A/N(edit): Hey guys, Fred here!
uh... and please point out typos and parts which were not clearly understandable due to my long sentences.
Guys please leave some reviews so that I can improve and deliver better content!
So here's the prologue I serve to you all!

Prologue: Explosions and aftermath

Both of them were stared at each other, breathing heavily until one of them managed to calm themself down first and flung a question at the other person, apparently a raven haired guy, "We can't do this!". He took a few a few deep breaths before answering, "Huh?". But that so little of a response of his was met by instant rebuttal, "What do you mean by 'huh'? Are we just going to let him die?!", she said pointing at the now burning loothouse which was undergoing periodic explosions by the minute, a reminder of the fierce battle raging inside.

"I know, I know! But…", the boy took a long look at the loothouse and with an exasperated tone replied, "How are supposed to do that? I don't even know magic, and hell why did he have to go and set fire to the loothouse!". To be honest, he was annoyed that his savior role was taken away, but he couldn't complain really when another adversary joined the 'Gut-hunter' out of the blue. Now he and the half-elf girl- 'Not Satella' were out of the place along with the injured giant. The little thief, Felt had already managed to escape thanks to their efforts. But things went awry after that.

When he and the half elf managed to corner Elsa, a shady looking cloaked guy with his face covered in a veil popped up from nowhere- an assassin, most probably a 'back-up'. And then another guy, a blue-haired one with a fancy shirt and party jeans, totally out of the scenario context popped in from the ceiling and went straight head on to clash on with the two assassins. He said something like buying some time for them, and asked Subaru to run away with the girl. Well, he did whatever he wanted and now things ended up with how they were. Only if that guy discussed something before jumping straight at the assassins, they might've come up with a better stratagem but now they were back to zero and in danger.

He and 'Not Satella' were alone in the opening, oh there was the passed-out giant too, so they weren't really alone, but that didn't really had to plan the next course of action in case their blue haired savior actually died in his bravest act. Sheesh! Just why couldn't that cheeky guy have some patience! Who in these days says, "I'll save you all! Just get back! I'll buy time so run away as fast as you guys can!". Wait, he didn't know the most important thing yet. "Hey!", Subaru called out to the girl whose name he still didn't know, except that it wasn't 'Satella'. "Do you know that blue haired dude from before who jumped to 'buy us some time'?"

"Huh?", apparently not; seeing the reaction she was giving. "Wasn't he supposed to be your acquaintance?", the girl asked him instead. "Na. Don't know him. First time seeing him.", he replied curtly going back to Mr. Thinkey mode while she went back to healing the giant.

Could it be that it was just an act and all the three were working together and they wanted Subaru and group to move to the open where they'd be more vulnerable to attacks from all fronts? That totally made sense! He needed to move closer to her to make sure that she doesn't get hit by a sneak attack while healing the giant like in the common troupes. But before he could do so, a jolt of nausea hit him as he lost his balance and fell on the ground on his all fours. The adrenaline must have worn off. The girl gives him a worried glance due to this fall but is relieved to see that he soon regains his balance and composure.

"Hey, we need to move away from here. It's not safe here.", he states. "What about the blue haired guy?", she asks.

"I don't know.", he says. "But I somewhat feel that it was all an act. Maybe all the three of them were in cahoots. We are in more danger than before if that's the case." He pressed on, impatiently. "What if he is not?", she was clearly annoyed at him for wanting to abandon a 'comrade', but how could he be even sure that the guy from earlier was on their side. He could've prioritized his life over that guy's but not with the girl's. He simply didn't want o take any risks.

"He might already be dead. You saw what those two assassins were capable of. If they come for us after dealing with him then we are surely done for." Yeah that was the fact and there was no way the girl could say anything against that. She mumbled something in dissatisfaction but did not protest. "Ok, then can you keep on healing the giant while we are on the move? I'll be…." "No.", he was met with an instant denial, "It requires concentration to heal. I can't heal him while running. And I'm not going to abandon him too because I need my insignia. And that thief will owe me for keeping him alive." Sure thing that. The typical tsudere charac with her denial of goodwill for doing something out of kindness of heart. It was lovely and it all added to her charisma and all but they needed to stay alive for him to actually start admiration sessions. Come on, how self-centered she could be! But for him it all made her too lovely and he couldn't really blame her. That was the guy Natsuki Subaru was. "Then hurry up. The explosions are growing weaker now." After a few minutes the explosions were finally out and she was done. Just as they were ready to move an eerie voice greeted them.

"How cruel! Dear Frederick would be really sad! Being abandoned by the ones he saved was one thing he hated the most after all… teheheh…"

"Who are you?", Subaru shouted. Was it the blue haired guy? No, it wasn't his voice. They must have dealt with him. Which means it must be the back-up assassin. He turned right and left trying to locate the source of voice. No one in sight. Invisibilty? Or illusion? He turned to 'Not Satella', "Can you sense him?" If his hunch was right elves had a high sense of perception. She closed her eyes trying to read the flow of mana around them.

