“Mmm~ this is really good.”
Lilith sat by a snack stall, several kinds of elven specialty pastries spread out before her.
As expected, tourism was all about eating and drinking to your heart's content!
Just as she picked up a piece of pudding to taste...
“Help! A magical beast! A magical beast has broken in!”
“Run! Where are the guards?”
Panic-stricken screams and the sound of frantic running drifted from the nearby streets, instantly shattering the market’s leisurely atmosphere.
Lilith’s hand jerked in surprise, nearly dropping the pudding on the ground.
“What is it now?” Her mouth twitched as she helplessly set down her spoon.
Complaining aside, Lilith decided to take a look. She stood up and hurried toward the source of the commotion.
“Hey, you haven't paid yet!” the stall owner shouted as he emerged, only to see Lilith already running off.
“Sigh, another dine-and-dasher!”
A moment later, Lilith arrived at the center of the chaos.
She saw a magical beast about the size of a calf, shaped like a wild boar, charging around with bloodshot eyes.
A chaotic aura emanated from its body—a clear sign of being corrupted by Demonic Energy.
Several elf civilians lay on the ground nearby, covered in wounds from the impact. However, elven physical resilience seemed higher than that of humans; a normal human probably would have been killed by those hits.
A young elven mother had fallen to the ground, clutching her crying child in her arms.
The magical beast pivoted, its gaping maw snapping toward her fragile neck.
“Look out!”
The surrounding elves let out desperate cries.
Psh!
The charging magical beast suddenly stopped. In the next second, a line of blood appeared across its massive frame, and its body promptly fell apart into pieces.
The elven mother, who had closed her eyes to wait for death, was stunned.
Only the child held tightly in her arms continued to cry.
“What happened?”
“Is the magical beast dead?”
“Did the mages from the guard arrive?”
The elves were shaken, looking at one another as they tried to find the person who had intervened.
Unfortunately, a true master never leaves a name.
The moment Lilith struck, she had already hidden herself in a nearby alley.
“Phew... that was close.” She patted her chest, breathing a sigh of relief.
Soon, the elven guards arrived in a hurry, followed by several healing mages.
They quickly checked the injured and calmed the crowd.
“No traces of spellcasting found...”
“The magical beast was instantly dismantled by an extremely sharp slashing-type attack. The attacker is at least Rank 4 or higher.”
“Increase patrols in the vicinity immediately! Investigate how the magical beast managed to break in!”
The guard captain issued orders with a grim expression.
The elves were abuzz with conversation, feeling both lingering fear and curiosity—and gratitude—toward the mysterious savior.
Lilith watched all of this from the shadows. Once she was certain the wounded were being treated and the scene was under control, she quietly turned around, planning to sneak back and finish eating.
After a few steps, she stopped.
She looked back at the remains of the magical beast being handled by the elven guards, then at the elves.
These were more magical beasts corrupted by Demonic Energy.
Furthermore, they were already able to breach the outer defenses of the Elf Royal City and break directly into residential areas.
Although it was only Rank 2 and no different from paper to Lilith, it was a lethal threat to these ordinary elves who were not skilled in combat.
Then, she remembered her current identity.
The Demon King.
“Sigh...” Lilith let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping. “I feel like... this might be my fault?”
She knew this trouble was caused by the First of the Four Calamities and that she was also a victim.
But looking at the affected elves before her...
“Fine, fine.” She scratched her hair, looking resigned. “I might as well clean up a bit.”
She walked back to the snack stall, stuffed all the food on the table into her mouth, and slapped a few silver coins onto the table.
“Boss, the check! The food was delicious!”
“Coming! Wait, didn't you run off?” the owner asked in confusion.
Lilith: “...”
Ignoring the owner’s question, Lilith turned and left.
She took out her magic map and found the forest area on the outskirts of the Royal City, studying it carefully.
After sensing the nearby aura of Demonic Energy, Lilith immediately felt her mood sour.
The magical beasts here were too scattered. Unlike the beasts at the border, most of the ones here acted alone.
This meant Lilith couldn't use large-scale magic because it would easily cause collateral damage; she had to find them one by one.
After imagining the scene, Lilith shuddered.
“What a pain.” She put away the map and walked toward the nearest city gate with a sense of resignation.
“I'll just treat it as post-meal exercise,” she tried to comfort herself.
With that mindset, Lilith walked out of the Elf Royal City and stepped into the forest outside.
Ten minutes later.
An invisible slash swept through, and a magical beast lurking in the bushes was instantly turned into fragments.
“Efficiency... is really low.” Lilith lowered her head, her expression dejected.
Half an hour later.
Five beasts.
An hour later.
Lilith crouched on a large tree, looking at a magical beast gnawing on roots not far below. She raised her hand expressionlessly.
The magical beast was sliced into even steaks.
“The twenty-third one...” Her eyes were full of exhaustion as she looked at the endless forest.
“Aaaah, I’m so sick of this!!!”
She finally couldn't take it anymore. Her mental state completely collapsed, and she clutched her head, letting out a low wail.
“How long is this going to take?! Is a three-day vacation even enough?!”
“Why can't these magical beasts just appear in a group? Wouldn't it be better if they clustered together so I could take them all out in one hit?!”
Lilith ranted frantically, feeling her vacation plans go down the drain at a visible rate.
Rate on N.U.
