Volume 1, Chapter 33

At the eastern outskirts of Deepwinter Forest,

A pink-haired girl, already covered in wounds, was desperately fleeing deeper into the forest, paying no heed to her bleeding injuries, her increasingly weak body, or the Abyssal Demons that could appear before her at any moment.

The girl’s only thought now was to escape, to flee from the pursuers behind her.

She wanted to go home.

Driven by this intense desire to survive, even though the direction she was heading was completely opposite to where her home lay, she had no intention of stopping. However, as the effects of the intermediate magic ‘Speak’s Haste Spell’ gradually faded, the girl’s running speed began to slow.

The pursuers behind her were getting closer and closer.

‘Save… save… save me… please, someone… anyone… save me…’

Despair gradually enveloped the girl’s heart.

As the pink-haired girl grew more desperate, the several pursuers in brown hooded coats behind her became increasingly anxious! Because as they ventured deeper into Deepwinter Forest, the oppressive atmosphere around them grew heavier, and a faint, lingering scent of blood irritated their nostrils.

They knew all too well that within this cold, deathly silent forest dwelled the most terrifying existence on this continent.

That was the Abyssal Demons.

And as they went deeper, the likelihood of encountering an Abyssal Demon skyrocketed.

With the strength of the four of them, if they encountered an Abyssal Demon, it would likely be a disaster.

If they were unlucky enough to run into one of sixth tier or higher, they would undoubtedly be dead without a doubt!

No,

‘We can’t let this brat keep running!’

Realizing that the pink-haired girl ahead had entered his firing range, the black-haired man named Laplo unconsciously bit his lip, his sinister gaze fixed on the girl frantically fleeing in the distance.

Looking at that girl, Laplo felt a dull ache in his lower body.

Earlier, when he tried to have a ‘friendly exchange’ with that little beauty,

This damn brat didn’t know what was good for her and, catching him off guard, attacked his crotch! Causing him excruciating pain as he collapsed to the ground. Then the girl snatched the magic scroll he was guarding and, aided by the acceleration magic, rushed into Deepwinter Forest, trying to use the complex terrain to evade pursuit.

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This brat not only damaged his manhood but also made him lose face in front of his companions!

If he didn’t teach her a harsh lesson!

He wouldn’t be called Laplo!

‘Let’s see where you can run now!’

Cursing viciously in his heart, Laplo pulled out the magic rifle from his waist and aimed it at the distant pink figure.

??!!

“Hey! Don’t shoot, you idiot!”

Seeing Laplo’s actions, a scar-faced man beside him who was also part of the pursuit immediately roared, trying to stop Laplo!

Unfortunately,

It was too late.

By the time the scar-faced man shouted, Laplo had already eagerly pulled the trigger, and a cruel tongue of flame burst forth.

“BOOM!!~~”

A flash of firelight, accompanied by a loud bang,

Suddenly shattered the tranquility of the nearby forest.

The rifle, filled with magic power, abruptly unleashed the fury within it! The enchanted bullet wrapped in sky-blue magic power transformed into a streak of blue light that tore through the air, striking the pink-haired girl’s back with pinpoint accuracy and piercing through her chest.

In an instant,

The snow was stained red with blood.

The pink-haired girl, who had just leaped over a boulder, instantly lost her ability to keep running. The pink acceleration magic circle around her abruptly disintegrated. With a weak cry from the girl, her slender body fell powerlessly, crashing heavily onto the snow below.

“Woohoo! Got her!!”

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Laplo couldn’t help but jump up and cheer.

However, before he could laugh for long,

The scar-faced man rushed to his side, punched him in the head, then grabbed him by the neck, furiously demanding,

“You idiot! Why did you shoot?!”

“I… I…”

Laplo, directly grabbed by the neck, was stunned, looking uneasily at the scar-faced man.

“B-boss, I… I was just afraid she’d keep running deeper! What if we encounter an Abyssal Demon… we wouldn’t…”

“You think firing a shot won’t attract an Abyssal Demon’s attention?!”

“This, I…”

Laplo was momentarily speechless.

Seeing this, the scar-faced man, the leader of this pursuit squad, Depier, became even more furious. He slammed this disobedient, foolish underling against a nearby giant tree.

“And! That girl is someone the Divine Punishment Holy Church wants! She alone is worth 3 million Star Source Coins! If you killed that woman, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!!”

“This… this… this girl is someone the Divine Punishment Holy Church wants?!”

“Of course! If it weren’t for her, Marquis Duke ¹ once again, Marquis is the title while Duke is the family name wouldn’t be hunting us! We wouldn’t have had to flee Windward City at this time!”

Hearing this, Laplo grew even more anxious. After getting up from the snow, he stood there dumbfounded, unsure what to do.

His behavior once again irritated Depier.

“Useless trash who can’t accomplish anything but mess things up!”

If it weren’t for you not being able to control your lower half, we wouldn’t have to work so hard to catch this girl.

Forget catching her,

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Now this girl might be dead!

Gnashing his teeth and glaring at Laplo, Depier looked at the other underlings not far away. “What are you looking at! Hurry up and check if that girl is still alive!! If she is, take her away quickly! Damn it, I hope that gunshot didn’t attract any Abyssal Demons!”

Saying this,

Depier leaped up and, aided by brown battle aura, quickly rushed toward where the pink-haired girl had fallen.

Damn it,

Don’t really be dead!

You damn bitch, if you’re going to die, do it after helping me get 3 million Star Source Coins!

Depier kept ‘praying’ inwardly.

Soon,

With full battle aura acceleration, Depier arrived at the spot where the pink-haired girl had fallen.

After pushing through the obstructive bushes, Depier and the others found the girl worth millions as they wished. However, the next moment, Depier and the others’ eyes suddenly widened in shock as they looked ahead in disbelief.

Because they found an unexpected guest.

Right now,

Beside the pink-haired girl lying in the snow, a girl wearing an exquisite, flowing black robe and dress, with black-to-red gradient long hair, had appeared at some unknown time. Looking at the girl’s breathtakingly beautiful face, everyone’s hearts began to race wildly.

Intense greed began to appear in their eyes.

Having been in the slave smuggling business for years,

They could tell at a glance the value of this black-haired girl. If they could sell this girl on the black market, the profits she would bring would certainly be no less than that pink-haired girl! Perhaps even more!

The gunshot didn’t attract Abyssal Demons, but instead led them to encounter such a stunning beauty!

This is,

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Too lucky!

‘Hahaha! We’re really going to strike it rich today!’

Everyone couldn’t help but think this in their minds, excitement taking over their brains. They began to step toward the black-haired girl, their movements like lecherous goblins surrounding prey…

Disgusting.

However,

Not everyone felt such excitement.

The moment he saw this girl, Depier felt extremely uneasy, and a strong sense of foreboding continuously spread through his mind.

No,

Something’s wrong!

Why would there be someone here?! And such a beautiful girl at that?! In the depths of winter, wearing such thin clothing, and barefoot?! A normal person would have frozen to death long ago!

Something’s wrong! Absolutely something’s wrong!

Raising his hand to stop his companions’ foolish, reckless behavior, Depier cautiously demanded:

“You… who are you? Why are you here?!”

However, the girl gave no reply, merely glancing at them quietly.

The next moment,

Under Depier and the others’ slightly stunned gazes, Blood Butterflies gradually flew before them.

??

Huh?

“This… these are… butterflies??”