“What’s going on…!”

“This is a big problem…”

Amidst the gathered members of Astra’s hunting squad, a voice filled with panic surfaced.

The fury of the lesser demonic beast swept through the air, scattering flames.

They thought it was dead, but then the witch rose again, sending that beast back.

It was indeed a series of bewildering events that unfolded in a brief moment, but what truly struck them with confusion was something entirely different.

“Miss Sylvia has vanished! The witch too!”

“Could it be that Miss Sylvia went off with that witch…?”

Just after a blinding flash erupted, momentarily blinding them, they opened their eyes to find that Sylvia and the witch, who had been right next to them, had completely disappeared.

That was the reason for their overwhelming astonishment.

It was already an emergency for Sylvia to find herself in such a dangerous place, and yet she had vanished alongside a witch.

As they momentarily floundered in disbelief, they soon regained their senses and began to think of ways to find Sylvia.

“Elder! If the lady went with the witch, we should be able to track her down!”

“I’m already checking. So, the witch’s location is…”

The first elder, confirming the magic tool that would reveal the witch’s location, gazed in that direction with a grim expression.

“Ah… of all places, it’s over there.”

“Are you saying Miss Sylvia went deeper into the forest?!”

Someone exclaimed in shock.

The direction Cynthia had taken was, unfortunately, further north from where they were, an area filled with a burnt forest.

That forest, once the homeland of the elves, had become a cursed land infested with the furious beasts after it was burned down by the enraged witch 500 years ago.

After multiple failed attempts to reclaim it many years prior, resulting in the deaths of many heroes, including the previous captain and vice-captain of Squad 4, it had been designated as a restricted zone. And now, Sylvia had entered that very dangerous place.

The first elder, momentarily taken aback by this thought, bit his lip and muttered.

“…It should be alright. Did you not see just now? The furious beasts seemed to obey the witch. If she is genuinely on friendly terms with Sylvia like she mentioned earlier, at least while she is with her, Sylvia should be safe from harm.”

“…Is it really okay?”

“…We can only hope so for now.”

If there was any silver lining, it was that the most dangerous element in that forest, the fiery form of the beast known as the Phoenix, commonly referred to as the Bird of Ending, seemed to be following the witch.

However, even so, the current situation was hardly favorable for them.

Sylvia was a symbol that could not be replaced with anything for Astra.

They could not allow the last remaining star of this era to fade away, so they had a duty to ensure her safe return at all costs.

“Anyway, from now on, we are heading into the forest to chase after Sylvia.”

Thus, the first elder commanded the hunting squad to march toward the forest.

Having already steeled themselves for the possibility of death, the hunting squad hesitated no longer in their decision to venture into even more perilous territory.

“As of this moment, I will change our mission. The top priority is to rescue Sylvia. We will think about hunting the witch later. Understood?”

“Yes!”

The first elder, standing at the forefront, declared with determined fervor.

“Then let’s go. To protect our star.”

With that, Astra’s hunting squad, now a rescue team, set forth towards their old homeland.

*

With a solemn resolve, Astra’s hunting squad entered the forest.

Watching them from a distance while keeping her presence hidden, Beatrice smirked and muttered.

“What a pitiful lot. So weak yet so bold.”

Do they even understand why they are still alive?

While mocking Astra’s elves, Beatrice contemplated.

What kind of beasts were those furious ones that resided in that forest?

Like Evangeline, who sought revenge by burning the entire world 500 years ago, they were fierce entities always fueled by rage.

Even the ancestors who once were powerful had no choice but to abandon the forest in the face of Evangeline and her beasts’ power; what could these feeble souls do, lacking even a fraction of that strength?

Normally, the moment they stepped into that forest, they would be reduced to ashes without leaving a single bone fragment.

However, the reason they were still alive was only one.

The master of the beasts didn’t wish for them to be harmed.

Beatrice sensed it.

The beasts that were so ready to leap out the moment Scarlet was harmed now seemed to be holding back their rage and retreating.

While also cleaning up any potential threats from the surrounding beasts that could harm them, fearing that their master might be saddened if they were injured.

