"This is the true face of the nobility..."

"Humbari, one of the trio, muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on Aqua's direction."

"Kazuma, wake up!"

At that moment, Aqua was speaking while kicking Sato Kazuma's body on the ground.

"How could they treat their own dead men like this! We'd better get out of here now!"

Hambari turned to his companions and spoke.

However, what he saw was the terrified expression on the faces of Rajens and Gaston.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you two doing?"

Just as Hambari was in a daze, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Useless goddess, did you just step on me a few times?"

"what?"

Hambari turned his head, and a horrifying scene unfolded before him.

Kazuma Sato, who should have died, stood up perfectly fine, without a single wound on his body.

It was as if nothing had happened before.

How, how is this possible?!

He looked like that just now, he must be dead, right?

Meanwhile, Ferut was also shocked by the scene before her.

The dead... have come back to life?!

It felt like a dream, filling Felt with a sense of unreality.

"I didn't! Don't make false accusations!"

Aqua immediately put her hands on her hips and said.

"Then what about the footprints on my body?"

Kazuma Sato stretched out his hand and pointed to the stain on his clothes.

"I...I don't know?"

Aqua pouted, looked away, and stared at her fingertips with a guilty expression.

"These footprints match your shoes exactly, don't they?"

"It might just be a coincidence, haha."

Just as Kazuma Sato grabbed Aqua by the collar, a bewildered Felt stepped forward and asked:

"What on earth happened? I clearly saw you die just now!"

"This, this is all because of Lady Aqua's special power!"

Kazuma Sato immediately changed his expression, smiling as he looked at Felt. The hand that had been gripping Aqua's collar shifted to a gesture of adjusting her clothing and appearance.