Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

Green half-squatted by the riverbank, his fingertips almost touching the icy surface, his gaze fixed on the gradually calming water, and murmured softly:

"Old Lei... are you still alive?"

Soft footsteps sounded behind him. Emilia walked slowly to his side, her silver hair ruffled by the evening breeze, a hint of worry in her eyes. She gently tugged at Green's sleeve.

"Green, don't get so close to the water. I've heard there are water dragons in this river, it's very dangerous."

Green immediately raised a finger to his lips, his expression serious, and lowered his voice:

"Shh~ Don't make a sound, Lia, there seems to be some movement down there."

His gaze was fixed on the dark river surface, where faint bubbles rose intermittently from the water's depths, weak and eerie, clearly indicating that unknown variables lurked beneath the surface.

Emilia held her breath and instinctively leaned closer to Grin, her eyes fixed nervously on the river.

Ice and snow magic quietly gathered in his palms, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

Just as the two were on high alert—

puff--

The river surface suddenly broke open, and a head burst out from the bottom of the water.

"Holy crap!"

Caught off guard, Green had no time to identify the person who approached. Instinctively, he reacted quickly, raising his hand and delivering a powerful punch.

Boom!

"ah!!"

A painful scream suddenly rang out, echoing once more along the riverbank.

Green paused for a moment, instinctively withdrew his hand, and murmured in surprise:

"Holy crap, what is that?"

A moment later, the water rippled gently, and a red-haired girl with a swollen forehead floated to the surface, looking aggrieved and with red eyes, gazing at Green on the shore with tears in her eyes.

"My lord Apostle...why did you hit me?"

Upon recognizing the person, Green's face immediately fell, and he rubbed his forehead, replying irritably:

"Ariel, are you crazy? You suddenly popped out of the water and startled me! I thought Regulus wasn't quite dead yet!"

Seeing this, Emilia, who was standing nearby, suddenly relaxed.

Ariel, the red-haired girl on the water's surface, covered her forehead, her lips pouting in grievance, bubbles constantly rising from her lips, her tone filled with utter grievance and a soft, protesting tone:

"I stayed far away the whole time, and only swam over after I saw that the battle on your side was over..."

Her wet red hair clung to her cheeks, the red mark on her forehead was particularly noticeable, and her eyes were watery, making her look extremely pitiful, as if she was afraid that Green would scold her again.

Looking at Ariel's pitiful appearance, Grimm sighed helplessly, softened his tone, and waved towards the river:

"Alright, stop soaking in the water, come up here."

After saying that, he turned to Emilia beside him and said gently, "Emilia, please use healing magic to treat the wound on her forehead."

Emilia nodded slightly, her eyes gentle. She immediately stepped forward, a soft, pale green healing light emanating from her palms, and softly replied:

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, Ariel reluctantly paddled across the water and slowly swam towards the shore.

The fish tail gradually transformed into legs the moment it touched the land, and the hem of the garment tied around the waist fell down to become a long skirt.

The mermaid girl, her red hair dripping wet, still covered her forehead as she carefully climbed up the riverbank, standing before the two men, her head bowed, unable to look at Green.

Ariel calmed herself down, gently rubbing her newly healed forehead, and hesitantly asked:

"By the way, Apostle, do you still want that woman you threw into the river before?"

Upon hearing this, Green tilted his head slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "You mean Capela?"

Ariel quickly shook her head, blinking her reddened eyes in confusion, her wet hair still dripping water.

"I don't know her name, she's the woman you tied to the hood of the car before."

Green nodded: "Yeah, that's Capela. Where did you take her?"

Ariel pursed her moist lips and answered truthfully, "I hypnotized her. I was afraid she would cause trouble underwater, so I just handed her over to that cuckolded guy to take away."

Upon hearing this, Green sighed helplessly, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"If Otto knew you always called him that, he'd probably be furious."

"Huh? Isn't it green? Maybe I'm seeing things."

Ariel looked bewildered, not understanding where she had gone wrong. She simply felt that since the man had always been cuckolded, there was nothing wrong with calling him that.

Just then, Green's body suddenly jolted, and the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly.

His expression suddenly froze, his brows furrowed tightly, and he stood frozen in place.

A violent and domineering force surged out of the void without warning, rushing wildly into his body through his limbs and bones.

A warm yet domineering power flowed through his veins, carrying a unique obsession and greed that felt strangely familiar.

It is the witch factor of lust.

The moment the host perished, it broke free of its constraints, traversed distances, and chose Green as its new host.

Emilia instantly sensed something was wrong, her face paled, and she immediately stepped forward to support his swaying body, her voice filled with panic:

"Green! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Green kept his eyes tightly shut, the surging, raging power of desire within him violently assaulting his consciousness.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Echidna's consciousness quietly descended into his mental world.

A calm yet unpredictable power enveloped the restless witch's inner demons.

Suppress and tame it little by little, and finally completely take control of this power without letting it be devoured by obsessive desires.

The chaotic atmosphere gradually subsided, and the restless pressure around him slowly subsided.

A moment later, Green slowly opened his eyes. The struggle and pain in his eyes had faded, replaced by a calm and profound quality, and his entire aura was completely different.

He raised his hand and gently patted Emilia's trembling hand, his tone calm and gentle:

"Don't worry about Lia, I'm fine. In fact, I've never felt better than I do now."

The weight that had been hanging over her heart suddenly lifted, and Emilia let out a long sigh of relief. She couldn't help but grumble softly, her voice filled with lingering fear and grievance:

"You're not allowed to go out alone next time, understand? I was worried sick the whole way here."

"If it weren't for Mr. Micro Elf pointing me the way, I would never have found you."

Green's heart softened, and he quickly raised his hand to admit his mistake, his tone full of apology:

"I'm so sorry, Lia. It won't happen again. I promise I'll never act rashly alone again."

Emilia pursed her lips, gave a light, feigned snort, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She released her grip on his sleeve and whispered:

"Hmph, that had to be. If you keep hiding this from me and go on adventures alone again, I... I'll really get angry!"

No sooner had the two finished speaking than a haughty and arrogant female voice came from not far away, carrying an innate arrogance and impatience.

"Hey, Fanfu, report back. Has that incredibly arrogant guy been completely dealt with?"