Knight Julius, if that child is you then that means that small village is…

Yes, that place will later be known as White Creek.

At the height of the plague, many people would take refuge at that location as it was untouched by the disease and had a seemingly bottomless amount of supply.

Now we know it was the devil who scoured the mountains for food.

…It also played a big role in the development of the cure. Later, White Creek would become a symbol of mankind coming together to face insurmountable odds.

As spring turns to summer and fall, more and more refugees come to the village. The amount of mouth Amelia has to feed increases. For every person she convinces to blame everything on the red demon, she has to spend most of the energy she gains on keeping them alive.

The supplies she gathers for winter quickly run dry. She tracks down wolves and bears in the cold as blood drips out of her lips.

One day, when she returns to the village with meat, she is enraged to find out that the villagers are having a celebration. They’re drinking and laughing and eating in the streets.

“Damn, ungrateful brats! If only you put as much effort into hating me!”

“Ah, sir huntsman! Welcome, welcome! You arrive at just the right time. Boys, take the game to the kitchen. Come, sir huntsman. Let’s celebrate! You can drink all the wine you want tonight. It’s all on the house!”

“Huh… It’s almost like it’s my pantry you’re all eating from.”

“Exactly! Come, come! We all suffered much these past few years.”

Judge… if the devil would walk away right then, would he still be responsible if they end up dead?

That is… hard to determine. At a certain point, we all must be responsible for our own well-being.

And what point is that?

A reasonable one.

Which is…?

A point the refugees have long crossed.

I see…

The huntsman drinks a cup of wine to warm his belly then changes back to the brown-haired woman before Julius misses his mother.

She narrows her eyes at the villagers dancing around the bonfire, then softens up when she spots Julius joining in on the fun.

“Come on, mama! Everybody is dancing!”

“I’m not your mama… Go ahead and have fun, brat.”

“Uh-huh!”

She waits until Julius is tired and then both of them go to sleep.

Before dawn, Amelia wakes up and observes the stage of the aftermath of the party.

“I can’t burn down the village. I can’t let them starve to death. So what to do? What to do? What would a good villain do to garner hatred in this situation?”

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If it were me, I’d poison the food.

Nah, a kid or a grandma could die.

Steal their oil?

Same difference.

Shit, why is this so difficult?! What about you, baron? You’re a cutthroat businessman. What would you do in her shoes?

Easy. It’s clear that Lady Amelia in her huntsman form is the only source of meat for the villagers. Simply raise the price to an unreasonable rate and watch them squirm.

Genius! Now that’s deliciously evil and would teach those villagers a lesson!

Don’t give me credit, my good man. I didn’t come up with it. See that handsome young chap right there? The one passed out drunk with a bottle in his hand?

Oh, you mean fatso?

That’s me.

Huh!? T-then…

Trust me, my good man. We most definitely learned the true cost of food thanks to the devil.

When the huntsman returns to the village, asking for gold and silver in exchange for a deer, the villagers laugh at his face. The huntsman doesn’t say a word and disappears into the woods with his kill.

“The huntsman must be mad! Who does he think he is asking for an arm and a leg!”

“Yeah! We can kill a deer just fine by ourselves!”

The men enter the woods, but try as they might they can’t find even a shadow of a hare.

Yeah, that whole mountain was depleted months before. Not that they’d know that.

After days of trekking in the bitter cold, one of them injured his foot and they all have to turn back empty-handed.

Several hunting parties scour the surrounding area, but there is nothing to be found. After two weeks, the huntsman returns, and the villagers practically beg him.

They curse him under their breath though.

That’s what the devil wanted, remember?

Oh, yeah!

The huntsman keeps raising his price for every subsequent kill and the refugees have no choice but to part with their treasure. Every crumb of food is more precious than diamonds.

Yes, I remember exchanging a watch that’s been in my family for generations for a fish… Best purchase of my life. Lady Amelia, I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you… or would you rather I curse at you?

Hmph! Worthless platitude.

Hey, if this trial is going the way I think it will… Will she end up melting?

Nah, there will always be a hater. She’ll live.

Are you guys actually suggesting what I think you are?! She’s the devil! The enemy of mankind! Think of all the chaos she created and the lives she ruined! Nothing can justify all that! Nothing!

See? She’ll be fine.

Winter ends and more people arrive. The village construction is going well. Almost everyone put in their weight. But meat is still a big issue. Amelia has to journey further and further for every kill. She’s at her limits.

“When will this stupid plague end!? Fuck! How am I supposed to ruin lives when a goddamn cold is taking my job!? Caugh! Caugh!”

“Mama! Mama!”

“Oh, what now?!”

Young Julius runs to Amelia. He must be about four years old. The boy is growing healthily since he’s the only person in the village who eats meat and fresh vegetables for every meal.

Kyaa! Saint Julius is so cute!

I wanna pinch his pink little cheeks!

Devil! Don’t you dare bully Knight Julius, you ugly hag!

Shit, who let the fan club in?

Sorry, sir! They pushed their way into the courthouse after learning about Knight Julius’ identity!

Amelia leans down to wipe Julius’s face and asks him what’s wrong.

“Mama! One of my friends puked in the playground then the adults came and took her away. Will she be okay, mama? Will she?!”

“What is the color of her puke?! It’s not black, is it!?”

“How did you know, mama? It was black and sticky as a slug.”

“Shit!”

After surviving two winters, the Blue Plague finally arrives at White Creek.