*** Note there is no Return by Death in this story ***

When Subaru Natsuki opened his eyes, he was standing on a busy street. Wagons pulled by strange animals trundled slowly up and down the road and people in bizarre clothing walked by. The people’s outfits were like something out of a renaissance fair, mostly robes and smocks. Several of the people who walked by Subaru gave him a side-eye as they passed.

Where am I? How did I get here?

“That man is dressed funny, Momma!” A boy laughed, pointing at Subaru. There was no malice in his mirth, he was simply too young to know better.

“Be quiet, Shinji,” The woman holding his hand ordered sternly.

Subaru stared at them. The child appeared to be wearing some kind of ‘cat ear’ headband. Nothing terribly odd about that except for the fact that he had apparently convinced his mother to put on a similar headband since she had cat ears as well. Were they playing a game or going to a comic-con?

The mother forcefully pulled her son past Subaru, glowering at him in suspicion. Subaru only belatedly realized that the way he was staring at the pair in fascination might well have been considered threatening. The boy, Shinji, sensed nothing wrong and waved at Subaru as he and his mother hurried past. The mother continued to glower at Subaru, flicking her ears in disapproval before turning away.

Wait a second… she had flicked her ears? Were those ears real?!

Subaru, his eyes wide, looked more closely at the crowd. Now that he was paying more attention, he realized that lots of people in the crowd didn’t look human. They had fur and animal ears and one fellow approaching him right now had an entire wolf’s snout covering his face!

The wolf-faced man glowered at Subaru. “You got a problem, buddy?” He snarled. Subaru decided that it really was a snarl when a person opened a mouth that was full of sharp teeth.

Subaru realized that he’d been staring in open-mouthed wonder at the wolf-man and hurriedly shook his head ‘no.’

The wolf-man snorted, “I thought not,” He turned and slunk up the road, grumbling to himself.

Subaru’s feelings of shock slowly transformed into wonder.

Wait a second… I’m really in another world! I’m not the loser I was back home anymore! This is my big chance! I’ve been summoned here by some kind of destiny! I’m finally going to be worth something, people aren’t going to sneer at me or shake their heads with pity when I walk by. I’m not just a NEET. I’m going to wow the people, defeat the Demon King, and marry the beautiful princess! I don’t believe it, my every dream is coming true! I’m not a loser anymore!

A feeling of intense joy welled up in his heart. Subaru felt like he wanted to embrace this whole world, if only he could spread his arms wide enough. Subaru couldn’t hold it all in: He started to laugh out loud, ringing peals of pure joy.

“Excuse me, sir. Are you alright?” A courteous voice asked.

Subaru quickly came down from his natural high and discovered that a small crowd had gathered around him. The locals were all staring at him with a mixture of concern and trepidation. The only exception to this was the man who had actually spoken: a tall, handsome young man with bright red hair and a demeanor that could only be described as ‘polite.’ He wore what looked like some kind of uniform and he had a sword belted at his side. The man was looking at Subaru with a mix of kindness and concern.

Subaru folded his arms behind his head and laughed again.

Awesome. Maybe this guy is going to be my first companion on a daring adventure to save the world. I really thought that finding my first companion would have been harder. I better put on a good show to impress him. That should be easy at least, I’m feeling so high-on-life right now that I don’t know if I could worry about anything if I tried. I’m not a loser, I’m the fucking hero!

“I’m great!” Subaru said in a cheery voice. “I’m having the best day of my entire life!”

The small crowd that had gathered around Subaru was dispersing, although not without a few rolled eyes. They were either departing out of boredom or simply because they trusted that the redheaded man had the situation well in hand.

The man smiled at Subaru. “I am most happy to hear it. My name is Reinhard van Astrea. Might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?”

“I’m Subaru Natsuki and it is an absolute pleasure to meet you!” Subaru enthused, watching the passing throng of humanity with bemusement. “I’m new in this land, I have no money, no friends, no idea where I’m sleeping tonight, and absolutely no idea what I’m doing!” Subaru laughed.

Reinhard’s face grew more concerned. “That sounds… truly terrible,” He said, uncertain whether or not to be sympathetic. This ‘Subaru’ was saying horrible things with a smile on his face. Reinhard concluded that the young man was either suffering from a mental breakdown or he possessed a truly remarkable kind of fortitude.

Subaru gave Reinhard a deprecating smile. “Yeah. It’s a little rough but I’ll bounce back, don’t worry. It’s just going to take me a couple of days to get myself situated,” Subaru shrugged.

It’s not like I really have to worry, Subaru thought to himself. This world is set up just for me. It’s a place where I can show off my true potential. I mean, I’m sure the first few levels or chapters or however you want to look at it will be kind of rough, but that’ll just be good training. I hope I can get started with the main plot quickly.

Reinhard’s eyes widened. “I truly admire your confidence, Master Natsuki. I doubt that I could have such optimism or conviction were I to find myself in similar straits.” Reinhard knew that everything good about him came directly from his innumerable Divine Blessings that granted him his magical powers. No one needed to tell him that he would be all but worthless without them, although no small number of people had said that to his face over the years.

Wow, Subaru thought. This guy sounds as insecure as I am. I mean… as insecure as I used to be; I’m better now. Anyway, the guy seems like he needs some sympathy. I’d probably want to cheer him up anyway but if he is going to be my first companion on my quest then I should definitely try to bond with him. He just stands out from the crowd a little too much to simply be another background character. He’s probably going to be intimately involved in my own role as the hero. Besides, he really seems like a genuinely nice guy and we all need a little support every now and then.

Subaru shook his head with a grin. “Hey, buddy, don’t sell yourself short! Oh, and please call me Subaru, if you say ‘Mister Natsuki,’ I think you’re talking to my Dad. Anyway, you should have more faith in yourself. Honestly, I felt the same way about myself not so long ago. You never know what you’re capable of until you’re put in the right situation.”

Reinhard couldn’t help smiling back. “I thank you for your kind words, Master Subaru,” Reinhard said. “You mentioned that you were new in the city and have nowhere to sleep tonight. I’d be only too happy to offer you lodgings while you become settled here.” He paused, absently touching the satchel hanging at his side. “Unfortunately, my… father has requested that I deliver these parcels to his various acquaintances today and I must comply. Should you visit my home this evening, I would be most delighted to host you.”

Oh? I guess he’d not joining my party right now. Too bad. Maybe the main quest doesn’t involve him yet, not that I know what the main quest actually is. No biggie. I set the flag. I’m sure that he’ll pop up again when the plot is ready for it. I might as well head off and see how I finish this prologue.

“That sounds great, Reinhard. I’m certain we’ll meet again very soon and I am totally looking forward to it!” Subaru said, knuckling Reinhard’s shoulder with a fond laugh as he walked away, searching for the next plot line.

Had Subaru bothered to look behind him as he walked away, he would have seen Reinhard’s face grow worried and indeed alarmed. Reinhard possessed well over a hundred Divine Blessings, more than anyone else in the world. To call Reinhard the single most powerful being on this planet would not have been inaccurate. When Subaru had touched him, two of Blessings had immediately triggered: specifically the Divine Blessing of Judgment and the Divine Blessing of Empathy.

The Divine Blessing of Judgment had always been a valuable tool for Reinhard because it enabled him to know what special abilities a person possessed. It gave him perfect insight into what options an opponent possessed in battle and the relative power of that opponent. Knowledge is power in combat, and perfect knowledge provides ultimate power.

Reinhard had no intention of using any of his Blessing on Subaru. He saw no reason to do so. However, as soon as Subaru had touched him, the Blessing had activated independently and it had reacted in a way that Reinhard could only describe as alarm.

Reinhard van Astrea was beloved by this world. The wisdom of the world was at his disposal and any question he had about the nature of an individual’s power should be instantly answered. However, for the very first time, his Blessing had failed him. It had been completely unable to provide any insight about the strange power of Subaru Natsuki. It wasn’t that the Blessing hadn’t detected any power within him, quite the contrary: Reinhard had sensed immense power within the young man, easily enough to justify the young man’s overwhelming confidence. However, the Blessing had failed to describe to Reinhard any way in which that power could be utilized.

Reinhard had a sudden mental image of a vast deep pool, filled to the brim with overwhelming dark magic; a pool of pure potential. The power was dormant at the moment but it was capable of evolving into virtually anything if it were ever to be triggered.

It was commonly believed that Reinhard never felt fear; that he was immune to fear or unable to comprehend it by merit of his sheer enormous power. Reinhard had often hidden his face whenever this was suggested. The speakers never understood how he felt and Reinhard had wearied of trying to explain it to them.

Others might think Reinhard invincible but he had people in his life that he truly cherished: Julius and Felix. They were his dearest friends, in some ways they were closer to him than brothers. However, they did not possess Reinhard’s durability or his resiliency. Reinhard knew fear and it gnawed at him constantly. Reinhard never worried for his own life, as no true knight should. He worried for the lives of others. That one day he would be too slow, too weak, too dumb, or too cowardly to save them and their deaths would be his fault.

Reinhard watched Subaru walk away and wondered if he should chase after him and demand an explanation. Reinhard was a knight of the realm, even on his days off, and to let such a powerful being with completely unclear intentions and mysterious origins wander around the capitol unsupervised was… unwise to say the very least.

Reinhard would have gone after Subaru immediately except for his Divine Blessing of Empathy which had also triggered when Subaru touched him. This Blessing offered Reinhard insight into the minds and emotions of anyone he wished. He sensed in Subaru no bad intentions whatsoever. Subaru’s mind was a bubbling cauldron of sheer happiness, excitement, and a wild desire for adventure. It was a mind almost… childish in a way. Reinhard couldn’t precisely know what Subaru’s desires were but he sensed that they were mainly a desire to accomplish and achieve and to be recognized for such achievements. They were desires such as any proud and motivated child might possess; determined to prove himself special and win acclaim.

This alone did not make Subaru harmless of course, plenty of innocent desires can be twisted into monstrous forms and yet Reinhard sensed no malice in him at all. The owner of so much restive dark power and yet he did not have any desire to inflict harm? Where had he acquired such power and how? Was it a curse? Was he possessed by it in some way? Was it a cruel joke of fate to inflict a kindly young man with a terrible power he could not hope to control?

Or could this be intended, Reinhard mused, Fate having selected the kindly young Subaru Natsuki with care; choosing him as this terrible power’s rightful guardian?

Reinhard continued to debate with himself as he watched Subaru vanish into the crowd. Eventually, Reinhard turned away. He had no right to interfere with Subaru without cause. Whatever his suspicions might be he could not bring himself to condemn a young man for some speculative harm that might be done at some later date. Reinhard returned to his task of delivering his father’s packages but, try as he might, Subaru Natsuki would not leave his mind.

Reinhard resolved that he would search for the young man later.

Subaru walked through town with a smile on his face and a song in his heart, heedless of where he was actually going. He watched everything and everyone with a smile. The wagon drivers yelling at each other, the streaming crowd of people who pushed by him, even the road workers sweeping up animal dung. He watched it all with a fond smile and a proprietary air. This was his world now. Subaru had never felt such overwhelming confidence in his life and he quickly grew addicted to the sensation. He’d show all of them how special he was, it was just a matter of time. He watched everything around him, trying to piece together what the next step in the main quest would be and how he could achieve it. However, Subaru felt no need to rush this. He winked at every look of disdain a passerby handed him. Each doubt, each eye roll would simply make his inevitable victory all the sweeter.

This is amazing! I’m finally going to be somebody special! All those years where everyone thought that I was a loser will finally have been worth it. This is my story. This is my adventure and I’m going to enjoy every moment of it. After everything I went through back home, I have earned an adventure. This world is my world and I absolutely deserve it.

