The next morning.

On a small road about twenty kilometers west of Sparrow Town.

Four adventurers with swollen faces were rushing along the road. Yes, they were the four who had robbed Lorne's Dungeon and were then beaten up by Arianne in the tavern.

One tall, one short, one fat, and one thin.

"Damn, we're really unlucky! Who is that girl anyway?"

The tall swordsman complained loudly, kicking a stone on the road. He was missing three teeth, so his speech was a bit slurred.

"Who knows, but we can at least be sure that she is from the church." The short archer shrugged, his bruised face showing a hint of reminiscence. "Speaking of which, she is really attractive... tsk tsk, it's not a loss to be beaten up by such a beauty."

"You can shut up. You were the loudest one crying for your mom." The tall swordsman waved his hand dismissively.

The other two companions beside them burst into laughter.

One was a chubby mage, the other a skinny bard. These two didn't look much better either, with bandages wrapped around their arms and swollen heads from multiple blows.

"... We all seem to have been beaten up pretty badly."

"What does it matter? A man's worth is not determined by his looks!"

"At least we have each other." The skinny bard picked up his broken lute, strumming a melody with a sentimental expression on his face.

"Damn, don't be so cheesy..."

But despite the joking, the four of them still wore a desolate look on their faces.

After all, they had just experienced the harsh reality.

The four of them were hometown friends, having grown up together. After reading the street stall novel "The Invincible Adventurer and the Beautiful Girl Who Fell for Me", they decided to emulate the protagonist in the story and leave their hometown to become adventurers!

For years, they had traveled around the continent.

Accepting missions, exterminating monsters, conquering Dungeons.

Everything went smoothly.

But the only thing missing was that they had never encountered the beautiful girls of their dreams. Ordinary pretty girls were not enough; they had to be as stunning as the female protagonist in the novel!

Until yesterday.

In the tavern in Sparrow Town, from the moment they laid eyes on Arianne, they instantly fell in love.

The four of them confirmed with each other through their eyes that she was the one they wanted to marry. After a long adventurous journey, they finally arrived at the moment of sweet harvest... It turned out that miracles really existed in this world!

Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, they had no idea how to approach her. None of them had any experience, not even holding hands with a girl.

What should we do, should we propose directly?

No, that would be too abrupt. Let's start by being friends... or even friends with benefits.

In any case, let's strike up a conversation with her, boasting about our fearless exploits in the Dungeon yesterday!

Well, let's do that!

And then...

They were all solidly beaten up.

"I don't want to see your faces ever again! Get out of Sparrow Town within thirty kilometers!" Before losing consciousness, all four of them heard the threatening words full of murderous intent from the beautiful girl.

So they fled Sparrow Town overnight.

...

After passing through the forest, their field of vision gradually opened up.

Ahead was a three-way intersection.

"I think... Maybe we're not cut out to be adventurers?" The tall swordsman sighed suddenly. "You guys have probably realized it too, right? We don't have an invincible halo, and it's impossible for us to be ensnared by beautiful girls."

The other three fell into silence.

The air was filled with the sound of shattered dreams.

For a long time, the chubby mage said in a melancholy tone, "Let's just go back to our hometown. To be honest, I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I just didn't have the courage to say it... My mom is getting old, she's running the farm alone, it must be hard for her."

"Yeah, let's go home." The short archer also felt homesick. "I wonder how Lily in the village is doing? I said when I was a kid that I would marry her when I grew up..."

"Then let's go back and marry her!" The tall swordsman laughed."I will officiate your wedding!" The bard chimed in.

The four of them continued walking, chatting and laughing, completely unaware of how many death flags had been buried in their previous conversation.

As they kept walking, they suddenly noticed...

A person standing at the three-way intersection ahead. The person was dressed in a pristine white robe with the symbol of the Church, the "Holy Star," embroidered on it... Judging by the figure, it was a girl...

The four of them felt a chill run down their spines.

Damn it!

How did they encounter her again?

Did she think the beatdown from yesterday wasn't enough, so she followed them here?!

This can't be happening!

"Wait, hold on. Calm down, everyone," the bard suddenly discovered a discrepancy. "Although the clothes are the same, this doesn't seem to be the same person we encountered yesterday, right? Look, her figure seems a bit shorter..."

Indeed, that was the case.

The girl standing at the intersection was noticeably smaller. She wore a hood over her head, concealing her face, but it was evident that she wasn't the same beautiful girl who had bested them yesterday.

The four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems our luck hasn't run out yet!

Just then, the girl at the intersection suddenly bent down. She got on all fours, her face close to the ground, sniffing earnestly as if trying to detect a particular scent.

At the same time, a furry red tail emerged from beneath her skirt.

A beastkin?

"Indeed, there is a scent left behind by Lady Big Sis here... Hehe, it seems it's getting close to her." The girl spoke happily, standing up.

"Young lady, what are you doing?" the tall swordsman asked curiously.

"Me? I'm looking for Lady Big Sis... Have you seen her?" The beastkin girl turned her head to answer. As she did, her hood slipped off, revealing her round face and fox-like pointed ears.

Oh, she's quite cute. Makes you want to pat her head.

The adventurers smiled, thinking so.

"Looking for Big Sis? What does she look like, then?"

"Um, um, Lady Big Sis is the most powerful and adorable person in the world!" The girl blushed and said, her tail wagging excitedly.

Hmm, quite a specific description you gave.

There couldn't be anyone else who fits that description.

"Just a moment. You still have the scent of Lady Big Sis on you..." Suddenly, the girl from across furrowed her brows tightly. "What did you do to her?!"

She roared angrily, revealing two sharp fangs. The petite girl suddenly burst out with immense energy, forcing the four adventurers to repeatedly retreat.

...What's going on?

Is this another character we can't handle?

The adventurers looked at each other, feeling perplexed.

Are the girls in your church all monsters? That doesn't seem right... The sisters in the chapel are all gentle...

"You, you, calm down. We didn't do anything, really!" The tall swordsman quickly said, "We were just beaten by her, we didn't fight back at all!... Or rather, we didn't even have the ability to fight back..."

"Really?!" The girl blinked her eyes, "I see, so you guys must be bad people."

"Bad people?"

"Of course. Anyone who was taught a lesson by Lady Big Sis is a bad person!" The girl nodded firmly, "You must have committed a terrible crime... Lady Big Sis is truly kind, she didn't kill you. After all, she is the 'Compassionate Saint'... In that case, let me carry out her execution on her behalf."

As she spoke, she licked her lips, revealing a menacing glare.

But at the same time, inexplicably innocent and shy.

"Um, I have a question for you guys... If I beat up the same people as Lady Big Sis, does that count as...indirect...intimate contact?"

The four adventurers broke out in cold sweat.

...Something's not right!

There's definitely something wrong with this girl!