"Yes. But…", she paused before continuing again, most probably confirming what she was about to say, "he is everywhere. We are surrounded." Her nonchalance made it seem normal. But they were in a prick. There couldn't be that many assassins surrounding them. There just couldn't be. A bunch of them of that caliber would be enough to assassinate the king in broad daylight. It had to be an illusion. He hoped. No, it was an illusion! So using his anime knowledge, Subaru decided to do the thing which would be most viable at the moment. "Can you try to freeze the whole area around us?", he said. "Spare me though. I'm not ice resistant."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you~", the creepy voice mocked them again. "I'm on your side believe me!", the last part was uttered in a girly voice, mocking them. This guy was surely dangerous, but he was acting casually, way too casual. That was all getting on his nerves! Might be his another normal day killing people, or might be that he also had a screw loose like Elsa.

"I am ready!", the girl declared. Subaru moved closer to her along with the giant on his back and tried to stay out of the range of spell.

CRRRRAaaacckk….

The the area froze around them and a deadly chill spread over. The spell must have been taxing on her a lot on since it was a huge AOE spell, which thawed the area around them, even dousing the flames of the loothouse further away in its wake.

The half elf turned around to ask the black haired guy what to do next. Only to find him frozen like some familiar ice statues.

How did he end up like this? Who did this? It was not her. She was supposed to freeze the area around, not him. Wait, the giant was alright, his weight cracking the ice statue of the boy. "N...n...NOOOOO!" she screamed horrified, that her spell had actually killed her savior. "PLEASE WAIT!", she cried, asking the boy to hold on a little longer. She would fix him up. He was not dead. She didn't kill him. She didn't! The statue shattered under the weight of the giant.

"Oya, Oya~ You were supposed to freeze me along with the area and not your friend! What a bad girl you are! MURDERER!", the voice mocked her again, now more in a accusing manner.

It was all his fault! He killed her savior! It was them! She didn't do anything wrong. She didn't...

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry ...I'm...", she kept on repeating those words of apology like a broken record.

The ice statues back in the Elior forest... was it her too... The boy also turned into an ice statue like those... Was it her all along who froze her people? She was a bad girl, wasn't she? She was a witch, wasn't she?

"NOOOOOOOO!"

She screamed like a bereaved child who had watched her family die in front of her eyes (not that it really happened tho.) She started radiating magical energy like crazy sending waves of ice cold blizzard all around freezing all her surroundings. She had gone berserk, devoid of sanity.

"Ara…ara… what a disappointment!", the familiar bitch in black shook her head in disapproval, disgusted at the half elf for her pathetic display. She wouldn't even bother to gut her now.

"I will finish her off, senpai.", the creepy guy said in a demanding tone, unlike his usual care-free demeanor.

"Do as you please.", she was not interested anymore. She had her fill gutting the guy earlier who brimmed with righteousness. Ah!... the look in his eyes when he fought her, his desperation and his nonchalance towards his own life... it was all so exhilarating. Only if all her prey were like that she would never be bored. Come to think of it he said something before he died.- "Don't die." was it? Poor guy... But she felt that it was not directed towards them... Who cares, anyway. Dead men tell no tales.

The guy pointed his palm towards the half elf who was still oblivious of the invisibility spell which he had cast around himself and cast the same spell on her which he had cast on the boy. Honestly he didn't expect the boy to develop a response to his spell, when he fell down. Might be an error in the calculation somewhere. But all is well if it ends well.

The cloaked assassin pointed his palm toward the crying girl, after readying his spell, "Goodbye elf-chan!"

The rampaging half-elf started turning into a ice statue from bottom to head with cracks all over. Her mana output slowly dimmed before coming to a stop, and finally shattering into pieces just like Subaru moments ago.

"Whew! We saved the slums! Hey senpai! We are the heroes today! Let's celebrate on this occasion?"

"..."

"Hey, hey~, don't just ignore me!", the cloaked assassin tagging behind the Gut hunter, slowly disappeared in the snow filled slums.

A/N: Well my self insert oc doesn't appear in this chapter-'Prologue'.

I'm giving equal weightage to the main cast and their development. This is not just 'The oc does this and that' but how he interacts and what results occur due to his interferences and interactions.

Alright! The main oc's screen will keep on increasing from next chapter in onwards.

Stay tuned to find out what plans he has in store for the main cast.

And I've decided to post reference arts of the iconic scenes of the chapters. Uh… yeah in the discord server itself. In case you haven't joined yet, here is the link:

/z4sMtj2u

Drop in your reviews and criticisms. Don't be so much of a lazy bum. Giving me reviews gives me points to improve on. So that's it. Ciao.