Chapter 53: Perrin the Warrior Woman

At the very moment Perrin was seized by the kobold chieftain, she knew her fate was sealed.

She would become food for these savage creatures, her dignity as a warrior lost forever!

Why did the goddess of fate torment her so cruelly?

O, greatest war god, why must your most loyal follower be denied the glory of falling honorably on the battlefield?

This kobold force was formidable; though several had been bitten by horned apes, they emerged victorious. Every corpse of the horned apes was taken away by the kobolds, destined, she feared, to serve as their provisions—just as she herself would.

Powerless to resist, Perrin closed her eyes and let the chieftain hoist her onto his shoulder, sprinting deeper into the forest. She had no strength left to fight back, her beloved sword now clutched in the hand of some kobold.

The kobolds pressed further into the woods, soon arriving at a vast nest.

All the horned ape corpses were dumped onto a clearing, and Perrin felt herself roughly deposited beside them by the chieftain.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, finding herself surrounded by a mountain of horned ape bodies. Their jaws gaped wide, baring needle-sharp teeth.

Soon, another band of kobolds arrived, dragging the heap of corpses off to another area.

“Houses?” she suddenly realized the kobolds were heading toward structures resembling human dwellings.

A village within the magic beast forest? Humans living alongside kobolds?

Impossible, she thought; perhaps it was once inhabited by humans, now occupied by the kobold tribe. The people here must have been devoured as food by the kobolds!

How could humans survive in such a dreadful place as the magic beast forest?

As she pondered, a handsome blond youth clad in leather armor emerged from the house. The moment the chieftain saw him, he approached and bowed his noble head submissively.

“A human! Is he really a human?” Perrin was aghast, unable to believe the scene before her eyes.

This merciless, brutal tribe—whose leader could devour humans—now adopted a servile posture before a youth who looked no different from any ordinary human? Could this boy be a high-level magical beast in human guise?

She recalled tales from the elders: some legendary beasts could transform into human form, hiding among mortals undetected, able to command wild creatures by their very nature. Was this youth the incarnation of one such beast? Her prospects seemed ever bleaker; it was said that many magical beasts favored human flesh, especially young girls like herself—prime delicacies!

“Why did you bring someone back? Who is she?” The blond youth eyed Perrin curiously, approached, crouched beside her, and waved a hand before her eyes. “Hey~~ Can you understand me? Silly me—like you’d understand.”

Perrin gazed vacantly at the youth. His words bore no resemblance to any language she knew. He truly must be some magical beast in disguise…

Instinctively, she curled up, dreading her imminent fate as a beast’s meal, imagining her frail body crushed between monstrous jaws. Tears spilled uncontrollably; this was not the death she hoped for. A warrior should die gloriously in battle!

Somehow, as the blond youth came closer, Perrin glimpsed her beloved sword lying not far from a kobold on the ground. In a sudden burst, she lunged, seized the weapon, and summoned every ounce of strength to stand, raising her blade for a desperate strike against the “beast” before her!

The youth reacted swiftly, lifting his left hand to meet her sword. To Perrin’s astonishment, a steel shield appeared in his grasp as if conjured from thin air.

“Clang!!” Sparks flew as her blade crashed into the shield, and the force sent Perrin stumbling backward.

“Swish!” The youth deftly parried her exhausted attack, then summoned a steel spear in his right hand, pressing its sharp tip against her throat.

Too naïve, after all! A legendary beast could not be challenged by someone like her. With space magic that even great archmages struggled to master, he subdued her effortlessly. Had he truly unleashed his power, she wouldn’t have had a chance to fight back! Perrin closed her eyes in despair.

Yet if he killed her now, at least her warrior’s honor would be preserved!

Do it! she cried out silently.

But after a long moment, she felt no spear pierce her flesh. Perrin furtively opened one eye, and saw the “beast” had let both shield and weapon vanish, summoning instead a resilient rope. Before she could react, he bound her limbs tightly.

Damn it! Not even the mercy to offer her a warrior’s death? She cursed the beast inwardly.

The blond youth dusted off his hands, stood, and summoned square stone bricks from the air. With a wave, he set them down, each instantly forming a sturdy stone wall.

Before her eyes, the youth conjured a small stone house from nothing, fitting metal windows in its walls, crafting a structure that resembled a prison. Perrin watched in disbelief. This “beast’s” spatial magic was astounding! Compared to this, the simple spatial ring auctioned last year in Blue Star City for a million gold coins was utterly insignificant.

The youth finished building the jail and spoke a phrase Perrin couldn’t understand.

The kobold chieftain strode over, grabbed the tightly bound Perrin, and hauled her to the prison entrance. After unlocking the door, he flung her inside.

The blond youth summoned a strange bag from the air, tossed it beside her, and mimed a sleeping gesture.

Perrin realized it was meant as a bed for her. Even the bed was made to resemble a nest—how fitting for a beast. But why hadn’t he eaten her yet? Was he planning to starve her for days, empty her stomach, then feast?

She recalled a famous noble dish—Horned Rabbit Banquet. The nobles would cage the rabbits, starve them until they could no longer defecate and their bodies were lean and clean, then the chef would prepare them as a delicacy.

Heavens! Would she be subjected to the same culinary fate by this “beast”?