Carne Village and the Pursuit

Inside Carne Village, the slaughter continued.

"There are two more over there, chase them!"

A soldier spotted the two figures hiding in a corner and shouted loudly, charging toward them on his warhorse.

"Aren't we going to chase them?"

"Idiot, why bother? Let that guy go play by himself. We'd better hurry up and see if there's anything valuable around here."

"Since we've been deployed, we have to make a profit somehow."

"True. Besides, they're just two kids; it should be fine."

The two soldiers had heard the shout, and one of them had been about to rush forward, but his companion stopped him.

The soldier was confused at first, but after hearing his partner's words, he suddenly understood.

Why bother killing people when you could be making money?

With that thought in mind, the two ignored the chase and charged into the residents' houses, beginning to ransack them for anything of value.

Even though it was just an ordinary village, who knew if there might be some hidden treasure?

It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before—stories of magic items that lacked mana being mistaken for trash by commoners, only for someone else to stumble upon them and make a fortune.

If they could really find a magic item, even if it wouldn't change their lives entirely, it would at least be enough to shed their status as common soldiers and live comfortably for a long time.

"Run, keep running! Do you want me to give you a little more motivation?"

The mounted soldier grinned hideously at the two figures before him. He could have killed them instantly, but he chose not to, opting instead to follow them at a leisurely pace.

He kept taunting them with his words, and watching their panicked expressions gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction.

For soldiers who spent years on the battlefield, the best way to vent was through slaughter, but some of the more depraved ones found even greater excitement in tormenting their enemies.

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

"We can't stop! Just hold on a little longer, someone will definitely come to save us."

Hearing her younger sister's cry, Enri encouraged her while panting, pulling her along by the hand as they ran slowly.

There was a deep gash on her back, and blood was constantly streaming from it. The intense exertion combined with her sweat only made the situation worse.

A hint of despair began to show on her face, partially hidden by her hair. She knew she didn't have much time left; if things continued like this, she would fall into a coma from blood loss even if the soldier didn't strike her down.

And if she were unconscious, how could she and her defenseless sister possibly escape?

"Oh gods, please, at least let my sister live. I am willing to pay any price for that."

Enri prayed to the ethereal gods in her heart. It was the only thing she could do now, but how could she not know that gods, or whatever they were, didn't actually exist?

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

"It seems we've reached the limit. If I had known, I wouldn't have slashed so deep. Maybe we could have played a little longer. What a pity."

Watching the two figures running slower and slower, the soldier said with a hint of regret.

He had finally found such interesting toys, but the game was already ending before he had truly enjoyed it. The soldier felt remorse; if only he had struck a little lighter back then.

Enri was struggling to pull her sister along as they ran, but in her growing weakness, she failed to notice the ground beneath her feet. A small stone lay right in her path.

The tiny stone acted like the final straw that broke the camel's back, causing the two, who were already at their limit, to tumble forward instantly.

Having lost their balance, they fell heavily to the ground. When they tried to struggle to their feet, they found they could no longer stand.

The rhythm they had fought so hard to maintain was broken; they had no strength left.

"Big sister, are we going to die?"

"No, we won't. The gods will surely come to save us."

"Close your eyes. Everything will be fine when you open them again."

Enri pulled her terrified sister into her arms and comforted her in a soft voice.

She did not want her sister to die, but now she had no room left to resist. All she could do was comfort her sister while silently waiting for death to arrive.

Her only remaining hope was that the man would give them a quick end; after all, her sister was most afraid of pain.

But even this final wish was a luxury. The soldier wanted to continue enjoying himself and had no intention of ending this game just yet.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you immediately. We can play other games."

"For instance, you—if you can kill your own sister with your own hands, then perhaps I might let you go."

"The chance to live is right before your eyes. Well? Aren't you happy?"

The soldier dismounted from his warhorse, walked over to them, and crouched down. He spoke with a smile on his face, as if he were discussing something mundane, without a ripple of emotion.

"I refuse. Do you really think I would believe you?"

"You want us to kill each other in the end? I won't agree to it, you devil."

Having lost too much blood, Enri, her face deathly pale, said with a bitter smile.

Waves of drowsiness were sweeping over her brain, but she gritted her teeth, not daring to let herself fall asleep. She knew that once she drifted off, she would never wake up again.

She could not leave her younger sister to face this alone.

"Damn it, you ungrateful wretches."

"Everything would have been fine if you had just done as you were told. To think you'd actually dare to resist me."

Hearing the other party's words, the soldier's expression shifted instantly. He glared at the two of them with a ferocious look and cursed loudly.

He had never encountered a single failure using this method before; every time, it allowed him to enjoy a perfect little drama. But this time, he had failed, and at the hands of two commoners, no less.

Unforgivable. He had to kill them—he absolutely had to kill them right now.

With a face full of rage, the soldier slowly raised his blade, preparing to strike. He was going to execute these two who had ruined his mood.

Holding the blade above his head, the soldier stared fixedly at the two girls. He hoped to see them regret their actions and beg him for another chance.

But under his gaze, Enri simply hugged her sister's body tightly, eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the end to arrive.

Seeing that he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted, the soldier's expression darkened further. He didn't wait any longer and swung his blade down toward the two of them.

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

"It was quite spectacular."

"She is a good sister."

Just as the soldier's blade was about to strike the two girls, he heard voices speaking from behind them. A rift, swirling with blood-red and black, appeared in the air. From within, three figures could be vaguely seen conversing.

A blurred figure with horns seemed to be asking for the opinions of those beside him.

"What is this?"

The soldier stared at the rift in terror. He realized he could no longer move; his body felt as though it had lost all control, leaving him frozen in the middle of his swing.

Enri, who had been waiting for death, heard the soldier's cry of alarm and opened her eyes. When she turned her head and saw the blurred, horned figure behind them, a thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

"A god!"