It was right around then that Subaru had an out-of-body experience.

Everything around him froze in place and the world turned gray.

Subaru would never be able to explain quite how he felt in that moment. It was as if something had found him, something that had been looking specifically for him for longer than a human could comprehend. Or maybe it had been with him all along, constantly reaching out for him but unable to make contact. Either way Subaru felt… complete. He felt polished and finished, like a masterful work of craft, long in the making that had finally been perfected.

A moment later, searing pain came crashing down. He felt as if a colossal iron spike had been set on fire and then driven completely through his head. Subaru tried to scream but he was frozen in place and could neither move nor breathe.

In that moment, Subaru knew three phrases as if they were engraved on his heart in letters of flame: ‘The Authority of Pride’, ‘Reason and Judgment’ and ‘Indomitable.’

Then, without warning, the world restarted around Subaru.

As Subaru stood there, gasping for breath, someone bumped into him from behind. “Asshole,” The person spat as he walked around the trembling Subaru.

What the hell just happened? Did I level up or something? Already? I haven’t even done anything yet. The Authority of Pride? What the hell is that?

Maybe the world recognized my new amazing self confidence and decided to reward me for it?

Man, leveling up hurts! Now I know where the term ‘ding’ comes from, because my head feels like a bell that got whacked with a hammer! What is ‘Reason and Judgment?’ Is that like some kind of new ability?

The moment that Subaru thought this, the world froze around him but at least this time everything didn’t gray-shift. That made Subaru feel slightly more relaxed until he realized that he couldn’t move either, which made him feel a whole lot less relaxed.

Subaru discovered that he could still move his eyes but that was it. He was as trapped in this frozen moment as everyone around him. A moment later, Subaru realized he couldn’t breathe here.

Weird. I’m frozen in place and I can’t even breathe. I should be terrified but… I’m just not.

I feel like panicking would almost be silly. I’m better than that. I don’t need to panic or worry. No matter what the problem is, I can handle it. I just need to stay calm and think clearly.

Huh. These are really strange thoughts for me. I’m not usually this confident in scary situations.

Then again, Subaru, those kind of thoughts do make sense, Subaru thought to himself. This is your power. You can obviously control it. You may not know how to do it just yet but you’ll figure it out. Why would you be panicking? This power bends to your desires the same way as this world one day will. You’re the hero. This is your story. Just focus, bend your will to your desired outcome, and the world will follow.

Subaru decided to leave the frozen moment and everyone surged back into motion around him as if nothing had happened.

Subaru’s unnatural calm and confidence persisted for a few moments longer and then slowly faded away, leaving confusion and frustration in their wake.

Wait! What the honest-to-god fuck is this?! This is my magic?! Well gee, that’s a great power! ‘I’m giving you this incredible magic that allows you to freeze everyone and everything around you! Oh, but it paralyzes you too! Bet this teaches you to never hit on the Game Master’s girlfriend when you’re playing Table-top RPGs, Subaru!’

Subaru’s indignation just kept growing. What the hell am I supposed to do with this? I know I’m only level two or something but seriously, I’m the goddamn hero of this world. Give me something useful! How am I going to accomplish anything with this magic?

There’s got to something more to this power. Either that or I’m literally getting trolled.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment again and the world froze around him. Subaru’s frustration drifted away like smoke leaving him in an analytical state of perfect calm.

On second thought, Subaru, maybe you’re dismissing this power too lightly, He thought to himself. It may not allow you to act inside the frozen moment but it does allow you to think and plan. In any situation, you have all the time in the world to construct the perfect strategy. That is a remarkable power. Whether in the heat of combat or a delicate series of negotiation, every move can be precisely calculated to achieve victory. This is truly a power worthy of a great hero.

Subaru looked at a nearby ‘demi-human’ who had a wolf’s long snout. He wore a tattered old, blue robe and his long, matted fur was visible around his throat and on his forearms.

As Subaru focused on him, his frozen eyes zoomed in on the demi-human as if putting the man under a magnifying glass. He saw the small fleas nesting in his fur. The dirty fur also contained bits of straw and tiny clumps of dirt.

Interesting. It appears, going by the materials in his fur that this fellow doesn’t bathe very often. The dirt and straw is likely a suggestion that he sleeps on the street and uses straw as a bed when available. The ratty old robe suggests the man might be homeless.

Subaru glanced at a fat demi-human with a long rat-like tail who had been marching down the street with a faint sneer on his face. This man was wearing a large gem on a chain around his neck and he had numerous jeweled rings on his fingers.

He must be a prosperous merchant to show off wealth like this.

Subaru zoomed in closer.

No. There are black spots on his neck chain where the gold paint has been rubbed off. It’s lead, painted to look gold. The gem appears to be fake as well. It’s too clear to be a naturally occurring stone. The same goes for the rings. This is not a wealthy man, it’s a man who desperately wants people to think that he’s wealthy.

Subaru glanced at a beautiful, young human woman who was wearing a flowing blue dress.

It appears that her dress is high quality, compared to the average around here. There are cat hairs on her dress; cat hair in three different colors actually. Her eye shadow looks expensive. There are small rock shards in it. It was probably made from crushed stones of some sort. She’s wearing a gaudy wedding ring, this one is real but it’s also several sizes too large for her finger. It’s tarnished too. The rest of her jewelry is highly polished but not the wedding ring. Curious. Her hands look pretty rough as well; lots of old scars and callouses. She seems wealthy but she works with her hands? Maybe a jeweler or something high end like that? Although it seems doubtful that jewel-crafting would mark her hands like this.

Subaru stared at the woman. He was beginning to get an idea.

Subaru frowned, wishing that he could scratch his chin in the frozen moment.

Alright, Subaru. Let’s see if we can put all these details together, Subaru mused.

Her clothes and makeup are expensive so we know she has money. She’s young, barely out of her teens so she probably inherited her money somehow. She also apparently has three cats. She’s done manual labor with her hands at some point in her life but there’s no new cuts or marks on her hands so she hasn’t done it in a while.

What does this all add up to?

Subaru thought for a moment.

She married into money. She did manual labor of some kind, maybe as a tailor? Mom used to have some marks like that on her hands when she was working on sewing projects. Then the girl got married and now she has money. Her wedding ring is much too big for her. Maybe it was an heirloom? No, probably not. If it was precious to her then she would have had it resized. A ring that loose is just begging to be lost.

Hm. Maybe she wants it lost? She’s not taking very good care of that ring. She clearly attends to her other jewelry carefully, it’s all well polished. Her wedding ring is badly tarnished so she clearly doesn’t value it. Why not? It’s an expensive piece.

Maybe she resents her husband? If she married him for his money, it’s unlikely to be a great romance and that would explain why she isn’t taking very good care of it but why would she want to outright lose the ring? It’s bound to fall off like this. Maybe she wants to lose it so he’ll get her a new one? Maybe she’s a second wife and she was given her predecessor’s ring? OK so her husband is an asshole who recycled his late wife’s wedding ring and the new wife probably doesn’t much care for the constant reminder that she’s a replacement goldfish.

Reason and Judgment gave Subaru no indication of how correct or incorrect his deductions were but Subaru felt like his story was probably pretty close to the truth even if not exactly accurate.

This power is only marginally suited to combat, although infinite time to plan your attacks should not be underrated. Still, in any situation where it becomes necessary to persuade or negotiate, this power will be invaluable, Subaru thought.

Whatever your quest is, fighting will be unavoidable, but just as important is the mastery of soft power: the ability to negotiate and persuade. That allows you to form alliances and build armies. Negotiation is likely preferable to combat in most instances anyway. It would be most unfortunate for anyone to have to die, particularly you.

Satisfied, Subaru willed the world to resume its movement around him.

The crowd immediately flowed back into motion and the well-dressed, young woman drew back from Subaru, looking at him with frightened eyes.

As she hurried away, looking nervously over her shoulder, Subaru realized that he had still been staring at her with rapt interest when the world started moving again.

Subaru felt Reason and Judgment’s unnatural calm and confidence start to fade away.

“Hey! Quit blocking traffic!” A fat man snapped at Subaru, grumbling at being forced to step around him.

Subaru stepped into a nearby alley to think more about his newfound ability. He was certain this was the key to the next step in his quest. He just had to figure out how to use it properly.

Subaru walked into the dark alley, deep in thought.

Alright, so I’ve obviously been called here to do something but I don’t know what. I guess that I’m on the right track since I just got my first magic ‘spell.’ But what do I do with it? And where do I go next? Video games usually have bread crumbs to avoid this problem. I know nothing about this world so where do I go? What do I do? Do I just walk out of town and look for monsters to fight? Maybe I would find a frightened maiden to rescue who would tell me about a marauding dragon or something? Or do I head for the local castle and try to be sucked into some kind of political intrigue over the fate of the kingdom?

Stories are not told like this! Whether it’s a game or a novel, the main character is always given some kind of associate who can provide direction and exposition to the audience. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone here. Well, I did meet Reinhard.

Hm. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him go off so easily. Maybe helping him deliver that mail was a sidequest? No, he never even implied he wanted help. On the other hand, he did invite me over to his house tonight and I could ask him some questions then… if I had any idea where the hell he lived.

Great work, Subaru. You’re making a mess of things in your new world already. This is why everyone thinks that you’re a loser.

Subaru was concentrating so hard on his problems that he almost bumped into three young men coming the other way down the alley.

“Hey, what have we got here?” One of the young men, a pale, lanky kid with long, dirty hair, said with a smirk.

Subaru saw the wolf-smiles on their faces and suddenly remembered his school days.

These guys are bad news, Subaru thought. I met a lot of kids like them back when I was still going to school. They’re young, dumb, and aggressive. They’re as likely to hurt someone as part of a joke gone too far as they are to do it intentionally. Sometimes that can be even more dangerous.

Subaru used Reason and Judgment to pause the scene. His apprehension vanished replaced by disdain.

Characters like these are where the term ‘trash mob’ comes from. This is a complete waste of valuable time. Unfortunately, the problem still needs to be dealt with.

Well, Subaru, this doesn’t look promising, Subaru thought to himself. These three are unshaven and they wear raggedy clothes. They look like they’ve been living rough. Those bulges under their clothes look specifically like daggers. That’s not good. Reinhard openly wore a sword but these guys want to conceal that the fact that they’re armed. They use small weapons, easily concealed and easy to use in tight quarters.

Subaru felt a tinge of fear that broke through Reason and Judgment’s confidence as he remembered his encounters with thugs and violent bullies back home.

These guys are ambush predators and they think that I’m easy prey. Which probably isn’t too far from the truth.

A moment later, Subaru’s unnatural calm reasserted itself and he again viewed the situation as if from a comfortable, remote distance. He felt almost like a different person as he strategized.

Reason and Judgment isn’t a combat skill, Subaru mused. It could be an advantage in a fight, certainly but trying to fight three armed men using Reason and Judgment would be an act of desperation. You do have one other power: Indomitable. That might be a combat power. But this would be a poor time to try and figure out what it does unless you’re cornered. Reason and Judgment’s strongest power is to persuade and manipulate by observation so ideally you would use it here to negotiate a ceasefire.

Subaru inspected the men for a long time but he didn’t notice anything that would suggest that they were anything other than what they initially appeared to be: common muggers. He did notice that the shortest one was carrying a heavy bag which Subaru suspected to be full of money. The bag had tiny bloodstains on it. Worse yet, the blood appeared to be fresh. It seemed that he wasn’t their first meal of the day and that those weapons weren’t just for intimidation.

