"Something about... they're very..." An unknown voice startled the sleeping girl awake.

"Payment... you all..."

Allen heard muffled voices through a curtain, catching only faint whispers.

They seemed to be discussing her.

The cage wasn’t large; she had to curl up to lie comfortably inside. Though narrow, it stood unusually tall—a custom birdcage for auction items.

Allen had regained consciousness. Drowsily, she tried to recall what happened, but remembered nothing.

Half a month ago.

After being expelled from Demon Castle, heartbroken, she wandered aimlessly for days and nights without rest. Exhaustion finally made her stumble. Her shoes had split apart at the soles. She tore a strip of cloth from her thorn-ripped coat. The tattered fabric fluttered like tiny flags in the wind. She bound the sole back on and trudged forward, weary but determined. She sought the mirage-like Demon Castle, but it vanished as if it never existed—like a dream, yet not. Lilith had banished her with a teleportation spell.

She ate all her food, to no avail. Doubt crept in: was Demon Castle just a dream? But glancing at her small hands, the thought vanished. Two years—impossible years—couldn’t be a dream. Demon Castle was her home. There, she’d found love, something she’d never known as a neglected child.

She couldn’t wait. If she couldn’t find it, she’d rather die. Hunger brought hallucinations.

Demon Castle appeared before her eyes. Lilith’s familiar smile seemed close... then the scene shifted. Dark clouds loomed. Outside the ancient castle walls, a horde of dark-skinned half-orcs gathered—foreign creatures, not from this continent. Demon Castle was a frontline defense. Without the Dark Lord guarding it, these beasts would invade and destroy the human world.

Just then, Lilith kicked open Allen’s door.

"Go! Your contract expired long ago! You’re free!"

Lilith had shed her classic black gown, donning the black armor from the Holy War three years prior. It hid her graceful figure completely.

Allen was speechless.

"Get out!" Lilith roared, furious without reason.

It was the first time in three years Allen had seen her this angry.

...

Allen shook her head, forcing herself awake. She couldn’t sleep now.

Starvation had numbed her body. Death might be a release from her wretched life—a final escape. But she refused to fade away. She needed to return to Demon Castle. That willpower drove her, miraculously, to crawl slowly across the ground.

By luck, she stumbled upon a wild plum bush. Without hesitation, she plunged in, swallowing berries and leaves whole. She chewed fiercely, gulping them down.

One bite... two... three... When a slight fullness bloomed in her stomach, Allen knew she wouldn’t die. Only then did exhaustion overwhelm her, pulling her into sleep.

Life flashed like a slideshow—twenty gray years. Only her time in Demon Castle held color, though faint.

A chill jolted Allen awake. Raindrops struck her eyes.

Pain.

She covered her eyes, stood slowly, and pressed on.

Days blurred together. Living off wild plums, she survived the late summer. They weren’t filling, but gave her strength to follow her instincts.

"Why push me away... why?" she muttered, tears streaming.

"Why throw me out when I couldn’t live without you?"

Her whispers were futile, as if Lilith could hear. No answer came.

For sixteen days, Allen wandered an unknown forest. Her clothes shredded, she cut the felt from her shoulder bag into makeshift garments. They looked ridiculous but kept her warm. Her shoes disintegrated on day eight. She wrapped felt scraps around her feet, binding them tight with cloth strips. Allen almost laughed at the absurdity.

At dusk, she reached a main road, marked by fresh wagon tracks. Civilization was near.

She pressed a finger into the soft mud of a wheel rut. Instantly, her taut nerves snapped. Her endless stamina drained away; her eyelids grew heavy. This was her limit—her "inexhaustible spirit" was just self-deception.

Allen slapped her own cheek. The sharp *crack* masked her fatigue. She felt a flicker of energy. Rest was unsafe until she was secure.

Walking this road beat blindly stumbling through jungles. No predators lurked here. People must be nearby.

She pushed through exhaustion for hours as the sun set and darkness fell. Finally, she settled by the roadside. Using fire crystals from her satchel, she lit a small campfire. She needed safe, deep sleep.

Hitching a ride was one reason to camp here. Safety was another—no jungle terrors. After half a month of nonstop trekking, Allen was a miracle of endurance. Her body ached from injuries and strain. In Demon Castle, she’d never done hard labor. This journey was killing her. Sitting down might mean never rising again.

She dragged herself to build a barrier with sticks. Then she returned to the fire.

Allen stared blankly into the flames, lost in thought.

Once, powerless, she’d endured her brothers’ abuse. She hated her own weakness, her meaningless existence.

In Gryffindor, her thirst for revenge twisted her training. She craved strength, but the Goddess denied her Frenzy—the warrior’s second weapon. She’d trained relentlessly in martial arts instead.

Perhaps because of that, she’d impulsively taken her brother’s place in the Holy War. She didn’t know why. Some unseen force had driven her.

Allen had always been rootless, fearless of death—a self-destructive soul. She’d once sought a noble reason to die, chasing danger. It hadn’t killed her; it honed her skills. Now, Lilith was her only reason to live. Without her, Allen had no will to survive.

She hadn’t realized how utterly she depended on Lilith.

At first, she’d fled Demon Castle out of stubborn pride—refusing to let others control her fate.

But life there wasn’t dull. Luna cared for her. Lilith, usually stern, often smiled. No hunger. No fake pleasantries with strangers.

For Allen, broken from a twisted upbringing, it was Eden.

She believed Lilith had exiled her for a reason.

She touched the Pocket Watch in her hand, lost in thought. Her fingers drifted to the black neck strap around her throat. Lilith had replaced the heavy collar with this decorative band. The contract still bound her as Lilith’s slave—but this proved Lilith hadn’t abandoned her.

Allen spread a worn felt mat over leaves, making a makeshift bed.

The moment she sat down, exhaustion flooded her like a broken dam. Without another thought, she sank into deep sleep.