“Help… me.”
“Who are you?”
Renith asked warily, her voice cutting sharply through the silent air.
“Help… me.”
The voice was faint and ethereal, as if drifting up from some distant abyss.
The next second, Renith jolted awake from her dream, her heart pounding so violently it felt like it might burst right out of her chest. She sat up quickly in the car and scanned her surroundings—nothing but desolation as far as the eye could see: withered yellow grass shivering in the biting wind, sandy soil stretching out to the horizon without end.
Beneath her was a single-seat T-shaped car. She opened the door, stepped out slowly, and rubbed her legs, which had gone a little numb from staying in the same position too long.
She couldn’t help but wonder—when had she even fallen asleep?
She took a deep breath of the chilly air, and her mind instantly cleared quite a bit.
She tried to piece things together. She’d been speeding along on her motorcycle when a wave of inexplicable drowsiness hit her, nearly overwhelming her. So she’d pulled out the car from her Codex, summoned Filof, and asked her to keep watch.
Seeing Renith awake, Filof drifted over and nuzzled against her.
Renith remembered that about half a year ago, after she’d used demonic magic a few times, Filof couldn’t stand the “smell” on her and had ignored her for an entire month. It wasn’t until Renith promised again not to use that magic carelessly that Filof finally started interacting with her again.
At that thought, Renith couldn’t help but smile bitterly—it always felt like her own daughter was going through a rebellious phase.
“Lady Renith.”
Filof twirled gracefully in the air.
“How long did I sleep?”
Renith massaged her temples, trying to ease the headache.
“Lady Renith… thirty minutes,” Filof replied.
Renith muttered “thirty minutes” under her breath, yet her body ached and felt utterly drained, as if she’d slept for three days and nights straight.
“Did you hear any strange sounds while I was asleep?”
Filof shook her head blankly, indicating she’d heard nothing. If any sound at all, she’d only caught the howling wind nearby and the scraping of sand and gravel crawling across the ground.
“Maybe I misheard,” Renith murmured to herself, chin resting on her hand.
She checked the fuel and the vehicle’s condition, then glanced at the meager fuel left in her Codex, mentally calculating her next move. She planned to press on, find a place to rest, and stock up on fuel.
But Filof spoke up, trying to persuade her:
“Lady Renith, you’re probably just too exhausted. You haven’t had a proper rest since you left Mobis City half a year ago. We still have two days before we reach Ungler City—why not take a good rest tonight?”
Filof was absolutely right.
Half a year ago, Renith had left Mobis City, intending to head along the main road toward the Imperial Capital. Along the way, she’d killed every single Transmigrator she encountered.
Since it was on her route anyway, she’d also raised hell in another city under Cork’s control.
Cork wasn’t there at the time. The strongest underlings he had were a count who’d built himself up with drugs and a handful of viscounts and barons. Renith had casually dealt with a few corrupt officials and Transmigrator groups there, and even helped prop up the local resistance that had been nearly crushed. After that, she continued onward into the continent’s interior.
Of course, that was probably why a lot more wanted posters with her name on them had started appearing across the heartland.
But they had no physical description of her at all. The posters were completely blank, only stating that someone was massacring the “Chosen Ones,” with a reward of a hundred thousand gold coins attached below.
For high nobles, a hundred thousand gold was just half a year’s to a year’s income. But for many martial barons, viscounts, or even counts, it was a massive fortune.
So plenty of people began hunting for Renith’s trail, hoping to capture her and claim the bounty.
But the continent was huge, and tracking down one person wasn’t that easy.
Renith hadn’t run into many people along the way, moving steadily toward the Imperial Capital. And even when she did encounter anyone, they weren’t all that strong—she could lose them after a few extra laps.
Two months ago, when Renith stepped into the territory under Senodel City’s jurisdiction, she felt an invisible force looming overhead.
This force was strange—it only covered the areas of Senodel City and one other city. If you didn’t step inside, you wouldn’t feel it at all.
The source of the energy was odd, and Renith suspected the Transmigrators were behind it, so she gave up on the idea of entering that city.
Instead, she planned to go around it and head for the former western border—Ungler City. From there, she could bypass the Aztec Mountains and reach one of the four central cities surrounding the Imperial Capital.
Along the way, she killed as she traveled. She’d lost count of how many Transmigrators had died by her hand. It was as routine as eating or drinking—who could remember every grain of rice they’d ever eaten?
Because of her massive killing spree, she’d earned the moniker “Chosen One Slaughter Machine,” causing quite a stir at the time.
Detouring around those two cities covered by the unknown force had cost Renith several extra months. Right now, she was about two days away from Ungler City—assuming, of course, she hadn’t gotten lost.
Renith pulled a sleeping mat out of her Codex. It was practically an antique from a few hundred years ago. The last time she used it, she remembered, was during the campaign against the demon army alongside Hettis and Aregia.
