You think you're worthy of saving the world?

Unfortunately.

Until Yuri's time travel, the official explanation of Stella's relationship with the "Ash Saintess" was never made.

This is also the biggest reason why players firmly believe that Lauder will definitely return to the game, after all, there are still major plot points about her that haven't been resolved!

Yuri thought to herself: I wonder if Lauder actually won the revival match in my original world...

Regardless, even if the "Ash Maiden" is the most incompetent of the saintesses, she is still a figure that Yuri and Rosalia cannot bypass in this trial.

Once we reach Valpughis, let's try to contact her first.

……

……

……

The bright white moonlight bathed the ancient land.

As night fell, Cynthia said she would keep watch that night and let Yuri and Tia go back to their carriages to rest.

Yuri thought about it and decided it should be fine. After reminding her of various precautions, she walked into the carriage.

"Yuri!" Tia called to the boy. "I'm leaving things here with you. I'm going to see the children tonight, okay?"

"Yes, you need to be extra careful over there too."

Yuri will stay in the first carriage where the women are tonight, while Tia will go to the third carriage to protect the children.

Although Yuri had suggested that he go to the children's car while Yuri stayed behind to protect the woman, the elf girl insisted on this arrangement.

It seems that the fact that the children are closer to Yuri during the day makes her very unhappy. The competitive Tia plans to use tonight to get along with the children and then come back to show off to Yuri tomorrow.

"This area has been rather unsettled lately. Stay vigilant and watch out for witches and magical beasts," Yuri warned again.

"Why are we still talking about this?!"

Upon hearing Yuri mention "witch" and "monster," Tia's delicate face turned fierce: "Didn't I say they don't exist?"

"Alright, alright, no, no. It's always good to be careful at night, and remember to turn on the detection barrier." Yuri reached out and stroked the elf girl's hair.

"W-What are you doing? Don't treat me like a child! Waaah, Yuri is the child~" Tia blushed, revealing a very cute expression of enjoyment.

"Good night."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Yuri."

The two returned to their respective carriages.

……

……

……

"Ugh...it feels so bad."

Yuri, who had been raised as a savior since childhood, had never slept in such a bumpy and shabby carriage in his life, and he couldn't get a good night's sleep all night.

After four or five hours of swaying and staggering, Yuri opened her eyes in complete darkness.

He didn't wake up because he felt unwell, but because he sensed something.

A sense of impending danger, like the frantic scattering of small animals before an earthquake, inexplicably swirled in my chest.

Although Yuri couldn't quite pinpoint what this ominous premonition was, he clearly sensed something else familiar.

"Such a strong magical fluctuation..."

"We need to wake Tia up quickly, she might be a witch..."

Yuri swallowed hard, gasped for breath, stumbled to his feet, and peered out the side window.

"What happened, Lord Yuri?"

Cynthia noticed the absent-minded black-haired boy.

Just as Yuri was about to ask her to wake Tia, ...

boom----!!!!!!!!!!!

A deafening roar suddenly erupted from the rear of the convoy, ruthlessly shattering the tranquil night.

Under the stunned gazes of the black-haired boy and the blue-haired elf, the third carriage was engulfed by a raging inferno and instantly shattered into pieces.

Shards of disintegrated wooden carriage and severed human limbs flew past the two men.

Yuri reached out and touched his cheek in a daze, taking something off.

Take a closer look.

“……………………Ah ah.”

It was covered in blood; some child's severed finger had fallen onto his face.

042 The Witch Must Die

A beautiful and peaceful border night can turn into a living hell in the blink of an eye.

Without warning, the third carriage turned into a raging fireball, its wooden structure shattering and exploding in the flames.

Those remaining in the carriage included not only the elven girl named Tia, but also six human children who were not yet adults.

Following closely behind, the other two carriages also underwent strange changes.

For unknown reasons, the vehicle lost its balance, the horses neighed and fled, and amidst the screams and cries of the women, the carriage overturned and rolled to the side of the road.

When Yuri climbed out of the overturned carriage,

"Tia!!!!!!!!!!"

Cynthia let out a piercing scream and scrambled toward the burning remains of the carriage.

"..."

Yuri stared blankly at the scene of disaster, his mind going completely blank for a moment.

During the day today, he ended the lives of several evil people.

He instantly killed a second-tier warrior.

He was being watched by a group of children with adoring eyes.

Everything in the singularity felt so immersive and real that Yuri felt like he was an omnipotent "player".

What is now being presented to the boy is a more realistic and cruel side of this game world (Singularity).

The night wind carried the acrid smell of burnt human flesh and the wailing cries of young children.

In the flickering firelight, two tiny, wriggling figures could be vaguely seen.

They were more unfortunate than their companions, as they did not die peacefully in their sleep.

"..."

The emotion that welled up in Yuri's heart was not fear, but a deep-seated hatred.

The intense magical fluctuations in the air revealed who had committed such a heinous act.

There are no magicians in this era, so the culprit behind this horrific attack can only be one thing—

Witch.

At that moment, Yuri felt ashamed of his naiveté.

It's shameful that I even fantasized about having a friendly conversation with them.

Stella's kindness is an exceptional case among exceptional cases.

Witches are a bunch of irrational, extremely evil lunatics; I should have understood that.

Yuri clenched his fists: No... don't get excited, it's just an illusion...

The boy kept reminding himself that this was a singularity, a dream, not the real world.

"call……"

After finally regaining his composure, he thought to himself: What should I do next?

Tia is dead.

Cynthia also died in vain.

There's no need to clash with the witch right now.

This is not a victory condition for the singularity.

The witch has appeared; we must hurry and reunite with His Highness.

Run. Run. Run! Run quickly. Run quickly. We have no choice but to run. We must run.

While thinking this in my mind, my legs made the exact opposite decision.

Yuri picked up the "Azure Queen" and rushed towards the raging fire.

He was certain that even if they were attacked by an explosion, Tia wouldn't die so easily.

The fifth rank is an indispensable fighting force, but more importantly, she knows the saintess of this era.

With the Saintess's strongest assistance through Tia, this adventurous rescue was worthwhile.

I still have the resurrection coins I got when I entered the dungeon! Perfect plan!

No, before that, there's something even more important—

You filthy bitch! I'm going to kill you!!!

……

……

……

When Yuri rushed to the vicinity of the carriage wreckage, he saw a familiar figure lying quietly on the ground, emitting smoke.

Her beautiful blonde hair and pretty face were burned.

One of its long, pointed ears was broken off, and its body and limbs were in a truly gruesome state.