Deep in the dense forest.
A dozen or so burly men sat around a campfire.
Beside them, a boy and a girl were hanging from a black tree, tear streaks still on their faces.
Crack!
A scar-faced man picked up his whip and lashed it viciously across the little boy.
"Ah!"
A deep, bone-carving welt appeared across the boy's face as he let out a miserable scream.
"Damn it... that old hag of these little brats got so many of our brothers killed."
Cursing under his breath, he took another swig of liquor.
"Boss..."
A gaunt man with upturned triangular eyes bit into a piece of mutton. "That woman might be one of the legendary demon hunters... Other than those humanoid monsters, I can't think of anyone else who could be that strong..."
"So...?"
The bandit leader turned his icy gaze on the man.
"Demon hunters can't bear children, so... those are probably descendants she adopted."
The triangular-eyed man answered.
"Pah!"
Hearing that, the leader spat a thick gob of phlegm onto the little girl's face. "Hahaha... Hear that? You're bastard spawn who crawled out of who knows where!"
"Come to think of it, that woman really was strong... I almost thought we were going to die there. Luckily... luckily, she was especially stupid. Hahaha!"
The bandit leader drew a dagger from his boot and waved it back and forth over the little girl's cheek. "Even if you aren't that woman's family, you're still the ones she cares about most... I definitely won't let you die too comfortably..."
The two children had cried themselves hoarse long ago. Now, they could only make faint, incoherent whimpers.
Suddenly...
A streak of black flashed through the forest.
A throwing knife struck a bandit in the chest, and he collapsed.
"Enemy attack!!!"
The bandit