“What’s wrong? Little sister, you were so decisive when you were attacking just now, and now that the situation has reversed, you’re upset?” Karim Said teased Sairi with a mocking tone.
Damn it! You’re just all talk! Today, I’m going to tear your foul mouth apart!
Sairi cursed inwardly as she propped herself up and continued fighting.
Karim Said charged again with his spear! The sharp spearhead came rushing toward her, forcing Sairi to dodge sideways. Then, as expected, Karim Said swung his spear in a wide horizontal slash.
But this time, Sairi suddenly ducked low and lunged forward, leaping behind Karim Said. At the same time, she swung the Rainbow Sword, infusing it with magic power and struck heavily on Karim Said’s back.
A powerful burst of magic exploded, and after a cracking sound, a piece of the armor on Karim Said’s back actually chipped off.
However, before she could celebrate, Karim Said twisted his spear, the base striking Sairi’s abdomen with tremendous force, sending her flying several meters away.
Ahh, my body’s already sensitive, and this blow made the pain unbearable—I even cried from the pain.
Karim Said turned around with a grim expression.
“Such an expensive set of armor! And you actually damaged it! This was a reward from the king and queen for meritorious service!”
Angrily, Karim Said swung his spear again. Magical energy flared along the spear shaft, and the spearhead gleamed as it swept toward Sairi.
Sairi tried to get up but was hindered by the pain. Facing the incoming attack, she rolled on the ground to dodge.
Rolling beside a tree, Sairi finally staggered to her feet, gasping for breath.
But Karim Said gave her no time to catch her breath; the spear surged forward. Sairi mustered all her strength to deflect the spear with the Rainbow Sword.
However, Karim Said immediately stepped forward, positioning the spear horizontally behind Sairi’s back with his left hand.
Then, using his strength, he pushed Sairi forward while his armored right fist slammed solidly into her abdomen.
The overwhelming attack made Sairi’s mind go blank. She spat out a mouthful of blood and slammed against the nearby tree trunk, then fell to the ground.
Goddamn! The hit was so fierce, I feel like my insides are ruined! That punch almost made me vomit my food. These two hits alone made it hard for me to even stand.
“Cough… cough…” Sairi spat out more blood, supporting herself with her sword as she shakily stood up, her legs trembling uncontrollably.
“I didn’t expect Miss Sairi’s fighting spirit to be so strong. Then I’ll give you a few more hits!” Karim Said said, striding toward her and kicking her hard.
Sairi was kicked into the air but was caught by Karim Said mid-flight. He slammed her neck heavily against a tree. Struggling, Sairi placed her hands on his arm, trying to break free, but it was useless.
Breathing became difficult. Sairi frantically kicked Karim Said, which made him angry. He followed with a barrage of heavy punches to her abdomen, not stopping for a while.
***
Finally, nearly out of breath and suffocating, Sairi was slammed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
“Cough… cough cough…”
This guy’s hands are ruthless. I have to transform now, or Silvya will arrive soon. Life is more important than pride—otherwise, I’m really going to die here.
“Well? Ready to surrender, Miss Sairi? You won’t last much longer, and we don’t want to be held responsible.”
“Never!”
Karim Said seemed to have anticipated Sairi’s reply. He raised his spear and advanced toward her.
At that moment, a little boy suddenly ran out from behind a tree, crying as he hugged Karim Said’s leg.
It turned out the tree Sairi was pinned against was the little boy’s hiding spot.
“Mr. Karim Said! Please let Miss Sairi go! She’s a good person. She cares about me and saved me. Please spare her!” The boy cried loudly, tears streaming down, wiping on Karim Said’s armored leg.
“Get lost! Filthy!” Karim Said kicked the boy away without hesitation.
“This armor was gifted by the king and queen—someone like you scum has no right to touch it!” Karim Said snarled.
Yet the boy kept crying, crawling back toward Karim Said and clutching his leg.
“I’m sorry! Master Karim Said! But Sairi really isn’t a bad person!”
Unmoved, Karim Said raised his hand and slapped the boy hard, knocking him to the ground. His head hit the earth with a heavy “thud.”
“Cough, cough…” The boy coughed up blood, wriggling on the ground as he inched closer to Karim Said.
“I’m sorry, Goddess Sister Sairi. It’s my fault! I promised them I would lure you here, just for… just for some food to fill my stomach…” The boy said weakly, gasping from the pain.
“They told me Miss Sairi was a wicked villain, but… but I found out she’s good. Goddess Sister Sairi is good. I was the one who harmed her!”
Watching all this, Sairi finally understood why the boy was so shy and unwilling to speak earlier. It wasn’t shyness—it was fear.
But Sairi sincerely believed the child was innocent, just surviving by using what little means he had and being exploited by these villains.
“Using children as bait to achieve your dark goals, greedy for a few royal rewards—I see you’re nothing but opportunistic dogs!”
“What did you say!”
Karim Said’s face darkened instantly. The Cloaked Trio nearby shrank back in fear.
“You don’t understand! This is a symbol of status and power!”
