Chapter 5: A Feast Delivered on a Silver Platter

“Criminal Aphrodite, dereliction of duty leading to the Beast Tide’s rampant destruction… sentenced to death by law, execution immediate!”

The cold sentence echoed in her ears as Aphrodite was mercilessly dragged onto the raised platform.

The heavy guillotine blade was slowly pulled up, gleaming with a chilling light.

The chapter of her “human” life that had just begun seemed poised to end abruptly at this moment…

…That was the little scene flashing through Aphrodite’s mind in an instant.

In reality, she was currently slumped dejectedly at the camp on the outskirts of Wolfgang Forest, her entire face etched with the four giant characters: “Life is meaningless.”

A cold wind blew repeatedly, shaking the piles of leaves scattered over thick tree roots mercilessly.

The rustling sound only made the already hopeless Aphrodite feel even worse.

—What the hell is going on!!!!!!?

She had gone so far as to abandon her original body to come here, just to avoid fighting and killing, to live a peaceful, idle life.

So why, just after logging in, before her newbie protection period even ended, was she immediately dropped right at the doorstep of a massive raid?

Back in the old days, with her original body, a Beast Tide of this scale could be wiped out single-handedly.

But now? The character was brand new, skills were still gray, and her vision was still in a highly blurred “reading-glasses mode.”

In this state, going into the forest meant not just failing to quell the Beast Tide, but practically delivering a feast of tasty human meat straight to the monsters.

And that so-called “Candidate Saintess”—she had no recollection of ever applying for such a position.

“Candidate Saintess…” Aphrodite couldn’t help but wail inwardly. “Who the hell forced this title on me? Has the Church now taken to unilaterally assigning roles without asking?”

She had just recently blown up the Church’s Chief Executive, so by all logic and reason, they should be enemies at odds.

Yet here she was, inexplicably made a Candidate Saintess and expected to solve the crisis on the Church’s behalf.

No matter how she thought about it, it made no sense at all.

As for having once quelled the Beast Tide before?

Aphrodite had no memory of that at all.

Even if she had lost some memories, forgotten certain things—

Given her previous antagonistic relationship with the Church, how could she possibly have helped them with something like this?!

Forget it.

No time for this.

There are far more pressing matters now…

Gotta get out!

Must get out!

Before that troublesome aunt and niece duo locked their sights on her, running away now might still be possible.

She still wanted to enjoy her new life.

Aphrodite’s mind raced, quickly plotting a bunch of lame excuses and escape routes.

But before she could make a move, the tent’s flap was ripped open abruptly and without ceremony.

Eliya and Alice entered one after the other, instantly filling the already cramped tent space.

“How’s the preparation coming along, Ms. Aphrodite?” Eliya’s voice remained calm. “We must enter the forest’s core zone as soon as possible.”

A cold shiver ran down Aphrodite’s spine.

She hurriedly adopted a weak and troubled expression, her unfocused blue eyes struggling to meet Eliya’s gaze, voice laden with just the right amount of helplessness and apology.

“I’m really… truly sorry.”

She deliberately lowered her voice, almost whispering weakly.

“It’s not that I’m shirking responsibility. As you can see, my vision is… still very blurry. I can hardly distinguish between what’s beneath my feet and what’s far away. In this condition, venturing into such dangerous territory, I fear I won’t just be unable to help accomplish the task, but would become a burden and slow down the whole operation. Could you… please grant me a few days? Perhaps when my eyesight improves a little…”

Aphrodite forced her voice to sound sincere and helpless.

She had to play innocent if she wanted to get by.

Eliya was silent for a moment; the air in the tent seemed to freeze.

Then, she sighed softly.

“I understand your difficulties, Ms. Aphrodite,” Eliya’s voice dropped low. “But the reality is, we have no time. The Beast Tide in Wolfgang Forest has completely spiraled out of control. The outer defense lines can only hold for another half day at most. Once they break, the three towns closest will be reduced to ruins instantly, and tens of thousands of civilians will die. This area will turn into a scene straight from hell.”

Eliya clenched her fists, the scenes from those years deeply engraved in her mind, impossible to shake: the sky so gray and dark, the shrill cries of babies beneath the broken walls…

Now she had power—as a senior executor of the Dawn Blades under the Santa Church banner, she would absolutely not allow such tragedies here again.

She stepped forward.

Though Aphrodite’s eyes were blurry, Eliya’s gaze remained sharp and resolute, as if it could pierce through the haze. “Church reinforcements are on their way, but it will take time for them to arrive. By the time they get here, the losses will be irreparable. Right now… at this moment, among the Candidate Saintesses registered nearby, only you have a proven record of ‘successfully quelling a Beast Tide.’ You are the only hope for a rapid turnaround.”

Hope? Aphrodite felt more like this was despair.

She silently raged inwardly but kept a stiff expression on the outside.

“Considering your current special condition,” Eliya shifted her tone, clearly having thought this through, “I will arrange for an escort to take you into the core zone.

Normally, I would personally escort you for maximum safety, but I must remain to command the outer defenses. Otherwise, our lines will break in an instant, and all efforts will be in vain.”

She turned her head to the restless red figure beside her. “Alice.”

“Huh?” Alice, arms crossed and looking extremely impatient, suddenly snapped back to attention, blinking.

“You will escort Ms. Aphrodite into the forest’s core.”

Alice exploded, voice sharp and loud: “Huh? Why do I have to go with her?!”

Her reaction was intense.

She practically jumped up, pointing at Aphrodite and raising her voice.

“Auntie! Are you kidding?! You want me to escort this shady stranger who tricked me? And she looks so weak! You want me to go in there and feed her to the monsters? No way! I refuse!”

“Alice!” Eliya snapped sternly. “This is not a request. It’s an order! Now is not the time to throw tantrums, refusal is not an option!!”

“But Auntie! It’s not fair!” Alice dragged out the last word, pouting and almost ready to throw herself on the ground. “This person is super—annoying! And a liar! I hate her! I won’t work with her! What if she tricks me halfway through? I don’t care! I just won’t!”

“No buts! Your skills are enough to handle most emergencies. Now is when you must take responsibility! Or do you want me to call home and report your recent ‘excellent’ performance?”

That last sentence was like a spell.

Alice instantly felt strangled, all her protests and complaints choked back.

Only her eyes remained, glaring at Aphrodite with pure defiance—as if she wanted to devour her alive, muttering barely audible grumbles, but she dared not argue out loud.

Alice shot Aphrodite a hateful glare—even though Aphrodite couldn’t perceive it, the grudge radiating from it was almost tangible.

Feeling the strong resentment, Aphrodite involuntarily shrank her neck.

Eliya rubbed her forehead, clearly both exasperated and helpless over her niece’s reaction.

She turned back to Aphrodite, her tone softening slightly.

“Ms. Aphrodite, please rest assured that Alice and the rest of the team are strong enough. She will do her best to ensure your safe arrival at the core zone.”

It was over.

The delivery agent was already in place, and an extremely reluctant and seemingly unreliable one at that.

This feast was surely destined to be served.