"Huh? Isn't staying in the territory nice? You get to eat well and sleep well, right?"
Although Shendu did not elaborate, her tone clearly implied that he was useless.
After all, only useless people eat and sleep all day without doing anything else. In her mind, Natsuki Subaru was precisely in that sort of state.
"That's too rude, Lady Shendu! I'm really not useless. I even have magical talent!"
Natsuki Subaru slowly walked toward her and leaned in to whisper in front of her, looking as though he was begging to be praised.
"Magical talent? Show me."
A trace of disdain flickered in Shendu's crimson eyes as she looked at Natsuki Subaru sternly, curious to see what trick he was about to pull.
"Yes, Lady Shendu."
With her permission granted, Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath and began gathering mana, preparing to release the only spell he could control.
However, a cloud of black smoke instantly appeared, blocking her line of sight.
But Shendu's True Sight could easily see through whoever was hiding inside. A mere smokescreen was useless against her.
Seeing this, Shendu flashed forward and appeared beside Natsuki Subaru, who had already exhausted his mana and collapsed weakly onto the ground. She promptly tossed him toward the garden.
She casually injected a bit of mana into him as well, helping him recover enough to move again.
"Tsk, you're far too weak. Natsuki Subaru, that hardly counts as combat power, does it?"
Shendu stared at him with undisguised disappointment. She had expected at least something mildly interesting, but in the end, she had simply overestimated him.
"Hahaha! This guy's such an idiot. He clearly isn't strong enough, yet he still tried to show off in front of Sister Shendu. What a big dummy!"
Just as Natsuki Subaru was about to say something in defense of himself, Felt walked over from a distance. Seeing him sprawled on the ground, she burst into laughter.
"I'm not an idiot. I just learned magic recently and don't know how to use it properly yet."
Being teased by a younger girl made Natsuki Subaru's face flush red. He could only offer a weak explanation.
Truth be told, Natsuki Subaru had privately asked Puck to examine his magical aptitude. The result had been the lowest possible rating.
Moreover, he possessed only a single attribute—[Yin].
In this world's magical system, there were four primary attributes: wind, earth, fire, and water, along with two additional attributes, Yin and Yang.
Take Puck's magic for example. When they sparred, he had used ice magic.
After further questioning, Shendu learned that it was actually a type of fire magic that controlled temperature, freely adjusting flames to transform them into ice or blazing fireballs.
It was entirely different from water-attribute magic.
These four elemental attributes functioned like overarching categories, each containing countless sub-branches.
Unlike the magic Shendu commanded, where each category was distinct and clearly divided, this world's system was not as refined as the one from the Jackie Chan Adventures world.
Perhaps that was why there were so few magicians in this world. It was rather thought-provoking.
"Tsk, then let me show you what real magic looks like."
While Shendu was lost in thought, Felt and Natsuki Subaru continued bickering.
Felt raised her small hand slightly. The surrounding air turned cold, and more than a dozen snowflakes materialized before her.
This brief display left the rookie protagonist utterly stunned—and visibly envious.
"How did you do that, Felt?"
After recovering enough to stand, Natsuki Subaru asked with genuine curiosity.
"Hmph, I'm not telling you."
Felt crossed her arms at her waist, her expression innocent and carefree as she refused.
...
"Guests, I'm heading to the nearby village to purchase supplies. If it's on the way, you may come along and take a look around the village as well."
Rem had naturally overheard their entire conversation. After noticing Natsuki Subaru's request to Shendu, she had quietly waited for the right moment to speak.
As for this person who carried the scent of the Witch, Rem remained extremely wary. She wanted to see what tricks he might attempt.
Allowing him to come along and observing him for weaknesses was not a bad idea. As a maid of the mansion, that was part of her duty.
Hearing Rem's words, everyone turned to look at the blue-haired maid. She stood there calmly with a basket in hand, waiting for their response.
"Wow, Miss Rem, you came at just the right time! I was just inviting Lady Shendu to go too!"
Natsuki Subaru was overjoyed at her suggestion. If he had wings, he would have flown straight to the nearby village to set off with these beautiful girls.
"Oh? If Miss Shendu comes along as well, that's fine. I'm only purchasing ingredients. The more people, the livelier it will be."
Rem's words were impeccably composed as she glanced at the unfathomable girl.
For someone whose hostility toward her had reached eighty, the fact that the blue-haired maid had not acted at all already showed remarkable restraint. Being able to speak this gently demonstrated her high level of discipline.
"Sure! Felt should come too. I don't think I've taken you to that village before."
Shendu recalled the last time she had gone to the village—the way the villagers had looked at her and Emilia with fear had been rather amusing.
However, since she was not a half-elf, their hostility toward her was far less severe than toward Emilia.
"No problem, Big Sister."
At Shendu's invitation, Felt beamed and threw herself into her arms, acting spoiled. Natsuki Subaru watched with blatant envy.
Obviously, I'm supposed to be the protagonist... so why am I doing so miserably?
From the beginning until now, the only thing he had received was a single power granted by Shendu—and the ability to cast a minor vision-obscuring spell. He was practically disgracing his fellow transmigrators.
"Alright, let's set off. We'll return before noon."
After saying that, Rem walked ahead on her own.
Noticing this, Natsuki Subaru hurried forward, attempting to strike up a conversation.
Unfortunately, when facing someone who carried the Witch's scent, Rem's expression remained cold as unmelting ice. Whenever their conversation reached a crucial point, she would glare sharply at him.
"Hmph, Big Sister, walking with that idiot makes me feel like I'll get dumber too."
Felt clung to Shendu's arm, growing more dissatisfied the longer she looked at the rookie.
"Heh, that's part of the fun, isn't it?"
Shendu shook her head. Having this chuunibyou boy around did make things a little more interesting.