This was the first time the town of V'roa'dek'triar, one of the few beastmen towns in the region, located in the interior of the forest called V'roa, as the roaron people call it, had ever faced such turmoil.

Normally, people who lived outside the forest did not come here, and the only people who came here were hunters who had lost their way.

The people of roaron were considered monsters by humans and were ostracized outside the forest. This led them to live isolated from the rest of the world in small villages built in the forest.

The half-humans were also beings derived from humans, but the people of roaron were completely derived from the lion.

Thanks to the power of the god who created them, they gained a form that allowed them to move on two legs, but their animalistic characteristics were more dominant than those of demi-humans. They were the standing and larger form of a lion. Because of their appearance, they were called beastmen by hunters who lost their way in the forest and encountered them.

Demi-lions were offended by the term. After all, who would want to see themselves as a beast?

They had legs that allowed them to stand upright, hands instead of paws and they could speak human language.

They too were sad, joyful and caring. Their emotions are the same as human emotions, although there are racial and social differences depending on their species.

Although the lost who saw them were at first frightened and some tried to attack and some tried to flee, the people of Roaron did not want the outside world to perceive them as a threat and were hospitable to the hunters who had lost their way.

In this way, the hunters accepted them as friends and allowed these demi-lions, who called themselves roarons, to guide them through the jungle and not interfere with their peaceful life.

Of course, every now and then there were individuals among the roarons who wanted to harm the lost, but since this could start a war that would harm the entire roaron race, harming the lost in the forest was strictly forbidden.

Thus, although there were minor conflicts between their tribes during their centuries here, the V'roa forest was never invaded by any enemy and the people of Roaron never had to fight outside forces.

They already knew that fighting humans from the outside would be their undoing. Even though they had stronger bodies than humans, humans were cunning, numerous and had magic they could not perceive. So they had never thought of fighting against them.

So why were people attacking them now?

They had worked hard to preserve the days of peace and tranquility. Now what was the reason for the whole village to be burned by the people?

Rhuu'fu Ki-Gar'o, Ki-Gar'o's strongest warrior, had this question on his mind, but he had no time to think about the answer. Right now, swinging his axe and protecting the children behind him was more important than thinking about anything else.

His golden feathers and black mane were soaked in blood and his eyes were bloodshot. He could hardly hold his axe, which slipped from his grasp because of the blood, but he had no choice but to swing it.

The man Rhuu'fu was fighting was laughing. He was in a fight, facing a two-meter lion-man who wanted to kill him, but his opponent, whose eyes had turned from yellow to red, was laughing.

Rhuu'fu didn't care why he was laughing. He just swung his axe at the man's head but was stopped before the axe touched the man's head.

His opponent took the axe between the fingers of one hand and held it aloft. There were tears in the other man's eyes, but not because of sadness, but because he was laughing like mad. He was so happy now that his happiness was driving Rhuu'fu mad.

He drove his foot into his opponent's stomach, flying into a house engulfed by flames as his opponent continued to laugh.

“Rhuu'fu'ki!”

Trh'iii'ne Ki-Gar'o, the demi-lioness Rhuu'fu liked, the daughter of the chieftain, raised her hand and extended her furry fingers towards Rhuu'fu.

Trh'iii'ne's head was about to fall off. A human lay on the ground, stepping on her back with his foot, watching Rhuu'fu's face with red eyes. Rhuu'fu raised his axe and threw it at the human on top of Trh'iii'ne.

As the axe missed its target and struck a tree, the man on Trh'iii'ne swung his sword, which the people of Roaron called a toothpick, and Trh'iii'ne's head was severed from his body.

“Trh'iii'ne!”

As the demi-lioness's head rolled on the ground and went into the burning grass, her body spasmed and kept moving as the blood drained from her neck.

When Rhuu'fu saw Trh'iii'ne dead, all his vision turned red, he had forgotten the children he was trying to protect. He roared and ran towards his opponent.

He was running not only on his feet but also on his hands.

The man who beheaded Trh'iii'ne laughed like all the other people who raided the village; sadistic, cruel, burning hot.

