"Well... I think, under normal circumstances, whether a dress can be used for kicking wouldn't be the primary criterion for judging its quality, right?"
Watching Felt earnestly complain about how her gown hindered her leg techniques, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but facepalm internally. Felt's way of thinking is truly different. Even wearing such a beautiful dress, her main concern is whether it's convenient for fighting. This kind of contrast is really... well, very Felt-like.
"Reinhard is the worst!" Felt kicked at a small pebble by the roadside, her short golden hair shimmering in the sunlight. "He's always arbitrarily restricting people's freedom. Last time, he even wrapped me up in a bedsheet when I was naked and chased me all over the place..."
Hey, is this something I should be hearing...
"Stop, stop, stop!" Natsuki Subaru quickly made a timeout gesture, looking at Felt. "Please don't go into any more details. I'd still like to retain my wonderful impression of that refreshing knight."
"What?" Seeing Natsuki Subaru's reaction, Felt said with a smile, "Can't imagine that perfect knight chasing a naked girl around?"
"That's not the issue of imagining it or not!" Natsuki Subaru sighed, pressing his forehead, and changed the subject. "But, speaking of which, I'm ashamed to say, when I first met him, I also blurted out that he was a monster."
"Huh?" Felt looked up, her red eyes wide. "You actually said something so rude to Reinhard?"
"Yeah, Reinhard is as strong as a monster," Natsuki Subaru nodded and said.
Speaking of which, when I first transmigrated to this world, the first time I sought Reinhard's help, I hoped he could assist Emilia. The red-haired knight in my memory, after hearing my request, rushed over without a second word. He didn't even unsheathe his Dragon Sword and easily repelled Elsa the Bowel Hunter. Although I can also easily defeat Elsa now. After all, having gone through countless life-and-death experiences, I am no longer the powerless young man I once was.
"But even so... compared to that monster Reinhard, I'm still far off." Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but recall his experiences in various world-lines. Whether it was the main story or IF branches, no matter how he planned and schemed, Reinhard was always that insurmountable high wall. But strangely, this sense of frustration was mixed with a bit of reassurance. In this perilous other world, having such a reliable companion was, perhaps, a kind of fortune.
"..." A resolute light flashed in Natsuki Subaru's eyes. He looked up at the distant sky, an unyielding arc on his lips. One day, I will definitely surpass this Reinhard!
"Hey, little bro, why are you suddenly spacing out?" Felt tilted her small head, sunlight filtering through her short golden hair, casting a delicate halo.
"It's nothing..." Natsuki Subaru snapped back to reality. Looking at the pouting girl before him, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. "I just suddenly thought, no matter how much you complain, you and Reinhard really do have a deep bond. You'd definitely be upset if someone called your knight a monster, right... Sorry about that."
"Th-There's no bond whatsoever!" Felt jumped up like a startled kitten and quickly retorted, "Even if someone is called a monster, they must be living hard somewhere in the world, right?"
This Felt girl is definitely a tsundere. As expected, blondes are all tsundere types... Natsuki Subaru silently retorted in his heart, but on the surface, he nonchalantly changed the subject, "Alright, let's not talk about this. Didn't you want me to accompany you for a stroll? Now is the liveliest time at the market."
"That's true..." Felt glanced around warily, then tugged at her somewhat cumbersome skirt, clearly still not used to such attire. "If Reinhard finds out, we won't be able to wander around."
Then again, with Reinhard's strength, if he really wanted to stop her, Felt couldn't possibly have escaped, right? So, Reinhard did it on purpose. Natsuki Subaru thought to himself, watching Felt's nervous appearance.
"Little bro, what are you looking at?" Felt keenly sensed Subaru's gaze.
"I was just thinking..." Natsuki Subaru composed himself, looked at Felt, and smiled slightly. "You're unexpectedly pretty today."
Warm sunlight dappled on Felt, bathing her in a golden halo. The magnificent gown complemented her snow-white skin. The little wildcat, usually all claws and teeth, now actually showed a touch of a noble young lady's elegance.
"L-Little bro, what nonsense are you talking!" Felt's face instantly flushed crimson. She fumbled with her skirt, flustered, but the corners of her mouth uncontrollably turned upwards.
"I'm serious," Natsuki Subaru said with a thumbs-up, looking at the tsundere Felt.
"Since you're so discerning..." Felt quickly regained her composure, deliberately lifting her chin proudly. "I'll reluctantly let you treat me to a meal!"
"Hey, hey, that topic change was way too abrupt!" Natsuki Subaru looked at Felt, somewhat speechless. "And why did it end up with me treating you?"
