Even at such a distance, the commotion caused by the monster was clearly loud.
It was obvious—the monster was relocating its nest.
If sothing unexpected happened during the process, it might lead to a small-scale monster tide.
The crowd grew restless.
The group of novice adventurers, freshly stepping into the field, could barely manage a circuit around the very edge of the Great Oak Forest with the magical tools they carried.
Expecting them to deal with a monster, let alone a monster tide, was simply asking for too much.
Karl gave a gentle smile.
"I understand everyone's desire to purge heretics in the na of the Frostmoon Goddess, but this is not a place we can linger in for long."
"How about this—we leave one person behind as a representative. That person can monitor Alyanne and relay her fate back to us. Additionally, a lone individual has a smaller target and is less likely to be discovered by the monsters."
The crowd seized the opportunity and quickly voiced their agreent.
"That's a great idea!"
"I agree!"
But agreeing was one thing—deciding who would stay was another.
Despite their collective nodding, nobody dared to be the first to volunteer. Everyone knew what happened to the bird that stuck its head out first.
Karl covered his mouth and coughed lightly.
"Of all the people here, I'm the most skilled in stealth magic. For , leaving the Great Oak Forest safely isn't a problem. I'll stay behind."
The group couldn't have been more eager, showering him with praise.
The comparison between him and Alyanne was like heaven and earth.
They took the chance to heap scorn on Alyanne as if doing so could mask their own dark intentions and elevate their righteousness.
After finishing their words, they wasted no ti casting spells, running away faster than rabbits.
---
Once the surroundings were silent and empty, Karl no longer had to maintain his gentle facade.
He stepped toward Alyanne, his shoes made of so unidentified monster's leather rcilessly crushing her fingertips.
"Ah!!!"
The sickening crack of bone echoed, accompanied by her dry moans of agony, creating an especially harrowing scene.
Karl smiled as he looked down at her.
"Alyanne, three years ago, could you have imagined being trampled by until your bones shattered?"
Alyanne's head snapped up, her eyes filled with a shock.
"Karl! You're behind all of this!"
"The rumors in the territory, the forbidden books about the God of Storm in my room, the sudden appearance of taboo magic—it was all your doing, wasn't it?!"
"What did I ever do to you to deserve such a setup?!"
Karl chuckled, his smile devoid of warmth.
"Why should I tell you? Wouldn't it be more entertaining for you to die in confusion and resentnt?"
Alyanne felt as if her heart had plunged into an icy abyss. She had considered countless possibilities, even suspecting her father, but never him.
Even though they were competitors now, Karl had once saved her from failing the assessnt. Without him, she would have been cast out like most of the other children, left to wander the desolate wilderness.
Becoming a mage would have been a re fantasy.
Now, why had he gone to such lengths to harm her?
Clenching her teeth, Alyanne's mind raced through fragnts of the past.
"Three years ago… Is it because, three years ago during the territory competition, I defeated you and claid the bottle of aptitude-cleansing vitae?"
Three years prior, the lord had many children, and the resources allotted to each were pitifully sparse. The rewards of that competition were particularly coveted, especially the first-place prize—a rare potion of talent reconstruction acquired by the lord from an unknown source.
At the ti, Karl had been the most powerful of all children, his talents towering above the rest. His victory had seed assured.
But then Alyanne, an unexpected dark horse, had appeared.
She had been lucky with weaker opponents early on, breezing into the finals. Then, in an unprecedented burst of strength, she had easily defeated Karl, who had been worn out from grueling matches.
The potion had brought Alyanne little improvent—her magic growth speed remained unchanged, leading her to suspect it might even be a fake.
However, after her unexpected victory, her latent talent in physical combat had co to light, guiding her toward becoming a magic swordsman.
Slowly, she began to match Karl in power.
During training, their wins and losses were about even.
Alyanne's eyes burned with disbelief and fury.
"You want dead over sothing like that?!"
Even though their strength was roughly equal, the lord clearly favored Karl.
She was less of a daughter and more of a disposable enforcer.
