"Hey, don't block the way!"
A somewhat rough voice rang beside his ear, immediately followed by a clamor of noise, buzzing… buzzing… Lillian's pupils contracted sharply as his senses activated. Sounds, smells, sights—all at once, he could clearly feel this world around him.
He blinked. Before him was a tavern—or something like it. It wasn't small, but the placement of the round tables and benches was chaotic, making the space feel cramped. And the people drinking there… their bodies… they were…
"Hey! I told you not to block the way!" The rough voice sounded again. Lillian felt himself being pushed aside as a figure over two meters tall entered from the doorway. The tall being glanced down at him.
"This is a tavern for demi-humans. What's a human kid like you doing here?"
"…Ah, demi-humans." Lillian looked at the crocodile-like face of the speaker, then at the bizarre creatures inside the tavern. He understood immediately what kind of world he had entered. Turning around, he left the tavern and looked at the bustling street. His lips moved slightly: Re:Zero…
Starting life over from zero in another world—Lillian had watched the anime adaptation. Just as the "goddess" said, the new wheel was dangerous. Every world in it was perilous, and this one was no exception.
Knights, demi-humans, elves, half-elves, monsters, witches, sin bishops—every category had individuals capable of wiping him out with ease. In this world, his strength and speed were… average at best.
"So dangerous," Lillian thought sincerely. Yet the enemy's strength was not what he feared most. His greatest disadvantage was his lack of knowledge about this world's story.
This world was not like the AOT World. There, although many mysteries existed, Lillian roughly understood the main points and threads. But in Re:Zero's world, he knew too little, and the lurking dangers were many. Not to mention, if the world followed expectations, a "Subaru Natsuki"—another traveler—existed here. Should he approach him, or avoid contact entirely…?
Lillian pondered and then snapped back: "Do I really have to… get involved in the main plot?"
Why, indeed, why did he have to meddle in the main storyline? In the AOT World, he had no choice; he boarded the ship to the Wall to survive and had to engage in the main plot. In the SAO World, the same applied—he had to push forward to leave. But in this world… what should he strive for? To defeat the Witch Cult? To eliminate all the sin archbishops? Even if he could, why bother? For the sake of the civilians? Am I really… that noble?
Lillian realized his power here was negligible. Why risk it? And the royal election—did he really care? Five girls competing for a largely powerless throne—did he have to choose one to support?
Getting involved carried enormous risks. Lillian wasn't afraid of death—he feared being unable to keep his promises. If he died here, he could never return. In this world, death was trivial; no one valued it.
In fact, he had a similarity with Subaru: [Return by Death]. Subaru's version was far superior, with multiple uses and the ability to reverse the surrounding "time"—a true cause-and-effect skill. Lillian's resurrection was more like a defective, budget version, with harsh limitations and no ability to interfere with the flow of time.
If he had one advantage, it was the ability to gain one-third of the killer's constitution. Yet in Re:Zero's world of magic, divine authority, and blessings, constitution was practically meaningless.
Should he just live as a common villager and watch his fellow Earth native, Subaru, save the world?
Looking up at the bright sky, he guessed that he was in the royal city of the Kingdom of Lugunica.
This world had many countries. Lugunica wasn't the strongest, but thanks to a past pact with the divine dragon Volcanica, it had avoided war, famine, and disaster. This earned it the title: the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica.
The people revered the divine dragon. When the king suddenly died, the selection of a new ruler depended on the dragon. Five "Dragon Maidens" were chosen to compete in the so-called Royal Selection, and one would emerge victorious, defeating all others to claim the throne.
To Lillian, it seemed almost laughable. The contestants had backing, sure, but real power rested with the Sage Council. Even if someone became king, regaining authority would be difficult.
He touched his arm and moved quickly. About twenty minutes later, he found a relatively secluded corner. Seeing no one around, he removed his coat, revealing multiple small tablets strapped to his arms. Both arms were fully covered—twelve high-performance devices in total. And he still felt it wasn't enough.
On his legs, he had a portable solar charger and several small solar panels, which, when exposed to sunlight, could power the devices. All this trouble was to maintain communication with Yui, Kizmel, and Kayaba.
This world lacked electricity and transistor technology—no computers. His friends could offer no practical help. Still, having familiar people to talk to in a strange world was comforting.
He powered up one device, inserted The seed's main unit (the backup was already given to Kirito), and launched the program installed by Kayaba. The three of them appeared—like Kayaba, Yui and Kizmel had been simplified into cute block-like figures to save computing power.
"Lillian, what are you—"
Seeing Lillian through the front camera, they immediately noticed the unusual buildings behind him.
"Another world." Lillian rotated the tablet, showing them the nearby scenery. Kayaba stared intently, then murmured, "So… another world really exists…"
"Yes. It exists."
"Is this the world you came from?" Kizmel asked, now understanding the relationship between game, reality, and other worlds.
"No." Lillian shook his head. "This is not my home."
"Then Lillian-nii, what are you doing in this world?" Yui asked curiously. Lillian paused.
What was he here to do? His crossing wasn't like other travelers, with main missions that would erase him if ignored. What he did depended entirely on him. But now, he truly didn't know what to do.
However…
His gaze sharpened slightly. This world, perhaps, contained something he needed.
He had long sought a solution to the Titan's Curse. Without solving it, Annie, Eren, and others had only a few years to live. This was unacceptable. He had to find a solution in another world.
In Re:Zero's world, curses existed—and there were magics capable of removing them. Could such magic be applied to break the Titan's Curse? Lillian didn't know. He didn't even know if he could return, or if magic from this world could function in the AOT World. Nevertheless, preparation was necessary.
If he gave up now and later got a chance to return without a solution ready, he would regret it forever. So, regardless of whether he could return, he had to prepare solutions—and ideally, multiple backup methods.
"Lillian, are you okay?"
"Ah… it's nothing." Lillian replied. "I'm not familiar with this world yet, so I won't say much." He glanced at the tablet battery—less than three minutes of use had consumed about fifteen percent.
"Be careful in that world," Kizmel said. "Since it's another world, there must be monsters too."
"Don't worry. We'll talk tonight."
The three returned to The seed, and Lillian powered down the tablet. The smooth black screen reflected his face—his expression slightly grave.
"Magic…"
In this world, magic was a talent, not something anyone could use. Natsuki, for example, could only use a low-level dark magic "Curtain," and it was unstable. His [Return by Death] was the real broken ability, arguably the ultimate "Blessing (Divine Protection)" or "Authority" from the Jealous Witch.
Lillian had neither blessing nor authority. He couldn't even test for magical talent himself. Ultimately, he would need experts' help. But… who should he turn to?