Emilia glanced subconsciously at Puck, who nodded.
"Well, from what I can tell, you're not lying…"
Emilia placed a hand over her chest, and her tense expression softened slightly.
"Is that so? Then, could you please notify the city guard? We still have urgent matters…"
She had something extremely important to attend to, but on the way through the alley, she stumbled upon a murder. Her kind nature had compelled her to stop. Now, with the misunderstanding cleared up, Emilia was eager to leave.
"Wait, Lia."
Puck stopped her and then looked over at Ryou.
"Though I don't think you're lying, my perception is based on sensing the mana within you, not some 'lie-detection' blessing. Skilled magic users can block such perception—and it seems you and your companions have that ability. I can sense strong energy from each of you, and there's a heavy stench of blood about you. You've taken quite a few lives, haven't you?
"So... who are you, and what are you doing in the Kingdom of Lugunica?"
The cute feline face held a trace of suspicion.
Ryou's eyes flickered with surprise. He hadn't expected Puck, usually a mascot-like presence, to be so perceptive. But he couldn't afford to lose ground now.
Ryou replied, "We're just travelers from another land. What, is the mighty Beast of the End checking IDs now? Besides, if I'd acted, that boy wouldn't even leave a trace."
To punctuate his point, Ryou stomped his foot on the ground.
Boom!
The brick-paved alley fractured instantly, cracks spiderwebbing outward as the ground trembled. From outside, startled cries rose as if an earthquake had erupted within a wide radius.
Seeing this, Puck's expression turned wary.
At that moment, a red-haired young man in a pristine white knight's uniform noticed the disturbance and hurried over, while on the opposite rooftop, a small figure darted across the skyline.
"Puck!"
Emilia cried out in surprise, instinctively readying to chase the figure.
"Even if you pursue her, you won't catch up. That thief has an acceleration-type blessing. You'd need a large-scale spell in the city to intercept her."
"You can't use large-scale spells in the city! That would endanger innocent people!"
Emilia rejected Ryou's suggestion without hesitation.
"Well then, follow me. I might know where that thief is headed. If you have guts, that is."
Ryou's half-smile challenged Emilia to make a choice.
Emilia hesitated and glanced at Puck, whose cute cat face looked troubled.
In its current state, unless Puck fully unsealed its power and released its true form, even joining forces with Emilia wouldn't guarantee victory. If Ryou had sinister intentions, the consequences could be disastrous.
More troubling still, despite Puck's more than four hundred years of experience, it couldn't fully gauge Ryou's true depth.
"What is your real goal?"
Ryou grinned, pointing at Emilia.
"My goal? Simple. It's for her—Emilia, one of the five royal candidates of the Kingdom of Lugunica—to become the true Witch of Envy!"
"!!!"
"If you want to know where that thief went or understand why all this is happening, follow me."
With that, Ryou turned and began to walk away.
He knew the commotion would attract a certain cheat-bug named Reinhard, and if he didn't leave now, he'd be cornered. Although Ryou wasn't afraid of Reinhard, he wasn't keen on using that technique consecutively; the side effects were too severe, and repeated use would temporarily strip him of combat abilities, jeopardizing his plans.
So, for now, he chose to retreat.
Emilia and Puck exchanged glances and ultimately followed; Ryou's words were too significant to ignore.
A few minutes later, a red-haired young man in a white knight's uniform arrived at the alley. By now, the area was empty except for a strangely dressed corpse. He frowned.
This was a turbulent time for the Kingdom of Lugunica, with the royal family gone, and now a foreigner of unknown origin dead here. It was far from a good omen.
As the sound of clanking armor echoed, several city guards arrived at the scene. When they saw the red-haired man, their eyes filled with respect.
"Lord Reinhard!"
The red-haired man was none other than the Sword Saint Reinhard, renowned as the strongest Sword Saint, a knight of knights, bearing many titles. In the original story, he was the author's favored character, able to add blessings unique to this world and known as its strongest warrior.
After entrusting the foreigner's body to the guards for burial, Reinhard frowned deeply.
'If only I could uncover clues related to this murder…'
Suddenly, he felt a flash of insight. His mind raced, connecting previously unnoticed details, piecing together the scene as if with a magnifying glass.
"So that's it…"
His eyes gleamed as he deduced the events in the alley.
"The culprit must be a local thug. Three people were at the scene—not far from here, two women and one man. Later, another arrived, likely a girl and an elf mage…"
Reinhard quickly determined the direction the thugs had fled and set off after them.
Unbeknownst to him, a new blessing, "Detective," had been added to his array of powers.
...
Meanwhile, several powerful beings across the world sensed the death of the Witch of Envy, Satella.
At the edge of the world, within the great waterfall, a mythical creature opened its slit-like pupils, briefly showing confusion before closing them again, indifferent to the world's affairs.
In an unknown ruin at the border of Lugunica, a girl with long snow-white hair, dark eyes like a starless sky, and a stunningly beautiful face, was sipping tea. Suddenly, she rose in shock, her teacup shattering on the table, splashing crimson tea across her dress like blood.
She barely noticed, muttering in disbelief, "Dead? Just like that? Is she dead so easily? Hehehe… Hahaha… Haha!"
Her face twisted as she threw her head back in a fit of laughter, her expression wild.
In that instant, the world stirred with the news of the Witch of Envy's demise...
