On the kingdom's streets, Shendu strolled along with Akane, experiencing the charm of a foreign land and tasting the rare exotic snacks.
Of course, buying things required money. Neither Shendu nor her servant had brought any with them. But one must not forget—Shendu was the strongest demonic dragon. A trivial bit of alchemy posed no challenge to her at all.
In less than three seconds, her powerful alchemy could produce an entire pouch of gold nuggets or coins.
After discreetly creating two pouches filled with gold coins and nuggets, Shendu and her servant entered full shopping mode, buying everything that caught their interest.
This included a map of the kingdom, noble-style clothing, and books detailing the kingdom's customs and culture. After contributing a large pile of gold coins, Shendu walked ahead with a long skewer of takoyaki in hand, her mouth glistening with oil as she ate.
"The taste is quite good. But why would this other world have snacks from Japan?"
Shendu felt puzzled, though she could not be bothered to dwell on it.
"Who knows? Perhaps there were transmigrators here before," Akane mumbled while eating her takoyaki.
The two of them carried themselves with such extraordinary bearing, dressed in luxurious attire, that the surrounding pedestrians dared not show the slightest disrespect. Whenever they passed, people carefully avoided them.
After strolling for an hour, Shendu still felt unsatisfied. Calculating the time, she figured that even if Emilia had run into danger, she would not be that incompetent.
Just as she was letting her thoughts wander, several angry voices suddenly echoed from an alley not far away.
"Boss, this guy keeps spouting weird nonsense. Could he be an idiot?"
"Who knows? Either way, we're not letting him go. Take everything valuable he's got. Then give him a good beating."
"Hey, did you hear that? Or do you want us to make it worse for you?"
Hearing the commotion, Shendu stopped walking. A gentle breeze swept past, lifting her silver-white hair into the air. Combined with her gothic lolita outfit, she gave off a delicate presence tinged with a dark, unsettling charm.
"So he's appeared? The deadweight protagonist of this world."
"⊙ω⊙!"
Shendu rested one hand against her chin and gazed into the distance. Akane stood quietly beside her, looking the same way.
Within their line of sight, a young man wearing a tracksuit stood there, eyes brimming with excitement, looking every bit like a hopeless chuunibyou at the terminal stage.
"Hahaha! I can't believe I've become the one-in-a-million transmigrator! As the protagonist, this must be my first crisis, right? Maybe the gravity here is only one-tenth of Earth's!"
The chuunibyou youth flailed his arms in excitement. Japanese characters could faintly be seen on his tracksuit. Combined with the plastic bag of snacks and instant noodles in his hands, he was clearly a fantasy-obsessed underachiever from Japan.
"Damn it, he's looking down on us! Brothers, teach him a lesson!"
Seeing that this chuunibyou brat did not take them seriously at all, the three thugs were filled with anger and surrounded him.
"It's begun—my first battle as the protagonist!"
The chuunibyou youth shouted and struck first. With a single kick, he sent the shortest thug flying. Another punch knocked down the fatter one.
When it came to the thinner thug, the skinny man instinctively took a step back. But soon, a vicious glint appeared in his eyes. He stared coldly at the boy and silently reached toward his waist.
"Wow, so this is what it feels like to be the protagonist? I'm practically invincible! Though my hands hurt a bit. At this rate, I'll be building a harem in no time."
The chuunibyou youth grew even more excited. Successfully beating up a few street punks had fully immersed him in his delusional mindset.
"You bastard, you've been talking to yourself from the start. Are you stupid?"
"If you dare resist again, I'll kill you!"
The skinny thug steeled himself, pulled out a gleaming knife, and threatened him without hesitation.
It was clear that if things went wrong, he had every intention of stabbing him.
"I'm sorry! It was my fault! Please forgive me!"
Faced with the reality that two fists could not match four hands, the chuunibyou youth immediately dropped to his knees. His earlier arrogance vanished as he began begging for mercy.
"Hahaha! Weren't you acting tough just now? Beat him hard!"
Realizing he had been toyed with, the skinny thug grew furious. With a wave of his hand, the other two joined in, and together they beat the chuunibyou youth mercilessly.
