Chapter 49: The Eggplant Swordswoman

The cries for help weren’t distant. Not long after Anna ventured into the forest, she spotted the person suspended from a tree.

It was a small, black-haired girl wearing a white mask, and beside her, also suspended, hung a large coffin.

Indeed, this was Eve, who had fallen into a beast trap a week prior.

Trapped, Eve had attempted numerous methods to escape the snare, all to no avail. Ultimately, she could only helplessly pray for a passerby to rescue her.

Yet, after days of continuous shouting, she hadn’t seen a single soul, or even a small animal, in the vast expanse of the forest.

Eve began to question if this cursed forest truly was the Elven Forest.

‘Where are my lovely, friendly forest companions, the elf maidens?’

‘Someone, please help!’

Gradually, Eve was on the verge of abandoning her cries for help, deciding it was better to rely on herself than others, and began to devise alternative self-rescue methods.

But then, hope appeared!

“Don’t be afraid, little sister! Big sister is here to save you!”

A voice, growing nearer, reached Eve’s ears. Instantly, she snapped out of her “cured meat” state, grabbing the large net and shouting excitedly, “I’m here! Please help me!”

‘It wasn’t easy. So, calling for help actually works!’

Peeling back a corner of her mask, Eve somewhat poignantly wiped away the tears that had just streamed from her eyes after a yawn. Heaven knew what she had endured, suspended in mid-air for seven days.

Upon seeing the blue-haired maiden, Eve quickly adjusted her mask. She grabbed the net ropes, making herself swing to become more conspicuous, and continued to call out, “I’m up here, up here! Hey! Can you see me?”

Anna also noticed Eve dangling in the air and quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, little sister, just a moment, I’ll get you down right away!”

As she spoke, she reached behind her, performing what appeared to be a professional sword-drawing motion.

Eve’s eyes lit up at the sight, her heart surging with excitement.

‘Look! A swordswoman! Wennya, we’re saved!’

‘Surely, the swordswoman will now gracefully draw her blade, swiftly severing the large net in a heroic rescue!’

Under Eve’s expectant gaze, Anna drew forth an eggplant.

Why was Eve so certain it was an eggplant and not, say, a wooden stick? Because the eggplant in the maiden’s hand had already been bitten, revealing its pale flesh.

Eve: ‘???’

‘No, big sister, where’s your sword?! Why did you pull out an eggplant?!’

‘Even if it’s a personal hobby, don’t bring it to your weapon, seriously!’

Anna, however, paid no mind to Eve’s slowly dawning despair. She took a step back with her right leg, gripped the eggplant tightly with both hands near her shoulder, her gaze level with the eggplant beside her ear, and simultaneously lowered her body as if gathering strength.

‘Honestly, if you replaced that eggplant with a proper sword, this standard and professional thrusting stance would actually look quite impressive…’

Eve made this mental note, but…

The next moment, Anna’s eyes sharpened, her entire aura becoming as keen as a drawn sword. The eggplant in her hand instantly became covered in a deep blue layer, and faint blue streams of magical energy emanated from its body, swirling around the maiden. A powerful vortex of air lifted her smooth blue hair, causing it to dance continuously with her clothes and short skirt.

“Thrust!”

The maiden’s whisper was soft, yet it reached Eve’s ears with startling clarity.

A blur of motion, and a streak of blue light shot straight into the sky.

For a moment, Eve felt as if sword shadows crisscrossed before her eyes, as if countless blue-haired maidens flashed past, continuously thrusting their eggplant-swords. Each strike precisely avoided her, instead slicing through the large net.

*Swoosh—*

A crisp sound, like a sword being sheathed, echoed.

The myriad sword shadows and streaks of light vanished without a trace, while the net trapping Eve was instantly covered in blue sword marks. Each mark was perfectly uniform, cut with the precision of a machine.

Eve felt the familiar pull of gravity beneath her, her entire body descending towards the ground.

*Thump—*

Her backside didn’t meet the hard ground she expected, but instead landed in a warm embrace.

“Little sister, are you alright?”

Eve opened her eyes to see the blue-haired maiden looking at her with concern.

Because everything had happened so rapidly, Eve’s gaze was still somewhat blank, her mind still overwhelmed by the countless terrifying sword shadows. She began her internal self-interrogation.

‘Who am I? Where am I? What’s for dinner tonight?’

Instinctively, she opened her mouth to reply, “Aba aba… ah, no, I’m… I’m fine…”

“That’s wonderful!”

Hearing this, Anna let out a sigh of relief and smiled brightly.

It was then that Yulim, who had been trailing behind, finally arrived. Seeing Eve held in Anna’s arms, she instinctively drew her neck back, swallowing the words she had intended to say. Pulling her hood lower, she slowly walked over and crouched beside Anna.

Anna noticed the ‘little transparent’ beside her and greeted, “Yulim, you’re here! Look, I’ve already rescued her, wasn’t big sister fast?”

The hooded girl said nothing, only nodded vigorously.

After all, while Anna often acted without considering the consequences, frequently rushing in with her blood boiling, it was undeniable that her strength was formidable.

By this time, Eve had also recovered. She climbed out of Anna’s embrace and looked gratefully at the pair of beautiful maidens before her. “Thank you, thank you for saving me!”

“Hehe, there’s nothing to thank me for. Isn’t it normal to help someone in need?”

Anna, with an easy familiarity, reached out and patted Eve’s shoulder, then smiled as she introduced herself, “My name is Anna, and this is my friend, Yulim.”

Yulim, beside her, remained silent, merely nodding and offering Eve a kind glance.

“Oh, by the way, little sister, what’s your name?”

Eve adjusted her mask and replied, “Luosha! Just call me Luosha. It’s a pleasure to meet you both!”

Suddenly, Eve remembered: ‘Where did my coffin fall?’

‘Wennya is still inside!’

She quickly scanned her surroundings and spotted the coffin lying not far away.

“I’m sorry, Anna, please wait for me a moment…”

Anna seemed about to ask something else, but Eve offered an apologetic smile, hastily left a remark, and rushed to the coffin. Ostensibly, she was checking for damage, but in reality, she was secretly inquiring about the little maid inside.

“Wennya, are you alright?”

“W-Wennya’s fine… just a little… dizzy…”

The little maid’s groggy voice drifted from inside the coffin.

Having just fallen from mid-air, Eve had been caught by Anna. However, the coffin had no such catcher. After hitting the ground, it rolled twice, leaving the little maid inside completely disoriented.

Fortunately, this extent of tumbling had not resulted in any injury to Wennya.

Eve breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Anna and Yulim had followed her.

Yulim, in particular, seeing the large coffin, couldn’t help but furrow her delicate brows, her mind racing with conjectures.

‘From the sounds earlier, it must contain something.’

‘What else could be in a coffin? It’s undoubtedly a corpse.’

‘Was it a fresh kill? Or someone long deceased?’

Yulim couldn’t tell.

‘The coffin lid seemed tightly sealed; even a bloody scent wouldn’t be detectable…’

‘A criminal destroying evidence? Or a grave keeper robbing their own?’

Regardless of the possibilities, a normal person wouldn’t carry a coffin around with them, let alone treat it with such importance.

Although Yulim had previously shown goodwill towards Luosha in Anna’s presence, the masked Luosha, who refused to reveal her true face, remained deeply suspicious in Yulim’s mind, immediately labeled as a “bad person.”