7

A dark alley.

"Ugh… ugh…"

A man dying without even knowing what had hit him.

"...…. "

As the man collapsed with a thud, a small figure appeared.

Lily, her entire body cloaked.

Lily crouched down in front of the fallen man's corpse—.

Squelch.

She began stabbing the already cold, lifeless body.

'This one's trash too…'

The man Lily had killed was one of the criminals hiding in Drax. After murdering a family in the past, he had fled to Drax to escape the Empire's wanted list.

He had bragged about his crime as if it were some kind of achievement. After hearing the story, Lily had quietly followed the man, and once she confirmed that no one was around, she had stabbed him without hesitation.

Squelch—

Only after she had carved countless knife wounds into the corpse did Lily stop and wipe the blood off her hands.

'It's still not time for my sister to come home.'

Thinking she could kill at least one more person, she walked out of the alley.

This wasn't Lily's first time killing someone.

The moment she had learned how to use enchantment magic from her sister, she had committed murder. Every time her sister left the house, Lily would venture out, hunting down criminals, hoping to reduce the number of threats around her sister.

As Lily wandered the streets, searching for her next target, she overheard two passing men talking.

"Ugh… I was on a winning streak."

"You idiot. Lord Bram's called for us. Is some stupid gambling more important?"

"I know, I know. It's just frustrating, that's all."

"Stop whining and let's get going."

'Bram.'

Lily's purple eyes filled with anger.

A name she could never forget. The scum who made her sister suffer the most.

If it weren't for Bram, her sister wouldn't be sad every day.

She glanced at the knife in her hand.

'Now… I can kill him…'

The first time she had met Bram, she had been overwhelmed by his presence, unable to do anything but tremble in fear.

But now, with her ability to use mana, she was sure things would be different.

'I will kill him…'

With a resolute determination, Lily pulled her cloak tighter to conceal her face and quietly began to follow the two men.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a hidden underground gathering filled with people.

And standing before the crowd was the loathsome, hulking figure.

Lily bit her lip.

'Bram..!'

A hum of energy enveloped her knife.

Lily lifted her foot from the ground.

***

After conducting various experiments with my test subject—no, with Charlie—I was taking a break by myself.

Charlie left, saying he never wanted to see me again.

He looked utterly exhausted, his face drained of life.

'Maybe I was too hard on him.'

I had told Charlie to use any means necessary to make me angry.

At first, he started with light insults, but later on, he even threw in some really low blows.

When he crossed the line, I almost lost control and ended up actually hitting him.

He tried all kinds of provocations, and more often than not, he succeeded.

I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but Charlie sure has a talent for getting under people's skin.

Thanks to him, though, I've gotten a better grasp on my abilities.

'It's not just brute strength; all of my physical capabilities have dramatically increased.'

I took a big bite of the bread I had bought.

Where did I get the money for the bread, you ask?

I borrowed it from Charlie.

When I asked him to lend me some money, he looked at me like I was crazy.

I had no choice. I'm going to keep fighting, and I can't do it on an empty stomach.

Bram had apparently sent his men out into the streets to find me, so I didn't think it would be hard to run into them.

"Alright. Let's get going."

I got up, dusted off my hands, stretched, and walked out of the alley.

Just wait, Bram.

***

No. I thought it wouldn't be difficult to run into them, but I didn't expect to meet them this quickly.

"Hey, I think this is the one."

"Hey, kid. You need to come with us for a bit."

I hadn't even walked around that much, but I found myself surrounded by several men. I guess Bram had more people looking for me than I thought.

"Where are we going?"

I asked the three men surrounding me.

"Where do you think? It's a nice place."

"Yeah, a really nice place—for us."

"Don't be too scared, kid. We're all good guys here."

Good grief. They sound like some low-tier thugs spewing lines before they get their faces smashed in.

The men, who had been spouting off like typical third-rate punks, suddenly grinned lewdly when they saw my face.

"Hey… but this chick is seriously hot."

"Did the boss say to bring her in unharmed?"

"Nah, he just said to bring her. He didn't specify."

"So, how about we have a little fun first?"

Heh heh heh.

Wow… there's never a simple way out with these guys. Typical criminals.

"It'd be better if you just took me where you're supposed to."

I gave them a warning in a frustrated voice, but they seemed to find it amusing and laughed loudly.

"Ha ha! Feisty, huh?"

"Yeah, breaking her will be fun."

"The more defiant, the sweeter the taste. Ain't that right? Ha ha!"

