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“Cough…! Gasp…!”

Wendy could barely breathe.

Her stomach hurt so much.

It seemed the protective barrier Myohail had cast earlier had completely shattered from the recent attack.

She might have internal injuries, as blood mixed with her cough.

The rain was getting heavier.

With the last protective barrier gone, the rain began to gnaw at her life.

“Ugh…”

Wendy staggered to her feet.

Looking around, it seemed the other students had successfully escaped.

Relief washed over her, but so did loneliness.

“Cough, cough…”

It wasn’t that strange.

Wendy was a prodigy who had skipped grades at a young age, making her a celebrity at school.

Though she often hung out with Sia and Luna, many students envied and resented her.

Wendy always treated their jealous and aggressive attitudes with kindness.

It was a defensive move to avoid any potential conflicts.

If Wendy were to cause any trouble, her true identity might be exposed.

And that would harm her master, Tristan, above all else.

‘Count…’

Wendy brushed the mud off her staff.

She had already received many privileges from Tristan. This time, she wanted to repay his kindness.

The other four students were from high-ranking noble families.

If they didn’t return safely, Tristan, the school chairman, would face criticism.

Of course, the Tristan she knew wouldn’t care about such criticism…

But Wendy wanted to protect them.

So no one could criticize Tristan.

So no one could point fingers at her master.

Even if it meant her body would break…

In the eerie, rain-soaked forest, a chilling sensation crept in.

Creak. Creak.

A zombified minotaur was feasting on the corpses of monstrous beasts in front of her.

The gruesome sound of flesh and bones being chewed made Wendy want to turn away.

But she couldn’t.

The minotaur’s dull eyes were fixed on her.

As if she were next on the menu.

The thought sent shivers down her spine.

‘Am I… going to be eaten?’

She was scared. So scared.

Scared enough to cry.

Wendy stood her ground, enduring the fear.

This wasn’t an ordinary monster.

She noticed the dark, swirling magic power behind it. It reminded her of what Myohail had taught her.

In rare cases, some monsters grow stronger through longevity or cannibalism, evolving into new beings.

And that was…

‘A demon…’

A thought she didn’t want to entertain.

Demons were said to be on a completely different level from monsters.

She couldn’t possibly fight one alone.

‘But…’

Wendy couldn’t back down.

This monster would likely become the most dangerous being within this barrier.

If that happened, the lives of the students, including hers, would be at risk.

“Purr…”

Finally, the minotaur stood up.

The corpses of the monsters on the ground had been completely devoured.

The dark, murky magic power swirling behind it had grown even stronger.

Wendy had a gut feeling.

This creature was about to become a demon.

And now, before its transformation was complete, was her only chance.

“Groooar!”

The creature roared.

Wendy quickly drew a magic formula in the air.

The minotaur swung its fist at her.

-Crack!

The moment its fist touched the magic formula, the formula shattered with a sharp sound.

“Ugh…!”

The impact sent Wendy flying backward.

The minotaur tried to pursue her, but it couldn’t.

“Groooar!”

The minotaur’s arm stiffened and dropped to the ground.

The fist that had touched Wendy’s magic formula had frozen solid.

Enraged by her trick, the creature roared.

“Groooar!”

“Stay still…!”

Wendy adjusted her grip on her staff.

This time, she drew a magic formula on the ground.

Ice pillars shot up from where the minotaur stood.

Thick pillars quickly surrounded it, immobilizing the creature.

“That should do it… Cough…”

Wendy calmly manipulated the magic formula, using the ice pillars to crush the minotaur.

“Groooar!”

Trapped between the pillars, the minotaur thrashed wildly.

It desperately tried to break free.

But with one arm frozen, it wasn’t easy.

Wendy was confident.

She could crush it to death within the ice.

Though she had expended a lot of magic power creating the pillars, it was worth it.

Just as she was about to pour the last of her magic into the formula…

“…!”

Wendy let out a silent scream and collapsed.

A sudden, searing pain shot through her left shoulder.

A white spear, thrown from somewhere, had pierced her shoulder.

