Magic beasts possess an instinctive reaction to mana.
If the mana is weaker than their own, they instinctively want to devour it; if it is stronger, they instinctively want to flee —
However, there is a third scenario.
When mana reaches a certain level of power, a magic beast’s instinct for survival completely shatters.
Because they cannot run. It is impossible to escape.
In that instant, the relationship between the two is no longer that of prey and hunter, but rather —
The relationship between a god and an ant.
White the Minotaur was that ant now.
It did not know how to describe what it was feeling. The blurred female figure within the magic circle before its eyes felt like the personification of death itself.
Sater could feel it: the portion of the Minotaur’s soul fused within his body was trembling. Its terror ultimately converged into a single word — death.
“I’m a very tolerant person. You used a hand-chop on my head earlier, and you tied my hands with a rope… I can forgive all of that ~
As long as — you’re willing to pay with your life ~”
Ai’er smiled, deliberately hiding her hands behind her back to maintain a relaxed posture. “Well? I’m quite generous, aren’t I? ~”
‘What… what is with this frail girl?!’
Run.
Inside Sater, his beastly instincts screamed at him, forcing him to do one thing immediately —
Run!
Sater the Minotaur spun around instantly. The human side of his consciousness seemed to remember the fact that he possessed two legs, and he immediately attempted to flee toward the depths of the cave!
He had been careless this time. Even if he couldn’t take Lady Eve, the Saintess, with him, the Black God Church would surely take him back if he could deliver information about this mysterious girl!
As long as he could escape, as long as he could get out, he still had a future! He still had prospects!
‘Ha, haha! Run, run! Run —’
The moment Sater lifted one leg, a bone-chilling cold swept through his body like a wave of light. Like a sharp blade, it pierced his beating heart.
He was frozen.
The cold air exploded outward. In a single breath, even the sounds of the magic beasts outside the cave entrance vanished.
The Minotaur became a ridiculous statue, frozen in a posture of scrambling to crawl away. Even his flying saliva was suspended in mid-air, turned to ice.
“Pfft!”
Ai’er couldn’t help but let out a laugh. She pulled out the dagger Lady Eve had given her and walked toward the frozen Minotaur.
“Oh dear, why did you run? ~ Wouldn’t it have been better to die with a little dignity? You just had to end up like this.
Didn’t you like using a hand-chop on my head? Now, let me tap yours — huh?”
The dagger Ai’er threw only hit the Minotaur’s thigh.
It could only be said that the Minotaur was indeed quite tall, and Ai’er, who stood at exactly 165 centimeters…
“I-I was just testing things! Now that I have a reference point, the next one is guaranteed to hit!”
Blushing slightly, Ai’er explained herself to no one in particular.
The entire cave was silent. After Ai’er’s magic was unleashed, even the sounds of the magic beasts outside the cave had ceased.
Under the gazes of the knights and Lady Eve, who didn’t even dare to breathe, the sound of the dagger hitting the ground rang out once more.
‘Why can’t I hit him, damn it!’
Once, twice…
She threw it a total of ninety-one times, and she missed every single time.
Lady Eve and her knights did not dare to move. What kind of ritual was this girl, who had taken down the Minotaur in one blow, performing? They didn’t know.
Panting, Ai’er found she could no longer keep throwing. This young girl’s body was still a bit weak.
“You, you! Damn it, is being tall that great?! Just you wait!”
Ai’er, her cheeks likely flushed from exhaustion, walked directly in front of the Minotaur statue and then —
“The little head is still a head!”
With a forceful swing, the magic Lady Eve had previously imbued into the dagger activated. The entire ice sculpture of the Minotaur instantly shattered into countless pieces!
Several knights subconsciously covered their crotches at the sight.
Pain. It was pure pain. Though the pain wasn’t their own, they felt it deeply.
“Whew ~ that’s better! (｡￫v￩｡)”
Humming a little tune, Ai’er walked toward the Saintess and the others who were still stunned in place.
‘Hehe, the crisis is averted now, and I’ve done the Saintess a favor. It should be much easier to ask for a reward now ~’
**[Disposable Magic “Blow of the Time Witch (10% Power)” has ended]**
**[160, 159, 158…]**
After the system notification appeared, the blurred figure in the magic circle began to dissipate.
The surrounding frost gradually receded. Eve looked up and saw Ai’er leaning down slightly, extending a hand toward her.
“Were… were you actually a Great Mage?”
‘A Great Mage? What kind of ranking system is that? Whatever, it doesn’t matter ~’
‘Yes, I am a Great Mage. So you better show some respect, understand?’
Ai’er simply smiled without responding.
But at that moment, the look of reverence in Eve’s eyes was so obvious that Ai’er briefly ignored the strange countdown from the system.
**[…145, 144…]**
In times like this, silence was more powerful than words. Ai’er knew that as long as she stayed quiet and maintained her smile, these confused people would fill in the blanks themselves, imagining her as the most powerful existence they could conceive.