Seems like words aren't getting through.

I pressed my thumb against my middle finger and said,

"I did warn you."

Then, I flicked the forehead of one of the men.

"What the hell is this? Wha—"

Thwack!

The sound of the flick wasn't something you'd expect from a simple finger snap. It was more like the sound of a metal rod slamming into a person.

The man crumpled to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

"Holy shit, hey! What the hell?!"

"He's… dead!"

Ah. I didn't mean to kill him. I guess I still don't have full control over my strength.

"You bitch!"

Maybe it was out of anger over his fallen comrade, but the laughter from before was gone. His face twisted into a vicious snarl as he swung his fist at me.

I easily dodged his punch and placed my hand on his chin.

Smack!

"Ugh…!"

This time, the man collapses without dying, simply fainting.

"Sh-shit!"

The last remaining man, left alone, tried to back away from me in a panic.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I kicked his leg out from under him, and he fell to the ground.

"Aaaah!! My leg!!"

The man grabbed his leg, rolling from side to side and screaming.

Ugh. So loud. People are starting to stare.

Listening to the murmuring of the onlookers, I crouched down in front of the man.

"It turns out that the condition for my ability to activate is simpler than I thought."

"P-please… Spare me… I'll do whatever you want… Just… my life…!"

"I just have to feel like beating the hell out of someone."

"Aaaagh!"

Whack—

The last man collapsed, his eyes rolling back.

I dusted off my hands and stood up again.

"Oh. Maybe I should've left one of them conscious."

I have no idea where to go next.

Well, if I keep walking for a bit, something will find me anyway.

Creepy how accurate my thoughts were.

Before long, another group of Bram's men showed up. Except for one, I disciplined them all with a simple flick to the forehead.

After I had knocked them all out, they looked at me like I was some grim reaper rising from hell.

I got the location of Bram from the one begging for his life, and then put him to sleep so he could rest peacefully.

"If I take over this place… First, some meat… A cold beer would be good too. No, I should just have both."

As I smiled at the happy thoughts, I suddenly heard someone running towards me.

'Lord, here comes another one.'

I brought my fingers together, ready to flick another forehead, and turned towards the sound.

"P-please… help me!!!"

"Huh?"

It wasn't a criminal, but a mature woman with gray hair standing before me.

She was a beautiful woman, radiating an aura of refinement.

The woman, who had rushed to me for help, looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were red, and her lips had turned blue as she trembled in fear.

"Please… sniff… please… help me…"

"…What?"

***

Lily was gone. There was no Lily.

At first, I thought it was one of Lily's pranks, so I searched the house, but I couldn't find her anywhere.

Thump, thump—

My heart pounded as my mind went blank and my breath trembled.

This was a lawless zone. Nothing good could happen to a missing little girl. Horrible thoughts flooded my mind.

"No!!! Lily!!!"

Dania screamed and dashed out of the house.

"Haa… haa…"

She ran to the usual store, Bram's hideout, the dark alleys.

How far had she run? Her legs could no longer hold her up.

She had run around frantically, searching for any trace of Lily, but she found nothing.

"Haah… Sob… Sniff… Lilly… Please…"

You have to be safe. If something happens to you, I…

Breathing became labored, and my breath caught in my throat. I collapsed, my hands pressing against the ground in despair.

-Thud.

A dull sound of impact echoed.

Dania turned her gaze in the direction of the sound.

And then, what she saw was a black-haired girl effortlessly sending several adult men flying.

'That girl…'

The girl matched the description Dania had heard in the tavern.

The girl with monstrous strength who blew off Rick's head—there was no doubt.

'If it's her…'

Ah.

In this untrustworthy city, Dania couldn't ask anyone for help—not even Bram. And not to those around her, either; all of them, Bram's subordinates, could stab her in the back at any moment.

It was impossible to run around this vast area alone. She needed help, one person at a time, in this desperate situation.

And then, out of nowhere, this mysterious girl appeared.

Dania, grasping at straws, ran toward the girl.

"P-please… help me!!!"

She met the girl's eyes as she turned to Dania's desperate plea.

Skin pale as porcelain, a beauty like that of a fairy. But her glowing red eyes were eerily chilling, and yet there was something irresistibly captivating about them.

A witch. She looked like an enchanting witch.

"Huh?"

In contrast to her appearance, the girl's voice was cute and innocent. Dania, caught off guard, was at a loss for words.

"Please… sob… Please, help me."

Dania pleaded with all her heart for the girl's help.