In less than a few minutes, the boy's face had swollen into a pig's head.
...
"Let's go, Akane. It's our turn to appear."
"Yes, Master!"
Seeing that the show had come to an end, Shendu lost interest in continuing to watch. With a wave of her hand, she and the girl beside her stepped into the alley.
"What a splendid performance. You acted that scene quite well."
After entering the alley, Shendu clapped lightly. Her melodious voice drifted through the air, startling everyone present.
The skinny thug leader glanced at their attire—clearly not ordinary people. Instantly, he grew wary and glanced toward the alley's exit, gauging whether there were more around.
Shendu's aura was exceptionally unique. Her silver hair and blood-red pupils made her look adorable at first glance, yet she exuded a suffocating chill that sent shivers down one's spine.
Whether it was her appearance or her frightening presence, the three thugs felt their hearts tremble. Even so, they tried to keep up a tough front.
"This doesn't concern you."
The skinny thug spoke coldly, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
"Heh."
Faced with their reply, Shendu let out a soft laugh and raised a slender finger, drawing lightly through the air.
In an instant, the three previously arrogant thugs were seized by an invisible force. Like three meteors, they shot out of the alley and slammed violently onto the street outside.
Boom!
Three human-shaped craters were smashed into the ground.
Fortunately, nearby pedestrians had already scattered. Otherwise, someone might have been crippled for life.
Watching the silver-haired, red-eyed girl dispatch the three thugs with such ease, the chuunibyou youth's eyes once again filled with hope.
"Hello, my name is Natsuki Subaru. I'll be your partner from now on. You can choose to rely on me."
The moment he spoke, Natsuki Subaru excitedly defined Shendu as his companion, still trapped in his old way of thinking.
"What a disgusting gaze. Master, let's kill him."
"No need. I'll handle it."
Facing Natsuki Subaru's presumptuous stare, killing intent flickered in Akane's eyes. She wished nothing more than to eliminate anyone who showed the slightest disrespect toward her master.
"Uh—!"
Sensing the tangible killing intent, Natsuki Subaru froze. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Shendu lightly wave her slender finger.
Crash!
Instantly, three claw-like gouges appeared at his feet and along the alley wall. A wind pressure like the breath of death sliced through several strands of his hair, nearly frightening him into wetting himself.
"Natsuki Subaru, don't ever look at me with such disgusting eyes again. If there's a next time, I'll grind your bones to dust. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lady!"
Under the threat of death, Natsuki Subaru felt as though he had been brutally beaten by reality itself. In an instant, he snapped awake and dropped to his knees, begging for forgiveness.
"Good. From now on, you'll follow us. We'll take you somewhere safe—somewhere you can live more securely."
"My only requirement is absolute obedience. Do you hear me?"
"From now on, you will address me as Lady Shendu."
Her blood-red eyes swept over him again and again—a warning and a threat combined.
"I understand, Lady Shendu! I will absolutely obey your orders!"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing her words, Natsuki Subaru did not appear dejected at all. Instead, he agreed enthusiastically.
No one could tell what wild fantasies were running through his mind again.
Shendu could not be bothered to dwell on it. After giving her instructions, she led him out of the alley.
"Master, why are we protecting this brat? It's strange," Akane asked as she followed at her side, somewhat unable to understand.
"Because if he dies, time will rewind. That is why I'm ensuring he stays alive."
Shendu explained calmly. After hearing this, Akane seemed to understand something. When she looked at Natsuki Subaru again, there was now a trace of vigilance in her gaze.
Thus, the three of them walked off into the distance. As a fellow transmigrator, Natsuki Subaru glanced around curiously, fascinated by everything in this other world.
To be honest, the real reason Shendu did not kill Natsuki Subaru—aside from the fact that killing him would trigger time reversal—was that the boy was not particularly annoying and posed no threat to her.
Otherwise, with her mastery of magic, dealing with someone like Natsuki Subaru would be child's play.
Besides, keeping this lucky mascot by her side was not necessarily a bad thing.