"Because we're friends," Felt puffed out her unimpressive chest, then said with a look of perfect justification, "Besides, I don't have any money on me at all."
"..." Natsuki Subaru sighed helplessly and finally relented.
The two found an open-air food stall and sat down. Felt immediately began to wolf down roasted meat skewers, not caring in the slightest that sauce was smeared all over the corners of her mouth.
Natsuki Subaru looked at Felt's appearance and couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, watch your image a bit, Felt."
"None... of your business!" Felt retorted indistinctly, but still subconsciously wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Mmm, this is so delicious! Little bro, want a skewer too?"
"..." Before Natsuki Subaru could finish speaking, Felt had already stuffed a skewer of roasted meat into his hand.
"Don't be shy! Anyway, little bro is paying." Felt grinned slyly, revealing her cute little canine teeth.
"Hey, hey, treating someone with their own money is too cunning!" Natsuki Subaru said, a dark line forming on his forehead.
And so, Natsuki Subaru accompanied Felt as they strolled through the streets of the Royal Capital. Although that magnificent gown attracted attention wherever she went, Felt no longer seemed to care. She was like a child visiting a market for the first time, excitedly darting between various stalls, now touching this ornament, now tasting that snack.
"Looks like Felt was really cooped up at Reinhard's place..." Natsuki Subaru chuckled, watching Felt's cheerful retreating figure.
Time flew by. Unconsciously, the setting sun had already dyed the sky a brilliant orange-red.
"It's getting late," Natsuki Subaru asked Felt beside him. "I'm heading back first. What about you, Felt?"
"Whoa, it's this late already?" Felt looked up at the sky in surprise.
"I'll walk you back," Natsuki Subaru suggested. "So you don't get lost."
"Wh-Who would get lost!" Felt puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "Well then, farewell for now, little bro."
"Will you really be alright alone?" Natsuki Subaru asked, a little worried.
Felt suddenly showed a cunning smile, turned around, and shouted at the empty street, "Reinhard—"
"..." In an instant, Natsuki Subaru keenly caught a blurry trajectory flashing from a street corner. It was Reinhard. Although Reinhard's speed was astonishing, with his level 34 player strength, Subaru could still clearly see the path of that red shadow.
"Has Reinhard been nearby all along?" Natsuki Subaru was secretly alarmed. "I didn't sense his presence at all... Is he using some kind of concealment-type Divine Protection?" At the same time, with a 'swish,' an upright figure appeared behind Felt like a phantom, his red hair glowing warmly in the sunset.
"Hold on!" Natsuki Subaru watched Reinhard appear before him, his mouth twitching, and couldn't help but retort, "Is this some kind of summoning spell?! On-call knight service is way too convenient!" With Reinhard's level of movement speed, I can keep up with my current strength.
"You finally showed up?" Felt pursed her lips. "I knew things wouldn't go this smoothly."
"Subaru, we meet again." Reinhard elegantly nodded to Natsuki Subaru, then turned to Felt and bowed slightly. "I've kept you waiting, Lady Felt."
"Hmph—" Felt looked annoyed and suddenly kicked at Reinhard's handsome face. "What's the deal! It's a pain, but I can still manage to kick you!"
Unsurprisingly, Reinhard not only easily caught the kick but also maintained his perfect gentlemanly demeanor. "Considering Lady Felt's nature, I paid special attention to mobility when selecting the gown." As Reinhard spoke, he smoothly placed Felt's foot gently back on the ground. "This gown should not hinder your kicking techniques."
"You bastard!" Felt stared directly at Reinhard, her cheeks flushed red with anger. "It's things like this that are the most infuriating!"
Although Felt says that, she seems quite used to Reinhard's care... Natsuki Subaru watched from the side, somewhat dumbfounded, his mouth twitching. He couldn't help but think to himself: However, for Reinhard to be so considerate even when being kicked, he truly lives up to being the perfect knight...
"Alright, alright, Felt, calm down too." Natsuki Subaru interjected, then looked at Reinhard with curiosity. "By the way, Reinhard, how did you find us? Does the almighty knight even have that kind of ability? Like some anti-lost child Divine Protection that can instantly find lost children or something." This Reinhard fellow doesn't actually have some kind of auto-navigation Divine Protection to Felt, does he? But considering his number of Divine Protections, it's possible he actually does.
"It's not such an amazing ability." Reinhard calmly shook his head. "It's just that when I concentrate, what needs to be done naturally comes to mind."
