"szz..sz" (gasping sound).
(rustling... rustling sound)
The hasty footsteps of a little girl crossed the dense forest. The screeching wind, combined with the sound of breaking and rubbing branches, tore at her clothes, revealing many bleeding wounds all over her body. But that didn't stop her steps from quickening. She clutched a duffel bag full of herbs, determined not to turn around.
Desperate tears rolled down her cheeks, her face terrified at the sight of a giant creature rushing after her. It let out a scream of horror, and the destructive power was frightening, as it always turned the places it had just set foot through into a mess.
"Rumble" The herb bag was torn into hundreds of pieces. The green herb leaves were crushed and scattered all over the ground.
"No, no, don't come here!" She tried to crawl forward, screaming. Her fingertips were bleeding and gradually turning black by the dirt.
The monster seized the opportunity, lunging at her as she stumbled in pain. It bared its sharp jaws and growled as if to devour her alive.
Behind the long, red tongue was a black, deep mouth, which had expanded to its fullest extent. Slimy drool poured from it, covering the poor girl's body.
Realising that the monster was pressing against her, its sharp claws just a knuckle away from her body, the little girl trembled, closed her eyes in fear and mumbled belated words of regret to her dear mother.
"Mum, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you"
"I'm sorry!!" She sobbed, her breaths becoming more rapid and her heart beating loudly.
The inevitable death was before her eyes.
"Gahh..." the fierce monster swung its claws at her.
The red liquid splattered, staining the cold and gloomy space that was gradually being replaced by a gray smokescreen, which was technically mist.
◇
"clop-clop" Leon turned curiously at the sudden pause of footsteps. Leti was pulling his hand, as if trying to say something.
"Knight-san, we've been gone for a while. Do you feel…"
"like something is watching us?" Leon whispered. He surveyed his surroundings carefully, gripping the demon sword tightly in his hand.
"So you sense it too ?" Leti sighed nervously and squeezed her own hand.She apologised hesitantly.
"I apologise for involving you in this situation. You should have been safe while walking in that straight way."
"Leti-san, never mind. As a real man, I have a responsibility to help beautiful girls who are struggling" Leon patted his chest confidently.
Leti froze for a moment when she heard this, covering her mouth with laughter, sneaking a glance at Leon's massive body and quickly turning away in an already slightly relaxed mood.
"Thank you" Leti muttered.
Seeing that her fear had subsided somewhat, Leon was happy too. He reached out his hand to gently remove some of the small flowers that were swaying gently with the butterfly's wings, intending to surprise Leti.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew through Leti's flowing hair, bringing a soft golden sunlight to her rosy skin. At that moment, Leon stood still, his eyes faltering for the first time as he saw a rare, pure beauty of a warrior who had went through so many battles.
Leon unconsciously touched the hair, but then pulled his hand back. His face flushed with embarrassment, his whole body numb to Leti's fixedly gaze as she suddenly turned.
"Knight-san... "
"I'm sorry. I just..." Leon stammered, clasping his hands and sweating nervously.
"I'll tell you everything!" Leti pulled the crumpled letter out of the old black book. She opened it carefully and handed it to Leon.
"Huh?" To Leon's surprise, he suddenly let go and took the letter. A feeling of relief suddenly came over him when he realised that Leti wasn't paying attention to what he was doing.
But Leon suddenly saw the sadness in those sparkling eyes, he said nothing in silence, waiting for Leti's much lower voice, filled with anxiety: "There are some children who have been kidnapped, mainly elfs and beastmen, who have just been taken to the orphanage of the Adventurers' Guild"
"Kidnapping. That's a very serious thing..." Leon read every scribbled line carefully.
"Yes, I hope the children were just lost and still somewhere safe. And most of all, I hope they don't get involved with slave traders, especially that man"
"That man?"
Leti pursed her lips, her eyes emerged with red veins as she thought back to the image of the evil, scar-faced man who had laughed mockingly and contemptuously when he tormented countless elf slaves and half-humans in front of her.
"His name is... is..." Leti trembled with rage.
"The Bastard Slavis"
"A filthy nobleman who has grown rich from the slave trade, murder for hire and so many other crimes!"
"As long as he has money, he will defy all vile tricks" Leti choked out, her steps getting heavier and faster, she had left Leon behind all the time.