It took her a moment to realize it was one of the minotaur’s ribs.

“Groooar!”

The creature had ripped out its own rib and thrown it.

And it worked.

As Wendy’s staff fell from her hand, the magic formula was disrupted.

The ice pillars, created by magic, crumbled helplessly.

The now-free minotaur approached Wendy.

The tables had turned.

Its massive foot came down on Wendy’s small, fallen body.

“…?!”

Wendy vomited blood.

The impact must have broken her ribs.

She tried to grab her staff, but it was crushed under the minotaur’s foot.

“Purrr…”

The minotaur looked down at Wendy, almost mockingly.

Though it was a mindless zombie, its demonic transformation seemed to amplify its malice.

It slowly began to apply more weight, savoring Wendy’s suffering.

“…Ugh.”

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t move.

Then, one word flashed through her mind.

Death.

Her body was battered from the earlier battle.

She didn’t even have the strength to recover.

There was no hope of survival.

“Sniff…”

No… If she was going to die anyway…

As a servant of the Ruelberta Family.

As Tristan’s exclusive maid, she wanted to protect her pride.

“Purrr…”

The minotaur’s foot pressed harder on Wendy’s chest.

Steeling herself, Wendy began to draw a magic formula with her remaining magic.

The medium for the formula was her body. No… It was everything she had.

“Sorry… Cough…”

She was frustrated.

She had trained so hard, yet she couldn’t win when it mattered. She couldn’t achieve a good result.

“Sniff…”

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Wendy’s eyes.

She couldn’t face Tristan.

“Sorry… Count…”

But if her life could ensure the students’ safe return, it would preserve Tristan’s dignity.

“Cough…”

Wendy was ready to pour all her remaining magic into the formula.

She and the monster would both be blown to pieces.

“I wanted… to see you…”

Death didn’t scare her.

What scared her was never seeing him again.

“I really wanted to see you…”

She wanted to die by his side, if only for the last moment. Was that too much to ask?

A warm tear rolled down her cheek.

“I wanted… to tell you I love you…”

Finally, Wendy’s finger stopped.

She had completed the final magic formula.

“Cough…”

In her oxygen-deprived, hazy mind, Wendy wondered.

If she died, would he mourn her? Would he miss her? Would he… remember her?

With trembling fingers, she tried to pour her magic into the formula.

“Don’t do anything foolish.”

Tristan would’ve surely said that.

With a voice choked with tears, Wendy conveyed her final words to him.

“Sorry… Sob…”

“I told you not to do anything foolish.”

“…Huh?”

But why did she hear a response?

Bang-!

Just as Wendy prepared for death, a dry gunshot echoed from somewhere.

Simultaneously, the minotaur’s head jerked as if struck.

Its foot, pressing on Wendy’s chest, lifted.

Then, rapid gunfire followed.

Bang! Bang!

The precision was spine-chilling.

Mechanical and precise, the shots rang out.

Bang!

Each time, blood splattered from the minotaur’s head.

“Groooar!”

The recoil caused the minotaur to lose balance and kneel.

Just as it was about to collapse…

Click.

The sound of an empty chamber echoed.

The bullets had run out.

“Tsk…”

A man clicked his tongue.

The minotaur wasn’t completely incapacitated.

It staggered but was trying to regain its footing.

Then.

Boom-!

“?!”

The minotaur’s head exploded with a deafening noise.

Blood and flesh splattered, but didn’t reach the man.

Nothing remained above the creature’s shoulders.

Wendy’s vision caught the smoking barrel of a gun.

She wasn’t mistaken.

That was his gun.

Forgetting her pain, Wendy looked up.

Through her tear-blurred vision, he stood there like a dream.

“Wendy.”

“…Master.”

The black-haired noble, Tristan, looked down at her with a terrifying expression she had never seen before.

“If you ever try to kill yourself again…”

Yet, seeing this, Wendy faintly smiled.

“I’ll kill you myself.”

His cold gaze was something she had missed so much.

So very much… Because she loved him.

Thud.

The sound of the minotaur’s massive body collapsing into the mud echoed.

 

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