“Long, long live the Great Mage!”
“Long live the Great Mage!!”
One knight was the first to shout, and soon others joined in. The voices transitioned from one person’s praise to a collective chorus of gratitude.
Ai’er maintained her smile.
‘Keep it coming, keep it coming ~ talk more if you know what’s good for you ~’
Though the curve of Ai’er’s smile hadn’t changed, the corners of her mouth were harder to suppress than the recoil of a rifle. Trying to force her expression to stay neutral, she didn’t even notice her lips twitching.
**[…132, 131, 130…]**
‘Wait, System, what are you counting down for? Is it so bad to let me enjoy the cheers for a bit?’
‘Look, the more these people cheer now, the easier it’ll be to get a reward later, right ~’
‘So stop counting down. Let’s take it slow, nice and slow ~’
**[Warning: After the countdown ends, the magic beasts frozen outside the cave will gradually be released.]**
**[Estimated quantity: forty-five beasts.]**
**[As Apprentice Saint Eve’s mana has not yet recovered and most of Eve’s Guardian Knights are incapacitated, the Host’s probability of survival in the event of a magic beast attack is —]**
**[0%.]**
“Ahem! Everyone, stop! This is nothing worth praising. Really! You guys should be ashamed for saying such things! Honestly, I’m quite embarrassed listening to it! Our priority is to get out of here and regroup with the main force!”
Speaking hurriedly, Ai’er immediately reached out to Eve, who was still kneeling on the ground.
‘Is this Lady Great Mage going to pull me up?’ Eve froze for a moment, then somewhat dazed, she slowly reached her hand toward Ai’er.
But Ai’er couldn’t wait for her to move so slowly.
“Oh, hurry up!”
Ai’er grabbed Eve’s hand and yanked the still-confused Saintess off the ground.
“G-Great Mage?”
“Just call me Ai’er! Come on, Lady Eve, we need to leave quickly!”
“Ah, yes, okay! Please, slow down… my legs are still a bit weak — eek!?”
With a cute little cry from Eve, Ai’er scooped her up in a princess carry.
**[…75, 74, 73…]**
‘Damn it, throwing those daggers was exhausting! But if I’m any slower, we’re going to become a buffet for magic beasts!’
‘Based on those roars earlier, the things outside definitely aren’t slimes or tentacle monsters! I might consider an R18 scenario, but I have no interest in seeing R18G stuff!!’
‘And this damn System, why didn’t you say something this important sooner?!’
**[The Host did not ask.]**
‘You… you! You think you’re so right!’
Ai’er stopped arguing with the system and began jogging while holding Eve. The knights, snapping back to their senses, immediately followed — though they had no idea what was happening.
Why did this Great Mage look so composed just a moment ago, only to suddenly start panicking?
‘Wait, a Great Mage doing this must have a reason!’
‘Why worry about it? Just follow her.’
Outside the cave, a large number of frozen magic beasts were scattered around. The knights who had survived the initial onslaught had just finished arranging the carriages and the wounded when they saw the Saintess they were supposed to protect being carried out of the cave in a young girl’s arms.
Moreover, for some reason, the Saintess was half-covering her face, and the parts not hidden by her palms were as red as a ripe apple.
Without a word, Ai’er scanned the carriages under the confused gazes of the knights outside. She zeroed in on the most luxurious one and jumped inside while still holding the Saintess.
“Quickly, move out!”
“Uh, young lady, who might you be?”
The coachman’s gaze darted back and forth between Ai’er and Lady Eve, who was still hiding her face. Finally, the Saintess herself spoke up reluctantly:
“Ugh, this is so embarrassing… d-do as she says!”
“Yes, Lady Saintess.”
**[…20, 19, 18…]**
With the crack of a whip tearing through the air, the convoy carrying the Saintess and Ai’er departed toward the capital of the Empire.
***
**[…2, 1, 0]**
The moment the system countdown hit zero, the sound of breaking ice echoed everywhere.
The magic beasts, having broken free from the ice crystals, found that the knights they had been fighting were gone. Even the mana inside the cave that had lured them there had vanished. They could only look at one another in confusion.
With their original prey gone, the other magic beasts, hungry for mana, became walking piles of meat.
Following a roar, blood and the scent of gore began to spread through the forest once more —
Or so it should have been.
“Oh ~ a silver-haired Great Mage? I’ve never seen her before ~”
A black-robed woman stepped out from a mass of black mist that appeared out of thin air. Her words were light, and based on her voice alone, she sounded harmless.
However —
The moment the woman appeared, every single magic beast froze in place like a statue.
They didn’t dare to move an inch, their bodies twitching only with instinctive terror.
The magic beasts were afraid, as if they were ants, and the mana of the woman before them… was that of a god.
“But what of it if she’s a Great Mage? I went to such trouble to lure out the Saintess; I can’t just let her run away ~
After all, the Black God Church has a Great Mage backing it too ~”