My Adorable Daughter Can't Be A Villainess - Chapter 33 - Relief

Eric moved through the forest at a steady pace, his heart racing so fast.

The trees stood tall and close, their branches tangled like old thoughts that would not let go. Light filtered through the leaves in broken patches, falling on moss, roots, and damp soil.

“Charlotte! Charlotte!” he called, keeping his voice even.

No answer. The forest lay in utter silence, broken only by the slow hooting of distant birds.

He stopped for a moment, closed his eyes, and breathed in. The air was cool and wet.

Panic stirred in his chest, sharp and restless, but he forced himself to calm down. Panic led to mistakes.

Eric pushed through a wall of bushes, thorns scraping his arms and tearing at his sleeves. However, he did not slow down. The pain barely registered. On the other side, a low growl reached his ears.

Eric’s hand moved at once.

A beast stepped into view, no taller than his waist, with dull eyes and uneven fangs. It looked hungry. The creature circled him once, then lunged.

Eric snarled, “I do not have time for this.” He caught the beast by the head and slammed it to the ground.

DHAKK

Something cracked inside the creature, and it stopped moving.

He moved deeper, stepping over roots and ducking under branches. His eyes traced the ground, searching for broken twigs, pressed grass, any sign of hurried movement. His thoughts raced, but his steps stayed measured.

Another sound came, this time from above. Eric tilted his head and followed it with his eyes. The canopy shifted slightly, leaves trembling in one spot longer than the wind allowed.

He grabbed the trunk of a nearby tree and climbed. Years of training in the gym, along with the new strength in this body, let him reach the branch within seconds.

He scanned slowly, forcing himself not to rush. To the east, nothing but shadows and trees. To the west, a small clearing, trampled as if something had passed through in a hurry. His jaw tightened.

“Charlotte! Charlotte!” he called again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

He climbed down and headed toward the clearing. The same place where they had shared laughter and quiet moments. The place that was now his last hope to find his daughter.

Along the way, two more beasts crossed his path, thin, sharp-backed things with glowing eyes. They tested him, then fled when he did not retreat. He let them go. Fighting them would be a waste of time.

The clearing smelled of blood and damp earth.

Eric crouched and put his ears to the ground. He analyzed and found that the soil was disturbed. Too many footprints. One set smaller than the rest. His fingers curled into the dirt.

Charlotte had been here.

His breathing stayed slow, but his chest felt tight, like something was pressing from the inside. He stood and moved on, faster now.

He pushed through another line of bushes and nearly missed it, a scrap of torn cloth caught on a branch.

Charlotte’s. It had to be hers.

For a moment, the calm cracked. His heart slammed against his ribs, and heat rushed to his face. He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and counted a single breath.

Then his senses expanded. [Detection] was something he had been practicing every day, and it did not take long to locate several mana-bearing entities nearby.

He charged straight toward them, his steps crunching leaves and marking the wet soil.

Those few seconds were the hardest he had ever endured, but they were nothing compared to what awaited him.

“Charl…” Surrounded by horned foxes stood his little girl, covered in blood and bruises.

For a moment, his mind went blank. His breath caught in his throat, and his body felt hollow.

“Charl…” he called again, but even before his voice reached her, his presence drew the attention of the beasts around the girl.

Silence followed. She did not respond. Eric could barely see her from this distance.

His mind was screaming, “Please be alive. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Eric felt as if he had died a second time.

But then,

“Agh…”

A faint murmur. A slight movement of her finger. That was all it took for Eric to finally release the breath he had been holding.

One of the foxes suddenly lunged at him.

CRACKLE

Its body turned to ash as violet lightning struck it.

The others stepped back, wary of the man who had ended one of their own without effort.

Eric stepped forward, toward his daughter.

Two more foxes charged, splitting wide to attack from the side.

Dark lightning erupted again, erasing the two beasts from existence.

The remaining three realized they could not win.

One of them, driven by panic and rage, rushed toward the fallen girl, but its teeth never reached her. Eric caught its horn and tail.

He lifted it high, teeth clenched, and tore the beast apart.

“KHRIEEEEK!”

The shriek cut short as the creature split in two, its blood spilling over Eric.

The last two monsters fled from a being far more terrifying than they were.

Eric did not chase them.

He tossed the broken corpse aside and crouched beside his daughter, gently lifting her head and resting it on his lap.

“Charlotte… talk to me.”

She slowly opened her eyes, a weak groan leaving her lips. “…Uncle? Why are you making a face like that…? Are you angry at me?”

His voice shook as he answered, “No… but I am sad you did not tell me before leaving.”

Her consciousness began to slip. Her breathing was shallow, but he clearly heard her words.

“I…I… did not want… to choose… between the two of you.”

Not long after, soldiers appeared around them, sweeping the area for remaining monsters.

Eric carefully lifted his daughter into his arms and began the long walk back to the mansion.

For the first time in his life, he had never been so afraid for someone else.

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