In the world of Re:Zero — Main City District.
[Ding~ Congratulations, Host. You have successfully transmigrated to the world of Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World!]
[Current role: Fire Demon, Shendu! Check the status panel to view abilities!]
[World Mission: Establish the reputation of the Fire Demon, Shendu! Make your name known in another world. Achieve an evaluation of A-rank or above to leave this world!]
On a street in the city, a beautiful silver-haired, red-eyed girl stood at the entrance of an alley, listening to the Multiverse Role-Playing System in her mind as it issued its notifications.
Her appearance was striking—silver hair cascading down her back, framing a delicate face and vivid crimson eyes. A black gothic dress traced her figure with natural elegance, leaving her shoulders and collarbones bare. Her fair skin appeared soft and unblemished, while black stockings followed the line of her legs into a pair of high-heeled boots.
This silver-haired girl was named Yuu Shiraishi. In this world, she is Shendu—the Fire Demon, one of the ancient Eight Demon Sorcerers, and the most powerful among them.
Before transmigrating into this world, Yuu had only been an ordinary office worker. One evening after getting off work, she had been struck directly by a meteor that fell from the sky.
When she regained consciousness, she heard the system in her mind speaking to itself, instructing her to use the identity of Shendu to complete its mission.
Although Yuu had been an otaku in her previous life and was more than willing to transmigrate into the world of Re:Zero, she was far less pleased with her current state.
Looking at her chest, her height of about 1.65 meters, and the luxurious gothic dress she was wearing, a trace of resistance rose in her heart. She sternly refused the system.
"System, can I remove the binding?" she demanded.
[Ding~ Host refusal detected. Erasure countdown begins. Ten, nine...]
Shendu felt her heart jolt when she heard the system's voice.
As expected, the so-called system was completely unreasonable.
The moment she refused, a terrifying aura of death enveloped her body. It felt as though she could be wiped out in a single second.
"Stop! I accept the mission!"
Faced with the sensation of imminent death, Shendu chose to compromise. After she agreed, the erasure countdown immediately stopped.
[Wishing the Host a pleasant journey. Once every month, the Host may conduct a Multiverse lottery draw. Draw chances can accumulate!]
The system was truly shameless. After tossing out a single blessing, it cut off the connection entirely, leaving her cursing inwardly.
What kind of system was this?
Unfortunately, she had no choice. She could only reluctantly begin the mission. Before doing so, she checked her status panel, and the result left her somewhat stunned.
[Name: Yuu Shiraishi]
[Current Role: Fire Demon, Shendu]
[Current Abilities: Twelve Talismans, Demonic Fire Aura, All Magic from the Demon Codex]
[Summonable Familiar: Flame Dragon]
[Base Strength: S-Rank]
"Huh? My base strength is already S-Rank? Then wouldn't my full power be double S-Rank?"
A trace of delight flickered in Shendu's blood-red eyes. With such immense strength, she could sweep through this world with ease.
Remembering that she also possessed a familiar named Flame Dragon, Shendu focused her thoughts and lightly tapped the ground with the front sole of her heeled boot.
A massive magic circle appeared instantly.
In a short time, a barrier that isolated space formed above the street. The pedestrians below sensed nothing at all. High-level magic was more than enough to block the perception of ordinary people.
Within the spatial passage that opened above the barrier, a flame dragon appeared before her eyes. Its body was covered in fiery red scales, its beastly pupils burned crimson, and enormous wings extended from its back.
A golden sphere of light enveloped the dragon, shrinking continuously. When the light faded, a tall, red-haired beauty in a red dress—about 1.75 meters—stood before Shendu.
The moment she opened her eyes, she excitedly pulled Shendu into her arms. Completely heedless of her overwhelming curves, she pressed herself close in delight.
"Master, I missed you so much! Why did you only summon me now?"
The red-haired beauty, Flame Dragon in human form, showed no intention of letting go. Like a devoted follower, her eyes carried a trace of grievance.
