"Stop right there! Freeze! All of you!"
A blonde-haired young woman with piercing emerald eyes shouted sharply at three delinquent men in the slum and at a confused boy wearing modern clothes that were completely out of place in this medieval fantasy world before him.
She was surrounded by patrol knights who reacted instantly, moving with brutal efficiency to take down all four of them at once, forcing them onto the ground with their faces pressed into the dirt.
"Ah! What is this?! Hey, girl, I'm not guilty, those three are! They wanted to rob me!" Subaru Natsuki shouted with all his might, desperate to prove his innocence.
His voice cracked with panic as he struggled against the knights holding him down, twisting and turning and trying to break free.
One of the knights accompanying the blonde girl, who wore gleaming silver armor that reflected the sunlight slammed his head harder into the dirt, cutting off his protests with a muffled thud.
And Artoria didn't stop him.
Her voice was calm, commanding, utterly without room for argument. "All of you are under arrest. If you want to make a statement and prove yourself innocent, come with us. We'll sort out the truth at the barracks."
She had already determined to bring Subaru in and lock him in a cell.
She didn't like the triggered reset after his death, she could sense it, that strange, unnatural loop tied to his very existence.
Any uncontrollable factor should be either eliminated or controlled by her.
That was her burden as a knight and as a princess.
The boy before her would do terrible things in future timelines, in if-lines where he became too obsessed with making one of the candidate kings, Emilia, win.
In those timelines, he would sacrifice everything, everyone, for her sake.
He would become a monster wearing the face of a hero, and the world would suffer for it.
She was determined to make sure they never met.
This guy would mind his own business, live his own life, stay far away from the half-elf and her destiny.
After she settled with Subaru, she would kill Roswaal.
That fucking clown who couldn't keep himself shut, who couldn't manage the border properly, who laid conspiracy after conspiracy that endangered the entire world.
Anyone who wanted to profit from chaos for whatever reason would be either executed or imprisoned.
Artoria was never soft-hearted when it came to her duty as a knight and maintaining the order of the kingdom.
Because she had a secret identity too.
Eldest princess of the Lugnica Kingdom, the very kingdom they were standing in right now. She was not just a knight captain or a patrol leader. She was the heir to the throne, and she had been secretly working to protect her kingdom from threats both external and internal.
Meanwhile, the half-elf and the spirit Puck on her shoulder watched all of this from a distance.
"Puck, should we help that boy? He's innocent, after all. You saw it too, didn't you? Those three men were clearly the aggressors." Emilia's voice was soft, concerned, her violet eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them.
She clutched her cloak tighter around her shoulders, her expression troubled.
Puck shook his head, his small form floating beside her, his tiny wings buzzing with agitation. "We have no time for that, Emilia! We need to find the thief before midnight or we're doomed. You know what happens if we don't get that badge back. The whole kingdom could be in danger."
Emilia's expression fell.
She looked back at Subaru, still shouting his innocence, still struggling against the knights. Her heart ached at the sight.
"Sorry, boy..." she whispered softly, her voice carrying genuine regret. "I can't save you. But once I take back my badge, I'll come and testify to your innocence. I promise. I won't forget about you."
Afterward, they left without looking back.
Puck's small form darted ahead, scouting the path, while Emilia followed close behind, her cloak billowing in the wind.
For Subaru?
His love life ended before it even began.
The girl of his dreams had just walked away, leaving him to the mercy of the authorities.
How sad.
How very, very sad.
When everything seemed to be running perfectly according to the script that Artoria had written, Reinhard suddenly stopped them.
He had been patrolling alone, one of the few knights in the kingdom who could patrol alone without fear, given his reputation and power and he heard the boy shouting in the distance.
His sharp eyes narrowed, his divine protection of wind carrying the sound to his ears with perfect clarity.
"Lady Artoria, he seems to be telling the truth. My divine protection of wind shouldn't be wrong about this. The boy's voice carries no deception. Those three men were indeed the aggressors."
Well, protagonist is protagonist. Someone wanted to save him, so the plot can run properly again, Artoria thought bitterly.
Even in this world, the narrative forces seemed to conspire to protect the hero of the story.
Even Subaru wouldn't let go of this opportunity.
