Chapter 13 – The Girl Who Shouldn’t Be Here

With determined steps, Guts entered the forest once more.

The trees grew thick around him, and the pale light of the moon barely reached the roots below. He kept moving forward, hand ready to draw his blade at the slightest sign.

A strange wave of nostalgia washed over him.

So many nights he'd walked like this—alone, between two battles.

Marching endlessly through silence, his path paved with corpses.

So many Apostles cut down, all in the name of vengeance.

Eventually, he reached a sparse clearing.

And there she was.

Sitting on a dead tree trunk, Meili held her little puppy in her arms.

She looked calm. Almost too calm.

Guts (thinking): It's a trap. No doubt.

But I can't pass up a chance to finish this.

He drew his sword, ready to strike.

But just then, the sound of footsteps surrounded him—dozens of them.

He was caught.

Forced to move, Guts stepped into the heart of the clearing to gain visibility and avoid a surprise attack. The wind shifted around him, rustling the dead leaves beneath his boots.

Meili stood up slowly and gave him a mischievous look.

Meili: "Nii-san, if you're here, I guess you found my little friends.

And judging by your face, you already know a lot about me."

Guts: "You an Apostle? I'll have to kill you."

Meili: "Apostle? No, no… I'm just a little girl.

Would you really kill a child in cold blood?"

She smiled wider.

Meili: "But it doesn't matter. You're surrounded.

You're the one who's going to die tonight."

Guts: "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to kill a kid."

Seeing Meili, memories surged.

He remembered the Queen of Elves.

But worse still—the day he killed Count Julius' son, captain of the White Dragon Army.

Griffith's voice: "Kill him.

It had been Griffith's order.

If he could go back, he'd refuse it.

Meili: "So that's what hides behind that armor... just another killer.

A shame, really. You could've joined us."

She kept that playful smile.

Meili: "My sister told me about you.

She dreams of seeing you again.

But I'm afraid… that wish won't come true."

Confused by her words, Guts took a step forward.

That's when the beasts struck.

Dozens of hounds burst from the bushes, fangs bared, lunging toward him.

Meili: "I'll leave you to it then.

I'm going on ahead. This one stays with you.

She set the puppy on the ground and walked away, slowly, calmly—like it was just a game.

Meili: Maybe we'll meet again.

Guts didn't waste a second.

He swung his sword and cut down the first wave of beasts in a crimson arc.

Then he saw them.

Red eyes glowing in the darkness.

The whole forest watched him now.

Guts (thinking): If they all jump me at once, I'm done for.

The beasts began to close in, step by step.

Guts (thinking): I can't give them the first move.

If I wait, I'm dead.

He lunged.

Blade spinning like a whirlwind, he tore through their ranks.

His mechanical arm snapped up, bolts flying into the dogs that tried to flank him.

Dozens of corpses already littered the ground around him.

Guts: "That all you got?!

You're gonna need more than this to bring me down!"

Then, a new presence appeared.

Another puppy, just like Meili's, climbed up onto a dead trunk and stared at him.

It barked.

The ground beneath Guts cracked.

He had just enough time to leap back as the soil collapsed.

That one was different.

The leader.

Without hesitation, Guts surged forward.

Each step crushed roots and bodies.

His blade sang as it carved a path through flesh and bone.

The Black Swordsman was far from done.

Rem had just finished healing the children, and the villagers had finally taken over.

But something in her heart wouldn't settle.

Rem (thinking): Please… Guts-kun, don't die.

She didn't understand why she felt that way. It was the first time such emotions stirred inside her.

There was no logical reason to worry about Guts. He was a stranger—someone who had arrived at the mansion barely three days ago.

There was nothing that should've made her care.

She gave a last nod to the villagers as they returned home, then turned and followed Guts' path.

Her delicate steps made no sound on the damp forest floor, allowing her to focus fully on tracking his scent.

A few minutes later, she heard the clash of steel in the distance.

Without hesitation, she sprinted in that direction. and what she saw froze her