I Will, Ma'am

"Sulfone--!"

The whip, faster than lightning, swept across the entire area like a storm. Maria's movements were swift and decisive; with a single lash, the cruel whip instantly engulfed the soldier before her!

Then...

Tear it to shreds!

Everyone stared in astonishment at the suddenly changed scene, their eyes wide with disbelief.

And Maria's calm voice reached their ears once again.

"I don't want to discuss with you who is right, who is wrong, or who is acting in the best interests of others."

Maria continued on her way.

The soldiers around them, realizing something was wrong, pounced on them like madmen.

Maria showed no pity for these people.

She tore apart every soldier who tried to attack her with the simplest, purest, and most violent means.

The long whip emitted a terrifying whistling sound in the air, and a storm of light flashed continuously in the sky.

Gradually turning scarlet...

She showed no mercy; anyone hit by her attack would almost certainly die on the spot!

That mangled body had no chance of being saved...

She approached him step by step, calmly and gracefully, until she stood before the trembling soldier leader and looked down at him.

Everything about you is ridiculously laughable in my eyes.

What do your anger have to do with me?

"I'm right here... I'm going to protect these people, what's your opinion?"

Maria spoke, word by word.

Perhaps for those living here, they need to use words, actions, and all sorts of methods to prove their correctness, to prove that they are right and good.

But Maria didn't care about any of that.

She had interacted with them, and she knew that this clan was just a group of pitiful people unwilling to die... She could understand and support such an action.

She knew that the soldier leader before her was a sophist, a villain... even if he used words to cloak himself in a guise of greatness.

So she made her choice... to overcome those meaningless words and rhetoric in her own way, crushing them with the simplest of phrases.

After a moment, she looked around.

"Those who do not comply may step forward!"

She spoke calmly...

Chapter 258 I will, madam

Maria actually agrees with the rules.

Although I had mentioned to Lavinia before that rules are limitations and constraints.

Although she often overwhelmed her enemies with absolute power.

Although in various circumstances, she is often the first to break the rules.

But Maria herself acknowledged the existence of rules.

Because of the existence of rules, all sorts of different people can stand together.

But one thing is different about Maria compared to most people.

She is not overwhelmed by the authority inherent in the rules... or rather, she is the rules themselves!

She could see, of course, that these Sarkaz soldiers were trying to intimidate her side and make their actions appear righteous.

In fact, they did achieve that.

But the difference is that this time their pressure wasn't directed at people living in a community... Maria didn't need to follow their rules at all.

Even though they had hundreds of people, the one who held the advantage was still Maria, who was only one person.

So, after she spoke, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared in trembling disbelief at Maria, who was completely devoid of blood. The large chunks of flesh and corpses on the ground were enough to send chills down their spines.

Seeing that no one dared to respond, Maria did not waste any more time saying anything more to them. She simply turned her head to look at the trembling soldier leader in front of her, and then silently withdrew her weapon.

She walked past the group as if no one else was there, slowly approached the stunned Warfarin, and casually freed her from the wooden stake.

"Thanks."

Warfarin seemed to be startled by Maria's move as well.

She stared in astonishment at the aloof woman beside her, speechless for a moment.

But she was someone who had seen a lot, and after a moment, she carefully lowered her head and landed next to Maria.

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

She spoke, but her voice was so soft that only two people could hear it.

"Um?"

"While what you did certainly felt satisfying, and those guys deserved to die, won't this arouse suspicion from other teams?"

Warfarin was somewhat worried.

Maria's rampage certainly gave her a thrill, but she was also worried about how to handle the aftermath.

After all, among the entire migrating group, these Sarkaz soldiers possess a large amount of valuable supplies, and they are the only ones who know the rendezvous point and the route forward. If the atmosphere becomes too tense now, what will everyone do next?

Who will lead the team? Who can protect the civilians who are unable to fight?

This is what Warfarin is most worried about.

Maria paused for a moment after hearing the girl's concerns.

She then stood up and went to the silent soldier leader, looking at him silently.

Then...

"Forehead..."

Almost instantly, the man collapsed to his knees in agony.

His eyes rolled back, and his breathing became extremely labored.

Maria exhaled softly and then turned her head.