Surely, Karl must have known she wanted to leave the organization behind!
"Of course…" he said with a serene smile. "That's not the reason."
Alyanne's angry expression froze.
"W-What?"
Had she misunderstood him?
Karl, amused by her bewildered face, laughed heartily.
"I just threw out a random reason, and you bought it? You really went and found such an absurd excuse for ?"
"Hahaha! You truly are a fool!"
His laughter rocked his body, but the pressure he exerted on her broken fingers didn't lessen in the slightest.
Each movent was accompanied by her agonized groans and the sharp snap of breaking bones.
"Ahhh!!"
Alyanne's forehead was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.
Karl wiped away the tears of laughter from his eyes, his tone turning ice-cold again.
"But on a serious note, soone as dumb as you—how could that old bastard even consider making you his heir? Isn't it ridiculous?"
Alyanne endured the searing pain, glaring at him with hatred.
"I had no idea about that! Why would he ever choose as his heir?"
"Exactly, why would he…" Karl's smile remained. "So that statent was also a lie."
Alyanne's eyes widened in shock.
Karl chuckled. "See? You believed again."
"You say 'how could that be,' but your dumb expression gives you away every ti."
"If I told you, 'Once I kill you, the heir's position is mine,' you'd probably swallow that whole, too."
Alyanne's heart churned with humiliation and rage.
"You!"
Never in her life had she felt such a burning desire to rise, to grab him by the collar, and punch that hypocritical smile off his face. But she couldn't even lift a finger, her lower body completely numb.
All she could do was endure this tornt.
Turning her face away, she refused to look at him or respond to his questions any further.
Karl roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him. His malicious grin widened.
"Don't be like that. Keep talking! Ever since the plan started, I've been looking forward to seeing that hopeless expression of yours."
"Since you're going to die anyway, why not entertain a little longer?"
Alyanne stayed silent, but Karl seed perfectly content to carry on the conversation by himself.
Eyeing her blood-soaked body, which resembled a vengeful ghost, he spoke slowly, deliberately. "Let's see… In terms of magic power, I'm not inferior to you. In terms of strategy and skill, you have nothing on . So, tell —what exactly did that old bastard see in you? Could it be…"
His gaze dropped, staying on her chest, which arched slightly as she lay half-prone on the ground. Then it continued downward…
Alyanne's eyes blazed with fury as she roared, "Get lost!"
She would never believe another word from him! Yet, the lecherous, degrading gaze he cast upon her ignited an uncontrollable rage within her.
For the first ti, she hated her inability to articulate. She couldn't even find words vicious enough to unleash the fury burning in her chest. And worse still, she had to worry that if she did speak, he would twist her words, mock her, and humiliate her even further.
Karl acted as though he hadn't heard her outburst.
His gaze continued downward as he bent over, forcefully prying open her uninjured left hand.
The deep nail imprints on her palm were shocking to see.
As soon as her hand opened, blood dripped freely.
Karl laughed even more arrogantly.
"Look at you—hurting yourself just to vent your anger. Those idiots actually thought you could escape the Great Oak Forest alone? Even a wandering magician would think you're nothing but a burden!"
Alyanne clenched her teeth so tightly it felt like her gums would break.
She struggled with every ounce of her strength but to no avail. Despair flooded over her like a tidal wave, drowning her as she shut her eyes tightly.
The worst outco had already taken root in her heart.
And yet... Karl suddenly let go and stepped back, a mocking smirk on his face.
"What, you thought I had an interest in your body? I wouldn't touch a scarred-up tomboy even if soone paid —your skin feels like stone."
He clapped his hands together, as if he had just completed a boring chore.
"Those idiots are easy to deal with, but that old relic won't be so simple. I'm not letting you die on yet. Just now, I wanted to double-check your magic power. Turns out, I was overthinking it."
Karl sneered.
"I can't believe I even worried that you might be faking weakness to set a trap."
Since that wasn't the case, he could now eliminate the only evidence tying him to this cri.
With a flash of magical light in his palm, a wind blade ford.
