After being reborn, I was turned into a slave girl by a princess.

……

With a feeling of being both close and distant, Lonnie slowly woke up.

However, this time...

"W-What happened?"

A feeling of fullness filled her mouth; Lonnie realized that a large rubber ball had been stuffed into her mouth... Its enormous size made it impossible for her to even move her jaw, let alone make a sound.

Her legs were tightly bound, and she couldn't move her thighs, calves, or even her toes.

My hands were tightly bound around my waist, and I felt a sharp pain as if I had lost all feeling in them.

A magic-piercing rod was fixed in front of her, making Lonnie feel a strong sense of foreignness.

She didn't know where she was; she was lying flat on her back... That was all Lonnie was aware of. Her eyes were covered by thick strips of cloth, and it was pitch black; she could see almost nothing.

(What happened?)

(So, I really was caught by the villagers?)

Lonnies wanted to cry out for help from Elusia, but soon she sensed something was different.

My chest should be bigger, but now it feels a bit empty and looks much smaller.

And considering the previous actions...

(Is this a dream?)

As Lonnies was pondering this, she heard the villagers' voices:

"The purification ritual now officially begins!"

"Burn her! Burn her now!"

……

The torch was lit, and it seemed as if someone had walked up to him.

And what happened next...

"Ouch! (It's so hot!)"

Lonnie didn't know how to describe her feelings, but she had been burned by a hot pan before... She was only burned for a second before blisters appeared.

And now?

Then the entire body was covered by this scorching heat.

The firewood crackled and burned, the raging flames scorching his body, turning every inch of his skin into a withered state.

Torn between inner and outer suffering, a double torment.

The intense pain spread throughout her body, causing Lonnie to almost lose all feeling in her body.

then……

……

"Lonnies, stop calling me."

"what?"

"Wake up quickly, it's just a dream."

Waking from the nightmare, I was greeted by a black-haired loli with a serious expression. Her brows were furrowed, and her gaze was fierce.

“E... Elusia. I…”

"Hmph, you didn't dream about how vengeful spirits died, did you?"

"Hmm... yeah, that seems to be it?"

"Hmph, no wonder he's a masochist, he just loves dreaming about things like this."

"It's not that I like it, I'm also very troubled!"

After saying that, Lonnie looked around with lingering fear.

Fortunately, it's already daytime now. Although it's still raining outside, some light is already shining through the window.

Elusia was also unharmed and showed no sign of panic: "I'm going to ask the villagers some questions. Do you want to come along?"

"Yes...yes!"

"Then keep quiet. Just pretend to be a fool."

When Lonnie encountered those kind-looking residents again, her heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't forgotten that these villagers had been crawling forward like zombies last night... but today, they were acting as if nothing had happened, starting their day's work.

The kind-looking old lady stepped forward and asked Elusia:

"Little girl, did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, very good! Thank you, Grandma. The bed is very soft, and dinner was delicious, but..."

"only……?"

“But last night I seemed to hear some strange sounds? It sounded like… um, like a flute.”

Elusia had a blank expression on her face, looking like an innocent and naive little girl.

"Oh, the sound of a flute. We've been hearing it occasionally these days... But isn't that just the sound of the wind? It's the sound of a strong wind blowing through the bamboo forest."

"what?"

"Don't be afraid, there hasn't been a serious incident in this area for seven years."

The old woman smiled kindly, seemingly genuinely fond of Elusia: "Don't worry about the caravan. Old Hu has already notified the nearby lords, and soon there should be soldiers to handle this kind of thing."

"Huh... what happened seven years ago? Grandma, was it like our convoy, attacked by a monster? How... how scary QAQ!"

"..."

Upon hearing Elusia's question, the old woman's expression suddenly turned melancholy.

Those eyes seemed to pierce through the rain clouds, drifting to a faraway place: "No, that's something else."

"what?"

"That incident was a tragedy. Perhaps it shouldn't have come to this, but... well, the past is the past."

The old woman sighed, her slightly cloudy eyes filled only with regret and remorse.

Elusia nodded, as if relieved.

"Oh...that puts my mind at ease~ But Grandma, I want to play with that uncle."

"uncle?"

"Where is that middle-aged man named Lao Hu from yesterday?"

"Oh, Old Hu is our messenger. He set off last night to find the lords in the vicinity."

"Oh, thank you, grandma!"

You're welcome... I hope you'll be safe and sound.

After saying goodbye to the old woman, Elusia first returned to the village, and then quietly slipped away again... This time, even though Elusia didn't say anything, Lonnies knew where she was going.

The small wooden house that burned down last night was a place the villagers had visited.

As day turned to night, Lonnie could no longer remember the path she had taken the previous night; but Elusia, like a compass, led her to the area in no time.

A light mist still hung in the air, and the abandoned house seemed a few degrees colder than its surroundings. Combined with the damp air, Lonnie could feel a chill seeping into her sleeves.

Without the cover of night, the layout of the room became much clearer...

This is a small wooden cabin with only one room: the roof has long since collapsed, broken glass bottles, charred wooden sticks, and only some ruins of the walls still stand.

There was no manipulator, no wandering, lost villagers.

At least during the day, the environment here appears quite ordinary; it's just a typical ruin.

……

Elusia walked in expressionlessly and said to Lonnies:

"Lonnies, lie here."

"here……?"

Lonnies was taken aback. She saw that Elusia was pointing to a rectangular area... There used to be a table there, but it had been moved away.

However, Lonnie was somewhat unwilling to be ordered to do so, not only because the ground was wet and dirty, but also because she felt that something was strange about the place... In addition, many villagers had visited the place yesterday, which made Lonnie feel a little uneasy.

"Really, do I have to lie here?"

"This is an order."

"Waaah..."

With no other option, Lonnies could only lie down here as Elusia instructed.

And just as he lay down,

Lonnie, however, widened her eyes instantly as if she had been electrocuted.

Because she sensed it...

This is the place where "you" were burned to death in the dream.

……

Chapter 46.5 Thoughts Amidst the Flames (One more update tonight)

Why... am I in the flames?

"Did I fail?"