The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

Felt could tell that the other person had clearly held back in that attack. But she didn't like the other person showing mercy, not only because she was confident she could dodge the attack, but also because being shown kindness by the person she was robbing made her feel very uncomfortable.

That badge looked very expensive, and it was kept close to her body, so it must have been very important to her, right? Even so, she still showed mercy to me, a thief. She's so soft-hearted that even I, her enemy, can't stand it... But I'm sorry, kind lady, for the sake of money, and to avoid doing this again, I won't kindly return your loot.

Thoughts raced through her mind. Felt gritted her teeth, went all out, and in the blink of an eye, she crossed the fruit stand in the middle and rushed into the alley where Subaru Natsuki and the trio of thugs were.

Huh? What day is it today? Why am I encountering so many strange things and strange people?

Seeing the trio of thugs beating up Natsuki Subaru in the alley, and encountering one strange thing after another, she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

At the same time, the four also saw the girl who had suddenly entered the scene of the beating.

Here it comes! This is it! A beautiful girl suddenly appears and saves the protagonist from dire straits... It must be like this, right?

In an instant, a spark of hope ignited in Subaru Natsuki's eyes.

The pain of being beaten half to death and the fear of being killed have truly plunged him into a desperate situation. He is wounded both physically and mentally, and yearns for redemption.

The sudden arrival of Felt, with both timing and appearance perfectly matching his expectations, instantly made her appear to him as the angel destined to descend at this moment and save him from hell. But...

"I'm sorry, I'm very busy right now. Please be strong and live on by yourself."

The angel ruthlessly uttered those words, rushed past like the wind, used the pile of debris at the end of the alley to climb over the wall, and vanished in an instant.

Huh? No way? How could this happen?!

The hope that had just risen vanished like a bubble. Natsuki Subaru stared blankly in the direction the other person had left, his heart sinking into an even deeper abyss of despair.

"It's all because someone interrupted, ruining my mood. But don't think you can die so easily."

After a moment of stunned silence, the trio of thugs acted again, pinning him to the ground. Then one of them pulled out a gleaming knife and began brandishing it at his body, seemingly considering where it would be most convenient to strike.

I'm going to be killed... I'm going to die... It's all over... My life is coming to an end...

At that moment, Natsuki Subaru felt death was right in front of him with perfect clarity, as if it were stroking the scythe and staring at him silently with its dark, hollow eye sockets.

Fear, resentment, pain, despair... countless negative emotions enveloped him, surrounded him, tightly bound him, and dragged him into the abyss. His eyes stung, and he almost couldn't hold back his tears.

Just then, the real angels finally descended with holy light.

"That's enough, you villains."

The hustle and bustle outside the alley, the shouts and curses of the thugs, my own rapid breathing, and even the world itself were all captivated and awestruck by this heavenly sound, losing their sense of existence.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. From Natsuki Subaru's perspective, who was being trampled on the ground, a girl standing at the entrance of the alley seemed to radiate light from head to toe. Her beauty was breathtaking.

She possessed both striking beauty and youthful innocence in her delicate features, mysterious and intellectual blue-purple eyes, waist-length silver hair that seemed to radiate moonlight, and flawless, snow-white skin as smooth as mutton-fat jade… Her figure was the perfect balance of slender and graceful for a beautiful young woman, standing at approximately 160 centimeters tall. A lock of her long hair was braided, with a white flower hair accessory adorned with a purple ribbon pinned to the right side of her hair. She wore a combination of a short skirt, long stockings, and an outer robe, with patterns resembling eagles and demon birds printed on the sleeves, revealing her fragrant shoulders and part of her chest.

The entire outfit, with white as the base color and purple as the embellishment, could not be described as ornate or elaborate, but thanks to the wearer's stunning beauty, it appeared noble, refined, dignified, and radiant. However, its existence was merely an extension of its wearer's brilliance; compared to that beautiful girl who seemed capable of stealing the world's colors, it was nothing more than an ordinary accessory.

It felt like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment. As time began to flow again, Natsuki Subaru felt as if his heart had paused for a moment before beating strongly again.

At that moment, he forgot that he was in dire straits and that he was in a sorry state. In his eyes and in his heart, only the existence of that girl was deeply imprinted.

The above descriptions of Emilia are based on 486's subjective perspective and do not represent the author's views.

Chapter Six: Emilia, who says no but her body tells a different story

"Very good, the protagonist has successfully suffered a mental breakdown, and the main plot is now pretty much secured."

Seeing Natsuki Subaru staring blankly at Emilia from the rooftop, Su Qi nodded in satisfaction.

The plot then unfolds similarly to the original story. Emilia is too kind-hearted to stand by and watch someone in dire straits die. So, although she learns from the trio that the thief has escaped, she says she will chase after him as soon as possible, but she stays behind out of spite and helps Subaru Natsuki chase away the trio of thugs.

