The sun was beginning its descent, casting a warm, golden hue over the horizon as Maris and Lucan stood atop the mountain.
"Lucan-sama," Maris said softly, her light blue eyes sparkling with excitent. "Do you want to fly? Let's go up in the sky."
Lucan raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her suggestion. "Flying, huh? Why not?"
With a gentle smile, Maris summoned her wings. In an instant, large, radiant white wings appeared behind her, glowing softly in the twilight. She stretched them out, flapping lightly, and lifted off the ground effortlessly.
Lucan could summon wings like her, but his wings carried the energy of an Evil Magician, so he refrained from revealing them. Besides, he didn't need wings to fly. He could simply use his mana to ascend.
Together, they soared into the sky, the wind rushing past them as they gained altitude. Below, the snowy region, small houses, and distant people beca tiny dots, the world shrinking as they ascended.
The cool air felt refreshing, and the freedom of the open sky gave them a sense of peace. For a few monts, they simply glided, letting the wind guide them, like birds playing in the endless blue.
They spent several minutes flying in playful circles, racing each other, and occasionally diving low over the treetops. Lucan teased Maris by zooming ahead, but she, ever graceful, effortlessly caught up. Her wings beat steadily as she flew just above him, casting a playful glance his way.
Just as they were beginning to settle into a peaceful glide, sothing below caught Maris's eye.
"Lucan-sama!" she called out suddenly, her tone urgent. "Look down there!"
Lucan glanced in the direction Maris was pointing. Far below, in a snow-covered clearing, two massive bears were lumbering toward a small figure—a little girl. She was desperately trying to scramble away, but the deep snow slowed her down, and the bears were quickly gaining on her.
Without hesitation, Maris folded her wings and dove toward the ground. Lucan followed close behind, both of them descending rapidly.
As Maris neared the ground, she stretched out her arms and swooped down, grabbing the little girl just before the bears could reach her. She cradled the girl in her arms, her wings spreading wide to steady their ascent as they flew back into the sky. The bears, confused and startled, growled but quickly lost interest, watching their prey disappear into the sky.
The little girl, wide-eyed and trembling, clutched onto Maris's dress with small, shaking hands. Her face was pale, unable to process what had just happened. She stared up at Maris, who hovered in the air, her wings shining in the light of the setting sun.
"Am... am I dead?" the girl whispered, her voice quivering. "Is... is this heaven? Are you an angel?"
Maris blinked in surprise, then gave the girl a gentle smile. "No, you're not dead. You're safe now."
But the girl didn't seem to hear her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Maris with awe. "I... I knew it," she sobbed. "I knew when I died, an angel would co for . I've been so miserable..."
Lucan, hovering nearby, exchanged a glance with Maris. The girl clearly thought she had passed away.
"Tell , what's been troubling you so much?" Maris asked softly, holding the girl securely as they floated above the trees.
The girl sniffed, wiping her tears as she began to speak. "My father... he's so cruel. He hits all the ti... and my mother, she doesn't care. She only thinks about money.
She's greedy and... does things with n for more money. They sold to so noble... but I ran away. I ran into the snow, and I've been trying to survive out here..."
"I haven't eaten for days..." the girl continued, her voice breaking. "I tried to eat the snow, but it didn't help... And now I'm dead. Those bears must have eaten ."
Tears stread down her face as she buried her head into Maris's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Maris gently stroked the girl's hair.
"You're safe now," Maris whispered soothingly. She raised one hand, and a soft glow surrounded it as she cast a healing spell over the girl. The bruises and cuts that covered her skin faded away, and the exhaustion weighing on her seed to lift. "I promise, no one will hurt you anymore."
The girl's sobs quieted as the warmth of the healing magic spread through her body. For the first ti in a long while, she felt safe.
Lucan, who had been observing the scene quietly, suddenly noticed sothing odd. There was a strange mark on the girl's forehead, partially hidden beneath her ssy hair. He leaned in closer, squinting.
"Maris," he said, pointing to the mark. "Look at her forehead."
Maris shifted the girl slightly in her arms to get a better view. There, on the girl's forehead, was a faint, diamond-shaped mark. It was glowing ever so faintly, almost as if it pulsed with so kind of hidden energy.
"I've never seen anything like this," Maris said, her brow furrowing in concern. "Lucan-sama, do you know what this could be?"
"Hmm, if I rember correctly, it's the Tribal Woman's mark."
"What's that? I've never heard or read about it," Maris asked, her curiosity piqued. She had read extensively about the world, making her one of the most knowledgeable people in the Saint's Region. However, she had never encountered any ntion of the Tribal Woman's mark.
"It's normal you haven't heard of it. The Tribal Woman's mark grants a woman superhuman strength. There was even a tribal woman who was strong enough to fight toe-to-toe with the 78th Saint."
"What? Really?" Maris's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, the fight between the two nearly caused the destruction of the entire Saint's Region," Lucan explained.
"Still..." Maris had more questions. Sensing this, Lucan thought for a mont before deciding to tell her more about the Tribal Woman.
The Tribal Woman was introduced in the ga as part of extra content. It was sothing the ga developers added later.
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