I was out of breath. The sweat beading on my forehead scattered and disappeared in the cold winter wind.

Strangely, it felt refreshing.

A free butterfly. My torn wings were flapping vigorously after 10 years. Even though I was now a fugitive.

“Huff, huff. Where should I go now?”

I paused my running to look around. It had already grown dark.

But there didn’t seem to be any houses nearby. Even if there were, I couldn’t appear before people with these shackles and chains on my wrists.

I headed toward a large rock in the forest beyond the road. Hiding behind it, I gasped for breath.

“Why did monsters suddenly appear?”

It felt ominous.

In the Holy Empire, monsters occasionally appeared and caused damage. But until now, there had never been instances of monsters appearing in the duchy.

Because the creature in the lake that received sacrifices suppressed monsters for the duchy’s sake.

“It’s cold. Hoo…”

There was no time for deep contemplation.

After stopping my run and letting the sweat cool, I felt unusually cold. If I stayed like this, I would freeze to death before I could escape.

—If you dig a hole in the ground, you can endure both heat and cold.—

It was Carden, the boy who was my hope. Memories summoned by the shadow of the large rock swirled in my mind.

When we played hide-and-seek in the mountains behind the orphanage during childhood, I would always hide in the gap behind rocks like this. Other children couldn’t find me, but Carden always did.

“Today you won’t be able to find me, will you?”

I miss you…

I leaned slightly against the rock and sat down. I pulled my knees up and buried my face in them. Curling up made the cold subside just a little.

Would this be enough to survive the night?

With hands bound by shackles and chains, I could only gather dry grass and fallen leaves. Of course, this wouldn’t be enough to ward off the cold.

“Should I just freeze to death…?”

It might be better than living as a slave and dying a year later…

“No!”

I shook my head vigorously to dispel the gloomy energy brought by the cold.

First, I needed to find a way to break the chains.

The key to the shackles locked on my wrists was with that man, Lucifer. If I could at least break the chains, I might feel a bit more free…

I examined the connection point of the chains. Fortunately, the part connected to the shackles was slightly open.

“If I could widen this part more, it might work, ugh…”

Around me were only dense trees and the rock I was hiding behind. Trees wouldn’t likely overcome iron. The rock might withstand the metal?

Though the heavy and solid iron didn’t seem likely to give way, I hopefully inserted the open part of the link into a protruding section of the stone.

“Ouch!”

But when I applied force, the rock only crumbled.

Was I wrong? I felt disappointed. It seemed I was truly born unlucky, making my insides burn with frustration.

Trying to soothe my burning insides, I looked around. The dark forest was nearby. It had a gloominess that made it seem like fierce monsters might jump out from the darkness.

But I wasn’t afraid.

—Thanks to the guardian deity’s power, monsters won’t harm you. What a magnificent blessing this is!—

It was the only advantage of becoming a sacrifice. Thanks to that, I entered the eerie forest with peace of mind.

“Is that… an axe?”

Something was embedded in a tree, gleaming. Complete with a handle.

With that, I could break the chains. If I used the sharp part well, I might even be able to pry open the locking mechanism of the shackles.

Excited, I ran toward the axe. Whether abandoned by a woodcutter, the axe was deeply embedded in the tree. I struggled to pull it out with my awkward hands.

“Please, please come out.”

But things didn’t go as planned. I briefly lowered my hands to change my posture and paused.

That’s when I heard the sound of leaves crushing behind me. Startled, I turned around.

What emerged from the dark shadow was, of course, not a monster. It was a large man.

“What’s this, a criminal escaping?”

A man with somewhat dirty eyes.

The man observed me with interest, moving his gaze up and down. Then his face changed to one of displeasure.

“A female criminal at this time… No, a slave?”

The more he spoke, the more distorted his eyes became. They were also eyes that resented me.

“There’s only one slave being taken to the empire. The sacrifice who should have jumped into the lake for Belial.”

At the man’s words, my body froze.

* * *

“Commander! That seems to be the last one.”

Lucifer thrust his sword deeply into the heart of the goblin before him while listening to Terseon, his vice-commander. When he pulled it out, thick green blood spurted up.

“Oh my.”

Terseon watched as Lucifer covered a small pair of rings attached to his sword with his hand, preventing blood from splashing on them.

This wasn’t the first time. Lucifer always carried them like a charm. Though they were rings made from carved, plain stones, he treasured them like the most precious jewels.

A subordinate handed Lucifer a towel as he shook off the sticky blood from his hands and sword.

“As expected of our commander, killing with a single strike. You truly are the knight chosen by His Imperial Majesty.”

Terseon’s eyes were filled with pride.

It was the pride of serving Lucifer, the knight of light chosen by the Emperor with holy power to wage holy war on his behalf and drive away darkness.

“What’s the damage report?”

But Lucifer never boasted about it. He simply looked ahead and moved forward silently. Combined with his frugal and upright behavior, he earned everyone’s respect.

“Nothing besides minor injuries! But it’s strange. They said monsters never rampage in Belial Duchy.”

“Perhaps it’s because the control disappeared after we executed the dark clan?”

“I suppose so. But it’s fascinating that only the royal family were such beings. It’s hard to believe all the duchy’s citizens are ordinary humans.”