And not only did she help him out of the predicament, but seeing that Subaru Natsuki was seriously injured, she even treated him. She knew that the longer she delayed, the harder it would be to retrieve the extremely important Royal Selection Badge, and even her own Pokémon Puck reminded her of this, yet she still kept saying, "It has nothing to do with us. He shouldn't die, we can just leave him be," and in the end, she stayed behind and wasted her own time.

This kind of easygoing personality makes her too vulnerable to being taken advantage of; without a human-sized cheat code like Subaru Natsuki, she wouldn't go far at all...

Watching Emilia's actions, Su Qi on the rooftop couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

He didn't dislike Emilia; in fact, he even felt respect for someone who knew it was extremely disadvantageous to her but still decided to sacrifice herself to save others. However, while he might be happy to have her as a friend, he wouldn't want her as a teammate because her weaknesses were too obvious.

However, it is precisely because Emilia is this kind of person that Subaru Natsuki is willing to die for her time and time again, becoming a fully automatic humanoid conquest tool... The two are perfectly matched and complement each other.

"It's about time for me to make my appearance."

After glancing at the two below one last time, Su Qi had a sudden thought. He erased the stone wall at the other end of the alley, restoring the alley to its original state. Then, he lightly leaped across the rooftops, moving stealthily until he was some distance away. He then landed in another nearby alley, walked out, and quickly went to the fruit stall where the two had been. As if unaware of what had happened, he asked, "Boss, have you seen where the boy who was with me earlier went?"

……

A moment later, just as Emilia was finishing her treatment, he arrived at the alley where the two of them were.

"Natsuki-san, I was wondering if you would be this unlucky, and I didn't expect you to be this unlucky."

As Su Qi spoke, a hint of pity and sigh crossed his face, he walked into the narrow alley.

"Su Qisang? Why are you back?"

Unlike the original storyline, this time Natsuki Subaru was not knocked unconscious, so he was able to detect Su Qi's arrival.

“Because I was just wandering around nearby.” The latter walked slowly a few steps in front of the two, not getting too close, and said unhurriedly, “I heard some fighting nearby earlier, and I wondered if it was because you didn’t know the rules and caused trouble. So I thought I’d come back to check, but I couldn’t find you. Then I asked the fruit stall owner, and he said he thought he saw you go into a nearby alley, so I searched this area, and then…”

Looking at Natsuki Subaru's tracksuit, which was covered in mud and grime and completely ruined, he frowned slightly. "And then I saw you like this. Did someone beat you up?"

"Oh, I see."

The reason was reasonable, and the former, who was leaning against the wall, did not doubt it. He smiled bitterly and said, "It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I was robbed by three thugs. If I hadn't happened to meet a kind person who helped me, I would probably be dead by now."

"I really don't know whether to say you're lucky or unlucky..." Su Qi shook his head and shifted his gaze to Emilia in front of Natsuki Subaru. "Is this the kind lady?"

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not a kind person." After finishing the treatment, the latter stood up, his face tense, and emphasized again and again, "I only stayed to treat him because I had no choice but to do so in order to obtain information. After all, if he dies, we won't get any information, so I had to do it."

"I'm sorry, you two. My daughter is a bit shy, so she always speaks in a roundabout way and isn't very frank."

Just then, a small creature, about the size of a palm, with gray fur, drooping ears, a pink nose, and a tail almost as long as its body, resembling an American Shorthair cat, suddenly spoke. It was Emilia's contracted spirit, Puck, who was now standing on her shoulder, raising his right paw with its pink paw pad, and making a mature statement like an old father.

"Oh, right..." It leaped lightly, hovering in mid-air, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Emilia's path. Looking at Su Qi, it acted cute and asked for credit, "Actually, Parker also helped out just now. Thanks to my imposing presence, those three idiots were easily scared away. So if you two want to thank me, please don't hesitate to praise me!"

A strong person... be careful?

Behind Parker, watching its tail gently sway, sending a coded message only she understood, Emilia paused slightly, her face remaining expressionless, but her heart becoming alert.

"Huh? A flying kitten? And it can talk?" With acting skills worthy of an Oscar, Su Qi's expression was flawless, and he asked with just the right amount of surprise, "You're not an ordinary kitten, are you?"

While speaking, one should fully concentrate one's spiritual power and use the newly improved "Spirit Absolute" technique to carefully observe the other person's expression and mental fluctuations to determine whether the other person can read one's thoughts.

In the original story, Puck's true identity is the Beast of the End of the Permafrost, who has the ability to read the superficial thoughts of others. For the sake of his future actions, he needs to verify this as soon as possible.

"Huh? You don't know what elves are?" Puck crossed his arms and asked in confusion, "Lia is an elf mage, and Puck is an elf who has a contract with her. You should be able to tell that at a glance, right?"

