Dying just after getting isekai'd… Really?
What kind of any% speedrun is that? This had to be a joke… or just a dream, maybe… Maybe?
After all, it might as well be just a dream because he felt so at peace and comfortable that he could actually be in bed or maybe even in heaven. Only the sound and feeling of the warm wind brushing against his face started waking him up. His body was numb, like he'd slept for an entire day, and his mind was just as fuzzy.
—I'm still alive…
Indeed, he was. Alive, not in heaven nor bed, but resting on the pavement, his head on something comfortable. That said, he could fidget a bit even if he were still out of gas.
"…You shouldn't move too much."
"Uh…"
As he opened his eyes, the sky blinded him, forcing him to put a hand in front of his face. After a moment, he realized where he was. His head was resting on a girl's thighs as she put her magically glowing fingers on the swollen areas of his face.
She gazed at his face with her serious yet soft amethyst eyes, her long silver hair gently swaying in the wind.
Surprised, he instinctively avoided her gaze, blushing a bit. Being this close and touchy-feely with a girl he hadn't even met before was a bit much, even if he knew it was only to heal him.
Anyway, he couldn't budge a muscle without aching all over, so…
"T-Thanks for the lap pillow…"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only doing this to help you see your wounds better. There is no need for any thanks. I couldn't leave you like this."
"Then sorry for being a bother…" He chuckled, closing his eyelids as she treated his wounds. "Is my face that much banged up?"
"Nuh-uh… Not anymore, at the very least. But next time, be more careful. Secluded alleyways like that are a no-no."
"A no-no, huh…"
"Yes. A no-no."
"You're talking like an old lady…"
"H-Huh…?"
Now also surprised, the girl gazed at him with a slowly growing frown, showing a discreet pout. Emerging from between her long silver hair, a tiny cat darted towards him, pressing its freezing paws against his face with an amused yet provocative smile.
"Hey! That's cold!"
"Of course it is!~ That's punishment for teasing her!~ And for ruining the great plan we had in mind!"
"Great plan?"
"Indeed!~ I was about to give you a lap pillow myself." The cat sighed with his eyes closed. "But you woke up earlier than expected. It was the perfect opportunity to practice my falsetto, too. Too bad."
"…How could you even do that? And please, no falsetto. A flying cat is already strange enough." Subaru mumbled as Emilia passed her hand on his eyebrow arch. "Anyway, thanks for taking care of me…"
"Eheh.~ You're welcome, but if you healed that fast, it's probably thanks to Reinhard."
"Reinhard… Who…?"
The kitten and the girl shared a worried, pensive glance. She raised an eyebrow and turned toward a man that Subaru hadn't seen until now. It was like he just appeared a second ago. The guy was so discreet and silent that you could stand next to him for a while and not even know that he was there, which was strange given his red hair, clothes, and overall aura.
Even lying down, Subaru knew just by looking at him that he was someone important, if not powerful—a literal white knight. The sword and sheath at his hips were also too big and ornate to be even remotely normal.
However, his awkward smile was entirely at odds with the rest of his appearance.
"Pay me no mind." He said soft-spokenly with a movement of his hand. "I'm just a regular off-duty knight."
"…He might have been hit reeeally hard on the head…" the girl muttered, putting her hand in front of her mouth. What should we do if he's amnesiac? I wanted to interrogate him, but if he's… Then… Then, it meant I did this for naught…"
"Come on, Lia. You would have helped him no matter what."
"N-No! I wouldn't have!"
"You're really not good at lying, you know?"
"I said that I wouldn't have!"
Well, she was cute, if not a bit childish, when arguing like that. In a way, she was a bit like him. He was aware of his childishness, like during the argument with his dad when he said he would push him to return to school. He made promises to change that and to stop lying to himself. They were both like two peas in a pod.
Lying to ourselves is the worst self-imposed poison.
On par with pride, envy, and anger.
"You… You wanted to find a girl, right? I can help you with that. I know what she looks like."
"But aren't you amnesiac…?"
"I'm not…" Subaru grunted. "—Hk, that's still hurt…"
"You shouldn't push yourself too much." The kitten advised while the worried girl helped him stand. "They ganged up on you with all they had, you know."
"…Are you sure you can walk now? Are you okay?"
"It doesn't matter if I can or not. You three saved me from death… If I can't help you back, I would be ashamed to be my parent's son."
"Oh, a little pride surely can help, then. What do you think, Lia?"
"We were only supposed to interrogate him, Puck!"
