I Got Reincarnated with OP Stats...For Snacking?

At this point, Shizuku had fully embraced her new career as a forest-dwelling menace. Or rather, a wannabe menace. So far, her entire bandit résumé consisted of scaring off a merchant, falling out of a tree, and accidentally intimidating a goat. She was beginning to suspect she wasn't cut out for a life of crime. But she was also too hungry and too stubborn to give up.

Currently, she was crouched behind a bush—again—squinting down at the road and dramatically whispering to herself like she was narrating a villain's origin story.

"A shadow stalks the road," she muttered. "A figure cloaked in mystery. A bandit queen feared by nobles and bakery carts alike…"

Her stomach let out a loud growl, ruining the ambiance.

"…and deeply betrayed by her metabolism."

Just as she was considering abandoning this whole "rob people" idea in favor of yelling at squirrels again, the sound of hooves reached her ears. Not just any hooves—fancy hooves. The kind that clopped with confidence and were definitely brushed more often than Shizuku was these days.

She peeked out from the bush and nearly fell over. Rolling down the road was a small procession of carriages so ornate they practically glittered. The lead carriage was white and gold with carved roses on the doors and silver trim. Velvet curtains peeked through the open windows. Several knights on horseback flanked the convoy, wearing polished armor that screamed "We Have Money" louder than any signpost could.

Shizuku's eyes sparkled with desperate hope.

"Oh ho ho," she whispered, pushing her hood up. "What's this? A noble? Royalty? Snack aristocracy? This is it—the treasure cart."

She was halfway through planning her dramatic entrance when the forest suddenly exploded. A monstrous roar shattered the air as something huge and angry burst out of the trees—part bear, part lizard, all rage. It had claws the size of daggers, a tail that knocked over entire trees, and glowing eyes that screamed boss-level threat.

The knights immediately drew their swords. Horses neighed in panic. One carriage nearly tipped as the occupants screamed. Chaos erupted in seconds.

Shizuku watched, frozen in disbelief.

"I—what—no fair! I was gonna rob them!" she complained, standing upright with arms flailing. "Hey! Giant forest lizard bear! Get your own nobles!"

The knights charged. The monster roared. One got swatted aside like a fly. Another tried to flank, only to be launched into a tree. The prince—because clearly there was a prince, there was always a prince—stepped out of the fanciest carriage, barking orders like a competent protagonist. And still, the monster rampaged.

Shizuku groaned.

"Of course. I finally find a carriage worth robbing and some forest boss has to ruin everything."

She sighed. She didn't want to get involved. She was supposed to be an anonymous, shadowy bandit with questionable morals and a sweet tooth. But then one of the knights screamed, and a kid poked their terrified face out of the carriage. Her hands clenched.

"Fine," she muttered. "Hero mode: ON."

She stepped onto the road, right in the monster's path, and raised one hand. Her eyes narrowed.

"Hey, oversized lizard rug!" she shouted. "You just interrupted a potential snack heist. Prepare to die."

Before anyone could stop her—or question why a girl in rags was yelling at a monster—she snapped her fingers. A blazing column of fire erupted from the earth and slammed into the beast. Flames twisted through the air like a living dragon. The monster let out a howl as it was engulfed in a swirling inferno, and with a final screech, collapsed into a smoking heap of defeat.

Silence followed.

The knights froze. Horses snorted nervously. Even the prince looked stunned.

Shizuku casually dusted off her hands and turned to the crowd.

"You're welcome," she said, completely forgetting for a moment that this world didn't do magic.

The silence lingered. Then came the whispers.

"She conjured fire."

"She's the demon."

"She burned it with witchcraft."

"It's her—the one from the village reports!"

Shizuku blinked.

"Oh… right."

Before she could explain—or more likely, insult someone—swords surrounded her. A dozen knights formed a circle, eyes wide and weapons ready. She raised her hands slowly, fingers twitching.

"Okay, look. I'm not a demon. I'm just a sarcastic girl with a fire problem."

"Seize her," the prince ordered calmly, stepping forward with all the composure of someone used to giving dramatic orders.

Shizuku pointed at him.

"Oh, so now we're arresting people who save your noble butts? What's next—punishing heroes for stopping world-ending evils? Huh? Is this the dark timeline?"

The prince didn't flinch.

"She's dangerous. She'll be taken to the palace and judged accordingly."

"Judged?! I literally saved you from a monster so big it could've been a final boss!" she yelled. "At least give me a fruit tart first!"

The knights ignored her. She was tied up—not too tightly, she noted, almost like they were scared to get close—and loaded onto the last carriage, still grumbling the whole way.

"This is why I don't help people," she muttered to herself. "One fireball, and suddenly you're the villain. Never mind that I didn't ask for magic. Or that your guards were getting wrecked like level-one NPCs. Nope. Fire girl bad. Thanks, goddess. Ten out of ten reincarnation."

The carriage rolled forward, bumping gently over the dirt path. A pair of knights sat on either side of her, clearly unsure what to do with the tied-up, muttering teenager in their midst. One of them tried to ask a question.

"What… are you?"

Shizuku stared him dead in the eyes.

"I'm hungry. I'm tired. I have third-degree sarcasm burns. And I swear, if this palace doesn't have cake, I will burn the curtains."

He didn't speak to her again.

Outside, the trees thinned and the sky widened. In the distance, the glittering rooftops of the capital shimmered like a mirage. Towering white spires stretched upward, glowing faintly in the afternoon sun. The city looked like something out of a fantasy story—gleaming, clean, far too shiny for a world that had been mostly mud, monsters, and betrayal so far.

Shizuku pressed her cheek to the window, half-scowling.

"Why does the capital look like a cake topper and smell like disappointment?"

The other knight snorted before immediately coughing and looking away.

She sighed again, louder this time, just in case the universe was listening.

"This isn't how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to be chilling in a castle, sipping cocoa, solving cute magical mysteries or something. Not... being arrested for heroic arson."

The carriage clattered through the gates of the capital. Crowds parted with curiosity as the convoy passed, some whispering and pointing at her window. She pulled her hood over her face, trying to look mysterious instead of cranky. She tried to tune out the noble architecture and picturesque gardens and instead focused on escape plans. Maybe she could fake a demonic possession? Claim divine misunderstanding? Bribe someone with firewood and sarcasm?

The palace gates loomed up ahead, all white stone and gold filigree, as obnoxiously majestic as a romance cover. The carriage stopped. The door creaked open.

"Let's go," one knight said.

"I swear," Shizuku muttered as she stepped out, "if anyone makes a 'witch in chains' joke, I'm lighting the carpet on fire."

Escorted between two guards, she marched across the pristine palace courtyard with the grace of someone who had long since stopped caring about first impressions.

"If this turns into a trial scene, someone better have snacks," she grumbled.

And with that, she let the palace doors close behind her, stomping straight into whatever fresh noble nonsense awaited her inside.

To be continued...