'Sigh, will I die like this?' Seated on the railing at a great height, Zhen'er sighed, flailing her legs carelessly, knowing she would be left here to die of hunger.
"You didn't fall; that's surprising," said an amused voice beside her. Zhen'er recognized it as the same man who had left her here, so it didn't surprise her.
"Young Master, it's already getting dark. Can I go home?" Zhen'er asked, looking up at the man who seemed to emit a warm glow, though her eyes couldn't identify its source or neither see the setting Gaia's light but due to being free here, she had counted the time.
"Yes, it's time for you to go home," Ryuk said, glancing at the setting sun and the town below, which was marred with bloodstains and scattered limbs from dead beasts and humans.
The beasts lying around were the same ones that had bitten the merchants and humans, now scattered lifeless due to the effects of poisonous herbs that stimulated but also killed them.
"R-really?" Zhen'er asked, surprised by his response. She quickly turned toward him, a smile blooming on her face as she tried to stand.
"Kyaaa~!" She slipped and fell from the height.
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"So, you finally fell, huh?" Ryuk mused, glancing at Zhen'er, who walked beside him with her face turned away, holding onto a piece of his clothing to guide her.
"I am ashamed of myself," Zhen'er admitted, averting her gaze, embarrassed by her fall when she tried to stand.
'Did you analyze the seal?' Ryuk inquired inwardly, looking ahead towards the outskirts of the town.
[Host, it seems the seal is inborn.]
'Inborn? Does that mean it wasn't caused by someone?' Ryuk felt slightly confused, considering how a seal that could take away one's senses could be inborn and not inflicted by someone.
His confusion stemmed from the system's information that this woman could potentially awaken as a heroine if a counterpart like himself awakened and committed evil. But seeing her with such an inborn seal made it suspicious that she was favored by heaven in the first place.
"Young Master, do we cross the town's main gate?" Zhen'er inquired, feeling the cooler breeze from the nearby dense trees, reminding her that they had left the town's center, filled with wooden houses.
"Yes, where is your house?" Ryuk asked, noticing her familiarity with the path despite being blind, which suggested her daily habit of living in this place and dispelled his suspicion that she wasn't a native.
"It's in the west direction, 260 steps away from here," she adjusted his clothes before moving forward, counting her steps. She confirmed she was heading west by the warmth remaining from Gaia's setting light.
"So how long have you been living here?" he inquired about the time period she had been here since birth, trying to gauge her family background, origin, and other details.
"I only remember things after the age of 5," she replied with a defeated smile, recalling the day she regained consciousness amidst the rubble and stench, the world dark around her. She could speak the native language but had no memories or sight—it was hell for her.
'...' Ryuk thought her words suspicious yet somehow believable. If she only remembered things from the age of 5, did that mean she survived alone in this hellish place with blind eyes at such a young age?
"Haah, haah, I-I am alive," Tai Hen clasped his neck, feeling his breath still caught. Trembling, he lifted his tear-filled eyes, struck by the killing intent emanating from the man standing before him.
The man wore a black robe with orange stripes and a masked face, his two deadly amber eyes fixed on Tai Hen's very soul, as he declared, "You will not lift your gaze at her again, nor approach her without her consent."
"Huh?" Zhen'er's heart raced upon hearing the words, realizing that Tai hen was effectively being declared her bodyguard. This made her even more anxious, akin to entrusting a bowl of milk to a cat.
"T-this? I promise, I will keep her saf—ARRGGHHHHHH!" Tai Hen attempted to express sudden relief, his intent to seek revenge for this humiliation clear as he glanced towards the woman with lust, but he was instantly struck by soul-wrenching pain.
The pain surpassed all limits before it had even begun, causing his heartbeat to strain, his brain bombarded by agony, and finally, an unbearable sensation overwhelmed him.
"Let's move. I also need to visit the auction house after we stop by your home," Ryuk said, pulling Zhen'er along. Her hand still clenched his cloth, she followed him, her ears ringing from Tai Hen's cries.
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"Young master, it should be here," Zhen'er said as they arrived at a distance. She noticed the sound of a water stream emanating from a small waterwheel near a pond. A small wooden house, seemingly constructed from forest woods and leaves, was visible.
"It's a really beautiful place," Ryuk observed, taking in the nearby pond filled with lotus flowers and the calming sound of the waterwheel. He then noticed the finely cut timber of the wooden house and inquired, "How did you build this house?"
"It was abandoned by my mother, a kind woman who adopted me at the age of six," Zhen'er explained, revealing the backstory of the woman who was only one who showed her mercy but was devastated after learning that her husband had betrayed the demon queen of that time, under whom he worked outside the Jade Dominion due to his demon race. He ran away with his two daughters.
The woman protected Zhen'er until her death from the clutches of a few men who desired Zhen'er's body and wanted to force themselves upon her.
Realizing that nightfall was approaching, Ryuk suggested, "Let's move inside," and headed towards the house.
Both Ryuk and Zhen'er bowed their heads slightly as they entered, accustomed to the low door frame.
"Young Master, please don't kill me," Zhen'er pleaded, clutching her dress. She remembered how her adoptive mother had suffered and died due to Zhen'er's beauty but had made her promise to continue living. She come this far in her life even with this blind eyes and wanted to live.
But today, she knew that her fate was sealed at the hands of this man who would kill her after deflowering her.
Normally, Liu Wei would have protected her, but today, she knew she was alone. She nervously began untying the ribbon holding her flowered pink robe together from behind.
"What are you doing?" Ryuk noticed her actions and narrowed his eyes, understanding her mental state. "Don't do that. There's no reason for you to undress—"
DING!
[Target veins identified for removing the seal - Aurum, Luminis Arbor, Vox Rivulus, Nebula Tactus, Somnii Sapor. (suggested to apply on bare body)]
'....' Ryuk heard the system's prompt and glanced at Zhen'er, who had frozen with her robe halfway undone, her lips trembling with anxiety. Feeling slightly awkward but knowing they would likely never meet again, he commanded, "Keep undressing, no need to stop."