His eyes were red with pleasure. The mocking look in his red eyes penetrated Rhuu'fu, causing one burst of anger after another.

The opponent Rhuu'fu ran at raised his sword and purple crystals formed around the sword and began to fly towards Rhuu'fu.

But even though they could have killed him, he kept running, not blinking an eye. Even though the crystals embedded in the demi-lion's body caused deep wounds, Rhuu'fu continued to run at his opponent.

As Rhuu'fu pounced on his opponent, the man was not angry, surprised or frightened. He only looked a little bored and a little disappointed that he had failed to stop his opponent with his spell.

He swung his claw at the face of the human who had killed Trh'iii'ne, but the man easily dodged it and punched him in the stomach.

Having been punched, Rhuu'fu rose a little in the air and then landed, while his opponent kicked Rhuu'fu backwards, sending him flying straight and fast. He had barely stopped when he crashed into a burning tree, knocking it over on top of him. His mane caught fire as he lifted the tree off him.

He was wounded, weakened, burning. The only thing that keeps him going now is anger.

For a moment he glimpsed his burning village. Not only fighters, but also women and children were being slaughtered by a handful of men, accompanied by giggles and laughter.

How could they do such a dishonorable act, massacring civilians?

All of them were red-eyed, and they had reached Tougenyu in pleasure.

Rhuu'fu threw the tree off him. Even if his mane burned, he would keep fighting. He stood up to the man who came at him with a mocking smile to play with him.

Instinctively, he raised his arms to make himself look big and roared.

“What a primitive and ugly creature you are.”

The human created more purple crystals with his black sword and threw them at Rhuu'fu.

He saw no need to flee from the crystals because he had no intention of getting out alive. He would fight and die with honor as a roaron man.

He jumped as the crystals pierced his body. He fought using his claws, thrusting his own claws against his opponent's sword.

Finally the man got bored and in a move so fast that Rhuu'fu could not see it, he plunged his sword into the belly of the half-lion.

“I'm taking you with me, damn it!”

He grabbed his opponent's arms to prevent him from pulling the sword out of his belly and running away. Then he opened his mouth wide and tore his opponent's face in one bite.

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Rhuu'fu heard a cry of pain from behind him as his opponent's face disintegrated and melted into black pitch.

“Rhuu'fu! The children are the last of the Ki-Gar'o clan, take them away!”

Zra'iii'ko Ki-Gar'o, chief of the Ki-Gar'o tribe, was in even worse shape than Rhuu'fu. One arm was severed, most of his body was burned, one eye was dislocated and his intestines spilled out of his ruptured abdomen.

Using the last of his strength, he shouted at Rhuu'fu and then breathed his last breath.

Rhuu'fu looked at the children, the boys had not even grown a mane yet.

Rhuu'fu suffered from his burning body and knew that he would soon die, but before he died, it was his last duty as a Ki-Gar'o to save the children who might one day take their revenge by carrying on the Ki-Gar'o name.

He used the last of his strength, roaring as he ran to the children and told them to follow him. The children were in awe and fear, because the flaming Rhuu'fu was fighting for them, even though he was about to die.

This gave them hope and they got up and started running. Rhuu'fu led the way, clearing the way, while the children followed behind.

“Faster!” roared Rhuu'fu.

As he roared, he sent a man flying with his hand. He didn't even question why he was laughing.

He left the village and kept running. When he turned his head to make sure he was coming from behind the children, he saw the huge three-headed dog chasing them.

“You guys go on! Run to the Lu-Dra'o clan!”

Rhuu'fu stopped and roared at the beast as the children ran away. Instead of going after the children, the three-headed dog chose to follow Rhuu'fu, just as he wanted.

Rhuu'fu ran to get the beast away from them, hoping the children would reach safety.

***

A two-meter monster roared as it ran, burning towards them. Yu would be lying if he said he wasn't a little scared.

Yurine's wind spell swirled and slammed into the front of the monster, lifting the earth meters high.

Seeing the earth rising up, the monster was startled, lost its balance and fell to the ground with the earth piled on top of it.