"It never hurt to have someone else help.~"
"What if he works with the one who stole the insignia, hm?"
Seeing how she was against accepting his help, he closed his eyes and took a few steps back to lean against the wall and gather his wits before looking at the sky, trying to see the star he saw falling toward him as he was losing consciousness.
Was it a dream?
Probably not. His phone still showed the same stuff as before: statistics and stardust. What really puzzled him was this tab with the name of a star.
◉▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰◉
◉▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰◉
The description stated that people close enough to him would be cursed for a short while once he used it. As of now, there was no other description. Nothing. He could only imagine what it truly meant.
That said, he knew what star Algol was. Its other name is Satan's Head, also known as The Gorgon of Perseus. In ancient culture and beliefs, typically astrology, it had a reputation for being one of the most unlucky stars, if not the unluckiest one.
And also, he only had one『★』to this… star. What if it was『★★★★★』like in those gacha games? And how to upgrade this? If it's even possible…
"I must say this appears to be a fancy meteor. And with everything you have on you, they likely would have stolen the equivalent of several dozen holy coins." The red-haired knight said, looking at Subaru's phone. "I suppose the three men who attacked you were after this meteor, though?"
"Uh? Um… Yeah. They also told me it was a meteor… but I don't really know what that's even supposed to be… Where I come from, it's just called a phone."
"A phone…"
Reinhard scratched his head.
It was the second time something of common knowledge was unknown to this poor young man. However, Reinhard couldn't doubt the lad. He didn't have amnesia. He couldn't sense any malice. Perhaps he was the victim of something else altogether?
Even the girl and the kitten, who were still amusingly arguing together, stopped when they heard he didn't even know what a meteor was.
"…A meteor is a device that allows anyone to use magic, even those with a defective gate," Reinhard explained, pointing at Subaru's phone. "It's likely your device can do something similar. Just try it out on me if it allows you to figure anything out. I'm confident nothing bad will happen. You don't have to worry."
"A defective gate…"
"Don't tell me you also don't know what a gate is…?" The girl worriedly asked, her eyes focused on his phone. "If a good boy like you lost your memories, then…"
"See, you're already ready to help him…" The cat teased her, causing her to frown. "Again.~"
"You be quiet, Puck."
"Eheh.~"
They really believed he was an amnesiac, huh? Truth be told, it was a bit irritating, but it wasn't anyone's fault. Just as he was told, he took a photo of Reinhard as the girl behind him fluttered her eyelids, intrigued by the unknown meteor.
To his surprise, he could see the knight statistics, and well…
◉▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰◉
「OD」✦「★★★★★」
「GATE」✦「❌」
「MAGIC」✦「❌」
❖——❖———❖——❖
「STR」✦「★★★★★★」
「AGI」✦「✦★✦★✦」
「CON」✦「★✦★✦★」
◉▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰◉
—What the hell…
These statistics were out of this world. He knew a lot of things here would be magical and fantasy-like, but it was still too much. It looked like the character sheet of a cheat character in an overly action-based and cringe-worthy manhwa.
"Woah, it can stop a moment in time!" The kitten exclaimed, standing on Subaru's shoulder as the knight gazed at his picture. "I've never seen anything like that. No wonder these three guys wanted it.~"
"This looks like a very, veeery rare meteor…" The girl drawled, putting a finger on her lips. "It looks funny, too. You said people called it a… fone where you come from, isn't it? Where is that?"
"It's a country on the very far east."
"B-But Lugunica is the easternmost country…"
"Eh…"
"W-Well, no matter." She exclaimed, clapping her hands together with a prim expression. "We don't have time to dawdle. You agreed to help, isn't it?"
"Yes…"
"Well then, if you help me juuust a bit, I'll finish healing you, alright? Do your part of the bargain, and I'll do mine. So please do your best."
Subaru nodded. Contrary to what they believed, his only usefulness at the moment was his memories. He took a notebook and pen from his school bag and started doodling the thief girl's face. It wasn't an outstanding drawing, but since he knew a little about sketching, it gave them an idea of what she looked like.
Plus, given how this silver-haired girl acted and the presence of a knight like Reinhard to help her, what she was looking for was probably crucial… and she still cared for him despite having to solve a crisis. He didn't want to start his life here with the feeling that his mere existence had caused someone trouble.
—And Mom would have told me to help her…
He knew her well, after all. She would have asked him with a self-satisfied smirk what would be worth saving more. The girl or mayonnaise?
His mom would have chosen mayonnaise.
