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Ian sprang to his feet.

Anyone screaming in the Demonic Forest would be in dire need of help.

And… All the more so if that was a girl’s cry.

The only people allowed into the Demonic Forest were the members of the Devil Platoon and mercenaries who received special permission.

To his knowledge, no mercenaries had entered the Demonic Forest recently. The squad members had also said they weren’t hunting in this area today.

That's the reason why I came here...

Ian furrowed his brow as he grabbed his sword and sprinted toward the direction of the scream.

Thankfully, it wasn’t far away.

Not far from where he’d fought the Orcs he saw a young girl of about 12 years old tied to a tree trunk. A middle-aged man in a robe was speaking to her. It was certainly an odd picture.

Ian decided to wait briefly and observe the man’s actions before revealing himself. He wanted to understand the situation before him before rushing in.

He crouched and listened.

"Hnn. Please spare me. I beg of you. Waah!" The little girl pleaded, weeping.

Ian fought to control himself from dashing out the moment he heard her crying. 

First things first… The girl was dragged here by force. What’s important is why did he bring her here?

He rolled his head in an effort to calm his twitching muscles.

As she was tied up and begging for her life, it was obvious the little girl hadn’t come here of her own volition. If that was the case, it was crucial to know the man’s intentions.

Ian stared at the robed man.

"Stay put. Don't cry. Those Orcs will be here soon, okay? As long as you do what they say, you will get a painless death.”

“P-Please have mercy, mister... I'll do anything.”

"Jeez, I'm not going to kill you. I’m just selling you off."

“I’m begging you…”

The girl's pupils shook incessantly. She seemed to be aware of what would happen to her if she was sold to the Orcs.

In fact, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out. Orcs liked the soft flesh of humans, particularly of little girls. If they bought a human girl, there was only one reason.

"The Orcs... are going to devour me.”

"I suppose so."

The man didn't seem to care much about the girl, and judging from his casual demeanor in responding to her, Ian guessed that he’d probably done the same thing several times before.

“Just accept it. I need the magic ingredients that the Orcs have, and you’re just a tasty meal for them.” The man continued.

“…….”

The girl fell into quiet despair, unable to speak through her parted lips.

The man grinned when he saw her expression.

"You should count yourself lucky, though. Orcs aren't the only ones who like little girls. Think about it. If I had been the one with the unique preference for...”

The man trailed off, but both the girl and Ian could clearly tell what he was getting at.

The girl dropped her head and wept.

“Hnn. Hng.”

She didn't attempt to plead with the man again.

The man simply smiled broadly while she cried.

"You know, I really do like these types of expressions.” The robed man said as he wiped away her tears.

Ian could contain his anger no longer.

There was no forgiveness for a man who could kidnap a 12-year-old girl and sell her off to be eaten by Orcs simply for magic ingredients. Worse yet, he expected her to not only accept her fate but be grateful to him… 

Ian jumped to his feet, his heart racing from rage.

There was a sound of a rustle as Ian moved.

Delighted, the man turned toward Ian.

“Oh, you’re finally h…?”

The man looked baffled.

But Ian simply approached him with his sword in hand.

"You, who are you? There shouldn’t be a squad around here today...”

The robed man seemed to be familiar with the Devil Platoon, confirming Ian’s suspicion that he had not only meticulously planned this out, but that he’d done it before.

It made Ian's anger boil even more. He made no attempts to repress his fulminating rage. Nor did he feel the need to.

"Me? A Devil Platoon recruit.”

“What…”

“But what’s with you?” Ian questioned, swinging his sword.

The man frantically dove to the side to avoid the blade. However, Ian wasn’t aiming for the man. 

The rope that had bound the girl broke with a snap, freeing her.

“Waaah!” She collapsed on the ground, bursting into tears.

Ian put her behind him and observed the man.

He noticed something strange with the man's body and scrunched his brows. Blue energy was escaping from his chest and gathering into his hands.

“What the…?”

It was definitely mana. The man was adeptly controlling mana.

Ian could see and feel the mana, but he wasn't skilled enough to manipulate it. And yet, the man before him was doing it so naturally.

Ian was tense and thrilled at the same time.

'If he can use mana with ease...’

Clearly, the man possessed far greater mana than most. Ian knew he could kill the man if he had to, but the idea of murder repulsed him. Not that he had never killed a human before. 

During his time as a hunter, there had been those who’d attempted to murder him in the dungeons in order to steal his earned rewards or the items he carried.

He had killed every one of them, leaving no trace of them in the dungeons that became their crypts. Betrayal was not something Ian could forgive.

Similarly, Ian viewed his opponent now as deserving of death, and killing him would greatly benefit him.

"Magic Missile!"

A small arrow suddenly appeared in the man's hand and flew toward Ian.

Ian jumped to action. Had he been alone, he would have simply evaded the arrow, but he had to protect the girl behind him as well, so he raised his sword to block the arrow.

He parried the incoming magic missile with his sword, but the magic was not so easily blocked.

Boom!

