Words were insufficient to describe the creature standing before me.

It was several times taller than I was. Its fur was the color of midnight black. If its face hadn’t vaguely resembled a human’s, I could have easily mistaken it for a bear.

The creature rose threateningly onto its hind legs, towering over me now. The moment my eyes met its pale yellow ones, a chill spread through my entire body.

As if sensing my fear, the monster let out a deafening roar directly into my face.

Does that smell like fish?

Buddy, for a monster, you have terrible taste.

As though it had read my thoughts, the creature suddenly lunged at me.

I screamed and threw myself aside at the last second. My hands slammed against the dirt, and I used the ground to push myself back up before sprinting in the direction I’d come from.

Damn it!

Because I’d wandered deeper into the forest just so no one would hear me vomiting, I couldn’t even see the forest exit anymore.

As I forced my way between the trees, I prayed desperately not to die.

For some reason, while running, I felt the sudden urge to look behind me.

The creature was back on all fours, charging toward me at terrifying speed while disgusting green saliva dripped from its mouth.

Then suddenly—

I tripped over a massive tree root jutting from the ground and crashed face-first onto the earth.

Suppressing the pain, I rolled onto my back.

And immediately understood that I was about to come face-to-face with the monster.

It kept charging toward me without slowing down.

And my ankle was twisted painfully beneath me.

“God…” I whispered to myself. “Is this really how it ends? In this stupid world… inside this stupid body…”

Realizing I was about to die, I slowly closed my eyes.

I thought about my life.

Before I’d been dragged into this cursed place, I’d actually lived well. I had loving parents. I had painted countless pictures.

But no matter how long I waited…

…the fatal blow never came.

Feeling only a faint gust of wind against my face, I cautiously opened my eyes.

Luck must have smiled on me after all.

I was alive.

Though… only because of him.

A tall figure dressed in a black cloak had stepped between me and the creature at the last second.

Just as the monster lunged toward him, he pulled out some kind of glowing green sphere from beneath his cloak.

The instant the sphere touched the creature’s face, the beast let out a horrific roar and literally crumbled into ashes.

Black dust scattered across the ground as the cloaked figure shook his hands breathlessly before turning toward me.

Though the hood shadowed most of his face, I could barely make out a pair of crimson-red eyes.

The cloaked man studied me silently for a long moment before finally speaking.

“What were you doing here… Beatrice?” he asked in a deep voice.

Before I could answer, those crimson eyes found my right ankle.

It had twisted at an unnatural angle.

“Does it hurt?” he asked softly.

I clenched my teeth.

“Not too much. I think I just sprained it.”

The cloaked figure shook his head.

“That’s not a sprain. You probably broke it.”

When he tried stepping closer, I instinctively flinched.

The red eyes stared at me blankly, confused by my reaction.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, sounding strangely offended.

“What?”

“I said I won’t hurt you. You know me.”

“Oh… right. It’s not that. It’s just… my ankle really hurts right now.”

“I know. I’ll fix it.”

The man slowly knelt beside me.

So he already knew Beatrice.

And apparently, he was one of the few people who didn’t treat her like a monster.

He pulled some sort of wand from beneath his cloak, held it near my ankle, and began murmuring softly.

“San unguntum.”

As the pain in my ankle gradually faded, I couldn’t stop the words from slipping out in excitement.

“You… you’re a mage?”

The man kneeling beside me stared at my face in concern.

“Did you hit your head when you fell?” he asked tiredly, rubbing his face beneath the hood. “How stupid of me. If I’d arrived just a few seconds earlier… you might not have lost your memory because of me.”

“I actually… It’s not really that…”

Before I could form a proper sentence, he began searching through his cloak again.

He pulled out a small bottle filled with golden liquid.

“Here. Drink this. It’ll help your body recover.”

“Thanks, but I really don’t need—”

“I said take it.”

His voice turned cold.

Not wanting to argue, I carefully accepted the bottle.

“What exactly does this potion do?”

“It removes fatigue from your body. And if you have any other injuries, it heals those too.”

The moment he focused on his cloak again, I quickly shoved the potion bottle into the pocket of my dress.

Even if I didn’t use it now, it might become useful later.

Meanwhile, he had already taken out another vial.

After carefully removing the cork, he drank the purple liquid inside.

“What’s that for?” I asked curiously.

Once he finished drinking, he turned toward me to answer.

“A mana enhancer. Using magic earlier drained my mana, and you… did you drink your potion?”

“Y-Yes, of course,” I lied with an awkward smile. “I already feel much better.”

“Whatever.”

He slowly stood up.

Then he extended a hand toward me as well.

“By the way, my master sent a message,” he said after a moment.

“What is it?” I asked, this time keeping my expression under control.

“The ritual has to be repeated. After what happened at the cave, he doesn’t want you acting alone anymore.”

“Of course. Is that all?”

“Yes, but… why is your face so pale?”

Before I could react, he gently brushed a strand of blonde hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

“Did the potion not work?” he asked worriedly.

“N-No, it’s fine,” I stammered, trying to smile. “I’m probably just shaken from fear.”

The man sighed.

He quickly rummaged through his cloak again before pulling out a small pastel-green pouch tied shut with a golden ribbon.

“I expanded it with magic. You can fit anything you want inside. For now, there are only spheres used to kill those monsters in there. I specifically chose the color because it matches your eyes and your hair really— ahem… suits it.”

Even though I couldn’t see his face clearly, I could tell from his voice that he was blushing.

Smiling gratefully, I accepted the pouch and slipped it into the same pocket as the potion bottle.

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing. Just take care of yourself—that’s enough for me. And don’t forget what I told you about the Vivismul Ritual.”

Vivismul?

So that was the name of the ritual Beatrice had performed.

The cloaked man pointed deeper into the trees.

“Your duchy’s carriage is over there. They’re probably waiting for you. You should go.”

“Alright. Thank you for everything. See you later.”

I had just started walking toward the direction he pointed when he suddenly called out after me one last time.

“Beatrice!” he shouted. “No matter what happens, do not attend the Crown Prince’s birthday ball.”