"That bastard runs an organisation that kidnaps and trades in half-human slaves. They work with their comrades in the Empire to create a road dedicated to transporting..."
A few small particles of unknown colour slowly blew away the dust and covered Leon's chest, the screeching of the wind in waves temporarily drowning out Leti's next words while bringing with it an incomprehensible crackling sound.
"Sprinkle ... sprinkle" Leon turned his eyes curiously to the strange sound.
"Carefully Leti-san. Over your head" Leon screamed in panic as he saw a rotten branch, broken and showing signs of imminent fall, aimed directly at Leti.
Leti was startled by Leon's unexpected warning. She lifted her head to look at them while quickly drew her sword.
"Hellfire Dance"
"Whew... "
Pieces of wood splintered out and the sound of wind-shredding blades still echoed in the space. If you looked closely, you could see some small magical flames shooting out like fireflies. They flew around for a while, then disappeared completely as they were battered by the incoming winds.
Leti glided into the centre like a dancer, surrounded by a storm of leaves swirling along her beautiful sword lines.
"Leti, are you all right?" Leon ran back nervously.
"I'm fine. Thank you..." Leti held up her hand, wanting to signal that she was fine.
"Huh. What's going on...?" Leti stopped suddenly. Her hands stiffened and she began to feel tired.
A terrible dizziness caused Leti to gradually lose her balance, staggering like a marionette with a broken string. Her body shook, the sharp pain made her clutch her head, her eyes blurred. As a result, she fell backwards, but luckily Leon ran over and picked her up.
"Leti-san. What's wrong with you?"
"I... I"
"I'm fine. It's just..." Leti weakly tried to stand up.
"I'm a bit dizzy" She grimaced, breathing heavily, her heartbeat quickening.
"You seem a bit tired, don't you? We have walked a long way with didn't take a rest" Leon raised his hand to Leti, asking her kindly. He secretly hoping that nothing too dangerous would happen.
"Onii-chan, will you come and play with me next time?" the little girl clutched the boy's hand, her eyes filled with tears. She was wearing a white hospital shirt filled with medical equipment to monitor her condition. She coughed a few times before letting go of the boy's hand, waving happily at him as soon as she received a shake of the hand in agreement.
Those sparkling eyes followed him until her shadow slowly disappeared behind the operating room door. It was at that fateful moment that time seemed to stand still as Leon saw her bright smile as a final thank-you gift to him.
"Yukina-chan" Leon murmured, remembering his memories of his cousin in his previous life. The first and only time he saw her was when she was lying in a hospital bed, battling an insidious disease. The high and low lines of the ECG, the beeping of the medical equipment still clung to his mind.
Leon couldn't forget his broken appearance, especially the sad face of the doctor that night. Her optimistic silhouette had grown too cold, dark behind the white cloth. Even though he couldn't remember how many times the doctor had bowed his head and apologised with tears in his eyes, he knew that he would never be able to keep that promise again.
"Yukina ch..an?" Leti gasped at Leon, stuttering incomprehensibly.
"Knight-san..." Leti was coma. She closed her eyes, her forehead was cold and her skin was turning pale.
"Leti, what's wrong with you?"
"Wake up, Leti-san," Leon snapped back to reality in a panic. In his arms was Leti's unconscious body, some blood dripping from the corners of her mouth.
"Leti-san, please wake up..." The terrible sense of loss from the past gripped Leon's mind, sending him into a deep panic. He didn't know what else to do but hurry to get her up. His eyes strained, he spun around and was lucky enough to see a rotting wooden hut at the end of the path.
Without knowing when, a dreamy white mist covered the forest. As if by some invisible magic, the few drops of blood that had just been scattered on the ground evaporated and mingled with the mist.
◇
Harold wore a fur coat, a ring with a beautiful black pearl on his left hand that set him apart from all the other nobles. He walked comfortably forward, his eyes scowling at the waiters as they hurried away. He laughed, a smile that was disgusting when he saw a beautiful maid walk by.
"That maid is so"delicious", shall I play with her for a night?..." Harold thought as he walked on until he came to a tall young man with his back to the wall. He was holding an old leather book with some faded ancient runes on the cover.