His dad would have chosen both.
And he chose the girl.
Whatever his choice was, as long it was justified and reasonable, they would support him.
"A short blond girl with red eyes. Probably around 14 years old…" He said, showing the doodle he made of her. "Nimble and… she seemed to use a kind of magic. She kicked the air to go faster and jumped from roof to roof. Oh, and she also wore a long red scarf."
"Blond with red eyes…" Reinhard murmured, rubbing his chin as his eyes lost their sharpness momentarily. "Around 14 years old…"
"Does it ring a bell?"
"No, nothing of the sort… Don't pay attention to my futile musings, sir. I was merely thinking out loud." He answered, slowly shaking his head and smiling weakly. "However, in light of the current predicament, I shall take my leave, investigate firsthand, and scour the area to try to pinpoint the said girl. If you ever require assistance in the meantime or locate the girl, please call on me."
"Call on you? You mean… just screaming your name? Even if you're at the other end of the city?"
"If my hearing were that good, that would be problematic." Reinhard chuckled before bowing to them. "It's time for me to depart. Ask for my help by firing magic in the air… Or by throwing anything that I could recognize that can be used as a homing beacon."
"A homing beacon, huh…"
"If fate should grant us the opportunity, I'd gladly shake your hand and introduce ourselves in due form over a cup of tea, sir… especially since we still have to talk about those three thugs, but until then…"
The knight dashed away in a flash after a final goodbye nod. He did so by gently pushing on the ground. There was no shockwave, no sound. It was just like the space around him moved instead of him having to move around like any average person. Then, he soared into the clouds so fast that Subaru had lost sight of him in the blink of an eye. Perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised, especially given his statistics, but Reinhard had already proved his strength with this display alone.
"Well," The silver-haired girl coughed as she fluttered her eyelids shut, her hands on her hips. "Are you ready to go now?"
"Yep. I'm fresh as a daisy."
"You've teased Lia for her old-fashioned way of talking, but now you're the one who's coming out with old-fashioned sayings."
"I'm just tuning in to her energies by awakening the dormant old man in me." Subaru shrugged with an amused smile.
"He's teasing you again, Lia.~"
"You two aren't going to bequeath yourselves against me, are you?!"
Puck and Subaru looked at each other in connivance as she puffed her cheek, blushing a bit. He couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger, but it was cute nonetheless.
They chatted quietly like that for a while. Maybe more than an hour? Or two? But in the end, they were back where they started and hadn't found any clues. Suffice to say, he wasn't having much luck.
—So much for first impressions...
He heaved a sigh, staring at the water run below the small bridge where they were taking a break.
"Is everything alright...? Maybe I really need to heal you a bit more... Here, at least take a bocco fruit..."
"Thanks. But, really, don't worry, that's not the problem. I just feel like we're going in circles."
"It's not just a feeling, eheh.~"
"If you say stuff like that, it's just plain discouraging, Puck." He retorted, sitting on the parapet. "Now that I think of it, I know the kitten's name but not yours. Lia's just a pet name, right? Mine's Subaru."
"My name?"
"A-Ah, sorry, maybe you don't want to give it to me. Forget what I said."
"No, no..." She muttered, sitting a bit away from him with a severe, dark expression. "I'm... I'm Satella. Just Satella. I have no last name."
"Satella..." Subaru hushed before smiling as a bewildered Puck looked at her. "It has a nice ring to it. That's a beautiful name."
"B-Beautiful...?"
"Yeah?"
"Geez..."
"You have terrible taste, Lia..." Puck sighed before disappearing between her long hair. "I don't understand you sometimes."
"W-Wait, Puck! Don't leave me in the lurch like this!"
He didn't really know what to think about it, but it was obvious that she didn't like her name. On the other hand, she was flustered for whatever reason. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that a simple compliment could garner this kind of reaction from someone. He at least knew that much.
"Anyway, finding this girl is like looking for a needle in a haystack." He sighed, looking at the other side of the bridge. "This city… It's far too big…"
"Yes. It's the capital of Lugunica, so…" She pondered, looking at him worriedly before counting on her finger everything that wasn't right with him. "So you don't know where you are? You also have no money… You don't know how to read, too. And you have no one that can help you…" She paused for a second, looking him in the eye. "...Isn't your situation worse than mine?"
"Hey… Don't rub salt in the wounds... I'm helping you, remember?"
"Yeah. You reeeally are a good boy."
