That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

"Lady Emilia, this matter should not be revealed for the time being. Please forgive my rudeness." Reinhard extended his right hand to Felt, and after a faint magical reaction, Felt, who had been struggling violently, immediately fainted.

"Damn it! What did you do to Felt?!" Rom roared as he charged toward the red-haired knight, his massive body crashing down like a mountain, ready to crush Reinhardt.

"Don't put up a futile resistance."

Reinhard calmly raised his right hand, his palm glowing with light. The moment it touched Rom, it transformed into a tremendous force that sent the tall, muscular man flying.

boom!

Grandpa Rom's mountain-like body rolled on the ground more than a dozen times before finally regaining its balance.

"This swordsman is indeed quite skilled."

Shinji Matou was surprised; such an effect could be achieved simply by using magic.

Reinhard said slowly, "You seem to be Felt's friend. I'm sorry, but I can't back down even a step now. If you don't want to get hurt, don't make any rash moves. I'm just putting Felt to sleep for now. I guarantee in the name of a knight that I won't hurt a single hair on her head. On the contrary, I'd say the opposite."

"You knights are all hypocrites!"

Rom struggled to his feet, watching this scene with resentment. He clenched his fists and refused to advance further. From that one blow, he understood the difference in their strength; he had no way to intervene.

So, are you going to stir things up?

Shinji Matou pondered this question. The current plot development seemed to be pre-programmed, like a triggered side quest. Moreover, the red-haired knight was powerful and his words and actions didn't seem like those of a bad person.

The fact that the badge lit up in Felt's hand just now says a lot; she should be one of the candidates for king, just like Emilia.

Shinji Matou wisely chose to stand by and watch coldly as the red-haired knight carried the unconscious Felt in his arms.

"Lady Emilia, please understand that I must take my leave now. I may pay you a visit soon."

"Ok."

"Master Mage, are you not going to stop me?" Reinhard asked politely as he passed by Shinji Matou.

Shinji Matou spread his hands: "I can tell a lot from your attitude. I don't want to have a direct conflict with a powerful knight for the time being."

Reinhard bowed respectfully, saying, "You made a wise judgment, but even if you had taken action, I would not have harbored any hostility. You and that giant are both people who have good intentions towards Felt. If I had accidentally hurt you, she might have held a grudge against me in the future. Besides, it was I who did such an abrupt thing. Please allow me to apologize to you here. It is not appropriate to disclose the details at this time."

"I can understand."

“That’s wonderful. My name is Reinhard van Astreya. Would you mind if we became friends?”

"Shinji Matou, as you can see, is a strange mage of unknown origin."

"Well then, until we meet again, Shinji." Reinhard smiled brightly, and the warmth of his smile made Shinji Matou's heart flutter.

"Goodbye." Shinji Matou nodded.

The red-haired knight carried Felt away from the group, leaving behind a sullen Rom, Emilia, and Shinji Matou.

Shinji Matou glanced at Rom and walked over to ask, "Rom, you should know what's going on, right? Why does Reinhard value Felt so much?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say." Grandpa Rom glanced up at Shinji Matou and answered dejectedly, like an old man in his twilight years.

"Don't you care about Ferute's safety? I might be able to help if the situation allows."

“You’re just an outsider, and you’re not suited to get involved in this.” Grandpa Rom shook his head, turned and left the slum, his tall and muscular back looking particularly lonely and forlorn.

"I hope you'll change your mind when we meet next time," Shinji Matou called out to Rom's retreating figure. It's a common occurrence; in RPG games, events only trigger when NPCs reach a certain level of trust or the plot progresses to a certain point. Rom was stubborn, and Shinji Matou didn't need to pester him.

Besides, the main storyline should be taking place here.

Shinji Matou looked at Emilia, who was standing there lost in thought, and gently patted her shoulder.

"Eek!" Emilia exclaimed in surprise. Upon seeing Shinji Matou, she patted her chest and stomped her foot angrily, "Shinji-san, please don't scare me like that."

Where did that cat go?

“Pak is my contracted spirit. Just manifesting in this world consumes a lot of magic, so it usually goes into hibernation at night.”

