“Who’s that?”

Once again, Stano linked part of his consciousness to Leticia’s point of view. He looked at the completely unfamiliar surroundings and the ominously dressed woman before him, unable to hide his confusion.

“How should I know?”

Leticia snapped. She knew full well that whatever happened next, she’d be the one to suffer for it.

“Hey, couldn’t you be a little nicer...?”

Stano was sitting at the desk in his room, holding a rather heavy book and flipping through it absentmindedly, barely paying attention. “I was just trying to figure out a safe way for you to get out of there, you know?”

“I’m touched that you care, but... never mind. I don’t want to say anything else.”

Too bad their mental conversations didn’t let them see each other’s expressions. If Stano had seen Leticia’s face, cold as ice, he might not have been able to say another word.

Leaving aside the murderous exchanges between Leticia and Stano, back in the real world, Leticia sat on a cheap stool with one leg shorter than the others. Bored, she watched the black-clad woman standing at the table some distance away, with no idea what she was doing.

The reason Leticia didn’t stand up was simple: the Black-Clad Lady had fastened a thin chain around her ankle.

So she was a prisoner.

The Black-Clad Lady had said she wouldn’t kill her, but Leticia was still on edge, afraid the woman might be toying with her.

The chain around her ankle was only as thick as a finger and covered in rust. It looked so flimsy that she wondered if a gentle tug would be enough to snap it.

The other end of the chain was attached to the wooden wall of the little hut, which didn’t look very sturdy either.

But Leticia didn’t dare move an inch...

For one thing, with her current skinny arms and legs, she didn’t stand much of a chance. If she had her old body, she might have had a better shot at fighting back, even if she wasn’t very strong from spending all her time cooped up indoors. And on top of that, her back ached, her legs were cramping, and she wasn’t even sure she could stand.

Enough of this. Damn Stano!

All she could do was sit there obediently, like some pitiful little pet.

Suddenly remembering that the brat might say something stupid through her body, Leticia hurriedly said, “You—could you just watch and not make any more trouble for me? I’d really appreciate it!”

“Ah... okay.”

Stano shrugged indifferently and looked back at the book in his hands.

The book was bound beautifully. Its leather cover even had small gold pieces decorating the corners, making it look extremely luxurious.

It was a book about the Church’s teachings. Stano had turned to the section on heresy and was reading through it.

“The heretics of this world originated from the vile demons and evil spirits first sealed away by the Lord...”

According to the text, the great deity worshipped by the Church had saved humanity from calamity and sealed the devils who wreaked havoc on the land in the deepest wasteland of the Abyss. But how could such cunning, wicked devils possibly accept being sealed away?

So the devils tried every means they could think of, until they finally managed to pierce the divine seal with a sliver of their power and presence, letting it seep into the world of men.

Those dark, evil forces would attach themselves to vulnerable people and tempt them into corruption. They would become the devils’ lackeys, dragging more people back into that world of suffering and darkness—and freeing their master, the original devil.

“After all that, this might as well have said nothing...”

Stano pursed his lips as he read. Still, he could guess that the way to identify heretics and evil spirits was probably only known within the Church.

After carefully reviewing his thoughts and observations from the past year, Stano was almost certain that Leticia, that country girl, was one of the “heretics” the Church preached about. He’d once thought she was a divine revelation. Now, looking back, how ironic.

But what was strange was that Leticia didn’t seem to think she was a heretic at all. She always wanted to live a normal life, had never said anything strange to him, and had never done anything unusual. She was, in every way, a perfectly normal person.

And yet, after he met her, the Benson Family’s luck began to turn.

He instinctively thought back over the misfortunes of the past year and the setbacks the family had faced in its development. There seemed to have been far more than usual.

And that was nothing compared to his uncle being executed as a criminal. They hadn’t even been allowed to retrieve his body.

He hadn’t even been given the chance to return to the family!

Stano clenched his fists and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

She was a heretic.

He’d come into contact with a heretic. He’d become tainted by sin.

But he could atone. He could also use this heretic to make up for the evil she had caused.

He was an upright man. He was in the right. He was the eldest son of the Benson Family, with a bright future ahead of him. He couldn’t become the sinner the Church spoke of because of this.

He hadn’t been corrupted yet!

As long as he could capture this heretic...

Meanwhile, inside the hut.

“Heh heh heh...”

The Black-Clad Lady’s voice was as unpleasant as ever. With her face covered so that only her eyes showed, she brought over a small bowl of steaming... something and set it by Leticia’s feet.

“You must be hungry, right? If you are, eat. Heh heh heh...”

Leticia stared at the Black-Clad Lady in disbelief. She hadn’t expected to be offered a treat instead of a beating.

The bowl was tiny, and the mush inside was a strange color. Still, it didn’t smell bad, so it should be edible.

At the thought, Leticia, who hadn’t eaten all day, felt her stomach clench again and again, urging her to eat.

“Th-thank you...”

Leticia thanked her cautiously, then bent down to pick up the bowl.

“Ah!”

She hadn’t expected the outside of the little wooden bowl to be covered in tiny, densely packed spikes. They were sharp and painful to touch—and the bowl was hot, too.

It did nothing to keep the heat out.

Her hand jerked, and Leticia nearly dropped the bowl. Somehow, she managed to steady it, but some of the boiling-hot mush splashed out and landed mercilessly on her feet, legs, and hands, scalding them red at once.

Her tear ducts nearly gave way.

“What’s wrong? You’re not eating?”

Standing off to the side, the Black-Clad Lady stared fixedly at Leticia. “If you’re not hungry, I’ll take it away.”

Her gaze was cold and indifferent, as if she weren’t looking at a living person.

And yet, deep down, there was the faintest hint of surprise.

“No, I’ll eat it right away. Thank you.”

Gritting her teeth, Leticia looked at the bowl in her hands. Instead of bringing it to her mouth, she plunged her hand straight into it.

In a single day, she’d been torn away from the warm pool she’d only just gotten used to, dragged by the hair by monsters, and thrown straight into the Black Forest. All around her were demonic shadows, snarling and laughing. She was alone, helpless and weak, treated as prey, a plaything, trash, dust.

One careless mistake could cost her life.

Now, she could only rely on herself.

And she had to survive.

Leticia kept her head down, if only so the Black-Clad Lady wouldn’t see the one clear tear that had slipped into the bowl.