"This... this is..."
Seeing the small corpse before him, mostly covered in frost and snow, Natsuki Subaru's expression suddenly froze.
"Subaru, what's wrong?"
Seeing Natsuki Subaru suddenly standing there in a daze, Rem stepped forward to take a look as well. She was obviously stunned too. "Th-this... is this one of the village children?"
"...This is Luka."
Natsuki Subaru's expression was incomparably grim as he clenched his fists tightly. "That little brat who always had snot running down his nose... He said he was going to become an excellent woodcutter when he grew up. Damn it, who was it? Who could possibly spare not even an innocent child like this?!"
"If the enemy is this vicious, then Emilia-sama must be in danger too..." Rem could not bear the sight either, but she still reminded him, "Subaru, we don't have time to waste."
"Yeah, I know."
Natsuki Subaru had grown quite a bit by now. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Let's go, Rem. We need to get back to the mansion as quickly as possible!"
"Okay."
Rem answered and immediately took out her metal flail.
However, before the two could continue onward, rustling suddenly came from the surrounding bushes, as though someone were hiding inside.
"Who's there?!"
Natsuki Subaru instantly became alert.
"Rustle..."
Following his shout, a small white thing suddenly hopped out of the bushes nearby. It bounced across the ground a few times, then stopped near Natsuki Subaru and looked up at him.
It was not human.
It was a strangely shaped little rabbit.
It had pure white fur, a soft, cloudlike body, long pale pink ears, and rodent-like incisors. It was clearly a rabbit, but unlike ordinary rabbits, it had a short horn protruding from the top of its head.
"Hm?"
Natsuki