"Damn you, you're blind" Harold shouted angrily, his eyes bloodshot and his hands clenched. He wanted to give the man who had just bumped into him a beating for life, his muscular body flexing like a giant Black Forest bear.
"Wait, it's the weak prince of the kingdom" Harold calmed down and relaxed his hands.
"The old Grafe has finally recognised you, Julius" Harrold shook off his thoughts and looked at the man who had bent down to pick up the book from the floor and raised his voice.
"Don't talk about my father like that, Harrold"
"Since when did you think that nasty old man was your father?" Harold laughed ridiculously.
"Stop pretending, don't you want him dead as soon as possible?"
"Shut up, shut up quickly!"
"Reveal your nature, weak prince. Surely you won't forget the failed assassination attempt that day?"
"I told you to shut up, you bastard Harold!" Julius was furious. He raised his fist in Harold's direction.
"Calm down Julius!"
Harold easily dodged the blow and caught Julius's hand. He casually squeezed it with desperate force, ignoring the excruciating pain that had appeared and tormented Julius.
"You will never be on my level and your little country... Well, I'll turn it into a dead land later"
"Let... let me go, you bastard!" Julius shouted.
"Shhh. You're so loud" Suddenly Harold looked around, noticed the crowd of nobles growing and stopped his hand. He let go of Julius's hand, swaggered arrogantly and pulled out a cigarette and a gilded lighter.
Harold lit a cigarette, he let out some white smoke, causing Julius to inhale, he held his chest and coughed incessantly.
"Is the smell of cigars good ?" Harold laughed contemptuously, kicking the prince in the ribs with his foot, causing him to fall to his knees in pain. Humiliated, Julius curled up into a ball, hugging his large tent body tightly to hide his embarrassing image.
"See you again, I'll go first" Harold smoked as he looked at the gold watch in his hand, casually stepping on Julius' white party clothes as if he hadn't seen anything.
"Everybody, disperse" Harold said loudly, pointing across the room and heading straight for it.
When the crowd learned that he was Harold, Prince of the Empire, they fell silent. They obediently followed his heels, not daring to cough or turn to ask about the young man, bloodshot eyes gritting his teeth in indignation.
Julius watched helplessly as Harold moved on. He approached a magnificent room with a multitude of well-prepared, sumptuous banquet tables. Formally dressed waiters hurried back and forth, and in the depths of the room were many high ranking nobles, laughing incessantly. Most of the honourable ladies, princes from all the prestigious clans are gathered here today to attend a great event concerning the Holy Kingdom.
Julius stood up and clenched his teeth to dust off his shirt. He clenched his sore thumb, rubbed his ribs gently and tried to stand firm. He reached for the leather book that lay disorderly on the floor and let go of the Empire curse.
"Don't be presumptuous, Harold!"
Julius walked heavily towards the guards standing nearby, hoping to find a healer. He was about to raise his voice, but the small Empire insignia on their chests caught his eye, making Julius gave up.
The staggering footsteps, hands clutching their flanks, drew attention to a group of people who had just entered from the main hall. A girl with a white crown and a haughty dress spotted him and approached nervously. She dimly recognised Julius and held out her hand, opening it in a very sweet voice:
"Have you just fallen, Julius-sama?"
"No" Julius snapped back. At that moment he noticed that Harold's dirty shoe prints were still faintly visible on his shirt.
"That bastard..." Julius muttered.
"Are you in trouble?" The girl asked again.
"Just a little, thanks for asking Elisa-san" Julius coldly brushed the girl's hand aside. He tucked his sore hand into his pocket before walking into the banquet room without turning his head.
"Hey, the arrogant prince" the maid next to her shouted angrily after witnessing what had just happened.
"Hey, stop..."
"Enough, Label" Elisa took the hand that was pointing at Julius and tried to lower it.
"But he, he dares to despise a lady saint!" The maid was displeased.
"Label, I'm not a lady saint yet" Elisa insisted "Ignore him, he must have just come across something unpleasant to talk about"
"Julius-sama has always had a bad temper since he was younger"
Elisa turned around. She sighed, her hand cupping the small heart-shaped opening of a dazzling pearl necklace, an important memento that had been attached to her since childhood.
"More importantly, Label. Will I see Charlotte today..."
