Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

A smile flickered in Green's eyes. He didn't expose her, but instead skillfully pulled a chair over to Betty's princess bed and sat down.

He patted the bed, indicating that Betty could come over.

How could I possibly refuse Betty's request?

Seeing that her little scheme had been exposed, the proud elf was slightly embarrassed.

She lowered her head, avoiding Green's gaze, and crawled under the covers from the foot of the bed to the head of the bed.

Grimm summoned the [Dark Fairy Tale Book] and gently opened it.

The page with Little Red Riding Hood has already lit up with color.

[Margaret, the half-wolf girl (core character), unlock condition: dissect the bellies of one hundred canine creatures.]

Status: Unlocked

The count included all the canine monsters that Grimm had previously torn apart in the forest.

To Green's surprise, the Little Red Riding Hood with the words "Core Encyclopedia" did not have any description of her abilities or possessions.

What came into view was even more bizarre content.

[Ceremony Requirement 1: Thousands of Tons of Flesh and Blood]

【Ceremony Requirement Two: Sing the nursery rhyme "Pre-meal Prayer" aloud】

The nursery rhyme, titled "Pre-meal Prayer," was written in small print at the end of the book.

"Is it not ready yet, Green?"

Betty turned her head, her voice carrying a barely perceptible urging tone.

Green then came to his senses, his fingertips brushing across the pages as he gently turned the page.

Two new stories emerged on the page.

"Jack and the Beanstalk" and "The Little Match Girl".

Storybooks will not disappoint children who yearn for fairy tales.

Some people yearn for the world of fairy tales, and it will generously present that epic story to you.

Seeing that Betty had already obediently lay down, she opened her eyes wide and looked over.

Green cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and began to describe the colorful scenes in the story.

"A long, long time ago, in the outskirts of the kingdom, there lived a boy named Jack."

……

Jack and his mother lived in extreme poverty, with only an old cow to barely make ends meet.

One day, the cow stopped producing milk, so the mother asked Jack to take the cow to the market to sell it for food.

But along the way, a wizard tricked Jack out of his cow with magic beans.

Jack returned home dejectedly and told his mother what had happened. Jack's mother was both angry and anxious, and angrily threw the magic bean out the window...

At night, the magic bean quietly sprouted and grew into a vine that reached the sky.

Unexpectedly, they were connected to a floating island in the sky.

……

Many giants from the floating islands descended to the ground along the vines, destroying buildings and devouring humans alive.

To atone for his mistake, Jack fought the giant and, at the last second, threw a magic bean into the giant king's mouth.

The magic bean immediately began to grow, bursting out of the giant king's belly, and the giant king's crown fell to the ground.

That crown was made from the heart of the Founding Titan and possesses the power to control Titans.

In the end, Jack used the crown to drive the giant back to the floating island, saving everyone...

This concludes the article.

[Jack the Giant Slayer, unlock condition: capture a giant.]

Betty wasn't asleep. After hearing the story, she frowned, her voice full of confusion:

"This is illogical. Do vines that can reach the sky really exist?"

Green straightened the blankets for Betty and whispered in her ear:

"Fairy tales are all lies. Of course, I won't lie to you. If this vine really exists, I'll definitely take you up to see it."

Betty doesn't believe it.

"Want to pinky swear?"

"don't want."

Betty resolutely refused, reaching her little hands out from under the covers to hug the Book of Wisdom tightly to her chest.

Then she turned over, her back to Green, avoiding his overly sincere eyes, her voice muffled:

"Betty can't get out..."

"Some people are talking nonsense again."

Green smiled helplessly, and seeing that her blanket had spread out a bit more, he reached out and tucked her in tightly.

Betty fell silent, and the only sound in the room was the soft rustling of pages turning.

After a long pause, she spoke again, her tone filled with deep disappointment, like mist that had been building up for four hundred years and was finally about to burst forth.

"Green, you've shared so many stories with Betty... In exchange, Betty will tell you a story too..."

Green paused for a moment, then softened his gaze: "It's my pleasure, Betty."

The lonely great elf curled up in the blankets, having been gathering courage for a long time, as if gathering his courage, or as if he didn't know where to begin.

Her voice was soft, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Four hundred years ago, Betty was created by her mother and lived a carefree and happy life."

But one day, someone destroyed everything Betty had.

Mother sent Betty away, leaving her in [a room that doesn't exist anywhere], guarding the library full of books.

At that time, Betty and her mother made a verbal agreement to wait for [that person].

She said the Book of Wisdom would guide everything, and Betty just needed to wait patiently.

That was Betty's initial thought.

But later, the book became blank.

Mother is gone, and my elder brother has left to be with that half-elf. People come and go in the manor, but only the wind in the forbidden library blows through the pages year after year!

Betty clenched the Book of Wisdom tightly with her fingers, her knuckles turning white, but she quickly loosened her grip, her voice rising slightly as if she were trying to hide something.

"Those days were eerily quiet."

Betty flipped through the books here again and again, and even remembered clearly which book had which page with a wormhole.

The Gate of Opportunity blocked countless people; they either coveted the power of the Forbidden Library or were frightened away by Betty's magic. Not one of them was able to stay.

None of them are Betty's [person]; their names are not even in the Book of Wisdom.

"Betty, are you alright?"

As Green watched her trembling back, a pang of sadness welled up in his heart, and he couldn't help but reach out and gently place his hand on her shoulder.

"Betty has long since become numb..."

Her voice trembled with sobs, as if she were murmuring to herself, "When will this endless waiting finally come to an end?"

Betty suddenly turned around and stared intently at Green.

"Green, are you Betty's [that person]?"

The girl's eyes, which were always brimming with pride, were now misty with tears.

Green's heart skipped a beat, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and he desperately wanted to blurt out—that's me.

But he knew that if he nodded now, all he would get was an empty shell bound by the contract.

If we truly want to save this little girl who has been trapped in loneliness for four hundred years.

They wanted to drag her soul out of that cold, dark little room as well.

"If you want that person to be me, and follow your heart and firmly choose me... then I can be you."

Betty's pupils trembled as she asked, puzzled, "Why? Why didn't you just agree? Betty has already made it so clear."

"If you are 'that person,' all the books in this library will be yours."

Green shook his head, his eyes unwavering.

"I'm not interested in this kind of heavy knowledge."

"Then you'll also get a contract with a great elf!"

Betty became anxious, her voice trembling with emotion.

"My strength is almost equal to that of my elder brother! Then, whatever you want to do, Betty will be your weapon!"

Green shook his head again, his gaze fixed on her reddened eyes, his tone earnest and firm:

"What I want is never a lifeless puppet."