Wait. If they already took a score today, why are they starting trouble with you? You don’t look like you’re wealthy. In fact, to these people your clothes probably make you look like you just rolled out of bed. These three seem unusually excited too. Perhaps they just took a big score? For whatever reason, they’re not thinking clearly. They’re drunk on power and excitement and that means they’ll be really hard to talk down. Still it’s the best strategy you have so you might as well try.

Subaru restarted time with a sigh. “Hey guys! I’m Subaru Natsuki!” He said, forcing an amused smile across his face. He tried to hold onto Reason and Judgment’s supreme confidence. “What brings you here? Looking for a dance partner?” He drawled.

The men blinked and their smiles faltered as they glanced at each other in confusion. Subaru’s refusal to ‘read the room’ and be intimidated by three men, one of whom was significantly larger than him, was throwing them off step.

That’s it. Recognize that I’m not afraid of you and that my lack of fear should make you apprehensive. Never underestimate the power of a good bluff.

Subaru had been in a surprising number of fights growing up. One thing that he had learned early on was that sometimes acting like you can defend yourself was just as good as actually being able to do it. It makes people wonder if that ‘easy target’ might not be as easy as it seemed and if they might get hurt in the altercation as well. The longer they deliberate over this the better. The more someone debates if starting a fight over nothing is really worth it, the more likely they are to conclude that it’s not.

The three seemed uncertain for a moment but then their faces hardened and they began grumbling to one another.

Uh-oh. I may have misplayed this. I don’t need Reason and Judgment to analyze this. These three are insecure, feel disrespected, and have probably been pushed around by bigger fish most of their lives. They compensate for all this by hunting down easy prey. Today they took a big payday, maybe their very first big payday and they feel like big men now. I’ve made them second guess themselves and that is unforgivable to them. If they don’t make me sorry for this, their self-doubt will come back and they’ll do anything to avoid that.

Hey guys, maybe we could talk about this over a beer? Believe me, nobody knows more about self-doubt than me! You seriously don’t need to beat me black and blue here.

The lanky one whipped out a long knife and pointed it at Subaru. “This is a private way, buddy! There’s a toll for passing,” He said with a thin smile.

“Sorry, I don’t have any money,” Subaru answered, trying to sound amused.

“Oh? I’m sure if you were properly motivated you could make a little contribution to our good cheer,” The knife wielder said.

Subaru snorted. “Yeah. I’m dressed like this because I’m just rolling in disposable income,” He said.

The three glanced at each other dubiously. It seemed for a moment like they might believe that he really didn’t have any money. However, the three began muttering angrily to one another.

I know this dance. These jerks feel like that by being broke, I’ve cheated them out of whatever treat they planned to buy for themselves with my money. It’s not the most logical train of thought but it’s a common enough worldview for bullies. I’m not going to talk these guys down. That leave me only one choice: go all in on the bluff.

“As opposed to you,” Subaru snickered to the knife-wielding thug, “Whom I assume dresses that way because he got dressed in the dark.”

The knife wielder gaped at him while his two friends started giggling.

The man with the knife turned and slapped his fellows, “Shut up, both of you!”

Subaru had to go for sheer intimidation: Act like they were no threat to him at all and that the potential risk of attacking him was extreme. If that failed, he’d have to try to fight his way out and that did not look promising for Subaru.

Never underestimate the power of a good bluff, Subaru thought. Unfortunately, I don’t have high hopes for scaring them off. Running might be an option, assuming anyone on the street would even get involved and not simply stand back and watch them gut me. I can certainly outrun the little one but outrunning that giant and the knife wielding asshole would be tricky.

I don’t have any weapons so I’m not ready for a fight. Unless someone appears to rescue me like a cheap plot-device, I do not love my chances.

“You need to learn to watch your tongue!” The knife wielder said, pulling out a second knife. “Maybe I can help you by cutting a few inches of it off!”

The big thug behind ‘dual knives’ pulled out brass knuckles and the little one carrying the money bag took out a crude nail festooned club.

Subaru felt his hands trembling and he triggered Reason and Judgment.

He felt his terror dissipate like smoke. He might as well have been watching a character on TV for all the situation affected him.

Well, Subaru, it appears your options are somewhat limited, He thought to himself. If they call your bluff, running is probably your best option. We’ll just promise ourselves a reckoning for this liberty later… You could try to activate Indomitable but you have no idea what it does. That not only means that it might not help your chances in the fight but it could just as easily hurt them. If it turns out that Indomitable gives you a ten percent damage reduction but it also roots you in place, it will only serve to make you die ten percent more slowly while ‘Dual Knives’ carves you up. So let’s not trigger that power until we’re trapped and desperate.

Meanwhile, never underestimate the power of a good bluff. You don’t need to take away their ability to attack, just their will to do so.

Subaru restarted time.

Subaru felt his calm and confidence draining away as he reached inside his pockets looking for anything he could use as a weapon.

He found his flip phone, his key-ring, and a few coins.

Well, it’s better than nothing! Subaru pulled out his flip phone, snapped it open, and pointed it at the thugs like the world’s strangest knife. The screen lit up as he pressed a button.

“The fuck is that?” Dual Knives asked, staring at the brightly lit screen.

Subaru gave him a cocky smile. “Oh? You never seen one of these before? Well, it’s got a bunch of neat tricks. It’s going to cost you a few pints of blood to see them though.”

“Wait, is that some sort of magic weapon?” The little thug asked, falling back a step.

“Oh, you must be the smart one,” Subaru said mockingly. “It’s a pretty impressive little toy. Step a little closer and I’ll show you,” He said, pressing the button and causing the screen to light up again.

The little mugger nervously stepped closer to the big one who was rubbing his chin with a worried frown on his face.

Alright, the Tiny and Jumbo want out of this situation. Good thinking. There’s nothing to be gained here and a ton to lose.

Dual knives flashed his teeth at Subaru. “You fucking think that I’m afraid of you?!” He shrieked, raising his knives. “I ain’t afraid of no magic!”

“Then you’re foolish,” Subaru replied quietly.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment, pausing the world and giving himself time to think.

Hm. It looks like the big one and the small are ready to sit this fight out, Subaru noticed, That would be great news if Dual Knives wasn’t so clearly capable of killing you all by himself.

Dual Knives’s stance is badly off balance. At a guess, it looks like his strategy is just to throw himself at the target and then keep slashing until it dies.

He’ll be open to counterattacks when he makes that reckless lunge, unfortunately without a weapon there’s no way for you to take advantage of that. It’s unlikely that trying to bonk him on the head with a flip phone will be all that effective.

Subaru rejected one idea after another while staring at Dual Knives’s frozen, snarling face.

Alright, seems you have really one option at this point: Once you unpause the world, switch your phone to camera mode, blind Dual Knives with the flash and then run like hell while they try to figure out what kind of spell you just cast on them.

Subaru couldn’t feel terror in the frozen moment, but he could certainly feel frustration.

Why is this situation even happening? Doesn’t Dual Knives know that I’m supposed to be the hero here?

Subaru unfroze the moment and quickly switched his phone to camera mode. Duel Knives gave him a slasher smile when suddenly his attention was drawn over Subaru’s shoulder. Subaru heard rapid footsteps racing up behind him.

Subaru’s face broke into a wolf grin.

The cavalry is here! I’m getting rescued from this ‘no win’ scenario!

Subaru tried to glance behind him without taking his eyes off Duel Knives. He frowned. The new character running toward him was a teenage girl with blond hair and blood-red eyes. She wore pants with one leg ripped off and a halter top. A red scarf nearly as long as she was tall, streamed behind her as she ran. She was tiny and probably weighed about ninety pounds soaking wet.

This is my backup?!

Unless she’s some kind of anime magical girl who can suplex a tank without breaking a sweat, I don’t think she’ll be much help.

Well, any help is better than none, I guess, Subaru mused. I’ll wait for her to attack and then I’ll blind Dual Knives with the flash so that he’s disoriented and we can take him down together. The other two should run away at that point.

The girl raced down the alley with a fierce grin on her face.

She reached Subaru.

She moved past Subaru.

Then she bolted to the far end of the alley, leaped up the wall using some protruding bricks as stepping stones, swung over the side and was gone.

For a long moment, the four men in the alley simply stared at the wall where the girl had disappeared. Subaru was probably the one most flabbergasted. He felt like a performer whose costar had forgotten her lines and simply dashed off, abandoning him on the empty stage.

Subaru was getting the uncomfortable sensation that his plot armor in this particular scene had malfunctioned.

Dual Knives snarled and lunged at him but Subaru snapped a picture right in Dual Knives’s face causing Dual Knives to stagger backwards, rubbing his eyes and wiping his face.

“The fuck did you just do to me?!” He demanded, sounding a bit scared.

“What?” Subaru asked jovially. “I thought you guys wanted to see a sample of my magic. Don’t worry, it won’t trigger until later.”

Dual Knives took a step backwards, his face pale.

Holy shit, he’s buying this!

“Stop right there!” A clear voice demanded from behind Subaru.

Subaru turned around and his mind went completely blank. Standing at the alley mouth, Subaru saw the most beautiful girl he had ever imagined. She had shimmering silver hair and brilliant amethyst eyes. She wore a white skirt and spotless white clothes that had purple accents. She stood in the alleyway entrance, tall and proud, pointing at the muggers accusingly.

“Return what you have stolen from me!” She said in a clear authoritative voice.

Subaru blinked and then he looked back at Dual Knives. For a brief moment, the two enemies were united in their shared confusion.

“You stole from her?” Subaru asked.

“No, I didn’t!” Dual Knives objected.

“I’m willing to look the other way about your theft but I need the insignia you stole from me returned right now,” She stated, holding out her hand.

“You know, dude, if I were you, I’d just give it back to her,” Subaru said conversationally.

Dual Knives looked at him incredulously.

Subaru shrugged. “Hey, I’m just saying. I got you pretty good with my ‘Sony wand.’ If I don’t take off that curse, you’re going to be really hurting by nightfall. But don’t worry, you’ll be beyond all worldly concerns by morning.”

Dual Knives cringed backwards, his knives trembling. Dual Knives was frantically inspecting his body, looking for some sign of damage. The other two men backed away, clearly ready to run for their lives.

“Give her back her insignia and I’ll remove the curse,” Subaru said pleasantly.

“I didn’t take her fucking insignia! I’ve never seen her before in my life! Take the fucking curse off me!” He almost screamed.

Subaru frowned. “Are you sure this is the man who stole your insignia?” He asked the girl. Subaru was actually surprised that he could speak so calmly to what had to be the most beautiful woman in creation. He would have assumed that his mind would have gone completely blank and he’d be unable to string two words together. Maybe it had something to do with the calm from Reason and Judgment?

“No, my insignia was stolen by a small girl with blond hair,” She replied.

Subaru frowned at the silver haired girl. “So… why did you even accuse them of taking it in the first place?”

The girl blinked at Subaru and flushed. “Well, I saw her run in here…”

“Yeah, she climbed that wall and disappeared,” Subaru explained, pointing at the wall.

“Oh no,” She whispered, covering her mouth with an expression of dismay.

“Alright! See? I didn’t take her fucking thing! So take this freaking curse off me!” Dual Knives demanded.

Subaru raised his phone and snapped another picture.

Dual Knives recoiled from the flash. “What the fuck did you just do?!” He demanded.

“I have suspended the curse on all three of you but I have not canceled it,” Subaru warned. “Behold! I have captured a fragment of your very being!” Subaru held up the phone and showed Dual Knives the picture.