The magic missile exploded like a burst of air upon impact with Ian’s sword.

“Urgh.” Ian groaned and staggered backwards.

The man's attack persisted. Another magic missile flew toward Ian’s chest.

Ian’s eyes widened as he quickly twisted his body sideways to keep the arrow from piercing his heart. Once more, he used his body to protect the girl.

Thump!

Ian grimaced from the burning sensation in his left shoulder, but he endured the pain and kicked off the ground, propelling himself forward.

Seemingly disconcerted that Ian was able to continue charging him after taking two hits, the man extended his arm once more and hastily mumbled a spell, summoning his magic again.

“Shield!”

Bam!

Just as Ian swung to cut the man's throat, an invisible barrier blocked his sword.

Had he been a second faster, his sword would have pierced the man’s neck, but the spell went up just in time. The man paled, also realized his narrow escape as he reached into his robe.

"Seems like this is a loss. Damn it." He murmured, taking a piece of parchment out of his chest pocket.

The man tore it hastily, and his body began to fade.

“No, you don’t!”

Bang!

Ian quickly swung his sword, but the shield blocked it again.

The man vanished, and Ian looked around in despair.

Ian kept his guard up and conducted a brief search for the man, but he was nowhere to be found, nor could Ian sense his presence.

When he was certain the man had gone, he returned to the girl who was still sitting on the ground crying.

“Ugh…”

Ian groaned and gripped his shoulder. The burning pain worsened with every movement he made.

Ordinarily, magic missiles disappeared once the sorcerer was out of range or enough time had passed, but the arrow embedded in Ian’s shoulder was still all too present.

I hope it disappears as slowly as possible.

If the missile disappeared before he made it back to the barracks, he would likely faint from blood loss before making it back to safety.

"Are you okay?"

Ian sheathed his sword and reached out for the child.

The girl trembled as she raised her head and looked around to make sure the old man had gone. She then quickly grabbed Ian’s hand. A small sigh escaped Ian as the little girl clung to his arm tightly.

"What's your name?"

“…Gionelle.”

"Alright, Gionelle, I'm Ian. Do you think you can walk?”

Gionelle clung to his arm for a while before nodding her head daintily, but Ian could see from her furiously shaking legs that she would not be able to walk on her own without collapsing. Ian braced himself and lifted the girl up in one hand and pulled her against his chest.

“Alley-oop.”

“Kyaa.”

Gionelle let out a small cry and burrowed her face into Ian's chest. Ian grit his teeth, his anger toward the sorcerer seething as he watched her quiver.

To think the man abducted such a young girl to feed her to the Orcs…

Ian shook his head to brush the sorcerer from his mind as he made his way back to the unit, keeping a careful eye on his surroundings.

The sorcerer had said that the Orcs would soon arrive, so it was wise to leave quickly.

Red blood dripped from Ian’s back as he walked away.

***

Ian traveled as quickly as possible, aware that he was losing blood with every step.

When he saw the platoon’s entrance, Ian smiled weakly.

Still, he had to remain alert until he was safely inside the barracks. There was still a chance that a monster would appear, and he knew that he would not be able to defend them both in his condition. He had to protect Gionelle.

The squad 8 members had just arrived and were huddled together inspecting their equipment when Ian entered the barracks.

“Huh?”

One of the squad members spotted him, and the rest of the unit quickly approached him and the girl.

"What happened?"

"A middle-aged sorcerer abducted her. With a rope, tied her to a tree... Said he was going to sell her to the Orcs."

“…….”

Section Commander Hamilton’s face stiffened as he looked at Gionelle, hesitation gripping him. Fighting monsters was commonplace for them, but he’d never heard of child abductions or sorcerers selling little girls to Orcs. He was unsure how to proceed.

"Huh? Wait… Is that you, Gionelle?"

"Do you know her?"

One of the squad members tilted his head and called her name. Gionelle raised her head when she heard her name and looked at him.

"Well, there’s that bar we frequent in the Green Orc Village. I think she’s the owner’s daughter?"

“Ah, now that I think about it…”

The squad members each started to comment how they had seen her before.

Ian felt dizzy and placed Gionelle on the ground, but she clutched onto his leg and wouldn't let go.

"Is it severe enough that you’ll need a healing potion?"

“…….”

Hamilton asked him, finally noticing his condition. 

No longer able to endure, Ian slumped to his knees unable to respond.

Ian felt Gionelle suddenly hug him tightly as his consciousness faded.

A sweet voice flowed in his ears. Although his vision was starting to blur, he could hear the pure voice clearly.

[You have reached your limit. Mana has not turned a blind eye to you who have saved the little girl.]

[The mana of the "light" attribute affixed to your shoulder has changed to the mana of the "natural" attribute and has started healing.]

[Mana will spread the kind deed you’ve done everywhere until you draw your last breath.]

[The spirits of nature, who heard about your good deed, have begun to take interest in you.]

What’s it saying this time…?

He wasn’t sure, but he was certain of one thing.

I lived.