“What the he—”

Muen didn’t even get to finish his question before the monster let out a gleeful shout.

“Ah—Master, I found you!”

“Huh? Mr. Muen is here too.”

“Perfect. The both of you... come receive my love.”

A shrieking wind tore through the air.

A shadow fell over them.

A massive, deformed limb—thick as a tree trunk that would take several people to wrap their arms around—came crashing down from above.

It wasn’t just Anne—it was coming for Muen too.

“Watch out!”

Anne called out in alarm.

The metal sphere behind her instantly disassembled and reformed, reshaping into a triangular framework above her and Muen’s heads.

The metal supports took the brunt of the impact from the monstrous limb, but they were clearly strained. They groaned and twisted, on the verge of snapping.

Anne gritted her teeth, a vein throbbing on her forehead. Her knees buckled slightly—it was obvious the hit had been hard to bear.

“Young Master, go!”

“Go?”

Muen still hadn’t fully processed the situation. He stared blankly upward at the grotesque monster.

And just now—when it called him “Mr. Muen”—he saw it. In the center of that mess of faces on its abdomen was one familiar, pretty face.

“—Ailuka. That’s Ailuka.”

What the hell? 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

It had only been a few hours—how the hell did Ailuka turn into that?

Even Pokémon didn’t evolve that fast.

And what, was she rinsing her rice in radioactive waste? Unless she bathed in gamma rays every day, how the hell did she mutate this far?

“There’s no time to explain. You have to go, Young Master.”

Anne took a deep breath and said:

“I’ll hold her off.”

“If I leave—what about you?”

“Don’t worry.”

Anne smiled. “I’m a God-Favored.”

The metal around her shifted shape, gleaming coldly as it formed a solid steel wall to block another spike from the monster.

“See? When I can use my powers freely, I’m really strong. This thing is no match for me.”

“Is that so?”

Muen looked at the metal wall.

The attack had been blocked, but the wall was heavily dented. It looked like it could shatter any second.

That alone was enough to show how terrifying the monster’s strength was.

“Mhm. I would never lie to you, Young Master.”

With a thought, Anne restored the wall to its original shape.

She hid the exhaustion in her eyes and smiled.

“Go on ahead. Once I’ve dealt with it, I’ll catch up—and when I do, I’ll bring you back.”

“This time, I’m not bluffing.”

“Well, in that case, I guess I really have to leave. I’m not looking to be locked up by you again.”

Muen nodded, turned, and took a step forward.

Anne watched his back. Her expression turned distant for a moment, then she gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

This is fine.

As long as Young Master gets away—this is fine.

“You really think I’d just leave like that?”

“Eh?”

Anne looked up in surprise just as Muen turned around and strode back toward her.

“You can’t even lie properly. You’re kinda failing as a personal maid, Anne.”

“W-Wha?!”

In one of Anne’s rare moments of panic, Muen suddenly scooped her up into a princess carry.

“Y-Y-Young Master, you—!”

A flush spread across Anne’s cheeks as she squirmed, trying to get free.

Smack! Muen slapped her on the ass with an open palm.

“Don’t move.”

In an instant, her whole face turned bright red, like red ink had been poured over it.

“If we’re running, we’re running together.”

“But... why?”

If they were escaping, fine. But why carry her like this?

“Why? Obviously—”

Muen chuckled softly.

The shadows darkened again.

Another massive, even thicker deformed limb came slamming down.

But in the plume of shattered rubble, Muen had already disappeared.

Shadow Step!

When he reappeared, he was ten meters away.

A perfect dodge.

“When it comes to running away—I’m a professional.”

Muen said something shameful with an absolutely serious face.

His expression was focused.

His body twisted and shifted, slipping between the monster’s attacks.

That enormous body had become a liability. It could lash out with countless limbs, but it couldn’t keep up. Muen was already pulling away.

Anne’s eyes widened ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) slightly.

To her, the Young Master still looked like the same Young Master.

But something about him felt... different from the one in her memories.

A subtle change.

But that tiny shift stirred something inside her—a heart she thought was already filled to the brim with “love,” incapable of being moved again—

It trembled.

...

“No—”

“Master! Mr. Muen!”

“Please! Don’t run!”

“Accept my—love!”

The monster howled in agony. Even more deformed limbs came crashing down like a rainstorm.

Muen took a deep breath.

“Anne. Get ready.”

“Huh?”

Anne snapped out of it.

She saw Muen’s face grow serious as he shouted:

“Hold your breath!”

“Eh?”

Anne blinked—just as Muen leapt high into the air.

Before them, the small river flowed gently, glinting in the sunlight like fish scales.

Splash.

Still carrying Anne, Muen dove straight into the water.

A mass of twisted limbs followed close behind.

But without a clear line of sight, the limbs thrashed wildly, stirring the river into complete murk.

Underwater, Muen moved like a fish—slipping through the chaos with ease. He looked even more at home here than on land.

Swimming Skill: LV6!

Do they even understand the value of soaking in a river for a whole day and night!?

He was just starting to laugh proudly to himself when he suddenly felt something slippery and soft, like a pair of water-snake arms, coil around his neck.

Before he could even enjoy the sensation—

The arms squeezed tight.

Huh? Anne?

Vision dimming from the pressure, Muen looked down in a panic—

And saw Anne’s eyes wide open in terror, hands grabbing wildly at anything around her.

She looked like she was drowning.

Oh. Right.

He forgot.

Anne couldn’t swim.

“Seriously. So competent at everything else, and yet always screws up at the most important moment...”

He thought, exasperated.

Muen gave a bitter smile.

He leaned down—and kissed her.

Transferring air, mouth to mouth.

...

A few hundred meters downstream, behind a riverside boulder, Muen stepped out of the water with Anne in his arms.

Anne collapsed to the ground, coughing out the river water she’d accidentally inhaled. Muen leaned back against the rock, breathing heavily.

Dragging someone—no, dragging someone who couldn’t swim—through a river while dodging monster attacks really was exhausting.

But they’d made it.

A few hundred meters away, the monster was still stabbing at the muddy river with its deformed limbs, like a dumb kid poking a stick at fish. It looked completely brainless.

Thank god it was brainless. Otherwise, this would’ve been a whole different problem.

Muen let out a long breath and turned to look at Anne. Her face was still a little red, but she didn’t seem hurt.

“So,” he said, “what the hell happened, Anne?”