Lucky me, this picture has Dual Knives recoiling with his eyes bugging out of his face.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Dual Knives demanded, his face pale.

“You have all been afflicted with the ‘Creeping Rot’ Curse!” Subaru proclaimed. “Each time you shed innocent blood, the curse’s grip on you shall grow stronger. When the curse’s power is finally unleashed, your flesh shall drip from your bones like wax until you fall over dead! Now go! And pray that you never see my face again!” Subaru roared.

The three thugs ran down the alley, bleating piteously.

Subaru started to laugh. He struggled to hold it in until the thugs were out of ear shot but he couldn’t help it. He laughed uproariously.

“Did you really place a curse on them?” The girl whispered, pressing her hand to her mouth.

A voice from beside Subaru said: “Nope.”

Subaru glanced to his right and saw a small gray cat. A completely ordinary cat except for the fact that it was talking. Oh, and it was floating in mid air. “I’m sorry to break this to you, guy, but there’s no curse on any of them,” The cat shrugged.

“Oh, I know that. I don’t know how to inflict a curse. They sure seemed to believe it though, didn’t they?” Subaru told the cat.

The cat laughed.

“You told them that they were cursed when they weren’t?!” The girl said, folding her arms across her chest. “Why? You scared those poor men out of their minds!”

“Because it got them to go away and we didn’t have to fight them which potentially could have meant killing them,” Subaru answered. “Besides, maybe they’ll rethink their lives if they think that hurting innocent people could hurt them too.”

Subaru couldn’t help but stare at the girl with a foolish grin. She was like some rare, flawless jewel. He noticed that her ears came to delicate points.

An elf girl? This is so awesome! Subaru almost squealed. This is it. This is the female lead. The main love interest in my story. The beautiful virtuous princess who falls in love with me. The person who’s always there to congratulate and comfort me. This is so amazing. What does her hair feel like? What does her skin feel like? Heck, I’ve never even kissed a girl! I wonder how long until she lets me kiss her. Hell, I wonder how long I have to wait until I earn the right to sleep with her! Do I need to defeat some enemies before the plot opens up that option or can I just engage in conversation with her to get her affection levels up? I guess I’d probably have to do both before she takes me to bed. Oh my god, she’s perfect! She’s gorgeous, she’s exotic, and most importantly, she’s all mine.

Everything went dark.

When Subaru regained consciousness, he was staring at a pair of white boots.

“Are you alright?” The elf girl asked, crouching over him.

Subaru coughed and pushed himself off the ground, regaining his feet. “Yeah, I think so. How long was I out?”

“Just a minute or two,” The elf said, frowning at Subaru. “Does this have anything to do with that strange talisman you’re carrying? Are you actually cursed?”

“No, not unless you cursed me while I was napping,” Subaru replied, rubbing his face. His head hurt. “What happened?”

“It was probably just some bad energy floating around inside you,” The floating cat said, glowering down at Subaru. “Maybe you were having wicked thoughts about someone. That can have terrible consequences on your body, you know. You need to watch that. Who knows? Next time it happens the effects could be much, much more severe.”

Subaru heard the threat in the cat’s voice and swallowed hard.

Wait, so the cat can read my mind and then it knocked me unconscious when it didn’t like what it saw in there? Is that really what happened?

“Since you claim to know so much about curses, I thought about giving you one but my daughter talked me out of it,” The cat continued.

“Your daughter?” Subaru’s gaze flickered between the cat and the elf girl. He really didn’t see the family resemblance.

The cat was glaring at him.

Subaru coughed.

OK, so I feel pretty sure that the cat knows exactly what I was thinking about his ‘daughter’ before I collapsed. I also have a hunch that the cat’s talk about cursing me is not just bluster. I think I better go out of my way to avoid pissing the cat off again.

“Please tell me,” The elf said. “Do you know where the person who took my insignia went?”

“If you mean the blond girl, she ran down this alley and jumped over the wall,” Subaru pointed.

“Oh no,” The elf said in distress. “Do you know who she is? Where I can find her?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Subaru explained. “I’m a stranger in these parts. You’re one of the first people I’ve met here.”

The elf threw her arms down at her sides in a peculiarly childlike gesture of frustration.

Subaru watched her eyes getting watery and suddenly realized that he’d do anything to keep her from crying.

“But I bet that I can help you find her!” Subaru announced.

“How?” The cat asked coldly. “You just said you don’t know who she is or anyone in the city so how are you going to help us find a thief?”

“Well, I’m really really really smart,” Subaru answered him with a grin, trying to show off for the elf girl.

The cat met Subaru’s smile with a glower.

Oops. Being flippant will probably do nothing to endear me to the magic cat.

The elf girl looked at Subaru in confusion. “That doesn’t really-”

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment and the world froze around him. He scanned the alley and especially the wall that the blond girl had climbed up but no useful details presented themselves. He quickly scanned the elven girl and the magical cat.

Interesting. These two are almost impossibly clean and groomed. That doesn’t leave me very much to observe about them. Do they use magic to accomplish that?

Subaru shook off the idle speculation.

That doesn’t matter right now. It’s time to help this girl find her missing insignia. Not only is this almost certainly part of the main quest but there’s no way I’m going to allow this living angel to walk away from me. The timing of this meeting is actually perfect. I get to show off my talents to a beautiful girl and she has found the ideal person to solve her problem for her. By chance or fate everything is fitting together perfectly. Unfortunately, this alley gives me very few clues to work with.

Damn it, Subaru thought. Too bad you didn’t think to scan the girl when you saw her.

No sooner had Subaru thought this then the girl reappeared in front of his eyes, close enough for him to touch, as did the three thugs, all standing frozen in place. Subaru realized that he had been moved back to the part of the alley he’d been standing in during the confrontation with Dual Knives.

Hm. This is a memory, isn’t it? Reason and Judgment must allow you to review things that you’ve already seen.

Subaru found this pretty exciting. It even began to break through Reason and Judgment’s unnatural calm.

Huh. So this ability not only allows me to see details but also to record and playback prior events? That’s pretty cool! It even lets me freeze people in poses as long as I saw them in that position once before! So if I happened to walk in on a pretty girl while she was changing…

OK hold up, Subaru, you have bigger problems to solve right now. Besides, thinking about naked girls, especially naked elf girls, is likely to make the talking cat fry you.

Can I still scan people if they’re just memories? Subaru wondered. He focused on the blond girl. His gaze instantly zoomed in and he saw all the little details that he never would have noticed before.

You know, Subaru, you might be onto something here. He thought to himself. The teachers always told you that you were stupid. Maybe you weren’t dumb, just bored. What if you simply never had a worthy challenge to focus your talents on so we just stumbled along without trying? Maybe you were always secretly brilliant and in this world your talents are finally beginning to flower.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

That must be exactly it. Everyone called you a NEET and a loser because you always stayed in our room but the truth was there simply wasn’t anything worth going out of your room for. You didn’t fail in your old world, the old world failed you!

But you’re here now and you can show everyone what you’re really capable of. Earth missed out on your greatness and it’s not going to get a second bite. This is your world and you’re going to claim it for your own! Of course to accomplish such lofty ambitions, you do need a suitable partner… You don’t really think that it’s a coincidence that you met this beautiful elf maiden just minutes after you arrived do you? Or that a perfect opportunity to impress her and put her in your debt just fell into your lap?

The details of the thief’s life easily fell into place.

Subaru restarted the world.

He still felt Reason and Judgment’s staggering confidence outside of the frozen moment. It seemed to be lingering a little longer this time.

This is going to be fun. After all, I’m helping a pretty girl find her treasure so I deserve to show off a little, right? Remember watching that funny show about Sherlock Holmes with Mom and Dad? It gives me an idea.

“-answer his question,” The elf finished, looking at Subaru skeptically.

“Well, I know that the girl is an experienced thief but not a very successful one. She’s been poor her whole life. She grew up in the city, this city I assume but there’s no evidence to show that for certain. She’s currently between homes and she hasn’t been eating well lately. Put all of this together and I’m pretty sure we’ll find her in the town slums,” Subaru explained, taking a flamboyant bow and looking up at the girl with a grin.

The elf stared at him with wide eyes.

“And just how do you know all this if you say you’ve never met that thief before?” The cat asked suspiciously.

“I didn’t know, I saw,” Subaru replied.

Damn, I always wanted to say that!

The floating cat gave a low growl.

Oh, right. Important safety tip, Subaru: stop provoking the magical flying cat.

“What does that mean?” The elf asked quietly while the cat glowered at Subaru.

“Did you notice her shoes and her knife?” Subaru asked.

“What about them?” The cat grumbled.

“Her knife was short and small. It’s not a fighting weapon. It’s a tool of last resort. Plus she probably weighs a hundred pounds tops. She’s not going to fight someone hand to hand for her loot; for her it’s a grab and dash. But look at her shoes. They were old, worn out, and have several holes in them. Her entire life depends on her speed, a small cut or stubbing her toe on a rock could be the difference between getting away with the loot or getting caught and hung. Those shoes are her greatest asset in an escape yet she hasn’t replaced the damaged shoes with something more reliable. That’s the state of her finances right there,” Subaru explained.

The elf blinked and shared a wide-eyed look with the cat. The cat shook his head with a groan but the elf girl turned back to Subaru, looking impressed.

“What else?” The elf girl asked.

“We know that she grew up in the city because of her fingernails,” Subaru continued, fighting the urge to giggle. “They’re slightly discolored and yellow. That’s normally a sign of malnutrition as a child. Could be a fungal infection,” He admitted, “But I also noticed that her ribs are visible under her skin which suggests she isn’t eating very often and her small size suggests that her growth was probably stunted. So if it’s malnutrition, where would you encounter that? If she was living on a farm she’d have fresh vegetables regularly, even if they were poor and she went hungry regularly she’d still have a varied diet with essential nutrients. They’d also be able to go into the woods to find food to supplement their diet. She clearly didn’t have that so she grew up in the city. So she’s in the city but she’s poor and she doesn’t have a steady roof over her head so that says we should check the slums,” Subaru finished with a grin.

Subaru felt dizzy for a moment and Reason and Judgment’s confidence finally slipped away.

Damn. I wish that confidence would stick around longer. Maybe I should trigger it again?

The girl and the cat exchanged a guarded look. “He’s not lying,” The cat admitted. “At least he thinks that he’s telling the truth. And he doesn’t have any… evil intentions toward you.” The cat said in almost a growl.

Subaru looked away in embarrassment. Apparently it was a very tricky thing to try to pick up an empath’s daughter.

“If we go down to the slums and look around, we might learn more,” Subaru added.

The girl gave him a puzzled look. “…Why are trying to help me?” She murmured. “I’m a silver haired half-elf.”

Because I’d do anything to spend a few hours with you! Oh shit. The cat looks like he not only knows what I’m thinking but like he’s about to shoot lightning at me.

Subaru paused. “I’m new around here,” He admitted. “I don’t know where I am or what I’m doing here or even anything about this place. But I think, I hope, that I’m here to do some good. And helping you is the first good thing I’ve had the opportunity to do so far,” Subaru gave the girl a weary smile. He took a step toward her and extended his hand. “My name is Subaru Natsuki.”

The girl stared at his hand as if she had never seen one before. Subaru wasn’t sure why this seemed so significant to her but doubt, mistrust, and hope were all flickering across her face.

“This is Puck,” The girl explained slowly, taking Subaru’s hand. “And my name is… Satella,” She finished.

“That’s a pretty name,” Subaru replied.

Satella’s eyes widened.

