Within the lawless region between Wind Facing City and the Great Winter Forest,

“BOOM!!~”

Accompanied by an earth-shaking explosion, a sacred aura suddenly descended from the heavens. The silver radiance drifting through the air rapidly gathered upon the blade of the silver-haired girl’s sword.

After a dazzling flash of silver light,

The gigantic centipede-like Abyss Demon before the silver-haired girl was instantly split into two!

After letting out several final miserable screeches, the fifth-tier Abyss Demon completely lost all signs of life, turning into two chunks of rotting flesh that polluted the pristine snowy landscape.

Looking at the Abyss Demon she had just slain,

Mengxi slowly dispersed the silver light gathered around her thin sword before returning it to its sheath.

‘Compared to other regions, the Abyss Demons near the Great Winter Forest really are stronger and more violent...’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After experiencing several encounters with Abyss Demons,

The girl reached this conclusion inwardly.

And after arriving at that conclusion, her brows tightened unconsciously.

In Mengxi’s view, even the new generation of Church knights within the Asumos Church struggled greatly when fighting the Abyss Demons within the Red Lotus Leaf Empire.

If they encountered the Abyss Demons of the northern territories instead, they would probably die even faster.

This realization caused Mengxi considerable frustration.

‘Can’t rely on them. I still have to rely on myself.’

The girl’s purple eyes narrowed slightly as a trace of determination surfaced within them.

At this moment,

The treasure hunters whom Mengxi had just rescued looked excitedly toward the heroic female knight seated atop her horse, wearing a pure white mask.

Originally, they had believed they were doomed the moment they encountered the Abyss Demon. Yet unexpectedly, they had been rescued by her at the final moment before death.

The joy of surviving catastrophe filled their hearts.

To them, this Holy Knight who had saved them and slain the Abyss Demon was unquestionably their benefactor. Mengxi’s image in their eyes became increasingly lofty and radiant.

Especially after sensing the unparalleled sacred aura surrounding the girl — an aura filled with warmth and affinity — a trace of fanaticism even appeared within their eyes, despite the fact that they were not followers of the Asumos Church.

Afterward, the group hurriedly knelt upon the ground and repeatedly kowtowed to express their gratitude.

“Thank you for saving our lives, Lady Knight!!!”

“Thank you, my lady!”

“From this moment onward!! I-I believe in the Asumos Church now too!!”

...

...

Listening to the treasure hunters speak like fanatics, Mengxi gradually felt a trace of irritation inside.

The unique sacred aura surrounding her, known as the “Goddess’s Blessing,” caused surrounding lifeforms to unconsciously develop affection and dependence toward her...

And for those lacking sufficient strength, the effect became even more obvious.

It was precisely because of this aura that not long after Mengxi had been brought back to the Church, she had already gained tens of thousands of supporters.

This power was extremely convenient,

But Mengxi herself disliked it.

It always felt as though it forcibly twisted other people’s wills.

Moreover, it prevented Mengxi from distinguishing which people around her genuinely treated her well, and which were merely influenced by the “Goddess’s Blessing.”

‘Troublesome.’

“You people should stop treasure hunting for the time being. The area around the Great Winter Forest isn’t peaceful right now. If you don’t want to die, stay far away from this place.”

After coldly warning the treasure hunters,

Ignoring their further attempts at conversation, Mengxi turned her horse around and rode back toward the Asumos Church squad behind her.

At the same time,

Another female knight from the Church squad rode over to Mengxi’s side.

After glancing toward the treasure hunters who were still continuously kowtowing, the female knight revealed a teasing smile.

“As expected of the blessing granted by the Goddess. Even those heretics are kneeling to you now, Captain. It’s honestly hard to imagine!”

Then, seemingly thinking of something, excitement suddenly flashed through the female knight’s eyes.

“No wonder Archbishop Nick agreed to let you come to Wind Facing City. Once the people there are ravaged into despair by the Abyss Demons, you and Lady White Yama appearing afterward will definitely turn them all into loyal believers of our Church!”

“Is that so?”

Mengxi replied indifferently, clearly having no intention of continuing the conversation.

The female knight had long since grown accustomed to Mengxi’s cold demeanor and felt no dissatisfaction. Instead, she simply rode closer again.

“Speaking of which, Captain! Before Lady White Yama arrives at Wind Facing City, it’s best not to reveal your identity as the Child of Destiny.”

Hearing those words,

Mengxi’s brows furrowed slightly.

Since she hated trouble and detested the frenzied gazes of those who lost themselves in fanaticism, she had never intended to reveal that identity anyway.

But...

“Why suddenly say that? Isn’t Archbishop Nick desperate for everyone to know I’m the Child of Destiny?”

“Because members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church seem to have appeared within Wind Facing City recently.”

“Mm? The Heavenly Punishment Holy Church?”

“Yeah. Those people who worship the Demon God and believe Abyss Demons are divine beings sent to purify the world. They’ve always hated the Asumos Church. If they discover your identity as the Child of Destiny, Captain, they’ll absolutely seize the chance to cause trouble. Your strength is great, but the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church has no shortage of powerful experts either.”

“All right. Understood.”

Mengxi nodded slightly.

“Thank you for the warning, Garona.”

“It’s nothing. Just doing what I should.”

The female knight named Garona smiled faintly.

Seemingly because of Mengxi’s gratitude, her expression even reddened slightly with happiness.

However,

Just as Garona was about to continue chatting with the adorable Child of Destiny, a light cavalry scout who had gone ahead to investigate the surrounding area happened to return and immediately rode over to Mengxi.

“Captain! Another group has been spotted near Garros Fortress to the northwest!”

“Mm? Again? The Abyss Demons could attack at any moment, yet these people still aren’t afraid of dying? Instead of safely hiding inside Wind Facing City, they’re so eager to run around outside?”

“Maybe they can’t stay inside Wind Facing City anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those people look like slave smugglers. They should be the same group currently being hunted by Marquis Xiumu-Duke.”

“Oh? That much of a coincidence?”

“Then, Miss Mengxi, what should we do?”

“Go capture them. We might even earn Marquis Xiumu-Duke a favor in the process.”

At that moment, the silver-haired girl made her decision.

—

Meanwhile,

Within the Great Winter Forest near Garros Fortress,

A pink-haired girl around fourteen years old, dressed in tattered cloth garments and covered in wounds, was struggling desperately through the deadwood forest near the outer region.

Because her clothing was so thin and she had spent so long walking through the snow, the girl was already trembling violently from the cold. Her breathing became increasingly frantic, and the continuous loss of blood gradually blurred her vision.

Behind her, several black silhouettes relentlessly closed in.

She was being hunted.

At this moment, the pretty face of the pink-haired girl, stained with dirt and blood, was completely filled with terror, helplessness, and despair...

Without question,

Due to prolonged starvation, relentless torture, and the freezing cold invading her body,

The girl’s condition had already reached the brink of collapse.

However,

Even in such terrible condition, the girl still gritted her teeth tightly, enduring both the freezing cold and the intense pain from her wounds as she desperately ran forward with all her remaining strength!

Because she understood clearly—

If she missed this chance, she might never return to her family again.

But,

As the black figures behind her drew closer and closer,

The faint light of hope within the girl’s heart also grew dimmer and dimmer.

‘Grandfather... Grandmother... p-please... save me...’

Yuan’er,

Didn’t want to die.

Yuan’er wanted to go home...