The rinos were frightened by the noise and the flaming beasts, moving as if to break their ropes. If the animals hadn't tried to run in separate directions, they might have dragged their wagons away.

“Hoo! Hoo! Stop, boy! Hoo!”

He managed to calm and stop four of the rinos, but the others were still afraid. Finally Yu had no choice but to cut the ropes of two of them so that the frightened ones would not influence the others and overturn the wagon.

The rinos broke free from their ropes and ran into the trees, disappearing from sight.

“Yu, something else is coming!”

He stopped tending to the remaining rinos and instinctively jumped out of the driver's compartment of the carriage and came to Yurine's side.

“Are you serious? There were no other monsters?”

Yurine saw Yu's hand trembling and grabbed it. A huge three-headed dog, a Cerberus, was chasing the burning beast.

“You'll manage, won't you?”

“Uh-huh... Are you scared? Don't worry, it is the duty of superior beings to look after their subordinates.”

While Yurine was joking, Yu was completely serious, he had been afraid of the dog all his life and would continue to be afraid.

“It's coming at us, Yurine. Kill it.”

Yurine raised her hand and swung it as if to cut the void. The blade of wind from her hand traveled in an arc towards the dog.

The dog was too late to recognize the knife, and could not make a move to avoid it. The wind blade cut off all three of the beast's heads and it fell to the ground after running some more without its head.

After Yurine killed the dog, Yu took a deep breath

“What is this thing?” Yurine asked. They were looking at the monster whose body was still burning.

Other people called the creature monster while Yu only described them as a beast man. He was exactly a demi-lion.

The lion-shaped creature was badly wounded. Its body was full of holes and cuts, except for its charred mane and feathers, blackened and charred by the fire.

“Yu, take out that sword.”

Sticking out from behind the belly of the prone beast was a jet-black sword, similar to Sivina's rapier but slightly thicker and emitting an ominous aura. “It's hot, I can't touch it.”

“Yu, the creature is dying. And you have gloves on your hands, you'll be fine in that heat.”

“I think he's dead, never mind. Besides, I can't see the hilt of the sword, I can't pull it out by the sharp point.”

Yurine manipulated the wind and used her magic to turn the beast onto its back.

“Holy shit, it's like a force.”

Yu's excuse was broken when the beast returned, he grabbed the sword by the hilt and struggled a little to pull it out. When he realized he couldn't do it with one hand, he grabbed it with both hands and pulled, and when he felt the heat, he threw the sword to the ground.

Then Yurine used her magic again and pushed the beast with the wind to the edge of the river to prevent it from burning any more.

“Yu, let's pour water with a bucket.”

They did as Yurine said and started pouring water on the monster using buckets from their wagons.

“Wait a minute! Why are we trying to save it?”

The coin was late, Yu was just realizing that they were trying to save him.

“Yu, because it's the right thing to do.”

“But it's not a pet, it's a wild beast. What if it attacks us?”

Yu occasionally turned his head toward the three-headed, dog-shaped monster behind them. Even though he was definitely dead, they were in a fantasy world and he didn't want him to suddenly turn into a zombie and start an attack.

“Monsters have no minds to be grateful to those who save them.”

“Yu, you don't need to be afraid. If that happens, I'll protect you.”

The walls of his ego had strengthened after what had happened at Rolderhelm. If his little daughter had told him that a month ago, his ego would have sobbed with tears, but now he was only mildly hurt.

Of course, besides his bruised ego, he was proud of Yurine and liked her protective instinct.

“What if he attacks unexpectedly?”

What would happen if Yurine was sleeping and Yu was on guard duty and he suddenly jumped on them? Yurine shook her head and did not answer the question.

“Are you going to cast a healing spell now?” he asked with a sigh when he realized Yurine wasn't going to give up on saving him. “He has too many wounds.”

“Yes, I will use the book.”

Yurine needed the book of light spells from the small library to cast her new healing spell. She went to the wagon to get it.

Meanwhile, Yu saw the beast's chest rise and fall slightly, it was still alive.

