Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

One day, Mom asked Little Red Riding Hood to deliver wine and cake to her sick grandmother, instructing her: 'Stay on the main road, don't wander off, and don't talk to strangers!'

Once inside the forest, she encountered a large gray wolf. The cunning wolf, after learning that she was going to her grandmother's house, took a shortcut and rushed there ahead of her.

He knocked on the door to coax his grandmother into opening it, then swallowed her whole, put on her clothes and nightcap, and lay down in bed.

Little Red Riding Hood arrived shortly afterward and, seeing that "Grandma" looked strange, asked her questions one by one:

"Grandma, why are your ears so big?"

"So that I can hear you better."

"Grandma, how come your eyes are so big?"

"So that I can see you more clearly."

"Grandma, why are your teeth so sharp?"

"So I can eat you up in one bite!"

Little Red Riding Hood had already noticed that something was wrong with her grandmother. When the wolf opened its mouth to pounce, she immediately took a large stone from her basket and shoved it hard into the wolf's mouth.

The wolf's throat was blocked, and it couldn't breathe. It struggled and fell to the ground.

Finally, the clever and brave Little Red Riding Hood used scissors to cut open the wolf's belly and rescued her grandmother.

This concludes the article.

Grimm's voice is magical, captivating children with his stories.

Of course, there was one last line he didn't read aloud:

[Margaret, the half-wolf girl (core illustration), unlock condition: cut open the stomachs of one hundred canine creatures.]

Petra was the first to detach herself from the story, as if she were the one who encountered the wolf, and she seemed somewhat apprehensive.

"Wolves are really scary. Luckily it's daytime, otherwise I wouldn't dare to go out."

Green gently stroked Petra's head and comforted her, "Don't worry, Petra, there's a princess in Mezas secretly protecting you."

Petra looked up at her with adoration: "Really? Like Little Red Riding Hood?"

Green chuckled, "Of course they're different. Our princess is braver, kinder, and likes to wear white."

Among the children, the youngest girl, May, pointed to a cherry blossom tree, seemingly understanding but not quite, and said, "White clothes, like that person?"

Everyone quickly looked in the direction of the sound, but there was no one behind the cherry blossom tree.

Only a few clusters of cherry blossoms were fluttering in the air, as if they had been startled down by someone.

"Huh, am I seeing things?"

May bit her finger, her eyes filled with confusion.

Green stood up as well, stretching his slightly numb calves.

"Alright, kids, that's all for today's story. Finally, I have to remind you all: stay on the main road, don't run around, and never talk to strangers! Got it?"

"Oh no, Brother Green has turned into a nagging old woman!"

"Where did these strangers come from, Brother Green? Can you even count them yourself?"

Green gave Ryuka a light kick in the butt when he asked the question.

"I came ashore from the Mezas family's dragon chariot, so I don't count. I'm referring to some unknown and suspicious individuals!"

Ryuka covered his buttocks, grimacing as he hid to the side: "Oh, there is one. Recently, a little girl named Meryl came here, but she won't say whose child she is when asked."

The other children quickly retorted, "How can you say that about Meryl? We're friends now!"

Petra nodded solemnly: "Merry looks so cute, how could she be a suspicious person? She's just quiet, Ryuka, don't even think about bullying her."

A name flashed through Green's mind: Meryl Portroot

This little girl is not someone who can be described as cute.

Although she was only 13 years old, she had already taken countless lives.

Merry brought with her a cursed monster—the hellhound Volgam.

Green flipped the pages forward, stopping at the section containing the story of "Beauty and the Beast".

As he gently stroked the majestic figure in the illustration, a meaningful glint appeared in his eyes.

A curse? It's true what they say, what you wish for comes true.

"Children, for the safety of Alam Village, as a retainer of the Roswaal family, I must verify little Meryl's identity."

"Let's take you there, Brother Green. That girl, Meryl, always likes to play near the forest fence. We're sure to find her."

Ryuka and Mildo took the lead, each grabbing one of Green's hands and dragging him forward.

Petra and the other children jogged after her.

"Brother Grimm, please don't be so harsh, you'll scare Mary-chan..."

As the figures of the group gradually disappeared into the distance, their playful voices slowly faded into the distance.

At that moment, a girl dressed in white walked out from behind the cherry blossom tree that May had pointed out.

"Thank goodness, Lia. It's all your fault for being so engrossed in listening."

A short, gray kitten emerged from the girl's silver hair.

The cute little paws rubbed their heads as if wiping away sweat that wasn't even there.

Emilia's eyes showed envy and admiration: "Grimm is so amazing, he's so popular with the children."

Parker nodded in satisfaction: "That guy seems to care quite a bit about Leah's reputation, don't you think, our princess?"

Emilia reached out and pinched Parker's cheeks, tugging at them and scolding, "Parker, if you keep making a fuss, I won't talk to you anymore."

A breeze blows, and cherry blossoms fall like snowflakes.

A few soft pink strands fell on Emilia's silver-white hair, instantly catching her attention.

She stopped, raised her hand to gently brush away the petals from her shoulder, and looked up with her pale purple eyes following the rain of petals.

The cherry blossoms overhead were lush and verdant, their pink and white blossoms clustered together, swirling in the wind to form a flowing floral mist.

Parker leaped onto Emilia's head, knocking all the flower petals from her hair.

"Lia seems really happy today!"

Emilia smiled brightly: "After all, the cherry blossoms in Alam Village are the most prosperous and beautiful in the entire Mezas Territory. I just don't know what cherry blossom cakes taste like. I've never tried them before."

Parker had a sudden inspiration: "Why don't we pick some and have Rem make some? They'll definitely buy a lot of flour and brown sugar today."

"Great, Green might like it too."

Emilia nodded excitedly, looking around for the most vibrant flower.

It was then that she noticed that some of the cherry blossoms on the cherry trees already showed obvious signs of being picked.

Some trees even had many branches broken off, and the sap at the broken ends had not yet solidified, suggesting that they had been broken recently.

Emilia sighed, "What a bunch of naughty children! If they break branches, there won't be as many cherry blossoms next year..."

……

Meanwhile, led by Ryuka and the others, Green searched for Meryl's figure along the fence at the edge of the village.

"Haha, Brother Green is over there!"

Little Fatty Mildred pointed and guided Green's gaze.

The little girl named Meryl Portelt was huddled next to the railing, looking tiny.

She wore a lake-blue braid, and her large, bright green eyes conveyed both innocence and a captivating allure beyond her years.

She was dressed simply, in a light blue dress with a blue collar, and looked innocent and shy.

Next to Meryl was a blue-haired maid carrying a burlap sack, who was none other than Rem, who looked like a curious child.

Upon closer inspection, Green realized what the girl was looking at.

She was looking at a chubby puppy that Mary was holding in her arms.

The little guy squinted his eyes, occasionally making a "purring" sound, and had a round bald spot on his head.