"What a useless elf."

Emilia puffed out her cheeks and huffed, "That's not true at all. Parker is my family, a very, very reliable partner."

"Now that you witnessed my battle with that assassin, do you think you can still defeat her without the elf's assistance?"

"this···"

After hesitating for a moment, Emilia argued, "You're missing the point. If it weren't for Puck, I wouldn't be able to use spirit magic. I've always been the one relying on Puck, so Puck is my most important and trusted family member!"

Meeting the girl's earnest gaze, Shinji Matou smiled and said, "Then I retract my previous statement. Puck is a trustworthy spirit, but the master of the contract is too immature."

“That’s the only thing I can’t argue with.” Emilia murmured dejectedly. After a sigh, she looked at the moon hanging in the night sky and asked hesitantly, “Mr. Matou Shinji, it’s already night. If I don’t go back, my companions will worry. Do you have a place to stay?”

"No."

"Perfect timing. If you don't mind, please come with me. I'll arrange accommodation for you and fulfill our agreement."

"no problem."

Shinji Matou tentatively followed the character he had identified as the female lead, thinking that the main storyline was about to begin.

Under the soft moonlight, Shinji Matou followed Emilia to a place resembling a horse farm, where they rented a carriage to head to their destination.

As the carriage left the city and passed through the woods, the ride became noticeably bumpier.

There were only two people in the carriage. Emilia gazed at the scenery rushing past the window. A little moonlight shone through the glass window onto her profile. Her skin was snow-white and her features were flawless. The scene was like a masterpiece by an artist.

"Your ears are pointed, quite different from those of ordinary humans." Shinji Matou asked thoughtfully, "Emilia, are you an elf?"

Emilia paused slightly, then smiled wryly and said, "To be precise, I should be a half-elf."

"A half-elf, no wonder she's so beautiful."

"Beautiful... Are you complimenting my appearance?" Emilia covered her mouth with her small hand, her eyes widening in surprise. Her reaction was both amusing and adorable.

"Of course, there's nothing strange about it."

"No, although I am aware of my appearance, I am a half-elf and have silver hair. People are more concerned with the meaning that my appearance symbolizes than with my appearance. Most people will only feel fear towards me."

"Why?" Shinji Matou asked, puzzled.

Emilia asked in astonishment, "What kind of terrible joke are you making? Even a traveling mage couldn't possibly not know that person."

But I'm a time traveler!

Shinji Matou inwardly scoffed, but said earnestly, "My situation is a bit special. There's only one thing I can assure you: I have absolutely no understanding of the world right now, which is why I crave knowledge about it."

Emilia met Shinji Matou's sincere gaze, blushed, looked away, and nodded, saying, "I believe you. The reason people are afraid of me is because I look the same as the Jealousy Magic Satella."

"The Witch of Jealousy?"

"You don't even know this? She was once a terrifying being who devoured half the world, feared by all intelligent beings in this world."

"So, how is that jealous witch doing now?"

"If you didn't even know that you were sealed away by the Dragon God, the Sage, and the Sword Saint, no wonder you didn't give me any strange looks." Emilia seemed a little disappointed, her voice soft and delicate.

"That's not true. It's true that you're beautiful, but most people in this world are fools who judge by appearance. As long as you're good-looking, you can be forgiven for anything. Unfortunately, I'm probably one of them." Shinji Matou shrugged. Only he knew whether what he said was true or not. Just now, Shinji Matou had ruthlessly killed a stunningly beautiful assassin.

Emilia couldn't help but chuckle and blinked, "Mr. Matou Shinji, you're such an interesting person."

On the way, Shinji Matou learned about the world through his conversation with Emilia while pondering his future course of action.

"Is the main plot of the original work just about helping the naive and innocent female protagonist become the queen? And finally defeating the jealous witch who has been given the demon king template?" Shinji Matou was a little amused and exasperated. After a conversation, he had come to understand Emilia's personality.

If this kind of naive and innocent female protagonist enters the political arena, she'll only be played to death. Considering that this is a Japanese RPG world with supernatural powers, the political setting itself might be quite idiotic, so Shinji Matou reluctantly accepted it.