Lying on the dry grass, gazing up at stars far brighter than those visible in the city, Renith couldn’t help but reminisce about her travels with Hettis and Aregia.
Along the way, she’d also casually inquired about the Goddess Church and news of Hettis, but most of her questions had gone unanswered. Many people didn’t even know who Hettis was—only a small handful, after Renith prompted them, could recall that he’d once been the hero who saved the continent.
The Goddess Church was the same way. The grand cathedrals that had once covered human territory now only lingered among certain noble circles.
Most of the new gods were ones the Transmigrators had set up—like Jesus, or some Buddha, or Zeus…
Renith had taken a look at their statues too. There wasn’t a shred of divine power about them.
And what did that mean?
According to what Aregia had taught Renith, it meant that no god resided upon those statues. No matter how people prayed, the gods couldn’t respond—though it was also possible that their gods had already passed away, or existed somewhere far beyond the heavens.
But most likely, it was just psychological comfort cooked up by the Transmigrators, or simply tools for raising money and meddling in politics.
Just as Renith was about to meditate in place of sleep, a rumbling vibration rolled in from the distance, accompanied by a faint roar.
Renith immediately went on high alert. She stowed her car and mat into the Codex, cast a “Refraction” spell to blend into the surroundings, and quietly waited for the distant vehicle to pass right in front of her.
“That’s weird. I just saw someone and something glowing over here, but now it’s gone.”
One of them stuck his head out the window and looked around, but saw nothing at all.
Renith’s magical particles brushed past them. After ruling out the possibility that they were Transmigrators, she noticed they were carrying plenty of ammunition, with bundles of camping and climbing gear piled behind the car.
In an instant, Renith understood their destination—the Aztec Mountains.
They were probably heading out to hunt beasts… or maybe monsters. Ever since the demon race had been practically wiped out, monsters worldwide had been extensively culled as well. The surviving monsters, sensing the threat, had retreated deep into the mountains and forests.
Aside from the forests around the Demon King’s City, which had been chopped down completely, if there was anywhere in the world where monsters might still exist, it would be the coniferous forests north of the Aztec Mountains.
“Alright, stop staring. You probably just saw wrong. Let’s hurry up—don’t keep those nobles waiting. They’re big spenders.”
The man in the passenger seat said, glancing at the young woman driving.
“But I’m so tired~ And you don’t know how to drive—I’ve been at it for four hours already!”
The girl’s tone carried a hint of complaint.
“Ah, fine… I think there’s a village up ahead. We’ll stay there for the night. Tomorrow!… Tomorrow! We absolutely have to reach Ungler City. Can’t delay any longer!”
The man’s voice was a bit helpless, but in the end, he gave in.
Big spenders?
Was it some kind of hunting event?
Nobles did have such traditions. Timing-wise, it was about time for the winter hunt. In the old days, the winter hunt was a way for nobles to flaunt their wealth, but over a hundred years, it had turned into more of a traditional affair. Anyone with money could join in, though nobles were still the biggest spenders.
With that, Renith guessed their destination: Alvister—north of Ungler City, west of the Aztec Mountains, reputed to be the empire’s most remote city. It had once been a small town, but had gradually grown into a city due to the nobles’ hunting needs.
Their destination was roughly the same as Renith’s—at least they were heading along the same route.
Hearing there was a village nearby, Renith decided to wait until they’d gone a bit farther, then follow them and stay there herself.
Camping alone in the wild was risky—unless you had nerves of steel, you could never afford to sleep soundly by yourself out there.
Renith once again found herself missing the days when she and Hettis and Aregia would sleep out under the stars.
After the two drove off, Renith pulled out the motorcycle she’d “borrowed,” added some fuel, and followed the tire tracks they’d left behind.
Renith wasn’t slow—she arrived almost right after they did.
The two seemed to be chatting with the village chief, asking if they could stay the night. Renith walked up and joined in, paid two silver coins, and successfully secured an empty room on the second floor of the chief’s house.
By the way, she was staying right next door to them.
“My name is Misrien. Miss, are you really traveling overland all by yourself?”
Misrien—that was the man—stepped forward and extended his hand, introducing himself without a care for the girl’s mood behind him.
“If you don’t mind, I’d love to have a deeper conversation with you…”
“Misrien!”
The girl gave him a solid kick in the rear and stepped forward to apologize:
“I’m so sorry—this guy just can’t control himself around women. Truly, I’m sorry… My name is Vimia.”
Renith didn’t mind. All sorts of people existed in the world.
She gave a faint smile and introduced herself:
“My name is Anna. I’m planning to pass through Ungler City on my way to the Imperial Capital, and I’d also like to take in the scenery of the Aztec Mountains along the way.”
