As evening approached, on the kingdom's main street.
Shendu walked ahead, with Natsuki Subaru following behind as they slowly made their way toward the slums.
As for her servant, Akane, Shendu had already sent her back to the servant space, waiting to be summoned when needed.
After being thoroughly beaten down by reality—and after a round of intimidation—Natsuki Subaru had been successfully recruited. The chuunibyou boy had obediently joined her team.
In the distant sky, the setting sun cast its final afterglow. Night was about to descend. As they neared the slums, a vast stretch of woodland came into view.
A gust of wind swept through, and the trees rustled softly. By the time they approached the slum district, the sky had completely darkened. Brilliant starlight hung overhead, heralding the arrival of night.
"Lady Shendu, why are we going to the slums? Are we planning to stay here?"
Seeing the broken-down buildings beyond the small bridge—low, crumbling houses everywhere—Natsuki Subaru looked puzzled, unable to understand why the silver-haired girl had suddenly come here.
"Don't ask so many questions. Just follow me."
Shendu smiled faintly and offered no further explanation.
Faced with her decision, Natsuki Subaru did not dare to speak further.
After all, this silver-haired beauty might look delicate, but her strength was terrifying. Just recalling the threat from their first meeting was enough to make cold sweat break out across his back.
Crossing the narrow wooden bridge, they officially stepped into the slums. The smell here was unpleasant—filthy, chaotic, and rotten were the only words to describe it.
At a glance, not a single person could be seen. It was eerily silent.
That was strange.
Judging from the signs of habitation, many people should have been living here.
Yet the area was completely empty, which made it all the more unsettling.
The surroundings were deathly quiet. Only the chirping of insects lent the place the faintest trace of life.
"Something's wrong here. Even for a slum, it shouldn't be this quiet."
Natsuki Subaru scanned the area, confusion written all over his face. He had no idea what had happened, but he could sense that something was off.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shendu closed her eyes and extended her senses. With her powerful magic perception, she discovered there were no living presences nearby.
Or rather—everyone here was already dead.
"That's right. Someone came here and slaughtered the entire place."
As she spoke, she walked up to a shabby house and lightly pointed forward. The magic of the Rooster Talisman activated instantly, and a rotten wooden door was flung straight off its hinges.
Thud!
It slammed onto the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Once the door opened, a hellish scene came into view.
A family of three lay collapsed in a pool of blood. The woman and child had their abdomens sliced open by a sharp blade, and from a distance, something seemed to be protruding.
As for the man—the head of the household—he still clutched a kitchen knife in his hand, but his abdomen had likewise been cut open.
At the sight of this, Shendu immediately understood. This was likely the work of the Bowel Hunter, laying the groundwork in advance.
Clearing the area first before making a move later—it perfectly matched that assassin's style.
"Ugh..."
Unable to endure the gruesome sight, Natsuki Subaru turned aside and vomited.
"How horrifying... Who could do something this cruel?"
After retching for a while, his legs trembled so badly he could barely stand. He looked at Shendu in fear.
"You'll get used to it. This isn't the world you came from."
"Here, you can die at any moment. If you want to live, stay by my side."
Shendu rolled her eyes and turned away expressionlessly, walking deeper inside.
Truth be told, if she were not currently playing the role of the Fire Demon, she might have been vomiting just like Natsuki Subaru.
Ever since taking on this role, she had inherited not only Shendu's power but also tens of thousands of years of battle experience. Among those memories were countless scenes of slaughter. Seeing such carnage now barely stirred her emotions.
...
Without further delay, Shendu headed straight toward the loot house run by Felt's grandfather, Rom, just as in the original plot.
Upon reaching the destination, she took a deep breath. The frivolous expression faded from her face, replaced by composure and elegance. In an instant, she radiated the refined aura of a noble young lady.
Natsuki Subaru, standing nearby, looked at her with a strange expression. He clearly had not expected the eccentric silver-haired beauty to change her demeanor so quickly.
Knock knock knock!
After Shendu knocked on the door, within seconds, a small blonde girl appeared and poked her head out.
