Chapter 72: Recklessness Without Limits
The next second, Luvinah found herself atop a high hill, illuminated by the bright moon in the sky. She felt her arm being released and turned around.
The figure standing before her no longer had the white mask covering his face; he had removed it when they arrived. His handsome, youthful face and pointed ears made her feel a strong sense of affinity. His two differently colored eyes were like shining crystals.
Priam was breathing heavily and felt an absurd level of dizziness and weakness. His vital energy was running dangerously low, and all of his Ether had been exhausted as well.
But despite that, deep down, he was satisfied.
His plan had been executed perfectly.
The moment he found himself surrounded, he knew that if he used all of his wind power to flee immediately, those powerful demons would be able to stop him. His only chance was to create a distraction and the smallest possible opening.
When he threw the young demon into the middle of them, he took advantage of that perfect moment of distraction and shot away without giving them any chance to react.
After a few seconds, Priam turned toward Luvinah.
Her silver skin shimmered strangely beneath the moonlight.
Her colorful eyes were genuinely beautiful and captivating.
[Name: Luvinah Caeldori]
[Race: Pristine Wild-Spirit Primordial]
[Magic Title: None]
[Karmic Title: Seeress of Flames]
[Bloodline: 90]
[Anima: 65]
[Wheel of Fate: 15]
[Loyalty: Neutral]
He read everything in surprise.
’Seeress of Flames? That’s a pretty impressive title. She was definitely someone important in the past... but with a Wheel of Fate that terrible, life must be incredibly difficult for her. Well, her Bloodline is truly incredible and shocking. As for her Anima, it’s well above average. She’s a very intelligent girl.’
At that moment, Priam also realized that a high Anima score didn’t always mean power.
After all, the Pristine Wild-Spirit Primordials didn’t exactly have a reputation for strength.
Noticing how weak Priam looked, Luvinah took a deep breath and spoke hurriedly.
"Senior, I heard that we’re on the planet High Dark Peak. Coincidentally, this is where my race is hiding. So..."
Priam narrowed his eyes.
"Here? In the demonic universe?"
The Pristine Wild-Spirits were a humanoid race. Naturally, they should only exist in humanoid universes and be captured and taken elsewhere afterward.
Luvinah nodded quickly, clenching her fists.
"My race arrived in this universe more than sixty thousand years ago. I don’t know exactly what my ancestors were thinking, but we’ve managed to survive here in secret because of this planet’s Infernal Forest."
"With my race’s abilities, inside that forest, we can easily erase our presence and hide. And in this demonic universe, nobody looks for us because they don’t expect us to be hiding here. After all, the humanoid universes are already so vast they seem endless."
She explained calmly, wearing an expression far too serious for someone who looked her age.
This little girl had clearly received an excellent education.
Priam took a deep breath and thought quickly.
Soon, he nodded in understanding.
He had heard from the seller before that this planet was special because of the Infernal Forest. Furthermore, it was the territory of a single demon clan. That meant almost all of the strongest demons lived within the clan itself and rarely entered the forest. As a result, it would be extremely difficult to notice the presence of this race if they had infiltrated perfectly in the past without leaving any traces.
"The Infernal Forest contains a unique kind of energy that allows us to absorb what we need and survive without anything else. Even though... it’s very little, my race managed to live without being discovered until... until I was found..."
Priam looked into Luvinah’s trembling eyes and sighed.
"You’re still a child. It’s normal to make mistakes."
"I-I’m not a child. I turned fifteen not long ago."
She answered sharply, causing Priam’s eyes to widen.
At that moment, a chill ran down his spine.
All this time, he had been carrying a young woman?
In his mind, she had been a child, so he hadn’t felt any discomfort at all. But now that he knew the truth, everything felt different.
In this world, humanoids were already considered adults at fifteen years old.
Priam had long since gotten used to that and accepted it as normal. After all, in this harsh world, everyone really did mature very early.
It was very different from Earth.
"The thing is, my race has very little to survive on... The adults struggle to give the younger generation as much as possible... but even then, we still can’t develop properly with what we have."
Luvinah lowered her head gloomily.
"We don’t have physical bodies at birth. After some time, we create an energy body using the wood energy generated by our cores. But we need a minimum amount of energy-rich nourishment in order to develop and grow larger."
Priam sighed in understanding.
Physically, she looked no older than ten years old, but that was only because her race lacked the minimum resources needed for children to develop properly.
For humans on Earth, it would be comparable to extreme malnutrition.
She closed her eyes, her face twisting slightly with pain.
"I... my race only has a very short period each week when we’re able to leave our hiding place and gather nutrients. The thing is, I... I couldn’t bear seeing a childhood friend become seriously ill because he had nothing to eat..." she said, her voice choked with emotion.
"So, I sneaked out of hiding to find something for him. I’d already done it a few times before... but that time... I was unlucky enough to run into a foreign Mage visiting this planet’s forest."
Priam snorted.
So that was what happened...
She had acted recklessly to help someone from her race who was starving. As a result, she had been discovered by an outsider, captured, and immediately taken away. That explained why she hadn’t remained on the demon clan’s planet.
"Well... if that’s how it happened, then that clan probably doesn’t even know you were captured here. The foreigner who found you most likely kept it a secret so the clan wouldn’t get angry and accuse him of stealing something that belonged to them. Staying silent was the smartest choice, since he could always return to the forest in the future and look for others."
Priam spoke slowly, feeling certain that was exactly what had happened.
For the person who captured her, the profits and safety were far greater if everything was done quietly.
Luvinah’s eyes darkened upon hearing that.
Priam took a deep breath and spoke casually.
"Alright, I understand everything now. I said I’d take you home, but by coincidence, you’re already in the right place. So, you can go."
Silence.
Instead of immediately running away, her voice trembled.
"Really... You... you’re really going to let me go?"
Priam nodded without caring much.
"Even though I want a Pristine Core, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I killed you. Go. Before I change my mind."
"I... I knew it. You’re definitely a good person."
Luvinah wiped the tears from her face and slowly, carefully backed away, never taking her eyes off Priam.
She had escaped a disaster as though she’d been given a second life, and she felt profound gratitude.
Priam remained standing there with a tired expression.
The girl’s footsteps grew softer and softer as she moved farther away.
But...
Instead of speeding up, she suddenly stopped after dozens of steps.
"Senior!" she shouted.
Priam turned around with a serious expression.
"If you don’t leave right now, I might change my mind, and then you can forget about leaving at all!"
"I... I wouldn’t dare."
Luvinah shook her head, then suddenly raised it with newfound courage.
"Senior, I... can I ask a favor? Could you accompany me home? If I go by myself... I might get captured again."
Priam stood there in silence for a while.
"My home isn’t far from here. The Infernal Forest starts just ahead. You’re very strong. As long as we keep going in this direction, we’ll get there very quickly. Please, Senior..."
Priam snorted.
Was this little girl incredibly naive, or just a complete fool?
She wanted to bring someone she barely knew to the hiding place of her entire race?
That was a level of recklessness without limits.
But seeing her bright, hopeful eyes, he could only sigh.
"Let’s go."
"Senior, thank you. I knew I could trust my instincts. You’re really, really a good person," she said with a grateful smile.