“Alright, shall we head for the slums then?” Subaru asked, beginning to walk out of the alley.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Puck shaking his head at Satella. “Why?” The small cat asked.

As Subaru exited the alley, closely followed by Satella and Puck, he noticed a small bag lying on the ground. He knelt down and picked it up to discover it was the same bag of money that the little thug had been carrying.

Huh. They must have dropped it while they were escaping. So this is what it feels like in real life when loot drops after a battle.

“Subaru, what are you doing?” Satella asked.

“Looks like our former playmates dropped this during their escape,” Subaru replied, opening the bag. It had over thirty gold coins in it.

Damn that’s a lot of gold! Wait… is it?

Fuck, I have absolutely no idea what a gold coin is worth around here. This bag could be enough to buy a loaf of bread or it could be the down payment on a castle. The muggers were clearly poor but they obviously stole this gold going by the blood stains so who knows how much it’s worth?

“Subaru, are you stealing?” Satella asked, looking at him through narrowed eyes.

“No, I am not,” Subaru responded calmly. “Those guys tried to attack me for no reason. They dropped this while they were running away. I picked it up and now it’s mine. Very different.”

“That seems like a very slight distinction to me,” Satella said, folding her arms across her chest in disapproval.

“It’s actually a pretty broad distinction, Tella,” Subaru replied.

She blinked. “What did you call me?”

“Tella? I like giving people nicknames. Do you mind? Sorry, Satella is a pretty name but it’s also kind of a mouthful,” Subaru answered.

Satella glanced away and pulled some silver hair across her face like a veil. “Tella is fine,” She murmured almost inaudibly.

“OK,” Subaru frowned.

Why does Satella look so uncomfortable?

“So are we going to the slums or not?” Puck interjected, moving in between them.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Subaru said as they exited the alley and walked onto a broad street. They stood on a tall hill, overlooking the greater part of the city. “Do you guys know where the slums are?”

Puck frowned at him. “No. I thought you knew!”

Subaru made a face at the cat. “No, but I bet I can guess,” Subaru looked out over the city and briefly stepped in and out of Reason and Judgment’s frozen moment. “I’m betting the slums are that way,” Subaru said, pointing down the hill toward the river.

“Are you basing that on anything or did you just pick a direction at random?” Puck grumbled, floating beside Subaru as he started down the hill. Satella silently walked behind them.

“Rich people like to live on top of hills. The air is fresher, the view is better, and best of all they get to literally look down on everyone else,” Subaru explained, glancing back at Satella who followed along with her head down. “The other factor, of course, is water. Tella, I’m guessing that you don’t have sewage systems or indoor plumbing around here?”

Satella lifted her head and blinked at Subaru. “Um, I’m sorry but I don’t know what either of those words mean,” She replied.

“No worries, although I’m sure I’m really going to start missing both of those before much longer,” Subaru admitted. “Anyway, people need water. They need water to cook, to clean, to bathe. Houses need water so people prefer to live near some clean body of water and most folks would probably be happier if said water flowed through the kitchen. Rich people don’t care how close they are to their water source because they have servants. How difficult it is to get water into the house doesn’t effect rich people since they pay other people to carry it. That’s why they can live on hill tops. Poor people on the other hand need to carry water themselves so its very important that a water source be nearby. Wells are cleaner so the houses that are located near a well in a city are going to tend to be more expensive. Rivers are the natural dumping grounds for run off, sewage, and all manner of other nasty stuff. That means that the poorest people live close to the river because that’s their only water source.”

I sure hope I’m right. Otherwise this will turn out to be really embarrassing.

“For the record, rich people use water enchantments to create and move water through their houses but what you said seems like a reasonable guess anyway,” Puck admitted grudgingly.

Close to the river the group entered a part of the city that looked as though it had been through an earthquake. Houses and buildings lay in aggressive disrepair. No building looked completely intact and most had huge holes in them. A few people sat leaning against walls with their heads down, saying nothing and showing no sign of moving. Subaru noticed that everyone was watching him and Satella closely and the attention was not welcoming.

A lone merchant sat at a table by the road with a few baskets of food for sale.

“OK, so we found the slums,” Puck muttered from his perch on Tella’s shoulder. “Now what, Subaru? Any more bright ideas?”

Subaru sighed. “Well it wouldn’t kill you to come up with a few either, Puck!”

“We need to find the insignia,” Satella interrupted before Puck could respond. “Where do we start looking?”

Subaru rubbed his forehead. “Tella, what exactly does this insignia look like?”

“It’s about this big,” Satella said, moving her hands about an inch apart. “It’s silver with a red jewel in the middle and the kingdom’s symbol emblazoned on it.”

“So it’s basically jewelry then?” Subaru asked.

Satella nodded.

Subaru scratched his chin. “Well,” He murmured. “We know that our blond thief is hard up for cash since she’s not eating regularly. She’s either impoverished or an addict or both. It’s not very likely she’d want to keep a piece of jewelry. Especially down here because that’s just begging for somebody bigger and meaner to take it away from you. So… she’d try to sell it.”

“Sell it?!” Satella gasped.

“Yeah but I think that might be good for us,” Subaru mused.

“How could that possibly be good for us?” She demanded.

“Well, finding one little blond thief in all this mess is going to be pretty challenging. Finding a place where you can buy stolen merchandise has got to be easier,” Subaru said. “They need their customers to be able to find them after all.”

“I could try asking the spirits,” Satella suggested.

“You can do that?” Subaru asked.

I don’t even know what that means. I’d prefer not to admit to that, however.

She nodded. “I’m a spirit arts user,” She explained. “I can try asking the lesser spirits if they’ve seen my insignia or the girl.”

“OK, sounds like it’s worth a try,” Subaru said.

Satella looked at Puck. “Puck, why don’t you go and sit with Subaru while I speak to the spirits?”

Puck’s reaction was one that Subaru was glad he didn’t miss, even if it was at his expense: Puck’s jaw dropped and he looked simply aghast as if Satella had suggested that he roll around in raw sewage.

“Lia, why don’t I just stay here and keep an eye on you while you talk to them?” Puck hedged.

“Puck, you know that the spirits are scared of you. They won’t come if you’re this close. Go and sit with Subaru for a while. I’ll be fine,” Satella responded.

Puck looked mutinous but he obeyed. He drifted away from Satella and perched on a nearby stone pillar near the side of the square, deliberately turning his back to Subaru and watching Satella.

I guess I don’t blame him. Given the choice between the two of us, I’d rather look at Satella too.

Subaru reached into the purse he found and pulled out his coins counting them again.

Thirty eight coins. I still have no idea what that’s worth. I’ll probably need to bribe someone down here to find out where people fence stolen property. There’s no point in trying to bribe anyone to tell me where the girl is. These people don’t trust outsiders. Word would get to the girl that someone is looking for her long before I found her and she’d just hide.

Well, one problem at a time. I have money so I can at least try to buy information.

Subaru looked at Satella. She was standing in the middle of the square with a prayer-like demeanor while dozens of tiny balls of white light appeared and drifted around her.

Well, that sure looks cool. I mean I have no idea at all what it’s supposed to be doing but it definitely looks cool!

Puck was still seated on the post a short distance away from Satella, his back to Subaru.

“Puck?” Subaru called. “I’m going to go and talk to that peddler we saw around the corner. Maybe he knows something. I’ll be right back.”

Puck gave no indication that he had heard Subaru, that he was listening, or that he had any intention of repeating Subaru’s message for Satella if she came out of her trance.

Subaru sighed and walked away.

I wonder if Puck would actually try to coax Satella away before I get back. I mean, hopefully Satella wouldn’t believe that I simply got bored and wandered off but you never know. I should make this quick.

Subaru walked around the corner and headed over to the peddler’s shop. This tradesman’s place of business looked much like a child’s lemonade stand. It was a small wooden table with food and general goods lying in baskets on the ground behind it. The trader was a tubby man with a short white goatee.

“Hello, sir. What’s your pleasure today?” The trader asked.

Subaru scratched his chin. “Maybe you can point me in the right direction?” Subaru asked quietly.

“Maybe. What are you looking for?”

“My boss told me to acquire some jewelry for him,” Subaru lied.

“You’re not going to find any jewelry stores down here,” The merchant laughed. “You’re better off looking in Hightown. There’s a big-”

“No, no,” Subaru interrupted. “The boss wanted me to acquire it. From a person reluctant to sell.”

“Oh, I see,” The trader nodded calmly.

“Yeah but apparently someone else beat me to it. A sneak thief from down here,” Subaru glanced around to ensure that they weren’t being overheard. “If I go back to the boss empty handed, my good health won’t be worth much. But maybe I can still buy it for him if, for example, I knew where someone might go to sell it,” Subaru said meaningfully.

The trade looked thoughtful. “I’m sorry that you’re in such a tight spot, buddy. I’d like to help you. But giving you that kind of information means putting myself at considerable risk and I don’t know you all that well-”

Subaru took out a single gold piece and let it fall on the table.

The merchant quickly pocketed it. “Go down that way until you find a large building. It’s a run down old tavern. Old Rom runs it. He’s easy to pick out of a crowd, he’s a giant. Tell him what you’re looking for and that you’ve got money. He’ll do you right. But take my advice and don’t try to con him.”

“Thanks,” Subaru nodded and walked away.

“-But where did he go?” Subaru heard Satella ask from around the corner.

“I’m not sure, Lia. Maybe he wandered off somewhere,” Puck replied with a yawn.

How the heck do you get ‘Lia’ out of ‘Satella’?

“Subaru!” Satella called as Subaru turned the corner.

“Hey, Tella. I was just talking to the local merchant, asking some questions,” Subaru grumbled, looking at the cat. He stared at the tiny floating cat with something close to active dislike.

For God’s sake, Puck. It would have cost you nothing to repeat my message to your daughter. I’m trying to help Tella and what have you contributed all day? I’m not sure if you were just so indifferent to my presence that you failed to notice I was talking to you or if you’re actually so spiteful that you’re willing to sabotage Tella’s attempts to get her insignia back just to get her away from me.

Puck’s face reflected no disappointment that Subaru had returned but neither did he seemed pleased by it.

“So did the spirits tell you anything useful?” Subaru asked.

Satella shook her head. “Not really. They recognize the girl. She comes around here a lot but they don’t know where she lives or where she is. I thought maybe if we waited here for a while we might bump into her.”

“I’m not sure that’s got good odds of working and time isn’t something we have in abundance anyway,” Subaru said dubiously. “The merchant I spoke to says there’s some kind of fence over that way. This girl is going to want to unload the loot as soon as possible. So I think we have good odds of finding her there or at least the merchandise.”

“A… fence?” Satella asked.

“Yeah. You know, a person who buys property and doesn’t ask where you got it. A crook, basically.” Subaru explained.

“That sounds concerning. Should we go find a city guard?” Satella asked.

Subaru shook his head and started walking in the direction the merchant had indicated. “Nah, that’ll just spoke `em. If we bring in guards, they might just arrest the fence and if we close down the fence and the thief hasn’t brought the insignia there yet, she’ll go to ground and we’ll never find her.”

Satella followed after Subaru, hanging her head. “I can’t believe that I already lost my insignia,” She whispered.

“Already? How long have you had this thing?” Subaru asked.

“I got it this morning,” Satella replied.

Subaru stopped and turned to look at her. “You got it just this morning, and it’s already been stolen?” He asked slowly.

Satella nodded her face red. “I know, I can’t believe how easily I lost it. I-”

“Were you wearing it or was it in a pocket or something when it got stolen?” Subaru interrupted.

Satella blinked. “My sponsor gave me a purse to keep it in.”

