Arlam Village, within the forest.
After a "peaceful discussion" with Elsa, Shendu had finally convinced her to willingly join her side. Along the way, she also learned who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
A faint smile curved Shendu's lips. She wondered how things were progressing on Emilia and Ram's side.
While waiting in place, Shendu glanced toward the blue-haired girl lying motionless on the ground. Seeing her perfectly still, an enigmatic smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
It seemed that Meili's identity as a beast tamer had already been exposed.
Beside her, Elsa appeared even more delighted. She had deliberately kept silent about Meili being a beast tamer, intending to wait for her master to make the decision herself.
After Shendu's "guidance," Elsa had begun to admire her from the bottom of her heart. Everything about her fascinated Elsa, as though she had finally found a new meaning in life.
All her life, Elsa had walked along the edge between life and death. Faced with Shendu's dominance and authority, she was experiencing emotions beyond killing for the first time.
After a short while, Emilia and Ram finally arrived, slightly late. However, the moment they saw Elsa standing beside Shendu, they immediately became wary, their expressions turning guarded as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Bowel Hunter, what are you trying to do?"
Wind-attribute magic gathered in Ram's hand as she stared at Elsa vigilantly and demanded an answer.
"Hurry and get away from Sister Shendu."
Noticing how close Elsa was standing to Shendu, Emilia grew equally tense. She could not understand why the two of them were standing together so calmly. Something about it felt terribly wrong.
"Heh, don't worry. I've already subdued Elsa. She's mine now."
As soon as Shendu finished speaking, Emilia let out a breath of relief. Ram, however, remained unconvinced, her gaze fixed on Elsa with continued suspicion.
"That won't do, Lady Shendu. Elsa is an assassin. How could she possibly submit to someone so easily?"
Ram clearly did not trust her. She shot Elsa a displeased look, convinced that this woman must have used some kind of trick to bewitch Lady Shendu.
"Ara? Little sister, are you jealous?"
As she spoke, Elsa slipped her arm around Shendu's waist and shot Ram a provocative smile, nearly causing Ram to explode.
To be fair, although Elsa had a terrible personality, her figure truly was exceptional—perhaps even better than Emilia's.
"Enough. Stop fooling around. It's time to talk about the curse caster."
Shendu's expression turned serious as she looked thoughtfully at the motionless blue-haired girl lying not far away.
"Huh? Isn't that the little girl from the village who went missing? Sister Shendu, didn't you use magic to move her just now?"
Upon recognizing the blue-haired girl, Emilia seemed to realize something. She was about to step forward when Ram pulled her back.
"Wait, Emilia-sama. Since Lady Shendu is saying this, it proves that girl must be connected to the curse caster."
Ram was perceptive. She quickly grasped the key point and reminded Emilia.
"But she's so young. How could a child possibly learn curse magic?"
Emilia found it difficult to believe. In her eyes, children were innocent and pure, incapable of harboring such malice.
"No. Age isn't the issue. This world has always been one where the strong devour the weak. Let me tell you... a story."
Shendu smiled mysteriously. Rather than immediately exposing the unconscious blue-haired girl, she began to narrate.
...
Since childhood, a girl had been abandoned by her parents in the forest. Because of her innate ability, she was taken in and raised by the magical beasts that lived there.
From a young age, miasma constantly surrounded her. She could control the magical beasts nearby, enjoying playing with the smaller ones, calling them "naughty little animals." However, she was unable to control those that were too powerful.
Having been raised by magical beasts, the girl's mind never matured properly. She had no idea what she wanted, nor did she understand the meaning of her own existence.
Until one day, the magical beast that had raised her was killed. In order to stay by an assassin's side, she began imitating that assassin's way of thinking and started carrying out missions.
As Shendu spoke, her gaze repeatedly swept over Elsa and the blue-haired girl, Meili. The girl lying on the ground began trembling uncontrollably, clearly no longer pretending to be unconscious.
"Ara, ara. Master has already made it so clear. There's no point in you continuing to pretend, Meili. Besides, aren't we enemies now?"
As she spoke, Elsa drew her curved blade from beneath her robe, her tone heavy with meaning.
"Don't do this, Sister Elsa. I'm your little sister. You can't kill me."
The previously unconscious blue-haired girl suddenly opened her eyes. Looking pitifully at Elsa, she almost knelt down.
After hearing Shendu's story, Meili had nearly broken down. Now that Elsa had switched sides, despair filled her heart. She hurriedly dropped the act and began begging for mercy.
She didn't understand Shendu, only that the woman was overwhelmingly powerful and had slaughtered all her magical beasts.
As for Elsa, she knew her all too well—when Elsa said she would kill, she killed. For the sake of her own life, Meili naturally did not dare continue pretending.
"How could this be? You really are a beast tamer."
Emilia's face filled with shock and disbelief. She had thought the girl couldn't possibly be one—but reality had proven her wrong almost instantly.
"Yes... just like this big sister said. I was abandoned in the forest when I was little and raised directly by magical beasts."
Meili spoke pitifully. As Shendu walked toward her, the girl's face turned pale, and she instinctively retreated several steps.
"Don't come any closer. I surrender. Please don't kill me."
This time, Meili truly broke down in tears. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, her delicate features soaked and trembling.
"I'm very sorry, Master. Although Meili has cooperated with me for so long, at heart she's still just a child—very afraid of death."
Elsa let out a soft, amused laugh, showing no concern whatsoever for Meili's predicament.
After all, Shendu had already taken her in. Meili possessed some ability as well. Surely she would also be acknowledged. Elsa could sense that her master had such intentions.
As someone with a twisted disposition, Elsa found herself rather curious about how far the two of them sisters might go under Shendu's command.
"I know. But that isn't an excuse for doing evil. Still, there are things that require her explanation. If she doesn't make herself clear... she can die right now."
A hint of threat laced Shendu's tone. Meili's face grew even paler. Facing the silver-haired, red-eyed girl before her, she felt fear rising from the depths of her heart.