"Huff... I only just remembered," Shendu replied calmly as she pushed the beauty away.
Just now, pressed against those overwhelming curves, she had almost been unable to breathe.
Afterward, she asked with some curiosity, "Do you have a name?"
"No," the red-haired dragon woman replied pitifully, glancing at her master from time to time.
"Then from now on, you'll be called Akane."
"Also, we've arrived in a new world. Keep a low profile at first. Later, I'll make them understand my true power."
Shendu stared at Akane domineeringly, issuing her command with full chuunibyou flair.
She looked entirely like a high-school delusional tyrant. Combined with her slim frame, she appeared adorably fierce.
"Yes, Master!"
Receiving the order, Akane knelt on one knee respectfully and gave a solemn salute.
...
After accepting the reality of transmigration, Shendu and her servant began to appreciate the scenery of this other world. It resembled European pastoral landscapes, and even the marketplace felt similar.
From time to time, demi-humans could be seen selling fruit, living alongside ordinary humans and interacting harmoniously.
However, whenever passersby saw Shendu's silver hair, their expressions turned to disgust. Akane, standing beside her, looked as though she wanted nothing more than to burn them all to ashes.
Yet each time anger flared within her, a single glance from Shendu extinguished it.
After all, she had come to this world to complete a mission, not to kill and make enemies everywhere. That was not her style.
Unlike the foolish Shendu from the world of Jackie Chan Adventures, her own intelligence was perfectly intact. She intended to begin with small details and gradually take control of the plot.
After walking for a while and growing accustomed to the gazes of the people on the street, a girl who looked like an elf appeared before her.
Seeing that Shendu also had smooth silver hair, the elf-like girl naturally felt a sense of closeness and hurried forward to ask.
"Hello, ladies."
"May I ask if you've seen a very petite little girl with blonde hair?"
The elf girl glanced at Shendu. Her blue-violet eyes carried a trace of anxiety. Although she appeared worried, she still maintained her manners.
"A blonde girl? Would she be wearing ragged clothes and moving very nimbly?"
A thoughtful glint flashed through Shendu's red eyes. She recalled that such a scene did occur in the story of this world.
"Yes. She stole something very important from me. If you know where she is, please tell me as soon as possible."
The silver-haired girl tightly grasped Shendu's hand, her expression sincere and urgent.
Moreover, that little girl possessed a divine protection from this world, which was why she had been able to escape so easily from her, an accomplished spiritual arts user.
Seeing her master's wrist being held by this suddenly appeared elf girl, Akane's eyes flashed with killing intent.
Sensing that hostility, a small gray cat leapt onto the elf girl's shoulder, its expression wary.
At this moment, the elf girl realized her rudeness. Blushing, she released her hand and waited for Shendu's answer.
"That girl seems to be called Felt. She lives toward the slum district. If you go now, you might still find her."
"Thank you. Once I retrieve my item, I'll personally come to thank you."
Emilia bowed, her face full of gratitude.
"By the way, my name is Emilia!"
"Shendu."
"This is my attendant."
Shendu gestured calmly toward the unsmiling Akane beside her.
After exchanging introductions, Emilia turned and left. As she departed, the little gray cat looked at Shendu with visible confusion, as if unable to see through this strange silver-haired, red-eyed girl.
"Master, that woman is far from ordinary. Especially the cat on her shoulder," Akane remarked.
As Shendu's familiar, she had already analyzed Emilia's situation thoroughly in a short time.
"I know. But we'll meet again very soon."
Excitement flickered within Shendu's crimson pupils. Letting Emilia head to the slums first posed no great issue.
In a while, she would go join the commotion. Having finally transmigrated into another world, she had no intention of missing the chance to explore and see what interesting things awaited.
In truth, becoming famous in another world was simple. All she had to do was follow the heroine and the protagonist, and the corresponding events would trigger.
Since she had conveniently run into Emilia, her next target would be Natsuki Subaru.