Ryou's decision to have Emilia inherit Satella's power and become the next Witch of Envy wasn't made on a whim. As soon as he learned that his next mission world was Re:Zero, he began forming a plan.
After a fatal confrontation with Satella, which forced him to use his ultimate move to kill her, Ryou acquired two items. Alongside the mission assigned by the system, his determination to develop Emilia into the next Witch of Envy solidified.
Hints in the original story suggested an intricate connection between Satella and Emilia—an identical appearance, a body that could easily be possessed by Satella's soul, and the claim of having the world's largest mana reserves. These clues led Ryou to a bold theory: Emilia was likely a vessel crafted by Satella to hold her soul.
It was said that Satella's body had been sealed by the original Three Heroes, yet her soul continued to roam, causing chaos. With the two key items he obtained after defeating Natsuki Subaru and Satella, Ryou's theory gained confirmation. In other words, if he could transfer Satella's power to Emilia, he could create a new Witch of Envy.
After killing Satella in the World Separation, Ryou thought the system would settle down. Instead, it issued a mission.
[Ding!— Natsuki Subaru (Flugel, sealed) is dead! — The host has obtained the Seal Key (1/3)! — Collecting this item will allow you to unseal the Witch's Core!]
[Ding!— The host has killed the Witch of Envy, Satella! — You have obtained the Sealed Witch's Core! — You have obtained the Root Gem (Unidentified)!]
[Ding!— It is now time to activate the main mission: Light and Dark. — This mission will proceed in two steps:]
[Collect the Seal Keys to unseal the Witch's Core.]
[The host may choose to destroy the Witch's Core or select a new host for it.]
[Light or darkness, destruction or rebirth, all lie in the host's choice.
(Note: The Witch's Core must be absorbed voluntarily by the individual; no one can be forcibly compelled.)]
[Mission Completion Reward: Unknown.]
This mission was rare—a self-directed one. The moment he saw it, Ryou's vague plan crystallized. He would transform the pure-hearted Emilia, innocent as a saint in the original story, into a Witch of Envy capable of destroying the world.
As for the mission reward, he felt he had already received it. What could be a better reward than the Root Gem? He looked down at the green gem in his hand, radiating endless vitality. Just holding it, he could feel a surge of life force spreading from his palm throughout his body. The permanent damage to his life force from using the Word Source Skill—World Separation—was starting to heal. Once the Root Gem was fully identified, he would regain his true strength, no longer bound by his current limitations.
However, getting Emilia to accept the Witch of Envy's power wouldn't be easy. The mission note was clear: it had to be completely voluntary. And that was the hardest part. Not only would he need to convince Emilia, but he would also need to sway her contract spirit, Puck, who treated Emilia like his own daughter. For a kind-hearted girl who had been discriminated against all her life due to her resemblance to the Witch of Envy, the idea of accepting that power was terrifying.
To persuade her to accept it willingly, Ryou would have to approach the matter carefully. Fortunately, Emilia was pure-hearted.
He would need to play to this aspect of her nature to achieve his goal.
The group walked from the outer city into the slums. As they ventured deeper into the rundown areas, Emilia's concern grew. The sun was nearly set, and Puck was starting to look tired.
Puck was strong and adorable but had a strict schedule, limited to activity between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., much like a salaryman. Once evening arrived, Puck would have to return to the crystal on Emilia's body to rest until the next day. Though Emilia had a vast reserve of mana, her aversion to fighting made her less formidable. Once Puck returned to rest, Emilia would be left vulnerable, facing Ryou and his two companions alone—like a lamb in a den of three tigers.
Still, the gem stolen from her symbolized her eligibility for the royal selection, an item of great importance. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow Ryou and the others.
"Um, are we there yet?" she asked nervously.
Ryou suddenly stopped, turning to look at her.
"You don't need to be so tense. If I'd wanted to do something to you, even if this cat unsealed its true form, it wouldn't make any difference."
Puck immediately crossed its little paws over its chest, adopting an indignant, grown-up pose.
"I can't just let that comment slide!"
Ryou chuckled softly, and the Time Gem on his gauntlet began to glow blue, enveloping everyone in its light.
"Not good…!"
"Za Warudo (Time Stop)!"
Puck tensed, but before he could react, his consciousness was interrupted.
A moment later, Ryou's hand rested on Emilia's shoulder, while his other hand lightly pinched Puck's neck.
"See? That was easy," Ryou teased.
Emilia trembled, while Puck's expression turned deadly serious.
"Relax. I told you, I mean no harm. Don't scare yourself," Ryou said, releasing Puck's neck but keeping his hand on Emilia's shoulder.
"Hey! Get your hand off my daughter!"
Puck protested.
Beside him, Anastasia's expression turned angry, while Semiramis watched with amused interest, the picture of a bystander. Ryou sent a telepathic message to reassure Anastasia, then, ignoring the indignant little cat, leaned close to Emilia's ear and pointed toward the slums.
"What do you see?"
Dilapidated houses, filthy streets, and lifeless faces all entered her sight. Her bright indigo eyes dimmed slightly.
Emilia opened her mouth, but no words came.
"Why are you participating in the royal selection? What reason do you have for wearing the crown? What is your truest wish?"
"Of course, it's so that people won't have to suffer anymore, so everyone can live happy lives together!" she blurted out, her eyes sincere and pure.