"Err... that's some terrifying intuition." Natsuki Subaru's mouth couldn't help but twitch. He added internally: Isn't this just like the auto-pathfinding function in games... Wait, could it really be some kind of Divine Protection effect?
"Hmph! You make it sound so impressive." Felt stood with her hands on her hips, a look of disdain on her face. "Didn't I still manage to run out? If I encountered danger while running around alone, wouldn't you be completely useless then?"
So you are aware that you were running around aimlessly. Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but continue his internal retort, looking at Felt's triumphant expression: But that's too naive. Reinhard was clearly going easy on you! Otherwise, with his strength, how could you have possibly escaped so easily? It's known that Reinhard is a monster-level powerhouse who can go toe-to-toe with the Witch of Envy. If he really wanted to stop you, you probably wouldn't even be able to take half a step out the door.
"Please rest assured on that point, Lady Felt." Reinhard bowed slightly, his voice gentle yet full of determination. "As long as I am in this Royal Capital, as long as you call my name, no matter what happens, I will immediately rush to your side."
This is already beyond human capability... Being too reliable can actually be a bit scary. Hearing this, Natsuki Subaru secretly clicked his tongue, unconsciously comparing his own abilities. Even though I've reached level 34, I can at best sense movements within a few hundred meters, yet Reinhard can apparently cover the entire Royal Capital. Such an exaggerated perception range is probably due to some special Divine Protection ability at work. Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but marvel once again at Reinhard's unfathomable strength.
"Who, who would call your name! Disgusting!" Felt abruptly turned her face away, her short golden hair drawing an arc in the air, but the reddened tips of her ears betrayed her true feelings.
"Well then, Lady Felt, please accompany me to the guardhouse first." Reinhard remained unfazed, still maintaining his gentle smile. "I'll go back with you after I finish one last piece of official business. Old Man Rom is still waiting at home."
"Tsk, is this it then..." Felt took a deep breath, the afterglow of the sunset illuminating her gradually calming profile. "Well, after venting a bit, I feel much better. Today... I'll reluctantly listen to you this one time."
"Subaru, it's getting late as well." Reinhard turned to Natsuki Subaru, his red hair fluttering gently in the evening breeze. "We shall take our leave here. Thank you for accompanying Lady Felt on her outing today."
"See ya, little bro!" Felt waved, her tone already back to its usual liveliness. "Let's hang out again next time!"
"You two take care as well." Natsuki Subaru smiled and waved in response. Suddenly remembering something, he added to Reinhard, "By the way, Felt was very well-behaved today; she didn't cause any trouble."
"Hey!" Hearing this, Felt immediately bristled. "You make it sound like I'm a little kid!"
"Haha... just kidding." Natsuki Subaru chuckled.
Just as the two were turning to leave, Reinhard suddenly asked softly, "By the way, Lady Felt, those complaints you mentioned earlier, could you tell me about them in detail? I wish to understand your thoughts."
"Huh?" Felt stopped abruptly, turning around with wide eyes. "Aren't all those complaints directed at you? Can't you use that invincible intuition of yours to think properly before speaking?! Idiot knight!"
Their figures gradually disappeared at the end of the street, but their conversation still clearly reached Natsuki Subaru's ears.
"That Reinhard fellow definitely found us a long time ago." Natsuki Subaru watched the two retreating figures, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Always appearing at such opportune moments. Should I say, as expected of the perfect knight? Even his protection distance is so precise... And Felt too, complaining non-stop, yet her steps followed him so closely. She says she dislikes him, but she's probably long since considered Reinhard family."
"Honestly, these two..." Natsuki Subaru looked at the retreating backs of Felt and Reinhard and couldn't help shaking his head. "They actually get along so well."
As dusk gradually fell, the streetlights of the Royal Capital lit up one by one, casting warm halos on the stone-paved road. Natsuki Subaru stretched his body, gave a big yawn, and turned to walk in the opposite direction from the two.
"Speaking of which, I have two cute girls waiting for me at home. I should hurry back, or they'll start to worry." Natsuki Subaru hummed a little tune and quickened his pace in the deepening twilight.
___
🔥 PATREON FLASH SALE: 30% OFF! 🔥
Yoo-hoo! ✨ Director Walnut here with a killer deal for you!
For a limited time only, get 30% OFF on Patreon and secure your early access to all content!
What's more, by joining now you'll help us smash our community goal! We're just 14 members away from unlocking 10 BONUS CHAPTERS for everybody!
Be the hero who gets us there! Subscribe with 30% off today!
👻 Join the fun at: patreon.com/Walnutchan