As she spoke, she was filled with astonishment and doubt. She was astonished because she could not detect the other person's soul fluctuations, read their superficial thoughts, or even perceive the strength of their soul, as if the person in front of her did not exist; she was doubtful about the other person's origins, true strength, purpose, and whether they would be detrimental to her daughter.

But regardless, since the person in front of me is so unpredictable, he is definitely not weak, much less an ordinary person.

So now, the two of them, one human and one cat, are putting on an acting show. However, Parker can't see through Su Qi, but Su Qi can see through him with his Eye of Truth, "seeing" his emotional fluctuations. Thus, with overwhelming information and a calculated advantage, Su Qi easily determined that Parker couldn't read his superficial thoughts.

Great, this will significantly reduce the difficulty...

He was secretly delighted, but showed no sign of it on the surface. He shook his head frankly and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know many common facts about this world, because Natsuki-san and I are transmigrators from another world."

Chapter Seven: Satella is the Cutest in the World! (Two Chapters Combined)

"Another world?"

"Traveler?"

Emilia looked somewhat bewildered, Puck's eyes held a hint of doubt, while Subaru Natsuki stared wide-eyed at Su Qi with his mouth slightly agape.

Oh no! We just blurted out our origins... She'll definitely think we're weirdos spouting nonsense, won't she?

“Um…” Parker said with a strange expression, “A ‘transmigrator’ from another world, are you serious, buddy?”

See? I'm going to be seen as a weirdo. It would have been better not to mention it at all...

Natsuki Subaru sighed softly, but Su Qi saw it and suddenly said, "If you're not believed, it's better not to say it... Natsuki-san, that's what you think, right?"

"Huh?"

"I think it's better to try it out first rather than denying it from the start."

After saying that, he turned to Parker and said, "It's understandable to be suspicious. After all, coming from another world sounds unbelievable, but it's true, and there's evidence to prove it. Simply put, our clothes, hair color, and eye color are all different from other people's, right?"

“Indeed…” The cat-like elf rested her chin on her hand and said thoughtfully, “Although the capital of Lugunica is a gathering place for people from all over the world, and I can barely be considered well-informed, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone dressed like you before.”

"besides……"

As Su Qi spoke, he reached out his hand to Natsuki Subaru, "Natsuki-san, you should have a phone on you, right? Can I borrow it for a moment?"

"Huh? Oh, here you go."

Pulled along by his brisk pace and powerful gaze, the latter hesitated for a moment before instinctively obeying and handing over his phone.

"Look, this is a communication tool that is widely used in our area. Almost everyone has one. The number of them in the whole world is in the hundreds of millions. It's just that it appeared in this world too suddenly, so I didn't bring it with me."

As Su Qi spoke, he turned on his phone and demonstrated it to Parker and Emilia.

"What an exquisite and powerful tool! And there's not a trace of mana fluctuation within it, so it's neither a magical creation nor a 'meteor.' Judging by its level of detail, it's definitely not something an ordinary person could easily craft..." Parker examined the phone closely and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "If what you say is true, and you have many of these where you are, that's truly remarkable."

"This is the evidence. Furthermore, even the plastic bag in Natsuki's hand and the snacks inside are not things that people in this world could easily replicate, and we have no need to go to such lengths to deceive people."

As Su Qi handed the phone back to Natsuki Subaru, he said, "So, as you can see, we are indeed otherworldly beings who suddenly appeared in this city for unknown reasons... Natsuki-san, in order not to be mistaken for suspicious individuals hiding their true intentions, why don't you also express your opinion?"

"Huh? Me?"

The latter, having just taken the phone, was initially taken aback. Then, looking at Emilia and Parker, who turned their gaze towards him, especially pausing for a moment on Emilia's beautiful face with a scrutinizing expression, he finally took a light breath, and then…

"That's right!"

Suddenly, he spread his legs apart, pointed one finger to the sky, and assumed an unwavering center-position stance. Raising his voice, he said, "I am Subaru Natsuki, a traveler from another world! I apologize for not having a chance to introduce myself earlier. I look forward to your guidance from now on."

To cover up his nervousness, Subaru Natsuki once again acted strangely, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him.

Parker: "..."

Emilia: "..."

Su Qi glided away as if sliding, instantly creating some distance between himself and Natsuki Subaru. He said in a serious tone, "Please don't misunderstand, I am an Earthling, and Natsuki-san is a Shameful Earthling. Although we come from the same world, we live in completely different places. I have no close relationship with him."

"Su Qisang, I'll cry if you say that."

"Then please cry as much as you want, and we'll laugh at you as much as we want."

“I see…” Puck interrupted their interaction, staring intently at Subaru Natsuki and said, “If you are from another world, then all the strange things about you make sense.”

It couldn't read Su Qi's thoughts, but it could read Natsuki Subaru's. Coupled with the evidence provided by Su Qi, although it was somewhat surprised, it temporarily believed the two's claim that they came from another world.