Donning a black robe, Dorothy had been lingering on the streets near Vidona’s city entrance ever since she left the Adventurers’ Guild.
The proximity to the city walls, combined with her Seventh-tier magic perception, meant she could rush to Celia and her companions’ aid at the first sign of danger.
She couldn’t quite grasp why she had agreed to Celia’s request, allowing them to confront the beast tide. In their current state, surely hiding would have been the safest course.
Was it because Orl had promised to protect them? Or did she believe she could rescue them herself should danger arise? Was this beast tide merely a trial for them?
Subtly, she felt it was none of those.
When Celia had declared her desire to aid other adventurers, a profound sense of relief had stirred within Dorothy’s heart.
Her daughter had grown, blossoming into a true adventurer.
She had always striven towards the ideal adventurer in her heart, never pausing for a moment. As her mother, how could Dorothy possibly hinder her at such a time?
She refused to be the kind of mother who claimed to act for her daughter’s good yet disregarded her daughter’s own aspirations.
Such an act would only wound her.
The adventurers and knights stationed on the city walls could not intercept every monster. A few First and Second-tier beasts, seizing the chaos, breached the city defenses, prompting the remaining adventurers within to sally forth and eradicate them.
Yet, the most formidable adversaries were the monsters in the sky.
Their numbers were vast, their movements exceptionally agile, and when they unfurled their wings, they blotted out the sun, casting a profound sense of oppression upon the adventurers.
Those who had initially dismissed the idea of fleeing to the beast tide shelters now wore expressions of terror. They immediately abandoned their tasks, frantically surging out of buildings to seek refuge in the nearest shelters.
The roar of battle echoed throughout Vidona, as flames and thick smoke marred the city’s beauty. Witnessing these terrifying monsters firsthand, their legs turned to jelly, making even normal walking a struggle.
Deep regret gnawed at them, regret for not heeding the Adventurers’ Guild’s beast tide warning, regret for not fleeing with the others sooner.
After being jostled twice by the frantically fleeing figures, Dorothy halted and shook her head with a sigh.
No matter the place, some would inevitably succumb to complacency, thereby losing all reverence for monsters.
“What are you doing standing there blankly? Hurry and get to a shelter!”
A sudden reprimand sounded from behind her. Dorothy turned, her gaze falling upon a soldier clad in armor, wielding a magic firearm, standing directly before her.
Beyond the knights, Vidona also employed soldiers comprised of ordinary citizens. Their duty was to maintain daily order and address minor infractions involving only commoners.
Seeing Dorothy remain silent, he gestured towards the fleeing crowds, urging, “Hurry and follow them! The shelter is just ahead. Whatever you do, don’t stray from the main group!”
With that, he gripped his gun, preparing to rush towards the direction of the flames. At that moment, Dorothy countered, “And what about you?”
“Me? Of course, I’m going to save people,” the soldier stated, as if it were the most obvious thing.
Save people?
He was merely an ordinary man; the magic firearm in his hands could inflict only negligible damage upon a First-tier monster. His “saving people” would most likely cost him his own life.
As if sensing Dorothy’s thoughts, he let out a hearty laugh and said:
“Don’t worry about me. Though I’m past forty, I’m still stronger than you young girls. You should hurry and hide in the shelter with the others!”
As his words faded, he once again raised his gun and charged into the fiery glow.
Lowering her gaze, Dorothy silently offered a blessing, then looked away.
She was no longer an adventurer; her desire to protect had shifted from humanity to her own daughter. Now, she was merely an ordinary mother seeking to atone for her past to her child.
Perhaps, as Bruul had suggested, it would be best for her to remain hidden during this beast tide.
Clinging to this thought, she pulled her black robe tighter, weaving through the shadows of buildings, striving to avoid the battlegrounds where adventurers clashed with monsters.
Until, that is, she sensed a profoundly unsettling aura emanating from beyond Vidona’s city limits.
The aura was utterly undisguised, powerful yet extraordinarily chaotic and malevolent, as if it had spilled forth from the legendary Satan’s Hell, intent on defiling the mortal realm with its demonic essence.
Upon sensing its tier, Dorothy pressed her lips together, realizing she had no choice but to intervene.
A Sixth-tier demon. Vidona simply held no adventurers capable of confronting such a foe.
However, precisely as she resolved to head for the city walls, a heart-wrenching girl’s cry reached her from nearby, prompting her to draw closer stealthily.
“Daddy!”
The girl, no more than six years old, looked utterly adorable with her chubby cheeks. Yet, at this moment, she was cradled by a woman, sobbing loudly, ceaselessly wiping away her tears.
The woman’s face, too, was pale, her eyes red-rimmed as if she were desperately suppressing something.
Before them, the knight Ron lay sprawled on the ground, one arm twisted at a grotesque angle, his head pinned beneath the foot of a girl in a black mini-skirt.
“Oh dear, oh dear, little darling, so he’s your daddy? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have broken his arm.”
The girl pressed her hands together, her face conveying an apology, as if meekly admitting fault. But then, her tone shifted, and she chuckled:
“Tell you what, he still has one arm and two legs. How about you, little darling, take his place for a moment and endure the pain of a severed limb for him?”
“Then, he’ll surely wear an expression of utter agony, won’t he? Hehe, I simply adore seeing people make such faces. I can hardly wait!”
As she prattled on, her expression grew increasingly sated. Judging solely by her face, she was undoubtedly a beautiful girl.
Yet, the content of her words was utterly chilling.
To make a six-year-old girl endure the agony of a severed limb—even as a human, she was more terrifying than any demon.
Directly opposite her lay the entrance to a beast tide shelter within the city. Many residents watched her with enraged expressions, yet no one dared to step forward and aid Ron.
Struggling, Ron, still sprawled on the ground, painfully reached out to his daughter, weakly muttering, “Don’t.” This act utterly enraged the girl.
“Who told you you could speak?!”
She stomped a foot down heavily on Ron’s cheek, deforming and dislocating his jaw. Blood gushed incessantly from his mouth, mixed with numerous shattered teeth.
“Daddy!”
The little girl’s cries escalated, growing louder and louder. She even tried to tear herself from the woman’s embrace and rush towards Ron, but the woman beside her held her back tightly, preventing her escape.
“Oh dear, you’re crying so loudly, it makes my heart ache. If only your daddy hadn’t stopped me from approaching the shelter, why would he be in such a state now?”
The girl uttered these words in the gentlest possible tone, as if genuinely pained. Yet, the very next second, her lips stretched into a wide, ear-to-ear grin.
“So, will you let me break your arms and legs, or will you watch your daddy die? Have you made your decision, little darling?”