“So the thief stole the purse?”

“Yes, but then she dropped it,” Satella replied.

“What do you mean ‘she dropped it?’” Subaru asked with narrowed eyes.

“I chased the girl and she took out the insignia and dropped the purse,” Satella explained.

“Do you still have the purse?”

Satella nodded and pulled a small, purple purse out of her pocket. She offered it to Subaru.

Subaru shook his head. “Just shake it for me, please,” Subaru said with a smile.

I don’t know if this has anything to do with Reason and Judgment but I’m starting to notice connections that I never would have seen back home.

Satella looked mystified but she obediently shook the purse. A faint clink was heard inside of it.

“You have money in there?” Subaru asked his smile becoming a bit strained.

“Yes, my sponsor gave me two silver nobles to spend. To celebrate my getting the insignia,” Satella explained. “Do you want-”

“Nope, that’s fine,” Subaru said with a sigh. “I’m just thinking that our problem has suddenly gotten much much more complicated.”

Subaru covered his eyes and shook his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Tella, please wait here for a second,” Subaru said. He glared at Puck. “I’m going to talk to the merchant. I’ll be right back,” He said sourly to the flying cat.

Puck’s expression didn’t change as Subaru walked away.

“Puck, why did he say it like that?” Satella asked.

Subaru with dark thoughts running through his mind, wandered back over to the peddler.

“Hey again, can I do something for you?” The peddler asked cautiously.

“Got any clothes? Like a long robe, maybe something hooded?” Subaru asked.

The peddler reached behind him, rummaging around in a trunk. He pulled out a long white robe with a large hood and red triangles emblazoned on the fabric. It looked almost monk-like. “I think this might be the closest thing I got,” The peddler explained apologetically. “Women in some sects in Gusteko are required to wear them up. I got one shipped here by mistake.”

“That works,” Subaru said. “How much?”

“How about three silver pieces?” The merchant replied.

“Done,” Subaru said to the merchant’s evident surprise.

Subaru knew that the merchant had likely given him a ludicrously high price for the robe and he had expected Subaru to haggle with him. Under other circumstances, Subaru might have done just that but instinct told him he was running out of time.

Subaru dropped a gold piece on the counter and the merchant looked a little confused at this method of payment but obediently gave him seven silvers back.

“Thanks,” Subaru said cheerfully. “Great doing business with ya!” Subaru threw the robe over his shoulder and started walking back to where Satella and Puck waited.

While he walked, Subaru thought about the last magic he had acquired: Indomitable. What did that do?

He tried to trigger it and he felt a strange tingling sensation all over his body.

Then his heart tried to explode in his chest.

Subaru fell to his knees, gasping for breath. The tingling sensation had immediately disappeared and his heart muscle throbbed as though it was being squeezed.

What the fuck was that?! What kind of weird power is that? Is it like cigarettes? You use it and you die? What the fuck?

Subaru staggered back to his feet.

OK, the ‘Game Master’ in this RPG clearly likes messing with me, He thought.

Subaru returned to Satella and found her waiting patiently in the square with Puck.

“Here put this on,” Subaru said, handing her the robe.

“Why should Lia wear that?” Puck asked suspiciously.

“Because if the thief is in there, she is going to recognize Tella immediately,” Subaru told him with a sigh. “If the thief spots Tella, she is going to run. So the choice is for Tella to either wear a disguise or to wait out here. I took a wild guess at which one she would prefer.”

Satella had already pulled on the robe without question. It was much too big for her and the hood covered almost her whole face while the voluminous sleeves concealed her hands.

“Alright, Lia,” Puck muttered. “I’m going to hide in the crystal for a bit then. Call me if you need me.”

The magical cat disappeared.

“Huh, that’s a nice trick,” Subaru commented.

Satella and Subaru began to walk towards the location of the loot house.

“Tella, I’ve been meaning to ask you: How do you get ‘Lia’ from ‘Satella?’ Subaru asked.

Satella glanced away. “It’s just a pet name,” She mumbled.

Well, yeah but that doesn’t really answer my question. Whatever, we have bigger problems.

“Tella,” Subaru began. “How many people knew that you had gotten that insignia thing today?”

Satella thought about it for a moment. “My sponsor knew. A group of kingdom officials. Some of the royal guards. Whatever servants were attending to all of them today.”

“OK, that’s a big crowd,” Subaru muttered. “Who knew that you would be wandering the market alone today?”

“I wasn’t alone, I was with Puck,” Satella corrected.

Subaru sighed. “Duly noted but who knew you would be there?”

Satella thought back. “My sponsor, his staff, and I told a few of the nobles he met with that morning.”

“Still a big crowd,” Subaru sighed.

“Why are you asking me about this?” Satella asked.

Subaru walked in silence for a moment. “One more question: Is this insignia thing really important? Do you have any enemies or can you think of anyone who would want to take it from you?”

Satella was silent. “The insignia is very important,” She finally admitted. “But why are you asking me about enemies? I’m a silver haired half-elf. Nobody really likes me but I don’t think that would have anything to do with the insignia.”

“People don’t like elves here?” Subaru asked in surprise. He assumed that if they all looked like Satella, they would have been the most popular race on the planet.

Satella glanced away and didn’t answer.

Subaru frowned but decided not to press her. It probably didn’t matter much right now anyway. “Tella,” Subaru began slowly. “Originally I assumed that you just got mugged when you lost that insignia but now I think there’s maybe something else going on here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You only had the thing for an hour or two before it was stolen from you. That’s quite a coincidence.”

Satella sighed. “I know. I was careless.”

“No, someone else reaching into your pocket and stealing your stuff doesn’t have much to do with carelessness,” Subaru disagreed. “The problem is that the thief left the purse behind. That’s really really bad.”

Satella tilted her head. “I don’t understand.”

“She robs you and takes your purse. She removes the insignia from the purse, drops the purse and keeps running. Why do you think she did that?” Subaru asked.

Satella put a finger in her mouth while she thought. “So that I’d take the purse and stop chasing her?”

“No, no,” Subaru dismissed. “She’s running for her life. I don’t know what the punishment is for thieves around here but I seriously doubt that it’s anything pleasant. The only thought in her head should be to get away. Instead she distracts herself long enough to open the purse, grab something out of the purse, and then drops it on the ground before continuing her escape. She does all this even though she could hear from the purse’s clinking that there was still money inside.”

“She drops the purse as a distraction to give her a head start?” Satella guessed.

“No, it means that she knew what was in the purse. She wasn’t looking for money. She had been told to grab something specific out of your pocket and out of that purse and she paused her escape long enough to make sure that she had the thing that she had been told to get. Somebody put her up to this,” Subaru explained.

“But who would do that?” Satella asked.

Subaru threw his hands over his head. “I don’t frigging know!” He said in exasperation. “I know nothing about this place! I don’t even know what country I’m in. You and Puck represent sixty six percent of the people I know on this planet. I don’t even know what this insignia thing is or why anyone would want it. Is it just jewelry or is there something else important about it?”

Subaru’s question had been rhetorical but he didn’t miss the way Satella looked away when he asked.

Subaru bite his lip. Satella was clearly hiding something from him. He debated asking and finally decided to let it pass for the time being.

“So anyway, that all suggests that the thief may already have a buyer lined up,” Subaru changed the subject.

“Then will she not come to the loot house?” Satella asked, furrowing her brow.

“Tough to say but it’s our only lead right now. At worst, if we tell the people at the loot house that we’re in the market for a unique piece of jewelry, the thief might find out about it and approach us to hear our bid,” Subaru replied.

Satella folded her arms cross her chest, the voluminous sleeves dangling. “But what do we do then? Do you think we’ll be able to take the insignia back from her? There could be a lot of people in that loot house. We might be outmatched in a fight. Maybe we should ask the guards for help?”

Subaru was scratching his chin. “Actually, I was thinking that we might just try to buy it from her.”

“We’re going to buy something that she stole from me?!” Satella asked. “What sense does that make?”

“A lot of sense, actually, because what I really want to buy from her is information,” Subaru clarified.

“Information about what?”

“Is there another bidder? Did she really target you at random or did someone put her up to it? And if so, who?” Subaru explained. “That information is worth quite a bit of money, don’t you think?”

“Do you really think she would tell us that?”

“If we offer her enough gold, maybe,” Subaru shrugged. “And there’s a good chance we might be able to meet the other bidder for free. If she does have another bidder it’s likely that she’ll want to put us in the same room so we’ll bid against each other.”

“Subaru, I don’t know what you were assuming but… I don’t really have any money. I only have the two coins I was given today,” Satella replied looking awkward.

“I have money. I should have enough to put down a serious bid. I hope,” Subaru said.

Well, again, we have no idea what a gold coin is worth let alone thirty six of them. What can it buy you? Can it buy a nice meal? A herd of cattle? A small townhouse? I’d ask Satella but I get the impression she doesn’t know much about money either.

Satella glanced away, looking uncomfortable. “I can’t let you do that for me,” She murmured.

“You’ll let me do that for you because you have to,” Subaru replied. “It’s the only way that we’ll get your trinket back. If being in debt makes you uncomfortable, then we’ll figure out how to balance the scales later. But right now we need to get your treasure back,” He paused. “Besides, after we recover your treasure, we can have some fun debating how many Tella kisses you think that it’s worth,” He joked.

Satella froze in place and stared at Subaru wide eyed.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Subaru said hastily. “I was just trying to relieve the tension! Relax, Tella. I’m just happy to help you out. You don’t owe me anything,” He smiled. “Like a wise man once told me: ‘Friends carry no debts.’”

Satella hesitated, looking both shocked and confused for a moment then she resumed walking while looking away from Subaru.

Great thinking, Subaru. He thought to himself. Because any woman who has just lost her greatest treasure to a pickpocket really wants to spend time flirting with a complete stranger in a dirty slum. Also, good job once again provoking the magic flying cat who has already threatened to curse you for inappropriate thoughts toward his daughter. Consider any theory you had about Reason and Judgment increasing your intelligence officially disproved.

Subaru groaned and triggered Reason and Judgment to figure out how to recover from that verbal blunder. He felt his confidence surge.

On second thought, Subaru, why do you have such deep misgivings about what you said? He mused to himself. Women are attracted to confidence. Arguably, you made the wrong comment at the wrong time but she’ll forget about that quickly once you find her treasure. You laid the foundation for future opportunities. You prevented her from viewing you as ‘just a friend.’ You might have stumbled but you’ll recover quickly. You can accomplish things. Satella will respect that. And if one of the things you wish to accomplish is winning Satella’s heart, why would you assume that you’d be any less successful at that? Just focus on the matter at hand.

Subaru restarted time.

Subaru couldn’t think of anything more intelligent to say after that little slip but at least Reason and Judgment’s confidence had washed away any feelings of embarrassment he felt. That was something.

They approached the location that the merchant had referred. There was a large building with a strange sloping roof that had a variety of small holes in it.

OK, that looks like it could be a tavern; A condemned, abandoned tavern but a tavern none the less.

“Tella, one more thing: When we go in, always assuming that this place isn’t just an abandoned building and I got cheated out of a gold coin,” Subaru mused. “I want you to keep your hood down so no one can recognized you. Let me do all the talking. Also,” Subaru paused awkwardly. “I’m going to be lying constantly so please try not to react to my bullshit.”

Subaru thought Satella might object but she simply nodded and pulled the hood down so all that could be seen was her mouth.

Alright, here goes nothing. Subaru bounded up the stairs and pounded on the massive door.

He heard heavy footsteps approaching from inside.

“What’s the password?” A gruff voice asked.