She pointed to the sweet little girl standing next to her. It was a childhood portrait of both girls.
"Elisama, huh..." the maid's cheeks puffed out.
"Can you stop thinking about Charlotte-sama for a moment?"
"If you need company, I can..." The maid blushed jealously.
"Label, stop the story" Elisa dodged and gagged Label with her hand. She tried to change the subject by pulling a letter of invitation out of Label's pocket.
"Hey, don't ignore me ... " the maid said in annoyance.
"Shhh"
"We should stop talking for a while or we will be late!" Elisa whispered some magic to draw the cross symbol on the invitation and handed it to a butler in the background.
"Help me give it to them, okay?" Elisa whispered, pointing to a group of knights standing guard near the entrance to the room.
"Hmm. . . Charlotte, I'm coming to you!" Elisa left the maid's unfinished story behind. Excitedly, she pulls Label's hand into the banqueting hall, where the great door slowly closes to greet the last of the guests.
◇
The thick white fog covered part of the forest, making the scene very cold and gloomy. Strong winds came up in waves and seemed to blow away the fog, but they couldn't.
In a small bungalow at the edge of the forest, which was so rotten it looked as if it might collapse at any moment, there were sounds of reproach.
"You're such a nuisance" Gabul grumbled at Leon.
"Gabul, thank you. Luckily he had dissolved all the poison. Otherwise..." Leon folded his hands in gratitude.
"Huh, just your worrying personality" An annoyed Gabul prepares to hide in Leon's shadow.
"I promise to treat you to delicious food to make up for it"
"Don't ever dream of me trusting you again" Ganul's eyes glares at Leon before disappearing completely into the black shadow on the ground.
"Sympathise with me, Gabul..." Leon said as he helped Leti drink the healing potion.
…..
"I hope it takes effect quickly" Leon whispered. He waited in silence, relieved to see the warm, soft light that had just appeared and surrounded Leti's body. The ruddy colour slowly returned to her skin, her breathing seemed to become more even.
At this moment, the small room was so quiet that only the crunching of leaves hitting the wooden wall outside and Leti's occasional cough could be heard.
Leti was lying in a corner of the room, sitting next to Leon, who was lost in thought about Gabul's suspicions.
"I didn't expect this mist to be so dangerous" Leon stared at the potion in his hand and thought to himself.
"Gabul said it came from some high-level monsters. But in this vicinity of the mountains, it is probably the breath of the "Blue Dew Snake""
"More importantly. What should I do now? "
(coughing sound)
(coughing sound) The relentless coughs startled Leon. He looked over and saw Leti sitting up weakly. She was breathless but was still trying to ask Leon what had happened.
Leon handed Leti a glass of warm water and carefully inquired about her health before beginning his story:
"Leti, you've been poisoned"
"Poisoned, what?"
"Well. By this mist"
"If you stand in it for too long, a large amount of the poison will penetrate deep into your skin and enter your bloodstream. It will destroy the red blood cells in your body"
"Red blood cells" Leti tilted her head and muttered.
"Knight-san, what are you talking about?"
"C..ell? I don't understand what that is!"
"Oh..." Leon covered his mouth with his hand, he remembered something important.
"I'm sorry. I forgot that I was in another l world. Oh wrong, I..." Leon was puzzled.
"Do you have a fever ?" Leti, though still tired, approached Leon and clasped his hand, her face showing concern.
"I'm fine" Leon shyly bowed his head in thanks for Leti's attention.
Leon took a deep breath to regain his composure and pointed to a small sprout of herbs that had dried when it had just come into light contact with the white mist outside the window. He was careful to mention Gabul's suspicions, and of course he didn't tell the girl about Gabul.
Leti nodded, her long ears drooping in understanding. She picked herself up with difficulty and staggered over to the window.
The glass was covered in an opaque white, Leti couldn't tell if it was the colour of the reflecting mist or just the colour of glass that hadn't been scrubbed in a long time.
Leti trembled and touched the glass, wondering when the mist would clear and she could continue her journey.
A light touch made Leti jump, she turned to her right hand, which already held the hilt of her sword.
"It's you, Knight-san, don't scare me!" Leti sighed, blaming herself for her lack of concentration.
"Sorry, just..."