"Please don't call me that..." He blurted out. "You're treating me like I'm way younger than you again. I don't think there much of a difference between us."
"I don't think making guesses on that will help you." She uttered before closing her eyelids as if readying herself to say something hurtful. "I'm a half-elf, after all."
"Oh... I get it now. No wonder you're so pretty. Elves are always cute, right?" As she gazed at him, completely shocked, Subaru could only raise an eyebrow. "What?"
"What? I... I mean... I just told you... I'm a half-elf..."
"Yeah, I heard you."
She took a few steps forward before putting her hand on her head, crouching. As she did so, Puck approached him and "punched" Subaru's forehead.
"That's the second time you punched me in a few hours. What'd you do that for this time?"
"I needed to do something about this unbearable tingle I feel...!"
"So next time I feel a tingle, I can punch you?"
"Hey! I didn't do that out of anger," Puck said, trembling with a little smile on his face. "It was the opposite, in fact!"
"You think I–"
"Subaru, you're such a dunderhead!"
"And now I'm getting insulted." He sighed, rolling his eyes with an amused smile. "Care to explain why?"
"Hmph! Whatever!"
"Alright...?"
"More importantly, we've got to continue the search."
"Yeah, the pause lasted long enough." He admitted, following in her footsteps. "Do you know roughly where you were robbed?"
"I think I can pinpoint that, yes..."
"Perfect! We'll probably have better luck starting where it all began."
This was rule number one for budding detectives. Whether it would bear fruit was another story. All his ideas came from stories he'd read in manga or books—nothing based on actual facts. That said, stereotypes exist for a reason, which was why he was so confident in his ideas.
But even so, Satella, or rather the one who didn't like that name, couldn't resist helping people whom she saw in trouble. An old lady. A pregnant woman. And now a little green-haired girl.
She was lost and afraid to talk to anyone, and seeing "Satella" further aggravated the situation as she started crying. Subaru knew a few magic tricks, but he opted for something even more magical to a kid, especially in a world like this—a small pen with a green laser on the back.
"Wow! W-What is that?"
"It's a pen with something extra in it! Where I come from, it's called a laser, but here, it's called a meteor," He explained, crouching to her height. "That's neat, right?"
"It must cost a lot! Y-You really want to give it to me...?"
"Of course, I'm sure you'll make a better use of it than me. I just promise you will never look straight into it, alright? And don't walk around with it."
"Mhm! Yes, I promise! Or else bad apples will want to steal it! Mama told me about meanies."
"Perfect, here you go. It's yours now."
"T-Thanks!"
"So, what's your name?"
"P-Plum..."
"That's a pretty name."
"Mama told me Papa gave it to me..."
"Oh, yeah, talking about your parent, can you tell us what they look like?"
"Yes, we're here to help." Satella smiled. "So please guide us."
"Um... M-Mama has brown hair and green eyes... And... and Papa has the same hair as me! He has, um... scars on his face, too."
"Ah... Does it happen your father sells apples... I mean, appas?"
"Y-Yes. You know Papa?"
"I've just met him today, but I know where he is, yeah. Ready to go meet him, Plum?"
"Yes!" The little girl exclaimed, keeping the laser in her pocket.
"S-Subaru, you really know what you're doing?"
"Yeah, why would I lie?"
"No... Nothing, forget I said anything."
"..."
After accompanying the girl to her parents, the appa merchant was more than willing to help and recognized the girl's face thanks to Subaru's doodle. She was well known to the merchants for her upstairs thefts, but no one could ever catch her. Apparently, she was more active these days and had made a name for herself in the slums on the capital's outskirts.
The problem? The slums were gigantic.
Once again, they've been walking around for a while. The sun was starting to lose some of its intensity, and with it, Puck also grew increasingly tired.
The streets of the slums they'd been guided into after Subaru had asked some passer-by for directions were dilapidated and grimy, in stark contrast with the rest of the capital, which was only a few hundred meters up the hill on which the city was built.
As they zigzagged in all directions between each small alleyway, some of the passers-by deliberately led them down the wrong path.
From the looks on some of their faces, it was clear they weren't welcome.
Finally coming to a stop, the three of them gazed at a big wooden barrack.
"So that's the loot house this guy was talking about..."
"Most likely."
"Hurry then, please," Puck yawned. "I don't have much time left."
"What do you mean?"
"Per my contract, I can only remain in this form from 9 a.m to 5 p.m, and it's almost 5... If anything happens, you better hope I'm still there."
"Geez... Puck, I'm a big girl. If anything happens, I can take care of myself."