Honestly, having just transmigrated from the world of Faster/Zero, even if the three kings are incredibly chuunibyou (delusional), their perspective is far superior to that of this naive and innocent half-elf in front of me.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Shinji Matou did not believe that Emilia was capable of shouldering the responsibilities of a king. Sitting in such a high position, incompetence itself would be the greatest sin.

The carriage traveled for about an hour, passing through a dense forest, and finally arrived at its destination.

After getting off the carriage, the view suddenly opened up, and the chirping of insects in the surrounding forest was like a never-ending tide.

Shinji Matou looked at the distant building in surprise. Although it was night, the lights made it clear that the building was a magnificent manor, and it would not be inappropriate to call it a castle.

"We've arrived." Emilia nodded to Shinji Matou, paid the coachman's fare, and pushed open the black iron gate to go inside.

Inside is a wide road, large enough for five carriages to travel side by side, with gardens on both sides. Further in, you can see a large fountain pool, and beyond that, there are staircases and a huge Victorian-style building.

The building combines different styles, with the Second Empire French style as the main feature. It has double arched windows, a double-folded roof, and a simple and grand overall style. Behind the building, there is a Gothic tower with a fine structure and steep roof, which presents a mysterious architectural beauty under the night.

“This is the residence of Lord Borozvall L. Mezas on the border. I will discuss the matter of retrieving the badge with him. Please stay here for the night,” Emilia said as they walked.

"no problem."

Roswaal L. Mezas—this wasn't the first time Shinji Matou had heard this name, and the Red-Haired Knight Reinhard spoke of this character with considerable respect.

"If the claim that jealousy can devour half the world is true, then she is the pinnacle of power in this world... Her vision is smaller than I imagined. The little man in the bottle is almost about to grasp the truth and hold the sun in her hand."

"Roswaal L. Mace... the kingdom's chief mage, must be incredibly powerful, perhaps even more terrifying than that red-haired knight."

Shinji Matou walked behind Emilia, his mind conjuring up an image of Roswaal L. Mayes as an old man with white hair.

Ascend the steps and arrive at the main entrance; the heavy wooden door opens automatically.

Two maids stood on either side of the door. Upon seeing Emilia, they bowed and greeted her in unison, "Welcome back, Lady Emilia."

Huh? Why are there maids greeting us?

Shinji Matou couldn't help but glance at the two maids a few more times. Not only were their voices in sync, but the two maids looked 90% alike. If it weren't for the fact that one had blue hair and the other had pink hair, one would really wonder if someone had brought a mirror and placed it in front of the maids.

The blue-haired maid looked up at Shinji Matou with a puzzled expression: "Lady Emilia, who is this guest?"

"A very important guest. Is Lord Roswaal home?"

The pink-haired maid replied respectfully, "Lord Roswaal is expected to return tomorrow morning."

"I see. Please arrange a room for our guest."

"I understand, sir. Please follow me."

Emilia gave Shinji Matou a forced smile: "I need to discuss the matter of equivalent exchange with Lord Roswaal tomorrow. Please stay here tonight. I used a lot of spirit magic today and I want to rest as soon as possible. I'm sorry I can't meet your needs for the time being."

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Shinji Matou."

Goodnight, Miss Emilia.

After saying goodbye to Emilia, the blue-haired maid led the way, and Shinji Matou took the opportunity to thoroughly examine the decoration of the manor. It was a typical aristocratic style, with red carpets in the corridors and streetlights on both sides of the walls. Inside each streetlight was a strange, glowing crystal, and every so often, you could see a piece of art, such as a flower, a painting, or a sculpture.

After walking through a long corridor, the blue-haired maid led Shinji Matou to a room and bowed, saying, "Sir, this is your room. If you have any questions, please ring the bell in the room to call me. Now, please allow me to leave."

"Please go ahead." Shinji Matou smiled as he watched her leave, his eyes narrowing as he thought to himself, "It's no wonder this is the mansion of one of the world's top combat forces. These two maids are quite extraordinary. Although they hide their killing intent very well, they have killed people before."