“The animal's balls are showing, I'll throw this on top of him so Yurine won't see it.”

When he took off his jacket and threw it at the creature's groin, the air suddenly turned cold.

“I'm glad I bought a bunch of the same ones, because I'll never wear them again because they touched the creature's balls. The damn creature cost me a jacket and two rinos.”

When Yurine came out of the carriage, she was holding a thick book. She held the huge book with one hand, took Yu's hand with the other and started chanting the incantation.

“Hepa'e Xi Rhaea - Noxu Tevhae - Si Luel'la...”

After reciting the incantation several times, she closed her eyes and focused herself on the healing spell. Buds of light gathered around Yurine's body.

This was the second time Yurine had used this spell. The first time, Yurine had used it when Yu had another seizure and Yu had experienced how effective it was.

Of course, Yurine's use of a mana-consuming spell that should be used to heal the wounded to help Yu in his seizure was a bit over the top.

The buds of light that gathered around Yurine's body spread their wings and turned into butterflies, and the butterflies began to fly above the monster with the particles of light falling from their wings.

Light poured from the butterflies' wings and enveloped the monster's body. Yu felt relief in his chest as Yurine continued to focus on the healing spell.

When the spell was over, the monster's burnt feathers and mane had not returned, but there were no more cuts, holes or scorch marks on its body. Only its body remained, covered with bare skin.

“Yu! Yu! Did I do it?”

“Yes, you did it. Congratulations, Yurine.”

Yurine happily hugged Yu while he stroked her head with a gentle smile. The hug lasted a long time, as always. When Yurine left him, Yu looked at the carriage.

“We gave a wagon for one of the escaped rinos. I hope this beast is worth enough to cover our losses.”

They were two rinos short and their speed of movement would be reduced. Yu was planning to have the beast tow the wagon, he had to compensate him somehow.

“It's dangerous here, let's leave before we linger too long. Maybe other monsters will come.”

“I think we should wait until he wakes up, maybe something useful will come out.”

“If you want a pet I can get you a smaller cat, you don't need that thing.”

“Yu! Don't mock the living!”

“Says the little girl who calls people as low life form?”

“Ha!” Yurine placed her hands on her waist and puffed out her chest. “My superiority and the inferiority of others, except you and mom, is a fact. I'm not kidding when I say that!”

Yu leaned over and pinched Yurine's cheeks. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad that Yurine was a narcissist like him.

“Yu, let's cook. If the monsters come, I'll kill them all.”

“Hmm... The young lady seems to be settling into this butler's job quickly. I have to say, I'm not going to be a butler forever, it's just a short-term role.”

“But I thought after I rescued my mother, you'd stay as a butler to stay with us.”

While Yu went back to preparing dinner, Yurine climbed on top of the wagon and stood guard in case a monster came.

“There is no way I can serve an adult. I wanted to take on this role because you are my daughter, I can't stand being ordered around by my peers...” Yu also didn't say anything about staying with them afterwards.

Even if he wanted to stay with them, to be with them forever, the world would not let him live that long. He thought of the best thing he could do; the best thing would be to rewind time, to eliminate the threats to them and leave them with a good life.

“It hurts me...”

It hurt to think about it. He was so selfish that he couldn't bear that things would go on after he was gone.

“Yu?”

Yurine was worried when she saw that Yu had suddenly gone quiet. In order not to worry her, Yu cleared his mind of his thoughts and spoke.

“And why should I stay with you as a butler? Maybe I'll stay with you as Rie's lover.”

“S-YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM YET!”

Such a life could be beautiful, but Yu believed it was impossible. If he were to bind people to himself in the new world, without curing his illness, he would only make them suffer.

Still, he wanted to make Yurine angry because she was cute when she was angry. He looked at Yurine's flushed face and smiled.

“The prince didn't know Cinderella either, but he fell in love and married her because he danced a little. So there was no need to know...”

Yurine was kicking the roof of the car. Yu had pissed her off like he wanted to and saw the sweet look on her face.

“I hope it's not a sin to talk like this behind the deceased's back.”