"I just remembered. I have this that can help you"
In Leon's hand was an old robe. In addition to the black stones studded around the dull red cloth, it was also made from the feathers of a bird with excellent resistance to poison.
"This robe can create a small barrier around the human body to resist the effects of poisons or highly corrosive solutions"
"Put it on. It will protect you from this fog"
"I don't dare take it. It must be a very valuable item" Leti waved her hand, pushing the cloak towards Leon.
"Leti, you must prioritise the children now, you must wear it!"
"The children !" Leti gritted her teeth, her hands clenched in determination.
...
[Tramitis]
(Rumble) A clean slash cut the hideous monster's body in two. It screamed sorely before closing its mouth, its two white eyes staring hatefully at Leti.
[Dimension Move]
Leon glided forward and carried a little girl to a safe canopy, away from where the hideous creature had just lay down.
"Knight-san, is she all right?" Leti picked up the girl's duffel bag. It had a big hole in it, but there was still some herb inside.
"She's fine. She was just slightly shocked and temporarily fainted from the fright"
"And these wounds?" Leti pointed to the girl's legs, which were already swelling.
"Don't worry too much. I have a healing potion here"
Leon had already retrieved the last healing potion from his Space-Time museum. He didn't hesitate and rubbed some into her wounds.
"Howl..." Several sudden loud roars from deep in the forest startled Leon. He fidgeted nervously, the Spiritual Flame in his chest growing hotter as he realised the danger"Please give the little girl the potion!" he asked Leti to look after her and protect her so that he could scout this desolate place.
Although she was once saved by this potion, Leti herself was still amazed at the effectiveness of the potion. It made her admired, looked at Leon with a completely different eye. She wasn't sure if he was an ordinary knight anymore.
Leon turned around, took some branches, and arranged them in a neat circle. Leon then used [Spiritual Force] to pack some withered leaves into the space in the middle of the pile.
"Leti, there are a couple of grizzly bears like it before the trail that crosses the gorge"
"That's the shortcut we'll take" Leti understood what Leon meant, she used the fire to burn wood to make a small campfire for temporary warmth.
"Yes, if it was just you and me, it would be very easy. But now we have this little girl" Leon looked at her.
"She's sleeping. I'm sure she'll wake up soon" The girl leaned her head against Leti's shoulder, stammering excuses now and then, clutching a handful of herb leaves.
….
"kkk.kkkk" (Sound of satisfying laughter)
His long tongue was licking his lips lustfully, and behind him was a carriage of prisoners. No, it was the beast children, chained to both legs, blindfolded and sobbing with fear.
Without knowing when, a half-human, half-monster creature with the wrinkled face of a clown appeared in the distance. He was dressed in filthy clothes and smelled fishy, as if he had just been in contact with blood. On his chest was a black notebook, and behind a few undone buttons was a large visible scar. He put on his gloves and tried to gag himself to stop laughing, he placed a large pair of scissors in front of him, which radiated a creepy magical energy.
The scissors were still covered in the red liquid of those who had dared to trespass on his territory. Muscular men with severed limbs lay on the ground.
"I smell the scent the High Elf!"
"Do you smell it, baby?" He touched the body of the snake lightly wrapped around his neck.
The unmistakable scent of the elves led him to where Leti was resting. He strained his eyes to show interest in her body, planning to capture Leti and the children and hand them over to his brother, a human-looking rat named Argon.
"Catching this elf and playing with it must be fun" he exclaimed, gripping the large scissors tightly and preparing to attack.
"Slowly. I just thought of a very "interesting" thing!" Suddenly he spotted fly larvae crawling on the dried carcass of a deer that had been killed by a poisonous mist nearby.
"My brother has just sent me a new species of vermin, now it's time to test them, baby?"
This terrible monster will stand by and has no intention of going to war. Another, more 'cool' thought came to him as he stroked the six-eyed snake wrapped around his neck. He didn't care about the foul liquid flowing from its scales and squeezing the snake's head. He swung the scissors hard, causing the blood to fill the carriage before opening the scissors violently. He cut the chain that bound the snake, not bothering to hurt it.
"It's time to hunt, baby!"
He pulled a jar of larvae from his pocket, each one fat and round, wriggling and longer than a hand.