He latched onto Reinhard's words like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline. "He's right! I'm not a thief! I'm not guilty! Please release me, please! I just arrived in this world! I don't even know how I got here! I don't know anything about this place or its laws or..."
One of the knights slapped his cheek hard. "Shut up, you criminal! No one told you to speak!"
Subaru screamed in pain, his head snapping to the side. "Ah! That hurt! You didn't have to hit me so hard!"
No one among Artoria's knights even flinched at his screaming.
They were Artoria's unit, her personal hand-picked soldiers, totally and utterly loyal to her.
If Lady Artoria told them to arrest him and deemed him a criminal, then he was a criminal, no matter what Reinhard said.
Their loyalty was absolute, unshakeable, forged through years of serving under her command.
They would follow her orders without question, without hesitation, without mercy.
Even Reinhard was helpless against that kind of loyalty.
He could only plead, his voice carrying genuine concern. "Lady Artoria, please be gentle with the boy. He's not a criminal. I trust him. I know I just met him, but my divine protection has never failed me before. I'll take full responsibility if something goes wrong. Just, please, don't treat him like this."
But Artoria didn't have any of it.
She turned to face him, her emerald eyes blazing with stern authority, and reminded him coldly, "You weren't there when we maintained order, Reinhard. You weren't there when we chased those thieves through the streets. You arrived after the fact, basing your judgment on a few overheard words. Now step aside. This doesn't concern you."
Reinhard sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "At least let me follow you. Let me see where you're taking him. Let me make sure he's treated fairly."
Artoria's eyes blazed with fury at his insistence.
Her patience was wearing thin, and it showed in every line of her face, every tense muscle of her jaw. "Reinhard, don't make me repeat myself twice. Step aside. This is our duty, our duty to maintain the order of the kingdom. If you insist on being an obstacle, then we can fight here and settle this with steel."
"Alright... Alright... I'll go, Lady Artoria. Please don't treat him too harshly." Reinhard gave up with a heavy sigh, his expression sad and defeated.
He turned to walk away, but paused for a moment. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
Artoria reminded him quickly, fearing this guy would still pester her and delay her further. "Lady Emilia's badge has been stolen. Please help her retrieve it, Knight Reinhard."
Reinhard's face turned serious instantly, all traces of his earlier frustration replaced by cold determination. "A badge of the king? Who dares to steal it from a candidate for the throne? That's courting death! This is a direct insult to the royal family and to the entire kingdom!"
He looked back at Artoria, his expression sharp. "Thank you for the information, Lady Artoria. I'll make sure to help her win her badge back. No matter who took it, they'll regret ever touching it."
He ran, chasing after the half-elf in a hurry, fearing she might be in danger.
His form blurred as he moved, his divine protection accelerating his speed beyond what any normal human could achieve.
Subaru shouted desperately. "No, please! Don't run! Don't leave me with these people! I'm innocent! I swear I'm innocent!"
"Shut up, boy! How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?!" The knights slapped him again, once, twice, three times more, each blow landing harder than the last.
His face turned red and swollen, his cheeks puffing out like a pig's, and tears flowed freely from his eyes down to his chin.
What did I do wrong? Subaru thought desperately. What did I do to deserve this?
The three thieves gulped audibly, their faces pale with fear.
They had been captured alongside him, but they dared not make a single sound.
They knew exactly how brutal the knight girl before them was when it came to treating criminals.
Her iron-fist policy wasn't a joke, it was a legend that spread through the slums like wildfire.
Criminals who resisted her were beaten within an inch of their lives.
Criminals who surrendered were still beaten, just slightly less.
That was why they never interrupted.
That was why they remained obedient and silent as they were brought to detention by the knights for interrogation.
They knew better than to draw attention to themselves.
Artoria was satisfied.
This time, she didn't delay any further, fearing another intervention was coming to prevent her from throwing Subaru into jail.
She had already wasted enough time with Reinhard's interruption.
She wouldn't waste any more.
They dragged the four of them ruthlessly and without mercy, through the streets, through the crowds of onlookers, through the gates of the detention center.
The thieves and Subaru could only surrender and give up under the knights' patrol tyranny, their guards showing them no mercy whatsoever.