It was quite a curious situation.

How was it that they could think so deeply about those who hurt them?

Scarlet Evande, was this peculiar being truly unique in such a manner?

As she contemplated, Beatrice recalled the scene from earlier and murmured with a strange expression.

“No… but that might not be the case.”

Beatrice realized.

The one who had forced the beasts to retreat was Eva.

The gaze that had briefly turned in this direction just before leaving was undoubtedly Evangeline’s, not Scarlet’s.

And that made it all the more intriguing.

That Evangeline had noticed her presence but chose not to engage, along with the words she had uttered just a moment ago.

“Did she regret injuring people?”

Through her thoughts, Beatrice could hear the conversation between Evangeline and the beasts.

Being a witch herself, she could eavesdrop on it and felt a strange fascination.

Evangeline, whom Beatrice assumed moved solely for revenge against the world, apparently harbored such sentiments.

This new revelation was interesting, but not in a way that felt particularly strange.

At their core, they were beings that loved humans.

Those whom Beatrice referred to as Eva had always been such.

This time, just like the last, and the time before that.

As she momentarily reminisced over past memories, Beatrice gently closed her eyes and then opened them again, murmuring.

“Well, in any case, that’s not what’s important right now.”

Although the past Eva was an intriguing subject, what truly captured Beatrice’s attention now was not that.

What mattered was that this time, something slightly different was unfolding with Eva.

That was the crucial point.

Until now, whenever the Evas found themselves in trouble, they had always been alone.

When faced with an unsolvable situation, no one ever stepped in to help.

She had assumed it would be the same this time.

When Sylvia was beheaded, she thought, “Would it be like this again?”

But then, that was when Sylvia came into the picture.

What kind of influence would that being’s appearance have on Eva?

“This time, can we witness something different?”

Longing for something to bring excitement to this otherwise dull world, Beatrice murmured.

*

This time, it looked perilous, so she hurriedly came out, but for a while, she won’t be able to help again.

After enduring long suffering, I need some rest too.

…It seems I’m reaching my limit of staying awake.

I will pass this on again, so cherish your body a bit more.

Got it?

Scarlet Evande.

*

…I faintly regained consciousness, feeling as though I heard someone’s voice.

What was that? I feel like I was listening to something important…

As I concentrated in an attempt to recall what I shouldn’t forget,

“Ugh…”

A sharp pain shot through the back of my neck.

Thanks to that pain, I could vividly recall the sensation of the blade that had pierced my throat.

As my neck was cut, that was where my memory abruptly halted.

…Did I… die?

“……”

Struggling to open my eyes, I found nothing but darkness surrounding me.

Is this what they call the afterlife?

Just as that thought crossed my mind,

“Ah…! Miss Scarlet, you’re awake!”

Light spilled in as a door opened in the darkness, and through it, Sylvia entered.

In a hurry to check on my condition, Sylvia muttered, and I found myself dazedly asking.

“……Where is this?”

“Oh, this is deep within the forest. I thought it would be best to escape to a less noticeable place, so I figured this would be the least conspicuous spot. The trees tend to obscure visibility, after all.”

Peering beyond the place where Sylvia had just entered, I saw the blackened forest filled with the charred remains of dead trees.

As I surveyed the outside, Sylvia responded with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“I’m sorry, Miss Scarlet. Is this uncomfortable? Since I couldn’t just lay you down right in the middle of the forest, I made a small den by boring a hole into the trees, but this is my first attempt at something like this, so the result is a bit rough.”

Though Sylvia was explaining, her words barely registered in my ears.

I was just overwhelmed, my head spinning with the questions of what exactly this situation was.

So, in the end, I am not dead, and Sylvia saved me from dying and brought me here?

Well, I could be grateful for saving my life.

But that wasn’t what mattered right now, so I opened my mouth to speak.

“……Why?”

Why, I said.

As I spoke, Sylvia stared at me intently, as if expecting me to say something more.

To that gaze, which seemed utterly indifferent, I felt an intense surge of anger inside me and shouted.

“Why did you come here, you fool!!!”