Carne Village and the Pursuit

The slaughter in Carne Village continued.

"There are two more over there! Get them!"

A soldier spotted two figures hiding in a corner and immediately shouted. At the same time, he spurred his warhorse and charged toward them.

"Aren't we going after them?"

"Idiot, why chase them? Let that guy have his fun. We should hurry up and see if there's anything valuable around."

"Since we came out this time, we ought to make some money at least."

"That's true. They're just two children, so there shouldn't be any problem."

The two soldiers heard the shout. One of them was about to rush over, but his companion stopped him.

The soldier was somewhat confused at being held back, but after hearing his companion's words, he suddenly understood.

Why bother killing people when they could make money instead?

With that thought in mind, the two ignored the matter and rushed into the villagers' houses, beginning to loot anything of value.

It was only an ordinary village, but who knew if there might be some hidden treasure?

Such things had happened before. Magical items with no magic power had been mistaken for junk by commoners, only for someone to pick them up and make a fortune.

If they really found a magical item, it might not change their lives, but it would at least let them escape the status of ordinary soldiers and live comfortably for a long while.

"Run. Keep running. Want me to give you a little more motivation?"

The mounted soldier grinned cruelly at the two figures ahead of him. He could have killed them immediately, but he chose not to. Instead, he leisurely followed after them.

He kept using words to torment their nerves. Watching their panicked, helpless expressions filled him with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

For soldiers who spent all year on the battlefield, the best way to vent was through killing. But some particularly deranged soldiers would torture their enemies to gain even greater excitement.

"Big sister, I can't run anymore."

"You can't stop. Hold on a little longer. Someone will definitely come save us."

Hearing her younger sister cry out, Enri panted as she encouraged her, slowly running while pulling her along with her left hand.

A huge wound ran across her back, blood continuously flowing from it. The violent running mixed with sweat only made the situation worse.

Despair had appeared on the face hidden behind her hair. She knew she did not have much time left. If this continued, even if the other party did nothing, she would pass out from blood loss.

And once she fell unconscious, how could she and her completely defenseless sister possibly escape?

"God, please, at least let my sister live. I'm willing to pay any price for that."

Enri prayed in her heart to the illusory God. It was the only thing she could do now, yet how could she not know that God could not possibly exist?

It was merely the last shred of fantasy in her heart.

"Looks like they've reached their limit. I should've known better than to cut so deep. Maybe I could've played a little longer. What a pity."

Watching the two girls run ever more slowly, the soldier spoke with regret.

He had finally found such interesting toys, yet it was already ending before he had properly enjoyed himself. The soldier regretted it. If only he had cut a little more lightly back then.

Enri was struggling onward while pulling her sister along, but in her growing weakness, she failed to notice the ground beneath her feet. A small stone lay directly in her path.

The tiny stone was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing the two girls, already at their limits, to fall forward at once.

Having lost their balance, they crashed heavily to the ground. When they struggled to get up, they could no longer stand.

The rhythm they had barely managed to maintain had been broken. They had no strength left.

"Big sister, are we going to die?"

"No. God will definitely come save us."

"Close your eyes. When you open them again, everything will be all right."

Enri pulled her terrified younger sister into her arms and softly comforted her.

She did not want her sister to die, but she no longer had any way to resist. All she could do now was comfort her sister while silently waiting for death to come.

Her only hope was that the soldier would give the sisters a quick death. After all, her sister was terrified of pain.

But even that final wish was a luxury. The soldier still wanted to enjoy himself and had no intention of ending this game so quickly.

"Don't worry. I won't kill you right away. We can play other games."

"For example, if you can kill your own sister with your own hands, I might let you go."

"The chance to live is right in front of you. So? Aren't you happy?"

The soldier dismounted, walked up to them, and crouched down. Smiling, he spoke as if he were discussing something utterly ordinary, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

"I refuse. Do you think I'd believe you?"

"You want to make us kill each other even at the end. I won't agree to it, you Demon."

Having lost too much blood, Enri's face was deathly pale as she spoke with a bitter smile.

Drowsiness washed over her mind in waves, but she clenched her teeth and did not dare let herself fall asleep. She knew that once she did, she would never wake again.

She could not leave her sister to face this alone.

"Damn it! You ungrateful bitch."

"You only had to do as I said, yet you dare resist me?"

Hearing her words, the soldier's expression instantly changed. He glared at the two girls with a vicious face and cursed loudly.

He had never failed when using this method before. Every time, he had been able to enjoy a perfect performance. Yet this time, it had failed—and on two commoners, no less.

Unforgivable. He would kill them. He had to kill them immediately.

Filled with rage, the soldier slowly raised his sword, preparing to strike them down. He would directly kill these two who had ruined his fun.

With the blade raised above his head, the soldier stared fixedly at the two girls. He wanted to see them regret their choice and beg him for another chance.

But beneath his gaze, Enri merely held her sister's body tightly, her eyes shut as she waited for the end.

The soldier's expression darkened further when he failed to see what he wanted. This time, he did not wait any longer and directly swung his blade at them.

"What a fine show. Momonga, Herohero, what do you think?"

"Very entertaining."

"She's a good sister."

Just as the soldier's blade was about to strike the two girls, voices speaking behind them reached his ears. A hole interwoven with blood red and black appeared, and three figures could vaguely be seen talking within it.

A blurry horned figure seemed to be asking those beside him for their opinions.

"What is that?"

The soldier stared at the opening before him in terror. He discovered that he could not move, as if his body had lost control and was frozen in the act of swinging.

Enri, who had been waiting for death, opened her eyes at the soldier's startled cry. When she turned and saw the blurry horned figure behind her, a thought involuntarily arose in her mind.

"God!"