Password? Great. Subaru sighed. The merchant didn’t mention a password!

Oh well, brazen it out. “I’ve got money!” Subaru yelled.

The door slowly opened and a simply enormous man with brown skin and gray hair peaked out suspiciously. “That’s not the password,” He growl.

“Really?” Subaru asked. “It always opens doors where I come from.”

“Yeah, real cute,” The old man snorted but Subaru saw a slight smile on his face. “What do you want?”

“We’re looking to make a purchase of a valuable item and someone suggested that a fellow named Rom was exactly the person we should talk to about that,” Subaru explained.

The old man stepped out onto his front porch. He had to be nine feet tall at least. “And just what exactly are you looking for?”

“I assume you’re Rom, then?” Subaru asked. The merchant had said Rom was a giant and he hadn’t been exaggerating.

The old man didn’t respond.

“Nice to meet you. It’s a private matter and perhaps one best not discussed on the doorstep,” Subaru said cheerfully. “Could we persuade you to pour us a drink while we talk?”

The old man considered it for a moment and then turned around. “Fine,” He grumbled, leading them inside.

Wow. I expected that getting in here would be a lot more difficult. Then again, if I was Rom’s size, I guess I wouldn’t worry much about letting people in either.

Rom took a seat at a long table and Subaru and Satella sat down directly across from him.

“So who are you guys, anyway?” Rom asked.

“My name is Subaru, this is my sister Tella,” Subaru replied. He glanced at Satella but if she had reacted to being called his sister, the robe covered any sign.

“Alright, so what are you looking for?” Rom asked.

“My boss sent me here to procure a very special piece of jewelry,” Subaru lied.

“Procure?” Rom asked, pulling a large dusty bottle off the floor and setting it on the table.

“I’m in town because the owner was slightly reluctant to sell,” Subaru explained cheerfully.

Rom looks like a heavy drinker; his eyes are discolored and they have broken blood vessels. Should I ask him to pour me a sip? It might make him think of me as a kindred spirit.

“Ah. That kind of procurement,” Rom said, taking a swig straight from a bottle and belching loudly.

On second thought, maybe I won’t ask for a sip. Rom’s breath smells like kerosene.

“So what’s all this got to do with me?” Rom asked.

“I had a friend watching the target: tracking her movements, and checking for weak spots while I got ready to make my move. Unfortunately for me, before I could do that, someone else made a move and ran off with the goods,” Subaru sighed.

Rom burst out laughing.

“OK, buddy. It’s really not all that funny,” Subaru said in feigned annoyance.

“Guessing your boss won’t be too happy with you,” Rom said with a chuckle.

“Nope, my continued good health is in serious jeopardy right now,” Subaru admitted. “That’s what brings me here. If a sneak thief grabs a piece of jewelry then they usually want to unload it quick. So if they try to sell it here, maybe I can still buy it for my boss.”

“Well, if somebody’s looking to sell something down here, no questions asked, this is usually the place they come,” Rom admitted. “Do you know who your thief was?”

Subaru activated Reason and Judgment to hit the pause button.

Hmm. This is a loaded question. On the one hand, if Rom knows the girl, he could tell her there was an interested buyer who was willing to pay through the nose and that might get her to come here and take my bid. On the other hand, if Rom knows the girl, he might decide that us looking for someone connected to him is an unacceptable risk and clam up.

Subaru debated with himself back and forth. He tried scanning Rom to see if that would give him any insight. He found a ton of scars and healed wounds suggesting a background full of fighting with weapons, probably an old soldier or a former gladiator. But nothing he saw helped him decide what the right response to Rom’s question was.

Finally Subaru restarted the world. “I have a description,” Subaru said.

Honestly, it’s the only rational response to that question given the story I was telling Rom. Whoever I’m pretending was watching Satella, they would certainly have provided me with a description of the thief.

Subaru continued: “Short, thin, blond hair, red eyes.”

Rom stiffened.

Oh ho. He does know her. Is that good or bad?

“And what do you want with her?” Rom asked. His voice was casual but his massive muscles had tensed.

OK, this is the critical question.

“I’m not looking to start any trouble here, Rom!” Subaru said, holding his hand up as if under oath. “She has property I need, and we’re just here to try and buy it. That’s it. I feel no animosity toward her, and, assuming I can still get the damn thing, she actually saved me a spot of trouble by picking it up for me. I’m just looking to tell her that she has an interested buyer. That’s all.”

Rom stared hard at Subaru and Subaru met that gaze with a smile. Rom wasn’t convinced but he wasn’t kicking them out either. Subaru guessed that he was thinking it over.

The door flew open. “Hey, Gramps. I’m back.”

Subaru turned to see the thief walk into the loot house.

Subaru quickly turned back to Rom, raising a hand in sign of peaceable intent and remaining seated. He grabbed hold of Satella’s hand under the table.

Satella tensed for a moment as if ready to spring at the thief and then slowly relaxed and remained seated. Subaru decided not to let go of her hand. He might need to signal her again.

Besides, her hand felt really nice in his.

“Speak of the devil,” Subaru shrugged at Rom.

The old regarded him suspiciously from under his bristling brows.

At least he doesn’t look like he’s going to get violent as long as we don’t start anything, Subaru thought.

“Who are these guys, Gramps?” The girl asked, walking over to the table and sitting down beside Rom.

Rom took a deep breath. “This is Subaru. He came here looking for you, Felt.”

“For me?” Felt blinked.

Huh. She’s actually kind of cute, even with those blood red eyes.

Subaru cleared his throat. “I’m an interested buyer for something I think you have,” He said.

Felt chuckled and folded her hands behind her head. “I doubt it. I don’t have anything.”

“My boss sent me to town to steal something from an elf girl,” Subaru explained.

Felt’s eyes widened and she drew back from the table.

Subaru held up his hands in a stop gesture. “I’m not here to punish you, Felt! Look, you have something I need and I want to buy it. That’s all. I doubt that you want to keep a piece of jewelry. I’m sure it would look very nice on you but you’d probably rather have the money anyway. Sell it to me, I’ll pay you more than a fair amount and everybody’s happy.”

Felt chewed her lower lip, looking at Subaru thoughtfully. “How much money do you have?” She challenged.

Subaru pulled out his bag of money and dropped the bag on the table. He took out a few gold coins to clarify what was inside. “I have a little,” He deadpanned.

Felt stared at the bag with open greed. “How much is in there?”

“How about you show me that you actually still have the goods first?” Subaru replied with a pleasant smile.

Felt sighed and rolled her eyes. She pouted for a moment with her arms folded tightly across her chest but ultimately she pulled out a small silver badge with a dragon emblazoned across it and a small red jewel in the center.

Tella’s hand tightened on his. That was all Subaru needed to know.

“Yup, that’s it. How much are you asking for it?” Subaru asked.

The girl was silent a moment, weighing her answer. “I was promised twenty gold coins for it.”

“I can beat that,” Subaru replied but his mind was racing. “Wait, someone promised you that? You’ve already found an interested buyer? That was fast,” He said, trying to sound barely interested.

“Well, actually they hired me to steal it from the elf girl in the first place,” Felt corrected.

Tella squeezed his hand.

Subaru tried to feign surprise. “There’s someone else interested in this piece?”

“Did your boss send two people?” Rom asked.

That’s a good idea! I should roll with that. Thanks, Rom.

“Maybe,” Subaru shrugged. “Who is this other person? Do they work for the boss?”

“She’ll be here soon,” Felt explained. “She said she’d be here around sundown to pick up the loot. It’s only fair to wait and see if she would raise her offer.”

“Why wait?” Subaru asked. “I’ll beat her offer right now and we can get this wrapped up.”

“Sure,” Felt almost purred. “But I like the idea of two interested buyers. We might just get a bidding war going.”

“Twenty gold coins is a lot, Felt,” Rom commented with a worried frown. “Maybe you should just take the profit and get out. I’m starting to worry that you might have stepped into something big and dangerous. Twenty coins would get you out of the slums. You could have a real life.”

“Yeah and for thirty I bet we could both get out, Gramps!” Felt replied.

“Not me, Felt. I’m too old. Too tied to this place,” Rom shook his head.

Felt was about to reply but the door opened again and a woman walked in.

“Oh, my other buyer has arrived,” Felt said.

Subaru instantly paused the world and examined the woman carefully. She was tall and very beautiful with pale skin and flowing dark hair. If there was an ounce of fat on her body it was all in her large breasts. Subaru couldn’t detect very much about her except that she was hiding a pair of twin short swords under her clothes.

I don’t like this. Hidden weapons are never a good sign. If you’re carrying weapons as a deterrent, you don’t hide them. People hide weapons on their person so they could ambush prey.

“Other buyer? Does that mean I have competition?” The woman asked mildly, taking a seat near the end of the table.

“Yeah, a friend of mine told me that Felt picked up something my boss wanted. So I came here to buy it,” Subaru replied.

“How interesting. And who might you be?” She asked. The woman had a warm smile that Subaru instantly distrusted.

“I’m Subaru Natsuki and this is my sister Tella,” He replied.

“Tella Natsuki?” The women asked languidly.

“Yeah it’s a nice name, don’t you think?” Subaru drawled. “So who might you be?”

“My name is Elsa,” She replied.

“Elsa…?” Subaru asked.

“Just Elsa,” She said with a smile.

OK, also not a great sign.

“OK,” Felt said, sounding impatient. “If everyone is now properly acquainted, can we get down to the sale?”

Subaru and Elsa glanced at Felt and then back at each other. Rom was rubbing his forehead and grimacing.

“I already made you an offer,” Elsa said carelessly. “Twenty gold pieces for the trinket.”

Felt pointed at Subaru. “And what have you got?”

Subaru was about to offer Felt twenty one but he hesitated. He thought of all the garbage and broken down old buildings he’d seen in the slums. Felt said she could get her and the old man out of here so…

“Thirty gold coins,” Subaru said firmly.

Felt’s eyes glittered with greed but she swung her attention back to Elsa. “And how about you?”

“Sorry. My employer only gave me twenty gold coins for the job so that’s all I have,” She said with a shrug.

“Oh,” Felt said in disappointment.

Subaru glanced at Rom and they exchanged a worried look.

This woman is way too apathetic about being out bidden. Something is wrong here.

“Well, I guess it’s all yours,” Felt said, handing him the insignia.

“But there is one question that I’d like to ask you,” Elsa interjected.

Felt pulled back the insignia, perhaps hoping she could yet squeeze more money out of the transaction.

“What’s that?” Felt asked.

“What do you want to do with the trinket?”

Subaru blinked, realizing that she was talking to him. “My boss wants it. He told me to get it for him in a tone that did not encourage failure. He didn’t tell me what it was or why he wanted it or what he planned to do with it,” Subaru replied.

“And might your boss have a name?” Elsa asked.

“Not one that he’d generally care to have known,” Subaru replied. “Knowledge is power after all. He’d be horribly upset if I gave away his name for nothing at all.”

“Oh?”

“Of course, if I got something in exchange, I bet I could persuade him that it was a good trade,” Subaru continued.

“And what did you have in mind?”

“Your employer must be curious who else is interested in the elf girl. My boss is very likely to have the same question about your employer. Why don’t we swap?” Subaru suggested.

No way in hell she’s stupid enough to take this deal-

“Sounds fair,” She shrugged.

Subaru frowned.

“I’m a member of a guild of assassins out of Gusteko that fulfill contracts all over the world. I work for Mother Capella. She’s the one who sent me to buy the trinket,” Elsa said.

