..They had got her.

After being transported to some far off place through transmission magic, Victoria hacked at the ground with her scythe and left a huge gash in the earth.

Striking out in anger.

(I blundered. I shouldn’t have been so careless fighting that woman..)

She tightened her grip on the scythe.

She doesn’t know exactly where she is, but she seems to be in a forest.

She swung the scythe back over her shoulder.

(No, this isn’t the time to feel sorry for myself. I have to get back to Rings, no matter what..)

However, she doesn’t know where she is.

Her family lineage has been historically weak in magic.

So, she can’t use transmission magic.

Although, unbeknownst to her, she wouldn’t be able to use it here even if she did.

She started walking through the forest, looking for any clue to her location.

That’s when..

“Kyaaaaaaa!”, she heard a scream in the distance.

“What the..?” Victoria looked confused.

She heard another voice shouting “Don’t come any closer!” right afterwards. Was it the same person who screamed?

It would be a mistake to just assume that both voices belonged to the same person.

Victoria raced in the direction of the scream with a series of long dashes that seemed to ignore the weight of the scythe on her shoulder.

It wasn’t out of the goodness of her heart. But, because she sought information about where she was.

She threads her way in between the trees and reaches the origin of the scream.

And, in front of her, was a young girl cornered by a savage pack of bandits.

She jumped onto a tree branch and observed the scene.

(That’s.. An elf of the ‘eternal seed’? What is she doing in such a place?)

Creatures of the eternal seed are living organisms with no concept of a lifespan. Typically all such creatures are designated as S-rank monsters in need of sealing, but an elf alone is different and are not marked for sealing.

Incidentally, a dragon is also a creature of the eternal seed.

(What should I do? It would be a simple thing to help, but to get involved with an S-rank monster..)

The elven child was frightened, and visibly shaking.

Seeing that figure, Victoria unconsciously gripped the scythe even tighter.

(No, I should help that elf.)

Having decided so, Victoria jumped from the tree and extended that scythe behind her once more.

One slash.

Some of the bandits collapsed in a heap without a single scream.

“The fuck!?”

“That elf summoned some kinda monster!”

“Oh shit!”

The brigands started to panic.

Victoria landed cleanly and returned the scythe to her shoulder, as she stood between the child and her attackers, her blonde hair swayed in the wind.

“You low-lives. Were you planning on selling this child for money?”

Selling her blood? Selling her hair? Victoria was going to ask.

“Yeah, that’s right! That’s damn right! Selling her off would set us up for life!”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

Slash. The sickle was swung once more. The remaining robbers were reduced to lumps of flesh.

“It’s unfortunate that life was all a set up to be ended here, then.”

As the young elf stared at Victoria’s back, it was if she was seeing a ray of hope in a violent and desperate world.

Her blonde hair swayed beautifully as she ended lives as if in the midst of a dance, it was almost like art.

The heart throbbing violently in her chest, was it fear? Or some other emotion?

She doesn’t truly understand the emotions she’s feeling, but one thing she does know is that she was saved.

“Are you unhurt?”

After everything had ended, that blonde woman called Victoria spoke to her.

Wiping away the blood on her cheek, Victoria bent down to look at the child in her eyes. Behind her, she can see mangled bodies. But, the beauty in front of her was so great that she could ignore it.

The elf nodded and looked into Victoria’s eyes.

“Yes, I’m ohkay.”

She stuttered slightly. Victoria breathed a sigh of relief.

“Onee-chan, who are you?”

“Me? I am.. Let’s see. That’s a good question.”

Victoria thinks to herself.

There are a few ways she could introduce herself.

The Lord of Rings, the only survivor of the noble house of Victoria, an S-rank hunter, a Grim Reaper..

Those were the names that best described herself.

But, this child wouldn’t understand any of those.

“It’s difficult. For now, let’s just say that I’m someone who saved you in your time of need.”

The elf’s cheeks puffed up as she broke into a huge smile.

“Then, Onee-chan is my Prince!”

“No, it’s nothing as big as that. Moreover, what are you doing in such a place as this?”

“Well.. I was looking for my older sister.”

Victoria tilted her head.

Elves, like dragons, are creatures that reincarnate into a new form once they reach the end of their life.

In other words, a unique individual.

There should only ever be one elf, another cannot exist.

“You have an older sister?”

“Yep! She’s my twin!”

“..I see.”

Victoria wonders about just how such an unprecedented thing came about, but it seems unlikely her question will be answered just yet.