He dipped the sharp end into the palm of his hand and gave the snake some blood. Then he took a larva from the jar, rolled it around and tied it to the snake's head. He landed the snake forward, his dark eyes murmuring some strange black magic phrases.
"Baby. Don't let it die!"
He left the snake writhing in pain and walked casually towards a low-roofed stone house behind the hazy mist. He dragged the carriage inside and began to laugh again. He slammed the door, dropping a crumbling sign that dimly read "Misty Town".
"Sizzle"
"The aggressive snake tore off its old body and burrowed deep into the ground. Smelling blood, it lurched towards Leon, who was taking out a large amount of beef.
Returning to Leon's group, he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine as a cold wind blew through, accompanied by inaudible groans.
After putting down the last chunks of flesh, Leon staggered, feeling a twinge in his chest.
"Rise and slaughter the weak, my lord!" A deep voice made Leon shudder. A strange desire urged him to draw the demon sword again. Little did Leon know that his eyes had now turned a terrifying blood-red colour.
Leon held his head and walked to a large tree in the distance, crossing his arms in annoyance. Leon suspects that the urge to kill is coming back after coming into contact with the blood of the grizzly bear that Leti had just defeated.
"I need to calm down" Leon tried to calm himself with a few deep breaths. But that didn't work when it only made his head fuzzy. Leon's vision gradually turned into a black and white horror.
"Snap"
"Rumble" The trunks of large trees were uprooted, causing dust to obscure the space.
The loud crashing sound startled Leti. She was stunned and alarmed as she dimly saw a huge mutant snake emerge from the ground and leap at Leon.
"Knight-san" Leti shouted.
"Don't come near me" Leon grabbed its open mouth. The snake's venom and terribly corrosive saliva are constantly being flushed out. It pollutes a whole area around it, causing trees to wither, the smell of decay, and flies that appear out of nowhere, eating away at the ground, growing larger and larger.
"Vo vo"
Leti turned to see several half-human sized flies approaching. They kept sucking out a stream of liquid with larvae inside, bringing long, pointed legs forward.
Leti hugged the little girl. She was trying to run away and avoid the stings of the sucker legs that kept wiggling. She couldn't fight right away because she had to protect this little girl.
Leti hugged the girl and ran towards the mist. She couldn't look back and couldn't stop running, even though the front was filled with giant creatures.
The larvae in the ground were quickly growing into flies and becoming more dense. They spread out in small swarms, attacking the surrounding creatures, parasitising on their bodies and eating their host's brains.
Leon clenched his teeth, trying to withstand the enormous pressure of his large, powerful upper jaw, which was gripped tightly against his shoulder. The corrosive liquid, even though it covered his body, did not move Leon.
"Don't look down on me" Leon used his strength to break a razor sharp fang. Taking advantage of the snake's pain, he jabbed the sharp part back into its mouth.
The snake screamed, its wide mouth giving Leon a chance to get out.
[Dimension Move]
Leon escaped, bumping into some large flies on the way. When he stopped, he realised that the space in front of him was full of darkness. Thousands of eyes were staring at him, the flies had spawned so many that they covered an entire section of the sky.
"What the hell is going on?" shouted Leon as he saw the unfortunate creatures being manipulated and attacking each other like mad. The sound of screaming and constant buzzing made Leon jump back, trying to keep his distance. Unfortunately, he stepped on a slimy, fleshy tissue filled with fly larvae.
Leon quickly identifies it as the bear's body before the snake rears up and sprays a poisonous mist in his face.
With his vision limited by a black and white colour, Leon is unable to notice the presence of the mist, only to move wildly to dodge the venomous shots. The snake seized the opportunity Leon wrestled with the demon flies, spitting out its blood-stained fangs. Leon couldn't react in time and one of the fangs pierced his neck.
Leon was pinned to a large old tree stump, unable to move. The apocalyptic armour was partially torn open and the poisonous gas immediately poured in, driving Leon mad, clutching his chest and screaming in pain. The spiritual fire was corroded and torn to pieces by fly larvae.
"Damn. Stop."
"Stop!" Leon struggled to draw his sword, but his arm was fell down. Leon was horrified as the fly larvae covered his body, some crawling out of his eye sockets.
….
◇