The Shadow of Silence Power contained within the claws and fangs of Abyss Demons was an unparalleled poison to most living beings.

Once injured by it, if the wound was not treated promptly, the victim would likely become infected and eventually transform into a bloodthirsty, savage monster devoid of all humanity.

This infection process was usually extremely fast.

In many cases, an ordinary person could be transformed into an Abyss Demon within five minutes.

Of course—

There were exceptions.

Some people possessed unique constitutions. After being infected, the Shadow of Silence Power would lie dormant within their bodies instead of immediately transforming them.

Rather than becoming Abyss Demons right away, they became ticking time bombs that could explode at any moment.

If such people entered a city and suddenly transformed in a crowded area, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Because of this, whether they were knights of the Asumos Church or soldiers of other empires, every warrior who participated in an Abyss Demon extermination mission was required to undergo a full-body examination afterward to determine whether they had been infected.

And right now—

Mengxi could not help suspecting that the seemingly fragile pink-haired girl who had escaped from the forest had already been infected.

How could an ordinary Third-Tier girl outrun Abyss Demons unless she had temporarily gained extraordinary physical abilities through Shadow of Silence Power infection?

What, were the Abyss Demons playing tag with her?!

Because of this, Mengxi believed a thorough examination was necessary.

If there were wounds on her body—

There might still be time to save her.

But if the infection had already progressed too far, Mengxi would not hesitate to grant her a swift death.

Furthermore, the instant she had locked eyes with the girl earlier, Mengxi had sensed something strange.

Although the sensation vanished almost immediately, it had caused her vigilance to soar to its highest level.

As a result—

Having already subconsciously concluded that the girl was infected, Mengxi no longer concerned herself with the pink-haired girl's feelings.

She directly stripped off the girl's outer coat.

Then she reached for the girl's thin, tattered shirt.

Mengxi's sudden and forceful actions startled the pink-haired girl exactly as one would expect.

Panic and helplessness filled her adorable face.

Tears slid down her cheeks one after another.

"N-No... don't..."

Seeing this, Garona felt somewhat uncomfortable despite understanding Mengxi's reasoning.

"Um... Mengxi... she's still a girl, so..."

As she spoke, Garona awkwardly glanced around.

Hearing that, Mengxi frowned slightly.

Garona was right.

Thinking so, Mengxi slowly turned her head.

Her cold gaze, filled with overwhelming pressure, swept across the surrounding crowd.

The knights who had been secretly hoping to watch the drama unfold immediately shuddered and hurriedly turned away.

None of them dared look in that direction again.

At the same time, Garona cast a low-level spell.

Several earthen walls rose from the snowy ground, surrounding the three girls and blocking all outside sight.

After confirming that no one else could see them, Mengxi turned her attention back to the pink-haired girl beneath her.

Meeting the girl's fearful and timid gaze—

Mengxi took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. For the safety of the knight order, I have to make sure."

Though she sounded apologetic, her tone allowed no room for refusal.

The pink-haired girl seemed to want to resist and struggled desperately.

But the moment she raised her hands, silver chains formed from condensed light wrapped around her wrists and pinned her firmly to the ground.

—

Meanwhile—

Watching the heroine insist on examining her body, Miss Yumo suddenly felt like crying.

Aaaahhh!!

Something isn't right here!

Wasn't the heroine supposed to be gentle and elegant?!

Why are you stripping my clothes off the moment we meet?!

You hooligan!!

Miss Yumo screamed internally.

As layer after layer of clothing was removed, a blush spread across her face.

The intense sense of humiliation continued growing within her heart.

She was the ruler of the Abyss Demons!

And yet she was being pinned to the ground and stripped by a Fifth-Tier girl?!

This was intolerable!

'Why are you the one pinning me down?!'

Yumo desperately wanted to resist.

But once she released her power, even in her suppressed state, she would possess at least Demon King-level strength.

Remembering the mercenary whose head she had accidentally crushed before, Yumo couldn't help feeling worried.

She still wasn't good at controlling her strength.

What if she seriously injured the Child of Destiny and left behind some lasting damage...

Well.

For the sake of the heroine's future trials, it was better to be careful.

Besides, if she escaped successfully now, wouldn't it be incredibly suspicious?

The heroine surviving close contact with a Demon King-level existence unharmed?

Even for the Child of Destiny, that would be too unbelievable.

The Asumos Church might become suspicious.

And if the Church lost trust in the heroine, all of Yumo's future plans would become troublesome.

Thus—

For the greater good.

For the smooth execution of future plans.

Yumo could only accept the heroine's "assault" in miserable silence.

'Hmph!'

There would be missions later where the heroine would fall into the hands of Abyss Demons anyway!

She could get revenge then!

'Just wait! I'll teach you a proper lesson when the time comes, you brat!'

Yumo angrily swore revenge in her heart.

A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years.

As for now—

All Yumo could do was endure it quietly while struggling as much as possible.

She needed to appear innocent and pitiful to earn the heroine's sympathy.

While Yumo continued grumbling internally—

The final line of defense protecting her dignity finally fell.

Her shorts were ultimately unable to escape the heroine's clutches and were forcibly pulled away.

And at the exact moment they were removed, Yumo could clearly sense the strange look that flashed through Mengxi's eyes.

Seriously!

Do you have a problem with boxer shorts or something?!

And so—

Miss Yumo was stripped completely bare.

Every inch of her body was exposed before the heroine's gaze.

The blush on her face deepened even further, spreading all the way to the back of her neck.

Instinctively, Yumo wanted to cover her chest and the sensitive area between her legs.

Unfortunately, her hands remained bound by Mengxi's chains.

She couldn't move them at all.

She could only allow the heroine's hands to continue examining her body.

Her heartbeat accelerated wildly.

Ripples appeared within her beautiful eyes.

Although this body was merely a disguise created through Shadow of Silence Power, Yumo's embarrassment and indignation continued growing stronger.

'It's over... I've been completely seen... my dignity is gone... wuuu...'

At this moment—

The grievance on the pink-haired girl's face was no longer an act.

It was completely genuine.

And hidden within her blue eyes was a trace of regret.

If I'd known this would happen...

I would've chosen another method...

Wuuu...

...

...

Meanwhile—

After confirming that there were indeed no wounds caused by Abyss Demons anywhere on the girl's body—

Mengxi trembled.

The hostility that had filled her pale violet eyes vanished completely.

In its place appeared deep guilt.

N-No...

That's impossible...

She's actually...

Just an ordinary person?

Then...

Does that mean... 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

I really misunderstood her?

Carefully studying the trembling pink-haired girl before her, Mengxi unconsciously bit her lip.

Now that the slave girl stood completely unclothed before her, Mengxi had not only confirmed the absence of infection.

She had also seen countless whip marks.

Various scars and wounds too painful to describe.

Large patches of skin that had turned purple from the cold.

The sight was horrifying.

There was no need to think about it.

This girl had undoubtedly suffered inhuman treatment at the hands of slave traders.

Such a pitiful child.

She had finally escaped from the slave traders.

She had survived the claws of Abyss Demons.

And yet—

I treated her like this...

The more Mengxi thought about her own rough behavior moments earlier, the more guilt and self-reproach overwhelmed her.

Her fists clenched tightly.

"S-Sorry..."