“You’re supposed to be a guardian maintaining order and making this place safer and more prosperous, but instead, you’re so greedy and ruthless. What kind of person are you?”
Contrary to Sairi’s arrogant tone, the little boy crawled humbly toward Karim Said, clutching his foot and resting his head against it, still crying out for Sairi’s mercy.
“Master Karim Said, please show mercy this once. It’s all my fault this time. I made a mistake and caused trouble for everyone!”
“Enough!” Karim Said finally lost control.
He was already furious, and the boy’s persistent pleas only annoyed him more.
“I shouldn’t have involved you from the start! It took so long to convince you, and now you betray me so quickly, you shameless wretch!”
Karim Said grabbed the boy’s neck and yanked him up.
“Do you want to die? Fine, I’ll grant your wish, you fatherless, motherless piece of trash! You deserve to die! Not worth wasting even a morsel of food on you!”
“Shut up, you bastard!” Sairi cut Karim Said off sharply. “Let him go! He’s innocent. Do whatever you want to me!”
Karim Said thought Sairi had finally resigned herself. He disdainfully dropped the boy and wiped his hands.
“Kid, do you know the way back to town?”
The boy was still wiping tears…
“Speak!” Sairi shouted anxiously.
“I know… I live at the orphanage…”
“Go home! Right now! Run back to the orphanage immediately! And remember, don’t tell anyone about today! Pretend it never happened!”
“But…”
“Move! Are you coming or not? If not, I’ll haunt you even in death!!!”
The boy hesitated, but after Sairi’s sharp command, he nervously ran toward the town.
Karim Said cursed indifferently.
“See, people like that can’t read the situation! Let me tell you, if those damn nobles in the capital didn’t care so much about you, I’d have beaten you to a pulp long ago to remind you of your place!”
Sairi propped herself up with her sword, her face dark.
“You look pretty enough. If you behaved like a pet, I might have been merciful and sent you to a brothel to make money for those men. But it looks like you don’t have that awareness.”
Ugh… this is infuriating…
Though she had heard about villains in novels and dramas in her past life, now that a real villain was standing in front of her, Sairi was overwhelmed with rage.
“Master Karim Said, this Sairi is ungrateful. Why don’t we take revenge on her first? Those nobles in the capital won’t even find out.”
“Do as you wish. Just don’t kill her.”
Karim Said tightened his grip on the spear and leaned against a large tree. The Cloaked Trio stepped forward, ready to torment Sairi.
“Feels good to fight so recklessly, huh? How does it feel now that it’s hitting your own body?”
“Ugh, what vermin. You lot don’t even deserve to be adventurers!”
“It’s just a means to make money. Completing missions is what matters. It’s not the first time.”
“What! You all deserve a bad end.”
“Watch your mouth! Once this is settled, go deal with that Hero as well. That’ll be a fat payday.”
“Money… always money… you’re all possessed…”
“Of course it’s not just money… there’s also~ beauty. With such a cute face, how can we not have our fun?”
Sairi was speechless. These villains were disgusting.
“Scum…”
“Thanks for the compliment! That’s just who we are, hahaha!”
The three burst into laughter. Though they were an adventurer squad, they had done quite a few dirty deeds, including hitting other teams to steal their rewards.
Unbeknownst to them, Sairi’s fury was about to reach its limit.
She stood up and suddenly sneered, recalling the Goddess Sister’s words, which now seemed utterly ridiculous.
“Talking about a beautiful world, with just a bit of hidden darkness…”
“Talking about cherishing every day of the journey…”
“Talking about an unforgettable new life…”
“This is just… awful.”
Sairi gripped the Rainbow Sword, facing the three.
“Hey, do you think this kid’s gone crazy? He’s starting to talk nonsense.” Bilur covered her mouth and whispered to Salanto and Sike Na.
Salanto replied frankly.
“Nonsense? This is just a normal reaction—people utterly despairing, furious but helpless, beginning to curse the world. Hahaha.”
“Too bad, survival of the fittest. Exploiting others for profit is just everyday life for us. Hahahahaha!”
“Shameless! Scum! Vermin! Beast!”
Sairi completely lost her composure. Her eyes blazed with anger.
She silently muttered the transformation words, releasing the power of magic.
In an instant, dazzling light flickered around Sairi. When they saw her again, she was completely transformed.
The sudden change stunned everyone. The three trembled and stepped back, while Karim Said raised his spear to block in front of them.
“Just changed your clothes to something flashier. Ungrateful madwoman, I’ll teach you a proper lesson this time!”
Karim Said charged again, but this time Sairi stood her ground, unmoving.
The spear tip drew closer and closer until it stopped before her. Sairi grabbed the spear with one hand, halting it.
Karim Said struggled with all his might to withdraw his spear, but it wouldn’t budge.
“You monster! Damn filthy bitch!”
Ignoring Karim Said’s insults, Sairi stepped in front of him.
Karim Said swung his fist to strike her but was stopped by her single hand. He couldn’t move. Only then did Karim Said realize that things might be about to take a turn.