Alyanne's shattered right hand—what remained of her palm—was shredded into fragnts by the razor-sharp wind!
"Mmgh!"
Alyanne bit back a cry, swallowing the sound before it escaped. Her expression, however, was one of utter shock, far more intense than when she realized Karl was the one behind it all.
"Razor Wind Gale! A high-tier wind spell! You've pledged yourself to the God of Storm?!" She scread with all her might, "You're the heretic!"
Alyanne had thought Karl's plan was simply to fra her and sar her reputation by accusing her of worshiping another deity. But now she knew—Karl had gone far beyond that.
The spell he used in front of everyone wasn't just a cleverly crafted illusion or trick. It was real magic. Cast by soone else, yes—but undeniably real!
Her voice trembled with rage.
"Was the magical backlash in my body also your doing?!"
Without that inexplicable backlash, she wouldn't have fallen so far.
She had spent years preparing for her escape. Even if rushed, her chances of success shouldn't have been this low!
Karl gave her a condescending glance.
"After so much guessing, you've finally gotten one thing right. Too bad it's far too late. The truth is the perfect trap. Otherwise, do you think he would've been so easily fooled?"
Of course, only the presence of a real heretic could cent the accusations against Alyanne. And with her magic power crippled, every possible path to recovery was cut off.
"You betrayed the Frostmoon Goddess! You'll face retribution one day!" Alyanne roared.
"Betrayal? You're the traitor in everyone's eyes now!" Karl sneered. "Even if retribution finds , you won't be around to see it. I'll witness your demise first!"
"But don't worry—it won't take more than half a day for to leave this cursed place. Care to guess why?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
---
In the treetops, Viktor listened to the increasingly obnoxious laughter below, yawning in boredom.
Another classic case of a villain dood by his own verbosity, he thought.
But seriously, the guy talked way too much. Viktor was nearly falling asleep just from listening.
Adjusting to a more comfortable position to keep his bones from accidentally rattling and giving away his hiding spot, he muttered, "What a dull story."
Hurry up and finish already, so he could wrap this up and leave.
Bla that overly cautious high-tier mage.
Despite claiming Alyanne would never rise again, Karl stubbornly stayed behind to witness her death in person.
Which ant Viktor had no choice but to stay hidden in the treetops and listen to this painfully one-sided drama unfold.
---
Below, Karl's laughter abruptly stopped.
The crashing noises from distant monsters grew louder—so loud they were soon accompanied by a second and third wave of similar sounds.
His grin froze, and he quickly turned toward the commotion, eyes scanning the trembling treetops in the distance.
"Is this... really a monster tide?!"
When the others had fled at the slightest noise, Karl had scoffed at their cowardice.
He figured their panic gave him the perfect opportunity to clean up loose ends without interruption. But now, the monsters were genuinely heading their way?
He cast a reluctant glance at Alyanne, who lay on the ground, barely breathing. He gritted his teeth.
"Forget it. You won't escape anyway. Dying in a monster's jaws is a rcy for you!"
With that, he turned and disappeared into the dense forest.
The distant rumbling grew louder.
Alyanne's consciousness dimd as blood continued to seep from her wounds.
Her heart was heavy with despair.
"Is this really... the end for ?" she whispered.
No!
I refused to accept it!
A surge of desperation unlike anything she had ever felt shattered the chains holding her body down.
Alyanne opened her eyes once more, her left hand clawing forward, scraping against the ground with sheer willpower.
Her fingertips carved deep, bloody trails into the dirt, but her body refused to budge.
Still, she didn't give up.
Blocking out the growing noise, she kept trying.
Little by little, her left hand moved more freely, and more parts of her body began to respond.
Alyanne stretched out her mutilated right arm.
With great effort, she pressed her elbow into the ground, ignoring the steady flow of blue-tinged blood dripping from the wound.
"I will... survive!"
She roared with all her strength, but the sound was faint, barely more than a whisper.
Propping herself up on her elbow, she began to drag her body forward.
A stranger's voice suddenly spoke from nearby.
"Wow, an open artery, and you're still crawling?"
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