Vol 1 Chapter 23 – Welcome to My Hell

“Ha, ha, hah, haah.”

Alice Crux ran frantically through the forest.

There was no way she could take on a monster like that head-on.

She wouldn’t even be allowed to put up a fight.

Being killed would have been fine. She had devoted her body to Aroma-sama and prepared herself for that long ago.

Or so she thought. Yet here she was, driven to run by pure terror.

This meant she was facing a fate far worse than death.

As a beast-kin, she lacked confidence in her combat prowess. However, she trusted the cowardly sixth sense that had kept her alive until now and fled with all her might.

“T-That… That guy, anyway, anyway! I have to report to Aroma-sama…”

—Who killed Cock Robin—

“Kh!”

She hurriedly cast an illusion on herself to blend into the surrounding trees.

She knew her illusions had already been seen through. It was a desperate measure taken hoping it would bring her at least a little peace of mind.

Her own heartbeat was too loud.

If she could stop it, she would. But ah, it was so loud.

With such a loud noise, that guy was going to find her!

She leaned against a tree and regulated her breathing. She closed her eyes and erased her presence.

She was a fox.

A fox beast-kin who inherited superior genes to quietly sneak up on prey and calmly escape from enemies.

She slowly opened her eyes, got down on all fours without making a sound, and quietly distanced herself from the spot.

It was fine. She wasn’t losing in terms of sheer running speed. If she kept her presence erased and slipped away, she could escape!

—Wham.

The moment she felt an impact on her neck, her vision went pitch black.

“Wha…!?”

She had been keeping an eye on her surroundings.

There was definitely not supposed to be anyone around her. Who in the world could it be?

No, it was obvious. If the attack came from her blind spot, then it was from above!

From above.

A member of the rulers of the sky had pinned her to the ground with their talons.

“Pu, Puri…!”

“That ain’t gonna work. Where’re you trying to go?”

Dirt mixed in her mouth, leaving a bitter taste.

She wasn’t relaxed enough to care about something like that.

“Y-You’re the one… Do you even know what you’re doing!?”

“I haven’t heard a thing. Nobody told me you were involved in this job.”

“This is a special order from Aroma-sama. Just let me go already!”

“That’s cruel, Alice. So you betrayed me, huh.”

“What…?”

“Sneaking around in the shadows… Foxes really are nasty…”

“…Puria…!?”

Alice somehow twisted her neck to look at the bird-kin’s face, but Puria wasn’t looking at her at all.

She was staring off in the wrong direction with vacant eyes.

She wasn’t in her right mind. If that was the case, there was still a chance to escape.

Undoing her hair clip, she triggered a hidden blade and slashed at Puria’s leg.

The attack was unexpected. Alice used the opening when Puria pulled her leg away to escape the restraint.

—I, said the Sparrow.—

“……!”

I have to run. I have to run. I have to get away, even if I die.

Things were passing the point of no return.

No matter what, I have to tell Aroma-sama.

I have to tell her that thing is a monster that cannot be allowed to live. It absolutely must be killed!

My life doesn’t matter.

I’m fine existing solely to deliver this single message!

“Now that’s no good, Puria-san. You need to keep a firm hold on her.”

The monster’s voice echoed.

Just like always, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, that madman spoke in a calm manner.

I have to run.

“Sorry ’bout that, but hey, look here. My leg got slashed.”

She ran.

“Oh my, you poor thing. Here, I’ll lick it better for you, so present it to me.”

She ran.

“Really? I’m so happy. But I’ll save the fun for later. You got something you need to do first, right?”

Disgusting. Disgusting.

“You’re such a good girl, Puria-san. I’ll lick you all over later, okay?”

Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting!

“…Make sure you savor my blood, ‘kay?”

No, no, no, no, no.

“Yes, of course. By the way, did you say your name was Alice-san?”

No, no, I don’t want this.

“Where are you trying to go? Flailing about like that.”

Right in front of her eyes was his face.

“You can’t move, can you? I wonder why.”

She was supposed to be running, yet the conversation between those two hadn’t faded into the distance at all. The surrounding scenery hadn’t changed in the slightest.

She knew it was strange, but all she could do was run.

“This forest, you see, is a little special. To demons and beast-kin, it might have indeed been a ‘Forbidden Forest’.”

Terrifying, terrifying, terrifying.

“Neither Cock Robin nor the Sparrow. The birdie is Puria-san. You were the fox, weren’t you?”

I’m scared, it’s disgusting, stay away.

“Do you like crows? How about cranes? Though originally, foxes and birds might just be a bad match, heeheehee.”

Breathe, take a deep breath, I have to, stay calm, stay calm.

“…Do you like grapes? I wonder what your ‘grapes’ are? Are they sweet, or sour? The anticipation before eating them is the most fun part.”

S-Stay calm.

B-Breathe. How do I breathe again?

No, none of that matters.

I have to run!