"Argh! Y-you . . . y-you killed it . . . you killed it! Voraxa will . . . Voraxa will surely kill us all!" the child's piercing cry drew their attention back to her.

"Who's this little midget?" Princess Lorelai inquired, pointing at the little child.

"Ah, we don't know either," Elena shrugged. "She just suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

Princess Lorelai's expression twisted in distaste when she noticed the horn on the child's head. "A demon!"

"Eeegh!" The child's face paled in fear when Princess Lorelai brandished [Demonsbane]. Its pulsating energy was enough to almost make the demon child faint on the spot.

"Wait. Wait a minute," Elena immediately stepped between the Princess and the child, who cowered behind her. "She's just a child. There's no need to kill her."

"K-kill?" the child stammered, her face drained of color, and she trembled in fear.

"Now you're scaring her," Elena reprimanded the Princess.

"You're the one who said anything about killing," Ren and the others pointed out.

Elena only stared at the child and smiled gently. "What's your name, kid?"

The child wiped her tears and hiccupped before replying innocently, "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking my name?"

Princess Lorelai's face darkened. "What did you say?"

"Eggh!" the child shrieked and hid behind Elena once more. "M-my name is Nori!"

"Hey, don't scare the poor child," Elena scolded her.

"Hmp."

Ren observed that the Princess seemed to strongly dislike demons and devils. Was it because of her lineage, he wondered.

"Hello, Nori, I'm Elena, this is Ren, Evie, and that grumpy old lady over there is Lorelai." Elena left the princess part since she thought it would be best not to disclose their status to strangers.

"Who are you calling grumpy?" Princess Lorelai scowled.

"Shouldn't you be more upset about the 'old' part?" Ren and Evie mused simultaneously.

"Anyway, what are you doing alone in this part?" Ren changed the topic.

Nori avoided eye contact and replied, "I was searching for food. Me and my villagers hadn't eaten for days now . . . when the giant purple worm showed up."

"Food?" Evie and the others exchanged puzzled glances.

"You mean like souls and flesh?" Evie asked innocently.

Nori gave her the side eye. "Just because we're devils doesn't mean we eat mortal flesh, drink blood, and consume souls. Though we do consume souls to get stronger, I'm talking about normal food like cooked meat."

Evie felt embarrassed and nodded, though her face remained as expressionless as ever. "Is that so? So, you mean beasts."

Nori nodded.

Ren looked at the surroundings. It was eerily silent. "Are there even edible beasts in this barren land?"

Nori's expression turned somber, and she lowered her head, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"There were a lot of beasts and plants here before, and this used to be a thriving land until . . . Voraxa's soldiers hunted all the beasts and hoarded all the water and food."

Evie and Ren were surprised. So there was even water in this place. Their image of the Netherworld surely took a turn.

"Who's this Voraxa?" Princess Lorelai asked.

Nori's lips trembled, her fists shaking. "Anyway, we have to get out of here before Voraxa's soldiers find out that you killed a Giant Purple Worm! Killing a Giant Purple Worm, even by accident, is punishable by death!"

"That's why I'm asking . . . Who's this Voraxa?" Princess Lorelai asked again.

But Nori only ran forward with her little legs. "If you want to live, come with me before Voraxa gets hold of us!"

Ren, Evie, and Elena exchanged puzzled glances while Princess Lorelai grew increasingly impatient.

"That's why I keep asking . . . Who's this Voraxa?!" Princess Lorelai almost shouted, her patience wearing thin.

"For now, let's follow her," Elena said.

"What if it's a trap?" Evie asked her tone even. "Not that it would pose any problem." Considering that they have two overpowered Princesses here.

"It's not a trap!" Nori hollered back, her pointed ears picking up their chatters even from a distance. "You saved me, so I'm only returning the favor. But if you'd rather stay here, then that would be better for me!"

Looking at Nori, Ren was baffled.

Devils were supposed to be tricksters, creatures of malice and deceit. But from the short time he had known the kid, he couldn't find any malice around her.

For some reason, his image of the Netherworld was being shattered and replaced with something new.

"Let's go before we lose sight of her." Elena led the way, followed by Ren and Evie.

Princess Lorelai, however, stopped at the Giant Purple Worm's remains.

Nori skidded to a stop when she felt that Ren and the others had halted.

"What is it?" Ren asked Princess Lorelai.

But the Princess remained silent. She just flashed [Demonsbane], and within seconds, the giant worm was cut into pieces.

[ACQUIRED! Giant Purple Worm Meat x1000]

"Hey, Nori, right?" Princess Lorelai called out. "You said your village is suffering from hunger. Will this meat do?"

Ren was relieved he still had the unlimited storage ring Elena had given him before; otherwise, he would have problems figuring out where to store such a vast amount of meat.

In fact, there was enough meat here to feed a hungry village for weeks to come, so Ren couldn't quite comprehend what Nori was so distressed about regarding their problem in the food supply.

However, his curiosity was piqued when the carcass of the giant purple worm remained on the land. It didn't disintegrate into particles like most defeated enemies.

Was this because of the [Story Mode] the system was warning them before?

So what happens if they die here? Ren shivered at the thought.

For some reason, he didn't want to find out.

"Ara~ despite your disdain for devils, you sure care a lot," Elena teased the Princess at the side.

Princess Lorelai remained unperturbed and said heroically, "My feelings aren't important. As long as someone is asking for help, I will not turn a blind eye, no matter if they're despicable devils."

Ren smiled slightly. "Is that right?" Looks like the Princess has a righteous heart through and through.