"I know what to do next... Gather the team and let's go."

"Huh?!"

News of what Maria was doing here spread very quickly.

The Sarkaz soldiers who were originally responsible for guarding the area naturally couldn't accept that their leader had suddenly been dealt with and that they were now being ordered around by a random woman. They all rushed over, trying to get an explanation.

Then...

That was the end of it.

Maria was not one to be gentle and reasonable... or rather, her gentleness was limited to naive children.

These soldiers must take responsibility for all their choices.

If Maria only intended to have a proper discussion, she wouldn't have resorted to violence.

But if these people come with their own petty schemes to cause trouble, Maria would mind letting them know how laughable such petty tricks are in the face of true power.

As for the fear, wariness, and vigilance that other teams felt towards Maria as a result... Maria didn't bother dealing with that.

Violence cannot bring lasting peace, but short-term peace is achievable.

So Maria quickly took over the entire camp and began leading the group toward the pre-arranged meeting point.

Because of Maria's decisive and ruthless style, this time, there was no more hesitation within the group. The soldiers responsible for guarding her were also terrified by Maria's actions and dared not object to Maria words.

What was supposed to be a week's journey, we actually arrived a day ahead of schedule.

The destination was a steep urban area.

The entire city is built on a massive cliff, surrounded by deep fissures, some hundreds of meters wide, with a raging river flowing through the bottom of the fissures.

The only way to get inside is by taking the only cable car from the flat ground to the three-dimensional city.

This is a natural fortress...

Upon seeing this, everyone couldn't help but let out a long sigh, reflecting on the hardships they had endured along the way.

"Ugh, what a troublesome day."

Looking at the vast crowd entering the city, Warfarin stretched wearily.

During this period, with Maria leading the team, she no longer encountered those recurring delays, which made her work much easier.

As a result, her complexion has improved considerably during this period.

Of course, this is what she said herself. To others, the Blood Demon's skin always looked pale and bloodless, and no one could tell what their condition was.

"But that's all I can do, Audena. If you still want to study medicine, go find this old man... I have some connections with him. Just ask Mr. Blood to come to you, and he'll take you in."

Warfarin patted the little girl's head and handed her a letter of recommendation.

During this time, Warfarin was also aware that her Blood Demon status was unpopular, so she only associated with Maria, who was not afraid of her.

Besides the man from the Stone-Resisting Clan, the only one willing to communicate with them was this tiny little girl, Audena.

It must be said that Audena actually has no medical talent... at least in Warfarin's opinion, this girl's ability to learn medicine is only at an average level.

But because of the girl's eagerness to learn and her helpfulness, she often encountered fewer problems during treatment... Out of kindness, she wrote a letter of recommendation for the girl.

"Based on my experience, being a doctor may not be the most comfortable profession in this world, but it is definitely the most valuable. If you can really learn it, you'll have a secure future."

As Warfarin spoke, she looked down at the slightly reluctant girl, a carefree smile slowly creeping onto her lips.

"What? You can't bear to part with me?"

"Hmm... I'll miss Ms. Maria too."

"Ha, it seems I'm not that important to you."

Warfarin shook her head, then smiled as she looked at the quiet Maria beside her.

"Aren't you going to say anything to this child? These days, this might be the last time we meet."

"..."

Maria did not answer.

She simply looked at Audena, who was holding the medical notes Warfarin had given her, and after a moment of silence, gently patted her back.

"You should go now, girl... don't look back."

"... Um."

The girl felt slightly disappointed seeing Maria's completely indifferent expression.

After only a few days together, she found herself developing unusual feelings for Maria, assuming Maria felt the same way, but...

It now appears that this is not the case.

However, the girl didn't remain dejected for long. She quickly mustered her courage, looked at the calm woman in front of her, and spoke in a clear voice.

Maria was too tall; even when she stood on tiptoe, she could only barely reach out and touch Maria's shoulder.

"Ms. Maria, could you kneel down? There's something I'd like to tell you."

"..."

Maria was silent for a moment, but then did as she was told.

Warfarin, standing to the side, seemed to realize something and gave a subtle smile.

Soon, Audena saw the slender figure crouching in front of her.