"Who are you? What do you want here?"
The little girl remained vigilant, eyeing the two of them with suspicion.
"We're here to buy something. Let us in, and this will be yours."
Unhurriedly, Shendu took a gold nugget from her coat pocket and slowly held it out.
"You better mean that!"
The blonde girl seemed to recognize that these people were nobles, likely here to purchase stolen goods. She swiftly pocketed the gold nugget and opened the door.
After all, nobles like Shendu were no rarity to Felt. As long as they had money, they were welcome to buy.
Once inside, Shendu, as expected, saw Emilia—and the towering giant, Rom, Felt's grandfather.
Hearing the sound, Emilia turned her head. When she saw Shendu—whom she had met earlier that day—her eyes softened. Seeing another girl with silver hair stirred a sense of goodwill in her heart.
"Oh, Emilia. We meet again. So you really are here."
Shendu raised a hand in greeting, a faint, knowing smile on her lips.
"Ah! Shendu, what are you doing here?"
Emilia froze for a moment, both surprised and slightly delighted.
"Naturally, I was worried about your safety. It's dangerous to be alone in the slums."
"However, I won't interfere with your transaction."
Shendu smiled mysteriously and casually found a chair, sitting off to the side.
Natsuki Subaru, seeing her lean lazily against the chair, silently took position behind her, deciding to watch the show unfold.
"You were worried about me..."
Emilia's face flushed faintly. It was the first time someone had shown her such concern—especially another silver-haired girl.
[Ding~ Emilia's favorability toward the host +50!]
After teasing Emilia, the system promptly displayed the increase in favorability—just as Shendu had expected.
Rom glanced at Shendu and her group. Seeing that they did not seem intent on interfering, he let out a subtle breath of relief. Then he looked at Emilia and signaled to Felt with his eyes.
"Miss, you claim that item is yours. Please present proof. Otherwise, you have no right to demand that we hand it over."
Felt gave a mischievous grin. She picked up a carton of milk, poured it into a cup that was already half-filled with warm water, stirred it evenly, and drank it with obvious satisfaction.
"But someone saw you steal my item. So please return it to me."
Emilia glanced at Shendu, then at Felt, who looked utterly confident. She spoke with visible anger.
"Tch. So what if someone saw? This is our turf. If you want it back, bring money. Something valuable or gold coins as collateral will do."
Faced with Emilia's somewhat timid response, Felt only grew more arrogant, clearly not taking the silver-haired girl seriously at all.
"Pay money to exchange it?"
Hearing this, Emilia felt a flicker of hope. She carefully searched herself from head to toe, only to find she had nothing of value on her. A trace of worry surfaced on her face.
Though Emilia had the backing of nobles and lived a privileged life, she did not carry expensive items with her at all times. That was what had led her into this predicament.
"I don't have any money right now. Could you give me one day? I'll find a way to gather it."
After thinking it over for a long while, Emilia finally turned to Rom and pleaded, her posture humble.
"Oh? If you don't have money, then please leave."
Seeing that Emilia could not produce any payment, Rom pointed toward the door with an expression that said he had expected as much.
Just as Emilia's expression darkened and she turned toward Shendu, intending to ask for help, something unexpected happened.
Shendu, who had been quietly acting as a bystander, suddenly stood up.
After watching the show for so long, it was finally her turn to step in.
The moment she rose to her feet, everyone present turned their attention to her. They were clearly curious why the silent silver-haired girl had suddenly taken interest.
"As for money, I am not lacking."
"Emilia's item—I'll take it. Return it."
With that, the Shendu reached into her pocket and grasped something. In the next instant, a heavy pouch of gold coins appeared in her hand.
She weighed it briefly before tossing it directly in front of Rom.
Opening the pouch and seeing the pile of gold coins inside, Rom's eyes widened. After carefully examining their quality, a trace of shock appeared on his face.
Not far away, Emilia watched Shendu's actions and felt deeply moved.
Toward the girl who had helped guide her and now helped her retrieve her insignia, Emilia felt boundless gratitude—along with a faint, unspoken stirring of emotion.