Subaru drummed his fingers on the table. “Yeah, but was Capella the one who made the contract or the person who just assigned it to you?”

“Oh, she just assigned it. I can’t talk about my actual employer. It’s against the rules,” She smiled apologetically.

“Hm. That’s… that’s really bad…” Subaru said in a sinking voice. He glanced at Rom and saw a similar fear in his eyes.

Rom slowly stepped away from the table, pulling Felt with him.

Felt looked at her grandfather in confusion.

“What’s really bad?” Elsa asked.

“Well, let’s see. You just admitted to being a professional assassin and gave us your boss’s name. Normally private information is delivered, you know, in private but you just told the entire room about it. You don’t seem to care who in this room knows said information. What conclusion can we draw from that?”

“That she’s not planning on letting anyone out of this room alive,” Rom replied, reaching behind his bar and picking up a heavy club. Felt stared at him with huge eyes.

“Good work, Rom,” Subaru said. “I guess age really does bring wisdom.”

“You’re very clever,” Elsa commented, showing no irritation at all. “I was hoping that you’d just tell me what I wanted to know. I can always torture it out of you later but I really don’t like to be distracted when I torture someone by little details like ‘did they ever actually answer my questions.’ Too bad.”

Subaru stood up, pulling Satella away from the table and stepping in front of her.

I still don’t have any weapons. And I really doubt my ‘cursed phone’ trick is going to work here.

“Stay where you are!” Satella ordered, throwing her hood back. Felt stared wide eyed at the girl she had robbed and even Elsa looked surprised.

“I see,” Elsa said, glancing between Satella and Subaru. She started to laugh. “That’s amazing! You were lying to me the entire time and I never even caught on! How delightful. I can’t wait to see what color your guts are!” She drew a pair of short curved swords.

“This woman is very strange,” Subaru said, glancing at the giant. Rom looked like the kind of guy who could handle anything but Elsa’s confidence did not seem like a bluff. She had taken actions that only made sense given the assumption that she would eventually kill everyone in this room so she clearly believed that she could.

Elsa rushed at Subaru and Satella, almost too fast to see but before she got close, ice crystals appeared out of thin air and launched themselves at Elsa like tiny missiles.

“Just a heads up,” Puck said conversationally, appearing out of nowhere. “Threatening my daughter is a really bad idea.”

Elsa danced away, managing to dodge the projectiles.

Rom tried to smash the woman with his club but she leapt at him and, with seemingly no effort, Elsa nearly sliced Rom’s club in two causing him to stumble backwards.

Elsa bounced off Rom and threw herself at Satella with blades extended but Subaru pushed the elf out of the way. He saw Elsa flying toward him and he used Reason and Judgment to pause the world.

Elsa hung suspended in mid air, her wicked blades already descending toward Subaru’s midsection.

Subaru looked around and scanned everything he could see but no options presented themselves.

You don’t have any options here, He observed calmly. That knife is coming straight at you and it’s likely to rip clear through your body without even slowing down. There’s no time to evade it and you don’t have anything to block it with. This is very… frustrating.

The moments dragged on in the timeless eternity granted by Reason and Judgment. Subaru kept staring at Elsa’s sharp blade hanging motionless next to him. This would normally be terrifying but the blanketing calm the magic provided let him look at it objectively.

I need a plan, Subaru thought. There had to be some way out of this mess.

The magic’s compulsive calm was starting to fade as Subaru’s terror surged to new heights.

I only see one possible outcome. As soon as time is restarted, Elsa is going to slash me and… she is very likely to cut me in half.

There has to be a solution but I can’t find it! Of course, there’s always Indomitable, the wondrous power which as far as I can tell does absolutely nothing except hurt me.

I’m… going to die here, Subaru realized with something like wonder.

I really am going to die here. There is no plot armor, no last minute rescue, nothing is going to save me from this, He thought to himself.

Subaru’s face tried to spasm. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry and felt like he might do a little of both.

Wow. I can’t believe how dumb I was. I’m not the hero. This isn’t some world designed for me. I just got summoned here to die in a slum. God, I was such an idiot. Subaru silently laughed through his sobs. I was nothing in my own world, why would I be anything else here? This isn’t my story. It’s Satella’s, it’s Felt’s, maybe even Rom’s, but never mine. I played my part and now the story goes on without me. Just another loser; a bit character written out of the story that absolutely no one will miss.

Subaru tried to steady himself.

Alright. I’m not the hero. But I helped Satella. That’s something. I even pushed her out of the way of Elsa’s blade and stopped her from being killed.

I’m no hero but I did good things. I saved Satella. It’s… really not such a bad way to die honestly. Hell, it’s better than most people get. Is it really that much worse than slowly dying of cancer all alone in a hospital bed?

Subaru glanced at Satella, frozen while falling to the floor and he saw her face was twisted in fear as she reached toward him. She knew he was about to die and that he had died to save her.

Subaru smiled sadly. Satella knows that I’m about to die. She actually looks sad that I’m about to die. Maybe she might even miss me after I die.

Subaru chuckled ruefully. I wish she really was the costar in my story. She’s beautiful, kind, and gentle. Maybe some girls really are worth dying for. Too bad I won’t live to find out if I could have been somebody she loved.

Subaru looked at the knife and took a deep breath.

I am freaking terrified. Not just of the idea of dying but the way I’m about to die. Being sliced through the belly won’t be an instant dead. It’ll be slow. It’ll hurt. I’ll probably cry and beg and sob like a loser.

I want to try and die bravely. I want to die like a man; partially to look good for Satella but also, I want to spend my final moments pretending that I really was the brave hero I always wanted to be.

The hero I never could be.

Subaru steadied himself and felt the fear recede a bit.

OK. OK, I’m ready. Alright, no that’s a fucking lie. I am absolutely not ready for this. I don’t think I’d be ready in fifty years for this but right now I’m as ready as I’m going to get. I’ll restart time and then… what’s going to happen will happen.

Subaru paused for a moment. I’m going to trigger Indomitable when I restart time. Who knows, maybe it will do something.

Subaru took a deep breath and the world flowed back into motion. Elsa continued her slice and Subaru activated Indomitable.

Elsa’s short sword slammed into Subaru’s side… and her stroke stopped as if her the blade had struck a mountain. She tried it again but she couldn’t so much as scratch Subaru’s skin.

Wow. Neat.

Then Subaru doubled over, feeling like his heart was going to explode as Indomitable faded. Elsa went for another strike into Subaru’s torso but a blizzard of bullet-like ice crystals blasted Elsa away.

Subaru felt a ripping pain in his side as Elsa went flying.

Ah! Guess she got me with that one, Subaru said, pressing hard against his side. Subaru looked at the jagged wound in his hip and stomach and almost passed out. Then he felt like he was going to throw up.

Calm down! That won’t help anything! That’s a big cut there but at least it doesn’t seem to be all that deep. Of course, you could have fooled me, judging by the pain!

“Get away from him!” Satella ordered, sounding enraged.

“Oh boy. You really shouldn’t have made Lia mad,” Puck said.

The loot house door opened and everyone turned to look. Reinhard calmly walked into the loot house, his uniform spotless. “What’s going on here?” He asked in confusion.

No time to wonder why he’s here!

“Reinhard, look out!” Subaru tried to yell with barely any breath to spare. “That woman is dangerous!”

“Is she now?” He asked calmly. He looked at Elsa and his eyes narrowed. “You’re the Bowel Hunter, aren’t you?”

Elsa retreated a step and fell into a guard stance.

Rather than draw the long sword belted at his side, Reinhard stepped forward and quickly picked up a rusty old sword that was lying on a nearby crate.

“Please, aid me in this battle,” Reinhard asked the sword politely. He turned to Elsa and his voice became stern: “You are a killer, a marauder, and a danger to the people of this kingdom. As a knight of the realm I shall bring justice upon you myself.”

Reinhard swung his blade and the world dissolved into blue flame. There was the sound of an explosion and Subaru had to squeeze his eyes shut.

When Subaru could see again, half the building’s roof was gone. Elsa perched on the rafter like some kind of impossible spider. Then she leapt away and fled.

“Ow!” Subaru whimpered as his side throbbed and his legs nearly buckled.

Reinhard had been about to go after Elsa but upon hearing Subaru’s pained cry, he was at Subaru’s side in an instant.

Reinhard knelt down and inspected Subaru’s the wound. “This is a bad cut,” Reinhard said gravely. “We need to get it treated.”

“Good advice,” Subaru repeated, breathing shallowly. “Just let me do one thing first.”

Subaru limped slowly over to Felt who sat trembling in her Grandfather’s massive arms.

Subaru crouched down in front of them. “I need you to give me what you took,” He told Felt gently, holding out his hand.

Felt nodded and put the insignia in Subaru’s palm.

Felt bit her lip. “I’m sorry that I took it,” She said.

“Well, I’m not the person who can forgive you for that,” Subaru said with a meaningful glance at Satella. “But you and me? We’re good,” He assured her.

Subaru reached down and pulled out his money pouch. “I believe that we agreed on thirty gold coins,” He said, handing her the bag. “That’s about 36 gold coins. You can keep the extra to pay for damages we caused to the house.”

Felt stared at the bag with wide eyes. “You’re giving me this?” Felt whispered.

Subaru shrugged. “Well, we had a deal, didn’t we? That gold should be enough to get you guys out of here right? Start over someplace good?” He smiled at her even though his side throbbed painfully. “I know you don’t want to owe me anything so let’s just call it a business investment. You can help me play some pranks on Tella sometime!” He laughed.

Felt looked at Subaru in disbelief, her red eyes filling up with tears.

“Hey, no crying,” Subaru chided with a smile. “I’m the only one who got hurt in this fight so I’m the only one allowed to cry.”

Subaru painfully limped his way back over to Satella. Reinhard was standing near her with a confused expression.

“Lady Satella,” Subaru began formally. Subaru noticed everyone around him jump when he said this but he didn’t know why.

Satella just looked away awkwardly. “I promised you that I would return your insignia,” He held it out to her in his hand. “I’ve fulfilled my promise,” Subaru said with a proud smile. The pride he felt right now almost eclipsed the pain of his wound. He felt like he’d accomplished something and that he’d done it well. It wasn’t slaying the dragon. It wasn’t saving the world. But he said he would help Satella and he had done so.

“Let me see that!” Reinhard demanded, grabbing Subaru’s hand and staring at the tiny red jewel glowing on the badge. “Impossible,” He whispered.

Subaru gave Reinhard a pained look. “Look, Reinhard, buddy; I am super grateful to you for your timely rescue. Seriously, I owe you big time,” Subaru said as Reinhard looked at him with his mouth agape. “But I’m trying to have a moment here with Satella and you’re kind of stepping all over it.”

Subaru looked back at Satella and smiled at her. Satella stood there, seemingly frozen in place. “Here you go, Satella.” Subaru said, depositing the insignia in her palm.

Satella’s face twisted with guilt and shame. “Subaru,” She whimpered. “That’s not my real name.”

Subaru blinked. “It’s not?”

Subaru felt something rip in his side and he fell to the floor. Blood was pouring out of his side. A lot of blood.

“Hang on, Subaru!” Reinhard said, trying to staunch the wound. Satella knelt down beside him in tears and Rom and Felt hurried over as well.

“Subaru!” Satella cried out.

Subaru reached up toward Satella’s face and she caught his hand. Her face was divinely exquisite even when it was covered with tears, even when the rest of the world was growing dark and blurry around him.

“Satella?” Subaru asked in a wheezy voice.

“Yes, Subaru?” Satella asked crying.

“What’s your real name?” Subaru asked gently as the darkness took him.