Whether he was listening or not, Lucifer sheathed his sword. Then, as he always did, he stroked the rings and offered a brief prayer.

“There might be more monster attacks, so tell the sentries to maintain strict vigilance.”

“Yes! Understood!”

After assigning the task of cleaning up the monster corpses, Lucifer walked back toward his tent.

He remembered leaving behind the fake princess of Belial Duchy.

A woman who had never encountered monsters. She probably had never experienced battle either. Left alone, she might be trembling in fear, unable to move. The thought made him feel satisfied. 

Compared to the pain he had endured, it was nothing.

“How pathetic.”

A self-deprecating voice escaped his lips at his petty desire for revenge. Such childish acts wouldn’t bring back his brothers or friends.

Lucifer concealed his emotions and went to find the woman.

But she wasn’t under the tree.

“…! Have you seen the princess?”

Lucifer grabbed a passing knight with blonde hair.

He looked around at Lucifer’s question. Then, curling his blue eyes strangely, he answered.

“Ah… that pretty slave? The one who was the princess of Belial?”

Lucifer’s eyebrow slightly raised.

“I asked where she went.”

“I’m not sure. I was also participating in the battle…”

The corner of Lucifer’s eye twitched unpleasantly. He asked several other knights and walked around the tents. But the person he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

That’s when Terseon approached.

“Commander. I heard the Belial princess has disappeared? Did she escape? It would be troublesome if she joins hands with the duchy’s citizens. Even though she’s different from the dead royal family, if she incites a rebellion…”

“We must find her.”

Anger shadowed Lucifer’s eyes as he spoke urgently. He looked like he would break her neck immediately if he caught her.

“Yes, I’ll divide our forces for the search.”

Lucifer didn’t just leave it to his subordinates; he mounted a horse.

She would have certainly fled in a direction opposite to where the battle was taking place. The places where she might hide were obvious. He directed his horse without hesitation.

The hand guiding his horse was fiercer than the winter wind.

* * *

The stranger’s eyes turned red. And with a gaze filled with madness, he glared at me.

“It’s because you didn’t become a sacrifice that the duchy was destroyed, isn’t it?”

He poured out words of resentment toward me.

“How dare you refuse to become the great guardian deity’s sacrifice. You let the family that took you in and raised you die while you survived?”

The man with madness-filled eyes approached me one step at a time. Could I escape?

I tried one last time to pull the axe embedded in the tree. If it didn’t come out this time, I would definitely run into the forest.

“You must become a sacrifice again!”

The man reached out his hand toward me. At the same time, I swung my arm with all my might.

“Get away!”

They say people exhibit extraordinary strength when threatened?

The axe that had been embedded in the tree was now in my hand. Though my hands were bound, it wasn’t difficult to hold and swing the axe.

I clumsily swung it toward the opponent.

“How dare you, a mere sacrifice, injure me?”

Blood pooled in a straight line on the man’s cheek. Perhaps because it was clumsy and slow, it wasn’t a deep wound. It could also be because I unconsciously hesitated, as it was my first time harming someone.

“Sacrifice, if you don’t become food for the guardian deity, misfortune will befall this duchy!”

“The duchy has already fallen! It’s punishment for trying to kill an innocent person as a sacrifice!”

I poured out the resentment I had kept in my heart. The injustice and pain I had harbored for 10 years. Why was I chosen? I only needed a family that would embrace me warmly…

“Do you think the misfortune ends with the Duke’s death? Disaster will befall this land itself! If only you had sacrificed yourself, everyone would have been comfortable!”

“No!”

No! Tears streamed down my cheeks.

I didn’t understand why they wanted me to sacrifice myself. Why did they ask me to give up everything for their happiness!

When I was tied to the cross as a sacrifice, I had resigned myself. And even until the moment I became a slave, I had let go of everything. Because I only had one year left.

But when I ran to escape, while breathing in the refreshing air, I realized.

I didn’t want to die.

I wanted to enjoy flower viewing against the backdrop of a blue sky during the day, and make wishes while looking at the stars at night. I wanted to laugh like others, and love like others. I just wanted to see my missed friend whenever I wanted.

Because I’m a person, not a sacrifice.

“Stop talking nonsense and die as a sacrifice!”

The man pulled my hair and tried to knock the axe out of my hand. Enduring the pain, I swung the axe again. That resistance was all I could do to show that I too had meaning in life.

“Argh!”

With the man’s scream, hot and fishy blood splattered. A large wound appeared on the man’s shoulder. Leaving behind the man who was wailing in pain and sitting down, I ran again.

I needed to run as far as possible since I didn’t know when the man might chase after me. It might be better to return to where the imperial army was.

Even if I lived as a slave for the remaining year, it would be better than being a sacrifice who unconditionally sacrificed for others’ happiness. At least I could live as myself. So now I’ll live for myself and struggle to survive.

That’s when I saw a large shadow behind a big rock. Thankfully, that man Lucifer had found me easily.

It felt so welcoming.

But he looked at me with such cold eyes. And with an indifferent face, he drew his sword.

Ah, I had forgotten. Now I had become a runaway war slave.

As he swung his sword, I tightly closed my eyes.

“Gack!”

“How dare you touch what’s mine?”