"Can you?" The kitten asked in a provocative and flippant tone. "Aren't you the girl who got lost in the capital and couldn't find the red-haired maid afterward because you were too excited about discovering the big city?"
"Y-You be quiet!"
"Eheh.~"
"...You really got lost? I guess we're not so different."
"I wasn't lost! I definitely wasn't!"
"I'm not so sure about that, Lia."
"Who am I supposed to believe here?"
"Me, of course." The half-elf and the kitten said in unison.
"Eh... Anyway, like I said, no need to come inside with me. I'm taking care of this." He assured confidently, pointing at the door. "From what said Reinhard, the stuff in my bag should be valuable enough to buy back your insignia, right?"
"I suppose it makes sense... If they see me enter with you, they might be hostile, after all."
"Oh, I thought you would be against it and say I'm slowing you down or something along the line."
"I wouldn't say something that means. You truuuly helped me, you know."
"That was just my end of the bargain."
"And I'm grateful."
"If you continue saying that type of stuff, I might end up blushing, Satella."
For a second, she froze, not knowing what to say, as Puck sighed. She wanted to say something but clearly didn't have the courage.
"If you can get my insignia, I would like to apologize to you, Subaru."
Not knowing what to say, he simply nodded and knocked on the door of the loot house. On the other hand, Emilia hid herself in the door's blind spot but was still ready to defend if anything happened.
Since he could hear faint, muffled voices on the inside, Subaru knocked on the door harder until, finally, some heavy footsteps made the floor creak. Someone was finally coming.
With one swift movement, the door opened, revealing a towering and large, hunchback man who looked like he was around 70 years old. He was weary and had a club in hand.
"Hey, hey, calm down, I'm just–"
"Who are you?" He grumbled, lowering his weapon. "I never saw you before..."
"I actually came here to trade some of my stuff because someone told me it was the best place to do so."
"Someone told you...? Isn't that a bit shady?"
"Oi, Old Man Rom, what's the problem?" A girly yet tomboyish voice resonated in the background. "Kick the guy out. We're supposed to be in the middle of a deal here."
Now, in front of the old man, Subaru was a bit dubious about what to do. Still, he decided to show him what was in his bag: rare pens, unknown notebooks, two manuals written in an unknown language with strange pictures in them, a pencil case full of things, and some snacks he would have eaten after training calisthenics with his father.
"Err... Come in, brat. I know when I see a good deal after all."
"T-Thanks."
"There's already people in here, so no heckling."
"Sure."
The loot house was full of trinkets, including weapons. The smell of old wood permeated the room, giving it the air of an old manor. Now that he was inside, he didn't know why, but he was groping his way forward. It was like a primordial instinct that told him something was weird here.
On the other side of the room, next to a bar, Subaru saw two girls. One he could recognize. Felt. The other, he could not. A simple word could describe her: sultry.
Black hair tied in a braid. Purple eyes. A curvaceous body and a dress that revealed almost too much.
"You... You're that guy who was getting mauled by those three guys earlier!"
"And you're the girl who watched them do it and didn't do anything!"
"Oh my."
Two words from this woman were enough for both Felt and Subaru to switch their attention to her.
"A-Anyway, why are you here for?" Felt frowned. "Vengeance?"
"Huh? Nah, don't be stupid. Someone told me about the loot house before, and I wanted to come here and sell some of my stuff..."
"And you got attacked by those three guys?"
"Yeah."
"That was a nice punch, by the way. I was actually really cheering for you, ya know." She admitted with a smirk. That said, her demeanor changed when she saw Subaru was looking at what was on the table. "You're clearly penniless. You'll never be able to pay for that insignia."
"Bet?"
"...Do you have a divine protection that lets you evaluate the value of an object or something...?"
"Who knows?" Subaru bluffed. "All I know is that I'm ready to give some of my stuff in exchange for it. I'm sure I'll manage."
"You want it that much just by taking a single glance at it? Eh! I don't care, really. I just want to get the maximum amount of money possible from it. What d'you think, Old Rom?"
"If this young man wants to bargain for the insignia, he has every right to do so. I'm okay with evaluating all he is ready to give." The old man sighed after gulping a pint of booze before turning to the sultry woman. "Sorry, lady, the deal was almost sealed, but sometimes this kinda stuff happens, haha!"
"This is quite alright." She cooed before drinking milk from her glass and licking her lips. Her charming purple eyes stared directly at Subaru. "A bargain it will be, then."